They do this all the time. Maybe Biden should call their bluff, execute his powers as Commander in Chief, and order the National Guard in Texas to turn on State Police.

  • thefartographer@lemm.ee
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    9 months ago

    As someone who had to wrap my dementia-affected grandmother in blankets and help her sleep next to my mom’s fireplace while she randomly woke up yelling out my recently-deceased grandfather’s name back in February 2021, I’m gonna say our problem is less about diversification and more about maintenance, infrastructure, oversight, and corruption/improper investments.

    There’s a wolf going through your neighborhood that can easily get into homes with old alarm systems but easily defeated by updated security. Are you gonna let the wolf eat you because you’re so proud of how well you designed your old-ass system and the cool modern features it can mimick, or are you gonna call the fucking alarm company and update your security system no matter the cost?

    We keep trying nothing and then saying, “but it won’t be so bad this time because we invested more money into the people who failed us last time.”

    • jubejube@lemmus.org
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      9 months ago

      Yep I completely agree there. They didn’t upgrade the plants to be ready for a cold snap back in Feb 21. I was right in the middle of it. Can you confidently say nothing has been done to mitigate it for next time? Because it just hit -10 for three days without a problem.

      • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Can you confidently say nothing has been done to mitigate it for next time?

        Yes. Nothing has been done to mitigate it for next time. ERCOT uses weather and manufactured scarcity to drive increased profits as we suffer. They will not willingly fix anything, and there is no mechanism to force them to fix anything.

        Abbott is heavily funded by ERCOT. What ERCOT wants, ERCOT gets and Abbott will sit by and placate Texans about it as needed. That’s what he’s paid by them to do.

        When Abbott and ERCOT say “we’ve done a lot of things to prevent this from happening again. We invested in more generation and winterization”, but then point to nothing substantial, what they are saying is they’ve done nothing to prevent another opportunity for them to manufacture scarcity on the bodies of dead Texans again.

        During this latest cold spell last week, which was significantly warmer state-wide than the blackout event, ERCOT issued rolling blackout warnings for three days, warning us that rolling blackouts were possible over and over again. They falsely blamed wind generation short-comings, despite wind advisories and wind storms all week long all over Texas.

        They are terrible liars and, instead of pushing back on them, you defend them. Why? Why are you defending vile, grotesque sub-humans who profit on the deaths of fellow Texans?

        Every word uttered by a conservative is deception or manipulation. Never, ever believe a conservative. Never.

      • thefartographer@lemm.ee
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        9 months ago

        You’re not wrong that some changes were made but the vast majority of investment isn’t going into sustainable solution. Texas Monthly recently had an interesting write-up about the nuances as to why the power stayed on this year.

        I’m also not sure where you are, but in San Antonio this year, the temperature, precipitation, and duration were all far more forgiving than 2021.

        My concern is that, especially with the Texas grid still being privatized, profits will continue to be prioritized over safety and cold weather will soon not be the only killer.

        • jubejube@lemmus.org
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          9 months ago

          There is always going to be a risk in extreme weather for power issues. I don’t believe increased government regulation is going to help as they are terrible at doing things efficiently and cost effectively. Texas has some of the cheapest power which is great for those of modest means and it would be a shame to change that for those choosing between a meal or their power bill. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

          • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            OK since there’s always a risk, how about we take away your air conditioning. You don’t need it to survive most of the time, so fuck preparing for the rare events, right??

            Fucking pathetic.

            • jubejube@lemmus.org
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              9 months ago

              By your methodology, should we also take away seat belts in cars? I maintain my ac so it is always in working order and ready to handle extreme heat. Also a generator on hand to back it up just in case. Not pathetic my friend, just ready.

              • IamtheMorgz@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                Too bad those of modest means can’t afford their own generators. But screw them right? Should probably have been born richer.

                • jubejube@lemmus.org
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                  9 months ago

                  Who said screw them? I’m not rich. Hard work and sacrifice is what allowed me to do it. They aren’t crazy expensive and buying used is always an option. I’m sure others of modest means could do it too.

          • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            Funny. Their electric grid is also ran by corrupt buffoons. Almost like there’s a running theme here, but only one state is proud of that corruption…

            • jubejube@lemmus.org
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              9 months ago

              Hey person I am against corruption as much as anyone. All human systems are corruptible and we need to be realistic. To think that “they” are being malicious is probably not correct. I don’t think the many thousand of people involved in the power industry laugh about people dying in extreme weather. Nor the ones at the top. They believe a free market for energy has benefits that outweigh the negatives. If anyone has evidence of real corruption I will gladly pick up my pitchfork and join the party. There are bad apples in almost every bunch and should be rooted out.

              • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                You are literally braindead or a mouth piece of corporations. Grow up and get CEO dick out of your mouth.

                • jubejube@lemmus.org
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                  9 months ago

                  Got nothing left but to call me names? Cheers man and good luck, you probably need it