Dissenting Opinion

THE MOST SENSIBLE vote on Question 7, which calls for uniform electric rates, is a flat "no." Consumers have an uneven power demand, requiring more electricity during summer than other times of the year. Because they create this need for plants to have extra capacity, consumers should subsidize it.

No one really knows the economic consequences of imposing uniform electric rates. Massachusetts, with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, can't afford to be the testing ground for an experiment that could wreak economic havoc in the state.