Thousands in Mass. to get cheaper oil - Delahunt, Chávez broker deal (it might as well be Castro)

Boston Globe ^ | November 20, 2005 | Michael Levenson and Susan Milligan

[Cincinatus' Wife]

A subsidiary of the Venezuelan national oil company will ship 12 million gallons of discounted home-heating oil to local charities and 45,000 low-income families in Massachusetts next month under a deal arranged by US Representative William D. Delahunt, a local nonprofit energy corporation, and Venezuela's president, White House critic Hugo Chávez.

The approximately $9 million deal will bring nine million gallons of oil to families and three million gallons to institutions that serve the poor, such as homeless shelters, said officials from Citizens Energy Corp., which is signing the contract. Families would pay about $276 for a 200-gallon shipment, a savings of about $184 and enough to last about three weeks.

The contract is to be signed Tuesday by officials from Citizens Energy, based in Boston, and CITGO, a Houston-based subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela SA. The contract was arranged after months of talks between Delahunt, a Quincy Democrat active in Latin American affairs, and Chávez, a leftist former paratrooper and fierce critic of the Bush administration.

''We recognized that we had an opportunity," Delahunt's spokesman, Steve Schwadron, said yesterday.

Chávez showed ''an inclination to do a humanitarian distribution" of oil, and poor families in Massachusetts had a ''desperate need" for relief from high home-heating prices, Schwadron said. He characterized the deal as one between ''a US company and two nonprofits to help them do more of what they already do, with terms that mean the price is good."

Delahunt was not available for comment yesterday.

Schwadron said the congressman did not get involved in the details of the contract, but had raised the issue with Chávez and helped connect the nonprofits with CITGO, which is owned by PDV America Inc., an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela SA, the national oil company of Venezuela.

[freema]

Are you saying that Chavez is renting Massachusetts?

[Koblenz]

The speculators and free trading of oil futures and spot oil make the markets MORE efficient, not less. There's a free market for trading most commodities, and if the US were to shut down these exchanges, the traders would simply move their trading to London, Calgary, Vienna, or whatever country wanted an oil trading exchange. Some country would.

There are essentially four determinants to the cost of heating oil, or any other oil product: 1) the cost of a barrel of oil, 2) the cost to refine, 3) the cost of distribution, and 4) taxes. The US government can do essentially nothing to influence #1. #2 is has some control over by allowing more refineries to be built. #3 it has limited influence. #4 is has complete influence. But like any market, if you let the free market work, then the cost of refining will go down with competition, and the cost of distribution will also go down with distribution. Government intervention is not the solution, it's the problem.

[freema]

Lookie here, Tonk : )

[freema]

They could read the good Congressman another act, as well.

[freema]

"This is typical of a left-wing dictator."

Please clarify if you are referring to Kennedy or Kerry ! )

[jmaroneps37]

We should take a lesson from this. We should stick together the way the communist states stick together.

[babydoll22]

And I bet you still think the Civil War was fought to free the slaves.

Have you ever traveled outside of Massachusetts?

Have you ever heard of states rights?

Do you realize if not for the southern states you would be sending 70% to Washington.

Typical northeast elitist. You probably" summer" at Martha's Vineyard.

[Allosaurs_r_us]

The Republicans would never do that, would they? I seem to remember something about a bridge up in Alaska, but I am getting older, maybe I'm wrong. Then there's that "immigration reform" we've all heard of from the administration. Money for votes???!!! My friend, that's what politicians do and it makes little difference whether they are Rs or Ds.

 

So the way I read it, you see nothing wrong with making a deal with a leftist dictator wannabe, who wishes harm to the US, huh? Chavez is scum! There are a great many people I refuse to do business with in this world due to there complete lack of ethics. Is it your opinion it should not matter? You don't think this Rat politician is playing fast and loose with the emotions of his poorer constituents? Pretty lousy thing to do, if you ask me.

 

I consider Chavez real close to being an enemy of the US. Doing business with the enemy is treason, period! Sure seems like it doesn't matter to the DimWits doesn't it? As an American Patriot, I frown on doing business with the likes of Chavez, so should our Reps and Senators. That Mass. is willing to, says volumes about their ethics, they have none. But I knew that already.

 

[Kolokotronis]

Last time I looked at the donor lists, Citgo and Valero seemed to be the big contributors to Republican candidates my friend. Indeed since the late 1980s, 74% of the oil industry's political contributions have gone to Republicans. Citgo and Valero are controled by the Chavez government.

"Sure seems like it doesn't matter to the DimWits doesn't it?"

Apparently it doesn't bother the Rs either.

[Kitten Festival]

You SO GET IT! This is war.

[Kitten Festival]

The CAFTA national-security issue was real.

This is why I back a full amnesty to any non-criminal illegal aliens here from Mexico and El Salvador. We HAVE GOT TO SHORE UP FOX and help Tony Saca. We have got to increase their political power and leverage, and if legalizing these dolts does it, I am for it. I want Chavez in a cell. I want him overthrown. I want him out of the picture. And I want Castro dead and in hell. If we don't help the rightwing leaders down there, people like Fox and Saca, Chavez will take advantage. I don't want to even think about it. Just let the aliens stay and deal a blow to Chavez. Any blow we can do, we have got to do. We have got to fight him as hard as he is fighting us.

[mewzilla]

These idiots going to refine it for them, too? Snort.

[Kitten Festival]

You are missing the point. It's not about cash-shoveling to congressional campaigns, it's about buying votes for leftist congressmen in inner cities. BY A FOREIGN POWER federated with Fidel Castro.

WHEN WILL AMERICA WAKE UP????????

[Kitten Festival]

F'ING BULLSEYE!

You get it. You should put 'get it' as your signature because you just plain do.

[M-cubed]

...Coast Guard interdiction of all its ships. If all paperwork not perfect, deny entry to the U.S. I'm sure that between customs law and "admiralty law," there is plenty that can be used. <<<

Oh Yes!!...."Admiralty Law"....isn't that the law that authorizes the gold fringe on the American flag??????...What does that represent?...Is that the flag that is in White House..the Federal and State court rooms?...Is that the representation flag of the "Admiralty laws" that supersedes the Constitution?....Any body have any Information on this???....I'm confused on what the Gold fringe represents...

[M-cubed]

There's a free market for trading most commodities<<<

Yup..With Rules that address the ability to fullfill a contract...Ever wonder why Big Institutions can "short" more gold and silver then exists????...Cant do that with any other commodity!!!!!...If you know why..I'd luv to be enlightened...(Food for Thought)

[Thunder90]

They also accept Rubles and Yuan!

[M-cubed]

Maine?..Don't Worry!...The gold-dust twins will put on "Official Chavez knee pads" if given the chance...

[Fedora]

I was recently reading through the FBI's files on Billygate, and there was some discussion of Billy Carter lobbying on Libya's behalf in relation to a company called Charter Crude Oil aka Charter International Oil Co., which had recently bought out Carey Oil, tied to Edward Carey, the brother of New York governor Hugh Carey, whose family controlled the Massachusetts-based Northeast Petroleum/New England Petroleum (affiliated with Cargill). I'm wondering if there's any links to Delahunt's company there.

[M-cubed]

So who is getting the just over 80% mark-up?<<<

The "NON_PROFIT COMPANY" of course...Gotta pay the directors and workers of the "NON-PROFIT COMPANY!

IF this was really to "help the poor folks", then why such a high mark-up?<<<

See above answer....