Power Company Turns Off Power on Woman's Breathing Machine

[Cecilee]

They run a busines...that's your summation after 10 pages of people proving that no, they don't just run a business. That, at least, is blatantly obvious and a fact. Texas is a self-admitted utility disaster, probably because of jokes of policies like this one. But if these are the conclusions you want to make regardless of the facts, there's no sense repeating it with nothing to back you up but your own opinion. Sometimes opinion is enough. I don't think it is when it comes to this discussion, but you hold yourself to your standards and that's fine for you. People should be responsible for their own everything. Good plan. Now it's ALWAYS your fault. There is an external world, and it does impinge on you. You are not so in-control of you as you think. But you disagree, and I guess you're free to think that. Life's going to hold you accountable for that opinion though. Best hope you don't have to pay the piper.

To update the story, no charges will be filed. Government beaureaucracy will be pitted against utility beaureacracy in a battle of who can drag their feet the longest with diffuse, vague policy implementation until it goes away.

 

[Strid]

They run a busines...that's your summation after 10 pages of people proving that no, they don't just run a business. That, at least, is blatantly obvious and a fact.

There has been no such proof. Hell, you can't prove what you're trying to say because it's bullshit.

Texas is a self-admitted utility disaster, probably because of jokes of policies like this one. But if these are the conclusions you want to make regardless of the facts, there's no sense repeating it with nothing to back you up but your own opinion.

Again, what facts? Also, where is more than your opinion as well?

Sometimes opinion is enough. I don't think it is when it comes to this discussion, but you hold yourself to your standards and that's fine for you. People should be responsible for their own everything. Good plan. Now it's ALWAYS your fault. There is an external world, and it does impinge on you. You are not so in-control of you as you think. But you disagree, and I guess you're free to think that. Life's going to hold you accountable for that opinion though. Best hope you don't have to pay the piper.

Hypothetical situation of a self-caused accident. I'm off having a good time. I decide to climb a tree and fall. I break my back and am now at risk of loosing my job not to mention being out of work for the moment in any case. How the hell am I ever to pay my bills? Should I blame the tree for making me fall? Should I just simply tell the bill companies I can't pay them because I'm hurt? No, I put myself in this situation I figure out how to deal with it.

Hypothetical accidental situation. I get hit by a car and same situation as above happens. This is what insurance is for. If I don't have insurance, I've screwed myself. In that case, I find a way to deal with it. Even though the accident wasn't my fault. Me not having insurance IS my fault.

You make it sound like self-responsibility is something bad and that I should be afraid life will hold me accountable for it. It's not, it's the right thing to do. I really hope, though I'm starting to wonder, you don't represent the majority of our country.

 

[Cecilee]

Here are the facts.

1. Utility companies are protected by their community from competition and bankruptcy.
2. For that, these companies are not the sole proprietors of the service they provide.
3. Utility companies do not cut services to who they see fit. They cut services to who they are allowed to.
4. These utilities do not operate by the business model that dominates your mindset in this discussion.

It is useless to contest these facts. Comparing a utility company to a free enterprise business is flat-out ignorant. The differences far outweigh the similarities, and in this topic the differences are key to competently arguing either side of the discussion.

They don't make a product. They run a community service. Now, since 90% of your argument is immediately shot down by the fact that you're arguing an irrelevant business model, the only thing you could possibly argue well is that people should be more responsible for themselves. Expound on that and you'll do fine. Don't say "they make a product" again. It will get you nowhere given the fact that their CEO is the people they supply.

I'm in the majority regarding the nature of what is and isn't a utility company, because that discussion is dominated by facts that you aren't utilizing well here. But as far as whether people should be responsible for themselves, it's a competitive and healthy arena for opinion.

Our difference in that arena is that I think you underestimate the power of inequality to bend people's lives, and that I don't underestimate social factors. I hold people responsible for their actions, but sooner or later I draw the line when enough is enough and they've paid for their poor decision in full and need an out.

 

[Strid]

Your facts seem like opinion to me. Maybe that's what they should be and print in a nice little booklet, but they most definatly are not. You can't just say something and call it a fact, toss out a word like "everyone" or "majority" and it be true either. Face it, you're doing no more than what I am for the other side. If you could prove, 100%, your side, my side wouldn't exist. If I could prove my side, your side wouldn't exist. What we can say is our own experiances and knowledge of the "world of bills" around us. I'll tell you this right now though, I know far more people who bitch about the utility company than praise them for their "glorius community service". While they are serving a community, it by far isn't "community service"... it's a service provided to a customer in a community they service.

As far as your take on personal responsibility, you choose each and every day how you live your life and what you do. Bad choices one day often lead to consequences the next. Your out comes when you are standing at the crossroad of what to do. You don't ever recover from making a poor decision, you either work your way around it or you don't, it's as simple as that.

Someone may murder someone one day and while in prison become a saint. That still doesn't change the fact that they are a murderer, they are capable of killing someone. 50 years later, they'll still be a murdered and capable of doing so. Same could be said for a thief, liar, cheater, or anything really. Their comes a time when all of the above are excusable in some instances and those situation are taken into consideration, I'd imagine, but mistakes can make or break someone, choose wisely. Never is obesity a "disease" to hide behind. If you're obese you have two decisions on your hand. To either fix it or live with it. It's no different from an addiction situation. Sure it's hard, but are you willing to make the sacrifices to help yourself? It's their choice, not mine, yours, or anyone elses. If they don't want to help themselves, why should we or anyone else be held responsible? The only thing we should do is accept their choices, fight back in care for them, but never pity them. It's always their fault, always.