Sep 26 2008
It’s dire: people could freeze to death this winter.
The cost of energy being what it is this year, the governor of Mass, Deval Patrick warns that people “could freeze to death this winter due to the soaring cost of home heating fuel.”
Well, I guess he’s got a point there. People could freeze to death by taking the snowmobile out onto a lake not quite frozen. People could freeze to death. People could . . . , and they do . . . But when has it become the governments job to protect people from the possibilities, - - - - the could haves?
Our federal government under the direction of the House of representatives has approved the expenditures of $5.1 billion for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for this winter.
Now that 5.1 billion cuts out to be $17 for each of the 300 million residents of the USA. Here’s another little stat from the census bureau. In 2007 there were 23,818,000 households in the US that fell under the established poverty level. If the 5.1 billion was evenly split up and distributed to each of those 23.8 million households, they would each get $214 to help cover the winters heating costs.
Will that be enough?
No, not quite. “Maryann Covalanski, who runs the Springfield Fuel Assistance Program says that it will help…but even more is needed.”
Global warming was supposed to help, as perhaps the earth is cooling a bit, and the polar ice is really thicker than expected, but that’s another dire story.
The question still remains. Where in the constitution is the federal government granted the duty and the power to rescue people from future could haves?
