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You ain't see cold yet according to an AP story on Yahoo:

Charities, utilities and government agencies across the country are reporting a surge in the number of people asking for help paying their heating bills, even as the Bush administration proposes a $300 million cut in the nation's biggest source of home heating aid.

The White House has requested $1.4 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, compared with $1.7 billion last year. Congress hasn't decided whether to adopt the cut, but critics said the proposal comes at the worst possible time.

Cutting the money could affect more than 500,000 people who rely on aid to pay utility bills, according to the National Energy Assistance Director's Association, which represents state officials who administer LIHEAP grants.

"They will either shut their program early, when they run out of money, or cut benefits," spokesman Mark Wolfe said. "It is colder than last year. Unemployment is higher ... We are starting to hear from some states that their caseloads are going up."

Heat for me but not for thee... This is compassionate conservatism in action. Perhaps we should encourage the poor to move to a warmer climate like Texas, where we can more easily incarcerate and kill them.

2002 will be colder than 2001, and every year thereafter will be still colder until we throw the energy industry out of the White House.

{ 12:31 PM }

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