Trump order pulls aid, Huntsville Alabama residents see utility debits

FireDragon76 said:

That's different from what I recall as a child. I remember lots and lots of snow. Several Christmases had snowfall.

This was back in the early 1980's.

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Climate change is real.

RileyG said:

As a lifelong Nebraskan, perpetual coldness or a perpetual winter sounds heavenly to me.

To say I hate the heat and summer is an understatement

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I'm not a fan of summer heat either (winter heat is a different story), but I like the light.

A couple of points of context:

Per USA today:
Over 200 utility customers in Huntsville have been notified that a $100 grant that was issued is no longer valid due to an executive order from President Donald Trump that rescinds the funding that was behind the grant.

The grant comes from Community Action Partnership Huntsville/Madison and Limestone Counties, Inc. The grant is to assist customers in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to offset the cost of high utilities.

As of right now, there are 255 customers being affected in a portion of Alabama. Currently, there are no other known impacts across the state of Alabama.



Is it possible this is a case of a combination of "Golden Window Dressing" and "Washington Monument Syndrome"? For those unfamiliar with the expressions, it refers to when pundits, the media, and politicians...choose to highlight or emphasize the most "noble" or appealing parts of a spending provision when faced with cuts, as a means of turning the public against the cuts with the hopes that cuts will be rescinded.

If it's a matter of 255 people getting hit for $100, then a better strategic move would've been for Musk to just cut a check for $25k to cover that cost for them, and then put the ball back in the other side's court.

I sincerely hope nobody's suggesting that the entirety of a massive spending bill has to stay intact for the sake of saving 255 people $100.

RileyG said:

Scary how much has rapidly changed!

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But, on the other hand, we did mitigate acid rain and the ozone hole. And here in America, air and river pollution are far less than they used to be. Until just recently, life expectancy has risen - more for some than for others. Many diseases (polio, rubella have been practically eradicated (only to make a comeback as public health is disparaged); other diseases which used to be fatal are now overcome (childhood leukemia, AIDS, leprosy).

RileyG said:

40 years is noting.

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It's relative. There was a time in my life where 10 years was a lifetime; now it is like yesterday.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose!

The assistance has been restored.




There is another investigation regarding fraud in Huntsville, AL perhaps there was a mixup.

DaisyDay said:

But, on the other hand, we did mitigate acid rain and the ozone hole. And here in America, air and river pollution are far less than they used to be. Until just recently, life expectancy has risen - more for some than for others. Many diseases (polio, rubella have been practically eradicated (only to make a comeback as public health is disparaged); other diseases which used to be fatal are now overcome (childhood leukemia, AIDS, leprosy).

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RileyG said:

Yes. That’s very true. Science has made many advances, which is a good thing.

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Science is awesome...

The main divide we have here in the US is caused when science is either politicized, or people engage in "credentialism for hire". (and often times regarding the divisive topics, it's a little bit of both)


To put it a different way, it becomes a problem when people want "what I want to believe" to be lumped in with "science" in the abstract, and merely shop around for people with a PhD who will confirm their suppositions for them, and then try to elevate it in the public discourse as if it's just as rock solid as other scientific achievements and discoveries.

ThatRobGuy said:

ience is awesome...

The main divide we have here in the US is caused when science is either politicized, or people engage in "credentialism for hire". (and often times regarding the divisive topics, it's a little bit of both)

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I don't think that is the main divide although it also exists. The bigger divide I've seen is the anti-intellectualism, anti-science, pro-magical thinking movement. I can't tell if it has always existed (which I tend to believe) or if it has grown during my lifetime.

ThatRobGuy said:

To put it a different way, it becomes a problem when people want "what I want to believe" to be lumped in with "science" in the abstract, and merely shop around for people with a PhD who will confirm their suppositions for them, and then try to elevate it in the public discourse as if it's just as rock solid as other scientific achievements and discoveries.

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It seems altogether normal to me for people to want validation of their views. I agree that dishonest actors who knowingly tout bad or even outright wrong information are a giant problem, but those that reject scientific knowledge as mere opinion, those that can't or don't want to understand, are at least as big a problem. The whole "common sense" argument, that true knowledge is instinctive or only revealed by God, is as big a divide.

DaisyDay said:

I don't think that is the main divide although it also exists. The bigger divide I've seen is the anti-intellectualism, anti-science, pro-magical thinking movement. I can't tell if it has always existed (which I tend to believe) or if it has grown during my lifetime.

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I think it's always been there...

It's perhaps just more "noticeable" because it now pertains to some more politically divisive issues as opposed to one that people don't care about as much.

One glaring example I've mentioned before is in the realm of alternative medicine.

It obviously started getting a lot more attention amid the whole covid/vaccine debate of 2021-2022.

But it was always there.

Look at how many people have (and still do) go to Chiropractors regularly or partake in the usage of "essential oils". It's more than just a small amount of people. And those two things are every bit as "quackery-driven" as some of the alternative "therapies" pitched during covid.

However, people didn't really associate the embracement/rejection of either of those things as a political amulet or badge of honor.

I've never seen a Facebook banner saying "I got my adjustment" or "Proud to be oregano oil-free", followed by a lengthy argument in the comments section.

Likewise, there weren't any efforts to "regulate the misinformation" pertaining to either of those two things. My aunt/cousin are still trying to rope people into their DoTerra pyramid scheme lol.

DaisyDay said:

It seems altogether normal to me for people to want validation of their views. I agree that dishonest actors who knowingly tout bad or even outright wrong information are a giant problem, but those that reject scientific knowledge as mere opinion, those that can't or don't want to understand, are at least as big a problem. The whole "common sense" argument, that true knowledge is instinctive or only revealed by God, is as big a divide.

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I don't even know that it's always a case of people trying to tout wrong information (at least not intentionally) as much as it is what I've called "The Amazon Next Day Shipping Culture". People want what they want, and they've become less tolerant to waiting for it. "Everything I want and wish to be true should happen by tomorrow at 5pm"

So it creates a "rushed science" for lack of a better term. And then people expect others to (and get mad if they don't) treat a "soft science", that's only been looked at on a larger scale for maybe a few years, with the same reverence and solidity as other far more established hard sciences that took decades and decades.