26 thoughts on “WE CAN LAND A ROVER ON MARS…BUT NO POWER OR RUNNING WATER IN TEXAS!

  1. Michael Padgett

    Watching what’s going on in Texas is depressing, but it’s difficult to be too sympathetic toward Texans when they keep electing right wing nut jobs like Greg Abbott and and Rick Perry to run their state. Back during the Obama administration there was constant talk of secession in the state, and I kept hoping they’d do it.

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      1. Jerry House

        Let’s not be too harsh about Ted Cruz, George. According to one internet meme, he just crossed the border seeking a better life for his children

  2. Patti Abbott

    As long as we aren’t willing to spend money on infrastructure, these things will continue to plague us. And global warming exacerbates the problem, of course. Disgusting to hear Gov Abbott blame it all on the few windmills.

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    1. george Post author

      Patti, it’s always about the political agendas of these politicians. Many of the GOP don’t believe in climate change or Science. So they blame windmills (10% of Texas power) instead of the lack of insulation for their natural gas, oil, and solar facilities. Hopefully, Texas voters will see through these lame excuses.

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  3. Michael Padgett

    George, I’m not letting Cruz off the hook by any means. In what would be a close contest he’s probably the most loathsome member of the Senate. But I think that governors and state legislatures bear more responsibility than senators for the stupid infrastructure decisions that have resulted in the current disaster.

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    1. Jeff Meyerson

      When even the toady Lindsey Graham said that if Ted Cruz was murdered on the floor of the Senate, no one in the Senate would convict, you know he’s hated. And leaving his poor poodle behind in (as Mrs. Ted put it) a FREEZING house, was bad.

      All I could think was, if Bill Crider was here, he would say “Texas leads the way.”

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  4. maggie mason

    I agree about how many Texans keep voting for GOP, but hope they have their eyes open. While Cruz ran to Mexico, his opponent in the last election raised $$ (as did AOC) to aid people, and mobilized people to check on the elderly via phones, etc. This should open their eyes, to corruption and climate change.

    Cruz initially said since they had power, they invited their kids friends over for a sleep over, then the story was they lost power and decided to go to Mx., where it’s warm. He had a large carry on and tote bag, but claimed to just wanted to be a good dad and take his kids there and come back the next day. apparently his initial plane reservations contradicted that. And of course, his wife certainly should have been capable of escorting 2 teenagers. So he’s shown his true colors. Hopefully there will be a recall election and get him out of office. And remember, he voted against aid to victims of a previous disaster (Sandy?) Sadly, he has several years left on his term if not recalled

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    1. george Post author

      Maggie, Ted Cruz has always been a creep. He is the most hated man in the Senate–and that includes his GOP colleagues who can’t stand him. But, Cruz has Big Money donors who feed his campaigns. And, Cruz has 4 more years before he faces an Election again.

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  5. Deb

    Nothing says “I’m a patriotic American” by aiding and abetting insurrectionists and then jetting off the Cancun leaving your constituents to freeze and starve.

    Some people (especially those whose minds have been warped by right-wing media) don’t want to accept that taxes, bureaucracy, regular maintenance and upgrades to the infrastructure, and planning for the worst-case scenarios (as I always say, you can’t staff the fire department based on the days you don’t have fires) are things that make a society functioning and healthy. Since the election of Ronald Reagan, when we collectively decided it was more important to make sure billionaires got more money than to perform appreciable infrastructure maintenance, we have gradually slipped into third-world status. Forty years of letting everything decay and devolve has led us to this moment. Get ready—this summer is going to be just as bad, but in reverse.

    /Cassandra dismounts her soapbox now.

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    1. george Post author

      Deb (aka, Cassandra), people reap what they sow. Cutting back on taxes, infrastructure improvements, maintenance, and planning results in the disasters in Texas. And, as you point out, Texas faces a lot more problems this Summer. It would also help if the voters of Texas (and other Red States) elected politicians who believed in Science.

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      1. george Post author

        Jeff, with leaders like Gohmert, Perry, Abbott, and Cruz Texas faces their egregess decisions. More disasters on the horizon!

  6. Rick Robinson

    I am FUCKING TIRED of hearing about Texas. No one made a peep when Oregon lost power for many days, some are still without it. Texas can go to hell for all I care. The Rover, however, is very cool indeed.

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    1. george Post author

      Rick, I feel sorry for all the Oregonians and Texans who are suffering from lack of water, food, heat, power, and assistance. It shouldn’t be this way in America. The Rover on Mars shows we have the technology to build a stable power grid so no one in the U.S. would lose power. We could build a water system so people don’t have to melt snow to flush their toilets in Texas. Your comment about Texans can go to hell misses the point: Texans are already in Hell!

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  7. Kent Morgan

    Just leave politics out of it for the time being and think about the people having to deal with the situation. Here in Manitoba we have lost power a number of times so I know how difficult it can be. But unlike Texans we are used to dealing with winter storms. Not much snow this winter and only a few days last week where it was extremely cold. i.e., 35-40 degrees below C. The last major storm was in the early winter of 2019 when power was out and many trees were destroyed. You get more snow in upper New York State than we do these days. This week the Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival is on in the town where I grew up. While the world championship dog race was cancelled, some of the other outdoor events took place in the extreme cold weather.

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    1. george Post author

      Kent, we’ve been hit with 72 inches of snow this Winter–which is just about Normal for us. What we are NOT used to is the cold temperatures–but not as cold as yours!

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  8. wolf

    I have fond memories of Texas, more than 20 years ago I did a tour (alone) after my first wife had died to go to several concerts by my favourite Steve Winwood. Besides Houston, Austin (my favourite again) , the German corner (Grüne and New Braunfels) and Ft Worth, of course I had to go to the Space Center and to Galveston.
    I got the feeling that infrastructure was very good – especially the roads/interstates.
    But I also remember talking with someone in Ft Worth about those Interstate crossings on several levels and he told me that sometimes you have a cold winter there (which I hadn’t expected) – and then they have to close the crossings – no way to get rid of ice and snow there …
    That really surprised me!
    Maybe the really good news here is that people will start to think about their Repug polticians … 🙂 🙂

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    1. Jeff Meyerson

      Wolf, I forgot to mention that (Covid willing) we have tickets to see Steve Winwood opening for Steely Dan in July! The last time we saw him was opening for Santana in 2010.

      The only times I’d been to Texas (before 2019) was at the airports – DFW flying from New York to San Francisco and Houston/George Bush flying home from Phoenix. We did go to the Bouchercon in Dallas a year and a half ago and had a pretty good time.

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      1. wolf

        Jeff, I envy you!
        My wife and I are both over 75, so the stress of flying and maybe standing at a concert for hours …
        Congratulations for that concert – if it happens!

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