Martin Shur, a 93-year-old man exhibiting signs of dementia, froze to death in his Bay City home earlier this week. Typically when we talk about someone freezing to death, we don't usually tell stories of it happening indoors. Thanks to Bay City Electric Light & Power, that's exactly what happened.

Apparently Mr. Shur was late paying his electric bill, so the city placed a limiter device on his home, which restricts the amount of electricity the house can draw. If more than the allotted amount is used, a fuse will blow and you have to reset it. In Mr. Shur's case, the device wouldn't allow him to run his furnace, so he died a very slow and painful death. Keep in mind, the man had dementia, and no family to check up on him.

The good-for-nothing City Manger, Robert V. Belleman, should be fired immediately. Not only does he hold firm the belief that the city did nothing wrong - just following protocol - but he endorses the use of these devices in the harsh winter months! Personally, I see no problem with utilizing the tool in the spring or summer if a bill hasn't been paid, but to do so in the winter is callous and inhumane.

According to CNN, this incident has incited international outrage, and I'm damn glad. I hope that prick of a city manager is fired immediately and, perhaps, charged with a crime. I wrote a letter to the Bay City Times, so we'll see if they publish it.

MSNBC STORY