Thursday, September 24, 2015

Kansas state government taking away from the middle-class

September 24, the Kansas Corporation Commission gave the final approval for a $78M rate hike for Westar Energy, the largest electric company in Kansas (KSNT article here). This hike amounts to an increase of about $5-7 a month per customer or about 4 percent. That may not sound like a lot, but for millions of struggling middle-class Americans in Kansas, a higher fixed cost per month could be detrimental nonetheless.

What makes this even more angering is that the rate hike will be used to cover costs for upgrades to an outdated coal-fired power plant in LaCygne. They have decided to continue to use it for 20 years longer than initially planned, and that means it will continue to pollute the environment all the way until 2045 and beyond if it gets an extension on its life again.

We as a people should be united in opposing the continued operation of the air-polluting coal power plant, especially since it was supposed to be shut down by 2025, which is still 10 years away. Kansas residents should be outraged that a rate hike was justified on the basis of keeping that power plant in operation. Instead, the increased revenue should be used for increasing use of renewable energy, such as solar power. Even if the rate hike was double what was just approved, I personally would be happier knowing that my increased monthly bill is paying for a good cause, not something outdated and obsolete.

18 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Try to stay impartial as much as possible when writing an article. You want the reader to come up with their own conclusions. Good ideas just be sure you are using AP style!

    This is a very relevant topic to Washburn because Washburn has so many nontraditional students. It will be interesting to continue to follow Westar Energy's plans. Unfortunately, Westar Energy has an advantage because as of right now there is no competition (monopoly).

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  3. Since there is a specific date in September, it should read Sept. 24 instead of spelling it out. I think that was a great topic to write about. But, just remember when you are writing to remain unbiased and not take a stance on the issue you are writing about in your article!

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  4. I am not sure, but when listing a dollar amount I think its supposed to be $XX million. I don't know if $XX M is allowed by AP? Also, in the last paragraph "we as a people" seem to be a grammatical error. I would consider re-wording that. "Kansan's" would fit perfectly in it space I believe.

    I like the topic, and actually just learned about this by reading your article. :)

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  5. There are a couple minor errors in this post such as the date and the money amount. I thought the post was interesting but it doesn't really pertain to Washburn's campus. Overall, I thought you did great!

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  6. I agree with all of the above stated comments. The only different comment I would add is to begin your lead with information other than the date!

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  7. I agree with all of the above stated comments. The only different comment I would add is to begin your lead with information other than the date!

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  8. "angering" I feel like you should use a different word than this. This really pertains to me since I live in my own house of campus. I know the struggle of paying my own bills.

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  9. You have a lot of opinions in your post. Try to stay away from opinions and stick to the facts.

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  10. Other than the opinion part (as seen above), very nice work.

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  11. Interesting read, but omit the opinions and write only about the facts. Be impartial!

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  12. Good edit. I am pretty sure the dollar about in million should be spelled out for AP style.

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  13. Never include yourself in a news story. This harms your credibility and ability to remain entirely objective. I thought the subject matter was interesting. Adjust your headline and find a new verb -- I don't think "taking away" is working for me as a reader.

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  14. Comes off biased, but you provided a lot of information for the story. Remove yourself and your opinion from the story and it will be a good article!

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  15. "Angering" is a pretty strong, opinionated word. As everyone else has said, try to stay as impartial as possible to keep your credibility.

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  16. "Angering" is a pretty strong, opinionated word. As everyone else has said, try to stay as impartial as possible to keep your credibility.

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  17. Adjust your writing to fit AP style criteria. Otherwise an interesting topic that will affect all residents.

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  18. a good topic to read. but like they said watching the AP style.

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