Friday, February 19, 2021

The Snowstorm and the Suffering in Texas.

 

The state of Texas has gone through a terrible winter storm. Millions of Texans have a lack of food, water, and electrical power. This event refutes laissez capitalism once again. People know how I feel about capitalism. It is what it is. ERCOT was the private company responsible for about 90% of the energy services and electric grid of Texas. ERCOT wasn't prepared for handling winter storms. For Senator Ted Cruz to travel to Cancun during a winter storm and not helping the American people in Texas is not only disrespectful. It is not honorable of his duty to help people. After that criticism, Cruz admitted that he messed up. One Texas mayor of Colorado City (who resigned) was cruel to tell people in Texas that you're on your own. Temperatures are very low in the state. Folks are suffering with dialysis. Carbon monoxide poisoning has been widespread in Texas. This is why I'm a progressive on economic issues. Republicans dominate the state politically. Governor Abott of Texas is a Republican, but he lied and blamed windmills, solar energy, and wind energy for this disaster. The truth is that these forms of energy are only about 10 percent of the state's output.  


Many hospitals in Austin are struggling with heat and water. Water pipes have burst open. We certainly express empathy to the suffering in Austin, Houston, Fort Worth, Dallas, Galveston, and throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and other places where the winter storm has caused havoc. This disaster was aggravated by corporate greed, deregulation, and callousness. Now, about over 2 million Texans have no electricity. Over 20 people have died as a product of this. The Texas Tribune reported that sate officials failed to heed warnings before the storm's power outages according to experts. Climate change is related to the eruptions of the polar vortex of sending bursts of super cold air into regions where subzero temperatures have been rare before. The Texas power grid is not connected with the major national grids that cover 47 states of the contiguous U.S.A. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry said that sick comment that he wants the federal government to not help suffering people in Texas, because Perry believes in a reactionary ideology. Governor Abbott for years was warned to update and weatherize systems. Texas faces shortages in water, food, and water. Texas officials during the mid 1990's refused to require utilities to set aside a certain part of capacity as a reserve against surges in demand. In other words, there were no backup plants to activate when a crisis existed. The suffering disproportionately are working class and Texans who are persons of color. Therefore, the people in Texas need power and food including water. Infrastructure must be grown and updated for the 21st century. That infrastructure includes electricity, agriculture, and other parts of society.

 

It is important to outline the reality of the winter storm Uri's aftermath in Texas and other places of America. Millions of human beings in Texas (about 4 million people) have lost power. Texas Governor Abott falsely blames wind turbines and the Green New Deal for power outages. That is a lie. The Green New Deal is not implemented now, because Texas is dominated by coal and electric energy. We have people in Texas without power, using blankets to get heat, and suffering pain from the winter storm. Many people in Texas aren't used to temperatures below 30 or 30 degrees during the winter. Many of us can handle temperatures in the 20s and 30s, but other people are in need of generators and other resources to help them. The truth is that far right extremists like Abbott are wrong in their economic views, and human beings need government assistance to save their lives. Many people in Texas lack food services. This is a very bad disaster across the whole state from Houston and Galveston into Dallas. Many people in other states are suffering like in North Carolina, Kentucky, Louisiana, etc. Some businesses owners have opened their doors to help human beings to have shelter. Some have given people blankets and free food as well in Houston and in other locations. 

 

 

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are touring the nation in a blitz to promote pandemic legislation. Biden's approval rating is now 62 percent. Hospitalization and deaths from the virus have gone down, but there is still a long way to go. Biden wants a $15 minimum wage to be advanced gradually and linked to inflation. Biden traveled into Milwaukee to advance his policies. Milwaukee is a Midwestern city where many people are suffering. Biden wants his immigration plan to be promoted. This plan involved a 8 year path for citizenship among many undocumented human beings, especially DACA recipients. He wants an expansion of VISAs for people, and he desires other plans. This plan will be difficult to pass, because tons of Republicans falsely consider Biden's proposal as amnesty. Time will tell what the future will be on Biden's plan. The bill is called the Citizenship Act of 2021. An U.S. Attorney and the FBI are investigating NY Governor Andrew Cuomo's response to the pandemic in his state. The investigation deals with the nursing home data. Many have accused Cuomo of manipulating the numbers of the deaths in nursing homes as a means to falsely make the situation better. Cuomo admitted to mistakes being made. He has denied a cover up. The irony is that Andrew Cuomo wrote a book praising his response to the pandemic, and investigations are coming about.




 

Days ago, Rush Limbaugh has died at the age of 70 years old. For years and decades, he has been a bigot. He said that the NFL is like the Blood and the Crips without weapons on the field. Rush said that he can breathe because he follows the law in response to the police murder of George Floyd. Rush was very disrespectful. He said to a black caller that to get the bone out of his nose and call him back. Rush invited a person to sing the racist song about Barack Obama. He mocked victims of HIV/AIDS. He was a Trump supporter. Rush Limbaugh called a woman a misogynistic slur starting with the letter s. Therefore, we know what Limbaugh stood for. He stood for intolerance, hate, political agitation, and overall racism. He died of stage 4 lung cancer. I won't  mock his death and glory in his death. That would be wrong. We don't wish death on people. Yet, it is important to show what his life was in order to inspire people to reject Rush Limbaugh's hate filled philosophies. The tragedy is that Rush never woke up to the truth. I express empathy towards Rush's family, but I don't support Limbaugh's racist, sexist, and xenophobic words. Rush Limbaugh was an evil male who made a decision to promote evil. Now, you know the truth. 

 

 


 

By Timothy

 

 

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