"N.E. leaders seek more US heating oil aid; Soaring energy costs push governors to ask for $1b this winter" by Erin Ailworth, Globe Staff | July 10, 2008
Alarmed by zooming energy costs, four New England governors yesterday called on the federal government to increase the region's home heating assistance to $1 billion, from $252 million last winter.
Good luck! We got wars to pay for, dammit!
"We are, all of us, concerned about the high price of fuel and the high price of oil," Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick said following a special session of the New England Governors' Conference at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. He was joined by his peers from Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
Meeting with the Fed, huh?
The governors said they will work together on a regional strategy to deal with what they called a looming energy crisis. That includes pushing for more programs to help low- and middle-income families pay utility bills, exploring alternative and renewable energy options, and possibly collaborating with Canada to import energy.
Maine Governor John E. Baldacci, who chaired the conference, also called for a comprehensive national energy policy and said that nuclear power must be part of the solution, sentiments echoed by Patrick.
Take THAT, liberals!!!
Seriously, what is the difference between Republicans and Democrats these days?
I can't find any.
"It's going to have to be part of the solution," Patrick said. But with regard to nuclear energy, he added, "The disposal issues are going to have to be solved, and they haven't."
Despite their calls for increased federal aid, the governors cautioned consumers against waiting for help from Washington. "Governments cannot solve this problem and meet all these challenges alone. Consumers must do their part," Patrick said. "Get a home energy audit."
Yup, so the "STATE INSPECTOR" can gain access to your HOME!
Also see: Meet Your New Home Energy Monitor
As part of fees included in utility bills, customers are entitled to such audits, which offer suggestions on how to conserve energy.
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Here is a question: why would a utility company want to cut down on revenues and profits?
What business does that?
NEW YORK - In Washington, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on President Bush to release oil from the government's emergency reserve to knock down gasoline prices she says "are helping push the economy toward recession."
Pelosi, a California Democrat, in a letter to Bush noted the Strategic Petroleum Reserve has been used three times before and each time the action has served to stabilize oil markets and lower gas prices.
Action is needed "to assist consumers and strengthen the economy," she said.
Bush repeatedly has rejected calls to use oil from the government reserve, which is 97 percent full and currently holds about 702 million barrels of oil - enough to replace imports for two months.
The Bush administration has maintained that the oil is to be used only in response to a disruption of oil supplies.
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Laurel Ranticelli considered driving 40 miles round-trip to take classes at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Then she realized she could take the same courses from her computer at home and save on fuel costs.
"It's gotten out of hand, the gas prices," said Ranticelli, 50, of Springfield. "It's $70 a week. That's pretty close to my groceries."
Online enrollment has been steadily growing for years, but college administrators say the spike in gas prices - to more than $4 a gallon in most places - has fueled a surge in students seeking classes without the cost of commuting.
In many online classes, students log on at their convenience for coursework, which is done mostly through independent study. Students and professors interact through online chats, message boards, and e-mail.
Doesn't that DEFEAT the WHOLE PURPOSE of college?
To MEET and MINGLE with PEOPLE and HAVE EXPERIENCES?
Isn't that what a CAMPUS is for?
That's one reason I went, readers; to INTERACT with PEOPLE!!!!
Other classes are more traditional, with a mix of students attending in person and online. The on-campus students can speak to their online classmates, and the students online can watch lectures. Many of the new online students at Villanova live within driving distance of the Philadelphia-area campus. But high gas prices are compelling them to reconsider online learning.
Administrators do have some concerns, including preventing students from dropping out.
"Retention in online classes is lower," school spokeswoman Kimberly Haschke said, pointing out that students who do not make the drive to campus may abandon their studies before the class term is over.
Oh, so it ain't all good, huh?
I'm tired of deceptive headlines and misleading stories out of the lying MSM, folks
TIRED OF IT!!!!
Karen Stevens, an early childhood education professor at UMass, said increased demand for online classes is forcing instructors to overcome doubts.
"They weren't sure it was good education," she said. "If they had their preference, they would teach live. But because of gas prices, that's not practical."
La'Vern Brinson-Scott, who works with the blind, used to spend up to $70 a week on gas for her SUV to drive seven or eight miles to Tallahassee Community College. Now online classes save money and let her to spend more time with her grandchildren.
"It's a tremendous amount," she said. "I'm definitely saving."--MORE--"
Yeah, that's great.
You are saving $$$, but LOSING HUMAN INPUT and CONTACT!
By the way, I biked to school for three years, so it's not like I don't live the creed sometimes, folks.
I just OBJECT to having it rammed down our throats so that SOME OTHER ELITES can live high off the hog!
