Chavez Ships Discounted Heating Oil to Needy US Families

At the end of November, 12 million gallons of discounted home-heating oil for 45,000 poor families and social-service organizations started rolling into Massachusetts from Venezuela. The Bronx also is receiving discounted heating oil under Chavez' program, and discussions are underway with other states that experience cold weather. Home heating oil costs are expected to rise 30 to 50 percent this winter - because of Big Oil's price gouging and restrictions on production, say critics. Despite record-breaking profits in 2005, all the major U.S. oil corporations reportedly refused to participate in similar programs.

Venezuela sells oil to poor at discount

In a resounding gesture of humanitarian internationalism, CITGO, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, began shipping 12 million gallons of discounted home-heating oil for 45,000 low-income families and local social-service organizations in Massachusetts during the week of Nov. 27.

A similar program is underway in the Bronx, N.Y., and preliminary discussions regarding possible CITGO heating oil subsidies are taking place in Maine and other parts of the U.S. where blistering cold weather is a factor.

Due to Big Oil’s price gouging and restriction on production, home heating oil costs are expected to increase 30 to 50 percent this winter.

"This program represents the fulfillment of the promise made to people in the United States by our President, Hugo Chávez," said Venezuelan envoy Bernardo Alvarez Herrera at the Quincy news conference. "We are committed to working for a hemisphere with less poverty and more development, whether by teaching 1.5 million adults to read in Venezuela or helping Massachusetts residents through a long winter."

All the major U.S. oil corporations were asked to participate in similar agreements; they all refused despite record-breaking profits in 2005 arising from their decision to reduce production during and after Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma. This decision drove up prices.

Whatever Chavez' flaws may be, the man does know how to make a point.

"We are committed to working for a hemisphere with less poverty and more development, whether by teaching 1.5 million adults to read in Venezuela or helping Massachusetts residents through a long winter." And he puts his money where his mouth is. Ya gotta love it.

It's a conspiracy to make Big Oil and the Bush administration look bad.

Generocity from those that steal the natural resources from their own people is always refreshing.

How about we sell t-shirt for "Hugo the great"............

Or "Chavez at your side" ............Has John Kerry taken credit yet.

I think "Chavez the Great" would be really cool and on the back of the T-shirt you should have the tommy character pissing on bush

Originally posted by thermopolis
Generocity from those that steal the natural resources from their own people is always refreshing.

Really? I see how well informed you are to make this statement, do you know why Chavez nationalized its oil?

No? . . . Well I guess you need to learn the facts, it was US base American oil companies that was stealing Venezuela oil thanks to their American friendly government before Chavez.

Yes Chavez is proving a point all right.

American oil Barons care less what the American people needs are. They are after all for the profits, and that includes sucking the life hood out of the citizens that supports them.

Get ready people because the gas prices right now has been fixed just for the holiday season as soon as the season is over they are planning to raises the gas prices again.

They already go away with it and they in their dirty greedy minds are going to do it again.

Money and profits is such a rewarding thing. But not for you and me.

So Chavez like Castro is a hero to his people? I hope they do as well as Cuba has in the last 40 years.

PS: The oil in venezuela was owned by "Al Gore" before the revolt...........another "Icon"..........

Originally posted by thermopolis
So Chavez like Castro is a hero to his people? I hope they do as well as Cuba has in the last 40 years.

PS: The oil in venezuela was owned by "Al Gore" before the revolt...........another "Icon"..........

Aww thermopolis, don't try and polarize this debate.

FYI - I think capitalism and communism are exactly the same thing in practise - vehicles to establish corporate systems, and a global corporate government.

I'm glad Chavez is helping the poor. They need it.


.

Originally posted by soficrow

FYI - I think capitalism and communism are exactly the same thing in practise - vehicles to establish corporate systems, and a global corporate government.

I'm glad Chavez is helping the poor. They need it.


.

While I am usually the first to want a good left v right debate, soficrow is right... even taken as a cooly calculated pragmatic geopolitical ploy, poor people are still getting heating oil.

On a total polarised tip: thermopolis... people with glass oil industries shouldnt throw stones...

the US oil companies are doing nothing to curb massive oil prices for their own market which is probably domestically more dependant for oil (partic. for home heating) than anyone else... hmmm and before christmas too...

