Reader comments
Economic woes spreading to funeral services

I'm dying here.... | 12:46 a.m. Aug. 31, 2008

This story is killing me, its soooo bad!

Oldie | 1:26 a.m. Aug. 31, 2008

I can't afford my prescription drugs and I can't afford to die. What's a guy to do?

Anonymous | 8:15 a.m. Aug. 31, 2008

Why is this story even in the news?

We are talking about a profession that is the MOST monopolistic in society, even more than public utilities, the oil companies, or the banking & insurance industry... the most monopolistic, and they are NOT EVEN REGULATED!

The funeral homes play and profit on tragedy, heartache, being the third most cited cause for bankruptcy (behind catastrophic medical costs and runnaway credit card debt) and/or indebtedness to surviving family members.

Typically, funeral home owners are debt-free and live on premises making a huge portion of their residence being a tax write-off, and under no circumstance operate under the principles of 'free-market' economics, but operate as entitled guilds, not too different from the business atmosphere of the middle ages where pure monopolies existed by charter of the King.

Boo hoo that the funeral homes are experiencing a dip in their revenues. Tisk, tisk, why should I cry that they're experiencing the reality of an economy in recession? I say that they and their non-competitive price fixing should be regulated as any other monopoly in a manner similar to public utilities. Why? Because a monopoly is a monopoly and should be regulated accordingly, regardless of business!

Comments continue below

RWW | 9:41 a.m. Aug. 31, 2008

Oldie,

I'm in the same position, so I decided to just stick around and annoy everyone....

On the serious side, I'm donating my usable organs and the rest of me is going to a medical research facility. They will pay for everything, including the creamation of what is left after they take the parts they can utilize.

Insurance | 10:11 a.m. Aug. 31, 2008

This is why Life Insurance is so important, this gaurentees my loved ones wont be stuck with the bill.. I am shocked at how many people dont protect their loved ones, after they are gone.........

Madden | 10:15 a.m. Aug. 31, 2008

Why are Anonymous posters always geniuses?

DEF:Monopoly - A situation in which a single company owns all or nearly all of the market for a given type of product or service.

I can shop around for funeral services, choose where to be buried or if I even want to be buried, and choose which of the thousands of companies I want to use for a funeral service. Sounds just like an unregulated monopoly to me. Oh wait, I guess not.

Think outside the box | 10:18 a.m. Aug. 31, 2008

I'm with Ed Abbey on this one - when I'm dead, take my carcass and leave it out for the coyotes and buzzards. It'll do some good for them, and I'll be done with it anyway.

AZ rural way | 11:48 a.m. Aug. 31, 2008

Or you could do what we do in our small rural AZ community (if county/city laws and regulations don't prohibit it). A plot in our small cemetary is $75-$100 and we have a friend with a backhoe dig the grave. The mortuary handles cleaning and embalming the body but family members take care of dressing the deceased and doing the hair and makeup. Some have even made their own caskets to use. Then when the service is over, male family members lower the casket and, using shovels, fill in the grave. Doing these things yourself saves quite a bit of money.
The community also takes care of the graveyard which, in our area, isn't hard because, being the desert, there is no grass to be watered or mowed. We have an annual Memorial Day cemetary clean-up to clear out the weeds followed by a cook-out breakfast right there at the cemetary. We usually have 150+ in attendance from the very young to the almost-ready-for-the-grave.

Just Do It | 11:52 a.m. Aug. 31, 2008

Ashes to Ashes, whats the big deal? Either cremation or a simple container is good enough. Don't let the mortician play on your sympathy at that time. These guys are fat cats. Have you ever known of a middle of the road mortician?

Robin | 11:53 a.m. Aug. 31, 2008

Who said Ashes to Ashes? I don't think dust to dust means to be ruberized in a cement box and wait a melenum to be unearthed by a geologist. Talk about Silicon Valley.

da | 12:39 p.m. Aug. 31, 2008

not working

RIP | 12:42 p.m. Aug. 31, 2008

There should be public mortuary services for all citizens the same as public schools, transporatin, etc.

Nanette Secor | 4:34 p.m. Aug. 31, 2008

good idea save money rent casket that waste enviorment where is space the room burial so good wise. let people need spirit and sympathy one time for derocate rent casket then get cremation. no show it looklike nice than cremation show people
their furunal service.
Should be setup it in the future for enviorment!
Thank you

anon | 5:51 p.m. Aug. 31, 2008

to Nanette: Another incohrerant post. I hae no idea what you are trying to say.

awesomeron | 9:21 p.m. Aug. 31, 2008

I understood Nanette just fine. She mostly wants the Service held using a Rented Casket and the people then Cremated. Mostly to protect the Environment. Good Idea , Thank you for Posting Nanette. To Anon, we have Mods thank you.

Brian | 9:28 p.m. Aug. 31, 2008

Cremation contributes to global warming!

Anonymous | 9:52 p.m. Aug. 31, 2008

Dear Madden,

Your definition of 'monopoly' is just a one line description from an abridged dictionary.

Most unabridged dictionaries (those that give the full definition of a word or phrase) also state... DEF: Any business sector in which competition is discouraged and/or curtailed for the benefit of those who control a particular market...

Did you not know that a mortuary service cannot be set up anywhere in any State unless the morticians board allows it? Did you also know that the licensing board controls the number of licenses based on the population base being served, only issuing enough licenses to GUARANTEE that existing mortuaries are not negatively impacted by 'competition,' and/or 'free market' dynamics? These are all well documented facts that anyone willing to spend some time can find out for themselves.

So, my original post stands!

Mortuary services ARE unregulated MONOPOLIES!

Just wondering.. | 10:20 p.m. Sept. 28, 2008

Let's get our families involved again. Why turn over your loved one to a funeral director? Let the family care for and bury their dead. In all of Utah can't we have ONE green cemetery? Do we have to be filled with formaldehyde and painted up? Can we just be washed, clothed and buried in a simple wooden box, without the cement vault? Imagine the feeling of closure and love that could come from a family centered death and burial.

Two Cents... | 1:22 p.m. Sept. 29, 2008

For "Just Wondering". There is a new green burial section in a cemetery in Bountiful on Bountiful Boulevard called Lakeview Cemetery. They are members of the Green Burial Council and the first cemetery in Utah to have a green section. Vaults are not required in this section. Pretty interesting as I just found out about it.

Just wondering.. | 5:53 p.m. Sept. 29, 2008

My thanks to "Two Cents"! I am happy to learn of Lakeview Cemetery green burial section. That is wonderful news. I hope more cemeteries in Utah follow suit. I plan to visit Lakeview Cemetery and see the new section. thanks again!

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