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| Venezuelan firm will buy fuel oil for Alaskan villagers |
| 2006-09-21 |
| A Venezuelan-owned oil company will warm 12,000 rural Alaska homes this winter with an enormous gift of heating fuel that some elated residents in the Bush call a godsend -- and ironic. The donation from Houston-based Citgo will buy 100 gallons of fuel for every household in 151 villages. But the gift worth roughly $5 million comes courtesy of a country whose leftist president is pals with America's enemies and supports Iran's nuclear ambitions. Hugo Chavez also calls our president mean things, such as "genocidal murderer" and "madman." And don't forget "the Devil" at the UN, the sacred diplomatic forum of the family of nations, the United Nations. Margaret Williams of Hughes in the Interior said it doesn't matter who's providing the heating fuel, which costs about $6 a gallon in the Koyukuk River village of 69. "We sure could welcome it," she said. "As long as we don't have to pay." In the Kobuk River village of Ambler, heating fuel is running more than $7 a gallon. Residents in the village of 283 and surrounding villages are ecstatic, said tribal administrator Virginia Commack. "It's a miracle," she said. Each household will save more than $700 in fuel costs this winter, freeing cash for people to spend on gasoline so they can hunt more caribou and moose, she said. The donation will especially help the elderly, who live on fixed incomes and can't travel to gather wood, she said. |
| Posted by:Alaska Paul |
| #6 This year's dividend from the Alaska Permanent Fund will be $1106 per approved applicant. The AK permanent fund has been a very visionary institution. The present value is about $34.5 billion. The intent of the fund was to replace the lost oil revenue when Prudhoe Bay declined. That really has not happened yet. The biggest problem is to build consensus on what to do. I personally would like to see the dividend capped at $500/person. That would eliminate many migrating neer do wells from coming up here and camping out till they get their one year residency. Then funding could be set aside for endowment like funds to take care of the basics, like highways, public safety, education, etc. We have been given a tremendous gift. The problem is using it wisely, and with politicians the way they are, it's veddy veddy difficult. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2006-09-21 14:19 |
| #5 Hell yes - take his money. Better for something peaceful... I'm curious, is there anybody left that Jumbo hasn't promised a free lunch? At some point in time the lines on the graph will cross. What will Venezualans have to show for the time they've allowed this moron to hold power, besides debts and fading laughter? |
| Posted by: Speater Flump2829 2006-09-21 12:53 |
| #4 Venezuela per capita annual income: $5,800. United States Social Security average annual age-based retirement benefit: $11,500. United States per capita annual income: $40,100. Um, Venezuela, are you sure you want to keep Chavez's hand in your cash register drawer? If so, I can use some heating oil too. |
| Posted by: Darrell 2006-09-21 12:30 |
| #3 You're damn right right! Mini-Castro can pay my heating bills too! |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2006-09-21 12:23 |
| #2 For years countries have been taking our aid with complete ingratitude. I see nothing wrong with taking Hugo's cash and slamming him. |
| Posted by: DoDo 2006-09-21 11:37 |
| #1 They don't get a check for Alaska's oil sale? |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2006-09-21 11:25 |