93-year-old froze to death, owed big utility bill

[CptSternn]

So to everyone above:

Michigan's big, state-regulated utilities are not allowed to shut off power to senior citizens in the winter and must offer payment plans to the poor. State regulators also discourage the use of limiters. But Michigan's 41 smaller municipal utilities — Bay City's included — are not overseen by the state.

The government DOES have the obligation to look after its citizens, and the government should have known since they have measures in place to avoid this very thing. It just appears they let someone fall through the cracks, since there was no government over-site of the company which engaged in this behaviour.

[Sir Canvas Corpsey]

The tragedy parade can fuck off, he would have died off soon enough anyway.

They didn't turn off his power, he exceeded his limit and so the machine shut if off but left it in a state to be reset and I would assume he did get the note about the limiter so he could have gone outside and changed it or asked the neighbours to help You can call dementia on this but if it was that bad there wouldn't be much point in him living much longer anyway and he should have been in a home or care facility.

I am so goddamn, fucking sick of people thinking the government has to do everything for them, oversee that these people are treated properly in a seemingly infinite spectrum of possible scenarios.

Reminds me of how here, people were bitching about trains being cancelled in the heat wave because the tracks were warping and how some public transport couldn't take the heat. Well the only reason that is, is because the transport system could barely keep itself going because people barely used it until fuel prices rose and they all decided to leap on to save money. It's the classic and annoying argument of:

"We want better roads but we don't want to pay lots of tax"

If you want people cared for, actually attempt to make change instead of whining about it, take care of the person yourself, donate money to elements of public service etc. etc.

Oh, and Sternn, the worst part isn't the old guy's death, it's how you're just using it as a convenient tool to whine and bitch about another country, so instead of posting articles on here, how about you do something or shut the fuck up.

[CptSternn]

Easy for you to say. Not many people die of hypothermia in Australia sure.

[Underwater Ophelia]

Originally Posted by CptSternn

Easy for you to say. Not many people die of hypothermia in Australia sure.

How is that in any way a meaningful response?

He said do something about it instead of just bitching.
How does the climate of Australia stop you from helping people and not just bitching?

[Tam Li Hua]

Whoa. That's incredibly sad, but the only thing the company may have done wrong is if no one explained the system to the old man. If they -did- explain, then I can't really say they are to blame.

My question is this: Why didn't the old man talk to anyone after he noticed the power was shut off? Why not go to a neighbor or a friend and say, "Hey, something happened, and I need some help"?

Or, perhaps, after 93 years of living [and living with a lot of war memories, at that], perhaps he saw an opportunity to go, and was just...ready to go.

Yes, it's a horrid way to go, but it's not like he couldn't have gotten help from somewhere before he froze to death. :/

[Tam Li Hua]

Now that I've read the update, I'm not sure what to think. I still think that Schur could have prevented his own death by taking simple measures...unless, of course, he really was mentally ill.

While I don't agree with using this one scenario to show how big and evil "corporate America" is, I -do- have to say that a government that doesn't care about its citizens isn't a good government at all.

If this guy had had kids, then I would wager to guess they would have put him in a nursing home, where none of this would have been an issue.

[Underwater Ophelia]

Originally Posted by Tam Li Hua

Whoa. That's incredibly sad, but the only thing the company may have done wrong is if no one explained the system to the old man. If they -did- explain, then I can't really say they are to blame.

No. Buyer beware.
It's up to a person to be responsible and get information of this kind of his or her own. If you break a law you didn't know existed, it's not the country's fault because you didn't make yourself aware.

People need to stop being so damn dependent on others.

[Tam Li Hua]

Originally Posted by Underwater Ophelia

No. Buyer beware.
It's up to a person to be responsible and get information of this kind of his or her own. If you break a law you didn't know existed, it's not the country's fault because you didn't make yourself aware.

People need to stop being so damn dependent on others.

That's a great philosophy for those of us who are able to take care of ourselves, but most of the mentally ill don't have that option. :/

Besides which, what's wrong with being able to rely on others? Humans are sociable creatures; it's only natural for us to rely on each other.

[Underwater Ophelia]

Originally Posted by Tam Li Hua

Besides which, what's wrong with being able to rely on others? Humans are sociable creatures; it's only natural for us to rely on each other.

Did I say being able to rely on others or did I say dependent?

[Beneath the Shadows]

Okay, so it was four months of unpaid bills rather than almost a year like I said earlier. (In my experience, the average monthly electric bill is $100, so I went with that.)

That doesn't change the fact that any fault lies in two places:

A) The old man. Don't give me the "he had dementia" line, it was never confirmed. It was only said that neighbors believed he had dementia, or that "his mind was slipping."

