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Yep.. I think it is time to call the men with the white coats and go down to the TVA office. They have gone over the edge! It is very interesting that they think that they can sue the government and anyone else that they want, but they think that they cannot be sued??

That is why we have the greatest court system in the world. So that we can weed out the wackos from people with "real defenses".

It makes me think... Hmmm. If i thought that no one could sue me for whatever I do, I just might do whatever i want to do, because I am on a pedastool and I am above the law and I am immune from little people.... Hmmm.

Does this sound about right for their thinking? I think it does. They would have to think that way to be as negligent as they have, when they caused the spill. They apparently thought all along that they would not be found responsible. do you all see what I am getting at here?

However, in the short brief to the courts, TVA seems to sound like a private company. In the 50 page document they claim to be a government agency. It is hard to distinguish which one they are. When have you ever heard of a government agency having shareholders?

So the people want to sue TVA. First of all, TVA can and will keep these lawsuits tied up in the system for so long that most of the plaintiffs won't even live long enough to see a benefit. Second, if they do win a huge settlement, who's going to pay for it? WE WILL. All of these cost will be passed on to the rate payers, and BTW, TVA isn't who "caused the spill", poor management and poor oversight caused the spill. TVA has provided good jobs, recreation, flood control and cheap electricity to this region for most of our life times. Keep it real.

Creek

how some folks who don't live in Swan Pond can just discount the whole disaster into a little mud slide. They, just like the TVA would like everyone to just shut up and go on with their lives. Well, that's convenient for them isn't it. I guess the people in Swan Pond should just be sacrificial lambs for the rest of us in TVAs service area, right?

Guess what, I will happily pay the 5, 10, or even 50 dollars additional a month if that is what it takes to make these folks and the rest of us in Roane County whole again. Make no mistake, we will have to force them to do it.

Corporations respond to three things.

(1) Marketplace forces- they have a monopoly.
(2) Regulations, oh yeah, there weren't any (fly ash storage).
(3) The threat of, or legal action. Obviously the threat didn't weigh into their calculation on the front end substantially. That tells you something about the scale of the equation.

Electricity no matter how cheaply produced, is worth ever going through these disasters.

I could not have said it better myself. Thanks!

I wonder why no one fussed about any rate hikes in the past. We pay for all their bonuses, and credit card expenditures for X-boxes, and or whatever they fancied. We have always been paying for all this. Why fuss now? TVA was signed into existence by President Roosevelt and was to be separate from the government to collect their big bonuses. Collecting big bonuses keeps them under the control of the government. Under the government they can't collect the big bonuses. Remember the President picks the head of TVA.

Note that most of the banks who got bail out money are wanting to pay it back to the government. The reason for this is that they want their bonuses. Using the bail out money keeps them under the restriction of not getting bonuses. That is what the big wheels love. It is all about those million dollar bonuses. Money is the root of all evil.

The power of our government is not what we think it is. It started with the explanation of a documentary you can view on the History Channel called "Secret Societies". I ask all of you to watch this documentary which is airing at different times on the History Channes. The documentary reveals how Presidents George Bush, Senior and Junior, were members of the "Skull and Bones" Society. The Bushes were both prepared in college and put into the positions they held. The money and power control comes down through the government and even down to TVA. If the button from that power is pushed to the Judge over the TVA request for immunity, not one person can do anything about it.

The only being that we can all ask help from is God. How can we fight something that is too big for us. Just wait and see. If TVA has to pay the tort suits, I will be surprised. TVA is losing the respect of all the people. They are liers just like our government officials. Why would there be any difference? I do know that every person on this earth reaps what they sow.

