"POWER" to the people

As I am cleaning my air conditioned living room listening to CNN I hear a news report that a woman in her 50's has passed. It is believed that she sucumbed to the heat in her home!  I understand that someone has to pay for electricity.  I pay mine every month and I have had times when I have been in financial fear of it being disconnected years back as a single parent with 2 small children. I have been very blessed that I have only been without power for a lack of money for 2 days ever! 

It is incomprehensable to me that we, as a nation allow certain every day needs to be deprived from people who can not afford.   Everyone has a right to electricity if they have a home.  Not to say that I should not pay my power bill, but anyone on a fixed or with low  income should be granted controlled power and the power companies should be required to make sure they have heat and air.  Not to say they should sit in 65 degree temps for free but at least a tolerable 79 degrees vs the triple digits many of us experiance.  It should be just plain illegal for the power companies to disconnect anyone in temperatures that are live threatening.  No matter what!  Maybe if A bill is missed, the power companies should divide that payment into the next 12 monthes giving these people a chance to get caught up   A $130.00 bill would only add $10.00 a month to the additional bill for that period of time.   As advanced as we are as a nation, why dont we provide our fellow citizens with  a minimal amount of Kilowats to maintain life. 

My thermostat is set at 75 and I have ceiling fans to help that feel cooler.  I once worked at a subsidized housing project for the elderly and handicapped.  I met a few people who I had to actually teach them how to use electricity because they never had the benefit of it prior to moving in.  We should not be loosing our friends, family and neighbors due to the controlable temperatures in our home!!!!!