[DRAFT] Energy Embezzlers Exasperate Enterprises

[Giovanniland]

After a brief talk in the Writers' Block, I've decided to write an issue about electricity theft.

Draft 2:

Title: Energy Embezzlers Exasperate Enterprises

Validity: Capitalism

An increase of electricity theft in the national power grid has been reported, in which the consumers illegally tap into a power line from a point ahead of the energy meter. Large electricity companies are now demanding compensation for the lost money.

1. "This report shows over 50% of energy consumption comes from illegal methods!" yells Helen Tusk, owner of a large electricity company. "We need better police surveillance to assure all electricity is being correctly paid for, and to remove access from anyone that's not paying! Think of all the money my– I mean, @@NAME@@ would earn!"
Effect: small farmers have found their windmills confiscated overnight

2. "We can't let @@NAME@@ become a full free-market paradise!" replies back left-wing politician @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Electricity is something that ought to have some state control. Don't get me wrong: you capitalists can still sell energy, but only if you agree to connect your power grid to a shared national tax meter and to not rise your prices too high!"
Effect: electricity thieves are shocked by the security of the national energy production centers

3. "It's not about who controls the electricity, it's about electricity itself," remarks environmentalist @@RANDOMNAME@@ after shutting down the lights in your room and lighting up a candle. "The only effects this nonsense has done on our society is to destroy our lovely Mother Nature! Those cables falling on houses and damaging them, CO2 emissions from energy production polluting the air we breathe, would you like me to go on? Let's use electricity just for the absolutely necessary things, nothing else!" @@HIS@@ speech accidentally blows out the candle and the room goes into darkness.
Effect: dark times lie ahead for @@NAME@@

Older Drafts:

Title: Energy Embezzlers Exasperate Enterprises

Validity: Capitalism

An increase of electricity theft in the national power grid has been reported, in which the consumers illegally tap into a power line from a point ahead of the energy meter. Large electricity companies are now demanding compensation for the lost money.

1. "This report shows over 50% of energy consumption comes from illegal methods!" yells Helen Tusk, owner of a large electricity company. "We need better police surveillance to assure all electricity is being correctly paid for, and to remove access from anyone that's not paying! Think of all the money my- I mean, @@NAME@@ would earn!"
Effect: small farmers have found their windmills confiscated overnight

2. "Police surveillance? Total energy control?" questions @@RANDOMNAME@@, an impoverished citizen. "We can't let @@NAME@@ become a full capitalist paradise! The government ought to tax all electricity companies and force them to reduce their prices. An increase in welfare spending for us poorer people would also be nice, wouldn't it?"
Effect: electricity companies are leaving the country en masse

3. "That's not enough," remarks far-left politician @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Our country would be so much better off without all these businesses forcing @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ to pay exorbitant prices for everything. Not only the power grid, but also the rest of the economy, must be brought into state control. For a socialist @@NAME@@!"
Effect: power has finally gone to the people

Any thoughts? Feel free to comment your suggestions.

[Honeydewistania]

So the solutions to some electricity theft is:
1. Police crackdown
2. Tax companies, slash prices and increase welfare spending
3. Full communism

Only the first one is a sensible response to such an issue. Why would you tax companies AND force them to lower prices? And how does taxing them solve anything? Increasing someone’s food quality isn’t going to stop them from stealing electricity. Also the third option is too extreme. People will just steal from the national grid instead, that doesn’t solve the problem.

[Jutsa]

For that matter, you could reword this to also apply to socialist nations.

Possible alternative options:
> Have a nationalized, shared tax meter that keeps track of any kind of energy output whatsoever (or something)
> Produce more energy to compensate for it with an effect line involving hamster wheels

Not really sure if either of these are good ideas either but y'know.

[Cretox State]

I agree with Honeydewistania here- options 2 and 3 don't make much logical sense in the context of the issue.

Perhaps:

1. Crack down on people stealing electricity.
2. Nationalize electricity / implement a subsidy and price ceiling- try to eliminate incentive to steal.
3. People are losing their morality- big public awareness campaign to convince people that stealing is wrong.
4. Reduce dependence on electricity- promote candles and going back to the good old days.

Obviously these are just suggestions, but try to think of creative ways to solve the specific problem of people stealing electricity.

[Giovanniland]

Draft 2 is up!
Option 1 wasn't changed, but I've completely remade the other 2 options. For that I combined Jutsa and Cretox's ideas, namely introducing a national tax meter and a ceiling price (option 2), and only using electricity for the absolutely needed things (option 3). Not 100% sure about the new effect lines, I'm trying to come up with some wordplay or such but it just doesn't come into my mind.

The other suggestions are solid, but just producing more energy doesn't solve the problem (the thieves will just keeping on to steal energy) and a public awareness campaign against stealing in general feels like it's not really addressing the original issue anymore.
Edit: about rewording this for socialist nations, not really sure about that. Plus it means I'd have to likely change the title I spent some time searching words to create alliteration

[Giovanniland]

Bumping this after some weeks, came up with some better effect lines for options 2 and 3. Any more comments?

[Australian rePublic]

Why is this a leader matter rather than a police matter?

[Giovanniland]

Why is this a leader matter rather than a police matter?

The premise is that electricity theft has recently increased so much in @@NAME@@ so that the police can't solve those crimes by themselves.

We also have other issues where the premise is "some type of crime is widespread in @@NAME@@, people are calling for a solution" so I do think it can be a matter for @@LEADER@@ to solve if correctly written.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

I agree with Aussie.

I think a crime being prevalent can be a good issue, but there needs to be a more challenging moral question than "how do we stop this crime?"

The question of electricity theft isn't any more interesting than that of chicken theft, or diamond theft, or car theft. Its just another form of theft. There isn't enough to this issue to make it a worthwhile narrative.

I suggest trying to think one step deeper, and finding some deeper dilemma here. Maybe centre it around a poverty-stricken neighbourhood, and rather than electricity have them tapping into an oil pipe to steal fuel to heat their homes.

You could then very well ask if the solution is more police action, or caring for the poor better, or subsidising underground pipe networks to improve the nation's energy security.