Those of us who know Governor Patrick are always impressed with his ability to judge needs and then to go about the daunting task to fill them.
He has done just that on two important fronts for the low-income people of this city and for homeowners and apartment dwellers in dozens of bigger and smaller cities and towns just like it across the state.
By upping the amount of heating subsidy and by causing the utilities to ban shut-offs for an additional month, he has once again shown how much he cares about the poor and everyone else trying to stay ahead of the Grim Reaper – which is the outrageous price for heating fuel which is soaring.
Experts say there is nothing we can do to stop the rising price for oil.
That’s absolute rubbish.
The rising price for fuel oil is all about speculation and has little to nothing to do with consumption, supply or production.
The world is awash in oil yet we are experiencing an obscene rise in its price because of Wall Street speculators and commodity traders, both buyers and sellers.
We have written before and we will continue to insist that oil should be a utility, regulated by the state and kept at a price that allows the poor, the working poor, those out of work and all low income people to heat their homes during the New England winter.
The price for oil has risen to a place where it will shortly cost $1000 to fill-up an average oil tank in a residence once!
One tank of oil cannot be stretched out over a New England winter – not even during a warm New England winter such as we have just experienced. Everyone using fossil fuels to heat their homes need a few fill-ups or even a half dozen fill-ups in order to keep their living quarters warm enough to live in.
The governor’s action isn’t panacea but it shows that he cares.
During his many visits to this city, he has revealed a lot about himself.
He is engaging. He is concerned. He pays attention to nearly everyone he speaks with.
This has not changed in recent months when he is no longer facing a political battle as he has said he will not be running again.
Lesser politicians would already be paying less attention to details and engaging with voters and looking at them as real time, real life human beings.
Not Deval Patrick.
He loves what he is doing.
He wants to make a difference.
It is important to him that he keeps up a pace that brings him in front of the people of this state in a meaningful way – and so it will go with this man until the last day he serves and says his final goodbyes.
He’s a very special man who wants very badly to make a very special impact.
We thank him for caring and for caring about human beings and for recognizing the human predicament in cities like ours.
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