Corporate Welfare ! Energy Fraud !

The new funding proposal for the LIHEAP (Low Income Heating & Energy Assistance Progrm) is nothing more than an attempt at the influx of more Federal Dollars (some of them mine) into corprate welfare.
The concept is a typical 'feel good' response to the rising cost of heating a home.
So far so good... but the bottom line reasons why households aren't able to pay their heating bills are really a lot simpler than the "complex issues of social stratification and endemic poverty areas" touted by the likes of NCAT

Liheap ClearingHouse

The problems of poverty are sad to see, easy to critisize and perhaps impossible at this tim to eradicate.

"Increasing LIHEAP funding to $5.2 billion would enable the program to cover the full increase in recipients’ heating costs so they would not be forced to pay more out of pocket for heat this winter"
Well heres a thought: How the smokes? Do we think maybe some of these folks might smoke (legally)?
Yeah, probably.
Or heres another, how 'bout the brewski's ?
Think some of these same folks might like to indulge in an adult beverage (either daily weekly ofr every couple of hours ?
Yeah probably.
Before y'all start whinin' about how insensitive I am, and how I don't know what I'm talking about. Just stop.
I do know of which I speak:
A] I've been poor, and bad habits played a part in it.
B] I work in a sector of the LIHEAP program, I see the clients.
C] No, not all of them are beer guzzling, meth smokin' crackheads, but an awfully large percentage of the beer guzling, meth smokin' crackheads also have satellite tv or gazillion channel cable connections. (and you and I pick up the tab for part of their electric or gas bills)
The single population which might rightly benefit from the increased funding of you and I paying their utility bills are the Senior citizens on Social Security.
WHich brings up the issue of Social Security Reform. -DO IT, DO IT NOW, before another poor sod has to retire on next to nothing and live in a trailer park in a "home" that is twelve feet wide and fifty six feet long!
And yes, every time the "Alternate Rates For Energy" programs are increased (read that as lower rates for the poor) the rest of us who pay full price, actually wind up paying more for our full rate service.

And from that same article:
“After record high energy prices last year, many low- and moderate-income consumers are carrying balances on their utility bills that threaten to swell out of control as prices climb still more steeply,” said NCAF Executive Director David Bradley. “Some other very low-income families in almost every state are already without lights and refrigeration or without gas service,” he added.
Heres another freely given thought- move to New Orleans, I hear they are still giving out free bags of ice.