Politics And Current Events

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

those that are slapped with the massive bills: do they actually have to pay those? or is there some arbitration process they can go through to make it so they're not paying ridiculous prices?

the companies failing is one thing but bringing retail customers down with them is a failure of the system imo

[Morkle]

Also in election fraud news......

Maricopa County on Tuesday released the results of election audits from two independent auditors it hired to verify that voting machines were not hacked, were not connected to the internet and counted votes properly during the 2020 general election. The auditors found that the county used certified equipment and software, no malicious hardware was found on voting machines, the machines were not connected to the internet, and the machines were programmed to tabulate ballots accurately, according to a letter from county election directors to the supervisors.

[mikey]

So, Texas closed themselves off from the rest of the marketplace and failed...?

[NTP66]

So, Texas closed themselves off from the rest of the marketplace and failed...?

That's the core of the argument, yeah. They wanted to be independent and avoid the regulation that comes with connecting to a power grid across state lines.

[mikey]

Gotcha, all right...I guess that means that no one had the ability to choose something that was "on the books" because physically there wasn't a tie to anything outside of Texas...?

[shmenguin]

as a response to a once in a generation disaster, texans should pay a reasonable rate and the feds should subsidize the rest, allowing the power company to "break even" and no more.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

when we say “deregulation”, do we mean on the reproduction side (not winterizing production aspects), the pricing side (ridiculous variable rate caps) or both?

[Pavel Bure]

Gotcha, all right...I guess that means that no one had the ability to choose something that was "on the books" because physically there wasn't a tie to anything outside of Texas...?

This, they didn’t have other options even if they wanted them.

I would also like to bring up a reminder where heavily relaxing regulation led to the California rolling blackouts due to Enron creating choke-points for power transfer and making false predictions about power needed for certain times of day/year which in turn causes prices to sky rocket for the state.

Basically, deregulation has failed before in the power scene due to corporate and rich people greed.

[tifosi77]

those that are slapped with the massive bills: do they actually have to pay those? or is there some arbitration process they can go through to make it so they're not paying ridiculous prices?

the companies failing is one thing but bringing retail customers down with them is a failure of the system imo

Theoretically, consumers are on the hook, and I've seen a few stories of people that have already paid their 5-figure bills. There are also efforts afoot that @Fire0nIce228 can surely speak to with more authority and detail to either defer or prorate those bills over a number of years, or have the state and local governments absorb those costs on consumers' behalf.

The prorate thing is stupid to me. It's like a surcharge on consumers for the service provider's stupidity.

[dodint]

FEMA is paying those bills, it was posted in the thread a few days ago. Texas is getting yet another federal handout to pay for their arrogance.

[NTP66]

FEMA is paying those bills, it was posted in the thread a few days ago. Texas is getting yet another federal handout to pay for their arrogance.

And this is why nothing will ever change- they will continue to be bailed out, every single time.

[dodint]

Yeah. I don't mind federal support for states that fail at trying. Texas does the opposite, struts about talking about how they ought to be their own country and here's why; then they stick their hands right out at the first sign of struggle.

[tifosi77]

Gotcha, all right...I guess that means that no one had the ability to choose something that was "on the books" because physically there wasn't a tie to anything outside of Texas...?

This, they didn’t have other options even if they wanted them.

I would also like to bring up a reminder where heavily relaxing regulation led to the California rolling blackouts due to Enron creating choke-points for power transfer and making false predictions about power needed for certain times of day/year which in turn causes prices to sky rocket for the state.

Basically, deregulation has failed before in the power scene due to corporate and rich people greed.

That Enron thing played out over more than a year.

[tifosi77]

Yeah. I don't mind federal support for states that fail at trying. Texas does the opposite, struts about talking about how they ought to be their own country and here's why; then they stick their hands right out at the first sign of struggle.

I've never really understood where this mindset comes from. Texas was neither the first nor the most recent state admitted to the union after being an independent territory.

[tifosi77]

Catching up on the thread from a few pages back..........

All things being equal, I'd much rather be Tesla/SpaceX Guy than Amazon Guy.

[Pavel Bure]

Gotcha, all right...I guess that means that no one had the ability to choose something that was "on the books" because physically there wasn't a tie to anything outside of Texas...?

This, they didn’t have other options even if they wanted them.

I would also like to bring up a reminder where heavily relaxing regulation led to the California rolling blackouts due to Enron creating choke-points for power transfer and making false predictions about power needed for certain times of day/year which in turn causes prices to sky rocket for the state.

Basically, deregulation has failed before in the power scene due to corporate and rich people greed.

That Enron thing played out over more than a year.

Correct because they gouged the state not the consumer. Regardless relaxed regulations allowed it to happen.

[dodint]

Catching up on the thread from a few pages back..........

All things being equal, I'd much rather be Tesla/SpaceX Guy than Amazon Guy.

This tracks.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

Elon might be crazy, but I feel like he's genuine at least. I trust him more than I trust Bezos

[Troy Loney]

When it rains, it pours

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/24/former- ... ssion.html

[Troy Loney]

I am not sure what wavelength the Bezos / Musk comparison is taking place. Bezos is akin to Zuckerberg to me as it comes to business acumen and destructiveness. I don't think Musk is **** people over left and right, like those two, he's just incapable of taking any criticism.

[nocera]

Awww, yeahhh

Here they are in action:

[DigitalGypsy66]

They need those shoes with the retractable wheels that get kids sent home from elementary school.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

heelys bro

[dodint]

I used to inline skate a lot in the south. One day I wore a fitness tracker to see how fast I could go. Turns out I could maintain a pace of about 8mph, pretty close to my normal running pace. I could do it longer though.

[Fire0nIce228]

So, Texas closed themselves off from the rest of the marketplace and failed...?

That's the core of the argument, yeah. They wanted to be independent and avoid the regulation that comes with connecting to a power grid across state lines.

I think thats a piece of it but I believe I read that Texas does indeed have some power connections to Mexico and surround states, but in effect those power lines that ARE tied to other sources are few and far between and only so much power can be brought in so to speak. And when Texas Generator Companies does/did need to get power from the surrounding states, they paid spot price for it (read: high, during high demand time of course). And then to top it off, when Mexico/surrounding states got cold due to the storm and their own demand went up, they shut off selling to Texas and took care of their own customers first.

As far as individual Companies go I have no idea but I assume some/most of the consumer facing Companies lock into annual contracts with generators and/or likely hedge purchase electricity similar to oil and natural gas to protect themselves. But of course as we've learned, not all the consumer facing Companies in the state did that or did that well and are now out of business or going to need a bail out.

Crappy situation all around. Alot of people resigning at the ERCOT or whatever it is. Hopefully this leads to improvements so that this doesnt and can't happen again. But once the hooplah dies down and the lobbying starts, we'll see...