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Rep Carron is a pretty good guy and he is also pro 2nd amendment. I do how ever disagree with the proposed legislation he is supporting.

On behalf of Representative Carron, we wanted to inform you of the steps we are taking to alleviate Massachusetts residents of the fear of the upcoming winter fuel prices. Responding to this winter’s anticipated double-digit price hikes for home-heating oil and natural gas, my colleagues and I in the House of Representatives are announcing a comprehensive $80 million package aimed at promoting energy efficiency and helping Massachusetts consumers defray skyrocketing heating costs.

With experts predicting that the average home-heating bill will rise by 21% this winter, Massachusetts residents need relief now. By pairing assistance with incentives, the Legislature is taking an important first step towards addressing the high cost of energy and reducing the overall economic impact on Massachusetts families.

The package implements a one-year, $800 income tax deduction for home heating expenses incurred by individuals who make less than $50,000 a year and families with annual incomes up to $75,000. Additionally, a credit of up to $600 would be applied to the purchase of such energy-saving products as high-efficiency furnaces, home insulation, new window installation and other approved residential items that use less gas and oil. The combined one-time cost to the state is $57 million.

The initiative nearly triples annual state aid to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) from $7.5 million to $20 million. LIHEAP combines federal and state funds to help pay home heating bills for 133,000 low-income state residents. Households with incomes up to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty level would receive maximum benefits of $545 for electric or gas heat, and a maximum of $675 for oil, propane or kerosene heat.

LIHEAP is a critical safety net program that helps people struggling to make ends meet survive the cold winter months. This $20 million appropriation will go a long way towards increasing program awareness and participation so that more Massachusetts residents get the heat they need when they need it the most.

Other highlights include:
• Establishing a 15% or $300 tax credit for businesses that install solar water heating systems. (Currently businesses have to apply for a limited number of grants through the Renewable Energy Trust Fund.)
• Extending tax credits to developers, owners and tenants of multi-family and commercial residential buildings who invest in measures to increase energy efficiency and reduce environmental impacts.
• Authorizing the Renewable Energy Trust Fund to establish a partnership between state agencies and private organizations to further technological advances in developing fuel cell technology.
• Generating public awareness and participation for energy discount programs run by utility providers. Utility companies would be required to work with appropriate state agencies to produce a brochure detailing discounts and rebates available to homeowners who take energy-saving steps.

Again, it should be noted that this legislation has not yet passed through the legislature, but we anticipate this to move quickly. We will keep you informed of the progress.

Please feel free to contact the office if there is anything we can do in the meantime.



Again low income people do not have to think or plan ahead. The .gov will take care of them. Is it going to be any easier for me to heat my house this winter? No, and I won’t qualify for the tax credit. So not only will I have to pay for oil myself this winter, I see more of my tax dollars are going to pay for other peoples oil, who not only pay less income tax, but also pay at a much lower percentage rate than me.

Rant off… :x :x
 
This is exactly why they continually get the vote. They throw money around to the majority of people who contribute the least amount to the good of the state/country.

I busted my ass to get through the Marines, was broke as hell getting through school, busted my ass and worked 70 hour work weeks to get where I am now. I pay 10 times more tax than most of them and the law makers are always trying to take more.

I dont even care about paying in more because I make more, just dont also make me pay a higher percentage on top of it. [roll]
 
Isn't that just like a politician. Take the money from your right pocket and put it in your left pocket.

Some help they are. Prices go up on everything eventually, suck it up and move on, I say.
 
The problem they create when they do this is they are setting a precedence for this type of thing in the future. The people who qualify for the tax write off and assistance assume that every time oil prices go up, the .gov will bail them out again.

And come 5 years from now when it happens again and the state is broke all of these people will be scrambling to figure out how to pay for heat because the .gov isn’t there.

That by the way is my least concern. My main problem is the tax dollars going to pay for it.
 
I agree with you 100% Derek.

The big problem is taxes, the second problem is creating government dependent "citizens" (proletarians, in reality).

This kind of thinking created over half of the crisis in New Orleans.

Since the news crews have ventured out some, they've found Louisiana residents OUTSIDE NOLA tend to take care of themselves and each other, and don't cry "Where's the government, and who's going to take care of me".
 
derek said:
Again low income people do not have to think or plan ahead. The .gov will take care of them.

Why does this statement not surprise me? Um...Rep.? Low Income people DO NOT OWN HOMES!! (at least not the ones I've seen)

I'm not crazy about it either Derek.
 
My reply to Mr. Carron's aide.


