Home Mobile Archives Reader Blogs Register Login

Monday, October 31, 2005

Leftists Still Pushing For Using ND Budget Surplus For Heating Assistance

North Dakota Blue Blog:

In one of the coldest states in the US, we could use that money to lower the heating bills for people that need assistance. Heating in below zero weather is a necessity to live, a right, some would say. We don't want to rely on the federal government to offer assistance since they simply do not allocate enough money for the program. There has been several attempts to set aside more money for it but they all have failed. Sounds like another non-issue and should go through the state legislation with no problem.

The problem is the republicans. According to an article in the Forum, they want to leave it up to the federal government.


It's amazing how confused folks are on this issue. The Republicans aren't the problem on this issue, the Democrats are. Mostly because they're confusing the issue in a bout of political pandering.

North Dakota received $14 million in heating aid funds from the federal government. The state distributed that to approximately 15,000 residents who qualified for it. That works out to right around $933/person for their heating bills.

As Say Anything reader Whistler said previously, that's not heat assistance that's paying the whole bill.

If there truly is a heating aid problem in this state we shouldn't be looking for more money to throw at it, we should be asking why $933/person isn't enough.

Comments

Avatar for Say Anything - North Dakota’s Most Popular P

[...] Leftists Still Pushing For Using ND Budget Surplus For Heating Assistance By Rob on October 31, 2005 at 2:10 pm [...]

Avatar for Sphagnum

Must be nice to have a state with a surplus… Our state is still down like 5 billion a year.

Better than the 15 or whatever it was a couple of years ago, but even Schwartz can’t reign in these libs out here spending every dollar plus 10% they get.

Sphagnum on October 31, 2005 at 04:11 pm
Avatar for The Whistler

In rough numbers the Senate is 2-1 Republican and the house is pretty close to 3-1 Republicans.

That’s good, but a lot of the Democrats are good guys (and women) too.

The Whistler on October 31, 2005 at 06:10 pm
Avatar for Trackback - Powered by HaloScan.com

[...] Trackback URL for this entry:http://haloscan.com/tb/graemea/113030121766374490Is it Hot in Here? Not if You’re Poor...Excerpt: Another classic example of elected Republicans telling people less well-off than themselves to take a hike. They aren’t their brothers’ keepers, remember?Weblog: The Flickertail JournalTracked: 10.31.05 - 6:53 amLeftists Still Pushing For Using ND Budget Surplus For Heating AssistanceExcerpt: North Dakota Blue Blog: In one of the coldest states in the US, we could use that money to lower the heating bills for people that need assistance. Heating in below zero weather is a necessity to live, a right, some would say. We don’t want to ...Weblog: Say AnythingTracked: 10.31.05 - 9:12 am [...]

Avatar for Graeme Anfinson

Yes, after they got there heating assistance check last year it was like winning the lotto. People had no clue what to do with their money. they were buying bling,looking at yachts, etc.....

Unless you heat by electricity, your natural gas heating bill will be up fifty percent over last year according to excel energy and Kevin Cramer. Propane and fuel oil will go up dramatically also.

State director Ron Knutson says the average assistance was 650 for lower income brackets and 2 to 300 in higher income brackets. Not quite your 933.

The state has also cut the minimum income you can have and still receive benefits by 8,000 or so. Minnesota is barred from shutting off heat to homes in winter by law, not ND.  Mr. Knutson is worried. You small government guys should jump at the chance to help out our own states citizens without relying on the federal government.

http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=105263&section=news

Graeme Anfinson on November 1, 2005 at 01:11 am
Avatar for The Whistler

The Fargo Forum:

Last year, North Dakota’s allocation of federal energy assistance grants for low-income residents was $17 million, but the state received $14 million. That sum was distributed to more than 15,000 low-income households.

Do the math.

The Whistler on November 1, 2005 at 05:12 am
Rob
Rob
17185 comments
Send a private message

You small government guys should jump at the chance to help out our own states citizens without relying on the federal government.

How about we help them by giving them incentive to help themselves?  You know, like not paying their bills for them?


The war against illegal plunder has been fought since the beginning of the world. But how is… legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. Then abolish this law without delay … If such a law is not abolished immediately it will spread, multiply and develop into a system.

Frédéric Bastiat, The Law

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

robport.gif border=0

Rob on November 1, 2005 at 03:11 pm
Avatar for Say Anything - North Dakota’s Most Popular P

[...] As I’ve pointed out before, North Dakota received, last year, $14,000,000 in federal funding for heating aid for low income families. That $14,000,000 was distributed to 15,000 families. Doing quick bit of math, you see that each family received an average of $933. [...]

Avatar for Say Anything - North Dakota’s Most Popular P

[...] As I have pointed out again and again, last year North Dakotans got, on average, $933 for heating aid. While heating prices have been going up, it is clear that North Dakotans who need it are already getting plenty of it and Washington has promised to adjust the amount federal funding needed for this upward to match rising energy costs. [...]

Page 1 of 1        

Post a Comment


Before commenting, please recite:

Grant me the serenity to ignore the trolls,
the courage to debate with honest opponents,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Name   
Email   
URL   
Human?
  
 

Upload Image    

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

Note: Notifications will only be sent to confirmed email addresses.