Replies

This will be a bit long, since it isn't clear from the posting. CITGO is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect WHOLLY OWNED subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the National oil company of Venezuela-- which is NOT a private company but owned by the current government of Venezuela. That government is a lifetime brutal dictatorship of Hugo Chavez and his communist cronies (can you say Swiss bank account? The money does NOT go to Venezuelan poor, unless they are on Chavez's thug payroll).

Since Chavez is also closely aligned with Cuba, and the terrorist state of Iran as well as the narco-terrorists in nearby Colombia, it becomes RATHER much different than simply "rich people helping people in need". To try to compare this to "other oil companies", US or otherwise, completely misses the connections or the point of interfering from US national policy and the threat from Iran (nuclear and oil supply). This is pure obamanista statist oil money (BP is included in THAT lot)to help the neo-socialist agenda. While it is true Chavez ships oil to the US-- to/from his OWN refinery, taking advantage of all that entails, that is--he is buying political sway through this outfit run by ultra lefties.

Here's how it works (in MA): The Citizens Energy Oil Heat Assistance Progam (in MA) is a joint "effort" of Citizens Energy Corporation, CITGO Petroleum, Massachusetts fuel oil dealers, fuel assistance agencies, and the MASSCAP Directors Association. The "poor" get a one time delivery of 100 gallons heating oil for free.

Only it's NOT for free. The entire operation is a tax dodge, for the non profit, the distributors, CITGO and most especially MASSCAP Directors Association (the purely political machine, underwritten by this scheme-- part of the kennedy machine). The US Federal govt. subsidizes this through a program for the "poor" in the state, administered by MASSCAP's member organizations as the clearing houses. It is MASSCAP that is the liberals dream machine organizations. The template for the teddy machine (and certainly deval patrick).

So, you, me and every taxpayer is SUBSIDIZING Hugo Chavez for his "charity" and paying a large salary to one greedy little leftie- Joe Kennedy. As of 2010, Kennedy's Citizens Energy CEO salary was $596,988 per year! This for a former congressman who has a FULL pension- again from US Taxpayers, and a lifetime kennedy family trust paying him. A nice sweet bigtime self righteous SCAM.

Hopefully this explains why this is WRONG? Connie Mack is acting in the interest of the US, away from the Saudis, the Iranians and certainly that asshat Chavez. Joe Kennedy is a liberal fascist, lining his pockets. The answer is to stop the democrat driven welfare subsidies-- then you'll see how "charitable" Chavez is with OUR own damned money. And maybe then Joe Kennedy will lift his head up from his free cocaine as he "helps" the poor for their voting bloc machine. Deo Vindice.

Politics and Joe's family aside: - Thousands of Americans buy Citgo gas everyday, is Connie Mack going to write to all of them?

None of those thousands of Americans is doing PR for Hugo Chavez.

- Each year Joe asks dozens of US and other oil companies to participate in this charitable program and none do, except Citgo.

So what?

- Lots of rich people try to help others in need, do we begrudge them all? If Joe wants to help people in need, good for Joe.

So you think I'm begrudging people helping those in need? Where do you get THAT from?

I begrudge Joe Kennedy building his resume by spinning for an enemy of the United States, for Joe's political and financial benefit.

If you think using Hugo Chavez to get oil for America is better than using American oil which will employ more Americans who are in need--not with handouts, but with real jobs--you are as cynical and immoral as Joe Kennedy.

However there’s a problem with the math in these deals. According to Citgo 40 million gallons of oil went to help 181,000 households last year, however Citizens Energy claims it was 170,000 households. Now if you take the average cost of home heating oil (which was $2.43 per gallon), and the amount of $6,463,078 that Citizens Programs Corporation claimed to have spent on this program, the greatest number of gallons they could have been provided was 2,657,702. This is significantly less than the forty million gallons Citgo claims to have provided. If this amount was supplied to the 170,000 families that Kennedy claims to have helped, it would mean that each of those homes would have received only 15.6 gallons (or 14.6 gallons if Citgo is to be believed).