The Ten Million Ton Snowflake and the A Hole Billionaire
Man, the last few days..
Not with us. Nope, the last few days I've been watching the weather related confloption unfold in Texas. Texas usually does not get cold weather. But what they are experiencing is pretty routine in the VaMdDC area and parts north. Shocking for them.
Ten years ago the federal government told Texas in the aftermath of a similar storm that they had to step up their game, they needed to have a plan in place, with equipment and supplies, for these rare winter weather happenings. It's rare, but they do happen there. Thankfully this storm wasn't as bad as the one in 1933 in Texas.
In the last so many years the newly elected Teaparty politicians decided to strip away the few weather protections as a 'small government' move and a cost saving measure. Add in Texas isolationist poorly designed electrical grid that also didn't take possible weather conditions along with just general Texas hubris. The feds tried to warn the state of Texas that they needed to retool, revamp and link up with other states, only to be told of back off Texas.
Where the rubber hits the road this week those isolationist stances and arrogance haven't played out so well.
The last few days the citizens of Texas have paid the price for the bad decisions of their elected officials. Unused to freezing temperatures, the idea that they cannot get out for food, not having electricity or water or heat. It's miserable. I know it because when we first moved into our house in rural Virginia we dealt with that, once when the temps went into the minuses.
In those days our electric came from up and over the Shenandoah mountains, and all it took was a squirrel farting on the line to knock out our power. Five years later the town buried all the power lines, and switched their electrical source from Allegheny Power to the nuclear power plant on Lake Anna. They upgraded the grid and we rarely lost power. Virginia realized the need for an upgraded modern electricity grid. It's what good government does.
I swear, it's miserable to have a sulking teen, an active toddler and a baby when it's in the 40s or lower in the house and you're running your fireplace, woodstoves and Kerosun full out. Of course, we were used to having horrible winter storms, and knew to pick up extra kerosene, bread, milk, canned goods and water at the first threat of snow. We knew to leave the water in the house dripping right up until I installed heat tape on the pipes for winter. Mention winter storm and I started polishing up my snowshovel with oil while having a maniacal gleam in my eye. Checking on my quick melt supplies. Eyeballing the skies, getting out as soon as possible to shovel the walkways and scatter quick melt. I am a big believer in being prepared. You should see my car first aid kit, it's just under a first responder level kit.
Apparently Texas does not know this. I hope they learned with this storm. It's miserable when you don't know these things. I remember the winter of 1993 where in January, February, and March of that year schools were closed most of those months because the second they got everywhere plowed, taking the better part of the week, we'd get slammed with another blizzard. This went on miserably for months, and yes, we were South of the Mason-Dixon line. I remember getting stuck on a hill in the snow that winter, having to wait in my ice cold car with my kids until the plow showed up and got me out of my predicament.
So I have been listening to Texans complain about the weather, knowing it's so rough for anyone without a fireplace or any supplies. Then in tromps our billionaire friend that destroyed out church. He moved from Maine to Texas, and got clobbered with this. I have to admit, I was enjoying some delicious, delicious schadenfreude listening to him chew the scenery over the cold in the most entitled ridiculous ways possible.
Besides his home here he has a large cattle ranch, and in all his complaining about only having five fireplaces in the house, and that he couldn't get his favorite specialty coffee he never mentioned once about his ranch employees, or his tenants in his 100 plus rental homes. I asked him about them, and was told they were little people that just did not matter. Let them worry about heat and water. Today he finally got electricity, repaired his broken pipes and has now gotten his expensive coffee drinks. I asked again about his employees and tenants. Got the same answer.
I swear I am starting to positively hate folks who manipulate poorer others to voting for their bad politics, and then think only they matter. To top it off he is a minister.
Watching CNN and there's a raging fire in a large apartment complex. They don't have water to fight it, and no one knows how it started. I suspect when they trace the source it will be from a freezing family running their oven full blast with the oven door open. As usual the little people get screwed.
Comments