Millions hit by shortfall in heating aid (Help From Chavez for US)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10794536/

Also vote at link on How bad have your winter heating bills been so far? - When I posted it was I've had to cut back on "extras" to pay the heating bill leading at 38% follewed by I've seen a big jump, but it's been manageable at 32%

With winter not yet half over, the surge in the cost of heating a home has already begun to stretch consumers’ budgets to the limit – and beyond. Sales of wood stoves have surged. In the farm belt, they’re burning surplus corn to keep warm. And a scarcity of funding for fuel assistance has squeezed millions of low-income families, as money budgeted for groceries or medical supplies is now being consumed by higher heating bills.

For Linda Kelly, a Quincy, Mass. mother of three, higher heating costs kicked in last October, just after her husband’s health plan doubled the co-payments on the family’s prescription drug coverage. Kelly suffers from multiple sclerosis and one of her daughters is diabetic. So without help paying the heating bill, the family faces some tough choices.

“Maybe (my daughter) won’t test as often as she should using the strips,” she said. “Maybe I’ll go an extra day, miss one pill during the week. You do what you can.”

To make ends meet, Kelly first turned to the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, as she’s done for the past five winters. Under the 23-year-old program, assistance is available for a typical family of four earning less than $30,000 a year. But this winter, with energy prices soaring, funding for the program just hasn't kept up.

<snip>

This winter, help for the Kelly family came from an unlikely source -– the government of Venezuela.

[tsuki]

1. And more...

"Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, long a thorn in the side of the Bush administration, has said he is just trying to help poor families that have been ignored by their own government. Critics of the plan say he’s simply out to score political points."

I am sure that the Kelly family is keeping score on who gets the most "political" points.

:sarcasm:

[Hobarticus]

2. At the end of the day...

These unnamed critics can say what they want, but at the end of the day, a foreign leader is providing for our citizens' basic needs while our own government continues to marginalize them, and lines the pockets of the most affluent.

This should be a disaster for the GOP-run Congress. If the Dems don't wave this from every rooftop, we deserve everything we got coming to us.

[rurallib]

3. Funny that W doesn't want to score some 'political points'

Or any of his repuke cronies that cut LIHEAP. They must feel safe that they have folks wrapped up with their 'jesus' crap. That and the fixed voting boxes.

[IA_Seth]

6. That makes me ill!

Since when does providing for the poor equal scoring "political points"?

It's a sad state of affairs when a foreign leader is providing aid to one the richest countries in the world.

[gizmo1979]

4. Natural gas has fallen 40%

this week alone,but the article goes on to say this won't be transferred to the customer because the gas we are using now was purchased at earlier prices.The article in the USA Today money section really pissed me off!They raise prices at the slightest hint of trouble doesn't matter what they paid for it,but if it goes down they won't lower prices the same way.If anyone can tell me how this is not a scam I would love to hear how it works.

[4dsc]

5. Down 40% but really up 50%

A quick check at http://www.wtrg.com/daily/gasprice.html shows the cost of natural gas last year to be about $6.00 per MMBtu. That's still a 50% rise over the year.. that's hefty to say the least..

[HockeyMom]

7. 5% Interest from my Gas Compnay

for late payments, even if it is only one DAY. Last month's bill was $300. Here in the NE, we have been fortunate with higher than normal temps (50s), but how long can it last?

[High Plains]

8. Chavez, that bastard!

Who does he think he is, helping poor Americans? That's George Bush's job. Oh. Nevermind.

[rhino47]

9. My neighbor with 3 kids just had fire due to space heater

She ran out of fuel oil and was heating with space heaters.
One over heated on friday and caught her bedroom on fire.Shes insured.
Sad thing is she said at least now she can get another tank of fuel oil
with the insurance money that was meant to go towards cleaning.