Touting more tax cuts, President ignores bitter situation for most America

Village Voice

Bush's Speech Today Ignores Cold Winter

by James Ridgeway
December 5th, 2005 2:56 PM

WASHINGTON, D. C.—The President's speech today celebrating the administration's economic successes will come as something of a shock to millions of people who already face a cold, economically grim winter.
In Washington, D.C. alone, natural gas, which heats many homes, has doubled in price, leaving residents looking at home heating bills of as much $1,000 a month—and with no relief in sight. To cut those costs requires capital investment of as much as $8,000 in new fuel efficient furnaces—a far too costly prospect for many families. As a result, people are turning down the heat, closing off rooms, and turning to wood stoves and electric heaters.

But in his speech at Kernersville, N.C., today Bush focused not on energy costs but on so-called pension reform. He painted a rosy economic picture with jobs increasing by 215,000 in November. He asked Congress to extend tax cuts—which will go to the very rich. "This economy is strong and the best days are yet to come for the American economy," Bush said.

Meanwhile, the price of gasoline remains at all time highs, and the cost of home heating oil is climbing.

Bush's energy plan won't help the situation. He envisions increasing long term supplies of natural gas, in part by importing more gas from abroad via LNG tankers. It will take years and billions in investment to build the plants necessary to process the imported gas. And, while the President seeks to reduce the reliance on foreign oil and gas, the imported gas will in all likelihood come from the Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East, an area where we are trying to reduce our dependence.

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"As a result, people are turning down the heat, closing off rooms, and turning to wood stoves and electric heaters."

I realize this is just one small aspect of this nightmare for all Americans, but how many people will die this winter due to being forced to turn to prone-to-accidental-fire types of heating?

Every winter, we hear about families being burned to death by unattended wood stoves, etc. That used to represent a small portion of the American public. How many deaths will we be seeing this winter?

but I have an old house, and even with a fire going, with a blower running, I am sitting here wrapped in a blanket, with a turtleneck and a sweater on too. And it is not even cold here!! It's about 25 degrees right now, and we regularly get to 10 below every night.

I was laughing listening to Hannity tout Rasmussen's poll numbers for Bush at 47% - he was saying that since Bush is getting the news out that we are winning in Iraq, he is promoting tax cuts, and cutting spending, his poll numbers are going to go back to where they were. And since gas prices have gone down, consumer confidence has gone up. Ha!! I can't imagine what will happen when consumers get their gas/oil bills for heating the house! The right wing are truly, truly delusional.

all going according to plan. They are using any means possible to screw the little guy and make themselves richer...to them, the end always justifies the means...

Too many Americans refuse to believe just how badly they are getting screwed...

Too may Americans refuse to believe it, because...to believe in it, they have to believe that they were stupid enough to allow themselves to be screwed...rather than that THEY were smart enough, ruthless enough, and in some cases willing break the rules and operate outside the law and outside of fair play...in order to screw them.

They (most Americans) are blaming themselves for being stupid, when they ought, instead, be blaming the perps for being vicious, cold, unfeeling, ancaring bastards. Too often, because of the way we Americans have been conditioned...the victim blames himself, rather than his tormentor...and so round we go again.

It is too painful for most Americans to believe themselves stupid enough to have been screwed. They don't realize that they were not stupid (they haven't been allowed, by society...to think that maybe it isn't that they were stupid, but that someone else was ruthless)

So they go on pretending things are okay, when, in fact, things are falling down around their ears, and they are hanging on by their fingernails.

How many will lose their grip, and wrongly blame themselves?

my electricity to be cut off.

I wish there was something I could do to help! If not for the fact that my mom took me in, I'd be living in a cardboard box by now. Literally.

but i realize MANY of us are in the same boat. God bless you.

God Bless those of us who are forced, by economics, if nothing else...to remember what Christmas is REALLY supposed to be about!

I know for sure it wasn't supposed to be about people trampling each other in their eagerness to get at the latest bragains at fucking Wal-Mart!!

She's terrified of the heating bill.

And her house tax has gone up, on a decaying house she can't afford to improve.

Things are just great in America.

living on social security had her LIHEAP cut by about 20%.

I'm a Northeasterner, so I know what LIHEAP is. Better 'splain to them's who ain't Northeasterners, exactly what LIHEAP is, eh??

LIHEAP is the program that helps provide heating oil to the very poor in mostly rural New England. Most of New England still depends on oil heat. Electric furnaces are rare, most homes here are still heated with oil.

it also helps with coal and electric heat, not only NE but most mid-atlantic an i imagine midwest.

It's the energy assistance program for ALL low income people, city and county. It's not just oil, it's all energy types too.

My mom is somewhat the same way. Even I do not turn on the lights until full dark, and even then, only in the rooms I am actually in at the time. I even turn off lights behind me as I turn on other lights ahead of me, that is how bad it has gotten.

Yeah, things are lovely in America, aren't they?

Sincerely, though...I wonder if Habitat for Humanity or something like Hands On Housing might not be able to assist your mom. I'd look into those programs, see if they might be able to help your mom with the decaying house thing.

Hands On Housing is a program that is local to Austin, Texas...but there may be parallel programs similar to it in other cities...but look it up on Google, and see if you have something similar in your mom's area.

get grant money to help poor and elderly get their homes repaired. she should apply.

That man has been brought up to believe that the only reason anyone in the US can possibly be poor is because they're lazy.

He's a Calvinist, through and through.

The sick part is...a lot of the RICH are the ones who are truly lazy! Has anyone else noticed that, more and more, in Corporate America...the more money you make, the less ACTUAL WORK you do?

And is it not a Protestant proverb that says the way to know the people God truly favors is to check their bank accounts?

He is a cold-hearted bastard. Just like his daddy, and just like his bitch of a mother.

He's never known suffering, or need, or want of anything...he totally disconnected from the reality most of the rest of us have to live.

He really thinks he can bogart his way past all these problems.

is someone who refuses to believe what he sees...and you can quote me." - Steven King, writing as Richard Bachman, in "Thinner."

These words were uttered by character Richard Ginelli, in "Thinner."

didn't read the book, but the movie was good

Call me a skeptic but don't malls and other shopping outlets hire Christmas season help in November? Some awesome jobs your creating there George!!

way to go dumbya.

he failed to mention

to get minimum wage. what a friggin' shame.