Hood Blames Entergy For PSC Shutdown

Who is responsible for the Public Service Commission not receiving funding before the new fiscal year began on July 1st? A reasonable person might argue that Rep. George Flaggs (D-Vicksburg) shares a heavy burden since he delayed the vote for two hours by forcing a reading of the Medicaid bill last Monday before lawmakers could vote on it and send it over to the Senate.

But our attorney general has a different view. The man who predicted doom and gloom should no budget be passed is blaming his longtime foe Entergy for the inability to secure funding for the PSC.

According to WLBT, Jim Hood said:

It just shows you Entergy’s kind of like the mafia, if you try to regulate us we’ll shut you down and that’s what happened they have shut down the actual functions of the Public Service Commission to a bare minimum and they’ve shut down the agency that assists them completely. From what I was told, senators and Governor Barbour were right in the middle of the shutdown, I guess he’s carrying the water for Entergy.

Correction, Hood is blaming Entergy lobbyist and Republican senators and a Republican governor. What a shock, the Democrat run House did not get mentioned by the last remaining Democrat to hold a statewide office.

I have not talked about the AG much, but this is just part of his latest PR campaigns against a company he does not like so he can go tell the voters “hey look what I did to this big, bad business that is ripping you off.”

AGs across the country, whether Democrat or Republican, have one of the most cushiony jobs in politics. They can go after people and or companies that the public might have a negative view of and then cut campaign ads spotlighting their work; and when things do not go their way they can simply say there was nothing they could do because of the law. Jim Hood has become a master of this.

By all accounts, Entergy is a good company, and employs a lot of Mississippians. However, they have not given in to Hood’s Jesse Jackson-like shakedown, and are the object of his latest campaign.

Here is the response from Entergy to Hood’s baseless claims:

The Attorney General’s allegations are false and highly irresponsible. We have not intervened in the M.P.S.C. funding issue. If the M.P.S.C. could not operate in a normal and efficient manner, it would have a negative affect on our company and our customers.