Lauren,

Please note that I have the utmost respect for you and Rep Carron. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I consider myself lucky to have the representation that my family and I do. My issue with the legislation is the limit on income being 50K individual and 75K for the family. There should be a larger credit for those who make more than 75K annually. Isn’t that where the tax money is coming from anyways? We are getting completely shut off because we make more, yet the most of the money that is being given out is our money.

It is frustrating for me to bust my butt through high school, 8 years in the military, college, work my way up the corporate ladder, and in the back of my mind worry a little about the cost of heating this winter, only to receive an email saying that the government only cares about you if you are dependant on them.

I guess it’s a bit frustrating to say the least.

Derek
 
So I wonder...
Is there going to be any sort of information you are going to be required to submit while doing your taxes to prove you pay heating bills? I mean in this state, how many family's with an individual income of less that 50K can afford to own a house? Not many I'm sure. And if they don't own a house then where do they live? Probably in an apartment. Most apartments I ever either lived in or looked at include Heat, Hot Water, and Cooking Gas.

So a TON of people could be getting this credit for heating their homes even if they don't pay for it??

WOW

Adam
 
Is there a House/Senate Bill number to go with the proposed legislation yet?
Any idea who else is supporting/co-sponsoring it?
Inquiring minds need to know. Want to get an idea of what's going on before I e-mail/call my reps.
CJC
 
Adam_MA said:
Most apartments I ever either lived in or looked at include Heat, Hot Water, and Cooking Gas.

Adam

Just for info, when I lived in apartments I payed for my heat and utilities in all of them.

I can understand setting up some type of assistance for people who are just getting by, but just creating a blanket tax refund is ridiculous. That's just asking for abuse of the system.

CD
 
Assistance for those that can justify the need is OK, I guess, like LIHEAP does.

Outright blanket breaks leads to the BS like the guy making $50K and applying for welfare (and this was years ago).
 
Get the squeeze from both ends these days. The "have nots" get the hand outs and the "Haves" get public services, and both land on my financial situation.

You have the liberals handing out MY hard earned cash to those who don't work for it. (I know there are legitimate needs that need to be fulfilled, but how much of the Welfare state is truly in 'need'?)

I'd love to see just what the percentage of taxes actually go to spending that is of a type that "benefits all" than just one segment of society. I realize that a bridge built somewhere only helps those in that area, but that isn't the same thing as saying "OK, everyone who makes 'X' and under, here's your free handout".

Instead of taking a trip this summer, my wife and I bought another layer of insulation for the attic and payed a healthy deposit to lock in our oil prices for the winter.

My parents raised me to be careful. We have no credit card debt. I worked my tail off to keep college debt low (and it's paid off) My wife and I have always put away part of our paycheck before we even touch it. I'm sure that someone would call us wealthy if they knew our savings. But that savings is there to support us when we can no longer work. Sure it would be nice to travel or buy new things, but then what happens when you need the money?

Just recently, I faced a $2000 expense to repair water damage. I am very lucky it wasn't worse. Yet, we were able to move money and pay for the repair.

My truck is going on 10 years old. Sure it might be nice to have a new vehicle, but I can't justify it when it is so easy to keep that which is paid off. We had fun this past weekend when I blew a brake line and got stranded for a day while it was repaired. Still, that was cheaper than the average monthly car payment.

Our two TVs are the ones we bought while in college. Tehy still work just fine. We have cell phones, but used the family share plan to include my parents and my aunt so that our bills are all reasonable at <$20 a phone. We have only basic cable TV, and mostly so that I can have the internet service that my company pays for.

My wife and I have a total of 4 incomes currently. That will be cut in half or more when the baby arrives. We're already in a panic because it will mean less savings. That's right, less savings. We made a very concious effort to live well enough below our means so that we could lose an income and survive. We work very hard for what we have and it annoys me to death to have to watch so much of our earnings taken in taxes and then pork barreled away for votes.

A person I know who went to High School with me is a typical example of the welfare system. He works a union job at a town cemetary. His wife doesn't work. They live in subsidized housing, have all their medical payed by the state, get food stamps, etc. etc. He refuses to look for a better job, work a second job, or allow his wife to work because "I'd lose too much in aid'. Yet he drives a fairly new Excursion, has a Plasma TV, and fancy internet GPS Nextel cell phones.

I just wonder how many poeple are like that? How many are perfectly comforable just sitting in there accepting the handout? I wonder how much more we'll have to support them when they get too old to work and they have nothing to fall back on.

We are trying to finish a space in our home to be our new bedroom. Every time we go shopping and can save a little it's money we can use for our room. Water instead of soda or wine when we eat out. Store brand instead of name brand when we buy groceries. Using lists and coupons to make shopping trips productive. Everything we can to make the dollar stretch further.