What I have found so far is this. One company is called TVA Fire, Life, and Safety. They sell insurance to other companies. Their HIGH Protected Risk staff was trained by the "big three" insurance companies. They even sell flood insurance. So this is a company hiding behind government status.
TVA will lose initially, approximately 2 million dollars for the so-called clean up. The rest will be reimbursed to them. Then they will raise rates and blame their "loss" on the "money grabbers" of Roane County. Does anyone see something wrong with this picture? TVA will make millions on a disaster that was their fault.
There are some who post on here that defend TVA. I respect their comments. But, I respectfully disagree with them. TVA is not cleaning this up. They are tidying it up. They brought in tons of rock to put on top of coal ash where the water should be 30 feet deep. Then they spray it with anything green that will cover the metals. There are two coves that were wonderful fishing spots that will now look like fields.
Someone posted about recreation that TVA provides. Well, ask those that once had beautiful lakefront property about their recreation. Hundreds of people will not have any recreation now.
TVA is seeking immunity from any lawsuits. If this happens, even more people will be effected because of devalued peoperty. Oh, and the Long Term Planning Commission will not get a dime. TVA can give them the finger and say "sue me".
Things might look good on the surface. What was the saying during the Presidential campaign...You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still ...?
I do my homework. I know much of what is going on. TVA is aware of it too. Recently, after a Long Term Planning Commission meeting, I was in the hall of the courtroom talking with some TVA officials. They offered a member of the commission a tour of the facility. I asked when I would be offered a tour. The woman said "We don't want to give you any more ammunition".
So let's review.
TVA will end up making millions off of a disaster that was their fault.
They refuse to pay for medical screenings that some people really need.
They will not help the ones still trapped in that mess relocate so they can have a life.
They will never clean up this sh...I mean coal ash.
They have increased the pollution in our waters.
They have severly damaged our economy, since it depends a lot on our lakes and rivers in the spring and summer.
Did, I mention they will make money off of this. Oh, yeah I did. Sorry.
They have destroyed lives and dreams of many families.
And they have lied to us all. They promised to make things as good or even better than before. When do they plan to make us "Whole again"?
I guess I have said enough. But, I do my homework. I know what's going on.

Thank you Rick, you have summed up my understanding of this mess very nicely. I hope our fellow citizens will not continue to buy TVA's "party line", because it's all about them, and not about the folks who life in this area at all. And yes (to critics,) I know that there are TVA executives and retirees who live in the area, but do you think TVA will let them go wanting? do you think the people who depend on TVA will do anything to threaten their income or their retirement packages? I think not. In the meantime, TVA continues to pursue a policy of "wear them down and they'll go away." I have news for them: some of us are not able, financially, to go away, or we would move our families to a safer area. We would not, however, cease to seek recompense for the injuries TVA has done us and our neighbors. And that's what we're seeking, recompense, not wealth, not a gift--simply the ability to heal our families' lives.

I really wish people would stop whining about power bills and try to put themselves into our shoes. Imagine what your life might be like if your property, which you depended on for your retirement, had lost all value, but you still had to pay taxes on it. Imagine what your life would be like if you needed to move, in order to seek employment, but you couldn't because you now were unable to sell your house -at any price-. Imagine not being able to let your children go out to play because you are concerned for their health, both now and in the future. Imagine your own health being affected negatively, and that other people around you talk about you as if you have imagined the whole thing. Oh yes, and imagine that your power bills go up, too, as a result of TVA's lack of responsible management, so you get to pay for the damages TVA has done -to you-. If that's not ironic, I don't know what is.

Peggy Blanchard
Swan Pond resident

Pass around those blue plastic cups so everyone can drink TVA's koolaid....

I personally prefer a glass of Merlot. I never intended to make light of the disaster and the impact it has had and will continue to have on the people in the immediate community. My point only was to say that bringing a high profile lawyer down from up north to file hundreds of lawsuits is not the best way to help the people who are truly affected. People are filing lawsuits that live no where near the spill site. And yes, I don't live in the immediate area but hardly consider the disaster a "little mudslide". I grew up in the area, my parents live right across the river from the steam plant penninsula, I learned to water ski just up stream from the spill site. I took my grand kids to the sand bar during the week to swim when the partying crew wasn't there and had a few beers there on weekends when they were. I don't think anybody should just go away. Clogging up the courts with countless lawsuits isn't going to solve the problem. TVA's bad management and lack of self oversight may be the problem but come on, they didn't do it on purpose. I think they'll clean it up the best they can. Remember where that heat comes from when you turn up that thermostat tonight.

Creek

I have to disagree with you when you say that TVA has no shareholders. Even you can be a shareholder if you go to any of the following financial institutions to buy shares:

Barclays Capital

Charles Schwab & Co. Inc.

Edward Jones

E-Trade Financial

Hilliard Lyons Inc.

Merrill Lynch

Morgan Stanley

Smith Barney (Citi)

TD Ameritrade

UBS

Wachovia Securities

Wells Fargo

For $1000 dollars, you can buy shares. And if you have $100,000 to invest (or throw away) you can go long term with them. No, you cannot approach TVA and get these shares. But they do trade on the NYC stock exchange under TVA or TVE.
Oh, and if you look at those investment companies, how many were recently bailed out?

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That link gives me many more places to study. There may be some great information in the pages.