Wows & Scowls
Scowl: The problem isn’t that states are setting aside extra millions to help the needy with heating bills throughout the winter, as Ohio has with adding $75 million to its kitty for that purpose. The problem is that they have to, as the U.S. Energy Department predicts a one-third to one-half rise in heating bills, or an average of $350 more for those who use natural gas and $378 for those who use fuel oil. While practically everyone will support such subsidies for the needy, it’s also important to remember that not-necessarily-needy households will take a hit, too. And unfortunately, no government programs exist to assist them when they get socked with higher bills. P.S. – Although Congress appropriated $2.2 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program last year, the Associated Press says President Bush has proposed cutting it to $2 billion. Guess that’s called “compassionate conservatism.”
Wow: While nobody likes higher prices, it’s hard to argue against a nominal increase for operation of the Fredericktown Ferry that transports vehicles across the Monongahela River between Fayette and Washington counties. Fees haven’t changed in decades, and Fayette Chairwoman Angela M. Zimmerlink is proposing increasing the range from 10 cents-$4 to a new 50 cents-$6. Although the counties split the ferry’s operational cost, Fayette has relied heavily on using state liquid fuels money to underwrite its share of the obligation. Commissioner Vincent A. Vicites correctly points out that if higher fares make the ferry more self-sufficient, any freed-up liquid fuels money could be diverted to other transportation-related projects within the county.
Scowl: Accidents happen, we’ll be the first to admit, but there’s no excuse for the 20-year-old pizza delivery driver who reportedly fled the scene after his vehicle struck local radio icon John “Jack” McMullen near VFW Post 47. Although the young man turned himself in, that’s little consolation to McMullen, 85, a World War II veteran who remains hospitalized in serious condition with an assortment of broken bones. Here’s the real kicker: The young man was charged, among other things, with driving with a suspended license. Yet he was released on his own recognizance. In an age when the Commonwealth won’t let you renew your vehicle registration without proof of insurance, illegal driving should be taken more seriously.
Wow: The Fayette County Housing Authority and its maintenance workers union finally showed some grasp of reality – the federally funded gravy train won’t run full-tilt forever – by agreeing in principle to a new pension funding system. Instead of matching each employee’s salary with a 15-percent contribution, the authority will drop that to a 13-percent level. That’s still a pretty nice benefit, foreign to most private employees. And the authority’s non-union administrative employees will still get health insurance through the union, in a money-saving arrangement.