Turn the heat back on

With winter ending, most people see this as an opportunity to sport some shorts and flip flops. But politicians see this as an opportunity to go after the heating assistance program.

Nothing has been left sacred, including heating assistance to the poor. Under Obama’s
plans, the Low Income

Home Energy Assistance Program’s budget would be cut in half from $5.1 billion a year to $2.57 billion a year. Under the Republican plan, the program would almost be cut entirely.

Both parties have begun to battle for political points and minor fiscal victories, the disadvantaged are left out in the cold — literally. As one of the many fronts of the fiscal wars of 2011, Republicans and Democrats have seemingly forgotten the purpose of these programs and instead have focused solely on their costs. There are several more aspects of this program that need to be considered by Congress besides cost.

While it is important to solve this nation’s impending fiscal crisis, the livelihoods of Americans are still relevant. In economic theory, the crutch of social welfare creates inefficiency and propagates poverty, but the reality of the matter is people are cold and need heat. In the economic argument, it would be difficult to say individuals in these homes that receive energy assistance can compete fairly with others who have already established heat in their homes. In order for the market to function most efficiently, individuals need to have equality of opportunity. Basing any kind of political decision on theory is dangerous; no theory can accurately capture reality.

There comes a point where society has a responsibility to provide for its disadvantaged. Yes, it is a cost, but these are people’s lives. Because they work in and contribute toward a modern society, they should expect some level of support in return. Even if they can’t contribute more than they receive, the charitable service isn’t giving people free money to go buy alcohol or illegal drugs; it’s giving them heat so they don’t freeze to death.

Finally, the few billion dollars in question, while astronomical to the average American, is very small relative to the nation’s budget. Comparatively, the lives of the Americans at stake are more important than a few billion dollars to the nation.

Currently, if any one member of a household is on food stamps, TANF or supplemental social security, they can apply for heating assistance as long as they also meet their state’s poverty guidelines. From those that apply, they compare the individual’s personal household energy burden with the entire population for those who applied. Based on this information, they then allocate funds to assist individual households with energy costs. In this way, individuals receive assistance relative to everyone else’s needs, and all funds are allocated to energy-needing households.

So instead of eliminating or cutting this program, perhaps legislatures could review possible changes to the system. But since the stakeholders are America’s genuinely disadvantaged, Republicans and Democrats are walking a fine line between reality and political games. Lawmakers, economists and citizens need to realize reality is more important than politics. The lives of impoverished Americans are more important than victories in Congress or small budget gains.