Was it Gorsuch who told Trump LIHEAP is bad?

[ck4829]

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1813207

Since, you know, Gorsuch is OK with people freezing in the cold and all.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2017/03/24/frozen-detroit-trucker-neil-gorsuch/99590588/

[TexasProgresive]

1. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP

[Igel]

2. LIHEAP has a bad rep among those who hear 10% of news stories.

There was some quasi-scandal a few years ago involving, of all states, Maine. It wasn't important at the time and the first few pages of Google hits don't help jog anything.

It went something like this: Maine was receiving a disproportionate share of LIHEAP monies. You might think that was just because its winters are colder than, say, Louisiana's. But in this case one reason was either signing up people differently or calculating base income differently--whatever it was, they were doing something to jigger the numbers in its favor. It got lots of local support--"self-interest" easily includes getting free money, esp. when you're poor and heating fuels are expensive and it costs the local population nothing (either because they don't pay into that system or because they think what they pay is unrelated). It was viewed as gaming the system, taking advantage of national taxpayers for a parochial political purpose.

That particular bit of news got LIHEAP a bad rep in the conservative press. No need to assume any truly close relationship between Gorsuch and Trump. There are enough other conservatives around Trump. (Think of it as Occam's razor applied: Don't multiply entities beyond what is necessary, don't assume more factors or players than is supported by the evidence.)

[ck4829]

3. I like being snarky. I seriously doubt Trump even knew who Gorsuch was before he nominated him

[Adrahil]

4. There is moral hazard in preventing people...

From freezing to death.

Remember Jesus said, "give not half your cloak to a stranger, for he will becometh a lazy bum."