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612 Comments
- Grova, on 01/27/2009, -25/+475In other news some CITI Group buys 50 million dollar plane with bailout money.
- Medicamusic, on 01/27/2009, -40/+372Not paying bills = not getting that service.
Sad? Yes, but it's just how it is. The companies don't care. - inactive, on 01/26/2009, -9/+268That's just sad.
- gamers403, on 01/26/2009, -31/+214that's insane, a 93yr old shouldn't be living alone anyhow.
- uminatsu, on 01/27/2009, -6/+184In other news, former Merill Lynch CEO John Thain spent more than one grand on his office trash can: http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/01/24/2009-0 ...
- marioara, on 01/27/2009, -21/+156welcome to the we-don't-care-about-anything-else-than-profit society
- aramova, on 01/27/2009, -26/+155Bay City Electric Light-Power
900 S Water St
Bay City, MI 48708
(989) 894-8104 - AmyVernon, on 01/27/2009, -18/+116Wow. Says something about society when this happens.
- nickcrz, on 01/27/2009, -12/+105oh my we don't have money to take care of the people but we sure do to take care of the banks! for crying out loud he was 93 ***** years old, why ***** limit his electricity? They should have asked for bailout money instead i betcha they would have gotten some.
- uptown, on 01/27/2009, -1/+89"Schur had no children and his wife had died several years ago."
- junskey, on 01/27/2009, -1/+87some 93 year olds are totally capable believe it or not...
- Zindrix, on 01/27/2009, -3/+81I feel horrible for laughing at "Grampsicle".
- WaxTrax, on 01/27/2009, -2/+80While I agree with the sentiment, the problem with this is that all you're going to get is some poor receptionist who had absolutely nothing to do with the decision. The people in charge won't catch any flack from this.
- OrangeTide, on 01/27/2009, -3/+62In many places the power company is not allowed to cut you off if you're disabled or elderly and it is necessary for heating/cooling or medical equipment. It won't do nice things to your credit rating to stop paying your power bill, but it beats dying.
You generally have to call/write up the company and explain your situation, it's never(that I am aware of) automatic. And I do know (form this story alone) that it does not work that way every state and county.
I think while the libertarian in me wants everyone to pay their own bills. I suppose I don't want to living in a society where we let the elderly and infirm die in their homes from problems as simple as a lack of heat. I guess it's a matter of magnitude, if everyone gets free heat I would have a problem with it, if only the people that really need it use it (a tiny percentage of the population I hope) then I can accept being forced to cover them. - Nerys, on 01/27/2009, -1/+56When you die like that you may not even be fully aware of how DANGEROUS a situation you are in until you have reached a point where it effects you mentally and you are then UNABLE to be aware of whats happening to you.
ESPECIALLY if you know its going to get cold and it happens slowly.
that's a seriously messed up way to die. - skinrock, on 01/27/2009, -2/+55I was thinking the same thing until the part where it said they are supposed to restore power after this "limiter" blows, which they obviously left unchecked for days. And also there is speculation that no one even told him it was installed, for all we know he could have thought the power was out for everyone, so he just sat there and died.
- abduljrus, on 01/27/2009, -14/+65Its not just sad, its criminal! 93 year old dies of hypothermia and its alright? what kind of world is this?
- Guspaz, on 01/27/2009, -2/+51Umm, in Quebec, HydroQuebec isn't allowed to turn off your power during the winter for precisely this reason...
How messed up a place is it that doesn't have laws against turning off the power during the winter? - zyklon, on 01/27/2009, -4/+48Dear Jenocide,
We did what was necessary because we are cold-hearted bastards and totally cannot survive as a company without our $100 a month from this retired man.
- The City - chaseonfire, on 01/27/2009, -2/+44We all do
- smacksaw, on 01/27/2009, -2/+42@radu79
Thank God for people like you who can take any situation and dangerously oversimplify it. Because all 93-year olds out there have a sharp and clear mind and can understand any situation they face.
Really, that's why all of the sharpest computer users are the elderly. And when people try to con them out of their savings, they end up making Nigerians send them money, even if the con is not from Nigeria.
They're that sharp.
I hope you have a jury trial of your peers someday on some trumped-up ***** charge. 12 people just like you. That will be an enlightening experience for you, I guarantee it.
ps - Study physics, human biology and meteorology during your prison time - colonelxc, on 01/27/2009, -2/+39I agree that it's not the electric company's fault that the guy didn't seek alternative help, but I can't digg you up because you didn't read the story:
"Schur had no children and his wife had died several years ago." - innocentsinner, on 01/27/2009, -0/+36"Schur’s neighbor, Herndon, said Schur had a utility bill on his kitchen table with a large amount of money clipped to it, with the intention of paying that bill."
- ComstockGordon, on 01/27/2009, -5/+38that's insane, why wasn't he in florida?
- inactive, on 01/27/2009, -0/+32My great-grandmother lived by herself no problems until the age of 93 when she died of natural causes. If you are of sound mind and are physically capable, it doesn't matter how old you are.
- imjustsayin, on 01/27/2009, -8/+39There are a There are a lot of resources available in Michigan if you are unable to pay your bill. If he had applied for these services, he would undoubtedly be alive today. This is not the power company’s fault. This is a very sad case of someone being unable to take care of himself.
$1000 dollars behind is insane. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090126/ap_on_re_us/fr ... There were most assuredly dozens of notices all of which contain information on obtaining help if you are financially unable to pay your bill. I get that info on each of my bills, and I pay on time every month.
The truly sad thing is that this man apparently had nobody to looking out for him to see that he was unable to function on his own. It’s a tragedy, but it’s more of failure of his neighbors and friends than it is a failing of the power company. - waspbr, on 01/27/2009, -6/+35hurray for capitalism, where if you don't have money you are not a human being.
