Letter to the Editor
Energy, times eight
Published Friday, July 25, 2008
Digg
del.icio.us
Facebook
Mixx
Reddit
Stumble It!July 22, 2008
To the editor:
I’ve heard enough about how energy does not affect families with many children, “hello.” Ever pay a fuel and electric bill that is $980 per month or an electric bill that is $300 in the summer? I have two adults and six children taking showers, baths, not to mention 20 loads of laundry a week.
The energy crisis has also risen the cost of everyday food. My food bill is $1,800 per month, and I use clipped coupons as well. I am a stay-at-home mom, so only have one income coming in. I have a mortgage and car payment and buy gasoline for all my children’s medical and sport appointments.
Now do the math. A married couple with no children has 14 showers a week with maybe five loads of laundry and drives to work five days a week, and maybe spends $200 per week at the grocery store. Now take those figures and multiply by eight. Yes, it costs money to heat my water for showers, baths and laundry, and yes, my children don’t have jobs but they do have many appointments. So, if you don’t think “big” families are not affected by this energy crisis, then come and help me pay my fuel and electric bill, and please fill up my minivan ($90) two times a week, and then let me tag along to the grocery store and you can pay for my food as well. Yes, every Alaskan does need the $1,200 each that Palin, a mother of children, thinks deserves a helping hand and now.
Community Discussion
Newsminer.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full user's agreement.
This should be interesting.
Yeah. Very. And I'm not even going to participate.....
I have to agree with Babes on this. If you're going to give a rebate, give it to every person, adult or child. We all consume energy. Fair is fair.
What's interesting is that the letter writer seems to think that two multiplied by eight is eight.
(This comment was removed by the Newsminer.com staff. Please see our User Agreement for further information.)
(This comment was removed by the Newsminer.com staff. Please see our User Agreement for further information.)
This is why subsidizing the cost of ENERGY (only) is important. You need more, you use more, you save more.
Your food bill, car payment, and other expenses are there because of choices you have made, and in fact most of us have made as well.
There are already programs that assist people who can't make those ends meet.
The PFD is an undesignated "free" money. It would be more appropriate to ask that the payout be enlarged than say that your energy subsidy should come in the form of cash so that you can spend it on other things. Not to say that you would or wouldn't, but the point I'm making is clear.
Starting another PFD-like program is dangerous, and people will depend on it and pretty soon the state can't stop it, even if the price of oil crashes.
With an energy subsidy, if the price of oil crashes.. well, who needs it then?
KEEP IT SIMPLE!!! Everyone that is qualified ALASKAN gets a ENERGY REBATE, young or old...because the resource belongs to us all. Otherwise, GET READY...
NONE OF US ARE GOING TO GET ONE THIS WINTER!!!
I bought a wood burning stove and have started splitting wood a couple months ago...
instead of holding my hand out for more...i took steps on my own...
imagine how much wood 6 children could split!!!!!
(This comment was removed by the Newsminer.com staff. Please see our User Agreement for further information.)
There's an awful lot of conclusion jumping in these comments.
I dont know the letter writer, but I also dont know if this family is self sufficient, 2 families joined, or adopted kids.
Of course, some of our fellow citizens seem to know everything. Or are convinced that they do, and know how to lead other people's lives.
I guess an honest opinion isn't welcome here, Thanks News Miner...
One house = one rebate. Too confusing?
Perhaps having 6 children was my idea? Ok I will stop there,,, have a good day.
I can't believe she actually thinks that HER decision to have numerous children should be the burden of the state.
I'm SO tempted to remind the "stay at home mom" that most nuclear families require two incomes to just stay afloat in our economy, and advise her to get a job. There are so many reasons other than lack of motivation why a family might choose a more traditional lifestyle as to make that rather unfair, especially since I don't know her specific circumstances.
The important point is that she and her family chose their lifestyle. No one put a gun to their heads and said "accumulate more kids or I'll pull the trigger." Many other women have chosen to practice more reliable birth control as a means of keeping family population at a more affordable level.
I'll be grateful for any supplementation the State eventually offers, regardless of the "formula". It doesn't matter one whit whether someone else gets more or less than I.
I'm not willing to hold my breath waiting for the State to solve my energy problems with any sort of assistance, though. If I were to do so I suspect I'd find myself shivering in the dark. Government works slowly on those rare occasions when it works at all, and the energy crunch is happening NOW.
Fighting over the fairness of any sort of relief package is a sure-fire way to generate enough controversy to ensure that no energy relief package will make it through the legislature at all.
Swanny
Swanny, I'll be surprised if your post doesn't get removed, since you said the same thing I said earlier, and I got "bleeped".
Alot to do about a big check coming in October. The rebate is making it's way through the finance committee, will pass the House, get a little opposition in the Senate and probably be passed. The only change has been to attach it to the permanent fund check. So this woman who believes her lack of planning should create a crisis for the rest of us, you probably will get close to $25,000 (based on maybe $2,000 for the PFD). How many out there think she will prepay her electric bill, or buy a big screen TV to suck up more electricity.
What does your food bill have to do with energy costs? I understand costs have risen for everything, but food has not been substantially hit.
Are your sports appointments necessary? Everyone is making sacrifices. I would suggest you stop taking your kids to sports to help out with money. Not only do you save gas, you save time and money, because we know sports are not free. Maybe make them split wood, or get jobs clearing snow this winter so they can help out with bills.
Why do they have so many appointments? Maybe start scheduling the appointments together and making fewer trips. OR! IDEA! Use public transportation. It is free here in the winter.
20 loads of laundry? Do your children wear clothes once and then throw them in the dirty laundry? Or do you make them take off clothes that aren't really dirty and hang them back up?
