What is Digg?470 Comments
- poogy21, on 11/16/2008, -19/+584There should be an Extreme Hardship law that prevents utility companies from shutting down vital services in cases like this.
- mydjtl, on 11/16/2008, -17/+416WTF... who cares why he didn't pay his bills... that 5 year old girl is innocent and deserves to live! When will this government stop bailing out corporations and instead start investing in the people!?
- semperfidoordi, on 11/16/2008, -56/+369Sickening how people are driven to these measures in the once greatest country in the world
- filldeviant, on 11/16/2008, -11/+253That's such a shame someone would end a 5-year-old's life just for $2,000 dollars. Why are we taking money from people like this and giving hundreds of billions of dollars to corporations that don't need it?
- kd36, on 11/16/2008, -4/+190Just so I'm clear....The government can't help out some guy who owes $2000, but we can give away billions to pay for the golden parachutes of CEOs who have completely ***** up the country's entire financial structure...
right got it. - buky125, on 11/16/2008, -2/+181Faith in humanity +1
- ldner77, on 11/16/2008, -2/+146It's called compassion, and there's too little of it these days
- inactive, on 11/16/2008, -4/+145wow that is heartbreaking
- poogy21, on 11/16/2008, -2/+140I'd like to thank the anonymous downer who paid $2000 to save the girls life.
- sockpuppets, on 11/16/2008, -3/+104You're an idiot. There's 5 sentences in the entire article, one of which says:
"Tony Duncan said he has been out of work for more than a year because he had several strokes and seizures and has been unable to collect unemployment or find a new job because of his medical condition." - Volatile36, on 11/16/2008, -2/+96I'm glad to see people coming together to help this family.
- rodo, on 11/16/2008, -0/+90there are in utah. i think most cold-weather states also have laws against shutting off utlities during the winter months if it is the source of heat for the home.
- replaysMike, on 11/16/2008, -5/+91Wouldn't the police help stop that? It shouldn't be legal to turn off the power in that situation.
- WhoDoneIt, on 11/16/2008, -23/+109Er, this didn't happen in Canada.
- burnstyle, on 11/16/2008, -0/+76i work for my local power company (duke energy). my job is to turn off our non paying customers.
there is a way (throughout the country) to force your power company to leave your power on if you have a situation where lack of power could kill someone.
have your doctor submit a form to your power company stating that your life will be in jepordy if your power is disconnected... and buy a generator in case of a power failure.
all power companies are required to comply with that form... im not sure what the form is called off the top of my head but ask your doctor about it. - Pinkertinkle, on 11/16/2008, -1/+74PR booboo for the electricity company
- M80mayhem, on 11/16/2008, -11/+72Who helped?: Private citizens and donations from their own pockets.
Who didn't help? Government
'nuff said - DavidTurnbull, on 11/16/2008, -5/+62Digg needs more inspirational stories like this.
- rilian, on 11/16/2008, -4/+57I can't speak for all states but in Oregon, you can apply for a medical/emergency exception. It's in the information that comes with the bills. They always tell you that if there is a medical or other emergency reason to request power being left on in the event you can't pay your bill, to contact the power company.
Frankly though, this is how it is supposed to work...private citizens coming to each others' aid. I applaud the private donor who came to this guy's aid. The government should step in to prevent the death of an innocent child but the government does not exist to pay people's bills. - poogy21, on 11/16/2008, -7/+60Tommy, You're an idiot. Go outside and play in a busy street.
- sockpuppets, on 11/16/2008, -0/+52Prices So Shocking They'll Kill you!™
- schmitey, on 11/16/2008, -0/+51Seriously?!? Is that how little human life is worth anymore...$2000?
This company should be ashamed of themselves! $2000 is a very very cheap publicity stunt...they could have been the heroes and donated the electricity but instead they shoot themselves in the foot and come out looking like cheap dicks! - adiyo011, on 11/16/2008, -1/+50Very funny, we can't help with assisted suicide yet they want to cut electricity to someone with life support? Nice priorities.
- aramova, on 11/16/2008, -0/+46Ever get a letter of intent to lay-off? There is something called the WARN act, which requires a company to tell people under certain conditions of layoffs.
Get one of those, not find a job in the time period, have a home, car, utility payment, a family, and a child who's on life-support, then not show this guy any respect you ungrateful son of a bitch.
