City cuts electricity -- and he froze to death

Unfortunately, as sad as this is, it's not the responsibility of the power company to provide free electricity to customers. Also, the power company has no idea if the person has stopped paying their bill becuase the person moved, died, etc. It wasn't like they knew this was a 93 year old man who couldn't afford his bill, so they said aww screw it, let him die. They just see a piece of paper that says this person hasn't paid.

It's very Obamaesque to think that the power company should allow customers free power just becuase they can't afford their bill. I'm sure the man could have gone to the house of a friend or family member, or even a free shelter.

I feel very bad that a person had to die because of such a thing. We take things like heating for granted. Remember, it wasn't too long ago there was no such thing as central heating and people survived just fine.

[edit on 1/27/2009 by leisuredrummer]

corporations must be held accountable

the bottom line must not be on money and if you are a company dealing with everyday necesities like this there must be oversight and compassion in the business

there are organizations out there who can and will help people like this man yet not everyone knows about these organizations

it shouldnt be up to the old man to find this help

it should be up to the company to relay the information that help is available and go thru the proper channels and take the time and effort to help those of us in humanity who may be down on their luck at any given point in time

the power company leaving his power on for a few more days while getting in touch with agencies who could have helped would have cost them nothing, because in the end they would have gotten their money anyways

in this case, all that happened is they lost money by losing a customer, and not only was a customer lost, but so was a human being, and no matter what age, or health status, or occupation the person may have, every human is worth more then pennies to humanity

Originally posted by BorgHoffen
There's laws on this I believe.They should have done something.
They should have forced him to go to a shelter or an old age facility or something if all extreme measures had been taken to keep his power on.
You cant just leave someone especially someone who is incapacitated or helpless without heating when its below freezing.
Its murder.They should have done something.

I definitely agree with you. Yes, you could say companies or government shouldn't expect to take care of everything and everyone, but FFS, we the PEOPLE work in this companies - and for the government. And as a human being, we should act like one... Not like a savage lunatic who's willing to kill an old man just because SOMEONE looses some money... utterly disgusting.

If the one who made the decision would have used her brains, it would have been obvious that some precautions should have been done before just cutting off the electricity when it's winter and all. And wtf does it matter wheter he was a drug addicted 93 year old rapper or a gentle grand dad with altzheimer or something.. He was a human who couldn't take care of himself anymore (obviously) and freezed to death.. Have some respect and shame on you who seem to think he got what he deserved...

If this is what companies and government CAN and SHOULD do.. There's obviously something very wrong with all of us

Poor man, hope he's better w'ever he's by now..

Originally posted by Dramey
corporations must be held accountable

the bottom line must not be on money and if you are a company dealing with everyday necesities like this there must be oversight and compassion in the business

there are organizations out there who can and will help people like this man yet not everyone knows about these organizations

it shouldnt be up to the old man to find this help

it should be up to the company to relay the information that help is available and go thru the proper channels and take the time and effort to help those of us in humanity who may be down on their luck at any given point in time

the power company leaving his power on for a few more days while getting in touch with agencies who could have helped would have cost them nothing, because in the end they would have gotten their money anyways

in this case, all that happened is they lost money by losing a customer, and not only was a customer lost, but so was a human being, and no matter what age, or health status, or occupation the person may have, every human is worth more then pennies to humanity

So if somebody starves to death because they can't afford food, should the grocery store be held accountable? Food is a necessity. Or how about somebody dies from a heart attack while walking to work because they can't afford a car, is that the car manufacturers fault?

From your logic that is how business should be conducted?

Originally posted by dizziedame
I fully understand the position of the power company as I was a business owner before I retired.

The power company neither loses or gains any product by cutting this mans power.

This is about nothing, but pure greed. If there's a Devil or Satan, than yep they are his leading representatives/disciples as they did everything but lick and piss on his carcass after the slaughter.

This City has made a stand - that is it will slaughter human beings as a lesson for other human beings who think about not paying them first.

The man had made it through most of his life paying his bills - I'm sure.

Had it been a 20 year old dope addict or alcoholic - I'd say well they had a choice and could of walked away. Anyone capable of begging, borrowing or stealing has no excuse - but this man was not capable and that amounts to murder.

I find all those responsible for this decision guilty of first degree premeditated murder and the city employees responsible for the decision should all have their bank accounts emptied and put in a public trust fund for the elderly or inept who can't pay their energy bills, and then they should be publicly executed on national television - while millions cheer - I'm certain.

Since, I'm not a judge and they won't be executed as they executed this old man. Everybody can do their part by calling, writing and emailing officials at this power company in Bay City Mich - give them a piece of your mind and if you have any financial or political power screw them out of business - whatever it takes.

Personally, I'm going to dream of big storms that wipe out multiple substations and put this company in financial turmoil until it is forced to be sold.

TADS set for BAY City, MICH.

