Dear Swami: The sick old Winthrop Harbor woman in the newspaper who owed ComEd $18,000 and had her electricity cut off must have been a lowlife to get that behind on her bill. I’m glad she got what she had coming to here. Don’t you agree?
Swami thinks this world has more than its fair share of mean-spirited reprobates who ought to be dropped on their heads to see if any sense falls out.
Let's separate two concepts. One is that some people take advantage of charity and game the system. We're not in favor of that, and it's probably true this particular woman lacks some of the more genteel qualities we'd all prefer she have.
But there's not much about her life that anyone we know would trade to have for themselves; so even if she brought some of her troubles to her door, maybe there's no reason to gloat over her woes.
We think that too many people look at a person in dire need and calculate ways to make their lives even worse. There is an angry, vengefuil spirit at loose in the land. For example,
Lisa writes: “Mrs. Tate is obviously in debt but why should anyone help? She is already getting our help by collecting disability. Everyone has a responsibility to pay their own bill and because of people like Mrs. Tate working people end up paying even more! If anyone should help her it should be her very large family by giving a few dollars each month.”
Swami sez: The old lady is stuck in a lousy house in Winthrop Harbor, she has a $18,000 bill, she must take oxygen from a tube…and she has you for a neighbor. How much worse can things be for her? Some people just need a soul transplant.
Terry writes: “ Why did the family call the newspaper before calling 911 for assistance? I can only assume this is what happened as I'm sure it takes some time to get a reporter to the scene. If the situation was bad enough to require emergency assistance how did they manage to get the EMT to wait for a reporter to show up? I take exception to the way this article presented COM ED as the bad guy. As a COM ED customer, if I had run up an $18,000 bill, the newspaper would not have rushed out to get my story.”
Swami sez: We’ve run into many miserable excuses for a human being. Maybe she isn't the best human being on the planet, but that doesn't make heartlessness a noble attribute, either.
Penny writes: “ What was the News-Sun objective in making this a front page story? Was it to make Com Ed look bad? Or was it to expose people that have a "mind set" of, “I don't have to pay” and lack of any kind of responsibility to pay their bills.. ”
Swami sez: Yes, Penny, let’s let the old lady die because she probably had it coming. In fact, we're sure she had it coming.
Paul writes: “Since when is electricity a right; it is a luxury…. If you can't afford to live where you are, move.”
Swami sez: Now our representative from a Dickens novel has reported in. Are there no prisons? Are there no work-houses?
Hate to admit it, but Judy is a realative of mine. As long as I have known her 40+ years she has never worked. Were did the $36,000.00 Inheratence she received in 2006 go? Shouldn't she have paid more than $20.00 on her light bill? Judy has lived off the system her hole life. Come on know, who looses there 5 children to there parents in the 70"s after thehole Flower Power???? Maybe if she did something besides sit there and didn't smoke a carton and half a week she wouldn't need oxygen!