Charity should be the individual’s choice

To the editor:

I don’t always take the time to read all the fliers that are included with utility bills. I just don’t. I guess that’s why I was shocked to learn about Matanuska Electric Association’s new Round-Up program.

Apparently, MEA is going to start rounding up everyone’s electric bill to the next dollar. The money collected will then be donated to the charity of MEA’s choice.

While I am in favor of charitable giving, and do so myself, I feel it is a personal matter and the choices of when, if and who to give to should be made by the individual.

Since when does any corporation or individual have the right to take money away from someone else without specific permission, and the only way to stop it is by giving formal notification that you don’t want that to happen? That is now the policy of MEA. In my opinion, this is an arrogant and tyrannical policy.

MEA claims that this policy was approved by a majority of MEA members. I have a hard time believing that if everyone really understood how this was going to work that it would have received overwhelming support by the public.

My message to the MEA board: Stop trying to strong-arm ratepayers. Change this policy back to opt-in, instead of opt-out.

Alex Ludlum

Wasilla