"President Chavez said his country's gesture was to bypass the White House and directly aid the poor, which have been neglected by President George W Bush, Chavez said. President Chavez's "gesture came at the right time," said Dan, one Quincy, MA, resident who requested his last name be withheld so that he could speak openly. Dan and his wife, who both work full-time, consider themselves working poor. "We are the new American dream," Dan said.
Dan, his wife and 10-year-old son, could only afford 38 gallons of oil in September, which the family planned to ration for only the worst winter weather. He said, "I don't know what we were going to do when it ran out." The family of three is behind one month on rent and survive mostly on rice, pasta and canned goods. The couple's combined take-home income earnings are $14,250 a year, and their rent is almost $10,000. They do not own an automobile."