Because Republicans know how to use public money to buy off the electorate. Come to mama, my beautiful PFD check…oh wait, look, you brought your cousin the energy assistance rebate…oh wow. Wait, energy assistance…ohmygod…they think I’m going to hold on to this money to pay my heating bill this winter. Silly people. I’ll have spent it on one of the bazillion PFD deals long before that. And then I’ll go back to bitching about my fuel bills and wondering again why the government doesn’t do something about it.