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Boy, that power grind in TX they refused to connect to the national grid because they didn't like all those regulations and that is wholly owned by a private corporation is operating swimmingly this week!
Good thing those those nanny state experts didn't force them to adequately maintain that grid! And it's definitely great that they're unable to import power from, say, Florida right now!
Texas grid fails to weatherize, repeats mistake feds cited 10 years ago
Libertarian paradise!
“No one owes you [or] your family anything,” Tim Boyd, previously mayor of Colorado City, Texas wrote Tuesday in a Facebook post. “I’m sick and tired of people looking for a damn handout!”
Yeah, fuck you and your family! Bootstraps motherfucker, have you heard of them!?!?!?!
The Texas power grid failed mostly due to natural gas. Republicans are blaming wind turbines.
Pass that buck like a true Patriot!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday February 17 2021, @07:20PM (27 children)
They managed to fuck up the Super Bowl in TEXAS and STILL didn't learn their lesson. [houstonchronicle.com]
Yes, they can prepare for something that keeps happening over and over.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2021, @07:31PM (25 children)
Mind you, it's not as if the Texas situation were even a particularly free market.
One operator, largely acting in a highly regulated environment? Yeah, not so great.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2021, @07:43PM (22 children)
Maybe it is time that you realized certain sectors of the economy are not well suited to the "free market" ideology? Nah, can't change the foundation of your world view just because it is riddled with cracks!
Instead of admitting that regulation was a good thing that would have prevented these problems for critical infrastructure you double down and blame government interference? Come on now.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2021, @08:14PM (21 children)
Projection on your part, perhaps?
I'm no free market fundamentalist, nor an AnCap or anything like it.
But I am saying that the circumstance at hand wasn't an indictment of a free market because nothing like that was in place.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday February 17 2021, @08:21PM (15 children)
Republican "leadership" is at fault for this crisis, indict them. Add their constant lies about how great and free their busted ass energy grid is to the list if you want!
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday February 17 2021, @08:48PM (4 children)
People keep voting for them anyway, indict them!
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday February 17 2021, @09:03PM (3 children)
Those voters are getting all the "free market", Republican "leadership", "deregulation" and "reliable power grid" that they voted for.
I hope they are enjoying their:
* free market
* Republican "leadership"
* deregulation
* "reliable" power grid
Yeah, go ahead. Keep pretending like global warming isn't happening and maybe it will go away. Expect hoter highs and colder lows, every coming year.
The Electoral College voting is an affirmative action program for low populated states.
(Score: 1, Funny) by fustakrakich on Wednesday February 17 2021, @09:40PM (2 children)
The forecast, chili today, hot tamale... Tomorrow's high, whenever I get up...
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday February 18 2021, @05:34AM (1 child)
Here in my Democrat run state, yep.
TX not so much, nor warm chili let alone hot tamales!
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday February 18 2021, @05:41AM
At least nothing in the fridge will spoil
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday February 18 2021, @12:59AM (8 children)
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday February 18 2021, @02:21AM (7 children)
98% of the voters think two parties is just fine. If you got a problem that, take it up with them. The market could not be freer.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday February 18 2021, @02:27AM (3 children)
This time. There will be more such opportunities.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday February 18 2021, @02:57AM (2 children)
This time, last time, many times... And there is nothing to indicate any change in the future, except for the followers to dig in their heels even further. What is unknown is which the GOP brand will side with if there is a split, the culture warriors, or the "moderates". It would be best for them to drop the facade (which is a big expense) and officially merge with the dems and fortify their conservative base and power in congress. If the liberals want anything, they'll have to do it outside the party structure, through initiatives, whatever.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday February 18 2021, @03:48AM (1 child)
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday February 18 2021, @04:17AM
Certainly explains your condition...
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 18 2021, @07:16AM (1 child)
Based on vote counting patterns I would say that in the most recent election around 90% of the voters think two parties is just fine. 2% voted for third parties, and 8% are fictional or dead.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 18 2021, @06:40PM
Hint: if you want people to vote for your alternative then it better, at the very least, be less shitty than what is already on offer. I will be eagerly awaiting your less shitty alternative this next election cycle.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 22 2021, @11:46PM
Is it fine with them? Or are many of them being pressured into voting for one of the evil twins by the first past the post voting system?
