Wow so People in Texas now have to worry about the electric bill being up to 10k.
@jessi1978 I read about these electric bills and it makes no sense to me. Isn’t it considered gouging when you hike prizes during a crisis? Apparently not for power companies. I feel so bad for all those people, one girl who owns a small apothecary shop is getting charged $450 a day for electricity. I cannot hate the republicans more than I do now, their greed and disregard for others is beyond belief.
I'm in Texas, and I appreciate this site. It has been an extremely difficult week, to say the least. My neighborhood was lucky as we all had heat, water and the internet. Others weren't so lucky. A friend stayed with me after she lost electricity and her apartment was 33 degrees- she was freezing and couldn't find a hotel. My mom's condo was fine until the next door neighbor's pipes froze and burst, and water spewed into her bedroom. They've shut off the water until it can be fixed - probably Thursday of next week. The silver lining is that she needed new carpet, and now she will get it!
People are helping each other. I haven't been to the store in a few days, but when I was there the shelves were empty- like at the beginning of the COVID shut-down.
People here aren't blaming Biden. They are furious with Cruz abandoning Texas and going to Mexico, as well as Governor Abbott falsely blaming renewable energy for this crisis. My US Representative Colin Allred has been on all over the news explaining the REAL reason we are in this crisis is because of the deregulation and the fact Texas has it's own grid system- that has NOT been winterized to withstand this kind of weather. And the renewable energy - windmills- were NOT the reason for this crisis as being spewed on Foxnews -68% of our energy source is from natural gas, coal and nuclear energy. The silver lining here is the decades long rule of the GOP representatives and their for-profit only deregulations and insistence to not be part of the federal grid system are the blame for this crisis. Greg Abbott has been governor for 6 years so the blame rests on his incapable shoulders as well.
I hope this crisis wakes-up my GQP friends. I think now that Turd is no longer able to spew his lies on Twitter, and this week another GQP liar-Rush Limbaugh, died. And Texans are being forced to see how they've been lied to by our own Governor. People are beginning to see a pattern of how they've been lied to - for decades by the GQP. Maybe I'm being too optimistic, but I don't think so.
@jessi1978 I read that too , with horror and disbelief!!!! What are people with fixed incomes that barely exceed that for a year!!!!! ever going to pay that for a month's worth of disastrous charges!!! I would have to live in my house without electricity if that were to happen here.
Single mothers struggling to make ends meet to raise their children haven't got the means to pay that kind of utility bill! Small business owners already struggling from the Pandemic will suffer this as a final blow as they sink under!!!
Seniors suffer so much inequity already... and many view us as having outlived our usefulness and as "leech's" on society. Sadly Covid-19 brought about horrific choices of who would get treatment and who wouldn't based on age/ability to overcome the disease.
There are so many who struggle paycheck to paycheck and have no back up for emergencies - what are people going to do ????
I pray that the obscene profits being made by creatures like Jerry Jones, who has been crowing about the enormous profit he is making off this crisis, forces changes. It's reprehensible and heartbreaking to profit off of what harms and hurts so many of our people.
I am just heartsick. I know it takes these kinds of disasters to wake people up. That being said? I am so tired of seeing the hatred, the abuse and the perpetuation of poverty that does not seem that far removed from the beginnings of our civilizations.
We have come so far, and yet...we haven't,and we have so far to go.
My Congressman was on MSNBC this am saying if that happens, it's called price gauging and is illegal. I'm on a contract with Texas Utility but my mom isn't. If she gets hit with a huge bill I'm going to call Congressman Allred's office first, then TXU. I think it's the offbeat companies whose rates are very low during normal times and lure people in. Last summer, one utility company told their customers to stop using them as the rates went sky-high--it was during an over 100 degree weather. The GQP LOVES deregulation, that is until it bankrupts them or kills them....
I think it's the offbeat companies whose rates are very low during normal times and lure people in. Last summer, one utility company told their customers to stop using them as the rates went sky-high--it was during an over 100 degree weather.
I looked at the article referenced by @Jessi1978-- and the power company was an outfit called "Griddy". I looked at their site-- apparently their gig is that they sell power at wholesale prices. Usually this is cheaper than from a regular power company, but when demand rises, as it did during the cold, prices rise, and that is why people were socked with outrageous bills.
To their credit, Griddy did have a message on their website actually encouraging people to switch providers during this time. They even listed names and website links to their competitors. . Nevertheless, people who didn't or couldn't switch in time have huge bills. Griddy has now posted a message blaming the Public Utility Commission of Texas for setting the wholesale price too high with too little warning. Griddy literally says they are "pissed" and are going to fight for their customers. See https://www.griddy.com/post/griddy-update-why-energy-prices-were-sky-high-this-week (disclaimer: I don't live in Texas and don't know anything personally about the utilities there, but this is just what the website says.)
@numerologist People here aren't blaming Biden. They are furious with Cruz abandoning Texas and going to Mexico, as well as Governor Abbott falsely blaming renewable energy for this crisis
You can't really blame Cruz for wanting to cross the border with his family and escape to a civilized country, some place that has things like electricity and running water.
Houston police met Cruz as he returned to the airport. Something about him having 50 lbs. of crack in his Speedo ?
Today a Mariachi band played at Ted Cruz's house. The crime scene tape was also a nice touch, hehheh https://twitter.com/i/status/1363660844094128130
I wish that is was true, and the Texas would finally throw the GOP to the curb, but as a resident of a deep red state myself (Tennessee), I don't hold out much hope that they will do so.
Why should they? 40% of Republicans are still supporting Trump and would leave the GOP to become part of a new "Trump" party.
Let that wash over you for a moment. A full forty percent of the GOP would leave the party of Lincoln and go to support a terrorist leading, raping, lying, criminal individual who does nothing but whine and complain about he is always the victim.
The Republicans have become the "let's blame the liberals for everything" party. Sadly, not only do they count everyone who doesn't agree with them 100% as "liberals," (the media, any republican who doesn't support Trump, the moderates, etc.), but they do everything they can to ensure that they go against common sense measures and simple human kindness simply because the liberals support it.
Give money to the poor during this pandemic? Liberalism! Ensure that people get money when a disaster hits (remember how Cruz was so against aid to the victims in Super Storm Sandy but wants money from the government when Texas gets hit)? Liberalism! Allow for abortions when a woman's life is in danger if she carries it to term or if the mother is a 12 year old that was raped by her father? LIBERALISM!!!!!!
Are all GOP members like that? No. Most are good, decent human beings, but your representative is supposed to represent your state, and you and I unfortunately are having to deal with the fact that our representatives represent nothing except to "make libs cry" and to support Trump.
In short, I hope and pray that the GOP comes crashing down in the 2022 election (or however long it takes) and loses many seats in the House, the Senate, and the State governorships. What is the point of a two-party system when one party's sole objective is to make everyone else miserable? We NEED the Republican party to do so in 2022, least we suffer yet another return of Trump (or his family) in 2024. Even if he doesn't win, he will drive his voters to commit more acts of terrorism and violence.
Until the Republican party is destroyed, I fear that people in red states like you and I will continue to suffer. It is no coincidence that many red states rank last in the nation when you look at health care, basic necessities, happiness, hate crimes, etc.