Texas is really, really bloody scary right now

[JesusInTheCabbageVan]

People were struggling with poverty even when things were going well. They've been hard hit by COVID, and now this.

Link here www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/18/texas-food-banks-crisis-storm-freezing-supplies

Terrifying.

@JesusInTheCabbageVan

YANBU.

Makes me extremely glad I live in the UK.

Say what you like about the UK. No fucking way would I live anywhere else. And especially not America. It's got to be such a struggle living there, unless you're wealthy.

@MechantGourmet

This is caused by Texas' isolationism though- they didn't want to be part of a national grid, because other states would take all their power... so you have three grids in the US- east, west, and Texas. Will this catastrophe change their practices?

I didn't know this!

Maybe Scotland - and Wales - should think twice, before they choose to be 'independent.'

@Emeraldshamrock

It is awful but no unusual for many well off American states have extreme poverty from starvation to homelessness no medical care, massive opioid problems caused by medics over prescriptions. It is the land of the born lucky otherwise you're fecked.

Sounds a lot like here. Ever spent any time in E. Glasgow? It's like how people think Edinburgh is a such a twee, charming, and prosperous city. Of course, no such thing as massive opioid problems here (said no one from Dundee ever ). From overprescribing, hah, it's from being poor and miserable and opioids being cheap. Being stingy with prescribing them solves nothing, junkies were never going to a fecking doctor to score gear anyhow.

It amazes me how clueless and supercilious so many Brits are about the extreme gap between rich and poor right in their own country and so point fingers and look down on others whilst ignoring the elephant in the room with an air of superiority.

And vote Tory.

It said that 87% of children in Dallas live in poverty, that's insane

@Mintjulia

I can't have much sympathy for a state that voted for Trump. They voted to deny poor people healthcare. What kind of human beings do that? Now perhaps they understand what that means!

I have huge sympathy for those who are suffering but bear no responsibility for their political choices ie the children living in poverty.

Do you have sympathy for the UK then, who voted for Tories and fucking Boris?

I realise this isn’t the point but I don’t understand the food waste. If it’s freezing temperatures why not go old school and keep it outside??

@MechantGourmet

This is caused by Texas' isolationism though- they didn't want to be part of a national grid, because other states would take all their power... so you have three grids in the US- east, west, and Texas. Will this catastrophe change their practices?

My friend and his family are in Texas, he has managed to get out a message to say they are fine but his house is flooded.

But he is really angry about this, its something he has been saying for a while now

It's true that a lot of Americans don't feel too sympathetic for Texas right now. It's not that people don't care about vulnerable people or hope they all die, but for a long time Texas has been a very conservative state, with people who constantly slag off other parts of the country and the federal government, with isolationist and vigilante tendencies (like people creating their own militias to patrol the border with Mexico). So I think there's a bit of, well that's karma for you.

(Not saying I agree with it, just not surprised by it)

I don't know how anyone could look at the footage of people with no heating, no electricity and no running water and not feel huge sympathy. Especially for the very elderly. I saw a thing on twitter about a 95 year old man, whose oxygen supply had run out and whose carer had wrapped him up in as many towels as she could find to try and keep him warm.

I hold onto the hope that, if anything food can come of the Coronavirus pandemic, it's that more decentralised models are needed and less reliance on faceless factories and distribution centres that contribute nothing really to the economic development of the consumers. The high-court ruling on Uber today might signify a small.step.in the right direction.
Heartbroken for the people of Texas; unimaginable xx

But Texans should feel hugely angry at their elected officials.

good - very apt typo

@Mintjulia

I can't have much sympathy for a state that voted for Trump. They voted to deny poor people healthcare. What kind of human beings do that? Now perhaps they understand what that means!

I have huge sympathy for those who are suffering but bear no responsibility for their political choices ie the children living in poverty.

