I suppose I waillshow my ignorance about this subject but I really think all of us needs to answer this question.

Why any kind of regulation? I know we need regulation on speed limits because of the safety factor. In areas where drugs need to be regulated for the public good.

But the Republicans have always preached against Government regulation when it comes to most business's.

Back several years ago there were many more oil companies. two were Exxon and Mobil oil. They have since merged and become ExxonMobile. Maybe regulation could have been lessened when there are many players in a certain areas, but what happens when a certain industry had dozens of different companies and they have consolidated into just a half dozen? Isn't one purpose of regulation of business thought needed because of lack of compitition? Here we have the KCC which regulates the energy suppliers. A natural gas company who wants a raise in rates must go before the commision and supply data that proves it is intitled to raise rates. Why? because they are a virtual monopoly in their area.

Do companies like the few oil companies that exist now, I know can't be considered a monopoly, but how much real compitition exists?

Several years ago I need a new battery for my vehicle. I shopped at the local store and was surprised when the owner told me that there were only three companies that made batteries in the U.S. All the different brands were manufactured in those three companies facilities. Maybe tomorrow through consolidation there will only be two. When does a business get close to being a monopoly, even though it does have, lets say one competitor?How easy would it be for the major oil companies to fix prices? Why aren't more refineries built? Why should they when not building makes the product they sell worth more? And where is any compitition who will compete with them and go ahead and increase the products produced in the refinery system?

In my estimation de-regulation hasnot only been an utter failure but and extremly costly failure. Reagen started something that has cost the American public vasts amounts of money. Look how it has helped in our energy situation. He preached that de-regulation of the oil industry would allow the oil companies to make more money and therefor find us more oil to burn. Has it happened? And don't put out that shit about congress keeping them from finding more oil, the oil they found in Alaska is being exported to Japan.

Did you enjoy bailing out the S&L companies who were de-regulated?

And now we have this mother-of-all-bailouts. Yes de-regulation has been a tremendous boon to the persons who positioned themselves to take advantage of the disaster when I am sure they knew would eventually come about.

De-regulation might work if every bodies business who was de-regulated was honest, but unfortuantely that just isn't the case. Regulation has a chance of not permitting greedy corporations and persons from taking advantage of areas that are essential to our country, like the energy sector.

For almost thirty years now I feel the majority of person in America have been living in a dream world. Conservative Republicans have played to the greed in all of us and because of that factor we have succombed to the siren of letting someone else pay the bill. But the bill we now have to pay seems like enourmous when compared to what we might have paid until the de-regulation hoax. We have an almost unimagnible debt, one that my children and my granchildren will be trying to pay off. And what is amazing most in the loop don't think punishment for the perpertrators a particuarly good idea. Huh?