Before Chavez, oil companies in the 90s with interest in Venezuela were, Arco, Chevron, Conoco, Enron and Mobil.

They accounted for the privatization of the Venezuela oil but it was stopped when Chavez took office.

Occurs we have many people in the US that own stocks in the oil business including political party members.


[edit on 8-12-2005 by marg6043]

Ya know, for those families truly in need in the US (and lets face it thats just about everyone apart from the affluent), and WHETHER OR NOT this was an attempt by Chavez to make the US administration and the Big Oil crew and Power and Industry look bad (which it does), the end result is that he is HELPING people. He doesnt have to, in fact im sure its cutting into his residuals to do so, YET he is doing it. If you were starving and your family were starving, would you care if it were a catholic priest or a member of al quaida that came to your resuce and feeded you and your family? Somehow i doubt it, and certainly i would not care...humanitarian act is humanitarian act, and the end result is help.

Originally posted by thermopolis
So Chavez like Castro is a hero to his people? I hope they do as well as Cuba has in the last 40 years.

PS: The oil in venezuela was owned by "Al Gore" before the revolt...........another "Icon"..........

^^^ posts like these are not only designed to bait (not presenting any positive discussion on the subject notwithstanding) but also seem to serve only a nationalist opinion. Just FYI therm, just because a current administration doesnt like someone, I assure you its OK to like them none the less especially when they are doing the right thing.

Then again, perhaps you think it best that those families that cant afford to heat their homes for their families just dont get ANY form of subsidy so that their families will perish or perhaps the potential for that to happen exists. Is that your agenda for being so opposed to the idea that Chavez would do a thing like this? I dont understand your discontent with the fact that he made this gesture...

I know from now on Citco is getting my gas money

How much has shipped so far?
I have no problem with another's "generosity", even when done with ulterior motives.


Great PR move CHAV!
Got any propane?

Spacedoubt - shipping just started and will continue through April in the Massachusetts deal. The other deals are just coming online or in negotiation. I don't have numbers except that shipping started to Mass., who will get 12 million gallons.


Interesting coverage with good quotes:

Venezuela's US Ambassador details to deliver heating oil to the NY Bronx

"The low-income residents of my district who will benefit from this historic agreement are going to see real savings and improvements in their quality of life," Congressman Serrano said. "We are truly grateful to CITGO and the Venezuelan people for their generosity. It is absolutely shameful that no American oil company has similarly stepped forward to help communities struggling with high energy costs during the winter heating season, especially in view of their record profits these last months."

"Some have tried to read politics into these outreach programs," said Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez, "but they should not do so. This is a humanitarian gesture on the part of the Venezuelan people to our neighbors in need. It flows out of a promise President Chavez made during his trip to New York shortly after the hurricanes caused such havoc. It is consistent with our outreach to other countries in the Americas, using our oil to assist in economic development and regional integration. We are all Americans."

"Not only should the other major oil companies be embarrassed this winter for failing to help low-income Americans with their record-high heating bills, but our government is failing its citizens in this regard as well," Serrano said. "Cuts to the amount federal assistance available through the Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program at this time are insensitive and wrong. We should be seeking to increase the help for our most vulnerable this winter. I applaud CITGO for its good sense of corporate responsibility."

Cold-related deaths in the USA

Each year an average of 689 people die from Hypothermia, a preventable medical emergency caused by prolonged exposure to cold temperatures, claims the Center for Disease Control in a report on Hypothermia-Related Deaths (www.cdc.gov...).

Hypothermia-related deaths aren't simply an act of nature, unpreventable as rich politican’s would have us believe. A disturbing report on these deaths from the Southern Medical Journal revealed that 61.5 percent of hypothermia-related deaths were among African Americans last winter (www.sma.org...). The CDC confirmed the Journal’s findings, claiming that insufficient access to heat kills African Americans and Latin@’s in larger numbers than whites.

