honda0105
Champion Author
Tallahassee
Posts:18,828
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Joined:Nov 2008
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Message Posted: Jan 29, 2013 5:59:16 AM
funny how everyone cries for the government to "do something" in the wake of such tragedy as Sandy Hook, but no one wants their own rights to be abridged. I guess the person who figures out the solution to that dilemma will be the next super-billionaire.
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LetemEatCake
Champion Author
Oklahoma City
Posts:5,667
Points:1,229,950
Joined:Mar 2008
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 10:27:52 PM
And pray tell Guy what is big brothers agenda with Smart Meters? Do you know? Or are you just into Gun Control? Which is way off topic for this thread.
[Edited by: LetemEatCake at 1/26/2013 10:29:28 PM EST]
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HawaiianGuy
Champion Author
Idaho
Posts:9,665
Points:3,106,590
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 7:11:06 PM
Another case of Big Brother shoving his agenda down your throat. Gun control is only the beginning. Don't you EVER surrender your Right to Bear Arms to an increasingly intrusive government, no matter what the self-ordained King decrees.
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jethro5000
Champion Author
Kentucky
Posts:2,018
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:39:59 PM
Old news
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NedW
Champion Author
Indianapolis
Posts:5,750
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 10:23:47 AM
I hope she sues everyone that anything to do with this.
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DanMtz
Champion Author
Oakland
Posts:3,496
Points:1,271,125
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 8:36:48 AM
Cue the Looney Tunes theme.
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blupupher
Champion Author
Houston
Posts:3,695
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 8:02:20 AM
OK, nothing to do with guel prices.
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greatartiste
All-Star Author
New Jersey
Posts:540
Points:105,810
Joined:Apr 2011
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 7:59:35 AM
WTF does this have to do with fuel prices?????
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goldrose1
Champion Author
Cleveland
Posts:11,071
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Joined:Feb 2005
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 3:10:11 AM
And how does this relate to gas?
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BennoBlue
Champion Author
Virginia
Posts:37,719
Points:1,492,245
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 2:27:46 AM
This doesn't belong here, because it's not a story about energy, it's a story about a woman who got herself in trouble. If it was actually about the smart meters, it would be a great addition, but there's no real information about the smart meters themselves here. A story about what might be considered civil disobedience has a place, but that place would be a politics board, a community forum, etc.With that said, here are two other articles that give additional information about the situation:
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/01/23/two-naperville-women-arrested-for-trying-to-block-smart-meters
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/suburbs/naperville/chi-naperville-smart-meter-arrest-20130123,0,6519967.story
After reading more about it, this looks like a clear-cut case of capitalism:
The utility company is upgrading their equipment, and the owner has been given advance notice, as well as an option to decline for a fee to cover the additional costs to the utility -- if they have to send a meter reader, they're charging for the cost of an employee's time, fuel for the vehicle, etc. Stahl admitted to being aware of this option, but didn't want to pay the charge, and she also didn't choose to end her account with the utility. Thus, the utility sent someone to upgrade their equipment to cut costs. And, it *is* the utility's equipment: the meter itself *is* owned by the utility, and when the customer signs up for the utility account, they grant the utility access to read and maintain (which includes upgrading or replacing) said equipment (it's usually done as an easement).
I understand Stahl's concerns about health and privacy issues, and I can see how she might have concerns, but in that case she had a number of legal options:
-- She could have opted to pay a monthly fee to keep the older equipment that costs the utility more
-- She could have gotten an injunction against the change while investigation is being done on the health and privacy issues
-- She could have ended her account with the utility company and chosen to handle her power needs by a generator, solar panels, windmills, or whatever other means
-- As a member of a group that is against the smart meters, the group could start their own utility company that only uses analog meters
I'm sure there are more options that didn't occur to me. But, she didn't choose any of them. She decided to block the access that she'd already agreed upon to the utility's property, the meter. That's like if you have an account with the cable company, you decide you're going to downsize your account, and aren't going to pay for the equipment you've been renting from them (DVR, converter, set-top box, whatever). If they tell you you need to either pay for the equipment or return it, and you do neither, sooner or later, someone's going to come for it. If you block them, the police will come too, and arrest you for getting in the way while the equipment is being repossessed. You're asking the company to keep providing the service without paying for the equipment of theirs that you're using. It's just another type of theft. Any concern about health, privacy, or whatever doesn't give the right to do that. What's at issue here isn't the Constitution or the federal government, it's the contract that Stahl entered into when she opened her account with the utility, and the ownership by the utility of the meter as their equipment.
