Mailbag

Praises to BGE

To the editor:
I would like to express my appreciation for all workers with Bluegrass Energy who worked around the clock to restore electricity to Harrison County.  I especially would like to commend the dispatchers who took calls from customers, they were very nice and explained the situation as they knew it.  I know it was difficult for them, and that customers can be very demanding and rude, (not that I would ever be, LOL). Again, thanks.

Lou Burton
Cynthiana

The true light of the world

To the editor:
It was a dark time when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. There had not been a prophet for 400 years. We are surely living in a dark time now, even though there is a church on almost every corner.
America was founded upon Bible principles. That is what made our country great. We sing “God Bless America,” but God has been pushed out of our schools and out of government. Even the churches are in confusion in some cases. So much is being taught that is contrary to the Bible.
We certainly are in confusion as far as politics are concerned.
Our top leader boldly telling us what he believes in. It makes the true Christians cringe. We know that God is a God of love. But He is also a just God. He will not excuse wrong doing. We are responsible for our attitudes and our actions.
The new year lies before us like a spotless trace of snow. Be careful how you tread it for each spot will show.
Jesus is still the light of the world.
The Rev. Maggie Sosby
Cynthiana

Love thy neighbor

To the editor:
I would like to reply to those Christians who are writing to the editor about Obama.
No. 1, Obama can’t do anything because Republicans won’t let him; No. 2, every church thinks they’re the right one. There are all kinds of churches. I have always read King James version of the Bible.
It also says to “love thy neighbor.”
I did not see, “love thy white neighbor only.”
The Bible also says to pray for leaders of the country. I also missed “pray for our white leaders.”
I am a white woman. I have read the Bible front to back hundreds of times. God made us all; therefore, we not only pray for the USA but all nations. As Christians we should respect. All church goers even if we do not agree with them.
We should love all people. We don’t have to like what they do. But love all no matter what color. Love one another. God is love, love is god. The world would be better.
Shirley Fowler
Cynthiana

BGE and WCYN dropped the ball

To the editor:
Blue Grass Energy customers are outraged at the extended loss of service during the recent snowfall, and rightly so. Over December 29-31, more than 5,000 homes were affected, per BGE.  But the issue is not BGE’s response to the situation—this sweeping storm affected much of the nation, so typical emergency help from power companies in other states might not have been available. The real issue is BGE’s lack of routine maintenance that would prevent such a hardship. Customers pay not only for the electricity we consume, but also for the grid that we expect to be maintained.
The winter of 2011-2012 was mild, providing BGE with about 23 months (back to February 2011) to inspect, repair, or replace lines, transformers, and other equipment. Obviously, it did not take the initiative. Perhaps its directors were waiting for declaration of a statewide or federal emergency that would have provided an influx of government funds instead of funding repairs itself. During these 23 months, BGE crews responded only to occasional storms and accidents that affected poles and power lines. Otherwise, what were employees doing, playing poker?
A six-inch snowfall is insignificant and should not have caused such hardship. I suggest that BGE confer with electric companies in states that deal with snow regularly to see how they prevent winter outages, and follow their example.
BGE is a rural electric co-op, meaning that each customer is a shareholder in the company. As shareholders, we want answers. I urge all irate customers to attend the next shareholders meeting scheduled for May 30 at 4:30 p.m. at Keeneland Race Course on Versailles Road near Lexington.
Local radio station WCYN also dropped the ball during the recent crisis.  Although WCYN announces that it broadcasts live, its “live” programming must be from another location. Not one word of the outage was mentioned. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires radio and television stations to serve their local communities.  WCYN was in violation of this requirement by not providing regular reporting on the outage crisis. Citizens should visit www.fcc.gov/eb/bccomplaints for instructions on filing a complaint.
I understand that WCYN may not be able to afford local, on-air personalities, but it should have an emergency plan in place that would provide regular updates to the community, say, at 15 minutes past each hour, especially during a blackout when citizens’ only source of information might be via battery-powered or car radios.
Two shining examples of how this crisis should have been handled were the Harrison County Road Department and the Harrison County Judge-Executive’s Office. Both rose to the challenge and should be commended.
 
Denise Steffanus
Cynthiana