Texas holds on to millions of dollars intended to help poor residents with electric bills

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20110729-texas-holds-on-to-millions-of-dollars-intended-to-help-poor-residents-with-electric-bills.ece?action=reregister

AUSTIN — Texas is hoarding millions of dollars intended to help hundreds of thousands of elderly and impoverished residents pay their electric bills to survive the summer heat.

As Texas suffers through one of the most menacing heat waves in its history, the state this fiscal year has collected $130 million designated to help offset the spike in electrical use but has provided only $28 million thus far to those in need. Without the help, many Texans forgo air conditioning and risk their health.

Even with more people and more need, Texas is spending half as much as it did nearly a decade ago to help the poor and elderly survive summer. The reason: State lawmakers locked away the money to help eliminate their budget shortfall.

“When we have such extreme heat, where people’s lives are actually in danger, it’s like legal grand larceny,” said Carol Biedrzycki of the consumer and environmental group Texas Ratepayers’ Organization to Save Energy. “This is a misapplication of funds that is legal because the legislators who wanted to misapply the funds made it legal.”

State leaders have said that until the economy recovers and lawmakers overhaul the state tax code, they have no choice but to hoard dedicated-fee money.

They could care less who suffers, so long as it is not them. There is no "good Samaritan" in any of those hypocritical bastards!

Representative Sylvester Turner really railed on this issue during the Legislative session. But of course it fell on deaf ears. :(

Today, this month, what is the time frame? So sad, so sad.
:cry:

This is the cost of these cuts and the horrible economy. Where are all the pro-life marchers to save poor people from dying needlessly due to heat? :(

YOYO - You're On Your Own after you come out of the womb. Good luck.

I clearly remember our last big heat wave in 1998. I was working in home health in the poorest parts of Houston that year and personally saw the suffering and misery. What was so sad is that many folks had a small window unit AC, but couldn't afford the electricity to run it. Many people died that year.

This is beyond cruel and inhumane.

In their minds, according to their religious teachings, Christ didn't help the poor or probably it's a different type of poor today. When you get to talking to some of these conservanazi christian clowns, ANYONE who is poor, destitute or just out on their luck probably deserve it and they are moochers.

You know what really pisses me off about some of these folks, especially the ones who had the skids greased for them to get good jobs, not based on what they knew or the experience they had, is that they assume that is easy for anyone else to get into the position they are in. That is, if I'm successful, then it's easy and anyone can be successful.

So, according to the conservanazi christian repugs that rule our state, if they need electricity, they should have made arrangements to have that money available and have it to use now in a time of crisis. Now, explain that to a poor old lady who lives on $400 a month in SS. Let her tell that to her church if she goes there.

Well said. :toast: