Venezuela takes US oil-for-poor drive to Washington

[Judi Lynn]

Venezuela takes US oil-for-poor drive to Washington
By Tony Czuczka Nov 22, 2006, 7:57 GMT
(© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur)

~snip~
Citgo Petroleum Corp, the US subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company, plans to offer heating oil at a 40-per-cent discount to more than 400,000 households in 16 northern US states and native American tribes - twice the breadth of last season's effort.

Joseph Kennedy II, a former US congressman for the centre-left Democratic Party and nephew of the late president John F Kennedy, is spearheading the distribution. He heads a Boston charity that provides low-cost heating oil to the poor and elderly.

High petrol prices earlier this year and record US oil-company earnings led to a public backlash this year, prompting calls for a windfall profits tax. Kennedy says he approached all major oil companies for cheap heating oil, but only Citgo offered to help.

US Representative Albert Wynn, a Democrat whose district is also benefiting from Citgo's generosity, said that US oil companies should be ashamed.
(snip/...)

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/northamerica/article_1224887.php/Venezuela_takes_US_oil-for-poor_drive_to_Washington

[Judi Lynn]

1. If you see me walking down the street, and I start to cry, each time we meet

Walk on by.

[jeff30997]

2. Well...

Fuck all the oil companies except Citgo.

[Gman]

3. I always buy Citgo whenever I can

to support Chavez and his efforts like this.

[SutaUvaca]

4. Simply amazing!

Some other country's President organizes help for heating oil costs to American citizens, while our pee-resident and family just sit around and deposit their pumped up oil dividend checks.

I love Citgo. So glad to have a station right down the road from me.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Announcement from early in November: VENEZUELA TO SELL D.C. OIL AT DISCOUNT

VENEZUELA TO SELL D.C. OIL AT DISCOUNT
Thursday, November 02, 2006 - FreeMarketNews.com

Venezuela will provide heavily discounted heating oil to about 37,000 low-income families in Maryland, Virginia and the District this winter, Caracas' envoy to the United States said yesterday. The local jurisdictions are beneficiaries of a greatly expanded program that this winter will assist more than 400,000 families in 16 U.S. states and the District, up from eight states and 180,000 families last year, said Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez Herrera. Oil provided under the expanded program, first mentioned by President Hugo Chavez during a fiery speech to the United Nations in September, will be distributed through local governments, community centers and churches, and will be offered at 40 percent below the market price. - The Washington Times

http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=25207

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the longer Washington Times story:

~snip~
This will be the first time that Washington-area families benefit from the program, which is still being negotiated by Citgo, the oil company controlled by the Venezuelan government, and the Citizens Energy Corp., a non-profit group founded by Joseph P. Kennedy II, said an aide to Mr. Alvarez.

Citizens Energy officials could not be reached for comment late yesterday. Mr. Kennedy is a former congressman from Massachusetts and the son of Robert F. Kennedy.

The heating-oil program, which started last year, again includes jurisdictions in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont. Other newcomers this year are Alaska, New Jersey, Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana and Wisconsin, Mr. Alvarez said.
(snip/...)

http://www.washtimes.com/world/20061102-123527-6184r.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'd like to use this space to point out to DU'ers not acquainted with www.venezuelanalysis.com, that they reprinted the story carried by the right-wing Washington Times, which I posted immediately above:

Venezuela to Sell Discount Heating Oil to Washington D.C.

Thursday, Nov 02, 2006
By: Nicholas Kralev - Washington Times

Venezuela will provide heavily discounted heating oil to about 37,000 low-income families in Maryland, Virginia and the District this winter, Caracas' envoy to the United States said yesterday.

This will be the first time that Washington-area families benefit from the program, which is still being negotiated by Citgo, the oil company controlled by the Venezuelan government, and the Citizens Energy Corp., a non-profit group founded by Joseph P. Kennedy II, said an aide to Mr. Alvarez.
(snip/...)

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=2124

[Peace Patriot]

6. That's the first time I've ever seen the Democratic Party called "the

centre-left Democratic Party."

Curious.

The copyright is © 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Written by Tony Czuczka. "Centre" is a British spelling of "center."

We NEVER see "the rightwing Republican Party."

We often see "the leftist president of Venezuela," and NEVER see "the rightwing president of the United States."

I wonder what this means to people: "centre-left." The corporatist/populist party?

[Vidar]

7. Kudos to Chavez & glad to hear that a Kennedy is inolved with this.