Posted by psmacintosh, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Jan 10, 2012 at 3:06 pm

It's interesting to hear about this type of "feel good" news.

At first glance, it looks like a very nice and good thing that is being done--helping 100 young people with scholarships (granted on some sort of basis or another). How can there possibly be anything wrong or objectionable about this?

But I ask myself the question, "WHO is doing the real paying here and has that person authorized this giving and established the criteria and purpose behind the gift?"

I was also watching one of the football games on TV this weekend and, during half-time, saw that THE ARMY gave away an ALL EXPENSES PAID, FOUR YEAR SCHOLARSHIPS TO ANY SCHOOL to nice looking young girl. (I didn't hear all the details.....but this didn't seem the case of being a perk of the job of working at the hard job of being a solider--not a solider's benefit.)

Is this "Army" gift happening at TAXPAYER's EXPENSE? I think so!

Is this "PGE" gift happening at CUSTOMER's EXPENSE? I think so!

We, the Taxpayers, fund the Army to do a necessary job. Do we really authorize the Army to give away scholarships (no matter how nice it might be)? I'm a charitable person, but I want to be in control of my own giving--and do it on my own terms and criteria and for my own reasons and purposes. I don't think any Governmental entity should be in the business of giving away my money. I don't pay my taxes to fund charitable gifts by someone else to someone else.

Same thing for PGE. I know private and public corporations give away money to charitable causes and that they justify it to their stockholders on the basis of generating public goodwill and community appreciate so that it will lead to further customer business and inclination to support the corporation's future actions (such as building more stores). But for a public utility (with the governmental grant of a monopoly over that industry) isn't also the Customer that is paying more and thereby paying for these scholarships. I mean it is BOTH the Customer and the Stockholder who is paying for the bill for these gifts. But it is someone inside of the company that is deciding upon and making the gift.

This is a further break-down of INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM, ACTION, RESPONSIBILITY, and ACCOUNTABILITY.

Let us make our own charitable gifts to our own causes!

Stay out of the enlarged business of now making charitable, gifts as well as supplying gas and electricity. Or of supplying military services to us.

It's not like I don't want somebody to get something nice.....but somebody has to stand up and say that these entities are going beyond what I am paying you and authorizing you to do.

You don't exist to give away my money--I can do that myself!

Posted by oh!riley, a resident of the Alamo neighborhood, on Jan 11, 2012 at 3:20 pm

FYI---If you read the application form you will see the following:

"These scholarships are funded primarily by donations from PG&E employees and retirees, and a matching gift by PG&E."

It sounds like the employees raise the money and evaluate the applicants, with PG & E providing matching funds.

(I am not an employee of PG& E)