Copyright Arizona Capitol Times
In the aftermath of the sweltering heat of Arizona’s summer, where the mercury danced perilously above 110 degrees more often than not, one might expect a chorus of reason from those purporting to champion the downtrodden. Instead, we are treated to the cacophonous bleatings of Vanessa Perez and her so-called Solar for All Coalition, a cadre of self-anointed activists who, in their latest op-ed, decry Arizona Public Service’s proposed rate adjustment as nothing short of corporate armageddon. This is not advocacy; it is theater, a manufactured outrage orchestrated by a woke mob perpetuating the grand con of leftist, Marxist, socialist, communist dogma that is as anti-American as it is anti-capitalist. These are not activists but actors, poverty pimps and profiteers, feasting on the grievances they amplify while offering naught but ideological slop in return. Let us dissect this charade with the scalpel of truth. APS seeks a modest 14% rate increase, amounting to roughly $20 per month for the average household, deferred until no earlier than July 8, 2026, to fund the sinews of our modern existence: reliable electricity that powers homes, businesses, and the very air conditioners these doomsayers claim will be sacrificed on the altar of greed. Pinnacle West’s profits? A testament to capitalist success, not sin. As the Apostle Paul admonishes in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” Capitalism rewards labor and innovation; socialism, by contrast, devours both. Yet Perez and her ilk, ensconced in their coalition of segregated racialist silos, wield identity as a bludgeon against free enterprise. They paint vignettes of elders sweltering with open windows, families forsaking groceries for lights, and immigrants teetering on the brink of debt. Poignant, perhaps, but perilously detached from reality. These tales are the currency of professional victims, who thrive not on solutions but on sustaining the myth of systemic oppression. They are in league with the remnants of the dying Democrat Party, desperately administering CPR to the corpse of a political movement that has long since expired under the weight of its own contradictions. The border is sealed, the nation has had its fill of unchecked influxes, and Black Americans, my community, whom I have helped lead as one of Arizona’s most high-profile civil rights leaders, have abandoned the left in droves. Why? Because we weary of their godless, pointless crusades against all things white, normal, or productive. As Proverbs 14:23 declares, “In all labor there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.” The left’s lips flap ceaselessly, yielding only more poverty. This is all that immigrant activists and leftists have left: the hollow echo of class warfare, a relic of Marxist fever dreams that history has repeatedly put to rest. They decry APS’s formula-based mechanism for annual adjustments as a dangerous policy shift, bypassing full public input. Nonsense. Efficiency is the hallmark of progress, not a license for plunder. Without such mechanisms, utilities languish in bureaucratic quagmires, delaying the very infrastructure upgrades that prevent blackouts and ensure affordability in the long term. Attorney General Kris Mayes, in her vigorous opposition, merely parrots the socialist siren song, labeling it corporate greed. But greed? Nay, it is stewardship. As stewards of God’s creation, we must invest in the grids that sustain life, not sabotage them in the name of equity theater. Far from the greedy monolith portrayed, APS has long been a pillar of community reinvestment, pouring millions into programs that uplift Arizona’s families, including Black Phoenicians. Through its community impact initiatives, APS has supported food security efforts providing over 6.8 million meals via partnerships with local food banks, invested in heat relief programs serving vulnerable populations with cooling stations and emergency AC repairs, and funded scholarships and STEM grants benefiting thousands of students from underrepresented communities. Notably, APS serves as presenting sponsor for the African American Leadership Institute (AALI), facilitated by the State of Black Arizona, fostering leadership in Phoenix and Southern Arizona cohorts. It backs Impact AZ 2025, a business accelerator for minority-owned enterprises through the Black Chamber of Arizona, and has championed the Black Changemaker Series to promote equity and opportunity. These efforts, detailed in APS’s annual community reports (https://www.aps.com/-/media/APS/APSCOM-PDFs/About/Community/Community_Impact_Report_2024.pdf), reflect a commitment to reinvestment that belies the critics’ caricature. Moreover, APS’s legacy in advancing civil rights in metro Phoenix is profound and enduring. The company played a pivotal role in establishing the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in Arizona, not merely in rhetoric but in practice, designating it as an off-peak day in service plans to ease financial burdens on customers, while promoting days of service in Dr. King’s memory (https://www.instagram.com/p/DFDd1D7O5ny/). APS was instrumental in supporting the Phoenix 40, a coalition of business and civic leaders that championed racial equality and economic opportunity in the 1960s and 1970s, fostering integration and empowerment. Leaders like Keith Turley, former President and Chairman of APS, forged alliances with civil rights icons, including an early and life-long partnership with my grandmother, Opal Ellis, a trailblazing activist whose sit-ins and community organizing paved the way for desegregation in Phoenix. Turley, alongside figures like Martin Shultz, APS’s longtime Vice President of Public and Government Affairs, invested in community alliances that uplifted Black Phoenicians, from scholarships and workforce development to support during crises. APS also empowered figures like Monsignor Robert Donohoe, a Catholic priest and social justice advocate, whose work through the Catholic church was bolstered by APS’s community partnerships, including support for initiatives addressing poverty and discrimination. When Black churches fell victim to arson in decades past, APS’s broader human services programs, providing aid through partnerships like the Salvation Army and faith networks, offered solace and resources to rebuild. These millions invested in programs for Black upliftment alone stand as a rebuke to the profiteers’ narrative. The Arizona Corporation Commission, tasked with safeguarding public interest, must not capitulate to this hysteria. Reject the calls for endless hearings and comments that serve only to inflate the egos of these actors. Instead, affirm the capitalist ethos that built this nation: innovation rewarded, responsibility upheld. Arizona families are indeed resilient, but resilience flourishes under free markets, not the yoke of redistributionist fantasies. As Ecclesiastes 5:19 reminds us, “Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.” Ya basta? Enough, indeed, of this anti-American, anti-capitalist drivel. The commission serves the people by fostering prosperity, not pandering to the poverty profiteers. Let us pray for wisdom in our regulators, that they might discern the wolf in activist clothing. For as Matthew 7:15 warns, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
