NYT thinks we've got an extra $15/month.

Sorry, I cut home internet months ago, no cable, Tracphone cell only, and the electricity prices are beyond belief* these last few months -- even with just the space heater sparingly heating the living room, until I open a bedroom door later at night, when I don't fall asleep in the living room recliner...

Great for the East Coasters, with their different priced economy, I suppose. Not so great for the struggling masses, cutting back, back, back. Why the heck did they choose to announce this today, when we're still transitioning into the bluer Spring skies, do you think?

Still, they're tossing us 20 bones a month in "free" articles. So Herbert and Dowd, twice a week, all month long when they're on = 16 alone, presuming you only take one read. And the Big Bloggers may link, treating us to other freebie stories of their personal liking.

That leaves four others, by my calculations, to choose from all month...

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ADDED: I'm still waiting to see Art, Jr. on the "undercover boss" show, where he spends some time with the night folks -- contractors -- who deliver his product, or in the printing press rooms, where lesser-paid people work physically to get out his product daily, amidst their own family and budget concerns.

Either they want to brand themselves further as for Elite Readers only, or they just don't know/care how much $15 a month is to some in-comes out here. Somebody in the comments dismissed this as "two meals at McDonalds", but are you kidding me? Who pays $7.50 per meal there?

Two Americas -- one for the working wealthy (who probably will comp their subscriptions as business write-offs anyway) and one for the rest. Luckily, we've got other alternatives, for all but the names noting their individual perspectives on the news.

(Did I ever tell you about the Christmas when my folks decided -- based on how I consumed the Trib and Sun Times people left behind on the evening trains, that my Dad brought home each evening -- to get me my own Sun Times subscription? It was 1984, the year Royko then transferred to the Trib, after Murdoch bought the Sun Times.* Timing, damn! )

* The Trib advertising campaign had Royko saying snarkily about the switch: "The only thing I'm changing is my socks." (paraphrasing, from memory)

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* Electric Rates See Increase
As we reported to you in an earlier letter,
electric rates are increasing due to a hike in
wholesale power rates. Xcel Energy has been
granted a wholesale power supply increase of
nearly 20% by the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC) which went into effect July
1st, 2010 and those costs are passed along to
the customer through the power cost
adjustment clause (PCAC). You saw this
increase on your August billing statement and
will continue to see a similar trend in the
coming months. The municipal wholesale group
which includes Rice Lake Utilities along with
nine other municipal electric utilities in
Wisconsin and Michigan are opposed to this
increase and have made several appeals to get
the increase reduced. However, FERC has
approved this increase which is a formula rate
and is considered desirable because it reflects
the true cost of service versus a negotiated
rate. Rice Lake Utilities and the rest of the
wholesale group is continuing to work with Xcel
on the issue and will be researching alternative
power supplies which may include market based
rates. Currently Rice Lake Utilities has some of
the lowest electric rates in the state of
Wisconsin and even after this significant
increase our rates continue to be among the
lowest in the state. Each month the Wisconsin
Public Service Commission (PSC) posts rate
comparisons and for the month of August we
were the 5th lowest and for September we
have the 12th lowest rates among utilities
reporting to the PSC. I know that is not much
comfort to you, however we are working on the
issue and it is our intentions to keep our rates
as low as possible while still maintaining the
level of service you expect. I would be more
than happy to discuss the topic with you
personally and do intend to follow up on any
letters or notes we receive. Thank you, Scott
Reimer General Manager.