[edit on 27-1-2009 by verylowfrequency]

reply to post by shortywarn


Actually you are correct at least for some states. When I lived in NH, they actually had a ptrogarm called Warm Homes, where the state would help assist elderly people, and people with children, and anyone that qualfie. Get them on assistance for the winter months, basically they would have to pay not ven half of their heating bill, so that they could be warm during the winter months. In NH they cannot turn off the heat or electricty during the winter months, but in the spring and summer if you still haven't paid your bills they do shut it off. I think they give people a bffer during winter, because I don't think they want to be responsible for killing people off.

Here in the UK, if you are over 60 years of age you get a Winter Fuel Payment of £200 from the Govt. In fact this year they made it a one off payment of £250.

I live close to Bay City where this happened. The man had no children and his wife died years ago. He was a WWII vet. He survived the war but froze to death in his own house. The power company says that it is reviewing thier shut off policy.....

Things like this just make my blood BOIL! - Free energy suppression doesn't even have to enter the picture here: Contrary to popular belief in misconceptions and disinfo, from the like of Larouge, etc, if we all were INDEPENDANT from the grid with OUR OWN solar panels on roofs combines with a recharging circuit, events like this and future events could not possibly occur, if people STOOD UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT!

- In reality, the corporate-state complex MURDERED a man.

And NONE OF THIS IS ABOUT GREED! - It's about POWER! - CONTROL over YOU! -

[edit on 27-1-2009 by Time=Now]

Well I see this forum is full of 'serves him right - he should of paid his bill', 'why should we give out free handouts' etc. etc.

The reason those of you moaners are sitting in a lovely warm house, with all your bills being paid by direct debit from the proceeds of your great job which pays for your flash car is because people like him - a World War 2 Veteran put his life on the line and probably suffered terrible emotional distress for the rest of his life - all without asking for anything in return - especially from you!

He should have been given FREE ELECTRICITY for goodness sake!

Notice that when your power goes out for a day or two the power company still charges you for those days...

One would assume owning a utility is a very profitable business. I can appreciate in a capitalist society how and why they would be as determinedly cruel as to shut the power off.

Yet utilities which by necessity are often monopolies in a region should have an additional burden placed on them for the privilege of being granted a monopoly within a community or region.

At the very least cutting off the power to the elderly, infirm, or women with small children should include a corresponding visit by a social worker in tandem with the utility worker being sent to cut off the power.

Giving the man free power is one thing, seeing that the man has another place to go, is aware of the dangers and it equipped and prepared to deal with them is an alternative that does not require the gift of precious power. Just the gift of humanity! A couple phone calls might have gotten him placed in a heated shelter for the interim or in touch with a charity that might have paid his bill. It would have been great public relations for the power company too and gone along way to bolstering its image and keeping it out of court and off the front pages. Sending a utility sponsored social worker out would be cost effective and good business.

Utility companies are part of the public trust despite being private entities due to regional monopolies granted by state and local governments. If people wish to hold their feet to the fire, contact Bay City, MI Mayor and City Council and inform them that they are now accountable and must immediately resign their position or be legally removed from office via petition of immediate recall.

We all get outraged over such stories, but until you personally do something about it to prevent such things from happening again, then you might as well been the one to have thrown the switch.

They say that an informed society is an active society. Here is your chance to prove it. As for holding the company responsible, hell yes. Bring to trial the Administration and the Board of Directors for complicity of negligence that led to manslaughter. I do believe that there are still mandatory sentences involved. And I do think that a concerned citizen can still bring legal action against cooperations especially in matters of public interest.

[edit on 27-1-2009 by Ahabstar]

Just saw on CNN that this man had the money sat aside to pay his electric bill

sad indeed..

( Im copying and pasting my response into here from another thread that was made after this, about the same story. In order to give due credit to the original thread here is what I said)____________________________________________________________________________


Awful, just awful. Just goes to show that nothing is more important to big companies than the almighty dollar, not even a human life.

How disgusting.

The part of that articel that irks me the most is

"I've said this before and some of my colleagues have said this: Neighbours need to keep an eye on neighbours," Belleman said. "When they think there's something wrong, they should contact the appropriate agency or city department."

So it is the neighbors fault that this man froze to death? really?

How gross.

$1,000 is alot to you and me but just a drop in the bucket to companies like that yet they let a 93 year old man die over it. Did it never occur to them that perhaps this old man wasnt paying because he could afford it? Did it never occur that mabye he needed help? There is an adult protective services for older people who are in bad situations and need help.

If this company really cared they would have done something besides limit then shut off his power, especially when its so cold out side that the temp in the house with oout power goes to 0 degrees celcius(thats 32 degrees farenheight for anybody who doesnt know)

Im just disgusted. How can the almighty dollar become more important than the life of a human being, how did we ever let ourselves become so greedy?





[edit on 27-1-2009 by gimme_some_truth]

Originally posted by LordBaskettIV
Get a grip, and stop making a mountain out of a mole hill. If you live anywhere that has four seasons, having some form of back-up heat source is a basic requirement so you don't die in the winter. Power can, and does go out all the time in the winter, it doesn't matter if it gets shut off because of late/non payment or if a tree falls down on some lines.

