The Bagel Politic

Can cream cheese bring together California lawmakers, or will the state's power crisis spread?

At Fortnightly, we care about what you care about. And we know you care about solving the problems that bedevil the California power market. So we sent a crack investigative team to discover what the stumbling blocks to creating a vibrant, liquid, manipulation-free California market really are.

The answer surprised us. It wasn't a complete market redesign, a return to regulation, or any other of the suggestions you see bandied about in the press. No, the real problem, we discovered, was meetings. More specifically, the fact that people want to place all kinds of conditions on their attendance at meetings. Witness all the wrangling when a certain Western power trading association wants to have a meeting to discuss simple things like legislation, public relations, and politics.

"I'll only come if there's donuts."

"Some of us prefer bagels. If you serve those, count us in. Oh, and don't forget the cream cheese."

"What about coffee? I can't meet without coffee."

"Brewed coffee is so passe. We need lattes. With soy."