B) The neighbors. They did nothing until it was too late. You'd think that if they could notice him sitting in the window so often, they'd notice if all his lights were out.

[Tam Li Hua]

Originally Posted by Underwater Ophelia

Did I say being able to rely on others or did I say dependent?

Same difference, Ophie. You rely on someone, you depend on them. The two are interchangable terms.

[Underwater Ophelia]

Originally Posted by Tam Li Hua

Same difference, Ophie. You rely on someone, you depend on them. The two are interchangable terms.

No, they aren't.
Seriously, look it up.

[Despanan]

A biggassed ice storm hit Louisville yesterday, and it knocked out my power. I went to stay with Kontan, but if I hadn't I surely would have frozen to death and it would be the power companie's fault for not checking to make sure I left my apartment.

[Tam Li Hua]

Originally Posted by Underwater Ophelia

No, they aren't.
Seriously, look it up.

Nah. It's really not worth my time.

[Renatus]

Originally Posted by Despanan

A biggassed ice storm hit Louisville yesterday, and it knocked out my power. I went to stay with Kontan, but if I hadn't I surely would have frozen to death and it would be the power companie's fault for not checking to make sure I left my apartment.

That is a completely different situation, the power wasn't cut off by an act of nature, there was plenty of power available.

[JCC]

Originally Posted by Tam Li Hua

Nah. It's really not worth my time.

Learning to use words correctly is definitely worth your time.

[nis~sijai]

Originally Posted by Underwater Ophelia

No, they aren't.
Seriously, look it up.

Rely
One entry found.


Main Entry:
re·ly Listen to the pronunciation of rely
Pronunciation:
\ri-ˈlī\
Function:
intransitive verb
Inflected Form(s):
re·lied; re·ly·ing
Etymology:
Middle English relien to rally, from Anglo-French relier to retie, gather, rally, from Latin religare to tie out of the way, from re- + ligare to tie — more at ligature
Date:
1574

1 : to be dependent <the system on which we rely for water>
2 : to have confidence based on experience <someone you can rely on>
--------------------------------------------------------------
de·pen·dent (d-pndnt)
adj.
1. Contingent on another.
2. Subordinate.
3. Relying on or requiring the aid of another for support: dependent children.
4. Hanging down.
n.
also de·pen·dant One who relies on another especially for financial support.
---------------------------------------------------------------

They seem pretty interchangable to me.

[Necrophagist]

PWNED! In your face.

[Beneath the Shadows]

Originally Posted by Despanan

A biggassed ice storm hit Louisville yesterday, and it knocked out my power. I went to stay with Kontan, but if I hadn't I surely would have frozen to death and it would be the power companie's fault for not checking to make sure I left my apartment.

Are you really that stupid, or do you deserve an Oscar?

[Underwater Ophelia]

No, I'm not pwned, you idiots.

BEING ABLE TO RELY ON SOMEONE is a phrase which means you CAN rely on them. It doesn't mean you HAVE TO.
Being dependent means you HAVE TO rely on another.

I CAN rely on my parents. I'm not dependent on them.

[Necrophagist]

So I'm a plural now?

Lolfag.

[Mir]

I have to agree with Ophelia.

OP: Shut the fuck up and go do something. I am sick of your rhetoric. Stop talking about how the government/Others this/that whatever. You or I didn't fund their electoral campaign. Go and help the people whose plight you speak of. If you're not doing that, shut the fuck. We know how the world works. STOP preaching to us.

[Despanan]

Originally Posted by Beneath the Shadows

Are you really that stupid, or do you deserve an Oscar?

Do you mean that I seriously would blame the power company if I had died?

Of course not. that's stupid (and not just because I'm dead).

[nis~sijai]

Originally Posted by Underwater Ophelia

No, I'm not pwned, you idiots.

BEING ABLE TO RELY ON SOMEONE is a phrase which means you CAN rely on them. It doesn't mean you HAVE TO.
Being dependent means you HAVE TO rely on another.

I CAN rely on my parents. I'm not dependent on them.

You CAN depend on someone, but that doesn't necessarily mean you HAVE TO.

Being RELIANT on someone means you CAN rely on them, or you HAVE TO rely on them.

And Necrophagist, shut up.

[Underwater Ophelia]

Originally Posted by nis~sijai

You CAN depend on someone, but that doesn't necessarily mean you HAVE TO.

Being RELIANT on someone means you CAN rely on them, or you HAVE TO rely on them.

And Necrophagist, shut up.

That exactly what I said, except reversed.