Why are the kids taking baths? Put them all in the shower, and give them a 5 minute time limit. You can get clean in 5 minutes. Bath time, if you cannot afford it, should be about getting clean. Baths do not do that efficiently, but showers do.
Let's talk about your minivan. $90 x 2 times per week is $180 a week on fuel. That comes out to about 40 gallons per week of gasoline. We'll assume it is an older minivan, and should average 20 mpg. So, you are driving 800 MILES PER WEEK! That is over 40,000 miles per year, when the average car sees only 12,000 per year!
It isn't my fault you are a stay at home mom. It isn't my fault you have six children. It isn't my fault you take them to so many appointments. It isn't my fault you are so wasteful! Where do you live that you drive that much? I work full time, have a business, and am on call a lot. I drive to town two or three times a day, maybe more. I still do not put anywhere near that type of mileage on my car.
Not my fault. You should actually get no rebate check until you find out why you are so wasteful.
woodman, I'd be willing to bet that she doesn't prepay her electric bill, and will be in the same "financial crisis" she's in right now within one month of receiving her rebate money.
OK News Miner, go ahead and remove my comment.
I would have to agree with the very few comments saying Babes needs a job.
I am married with no children and between my husband and myself we have 3 jobs.
I applaud you for wanting to stay home with your family, but in these times perhaps it's in the best interest for your family to take in another income.
There are plenty of stay at home jobs, and perhaps you could cut back on driving. Carpool?!?!? If you're kids are playing soccer they're not the only ones on the team, you could find someone for them to ride with.
Just a thought.
This is the nicest way I could put this so... take it for what it's worth.
How much wood could 6 kids split if 6 kids would split wood?I like it Akguy.Put down the GameBoys and pick up the axe.
Bickering back and forth over how this money will (may) be distributed is not productive. Everyone needs to prepare as best they can, for the coming winter. Those sitting back wringing their hands, and depending on a check that may, or may not appear, are wasting time. As the saying goes, "Fail to plan, plan to fail".
I find the entire debate on PFD and the energy rebate to be sad and humorous at the same time. It seems that no matter what plan that the Alaska State government gives to the citizens of the State, their will always be someone who is treated unfairly due to:
1) They are not getting enough.
2) Someone is getting more than they are.
3) Someone knows another circumstance.
Be grateful that you are getting something (PFD) and possibly more (energy rebate). There are states that facing similar heating costs, but do not have the resources to help their citizens like the state of Alaska does. Be grateful that the fact you are in Alaska which allows the State to help you.
Spend it wisely and show compassion.
20 loads of laundry seems WAY beyond excess. When I lived at a house with 5 other people we did, wait for it, FIVE loads a week! If your kids are small, you should be able to do multiple children's clothes at once. Putting aside your exaggerated costs of fuel, how do you justify 20 loads of laundry a week??!!
My god between the laundry and all the baths your kids take you must go through several THOUSAND gallons of water a month! Why don't you just pretend for a few weeks that America is in the middle of an energy crisis and that maybe it's time to turn the faucet off, turn off the lights, and park the car a few extra times a week in order for you to do YOURSELF some good.
The writer says: "A married couple with no children has 14 showers a week."
She obviously doesn't live in Goldstream Valley like I do. We're lucky to get fourteen showers a year out this way.
Another letter writer with a terrible case of ES (entitlement syndrome). You chose to be a stay at home mom,and you chose to have six children. I'm not judging your choices, but I am appalled at your assumption that your choices entitle you to more help because you have it "bsd".
The gas for sports activities? Please. Those are a luxury, and if you can't afford the gas, then stop going.
I hope that you really meant to write a letter explaining why you thought it was fair for every person to get a rebate, and not one that reeked of the gimme gimmes
Shoot....my electric and and heating oil bill were pretty darn close to $980 at the end of last winter ($910 actually) and that was with heating oil $.60 less a gallon than it is now. Oh and we are a family of 3 not 8!
You know-- I'm a mother of 7 . Birth control should have been practiced by the parents of the kids we adopted! However--- I don't want a hand out--I just want lower prices!!! Get the prices to come down before they ever get to my house, car, groceries.... .
Send a subsidy to the fuel company so that HOWEVER much fuel I by-- MY cost is lower.
Am I suppose to turn 3rd World (lack of showers, grow what I can in the dead of winter, not go to the Dr. more than once a year....) just because I have more than 2.5 children? Or even 1 more than Joe & Jane Smith?
I heard something about " I mean to judge" . DON"T! Just turn constructive over this issue and not destuctive!!!
Lower falsly inflated fuel prices!
By the way-- My 7 kids will probably be the ones who help you w/ you groceries to the car, fix it at the repair shop, teach your kids in school, babysit your grandkids....
PLEASE DON"T JUDGE MY FAMILY!!
Sniffles, The original writer could learn alot from you. Very reasonable post.
Good post Sniffles. Sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders.
sniffles, you chose to adopt 7 kids. However noble, it was your choice! That is the point. I don't care how many kids a family has, but don't CHOOSE to have lots of children (however they came to be) and then stick your hand out because you have it "rough". It was YOUR CHOICE to have it "rough".
If our state legislature chooses to give rebates to every man, woman, and child, then she will receive 8 rebates, because that is what our government has decided, not because she has it worse than anyone else.
My kids are great too, so what? Do I deserve more money because I have nice kids? What does that have to do with energy rebates?
I agree that the writer of this letter seems to have excessive consumption. Either she is wildly exagerrating or she needs find ways to curtail costs.
For a family of two we do about 10 loads of laundry a MONTH. So even adjusted for family size the writer is doing 4 times the laundry that we do......