- Thread starter Frank the Tank
- Start date
1 Million have "Free" Luz
There is no alcohol ban. People are still partying and drinking late into the night. They just need to buy their drinks before 12 am.
As far as controlling the stealing of power, they just don't have the resources to lock up everybody that connects illegally to the power grid.
As far as people benefiting from the current situation, I expect you mean the politicians are benefiting because instead of doing their job they are on vacation.
It seems we have a fundamental difference in understanding right and wrong.
Bigbird, you are quick to idealize individuals who steal power as 'needy' and the little guy. Maybe you need to spend some more time and see that just because someone is not sporting the latest fashion doesn't make them worthy or in need of your pity.
Sure, make me the big bad wolf if you wish. It seems as if you are living in a fantasy tale of the likes of Robin Hood. Steal from the rich, give to poor. Anyway you may cut it, it is still stealing.
You have conceded this point. To me, stealing is stealing. Sorry bud, but power is not a right. You have to pay for it. I wish I could have an A/C, an electric washer/dryer/stovetop/iron/microwave/water heater but I make do without, know why? Because I couldn't afford the HUGE hike in costs.
Yet, I know people who could install interrupters to the meter or hook me up for free, yet I don't. I live without because it is NOT my God-given right to power my home. It is a service, one you must pay for.
Answer me this: Will you come down here, to the DR, and donate to the thieves so that they may have power?
You don't live here, for you it's just a romantic story. For us, it is money out of our pocket and it's no small change. It's time to wake up and realize that for some of us, this is reality. What right do you have to make the law-abiders suffer and the law breakers reap the rewards?
Instead of wasting your time preaching to me why don't you make your government do something???????????????
You bitch and moan on a message board but you still lack 24/7. Get off the keyboard and go burn some tires.
As a matter of fact why do you waste your time with such lengthy replies when you know darn well DR1 message board is not going to solve the problem.
Are you just venting?
Also.. for those of you who do not live here, understand that the electric bills here are scaled in that the first killowatt hours are billed at a lower rate than the higher rates of consumption -- I did a blog post on it three years ago
Changing Perspectives: Energy saving ideas - Sliding Scale electric bills
(I note that my bill is much lower since I replaced the old fridge and ac!)
So the poor are ALREADY subsidized by the higher rates on the higher consumers.
I think that is completely unacceptable that so many people are allowed to consume without payment.
Changing Perspectives: Energy saving ideas - Sliding Scale electric bills
(I note that my bill is much lower since I replaced the old fridge and ac!)
So the poor are ALREADY subsidized by the higher rates on the higher consumers.
I think that is completely unacceptable that so many people are allowed to consume without payment.
Excellent reply Bigbird, you must be some real class act. Am I bitching and moaning? No, I am replying to your posts. You remember all the ones saying "You are a big bad man who picks on the poor and kicks them when they are down." And the ones saying " I think that all the poor people deserve power just because they are poorer than I, but no I am not willing to provide any money out of my pocket or any commitment to this statement."
You have continuously evaded all my points, your arguments are a failure and thus you came up with this complete and total feign.
How about this, quit the ad hominem attacks, it gets you no where and makes you look bad. And how about you just quit this thread, in this country we have tons of irrational, illogicals already, we don't need a +1 count.
You must think that every post on DR1 has been carried out expecting some kind of immediate action.... Well, please unplug your computer from the internet, sell it to a friend and stay away from any sort of heavy thinking.
As far as it pertains to this thread, you have already concede EVERY point. You no longer need to post in this thread. Your posts have about as much substance as Auschwitz gruel. Thank you and goodbye.
Before everybody gets on the bash Dominican bandwagon, I think it's a good idea to have a look at it from there point of view. If you were raised all your life and never had to pay a cent for the power that came intermittently while watching as politicians ride around in cars that cost more than you and your neighbors house and clothes worth more than you make in a month it's not a stretch to see why so many would expect that they should get something from the government too.
Speaking of "stealing", how many Americans or whatnot think it's ok to download free music or copy music from a cd they legally bought and transfer it to one's computer much less let a friend borrow it?
