This is just the beginning of the invasion. One day, your phone company will be able to see every number you called or were called from, when you talked to them, and for how long— without even touching your cell phone. Those bastards will probably even start charging different rates for different times of the day. It’s UNAMERICAN, dammit! It says in the Constimatution someplace that a minute is a minute, and by gum a… whatever they measure electricity with… look, all I’m saying is LIVE FREE OR DIE!
I got the impression that time of day rates were mandatory, or that making them so would be the next logical step once everyone got a smart meter. Am I wrong?
I have all gas appliances and lack a dishwasher so about the only thing I could shift that uses a lot of electricity would be the electric motors in the washer and dryer. As for lights, I have a 300 watt lamp in the office. In the hallways I have two 40s and a 60 that i generally also leave on because there’s no wall switch by the office door.
I’ve never heard of a utility that didn’t have a smorgasbord of rate structures. My utility (APS) has six. I think it unlikely that they would force everyone to switch to time-of-day, but they might use coercion (exorbitant rates) to inspire people to switch on their own.
BTW, you should replace all those with CFLs - that would save 400W right there…
I don’t understand why the woman is not on jail, either.
In a possibly parallel case, I know someone who was directly threatened with attack by someone who came to the house to scream threats. The next time the threatener appeared outside, the victim of the threat went and got a gun, pointed it at the threatening person, and told that person to leave well enough alone – and was sent to jail overnight for “brandishing” (and was subsequently bailed out, but eventually faced the charge in court.)
It might have been treated differently than this case because it was effectively two encounters, not a heat of the moment response, but on the other hand, it was clearly self-defense-motivated, not some conspiracy-theory drivel. And in Virginia, a gun-friendly state, not unlike Texas. But the authorities treated it as a Very Serious Offense. (The threat-issuer was never charged.)
Yet this woman in Texas gets what she wants and will be treated like a folk heroine of some sort.
I certainly don’t mind if I had a smart meter and had to alter some of my habits…but there’s no way I will ever allow a power company to remotely control my actual appliances.
They sure picked an unfortunate place to locate the video Play arrow in the article picture. You’re to be forgiven if you’d read the headline as “Power struggle: Local woman uses gun to stop worker from installing smart meter on her breast.”
But was it in a holster? Did she have her palm on the holster, drumming her digits over the gun handle? Bonus points if she had a cowboy hat and mirrored shades.
OK, serious question: Who owns the meter?
I know it’s on her property, but then it has to be. But does it belong to her, or to the power company? Power company certainly has the right to come onto the property to read the meter.
No one has right to residential power. Count me in with the folks who say they should discontinue her service immediately.
Anyway I was refering to the statute that was quoted in the OP. It does not apply. If any state has a similar law it wouldn’t apply. It specifically states that pointing a gun at someone is illegal. She did not point the gun at him. According to her anyway and no one has presented quotes from him stating otherwise.
Although its not a right there are usually regulations controlling when they can and can’t shut off your services. There is regulation since it is a monopoly and you can’t just call up the other power company. Not being able to read the meter usually means they have to esimate the usage. Its an easy fix.
I’m just wondering why it’s wrong to threaten a trespassing utility worker with a gun, but OK to shoot someone who’s been swindled into buying your property while you’re away.
Smart Meters have been a thorn in the side of Californians for the last few years, but when I got one, I noticed my bill actually went down. I think I might be the only person in the entire State that is paying less with a Smart Meter. Go me!
Well, I do all of my laundry and dish washer activities at night. I’m not home during the day, so the TV, computers, and lights are mostly off then, too. My thermostat is the programmable kind, so my AC jumps up to 80 or something from 8 am to 6 PM, etc etc. There are plenty of ways to save energy during the day, even if you’re home- it’s not like it’s hard to figure out how to use less electricity.
This story electrified me. I was magnetically drawn to my screen reading it. Afterwards I felt wired. And better grounded. But that woman! The current is strong in that one.
