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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    10 months ago

    Hey! Y’all used to rely on us to kick-start y’all’s power grids! Back in the '70s and '80s! Back when racism and cocaine reigned supreme!

    Now y’all are all like, “ew, why is that racist coke-head talking to me?” Well, it’s cuz you’re woke or something!

    Hey! Listen to me and stop walking away! Why are you taking our American flags?? Hello?

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Speaking of power grids, have fun trying to keep yours maintained once you secede, Texas. It barely works as it is now.

      • jubejube@lemmus.org
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        10 months ago

        Really? It seems to be working great. In fact, Texas has the most diverse power generation with nat gas AND coal AND solar (largest national producer) AND wind (largest national producer) AND nuclear. Coupled with the largest oil play in America along with a significant amount of the country’s refining capacity, I think Texas would be just fine in a secession.

        • thefartographer@lemm.ee
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          10 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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            10 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.

            • thefartographer@lemm.ee
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              10 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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                10 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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                  10 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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                    10 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.