Its not just "a state". Its almost 30 million human beings like you and me who happen to live in a geographic area defined as Texas. And many of them wont have voted for Trump, many will be those very same poor people denied healthcare. And those that voted Trump dont deserve to freeze and be abandoned. Not to mention those most responsible are able to stay cozy in their mansions or jet of to Mexico anyway

@Mintjulia

I can't have much sympathy for a state that voted for Trump. They voted to deny poor people healthcare. What kind of human beings do that? Now perhaps they understand what that means!

I have huge sympathy for those who are suffering but bear no responsibility for their political choices ie the children living in poverty.

You do realise the people on the poverty line, who are now suffering the most largely weren’t republican voters. Do you realise that off rolling specifically targets residents in poorer areas.

The wealthy who are largely responsible for voting republican have health care, can afford home insurance and can afford to feed their children.

@PPNC

I realise this isn’t the point but I don’t understand the food waste. If it’s freezing temperatures why not go old school and keep it outside??

I wondered this. I wonder if maybe its because the power shortages were intended to be rolling, and then it went off for days with no warning it was going to be for so long. I can imagine people were prioritising other stuff (like staying warm), and by the time they got to the freezer food it had started to spoil.

@Theeffectofthevaccine @PPNC

I wondered this too. Surely the contents of the fridge and freezer can be moved.

What is the reason it was wasted I wonder?

@RubysArms

I don't know how anyone could look at the footage of people with no heating, no electricity and no running water and not feel huge sympathy. Especially for the very elderly. I saw a thing on twitter about a 95 year old man, whose oxygen supply had run out and whose carer had wrapped him up in as many towels as she could find to try and keep him warm.

Me neither, where has our humanity and compassion gone?

I did note yesterday that turtles were getting more sympathy and assistance than actual human beings.

They are suffering as a result of the values they uphold. I am really struggling to feel sympathy for them - which probably makes me a terrible human being but there it is.

Wishing misfortune on people with a different political point of view does make you a terrible human being. Is there a reason that so many on the left accuse anyone on the right of being hateful whilst being blind to their own hate? People are without food, water and electricity, stop being a dick.

Texas rarely gets snow which is why they are so badly prepared. In exactly the same way that neither snow chains or air conditioning are common in the UK, we rarely experience the kind if extreme weather which requires them.

We kept it outside but it started to thaw. Who would we give it to? No one had power to cook it! 4 million homes without power!

Pelicans how did you manage with the cold at home, did you just eat what you had at home? Sounds tough

@PicsInRed

Texas is large and wealthy enough to be its own country, and has a very distinct state culture and history. As a US state, it's fascinating.

Their situation presently is certainly lamentable and a bit embarrassing, but in their defence they aren't accustomed to this degree of "weather", they also draw a lot of energy from wind and the wind turbines have frozen, causing mass outages.

Criticising Texas feels a bit like Central Europe or Russia laughing at our difficulties during Beast from the East.

Only 10% of their power comes from wind energy. The power grid never invested in the grid. El Paso next door did, they pay a little more on thier bills, stock holder got a litte less return but hey - they have avoided this. Same goes for housing - there is little to no regulation. All safety margins are eeked out. I disagree that it would be like CE or Russia laughing at us un a storm. These problems are a direct result of Libertarian economic policies.

I wouldnt use the term "serves them right" and I dont think this is about the difference between voting Republican or Democrat. But the US is a democracy where the people support a system that promotes personal responsibility, and the right to live your life as you see fit over the provision of more government intervention, a benefits safety net, universal health care and lots of things that would decrease inequality. And the pandemic has shown us that doing things that impede personal freedoms "for the common good" is extremely controversial there.

And the downside of this philosophy is exactly - this.

I think the Republicans would dearly like to blame the wind turbines for this situation but it's clearly not the case.

I see Trump Jr was on Twitter yesterday off his tits telling Texans that they should direct their anger at their Democratic governor.

Even though Texas hasn't had a Dem governor since 1995 or thereabouts.

@Porcupineintherough

They are suffering as a result of the values they uphold. I am really struggling to feel sympathy for them - which probably makes me a terrible human being but there it is.

I have followed US politics closely for a long time, and find it hard to disagree with this as far as the Texan electorate are concerned.