Gaudy Patter

In college, the people with whom I least enjoyed speaking were those who tossed inflammatory accusations. Even if I agreed with you, resorting to what what Wikipedia calls a "hyperbolic political epithet" was usually enough to discredit your argument in my eyes. It still is.

So, what do we call the powers that be? The Bush regime is secretive, authoritarian, extraordinarily given to image-crafting, and potentially, the most corrupt administration since -- well, ever, right?

I was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt for a moment. I even Googled "presidential scandals" to see what might jog the memory. Vietnam, Watergate and Iran-Contra were much larger stumbles than Teapot Dome, but even LBJ, Nixon and Reagan didn't dole out tax cuts to their friends on the same plate as no-bid war contracts and across-the-board reductions in benefit spending.

Years ago, I had a job where I became intricately familiar with issues related to natural gas and investor-owned public utilities. Yeah, I was a big hit at cocktail parties. One of the many acronyms I picked up was LIHEAP -- the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. If you're poor enough and you live in certain areas of the country that are prone to cold winters, the government might pay part of your heating bill.

In places like the Northeast, that's a big deal. One advocacy group says that two-thirds of LIHEAP recipients make less than $8,000/year. More than half have a child or senior citizen in the home. If you're a family of four in Massachusetts making 150% of the federal poverty level, the best you can hope to receive next winter is about $650 bucks -- maybe $300 less if you live in Section 8 housing. Bear in mind, an average year of utilities in MA is a few dollars shy of $1700, historically speaking.

Natural gas prices are going up this winter, anywhere between 50% and 150%, depending on where you live. Heating oil prices are being jacked as well, but LIHEAP hasn't been fully funded. Although Bush signed a bill authorizing $5.1 billion, he only requested $2 billion to fund the program. Two Senate budget amendments seeking to authorize the extra $3 billion failed to pass.

Sorry for all the stats and percentages, but the numbers help me deal with the ugliness of the fact that there will likely be a ton of stories about people -- mostly infants and the elderly -- freezing to death in America this winter. On second thought, given the state of our media, I'll probably see more articles urging me on to Sugarbowl or Aruba to either enjoy or escape the chill.

Picture yourself choosing between food and heat, and be thankful that you don't have to. Donate some clothing to a charity, perhaps. That's what I'm doing.

One last number to hit you with: only 22% of eligible families in Massachusetts actually receive any energy assistance money. There's not enough in the program to help everyone.

So, to recap:

• The Bush administration doesn't want you to know your country's official stance on torture.
• The Bush administration knows that people will freeze to death in their homes this winter, but does not care.

Thank you for your time. For the record, I think "crypto-fascist" is the word I was looking for.