National Journal's Mark Ambinder reports that President Obama's budget proposal—which hits the streets Monday—would cut federal heating assistance to the poor in half for the 2012 fiscal year. I know! Tragic! That's only $2.5 billion in cuts! We'll never teach our citizens about budget discipline at this rate! Luckily, there is an alternative: The Republican spending plan, unveiled on Wednesday, which would "practically eliminate the program's contingency fund" immediately. Hear, hear! I don't understand why anyone lives in Massachusetts in the first place. [National Journal; image via AP]