On the recordAugust 1, 2011
We are in an historic heat wave in this country, and I'm not talking about the debate on the debt limit, I'm actually talking about the temperature outside. And what's noted is that many leaders throughout this country--whether they're local Mayors or Governors--are saying, if you're poor, get to a cooling shelter, stay inside, stay in the air conditioning. Well, we're fortunate in this country to have low-cost power generated by coal. In rural Illinois, the average salary is $58,000 a year, the average utility bill is $121 a month, which means they pay about $1,500 a year for the utility cost. However, in France, they pay 20 cents per kilowatt hour. Just think what the cost would be here if we had to double our electricity rates. Talk about a burden on the poor and rural Americans when, instead of $1,500 a year, they would have to pay $3,000 a year just to seek relief from these hot summers. ____________________