Download Uproar: Record Industry Goes After Personal Use - washingtonpost.com
Speaking of "stealing", how many Americans or whatnot think it's ok to download free music or copy music from a cd they legally bought and transfer it to one's computer much less let a friend borrow it?
Download Uproar: Record Industry Goes After Personal Use - washingtonpost.com
People don't respect things that are given to them for free, whether it's housing, electricity, food, or gas. Even paying a token fee would be better. Much as I advocate everyone paying their own way you can't just cold turkey the subsides with out losing the votes that come with them. I believe for a country like the DR a slow removal of subsides by replacing with a stepped price for electricity based on means is more doable. For those rich bastards that are stealing electricity - huge fines the first time, jail for repeat offenders. Mexico and even Cuba cut the power on people that don't pay.
I suppose you've never copied music from a cd onto your hard drive nor lent a cd to a friend to do same nor much less downloaded free music for that matter?
I have.
I have also spent thousands on CD's (and 8 tracks, cassettes and vinyl)of which the recording companies kept most of the proceeds and the original artists received a mere pittance (why do you think Prince changed his name to a symbol?) and were treated like talented slave whores by the owners of their talent...the industry. How many artists had nothing to show from their musical success but a tax bill and no rights to the royalties of the music that was written and performed by THEM?
It's okay to steal from a thief. They should admire us for it.
Truest and most applicable statement of the day. Anyone who's ever rented to a "section 8" knows this well.
You just my point about how many Dominicans feel about paying for power.
Do I condone it? Nope.
Do I condone the politicians robbing their own people? Nope.
Do I pay my power bill? Yes.
Will I teach my kids same? Yes.
This is one of the things that has been hindering the development in Haiti as well... "Well USAID put in the well-- let them fix it" ... The problem here in the DR is that there are entire sections in the Capital, at least, which do not even have meters. It is not that there are some folks who are paying and others who are stealing. There would be NO WAY for an honest person to even pay if they wanted to... NOR to estimate their power consumption.
When I looked back over that electric bill that I posted from three years ago-- and saw that I was paying about 4 times as much for electricity as I pay now.. when I had ONE old used AC with a short and the old fridge (ditto) -- now I have two newer smaller ACs and a new fridge and pay less.... Of course.. the poor are not going to be able to just go buy a new fridge but it might encourage them to at least stop just taping up any old thing and keep it running...... if they knew it would cost them $8000 pesos instead of $1000..........or nothing
Interesting thread....seems it isn't going anywhere in a resolution to main core problem. I'm just checking in from the 'campground' here where we are on our 3rd blackout today. This is AH folks. If you don't have a planta in this country, you are just flat out fooling yourself. It is a shame that we are paying our bills and still receiving interrupted service day after day to subsidize others. This is an error that needs to be corrected.
Chip, exactly. There is a line between saying "These are the reasons why it happens." and saying "These are the reasons it happens and I'm ok with that."
Per your comparision of USA vs DR and music vs power I do not think it is a fair one.
First off, this thread deals neither with music nor the US.
Second, copying a friends tape or downloading music doesn't affect those who pay for music.
A group of people could download a song 1 thousand million times illegally and that would not diminish the supply of the song. However, that same group running fridges and other electrical appliances WOULD decrease the availability of power.
Sure, you could argue that it affects the artists because they will not receive as much but arguing that changes your argument and, I believe, makes it fall out of topicality. Therefor, I do not agree with the comparison.
I think that before dealing with unmetered areas we must first deal with metered areas. Yes, the areas that do not have meters is a problem. But I have no sympathy for the power company in those cases, they should have installed them and if they haven't well that's their own fault.
On the other hand, those people that DO have meters should be required to pay for their usage. If they are not fully capable, sure make them pay a token fee like Mr. Suanders tells. But getting to the point of paying a token fee should not be an easy process so as to weed out freeloaders. Those who don't even pay the token fee, cut off their power then if they continue throw them in jail. It can be done. And as much as I hate the concept of throwing people in jail, it could work. Make them pay for their short stay of a day or two as well. Jail here is not fun and having to pay for it as if it were a cabana... Hmmm...
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I do not know about other areas in the Capital but Codeste has been here and changed all our meter boxes - but them inside of steel cages so that we have no access to them. So that is a good start..... here in Gazcue