Through news media and television commercials, I have heard my fill of the low-income family’s plight to meet the rising costs of heating fuel to keep warm in their homes, as though by being low-income, they become the minority, excluding other people such as the moderate, two-income families with added heating costs, mortgages and the rising cost of groceries (also reflecting the rising cost of fuel). We are also struggling, keeping the thermostat set at 60 degrees, and we worry a great deal about how we will meet the rising cost of heating a home and meeting all the other monthly expenses.

The difference?

There are no assistance programs to help the moderate, two-income families, whose finances were already stretched and who now face financial hardship and deal with worrisome decisions.

I want all of us, as Americans, to be recognized, to be seen and heard, as it appears that our government officials sit in their homes, warm and safe from the worry of rising heating and living costs.

Cathy Pagon, Auburn