Winter Brings Bleak Options for Poor

[hang a left]

THE NATION
Winter Brings Bleak Options for Poor
# Despite the soaring costs of home heating oil, federal aid has flat-lined. Across New England, state officials scramble for solutions.

By Elizabeth Mehren, Times Staff Writer

BOSTON — Winter has barely begun, and the soaring cost of home heating oil has already forced the poor to cut back on food, medicine and clothing — a plight known in the frigid Northeast as "heat or eat."

Heating oil costs doubled in the last two years and climbed 21% during November and December, the Department of Energy said.

Consumers all over the country are feeling the pinch. But the effect has been most dramatic in New England, where 80% of the nation's heating oil is used and where policymakers are tracking a phenomenon called energy poverty.

When 3 feet of snow fell on the northernmost part of Maine after Christmas, state officials got scores of calls for help.

One man had 35 gallons of heating oil in his tank — less than a week's worth even if he kept his house below 60 degrees — and not enough money to buy more. In his 50s and on disability, he said he wore two pairs of socks, two sweatshirts and a jacket inside his house, which was 50 degrees.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-heatingoil10jan10,1,4593609.story?coll=la-headlines-nation

[bluestateguy]

1. The blue states are being punished

One month of what it takes fund the slaught-- uh, war, in Iraq would easily fix this problem, but since these folks did not vote the right way in 2004, the Bushco plan is to just let them all freeze to death.

[Skip Intro]

2. Keep on rockin in the free world.

what a damn, damn shame. shame on this nation to allow people to live like that when billions and trillions are wasted on bs lies that rob the poor to lavish the rich.

its wrong.

our priorities as a nation, as a race, as a species, are screwed up

*sigh*

[Richard Steele]

3. Welcome to the B*shCabal™ "Ownership Society"...

QUOTE:
"In his 50s and on disability,
he said he wore two pairs of socks,
two sweatshirts and a jacket inside his house,
which was 50 degrees."

By NeoCon logic, it's his own fault.

If he's cold, then he should have invested in a better jacket, right? :sarcasm:

[montana_hazeleyes]

20. This is so damn sad and wrong.

And being a male in his fifties he could quite possibly be a Vietnam veteran.

[rodeodance]

4. the Two America's is playing itself out.

[rodeodance]

5. all that fuel it takes to carry around the last group of WH personnel to

talk up the economy could have gone to heat these houses.

I feel so helpless.

[barb162]

36. and the ending won't be good

[rodeodance]

6. "policymakers are tracking a phenomenon called energy poverty."

Consumers all over the country are feeling the pinch. But the effect has been most dramatic in New England, where 80% of the nation's heating oil is used and where policymakers are tracking a phenomenon called energy poverty.

[wordpix]

15. The trackers won't do a thing. It's the perks, pork and war, stupid!

Some of us are living paycheck to paycheck and just holding on to survival while you waste our tax money on your perks, pork and war in Iraq. I can't wait for the day the US seizes the Bush Cabal's assets, personal and otherwise, and gives them back to the Treasury to pay off the debts they've incurred in our name, as well as pay for the victims of this hideous war.

[rodeodance]

7. Hope the media continues to write these stories.

[rodeodance]

8. think of all the $$ being lost in Iraq (along with the lives or our troop)

[acmavm]

9. Oh screw the media. The put bush** in office, they share in the blame.

.

[barb162]

37. I do too but I don't even know if anyone cares anymore.

So many are struggling

[Cobalt Violet]

10. Only 3 recommendeds?

I somehow get the feeling no one cares.

This crisis doesn't generate the type of photos of a hurricane or a 9/11,. I have little hope that this will be as big a media story as it should be. Many people will die this year if prices stay as high as they are. And we have a very stingy president and congress who don't care.

I think they want many to die.

[rman]

11. k&r

[Coexist]

12. Beyond disgusting...

Has Chavez offered discounted oil to any states beyond New Hampshire?

I have been out of the loop for the past month.

[gorbal]

27. Maine, Massachesetts and Vermont

I don't know for sure if they are all done deals.

[Coexist]

29. thanks - I still can't believe it.

Imagine that - cheap heating oil for poor people in the dead of winter. How evil can you get? How are the poor CFOs supposed to get their million dollar bonuses now?

[RamboLiberal]

34. Here's a DU thread that has story of how Dem Rep

got help for a constituent from Citgo. (Chavez)

Wish media would publcize more how the dictator that Bush and Pat Robertson are helping poor U.S. citizens while *, Cheney, Robertson and their wealthy supporters sit and count their ill-gotten $$$$$$$$$$$$.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2035296

[sasha031]

13. Goerge Bush Amerika

:grr:

[Cobalt Violet]

17. If these are compassionate conservatives,

I'd hate to see the uncompassionate varitey.

What monsters they all are.

[eppur_se_muova]

18. Bumper sticker: "More compassionate, less conservatism"

[4dsc]

14. The sad part is getting use to it

with the era of cheap oil OVER, I hope people are waking up to the realization that this story will repeat itself over and over every year going forward..

