Cheers and jeers for our leaders

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Our state and local leaders deserve our praise for keeping us safe during the blizzard a week and a half ago.

Many criticized them for overreacting by temporarily shutting down subway service, briefly paralyzing New York City. But especially in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Thank you, Governor Cuomo, and local officials, like Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, for keeping us safe.

The forecast called for up to 3 feet of snow, a storm that would have been historic. What if that storm had hit and people were out on the streets, driving and going about business as usual? Think of the mayhem and the accidents that would have taken place! It’s easy to criticize, but unless you’re a meteorologist extraordinaire, it’s better to be prepared.

Not everyone on Long Island is worthy of praise, however. Our friends at PSEG just don’t know when to quit. On Friday, the utility, which is contracted by the Long Island Power Authority, released a joint statement announcing that electricity rates for Long Islanders will increase nearly 4 percent a year under a three-year rate proposal.

Under the plan, PSEG would receive $72 million a year through increases in its delivery charge of 3.8 percent each year from 2016 to 2018. Long Islanders would see an estimated 2 percent increase in their total bills. PSEG claims that the increase is part of a $221 million plan to continue system improvements and allow LIPA to begin saving money to fund operations and improve its credit rating. (LIPA currently has about $7 billion in debt.)

This is shameful! Just a few weeks back, PSEG announced its seventh increase in just the past year, as well as a jump in its power supply charge of about $10 a month — a 14 percent increase for the average customer. This comes at a time when fuel prices have been on a steady decline.

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