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.

@anniegun

Whatever the politics this a freak weather issue. To have temperatures like this in a hot region was going to test even the most robust contingency plans.

There were similar weather events in 1989 and 2011, it's not unprecedented. I think they're going to have to learn from this, moving forward. It's very sad though, to read about people freezing to death in their own homes. An 11 year old has died of hypothermia, that really shouldn't be happening. Rest in peace.

The irony is that an enormous number of Trump voters receive government-subsidised healthcare. They get Disability Insurance which qualifies you for Medicaid/Medicare, or they work for a large government organisation like the police force, which significantly subsidises their healthcare costs, for example.

@oil0W0lio

It's shocking to see third world conditions in a first world country, but a wealthy country with high levels of inequality is not a 'rich' country it is a cruel and morally bankrupt country

We really need to stop using the term 'third world'. Not only is it offensive and outdated, many 'third world' nations have their shit together compared to other more developed nations, especially 'Murica

I notice British like to swap American horror stories. I guess it makes them feel better about themselves.

@UsedUpUsername, it's practically a competitive sport on MN. And I agree with your hypothesis.

@IndiaMay perhaps that is what she is alluding to but I don't think that their personal values deserve to get them and their entire state starved to death.

Or frozen to death

@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.

And we voted for the tories and brexit, serves those people using food banks right eh???

Reading they nearly made me cry. There is just too much awful in the world. Those poor people

Also under the CARES Act unemployment insurance was increased by $600 per week, on top of whatever the states were already paying.

Is that unemployment benefit of $600 a week plus state top up? Per person? Like a person would be universal credit here?

It's really sad and these weather events are going to become more prevalent.

The soil erosion in the "American bread basket" they have turned it to dust. There will be world wide starvation if these crops start to fail

@MissConductUS

I notice British like to swap American horror stories. I guess it makes them feel better about themselves.

@UsedUpUsername, it's practically a competitive sport on MN. And I agree with your hypothesis.

Oh, they love it! Whilst ignoring increasing poverty, xenophobia and racism in their own backyard and continuing to elect and support Tory governments, along with races to the bottom and endless comparisons to WWII.

serves those people using food banks right eh???
I remember during the last election a news crew visited a food bank, they interviewed a couple of the users and they said they were voting for Johnson. I was astonished tbh, food banks and poverty at that level barely existed ten years ago and yet the food bank users were going to vote for the party that delivered this.

@MissConductUS

I notice British like to swap American horror stories. I guess it makes them feel better about themselves.

@UsedUpUsername, it's practically a competitive sport on MN. And I agree with your hypothesis.

Yes, it gets very wearying. The deprivation in parts of the UK is just as shocking, as is the government's callousness toward the poor and vulnerable.

@Unfucked

5.8 million Texans voted for a President who they knew had incarcerated children.

They voted against ‘socialised’ healthcare because they think it’s unacceptable to be responsible for people who aren’t related to them.

Now they’re learning.

The new “kinder” politics of the left, devoid of any compassion or empathy for human suffering.

*We really need to stop using the term 'third world'."

Or well, if its original meaning had held (not aligned with East or West) it would be fine. It has come to just mean poor though. I suppose even the original meaning has a hierarchy about it, with us at the top though, so still offensive. You're right.

@Kendodd

serves those people using food banks right eh??? I remember during the last election a news crew visited a food bank, they interviewed a couple of the users and they said they were voting for Johnson. I was astonished tbh, food banks and poverty at that level barely existed ten years ago and yet the food bank users were going to vote for the party that delivered this.

Or when you get Tory MPs attending the opening of new food banks and lauding it as a wonderful thing

The deprivation in parts of the UK is just as shocking
I agree, terrible levels of poverty in the UK, and falling life expectancy (pre covid) in some areas. We should be really ashamed.

@Kendodd

Also under the CARES Act unemployment insurance was increased by $600 per week, on top of whatever the states were already paying.

Is that unemployment benefit of $600 a week plus state top up? Per person? Like a person would be universal credit here?

Yes. It's referred to as PUA (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance) to differentiate it from the regular Unemployment Insurance. It's a federal program administered by the states, in addition to whatever the states were already offering.

IIRC that ran to the end of 2020 then the program became Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) which is currently running.

One of the reasons Biden is trying to get the latest Covid relief bill through is because these programs are coming to an end.

The other difference between PUA and regular UI is that they made it much easier to qualify to receive it.

The biggest challenge was with the massive overload of the UI systems, which meant in some cases it took months to actually receive the money.

Ted Cruz left his dog behind in an unheated house when he flew to Cancun

@ListeningQuietly

Ted Cruz left his dog behind in an unheated house when he flew to Cancun

I didn’t think he could sink much lower.

What a scumbag.

[quote IndiaMay]@ZZTopGuitarSolo I have close family in america and this is the reality that they are facing although I know its different for everyone.

Although admittedly my uncle does have healthcare despite now being retired, when my aunt was undergoing chemo and was so sick she was unable to work she lost her job and thus the healthcare that came with it. My cousin has had covid and does not get sick pay. He gets 5 days paid annual leave a year so not enough to cover time off.
My cousin unable to work in his role due to a clinically vulnerable child only received the first (very small) cheque from the government. He didnt work for 3 months and this cheque covered 2 weeks rent.[/quote]
I don't know which state your cousins are in, but here is the info on who qualifies for PUA.

www.maine.gov/unemployment/docs/2020/pua2020/PandemicUnemploymentAssistanceProgramDOL.pdf

As you can see it includes:

The individual has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and is seeking a medical diagnosis.

A member of the individual’s household has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The individual is providing care for a family member or a member of the individual’s household who has been diagnosed with COVID-19

A child or other person in the household for which the individual has primary caregiving responsibility is unable to attend school or another facility that is closed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency and such school or facility care is required for the individual to work.

The individual is unable to reach the place of employment because of a quarantine imposed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The individual is unable to reach the place of employment because the individual has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19.

The individual has to quit his or her job as a direct result of COVID-19.

The individual’s place of employment is closed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

An individual who works as an independent contractor with reportable income may also qualify for PUA benefits if he or she is unemployed, partially employed, or unable or unavailable to work because the COVID-19 public health emergency has severely limited his or her ability to continue performing his or her customary work activities, and has thereby forced the individual to suspend such activities.

And some others too...

@PlanDeRaccordement

Why couldn’t you put the food in a cool box outside? If it was freezing, the outside temperature would have preserved the food.

Can you fit the entire contents of your freezer into one cool box?

Well if all that works how I imagine it does it sounds much more generous to the unemployed that what we do here.

@Kendodd

Well if all that works how I imagine it does it sounds much more generous to the unemployed that what we do here.

Indeed - when people like IndiaMay say there has been absolutely no help for people in the US who've suffered due to Covid it's a little confusing...

@MissConductUS

I notice British like to swap American horror stories. I guess it makes them feel better about themselves.

@UsedUpUsername, it's practically a competitive sport on MN. And I agree with your hypothesis.

I think people forget that many British people don't handle heatwaves very well. And those heatwaves are nowhere near as hot as they are in many countries.