The question is what we should be doing as a nation to make sure these people don't freeze to death!

[UrbScotty]

16. But Bush is a great Christian! Why do liberals care about what Jesus says?

Ignore the New Testament! It provides leftist teachings about caring for the poor!

Only the Old Testament talks about marriage, which should be between one man and one woman!

:sarcasm:

[AGKISTRODON]

19. Kerosene $2.69 per gallon

I only try to heat my bedroom, when I go to bed I turn the heat off, and crawl under a couple of good quilts. If I wasn't in Florida, I don't know how I would get by.

[Cobalt Violet]

21. Kerosene is illegal to burn as fuel in a home in Massachusetts.

Not that I never did.

[AGKISTRODON]

23. Japanese kerosene heaters

Japanese kerosene heaters are all over the place here. Part of my job for 16 years was service and repair. If they are properly maintained and used, they are capable of almost 100% efficiency. Nothing else comes close. The problems come with users who will not read instructions, not from the heaters.

[cmdrzog]

25. The law against there use

has little to do w/ safety and everything to do w/ limiting competing heat sources. W/ the price of oil my thermostat stays at 45F and the small kero heater kicks the living room up to 60F. Have used about 300 gallons of oil less than last year at this point and will probably save another 300 before the end of March. So that's 600 gallons of oil the oil companies won't profit from (or whatever the equivalent is in gas) from just one family; and that plain and simple is why they legislate against kero. (I'll use about 30 gallons of kero this Winter)

[Cobalt Violet]

26. I had a Kerosun Radiant Heater for couple years.

I agree the problem is the users. Kerosene heaters young children & drunks & morons don't mix.

[NorthernSpy]

32. huh? kerosene is a standard home-heating fuel!

In cold regions (such as where I live), it's very common to burn pure kerosene or kerosene blends rather than one of the heavier heating oils. Kerosene can be stored in an outside tank without the risk of gelling in subzero temps. No.2 heating oil is cheapest, and actually has more BTUs per gallon than lighter fuels, but the damn stuff will turn into this nasty jelly if you ever let it get below 15F. Lots of people have learned that the hard way. :cry:

Some Toyo installed heating systems specify kerosene. And typical heating fuel formulas often contain some percentage of kerosene anyway.

Are you sure that Massachusetts didn't just ban those little kerosene space heaters? I imagine those might be outlawed as a fire hazard (actually, it's allowing the heater to get knocked over, or failing to take it outside the house for refueling that causes the fire hazard.

[saigon68]

33. You should be where I am

It was 19 degrees this morning at 7 am

[WhereThereIsFire]

22. Bird flu? Or Americans freezing to death?

Back when all the newscasters were obsessing on "bird flu" I e-mailed most of them with the comment that the real story for this winter, with fuel prices so high, was how many Americans could potentially freeze to death. None of them appeared to "pick up" on that ... since they were all in such a "for the birds" frenzy. However, since global warming seems to be taking hold pretty well, maybe we won't have to worry about freezing after all. Still, I am sure though that some elder, low and middle income Americans will likely freeze to death this year for lack of heating fuel. And certainly this administration could care less.

[Cobalt Violet]

28. We haven't had any really cold snaps yet.

But we will. Not this week as we are near record highs in the northeast. But we will have some sub-freezing temps this winter. We always do. A week or 2 in the teens/single digits and you bet people are gonna freeze. Most people's bills have been double last years and we haven't had any extreme cold yet.

[Nomen Tuum]

24. And where are the churches.

Bush says the CHURCHES should be paying the bill that the poor cannot afford.

So where are the CHURCHES and all that FAITH-BA$ED MONEY they got from us?

[Megahurtz]

31. Ha! That's a Good Question. n/t

[zann725]

30. And THAT's one of the Disabled lucky enough to STILL afford place to live

Those who don't own their own place, can NOT afford current high rents (let alone medicine or "heat") in most big cities (many of them COLD and snowy cities). While I agree ALL should be able to afford "heat," they ALSO should be able to have a place to live in ALL weather. And a lot of Disabled and Elderly can no longer afford the cost of "rent"...meds...and utitilies.

[rainbow4321]

35. Charity groups are running out of $$ to help lower income/elderly

http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=4321770

Every year, as many as 7000 Evansville households depend on CAPE, or the Community Action Program of Evansville, to help them pay their utility bills.

But this year CAPE's had three times as many people apply for assistance and many of them are coming in, waiting in line and getting the assistance on a first come first serve basis.

<snip>

Mary Reed of CAPE says, "How are you going to designate which ones are more needier than the others, you know? We try to help the neediest of the needy and there's just no way you can get it all."

Right now, CAPE is not taking any more applications for assistance. The only way those seniors and disabled customers on the wrong end of the alphabet will get help is if the federal government sends more money. It's a possibility but CAPE officials say, it's a long shot for this winter season.

[barb162]

38. My friend's relative passed away and they gave out coats

to the homeless directly. The homeless are everywhere. She said a lot of them cried when they were given the clothes