Quick loss of respect

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/04/freezing.death.folo/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

If I die because I did not pay my heating bill with half a million in the bank I am pretty sure I get to go to that special section of the afterlife where they smack you in the scrote with a mace for eternity.

Much like my wife's grandmother... six figures in savings, but refuses to turn up her heat or even eat more than once a day...

Yeah, saving up that much money and being frugal is really stupid.

Instead, we should max out our credit cards, buy houses we can't afford and just whine for the government to bail us out when we can't afford to send Johnny to private school anymore......

-Rob

frugality has its place, but there are some that take it too far...this is one of those cases.

There are lots of reasons his bills could have gone unpaid, and nobody will know if it was frugality. I personally doubt it was. Sometimes older people forget things or get confused. Its a shame the power company had to kill him as now the world will never know.

I guess after re reading my original post versus the title I should clarify whom I am upset with.

What the hell is the family doing?

I am 95 miles from my wifes grandfathers home. He was starting to get a little, well, out there over the last three years (He passed this summer) We convinced him that it was best that we took care of his power phone bill so he didn't have the chance to forget then had them both set up on automatic deduction.

No it was not the CHEAPEST but it is the best way for these independant elderly to get along.

I think it should become a requirement for the elderly. They might not like not being able to count the pennies but they will be able to count.

The utility has stopped its practice of cutting power to customers who don't pay their bills.

in protest of this dude's death, i'm never paying my electric bill again! berkeley the man!

rob_lewis wrote: Yeah, saving up that much money and being frugal is really stupid. Instead, we should max out our credit cards, buy houses we can't afford and just whine for the government to bail us out when we can't afford to send Johnny to private school anymore...... -Rob

Yes it was being really stupid. I can't believe you said anything like that when the guy died from not paying his electricity bill when he had over $500,000 in the bank.

Not eating out in restaurants for 30 years is frugal (to an extreme maybe) but your comments well . . . . I'd better stop here before I say something stupid.

Gearhead_42 wrote: or even eat more than once a day...

Just curious--what does she eat for that one meal?

Sarah Young wrote: Just curious--what does she eat for that one meal?

Not enough. My inlaws (who thankfully moved her closer to them) make it a point to take her out or bring her to their house at least 2-3 times a week just to make sure she's eating something. There's no forgetfulness here... woman is just stubborn to the point of unhealthiness.

John Brown wrote: What the hell is the family doing?

The article seems to indicate they had none. At least no children.

My grandparents are the same way. My grandpa will go to Burger King once a week or so and buy a stack of whoppers and keep them in the fridge. Aside from that they get meals on wheels several times a week and they stretch those normally for two days.

I try and get them to come over here sometimes for meals and they won't come, my aunt tries and gets the same response. They barely eat enough to keep going. They mostly just sit in their chairs and and watch the neighbors through their windows. Oh and bitch about things whenever I go over there.

carguy123 wrote:

rob_lewis wrote: Yeah, saving up that much money and being frugal is really stupid. Instead, we should max out our credit cards, buy houses we can't afford and just whine for the government to bail us out when we can't afford to send Johnny to private school anymore...... -Rob

Yes it was being really stupid. I can't believe you said anything like that when the guy died from not paying his electricity bill when he had over $500,000 in the bank. Not eating out in restaurants for 30 years is frugal (to an extreme maybe) but your comments well . . . . I'd better stop here before I say something stupid.

I was being sarcastic in response to the original poster. It seemed like he lost respect for the older gentleman because the guy had enough money to pay his electric bill and did not.

The entire thing is a tragedy. The electric company that probably setup the limiter but didn't bother to explain it. The family that should have been more involved. Etc.

-Rob

aircooled wrote:

John Brown wrote: What the hell is the family doing?

The article seems to indicate they had none. At least no children.

No, but they did interview a nephew, so there are realtives, and they should have done a better job of looking in on him, especially after his wife passed. I'm with JB on this one. They assumed a faceless buracrcy will handle things when all it really takes is some time to stop in and see whats happening. My Father In Law is all there and my wife still handles things for him becuase she's better at it than he is.

You guys missed an important point in the story. The man's wife died "over a year ago."

Some people really don't want to go on after their spouse dies but can't commit suicide for religious or personal reasons. So they just stop living. A friend of mine's mom died last year. The woman's husband lasted seven weeks without her. He had plenty of money and all his marbles. At that age, losing the drive to keep going was enough to kill the man.

Unfortunately, some men of the WWII generation cannot cook or fend for themselves domestically. I'm not making a general statement here, I'm saying some men. Perhaps taking on double duty was more than the old man could bear.

If this guy had all his marbles and all that money, I'm saying there's more to the story than an insensitive public utility or an uncaring immediate family.

A couple of months ago, my aunt checked into a hospice and died peacefully three weeks later. Her beloved husband died about 15 years ago and she was fighting a losing battle against her aging body. The last straw was her kidneys failing and the need for dialysis. Despite protests from our family, my aunt made up her mind and checked out. Really, only you can know when you've had enough.

The man lived 93 years. His wife is dead, most of his friends are gone, and his kids are busy with their own families. You and I don't understand but maybe we will when or if we get to live that long.

Jerry From LA wrote: The man lived 93 years. His wife is dead, most of his friends are gone, and his kids are busy with their own families. You and I don't understand but maybe we will when or if we get to live that long.

My grandparents lived that long and longer. There was a point when they turned off like a lightswitch and less than a year after that..... they were gone.

Way back when an old GF's grandmother died of lung cancer, she would have been in her mid '80's at the time. She had never smoked a day in her life, BTW. Her husband was hale and hearty right up until the day she died, then he just fell apart. He died not 4 months later, one of the damndest things I have ever seen. So maybe there's a lot of the reason for this whole sad story.

Regardless, since there could be a real good chance that someone could die without power in conditions like that you'd think the utility would have kept some kind of watch, maybe a daily phone call or something.

After years of frugal and careful living, this guy spends the last few months of his life with no power. He just wanted to go. I don't know if a daily phone call would help tip the balance the other way but who's to say what effect hearing your family loves you every day might have?