- NoseDive, on 01/27/2009, -5/+32My city gets on digg and it has to be for this....
figures - NextGenXbox, on 01/27/2009, -1/+28Dude, read the article. That way you avoid looking silly in front of everyone.
- loconet, on 01/27/2009, -5/+30Sad indeed.
This is a ***** human life we are talking about here (no matter how old). Is our society so focused on profits, personal gain, wealth accumulation, and private property that we have forgotten the value of human life? We are willing to accept this as just another day at the office. Why? It should not be like that. Not paying bills should not equal death. I realize more people die from similarly meaningless reasons (eg. wars driven by profit) but this happened to a poor old man whose simple "sin" was to not have the resources to pay his bill. What the ***** is the point of accumulating money and being successful if we condemn those who are not as fortunate to die without ever extending a hand to help them. It is a very lonely and sad live we are all choosing to live. - johnroth, on 01/27/2009, -10/+35According to the quiz posted earlier I could take 17 of him!
- Yez70, on 01/27/2009, -4/+29@radu
Try the temperature dropping from 20F to -20F - then you get a better idea of the weather in Michigan right now. BTW, it drops in a matter of hours here - frequently. Most of Michigan has had sub-zero (Fahrenheit) temps, daily, all month. It's -13F right now outside my home.
(Sorry - too lazy to look up the Celsius equivalents) - ToddsSpleen, on 01/27/2009, -6/+30"Marvin Schur, who lived alone, died slowly and painfully from hypothermia, said Dr. Kanu Virani, a deputy chief medical examiner for Oakland County who performed the autopsy."
I'd like to know if the coroner ruled this an accident or a homicide. It sure sounds like negligent homicide to me. - Wisgary, on 01/27/2009, -4/+28On one hand, I understand it's hard for a company that serves possibly millions to keep track of every single customer. On another though, I don't see why they couldn't have customer service, before cutting power in the middle of winter, give a call to the home, and ask if the person will be able to LIVE without power. It's easy to ***** die in the middle of winter when temperatures are that low - at least call the police or some government branch.
- Logicexe, on 01/27/2009, -0/+21Why not just make it illegal to shot off someone's electricity when the temperature is too low? Here in Quebec it's illegal to cut your power during the winter months. Of course, once the spring comes around you'll owe Hydro Quebec for all those months of electricity and then get your power cut.
- buckrogers1965, on 01/27/2009, -1/+21I am picturing myself in the same situation. Old, alone, not having enough money to pay my bills after having worked hard and paid my taxes my whole life.
- junskey, on 01/27/2009, -13/+33ohhhhhhhhhhhh corporate greed. they couldnt spare helping an old man with his heating bill and it cost him his life. i'm not surprised at this happening but people really need to ***** get some ethics
- newms32, on 01/27/2009, -6/+26***** em up
- ChileanGoD, on 01/27/2009, -10/+30By a conservative libertarian's point of view he died freely in direct consequence of his responsibility.
- incidentflux, on 01/27/2009, -1/+21Yes, its sad and wrong.
Here in Dubai the UAE govt is kicking out singles and enforcing a 'One Villa One Family' rule. So far more than 100 villas electricity and water supplies have been completely disconnected, and up to 4,000 more villas are on their hit list. So even if you pay on time, they treat the expats worse than street dogs in Dubai. The Dubai govt is doing this to make expats buy/rent into the thousands of empty apartments the govt mostly built. Dubai is not all sunshine and rainbows.
4,000 villas in queue to have power supply cut
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/537280-4000-villas- ... - EvilFerret, on 01/27/2009, -0/+20I was under the impression it was illegal for them to shut off a persons electricity during the cold season. Perhaps that's where this "limiter" device comes in? Either way I'm sure if he called them they would have made an exception.......Of course if he was that late on his bill I suppose his telephone may have been disconnected as well.... :(
- Nerys, on 01/27/2009, -3/+22pay ? NO not charge him for at least HEAT so someone in today's day and age does not ***** FREEZE TO DEATH SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY.
YES. its just the human thing to do (not humane just HUMAN) its called compassion.
CHARITY happens all the time. its good PR makes you MORE money in the long run. many areas forbid disconnection of electricity in cold climates for JUST this reason.
I am not saying juice up his house. I mean you need to pay
but let him run a heater for gods sake. it costs the power company NOTHING In fact they have to SPEND money to do what they did to him.
(the power on min output of a power plant would not even flinch at a single space heater) - inactive, on 01/27/2009, -1/+20In that case it is truly saddening that neighbors are becoming more and more distant from neighbors.
- fixty, on 01/27/2009, -17/+35Straw man alert. Social programs aren't about providing everything for everyone. They are about balance. About humanity and rights. About quality of life and whether our actions as a people justify and fortify our continued existence as a nation. If we aren't going to protect those who can't protect themselves why even bother having any form of government whatsoever?
- Esstee, on 01/27/2009, -8/+25This is exactly why humanity needs to change the way things are.
We have made business's out of all things including our own survival.
It's true that companies aren't to blame, however lets not loose sight of the facts.
Companies are run by people, and it is those people who choose to setup infrastructures that let people die in cases such as these. - 6oo63D, on 01/27/2009, -0/+16that is the corporate greed that we worship
- hagfish70, on 01/27/2009, -1/+17Actually Obama "urged" them not to go through with the purchase and they backed out.
- crackwassist, on 01/27/2009, -3/+19because we don't know who they are but the energy company does. That being said, i'd support a check box to add a dollar or two to my bill to go in a kitty for situations like this.
- jabbajabba, on 01/27/2009, -1/+17Dubai loves screwing itself up with weird laws, they won't be content until its a ghost town.
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