Low income is the special class that gets all the beneies. Got to give away the farm to most of the people, so that they become dependent on you, the politician, and will keep you in office, since you are so magnanimous with OPM. (We will never run out of OPM. It's an endless stream...)

And that medical condition could be brought on by a meal at the zoo.

Ridiculous. Rates are increased to provide programs like this to pay for the increased rates, not to mention the other waste. Just like funding low income housing because of higher housing costs created by government action. Cut out the middleman and let everyone pay for their own trash (or housing).

Gee, why would the middleman object to that?

When "low income" means 80% of median area income or less, the top end of that bracket are hardly poor.

For years people have been using docs to shortcut laws. Handicapped parking permits and "service" animals are two big ones that come to mind. Using Doctors as gatekeepers doesn't work too well when it involves other people's money. Isn't that the way it always goes.

What is the rationale for exempting low-income people? I understand people with a medical condition that generates lots of waste, but why is there some sort of understanding that low-income people are freed from the "behavior modification" inherent in this program that the rest of us go through? If the program is good, then everybody should have to endure it.

Actually, I went back and read the form more carefully...Jack, you have a small mistake in your post. The people who can get an exemption are those who are low-income AND who have a medical condition that generates lots of garbage.

I'd love the be the garbage collector on that route.

PWB does the same thing. If you qualify as "low income", you can get a 50% rate reduction.

What a scam. Skyrocket the rates for some in order to use it for buying the votes of others.

Been saying it for years. You mess up the system so that your average schmo can't pay his own way. That schmo votes. What do you think he's going to vote for? Less services for the indigent?

Destroying the middle class is the quickest route to socializing everything.

PWB does the same thing. If you qualify as "low income", you can get a 50% rate reduction

What's worse is when some people EXPECT and demand a discount. I work for an electric utility that covers multiple states. In some states, low-income customers get a discount. And guess what? The non-low income customers pay more for their service.

In Oregon, there are no low income discounts. (They can still apply for LIEAP, however.)

Every now and then I get to talk to a customer who moved from a state or a utility that offers discounts to Oregon. I let them know that in Oregon we keep everyone's rates as low as possible, rather than having different rates for different people. And they don't care - all they care about is THEIR discount, damned be other people.

I've seen the form and need to read it again coz it's a little confusing. As I thoroughly read it, I found out that only those people who are low-income AND who have a medical condition that generates lots of garbage can get the exemption.