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday February 18 2021, @09:08AM
Saying it again. They are, not me
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Perry-says-Texans-wiling-to-suffer-blackouts-to-15956705.php [houstonchronicle.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2021, @09:40PM (4 children)
Ok fair enough on my assumptions of your personal opinions, but part of my point was much broader.
There is no free market because without any government regulation the "free" markets consolidate into monopolies over time. Ever head of a war chest? Owners would save up money so they could slash their prices to undercut their competitors long enough to drive them out of business. Super awesome free market efficiency at work amirite?
So strangely enough the "free market" can only exist when the government enforces antitrust laws.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Azuma Hazuki on Thursday February 18 2021, @12:05AM (2 children)
Ironic, isn't it? :) But point that out to the pants-shitting "libertarians" and they throw an absolute tantrum, because the idee fixe they've got ground into their brains is "fewer rules = more freedom, always, no exceptions."
This is why I don't think "libertarians" are arguing in good faith: taken to their real-world applications and conclusions, their ideas result in LESS freedom and MORE suffering. And they don't care, no matter how often it happens and they're shown. "Libertarian" is a fancy word for "selfish, willfully-ignorant sociopath who only cares about their own freedom to shit all over other people."
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 18 2021, @07:57PM (1 child)
Right, because libertarians are all hyperventilating anarchists.
I think if you beat that straw man harder, candy will come out.
Besides a few randians and anarcho-capitalists, libertarians take strong stances in favour of banning things like fraud, and supporting contract law, tort law and so on.
You could have found this out for yourself if you'd bothered to do a modicum of research.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 19 2021, @12:52AM
Their presidential candidate this past election cycle is also an anti-vaxxer. [reason.com] Just so you know.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 18 2021, @07:47AM
I'm genuinely curious about one thing. How can you make statements like this, while still being able to see what you can see with your own eyes? What I mean is that in the past, with relatively minimal regulations, there was a healthy and functioning market. Some companies, and individuals like the Carnegies, managed to create immense monopolistic empires but they were the exception rather than the rule. And today? We're rapidly converging on there being nothing but one mega-corporation that owns everything in places like America.
I agree your analysis is correct, in so much as that in the free market companies can engage in dubious behavior to drive competitors out of business. So what are you missing? I think two things.
#1) What happens next in the regulation-free system? The large company can't keep their prices artificially low indefinitely. They need to bring them back up, at which point other companies can come right back. In general the price of bad behavior is expensive and the gains liminal. There will always be bad actors, but the invisible hand does create a strong incentive for simply offering a better product instead of trying to be the scummiest.
#2) In our system these hoops and hurdles provide an effective barrier to entry for big business, which ironically not only enables and protects but overtly incentivizes bad behavior. You have never tried to start or run a business. How do I know? Because you still think all these regulations are a good idea. There are a million and one hoops and hurdles you need to jump through to run a business. And the vast majority of them have little to nothing to do with actual safety. And these rules are constantly changing. Regulatory compliance has become so complex that it imposes a tremendous burden on any company with low to moderate revenue. But big multinational corporations? They have entire legal teams on standby for a fraction of a percent of their entire revenue. They can comply, fight, or change regulations as they deem fit - not only through legal means but also by simply buying congressmen who come surprisingly cheaply relative to the revenues involved. And I haven't even hit on regulatory capture - over time you gradually end up having these very corporations often end up running the regulatory schemes.
In our system have you ever noticed it's often the biggest [cnn.com], scummiest [reuters.com], corporations (and banks [bitcoin.com])calling for more regulation? It's because it's weaponized.
Regulations, in a perfect world, are obviously a good thing. But we live in a world where everything gets corrupted. So the question is, does a corrupted free market offer better outcomes? Or does a corrupted free market with corrupted regulation offer better outcomes? And in my opinion, I think clearly evidenced by reality, is that the former offers the better outcomes.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 18 2021, @12:39AM
Are the ENRON "smartest guys in the room" out of Federal prison, yet? Maybe they could "fix" the situation!
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday February 18 2021, @08:37AM
Yeeees, because competition will always drive towards the extra costs required for safety and building resilience into the system for once in 10 year events.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 18 2021, @05:29AM
The official report from FERC. [ferc.gov] Read their recommendations from 2011. A large number of those were completely ignored. Another batch appear to have been only partially implemented. Another chunk could have been done within the two weeks leading up to the cold snap but weren't.
If there is one benefit from all of this, FERC's report from this incident will be easier to write thanks to Texas's actions allowing them to freely use copy-paste.