proof times are tough.... very very sad.

[Mahonri]

I think the electric companies here have more heart.

Of course I've heard of elderly who set the thermostat at 85 in the summer to save money but that's just not cool enough when it's 115 and then they die from the heat.

We can sometimes have ours set at 72 and when it's 115 outside it will only cool us to 82 or 83. It's nice when the sun goes down.

Of course last night I slept with the windows open... but not tonight. It will get down to 39.

BRRRRRRRRR

 

[Solace]

Quote:
By installing the limiter they allowed for a 10 day period of time to 'find out' or get paid.

It is a very sad story no doubt, but having power isn't a 'right' it's a luxury. They are providing a service for a fee. I'm not saying you are, but blaming the power company is like blaming a grocery store for someone starving to death.

 

[WriterofWords]

With the extreme heat in El Paso and the surrounding area they make sure the elderly have power and fans if not a cooler. When it gets below freezing they have representatives that go to the homes of the elderly to make sure they have heat and blankets. They have a program where a neighbor or family member can call and ask that they be checked on. Every season change there is a big drive for blankets, space heaters, fans, you name it.

 

[OrpingtonManor]

Quote:
By installing the limiter they allowed for a 10 day period of time to 'find out' or get paid.

It is a very sad story no doubt, but having power isn't a 'right' it's a luxury. They are providing a service for a fee. I'm not saying you are, but blaming the power company is like blaming a grocery store for someone starving to death.

I know of many people who are elderly who have someone who pays their bills for them. It is possible this man didn't know he was getting his power shut off. It also sounds like the limiter tripped before the 10 days. Someone who thought he had power and was going to pay his bill before the 10 days were up would have been too late.

I'm not saying any of these possibilities even happened. But, why can't having power at 93 be a "right" not a "luxury"? Put a lien on his house. Bill his estate. But don't cut off power to a 93 year old.

I think we might have reached a place where neither of us is going to convince the other, so I'm going to move on from this thread. Otherwise the mods will have something to say.

 

[whattheflock]

A power company kills a living being over $$$ he can't pay for energy he must have to survive. CRIMINAL!!! Will they eventually do the same to us all when Saudi Arabia and China finally get all our money and won't loan it back to us?
If our lives depend on having power, then maybe it transcends capitalism. Hmmm... People please, no more gas hogs, Conserve, go green. Lets try to not usurp the world before we can solve this problem.
And to all the Corporations (especially Wall Mart),who've exported our jobs overseas; good work fellas, happy now? I hope all your golden parachutes fail to open.
Oh what a rant!

From the BYC Rules:

1. Remember this is a family board no swearing / foul language. This includes "swearing" using symbols.

Thank you for understanding.​

 

[The Chicken Lady]

There are many charities who will pay a person's electric bills for them if they are unable to pay. The electric companies here in Michigan send out brochures to their customers about these programs every winter. Unfortunately, if the person doesn't make the call to get the help they need, they aren't going to be helped.

I imagine he was too proud to ask for help.

I wonder, though, he was 93 years old... Where was his family if things were so rough for him?

I don't understand why the electric company deserves to be blamed. They're a company that provides a service. No one has a "right" to that service if they can't afford it.

This is a very sad situation, I don't deny that for a minute, but I don't understand why businesses are always seen as the greedy ones, when in truth, they have every right to operate the way they do. Businesses are not charities.

 

[thecochincoop]

That's terrible

too bad he didn't have anyone to check on him and make sure he was ok

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
The article said he had no family. His wife died the year before.

This is a very sad story. Very sad.

The blame cannot be placed on the electric company any more than starvation can be placed on a grocery store.

This is why it is so very important to know your neighbors, befreind them and help take care of one another.

This man at 93 was undoubtedly frail, we don't don't know if he suffered demetia or other issues. Not all people are registered with social services. You can't lay any responsibility at their feet either.

One thing we fail to think about is more and more elderly people are out living their family members. Nursing homes and care homes and veteran homes are filled with older citizens who have no one to turn to at all. They are the end of the line.

Take this as a very hard lesson to learn -

Look around where you live and help a neighbor instead of fighting with them over barking dogs and crowing roosters.

 

[justinszoo]

I'm not not commenting, just adding a little more insight. I read everything there was to read and it stated that he was a WWII vet and he had no family. His wife passed several years earlier and he had no children.

 

[Steve]

Quote:

Neighbor helping neighbor is something many have lost sight of.

We still practice it and it does your heart good.