Interesting Email I Got

[kat8585]

It has just made our news that an elderly man 94 years old in Michigan was trying to get his electricity bill worked out and they would not work with him, He was found frozen to death today with the money still paper clipped to the bill. I am sick inside. I don't get it. He had a life he had a right to be warm.

Bill O'Riely is so upset he has asked anyone in danger of lowing their heat to contact his show and they will be taken care of. He is just disgusted.....It just makes me so sad...anyone out there freezing it is a genuine offer......Debi

[MorningGlory]

In this case they just tacked the notices to the front door, not realizing that this very elderly gentleman didn't go outside when it was that cold. This man had no friends or relatives, from what I understand, to check on him. I thought it was illegal to interrupt service during extreme cold or hot spells or to someone with a health condition that requires a kidney or breathing machine....or am I dreaming?

[stacey c]

I heard about this on the news the other night, it's horrible! I would think it would be illegal to turn off one's power in this type of circumstance.

IMO these power companies have TOO much authority. They have a monopoly in their states. If you don't like your phone or cable service there are alternative sources for service. But with the power companies you are at the mercy of their exhorbit fees and demands.

[Matthitjah]

In this case they just tacked the notices to the front door, not realizing that this very elderly gentleman didn't go outside when it was that cold. This man had no friends or relatives, from what I understand, to check on him. I thought it was illegal to interrupt service during extreme cold or hot spells or to someone with a health condition that requires a kidney or breathing machine....or am I dreaming?

Actually, I watched a Fox news feature on this situation and the local power authority had actually sent a technician to this mans house tpo install a device that would interrupt his usage during certain hours of the day because he was so far behind in paying his bill. The Power Authority knew he was older and indigent.

[EricH]

In this case they just tacked the notices to the front door, not realizing that this very elderly gentleman didn't go outside when it was that cold. This man had no friends or relatives, from what I understand, to check on him. I thought it was illegal to interrupt service during extreme cold or hot spells or to someone with a health condition that requires a kidney or breathing machine....or am I dreaming?

Actually, I watched a Fox news feature on this situation and the local power authority had actually sent a technician to this mans house tpo install a device that would interrupt his usage during certain hours of the day because he was so far behind in paying his bill. The Power Authority knew he was older and indigent.

[O'Dannyboy]

Very sad and maddening. Despite all the anti-monopoly laws in our nation energy companies still seem to have a captive audience. Where I live the cable company has, until recently, been able to stifle competition though favorable legislation. Now they must compete against AT&T and other communication companies for television as well as broadband communication. One problem with the energy companies is that in order to accommodate competition they must lease the grids to their competition. It's not like you can buy electricity from someone else using the same power lines. There is hope though. I read recently that there is technology to create neighborhood sized nuclear power plants. Sounds promising.

[irishcowboy]

I heard about this on the news the other night, it's horrible! I would think it would be illegal to turn off one's power in this type of circumstance.

IMO these power companies have TOO much authority. They have a monopoly in their states. If you don't like your phone or cable service there are alternative sources for service. But with the power companies you are at the mercy of their exhorbit fees and demands.

not exactly......

In Baxter Springs Ks, you get to use Embark for phone (local) and if you use some one else (for long distance)_, you tend to get a fee tacked on......

for trash, you pay the city for it, even though there are other trash services avail, you are paying for the one the city chooses, even though they miss and leave trash along the road and so forth..... oh yeah, you can get another company to pick up, but you still get charged for it.....

if you get water from the city, you get charged for gas, and also sewer, even though you might be one that is still on septic, and have to maintain it, you still get sewer charge....

cable? we get city cable, and that is it, unless you choose to go satellite, or IPTV, and then if you do that, you have to use Embark (sprint) for your high speed cause that is the only high speed avail.....

there are monopolies all around us, Walmart is working on doing that for our department stores......

when monopolies take place, the service goes down, the quality of the product goes down, and the prices go up.....

[MorningGlory]

I heard about this on the news the other night, it's horrible! I would think it would be illegal to turn off one's power in this type of circumstance.

IMO these power companies have TOO much authority. They have a monopoly in their states. If you don't like your phone or cable service there are alternative sources for service. But with the power companies you are at the mercy of their exhorbit fees and demands.

Here in Houston we have a choice of several companies. Competition is good for everybody.

[MorningGlory]

I heard about this on the news the other night, it's horrible! I would think it would be illegal to turn off one's power in this type of circumstance.

IMO these power companies have TOO much authority. They have a monopoly in their states. If you don't like your phone or cable service there are alternative sources for service. But with the power companies you are at the mercy of their exhorbit fees and demands.

not exactly......

In Baxter Springs Ks, you get to use Embark for phone (local) and if you use some one else (for long distance)_, you tend to get a fee tacked on......

for trash, you pay the city for it, even though there are other trash services avail, you are paying for the one the city chooses, even though they miss and leave trash along the road and so forth..... oh yeah, you can get another company to pick up, but you still get charged for it.....

if you get water from the city, you get charged for gas, and also sewer, even though you might be one that is still on septic, and have to maintain it, you still get sewer charge....

cable? we get city cable, and that is it, unless you choose to go satellite, or IPTV, and then if you do that, you have to use Embark (sprint) for your high speed cause that is the only high speed avail.....

there are monopolies all around us, Walmart is working on doing that for our department stores......

when monopolies take place, the service goes down, the quality of the product goes down, and the prices go up.....

Absolutely!