10/26/2004

Life looks down on the elderly

For those individuals on low or fixed monthly incomes life keeps looking worse, especially for the elderly. On top of the shortage of flu vaccinations, those who depend on fuel assistance will have some cold homes this winter. The rising prices of crude oil have a lot to do with this. With such high prices and so many hurricanes during the fall, refiners have been cut off from stockpiling crude oil. If we have the cold winter that is predicted the demand for natural gas will surely rise which worries a lot of people. Energy trader Phil Flynn says, "We’re drilling more (natural gas) and producing less, our rig counts are up but our supplies are declining." A prolonged winter could prove fatal.

What are the cold elderly to do? Sit in there cold homes and freeze, I don't think so. Maybe we just hope for an abnormally warm winter, or is there something the government can do to help pay for the rising prices of oil and heat?

3 comments:

Ernie said...

Student 01 has some very strong feelings concerning this issue. I will only say that I'm so happy for him that his granparents are taken care of because many peoples will not be. I don't think that the government should do anything drastic like raise taxes for this problem, but we can't live in a kind of society that pushes people aside as they get older and realistically can no longer take care of themselves. By the way who do you think fought both World War's so that you could live in a free country. It really makes me sick to think that I'm in a class with someone so callous and hard. Not everyone is your grandparents and it should be our obligation as a young and rising generation to care for those that made sure we were able to be here in the first place.

Ernie said...

Student 01, I'm sure everyone is impressed with your supposed earnings and charitable donations. If you are indeed donating, good for you. My only question: If you are making such a living as you say you are, why are you in school? This is the last time I will be involved with such petty arguments. Thank you.

Dr. Tufte said...

I don't want to seem unsympathetic, but we hear this story every winter.

Does anyone actually know any seniors that have frozen to death (in the absence of mental illness)?

This smacks to me of an urban myth that the media chases for a cheap story every year.

On top of that, the utilities have programs to help subsidize the heating bills of the poor and elderly.

And we never have to raise welfare or social security payments so that people can afford heat.

What gives?