Maybe I'm just jealous. I watch others who make similar incomes to what my wife and I bring in and marvel at the fancy house and car. Stare in awe at the huge home theatre. Go home and look at the bills and wonder how they do it.

On the other side of the wealth coin, I've watched my property taxes go nuts over the past 5 years as more and more of those 7 figure homes are put up on former farm land. Why? Because they come to a small rural town and then demand city services.

Yes, the town offices are not open all day - it's a freaking part time position! Boom, now town hall is open all day, people are full time, and they sit around most of the day idle.

When we first moved in, a good plowing of our street was within 24 hours of the storm's end. Now, we've got sanders out at the first flake.

When did Bus stops become "Every Driveway"? When I went to school, everyone in the neighborhood walked to the bus stop at the end of the road. I can just imagine the fuel costs to power all that stop and go.

I wonder how many of those mini-mansions are mortgaged to the hilt and hang on every paycheck? When the next economic hard times hit, how many of those places will be defaulted and how many more over-extended people will be put on the tabs of those who were more modest in their living?

If people were to actually be responsible for their own lives, I think they would be amazed at how much they could do without. I still take my trash to the dump on Saturday. Many in the town pay for pickup. I like that model as it allows people to make a choice.

And yet, the freaking government doesn't trust me with a gun. Hmmm. One wonders just what they are concerned with.

OK, I'm done ranting.
 
Chris said:
And yet, the freaking government doesn't trust me with a gun. Hmmm. One wonders just what they are concerned with.

They're afraid of honest law abiding, non-cheating tax payers like us that get fed up with the system, and may want to do something DRASTIC about it. Gun cintrol isn't about guns, it's about CONTROL.

And I knew we aren't the only ones. My house may not be much, but it's paid for. I don't make great wages, but, I'm not on a hand out, either. I am above average income for my state, though.

I drive an older vehicle, both bikes (2001 and 2002) are newer than our Jeep (98). Yeah, I'm buying a bunch of guns the last few years. I put that off for so long, it hurt financially (prices for what I buy have gone WAY up the last 25 or 30 years).

Both kids are about the same way. Work hard, earned their money, buy some amenities (it took having a child to get my son to quit driving JUNKY cars).

And then I see some puke that's too lazy to work, and wants a hand out. Nothing wrong, other than terminally lazy.
 
The good news is not only does my tax money feed the kids who will steal my truck in 10 years, now it's also keeping them warm at night. [wink]
 
To be honest, Ed and I could use the help. He's working two jobs to keep the roof over our head. We're all electric - heat included. I haven't worked for just about two years because of medical problems. First the hands (3 surgeries on each), then the heart. I'm in cardiac rehab now. That costs me $45 a week for copays. I've got 8 scripts that have to be filled each month and with the exception of 2, the others are $25 copays.

The only time we go out to eat now is when the family takes us out for either a birthday or anniversary. The last time Ed and I actually ate out by ourselves was about a month ago...it was Mickie D's. My hat's off to you Chris for socking the savings away...ours dwindled to pay for all the other things that weren't planned for, like cars breaking down and other unexpected bills. I haven't bought a gun or a rifle in well over 2 years.

There's a reason for my telling you this...Ed and I could get the help. Will I ask for it? Hell no. The water level is still below the nose and as long as it is, they can keep their welfare handouts. And I'll voice my displeasure to my Sen and Rep as soon as there's a bill number. This P's me off to no end.
 
Lynne, when you write them, make sure to mention that you would be eligible for it. And state your opinion just like you did here, using the same facts. Trust me, they hear from a lot of folks, and the ones that are oppossed to something that they would benefit from makes them look.
 
Nickle said:
Lynne, when you write them, make sure to mention that you would be eligible for it. And state your opinion just like you did here, using the same facts. Trust me, they hear from a lot of folks, and the ones that are oppossed to something that they would benefit from makes them look.

I plan on it Nickie baby. :D I'm also registered as a "D", which means they'll actually read it. (That does NOT mean I vote "D" folks - get a grip)
 
I just got my tax bill (just moved from arlington to Wayland(bought the house I grew up in) thats why Ive missed all the fun stuff so far), and talk about a kick in the nuts. Not counting my mortgage, just the tax and bills, Im paying more than renting.
I dont know how Ill afford to feed my M-4 this winter.
 
centermass181 said:
I just got my tax bill (just moved from arlington to Wayland(bought the house I grew up in) thats why Ive missed all the fun stuff so far), and talk about a kick in the nuts. Not counting my mortgage, just the tax and bills, Im paying more than renting.
I dont know how Ill afford to feed my M-4 this winter.

Now THAT sucks.
 
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