Edwards Offers a Heating Oil Bed Pan.
Posted on 11/24/2007 6:30:04 PM PST by mdittmar
Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards will outline a plan Sunday to provide immediate relief to families struggling with high heating oil bills and to ensure affordable prices in the future.
Noting that home heating oil prices in New Hampshire have surpassed $3 a gallon, the former North Carolina senator is calling on Congress to release some of the nation's home heating oil and crude oil reserves as a way to bring down prices by increasing supply. He also is urging Congress to fully fund the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, according to a copy of his plan provided to The Associated Press.
Earlier this month, President Bush vetoed a Democratic health and education spending bill that included $2.4 billion for heating subsidies for the poor, $480 million more than Bush requested.
"American families are facing skyrocketing home heating oil and gasoline prices, while big oil companies earn massive profits," Edwards said in remarks prepared for delivery Sunday afternoon in Rochester. "We need to stand up to the oil companies, increase the use of renewable energy and create affordable choices for regular families."
Edwards said he would double the budget of a program that helps people weatherize their homes to $500 million a year. Upgrading home furnaces, ducts, windows and insulation can cut energy bills by about 30 percent, he said, but the program reaches only about 100,000 of the 28 million homes that could be eligible.
He also proposes helping states and nonprofit groups administer low- or no-interest emergency loans to people struggling to pay their heating bills.
His plan for longer-term relief from high home heating prices involves asking the Justice Department to investigate the massive mergers of oil companies in recent decades and modernizing antitrust laws to target oil and gas companies that take unilateral action to withhold supplies in order to raise prices. Under current law, companies can't be charged for those actions unless they are working with other companies, Edwards said.
Edwards also proposes repealing tax breaks for the oil industry and reinvesting the savings in renewable energy projects.
Just wait until Spitzer’s new carbon credit requirements for NY utilities hit the market and increase the cost of electricity in NY. Heating oil will seem cheap.
As usual a Democrat implies that a program is facing cuts because...
Earlier this month, President Bush vetoed a Democratic health and education spending bill that included $2.4 billion for heating subsidies for the poor, $480 million more than Bush requested.
...a Republican does not agree to fund as much as the Democrats say.
Now this one knocks me out:
Upgrading home furnaces, ducts, windows and insulation can cut energy bills by about 30 percent, he said, but the program reaches only about 100,000 of the 28 million homes that could be eligible.
This LUNATIC wants to increase subsidies for homeowners to upgrade their home's energy efficiency from 100,000 recipients to 28 million! Ignoring the obvious that this responsibility should be the homeowners, this goofball wants to increase the program by 28,000%!
Just like so many of this elitist liberal hypocrites, John Edwards needs to start with his own property. Move out of your 28,000 sq/ft home and buffer down to...oh...2,000 sq/ft and we'll at least know you walk some of the walk.
Great idea Senator! Subsidize the cost of fuel, which removes the natural inclination of people to conserve fuel during periods of high cost which would drive down costs. You've just proposed throwing a wrench into part of the nation's economic engine.
I hardly think that GW's free-market policies, related to oil, have been beneficial to the US masses......
Wow talk about a lack of understanding of the marketplace coupled with ignoring the constant barrage by Democrats/Enviromentalists on the market, the supply, new sources etc. Do you want price controls? Because when you say to the buying market, "Hey, the gas prices are too high" the inevitable reponse by the Dems is, "Tell you what, we'll limit the price to be charged so that you don't have to pay as much, then you can drive even more than you usually would which will mean more price controls which means you will drive even more than you should so we'll...."
Can you support that claim with some links?
“This LUNATIC wants to increase subsidies for homeowners to upgrade their home’s energy efficiency from 100,000 recipients to 28 million! Ignoring the obvious that this responsibility should be the homeowners, this goofball wants to increase the program by 28,000%!”
Just as a matter of curiosity, how much do the lunatics in DC subsidize the oil industry?
Subsidize their fuel but then slap them with a carbon tax!
Wonder how many families could have homes heated with the amount of energy used to heat John and Al’s homes?
Style over substance, indeed, kingu, and a study in contrast, too.
Edwards wants to take your tax money and use it to buy oil-heated votes, Thompson wants to let you take back and control a bit of your own Social Security tax money. (http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=279848910800564)
” In addition to chasing ambulances, I have added home heating oil delivery trucks to my portfolio”
We need to stand up to the oil companys, increase the use of renewable energy and create affordable choices for regular families
here’s an ‘AFFORDABLE CHOICE for REGULAR FAMILIES...’
drill drill drill....drill everywhere, build a boat load of refineries at the same time....at one and the same time turn out nuke stations by the carload like FRANCE....jees we’re not even ‘as with it’ as the FRENCH for god’s sake?
you want to spend fed bucks ....turn loose matching fed funds to build those refineries and nuke plants....see then we’d have cheaper energy and we wouldn’t have to pay so much for it...
get to work...on this mr. presidential candidate.
But...But, Didn't I see Pelosi on TV promising to bring down the price of oil?
The alternative would be worse. The un-free market works very poorly.
Gee, why not allow drilling in ANWAR ...both the price of heating oil and gasoline would drop.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.