They're low-profile bureaucrats, I get that.

They're faceless, nameless and mostly monotonous, and I can't blame you at all for not paying attention to the members of the Public Service Commission.

Except for this:

They're treating you like a chump.

A pushover. A fool.

They're helping electric companies reach further into your wallet, and they're doing it while earning big bucks to supposedly protect your interests.

"It's like the patients have taken over the insane asylum,'' said state Rep. Dwight Dudley, D-St. Petersburg. "There are no rules stopping the utilities from doing whatever they want. Where's the leadership in this state? Where's the responsibility?''

In case you missed the latest outrage, the PSC recently agreed to follow the wishes of utility companies and gut the state's energy conservation goals. Along the way, they also decided to do away with incentives to utilize solar energy.

Which begs the questions:

In what world does saving energy not make sense? In what universe is harnessing solar power not a good idea? In what scenario is Florida governed by honest men and women?

"How do you strip away energy conservation?'' said Nancy Argenziano, a former state legislator and PSC commissioner. "It's totally what the utilities wanted them to do, and now they're going to be raking in more money than ever before.''

Look, this is not a policy wonk debate. It is not a partisan issue. It is a question of everyday citizens and local businesses being ripped off by power companies, all with the blessing of the very same lawmakers you and I elect.

Here's how the scam works:

The utility companies donate millions and millions of dollars to the campaigns of Gov. Rick Scott and state legislators. So when it's time to select appointees to the Public Service Commission, your middlemen in Tallahassee lean toward spineless bobbleheads. The commissioners, then, are keenly aware that their continuing job status depends on doing whatever the power companies want.

Voila, everyone wins!

Unless you count Florida's 19 million residents.

"The sad part is the joke that the PSC is supposed to be watching out for us,'' said Scott McIntyre, a board member for the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy. "It's not really a Public Service Commission: It's a rubber stamp for utilities.''

How nutty are things?

Well, you've got utility companies arguing that we don't need to save energy while simultaneously seeking approval to charge customers billions for new power plants.

And you've got utility companies that bilked consumers out of $3.2 billion for bogus nuclear investments in the name of diversity, and yet now argue diversity is a bad idea when it comes to a smaller investment in solar.

"It's smoke and mirrors,'' said Argenziano, who was removed from the PSC after standing up to power companies. "Pure, ridiculous (bull).''

It should go without saying that this nonsense must stop. And yet, apparently, it must be said over and over again because not enough people are paying attention.

Up until 1979, the PSC was an elective body. Two years ago, Dudley introduced legislation that would once again return responsibility for PSC seats to voters, while also shortening their terms. Naturally, the legislation went nowhere in Tallahassee.

Now, Argenziano is proposing a constitutional amendment in 2016 to remove the PSC from the Legislature's authority. Unfortunately, she's having difficulty finding large organizations willing to back the effort.

So what can you do in the meantime?

Hold your legislators accountable. Make them prove they are not in the pocket of utilities. Demand that they, and their political action committees, stop accepting campaign donations from Duke Energy and others.

Until lawmakers are penalized for selling their souls to the power companies, you're going to continue footing the bill.