This man would have died either way. In fact, to play devils advocate, who is to say that he didn't do it purposefully? He was 92, and possibly thought freezing to death was the least violent way to kill himself. He could have just did it because he thought he was ready and it was time. None of know so stop assuming him to be a poor guy.

This should serve as a reminder to people, if nothing else, to not rely on services that could kill you if lost due to circumstance. You can't stay warm if the lights go out? really?

Yeah, the silly fella! He should have whipped outside and split some firewood. Couldn't afford firewood, well he should have borrowed a trailer and gone drift wood hunting... well, assuming he has a vehicle with a towbar and still has his license.

I realise that some people see this as just business, but this is manslaughter whether he was willing to die or not. If the power were left on, he would have lived. The power was switched off and as a result he died. That was reasonably foreseeable, therefore it was manslaughter.

And this wasn't greed, it was something worse. This was them putting him in his place. It was about draconian control. They don't want to deal with the complexities of being flexible and they find it offensive that somebody would require a little bit of special consideration in order to prevent them from dying.

Lazy, cold, heartless, power hungry and morally corrupt. Or, in other words, any corporation. They're for the shareholders; the customer is just an annoying inconvenience between them and the customer's money.

There's an update to this story here. Click on the links in the story.
www.mlive.com...

And here's more from the Bay City Times.

www.mlive.com...

The device restricts the amount of electricity reaching the home and if a homeowner tries to draw more electricity than the limiter allows, "it blows the limiter, just like blowing a fuse, and then you go outside and reset it," Belleman said.

Belleman said he doesn't know if a city worker made one-on-one contact with Schur to explain the limiter's operation. Virani said he doesn't know if Schur suffered from dementia, which could have interfered with his ability to know how to reset a limiter. Pauwels said Schur couldn't hear well, and said he believed Schur "had a little bit" of dementia

Lots of people are outraged at this. It's so sad it had to happen.

[edit on 27-1-2009 by virraszto]

Originally posted by whoshotJR
And why would anyone expect a company to just take care of the man? If your work stops paying you are you going to keep showing up? I know I'm not. If every business just gave stuff to people who couldn't pay them then very quickly nobody would get electricity or other goods because they wouldn't be in business.

Reading this thread it's no wonder we are in the shape we are economically. Everyone is expecting free hand outs and trusting government to make sure everything is taken care of without ever bothering to learn for themselves. I'm all for helping people but I'm tired of the worthless deadbeats of America that make true hardworking Americans look bad.

No the companies wouldn't go out of business, because the majority of people don't want handouts. They want what's fair.

They didn't need to cut his power to ensure they are not disadvantaged. There are a number of other legal avenues. Cutting off his power was just easiest for them. And the outcome entirely predictable. Basically, they didn't see him as worth any further consideration.

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


I like your compassionate yet creative thinking. We need more people like you in our corporate world. I imagine the world would be a much happier and productive place if this were the case.

Best damn post so far !!!

Originally posted by whoshotJR
I see lots of people saying what the old fashioned way of this or that in here. What about the old fashioned way of paying your bill? Where was his family if he had any to make sure he was OK? What about neighbors? One of my employee's was leaving over the new years and I know his dad is pretty old, the first thing I asked before he left was if his dad needed anyone to call for anything while he was gone.

Community and family is to blame here! Its not the government that should be trying to make sure this 93 year old man doesn't freeze to death. For all we know he could have wasted his money on booze and smokes or hookers, rather then pay his bills. We don't know the whole story.

And why would anyone expect a company to just take care of the man? If your work stops paying you are you going to keep showing up? I know I'm not. If every business just gave stuff to people who couldn't pay them then very quickly nobody would get electricity or other goods because they wouldn't be in business.

Reading this thread it's no wonder we are in the shape we are economically. Everyone is expecting free hand outs and trusting government to make sure everything is taken care of without ever bothering to learn for themselves. I'm all for helping people but I'm tired of the worthless deadbeats of America that make true hardworking Americans look bad. Rather then sit here and bash in a thread or say your going to go off and sob, go knock your neighborhood doors and get to know people. Volunteer to help out in your city's or even deliver food to the elderly.

(sadly I know this will fall on deaf ears because I don't have an avatar to rack up stars for)

WAKE UP AMERICA!

Let me give you a little "WAKE UP" to reality. I cannot speak for other states, but in Michigan, we have endured a 50%-65% increase to all utility costs. The only domestic policy effected during the Bush administration came immediately after his inauguration when he eliminated or significantly relaxed any oversight related to these companies. Giving them free reign to charge consumers anything they want, while afforded the luxury of monopolizing their markets by being the sole providers of these services with no other competition existing to stabilize pricing.

This is the direct cause to the failure of many small businesses here, including my own. I can only imagine how this effects a 93 year old man, on a fixed income, already strained by rising prescription drug and medical care costs? To write this off as a result of as "Everyone is expecting free hand outs and trusting government to make sure everything is taken care of without ever bothering to learn for themselves." is naive and heartless, to say the least.

Stop confusing yourself of which side you should be defending. Anytime something like this occurs, try figuring it out yourself. Don't just believe everything you are told like a good slave!