So the largest electric company in the south buys the largest gas supplier. Like that vertical consolidation? To be fair, Southern is one of the better providers as far as customer service goes. (NYSE: SO) Newsflash: For profit companies exist for the benefit of shareholders and not the customers. They are monopolies. That’s why (in theory) they need government approval to raise their rates. The game is rigged, the deck is stacked, the table is tilted. It’s time to cash-in and walk away, because no one is on our side. All the regulatory organizations are bought and paid for, and no one advocates for the citizen any more. It’s about time to flip the table and commence to settling scores. Wonder how long it will be until Duke Energy buys Southern Company, or vice versa. It will be sold as a way to lower energy prices by increased efficiency (by laying off thousands and outsourcing thousands more) and they have enough politicians in their back pocket to make it happen… Southern would buy Duke, primarily for their transmission grid and then spin their plants off in a leaseback deal. They’ve done that with a couple of smaller suppliers in the last 10 years. Note: Southern is a very conservative (fiscally) company. They would not do a deal if it involved a lot of leverage.