"People understand power outtages."

[No Elephants]

This was Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, speak in advance of Sandy, about a storm last year where power was out for weeks.

He was saying that the real problem was not the outtage itself, but that the stories the grid was giving people during the outtage kept changing. Because "people understand power outtages, but they don't understand why they can't get reliable information."

Bullshit.

The real problem is the power outtages and I don't understand them.

If you tell me straight up on day one that my power will be out for three weeks, stick to your story for three weeks; and my power goes back on three weeks later, three weeks of outtage would still be a damn problem.

With all the money people pay for their electric bills, with all the modern technology, power companies in 2012 still can't do better than weeks of power outtages during a storm or telling us to turn off the a/c during a heat wave?

Really? Did nor'easters in New England suddenly become a big frickin surprise? Did hot summer days or heat waves?

Makes me mad that not only do we take crap like this from utility companies and the grid--(and the damn Governor), but that we don't even expect any better from any of them.

As far as Governor Patrick, these are state-granted monopolies, meaning something that belonged to the people that the state government gave to the utilities. Why in hell are you not holding the feet of utility executives to the fire on behalf of your constituents?

I bet you had a generator at your home and your state house office and everywhere else you had to be during those weeks. So, please if you can't advocate for our benefit against the utilities, as you owe us to do, at least just STFU and don't purport to speak for us as you excuse the utilities. Just speak for your own damned self.

Say, "I had all the electrical power any person could want, so I am willing, on behalf of the citizens of the Commonwealth, to say a straight story is all you owe. But the folks whose grandma froze to death might feel a little differently."

I, for one, absolutely do not understand why utility companies get to rake in money for over a century without having to modernize past, say, 1960. It's their job to provide power and that should be their job ESPECIALLY during hurricanes, snowstorms and heat waves, when power is needed most and travel (say to a hospital) is hardest.

No excuse note from mom or dad or the state house suffices.



Imagine telling your employer,, "I'll be here every day when there's not much for me to do, but I will be AWOL when you need me most, when it may be a matter of life and death, in fact. Oh, and, btw, the state says you can't fire me."

Which employer would sit still for that? So, why do we?

[No Elephants]

1. Update: storm still about 7 hours away and 8500 are already without power.

Winds are only about 40 miles an hour, with gust up to 90 mph when the storm does hit being forecast.

What excuse is there for power outtages with winds at only 40 mph and not much rain yet?

BTW, the storm is said to be 1000 miles wide. I can't wait for Pat Robertson's take on this one.

[Enthusiast]

2. Oh, it's an attack by the Lord.

All those nasty impure liberal thoughts have generated a mighty deity backlash. Pat Robertson said, or will say. Too much pee pee thinkin' goin' on. And worse! :spank:

[No Elephants]

3. Of course it's an attack by the Lord. At least according to Robertson.

According to Robertson, all our massive disasters, which kill babies and grannies indiscriminately, are an attack by a kind, loving and omniscient God.

[No Elephants]

4. When will Americans start getting really, really mad, instead of just accepting

whatever crap corporations and our elected officials think it is just fine for us to accept in order to maximize corporate profits?