Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Just bought propane...

Just bought propane, used all but 20% of a 250 gallon tank, this is madness.  It is truly the coldest winter I have seen in Arkansas, it reminds me greatly of the wicked cold, ice filled, and snowy winters of Indiana.   The point is I get two years out of that amount of propane that I have gone through in less than 5 months.  Nothing has changed with the propane, it is still the same, but the weather having decided to take a nose dive, has taken my wallet with it. 

I thank G-d that we only use it to heat one room of the house. I mourn and cry with the parents out that use propane exclusively to heat with, to heat hot water with, or even to cook with.  I cannot imagine your pain or anguish.  The year now only 3 months old has caused so many of us to question our choices and our life styles.  One cannot indefinably gamble on their being a brighter tomorrow, when one sees only object poverty as ones path. It is truly unfair to those dear people who have been scraping by, and who had truly done the best they could.  Many of these people are your neighbors, your friends, some live in cities, some in the country, some on reservations, and many are people who never get a break.  We hear little of their plight, but here often of the wrongs done to others in other countries.  We as a country give money to many other counties who claim that there people are suffering only to turn a deaf ear to its own people. I feel this is simple shameful! 

 I feel that this severe almost doubling the price of propane is a deliberate act of price gouging, not from the gas companies for say, but from the wholesale end.  They are claiming supply and demand issues; to this I would politely ask them to quit burning it off, and also that they quit sending it overseas. I mean if we are having supply issues, should make the gas available to those living here in the states vs. some foreign power.  I think that China can wait and I am sure many people agree.  

I know I have had a hard start to the year, and would someone to please explain to me why millions of other moms in America have to make the same choice as I am making today?  Why should I go into further debt to keep a warm house?  I should not have to nor should anyone else.  Propane is the only fuel that our country does not regulate and to my limited knowledge there is not reserve.  When there is a gasoline shortage the government can open its reserves and let the price comes down to a more reasonable amount, maybe they should do this with propane as well.  It would elevate tons of suffering for hard working Americans who do not have the means in many cases to cover large propane bills.

 I want you all to know that even with my $197.53 credit from last season; I still shelled out $4.30 per gallon.  Mind you Ameriagas did not have restrictions on the amount I could purchase, but at that price I could only afford 100 gallons, so it better last the season and we will have to come up with a better plan for next year.  One of my friends has two 250 gallon tanks to service one house, I remember when I thought that was funny, not so funny know that I am paying $4.30 per gallon.  I paid like $1.97 at the end of summer when the price had dropped.  I wish I had two tanks! Well I am just going to have to buck up and come up with a better plan for next year, and I am sure my fate is much like the fate of dare I say millions of others in this country. 

Climate change is very real, and may be a part of a natural order or man-made, I do not care!   I do care about a future that I can afford to live in!  I want a future that will offer my children a better standard of living than I have now.  That is the American dream to create a better future, not just to exist at the very edge of poverty.  If a person’s hard work and determination does not offer one hope than it is indeed a sad day for us all.

Be Blessed
Shekhinah
Mahahanaim Farm