As the summer draws to a close where most New Yorkers will fear and dread the price of higher home heating oil an article appeared in today’s Newsday where many elected officials are beginning to address this pervasive problem.
Leading the charge as reported by Newsday is “Sen. Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn), a member of the Senate energy committee.” This is what he had to say of the plight of many who will need this aid, "Families need immediate help with their heating bills this winter," He went onto add, “We must fill the gap between low-income families who receive LIHEAP and those who can afford to pay these high bills; MIHEAP will do that. "Parker also wants to bolster energy conservation with $1 billion in loans to homeowners.” I do not know about you, but this seems like an arduous task given the fact that solutions are already out there to aid poor and middle class New Yorkers.
With cash-strapped home owners who are facing higher costs at the pump, higher taxes, higher food prices, I do not know how many needy New Yorkers can afford to take out a loan to fill their tanks this winter.
Newsday also reported that “Aides to Gov. David A. Paterson, the Senate's Republican majority and Assembly's Democratic majority said the plan would be reviewed.” Also they reported that these “proposals are uncertain”.
So enter yours truly who is a non-paid political editorialist to give them an actual solution instead of more bureaucratic red-tape. Yes, I called the office of Senator Kevin Parker along with my own State Senator Ken LaValle as well as my State Assembly Member, Marc Alessi. I actually think I took those that I spoke to at their offices by surprise with my solution. It was like they had never heard of such a solution. Or scratched their heads that a fellow New Yorker actually had a solution.
That solution is for all of them to forgo any negative feelings they may have of the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez and enlist his help through CITGO to get low-cost heating oil into the hands of needy New Yorkers.
Back in December of 2005, I covered the CITGO oil delivery to the Bronx for Vheadlines.com which is now offline, and in that article, I wrote, “As I was interviewing Rep. Jose Serrano, this is what he said, “America is not taking care of its own.” And the Venezuelan Ambassador to the United States, Bernardo Alvarez stated, “We did not create America’s poor.” The oil that is being sold to these recipients is being done at 40 percent below market value.” In fact, one lady I interviewed said, “God bless, President Chavez.” I still remember her face on that winter’s day where the temperature was bitter cold. As she spoke to me, she was holding both an American flag as well as a Venezuelan flag which I thought was symbolic of that day.
For those of you who do not know, Vheadlines.com was a Venezuelan news e-publication whose editor Roy S. Carson still operates it on another site.
While these elected officials debate on how to get oil into the hands of those that need it, I submitted a press release from CITGO in 2006 concerning an oil delivery to the people of Vermont. In that press release you will see where the citizens of Vermont received more than 2.5 million gallons of discounted heating oil will be brought into Vermont a deal brokered by then Congressman Bernie Sanders. In that same deal “The remaining 108,000 gallons of heating oil will be distributed free of charge to homeless shelters throughout Vermont.”
In speaking with the elected officials offices above, I mentioned to all that all of them should contact Joe Kennedy who oversees Citizen’s Energy since he has done and is doing what they are just trying to propose. I think that Americans are getting tired of proposals and crave actual solutions coming from their elected officials.
Here is an actual commercial that was run on television by Joe Kennedy and the good people of CITGO to help those most needy.
In this press release from CITGO one can read the testimonies coming from those who are truly thankful to the good people at CITGO as well as the good people of Venezuela for extending a helping hand when needed. Love him or hate him, at least the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez sees a need to help America’s most needy while some of our elected officials sometimes fail at doing so.
Here are but a few statistics according to CITGO of who was helped during the 2005-2006 winter season: New York(Bronx, Harlem) 4.6 million gallons, 5,725 families, Southwest Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and four surrounding counties) 5 million gallons, 25,000 families and an impressive amount where 12 million gallons were delivered to 50,000 families in Massachusetts.
While some may think this is the only tangible way that President Hugo Chavez has helped, he did offer Katrina victims aid, but that aid was denied to our fellow Americans by this government. I have written of that in this piece where I went onto report, “As Bush turned his back on our citizens that aid package consisted of, one million dollars, two mobile medical units capable of attending to 150 people each, ten water purifying plants, eight electricity generators with a capacity of 850 kilowatts each, 20 tons of bottled drinking water, 50 tons of canned food. This aid package also included much needed oil to offset any disturbances to our nation’s supply.”
So as we approach winter where many of our fellow Americans will suffer due to high priced home heating oil, I do suggest to every single elected official that they contact CITGO for help instead of engaging in more bureaucratic red-tape.
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