Here's an amusing editorial reference:

Try this logic on for size

I asked White House Press Spokesman Scott McCellan at Tuesday's daily briefing what the president thought of Venezuelan President/Lunatic Hugo Chavez sending cheap heating oil to poor people in Massachusetts with the blessing of one of the Bay State's Congressmen. I asked McCellan why ExxonMobil isn't stepping in to do the same given their huge profits lately.

McCellan said, "I think the State Department has spoken about that and I have nothing to add. We need to act on pro-growth policies and move forward to expand refining capacity."

Huh? And that will help poor people how? Let me guess: More profits by Big Oil will help us win the war on terrorism even though we weren't in Iraq on 9/11. Hey, I'm getting it now!

A good overview of the situation, written November 22.

Venezuela to provide discounted heating oil to Massachusetts

Meanwhile, Congressional efforts to expand heating aid programs have largely stalled. The Senate decided on Oct. 26 the money wasn't there for a substantial spending boost for the federal home heating program.

And THIS... VVV

It is consistent with our outreach to other countries in the Americas, using our oil to assist in economic development and regional integration. We are all Americans."

Is what really makes it all count...we ARE all Americans, and most importantly human beings.

It was a humanitarian act and that is all that matters.. and I don't see any big underhand plot behind it. So why does it matter, really. Just be glad it happened, for the families that will receive it.

It is sad when the leader of another country like that does more for our poor than our own administration. BTW I paid my gas bill today. Where was my discount?

I don't know about you people but it angers me that in a country of abundance like our, in which Oil companies get record braking profits, they have not hart toward the needy, is troublesome to know that people die every year for lack of heat in the winter.

Its a shame.

Each year an average of 689 people die from Hypothermia, a preventable medical emergency caused by prolonged exposure to cold temperatures, claims the Center for Disease Control in a report on Hypothermia-Related Deaths (www.cdc.gov...).

One person dying from not being able to pay for hear is enough to put the oil barons to shame.

This is an obvious move to make the current administration look bad

That's all good if you don't like the Bush/Cheney team. I just hope that people don't seem to get the message that "it's okay... my pal Chavez will provide for me".

And Marg, please take time to study how commodity trading works and you may have a better understanding on how oil pricing works. The oil companies do not stick a price tag on each barrel of oil like Magnavox would price their televisions.

The oil companies are miners of a precious natural resource, and in turn sell it on an open market at whatever price the market will bear

[edit on 9-12-2005 by Thatoneguy]

Originally posted by Thatoneguy

The oil companies are miners of a precious natural resource, and in turn sell it on an open market at whatever price the market will bear

[edit on 9-12-2005 by Thatoneguy]

Yes but with all the record making profits they can afford to use some of the profits to pay for incentives to aliviate when the prices reach to high levels or at least help for the poor and needed that have to choose if they should go hungry or pay for gas so they can go to work.

They do none.

But here comes Chavez to help.

See the point now? yes you are right he is putting our government and the oil barons to shame.

I wonder what Chavez is going to do when the Oil Barons jack up the price even more. 100/barrel.

It's going to be nuts. The price of oil is going to be so high that millions of Americans won't be able to pay mortages/credit card bills/heating bills.

Thats messed. Literally overnight millions of people will become homeless. It's just the beginning of winter. There is no limit to how high the oil corporations (Oil cartel more like it) will allow the price to go.

Originally posted by Huabamambo
I wonder what Chavez is going to do when the Oil Barons jack up the price even more. 100/barrel.

He probably do the same, but without taking away the help.

It's going to be nuts. The price of oil is going to be so high that millions of Americans won't be able to pay mortages/credit card bills/heating bills.

That will not be all, with the help of legislation this year, credit companies can take away whatever you have left to pay for their bills.

And you can not claim bankruptcy as easier anymore, that was another legislation.

When the working class American wake up after Christmas with the false sense of tax brakes money to spare they will be face with the hard reality of the Christmas blues and their credit card debts.

But is OK the economy survived another Christmas or black Friday. Hurray, it doesn't matter if you will lose your home when they come after you. Hurray!!!!!

There is no limit to how high the oil corporations (Oil cartel more like it) will allow the price to go.

We live in Capitalistic country and our economy is the most importance globally, so the sacrifices are worthy as long as the economy keeps on going and US hold Global supremacy in the world.