And if you bothered to read the story, you'd know he's disabled as well. What exactly was he supposed to do.
On a side note, where I live if a transformer on the street is even connected to a home with a life support of some sort, it has a warning sign on it, and they aren't allowed to cut power to that home. - Paulish, on 11/16/2008, -3/+46It wont. We need to take care of our own, the government has made that clear enough. It is plain to see that the government takes care of its own (and all its fatcat friends).
- kthxbai85, on 11/16/2008, -2/+45It would have to be proven that the people not able to pay were actually NOT able to pay, or people would take advantage of the law.
- ligyron, on 11/16/2008, -1/+44Then Digg him up, and if you must respond, use the Reply button
- CaseyTech, on 11/16/2008, -9/+51At quick glance, i thought the title was "Dad Chains Himself to Miter Saw, Daughter on Life Support." After reading the story I realized it was not about a freak accident at Sears.
- chaon93, on 11/16/2008, -2/+44I dugg you up so i could bury you twice.
- buky125, on 11/16/2008, -5/+45She bring happiness to one man's life.
- leamanc, on 11/16/2008, -7/+45Well, this still is a great country. If you are in severe hardship, with a daughter on life support, and $2,000 in past due utility bills, you can seek help BEFORE the guys come to cut off the power. I guarantee that the same people who stepped up and paid off the bills after the fact, would have done it before it came to this.
- ASSASSYN360, on 11/16/2008, -5/+41I would have done the same thing for my son.
- lisaawesome, on 11/16/2008, -1/+35If I'm not mistaken we have something like that in Oklahoma but mostly for the heat. During the summer you absolutely have to have some form of cooling in your house or you will bake. Unfortunately people still die from the heat every year.
- bubba9999, on 11/16/2008, -5/+39What happened in Canada stayed in Canada.
- ZaZ2137, on 11/16/2008, -1/+35People are cheap to produce.
- Tsumuji, on 11/16/2008, -0/+33Big pat on the back to the "anonymous donor." The father wins the award for sentimentality, but I don't see enough gratitude towards the donor in these comments.
- barius, on 11/16/2008, -2/+34It's not easy to just stick your hand out and ask for help. Aside from exposing your hardships to complete strangers, many people have a hard time swallowing their pride long enough to ask.
It's also possible that he thought he could get the money on his own within a few months, but life threw him another curve ball.
When your kid is lying half-dead on a ventilator, nothing is as easy as it sounds. - freshgrease, on 11/16/2008, -0/+30He is a father every father should strive to be (at least in regard to protecting his child from certain death.)
- GhostyBoy, on 11/16/2008, -2/+32Which is a lot more than certain internet trolls can say.
- poogy21, on 11/16/2008, -1/+30I'm sure it's not as simple as you think.
The poor man has to worry about his daughter AND pay for the bills.. Going to the media is not the first thing on his mind. - dsmx, on 11/16/2008, -1/+30Compassion gets in the way of making money.
- dunmasterkane, on 11/16/2008, -0/+29I think what buky125 means is faith in humanity because of the person that payed the 2000 dollars. The guy didn't have to do it, but he did out of generosity.
- Acqua206, on 11/16/2008, -0/+28If Gulf Power had cut off the power and the daughter had actually died, the backlash for the company would amount to much more than $2k. Sometimes you have to step back and look at the bigger picture; it would be to the companies benefit both financially and morally to take the higher road.
- GhostyBoy, on 11/16/2008, -2/+29Any real dad would have done the same.
- ligyron, on 11/16/2008, -1/+28Then I suppose you should read the article, eh?
- littlelindsay, on 11/16/2008, -1/+28There shouldn't have to be a law.
People should put their hearts before their wallets without intervention. - artfiend77, on 11/16/2008, -5/+31Wow dude, you're sooo cool! The way you sit behind your computer, oblivious to everyone's problems! It must be REALLY awesome to be you!
- OrangeSoda31, on 11/16/2008, -0/+26I agree with ligyron, something like that is best.
- Jacolyte, on 11/16/2008, -3/+29Anonymous downer? Was the donor from the sun downer biker gang? Was he depressed? Or did he just have downs syndrome?
I'm confused. - credential101, on 11/16/2008, -1/+27Real Life John Q
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