A personalities paid to troll the halls in search of something of value. The scene, at its worst, is reminiscent of the commotion outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion before the Academy Awards. Starstruck lobbyists wait patiently outside for that brief moment when they can fawn over legislators and tell them how important they are.
Lawmakers hear it so many times that some become believers.
Within this climate of causeless conceit, the Texas Legislature does its work. The state is poised to open the electric utility market to competition. The question is how to accomplish it. But the debate is one of subtlety and nuance, and thus is destined to remain subterranean. The issue is horribly technical and hopelessly boring, and the outcome undoubtedly affects consumers greatly, but no one can really explain how.