I'm not debating over whether smart meters might have issues, or if there are any reasons for concerns about health, privacy, or safety. Different people have differing opinions, and that's their right. It's enough that Stahl had concerns, whether or not they were warranted. The story isn't about the smart meter itself, it's about her actions and their consequences, so that's all I'm looking at.
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TIGERPAW46
Champion Author
Florida
Posts:7,241
Points:1,379,620
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:35:26 AM
Either way get use to it because every day gets worse with Gov. intrusion into our private lives. "Gov. big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take it all away."
It may not be long before the USA is just like other countries where the people are having to fight a dictator. The Balance of power of our Government has been eroded to near nothing already.
[Edited by: TIGERPAW46 at 1/26/2013 12:37:36 AM EST]
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TIGERPAW46
Champion Author
Florida
Posts:7,241
Points:1,379,620
Joined:Mar 2004
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:32:24 AM
Install your own Solar or wind power system & disconnect from public utilities. Just hope you have enough backup storage capacity for lack of sun or wind times.
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crreed1
Champion Author
West Virginia
Posts:2,100
Points:2,550,715
Joined:May 2005
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:25:25 AM
ok
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1_percenter
Champion Author
Illinois
Posts:1,030
Points:191,110
Joined:Dec 2012
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:22:02 AM
“I felt my emotion was like a momma bear protecting her babies.”
nothing much happens in naperville
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10k
Champion Author
North Carolina
Posts:21,489
Points:2,281,720
Joined:May 2006
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:18:52 AM
wish i had known this on monday, cause i have a feeling one of those suckers was installed on my house..
a man claiming to work for progress energy, soon to be duke power, exchanged my old meter with a new one, that he said could be read from the home office, w/o requiring a meter-reader to personally read the numbers-another job just sent to h*ll, i guess..
and this dude was driving a truck with colorado license tags..in north carolina ??-hmmmmm..
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esquared
Champion Author
Oklahoma City
Posts:8,202
Points:1,996,835
Joined:Jan 2006
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:18:35 AM
The charges against her will be dismissed, but she hasn't a legal leg to stand on with easements guaranteeing access across/onto private property for public utilities.
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bikechuck
Champion Author
Indianapolis
Posts:7,153
Points:2,090,820
Joined:Apr 2006
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:16:33 AM
Time to figure out your own individual energy producing system if you do not want to use the public utility. Otherwise you do not have a choice.
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regout
Champion Author
Quebec
Posts:3,095
Points:860,405
Joined:May 2010
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:16:24 AM
She had to protect his home but...
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arb0526
Champion Author
Greensboro
Posts:2,117
Points:438,320
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:14:47 AM
Don't see how this is about fuel but in the article:
To receive a “non-standard” smart meter costs an initial, one-time fee of $68.35 (this is the cost difference between the two meters) and a monthly fee of $24.75 for manual reading of the meter.
I have a wireless transmitting meter on my house and it cost nothing to install /maintenance fees. Seems like a power company gouging customers at every turn.
[Edited by: arb0526 at 1/26/2013 12:15:58 AM EST]
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DustyHorse
Champion Author
Virginia
Posts:6,222
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:14:42 AM
That BS charge will be thrown out in a second. The officer should be sued for false arrest. I would like to be on that jury.
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dongo50
Champion Author
West Virginia
Posts:14,878
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:13:48 AM
not sure what a smart meter is, but it sounds dumb to me.
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jrsva
Champion Author
Virginia
Posts:9,999
Points:1,639,950
Joined:Jan 2006
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:13:43 AM
On one hand this is a tempest in a teapot but on the other it is one more intrusion of Big Brother into our lives. Police and government officials should not be involved. If she does not want to allow utility workers onto her property to change the meter, the utility can shut off her power. Her choice.
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joel27nc
Champion Author
Raleigh
Posts:10,677
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:12:50 AM
How does the "smart meter" work or do?
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1fulltank
Champion Author
Buffalo
Posts:8,041
Points:1,571,970
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:12:34 AM
New technology may take a while to work out the bugs, but at WHOSE expense???
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cheapertvs
Champion Author
Richmond
Posts:10,430
Points:2,769,420
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:12:23 AM
These are crazy people. The smart meter is the property of the utility company as is the regular meter currently in place. These people can get an off grid solar power system of their own (and pay for it) if they do not want the smart meter.
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CartelBuster
Veteran Author
Detroit
Posts:425
Points:1,603,075
Joined:May 2007
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:12:08 AM
Welkom to O's Amerika! (Where government knows what's best for it's peons) Orwell was only off by 29 years!
