Alaska And Citgo

via Dan and Angi:

In Alaska’s native villages, the punishing winter cold is already penetrating the walls of the lightly insulated plywood homes, many of the villagers are desperately poor, and heating-oil prices are among the highest in the nation.

And yet a few of the small communities want to refuse free heating oil from Venezuela, on the patriotic principle that no foreigner has the right to call their president “the devil.”

Instapundit and BlueCrabBoulevard link to a CNN story and Glenn Reynolds asks if there's a way to donate to these people. If you read the price for goods they pay, especially oil, you can understand why.

Nelson Lagoon residents pay more than $5 a gallon for oil -- or at least $300 a month per household -- to heat their homes along the wind-swept coast of the Bering Sea, where temperatures can dip to minus-15. About one-quarter of the 70 villagers are looking for work, in part because Alaska's salmon fishing industry has been hit hard by competition from fish farms.

Some are said to be paying as high as 7$ or more per gallon. Between government and individuals, there needs to be a better solution for these people. We squander too much money on nonsense, often for political crony-ism. Some causes are worth supporting.

Comments

[dw]

uh, they are having a hard time making a living because of competition with fish farms (in other words, their industry is going the way of the buggy whip) and yet they insist on living in such an inhospitable clime? and we are supposed to subsidize it? Why? That is bad as the farm bailouts that ended up going bellyup anyway.

People need to recognize times change, industry changes, economy changes. Propping up dying industries is a waste of money, and it keeps those involved from going ahead and starting new careers earlier, when it might do them some good.

I see no reason to subsidize them any more than we should subsidize people so they can rebuild in New Orleans.

[don surber]

DW:

I agree

[Phoenix]

Head 'em up.... move 'em out...

[bud]

I agree that a subsidy is not the way to go, defining that as continued finacial assistance.

I know nothing about the economy there, and how efficient it needs to be.

That said, there is a case for helping them build super-insulated homes, such that much less heat is needed, at which point their desire to live in that location can be supported by their economy. This is not an ongoing subsidy, but a one-time expense.

[stormygace]

bet Dw & Don are just tapped out after their biggo donations to the Tsunami victims - which of course, they donated big to as the victims were not Americans.

[Editor]

Dan, I just received an email from the APIA indicating they will have a Paypal account ready to take donations in a few days, and will list it on their donation page.

[Dan Riehl]

Dan, I just received an email from the APIA indicating they will have a Paypal account

Thanks I'll keep an eye out for it.

[basil]

Where's Sheehan when we need her?