The March of Socialism, Obama-Style: If the Poor Want Fuel, They Can Go Ask Chavez

[cali]

Posted Wednesday, February 09, 2011 5:37 PM | By Tom Scocca

National Journal reports that the Obama administration, in its continuing effort to radically increase the public's dependence on government, plans to slash heating assistance for the poor by more than half:

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, would see funding drop by about $3 billion from an authorized 2009 total of $5.1 billion. The proposed cut will not touch the program's emergency reserve fund, about $590 million, which can be used during particularly harsh cold snaps or extended heat spells.

Marc Ambinder describes the cut as a major step in a White House effort at "convincing Americans that it is serious about budget discipline."

Discipline! Those careless poor people, frittering away taxpayer dollars on heat! Don't they know these are tough economic times?

Ambinder relays administration spin that there is room to cut the heating program because it was expanded as part of the stimulus. Before Recovery Act spending, the program really only cost $2.8 billion—which is practically the same as the new $2.1 billion target, give or take 25 percent. So compared to 2008, maybe only 1 in 4 poor people will have the heat turned off.
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http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/scocca/archive/2011/02/09/the-march-of-socialism-obama-style-if-the-poor-want-fuel-they-can-go-ask-chavez.aspx

[Selatius]

1. Under Bush, Hugo Chavez did send heating oil to municipalities in the north as help.

A lot of people and municipalities were grateful for the aid despite Hugo Chavez being accused of being dictatorial.

[cali]

2. He still does. And they still are. (grateful that is)

[Exultant Democracy]

3. Well the poor shoulnd't have made so many risky bets on the housing market, what do they expect?

A trillion dollar bailout? I don't see how that could stimulate the economy at all.

[Hello_Kitty]

4. The poor can pay for heat out of their larger paychecks due to the tax compromise. Oh wait....

Never mind.

[cutlassmama]

5. Well since there are already so many homeless they don't have homes to heat

anymore.

[katnapped]

7. Bah, they can burn their cardboard box for heat

Yeah, that's the ticket! :sarcasm:

[corpseratemedia]

8. Please Remove Those Disgusting Cardboard Edifices From My Weary Eyeballs

My Eyes Cannot Tolerate Other's Pain (I'll get my friends in high places to pass laws against them too!)

[katnapped]

6. OR the church!

The favorite place for rightwingers to send the poor to beg to