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alaric76
Champion Author
New Jersey
Posts:16,678
Points:3,061,285
Joined:Nov 2004
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:11:07 AM
these things are a curse!
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wayoung56
Champion Author
Alabama
Posts:2,920
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Joined:Oct 2006
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:11:06 AM
Hmmm...
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TheSicilian
Champion Author
Jacksonville
Posts:5,519
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Joined:Feb 2009
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:09:38 AM
how about a dumb meter
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MINIWINI598
Champion Author
Washington
Posts:3,170
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Joined:Dec 2011
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:09:10 AM
Wow..
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Blue_Cruzer
Champion Author
Lexington
Posts:7,660
Points:1,697,285
Joined:Mar 2007
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:08:32 AM
A controversial program.
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rats3
Champion Author
Toronto
Posts:68,220
Points:2,177,880
Joined:Jun 2007
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:08:07 AM
Smart meters are a cash grab and nothing more. Many, many Ontarian's will tell you their electric bills went through the roof after smart meters were installed.
The best solution, if you can, is to get off the grid all together. If you can it will be a great selling feature in the future. Saying goodbye to utility companies can be very invigorating.
The police that arrested her should be ashamed of themselves.
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cheaper0ON
Champion Author
Ontario
Posts:1,123
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:07:44 AM
Ok.
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after10
Veteran Author
Hamilton
Posts:397
Points:53,715
Joined:Jul 2012
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:07:34 AM
Its about who has control of rights .Unfortunatly we have paid dearly give them the right to infringe on our rights
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heartbroken2010
Champion Author
Ottawa
Posts:4,485
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Joined:Aug 2010
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:07:01 AM
simply just another monitoring system the smart meters are.
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PrinceLH
Champion Author
Ontario
Posts:2,832
Points:565,745
Joined:Jun 2011
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:05:07 AM
It's a sneaky way to get more money, without an increase. No wonder she was upset.
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UpSol7
Champion Author
Augusta
Posts:1,709
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:04:09 AM
tell her to get a generator and off the grid then.
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unemployed58
Veteran Author
Montreal
Posts:281
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Message Posted: Jan 26, 2013 12:00:34 AM
he said she said
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fenster66
Champion Author
Pittsburgh
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Message Posted: Jan 25, 2013 11:56:39 PM
It takes all kinds, I guess....
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Wanda127
Champion Author
Florida
Posts:2,570
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Message Posted: Jan 25, 2013 11:55:00 PM
The utility companies have the right to update your meters to make it more efficient. They just need to send you a notice that they will be out to do the job & have ID so I don't understand what the problem was with this woman.
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SammyAdams
Champion Author
Tallahassee
Posts:3,197
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Message Posted: Jan 25, 2013 11:53:40 PM
As more people learn some truths about these "smart" meters, more communities are rejecting them.
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mstearno
Champion Author
Dayton
Posts:8,174
Points:1,755,920
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Message Posted: Jan 25, 2013 11:45:57 PM
they have the right to change your meter
if you don't want their meter move or go without electricity
YOUR CHOICE
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PontiacFan
All-Star Author
Gary
Posts:776
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Joined:Mar 2011
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Message Posted: Jan 25, 2013 11:41:07 PM
Fight the man!
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Kamakani
Champion Author
Denver
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Message Posted: Jan 25, 2013 11:40:20 PM
Too much government
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skyking19
Champion Author
Little Rock
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Message Posted: Jan 25, 2013 11:37:51 PM
Wow
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bonzoonfmb
Champion Author
Florida
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Message Posted: Jan 25, 2013 11:34:37 PM
She has worse problems than a 'smart meter' if she lives in Naperville. Naperville = suburban hell.
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Buddy2264
Champion Author
Tampa
Posts:11,797
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Message Posted: Jan 25, 2013 11:32:21 PM
I would hope in time a smart grid and meters will save us money and lower electric costs and fuel costs, which use more oil and natural gas as they switch over from coal.
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PrepHermit
Champion Author
New Jersey
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Message Posted: Jan 25, 2013 11:31:42 PM
Nice try.
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BREW9
Champion Author
Tampa
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Message Posted: Jan 25, 2013 11:30:41 PM
big bro
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ESCORT6768
Champion Author
Iowa
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Points:626,215
Joined:Sep 2005
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Message Posted: Jan 25, 2013 11:26:13 PM
Their property, their choice. Just another piece of freedom lost to please some green group.
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