Heat vs. Eat

[marmar]

from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:



Heat vs. eat is untenable choice
By STOCKTON WILLIAMS
GUEST COLUMNIST



While high gas prices have become a major issue, another fuel cost hit to family budgets is around the corner: skyrocketing bills for home energy.

According to the federal Energy Information Administration, prices for gas and home heating oil are nearing $5 a gallon in some places, up nearly 70 percent in the last year.

Utility bills already have risen 30 percent in the past five years on average nationally, and utilities are raising rates further in many parts of the country in response to higher fuel costs. Puget Sound Energy has made a regulatory filing to charge higher rates for electricity and natural gas.

In this region, as everywhere, higher home energy costs will hit the poorest families hardest. They now spend six times more of their income on utilities than middle- and upper-income families and often face desperate choices to "heat or eat."

Democrats are calling for more funding for the federal low-income home energy assistance program, which helps poor families pay their utility bills. This funding is necessary, and it is unfortunate that Republicans have so far blocked these urgently needed additional resources.

But home energy assistance can only help a fraction of those who need it and will not address a primary cause of the problem: Millions of low-income homes and apartments waste energy because they were poorly built and have been inadequately maintained. Families have been forced to pay more for less. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/373495_energy05.html

[Fed_Up_Grammy]

1. The first thing that will go in my house is cable,the second

will be daily newspaper delivery,the third will be a lower rate telephone sevice,and the last will be my 2 daily cups of DD coffee.

I won't starve and I won't freeze.