Cheap heating oil for poor American people, from where?

[Salimar]

I have found this news on many sources today, in particular on the reliable Voice of America which to my understanding is pretty unbiased.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-11-25-voa54.cfm

I actually do not know whether to take it as a sarcastic joke or as a light of hope.

Thousands of poor Americans will receive discounted home heating fuel this winter, thanks to an unusual arrangement with Venezuela, a country whose government is at political odds with the U.S. government.

That another country is offering cheap heating oil to the needing citizens of one of the major oil producers can sound sarcastic, suprising, comical, up to you. In the other hand, it is a light of hope to know that also solidarity and human cooperation can be globalised.

They say "it is a political ploy" or "it is a humanitarian gesture". As the words of one of the beneficiary of this programme tell, basic needs are over politics:

"I don't see any political issues, I just want to keep my family warm," she said.

The optimistic in me hopes that eventually every country and every government take responsibility in making of this a better world, considering every problem as a responsibility of us all.

Salimar

[Blog]

This is all politics, if Chavez wanted to help people out, he should start in his own country. The average purchasing power parity in the US is probably $36K, Venezuala, its less than $5k.