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>I feel for the people who are impacted by this but they voted for this time and time again. Not sure that everyone impacted 'voted for this', or that even the

by veltas 6y ago

>I feel for the people who are impacted by this but they voted for this time and time again. Not sure that everyone impacted 'voted for this', or that even the majority had an opportunity to vote on this issue specifically.

sgift 6y ago
Everyone? No. A majority? Probably. I think over long times and always voting for the same "feds are bad" and "regulation is bad" people you can infer that at least a significant part of the voters thought this was a good idea. Or at least an idea that was acceptable to them as part of the package they bought with their votes. Voting for a governing body will always be a compromise. You have to decide what are the issues I cannot budge on and what are the issues I like but can live without and then find the best deal out of the available ones.
ashtonkem 6y ago
Of course not everyone voted for this. Even in reliably red or blue states there are a lot of voters who vote against whoever won. By its very size Texas has a lot of democrats in it, just not nearly as many as it has republicans. That being said, Greg Abbott beat his democratic opponent by 13.3 points, which is a lot. He won in 2014 by 20.4 points, which is even more. And while I personally doubt that this specific issue was a campaign point, it’s hard to deny that minimal regulation and a general attitude against interdependence weren’t major campaign planks. Does anyone doubt what Abbott’s position on power regulation or connecting to the federal grid would be? Are any of his voters under the impression that Abbott would regulate power more? Certainly not. Does that mean Texans deserve this on a moral basis? No, of course not. But a majority of their voters continually voted for leaders that have led them to this place. It’s kind of hard to know what to do for them when they keep voting for people who seem to care more about vacations and Fox News hits than actually serving their constituents.
hownottowrite 6y ago
There are also a lot of people who don't vote for anything. Maybe they should and maybe next time they will. In any case, ERCOT and the PUC have enjoyed bipartisan support in Texas for many decades. The GOP may have their hand on the controls right now but they're not the only ones to blame. Someone else posted "The Second Battle of the Alamo: The Midnight Connection" here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26161121 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26161121 It was basically required reading for anyone in the energy sector 20 years ago, probably still is today. Maybe give it a read before you get too excited about what Texans are for and against.

by veltas 6y ago

sgift 6y ago

Everyone? No. A majority? Probably. I think over long times and always voting for the same "feds are bad" and "regulation is bad" people you can infer that at least a significant part of the voters thought this was a good idea. Or at least an idea that was acceptable to them as part of the package they bought with their votes. Voting for a governing body will always be a compromise. You have to decide what are the issues I cannot budge on and what are the issues I like but can live without and then find the best deal out of the available ones.

ashtonkem 6y ago

Of course not everyone voted for this. Even in reliably red or blue states there are a lot of voters who vote against whoever won. By its very size Texas has a lot of democrats in it, just not nearly as many as it has republicans. That being said, Greg Abbott beat his democratic opponent by 13.3 points, which is a lot. He won in 2014 by 20.4 points, which is even more. And while I personally doubt that this specific issue was a campaign point, it’s hard to deny that minimal regulation and a general attitude against interdependence weren’t major campaign planks. Does anyone doubt what Abbott’s position on power regulation or connecting to the federal grid would be? Are any of his voters under the impression that Abbott would regulate power more? Certainly not. Does that mean Texans deserve this on a moral basis? No, of course not. But a majority of their voters continually voted for leaders that have led them to this place. It’s kind of hard to know what to do for them when they keep voting for people who seem to care more about vacations and Fox News hits than actually serving their constituents.

hownottowrite 6y ago

There are also a lot of people who don't vote for anything. Maybe they should and maybe next time they will. In any case, ERCOT and the PUC have enjoyed bipartisan support in Texas for many decades. The GOP may have their hand on the controls right now but they're not the only ones to blame. Someone else posted "The Second Battle of the Alamo: The Midnight Connection" here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26161121 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26161121 It was basically required reading for anyone in the energy sector 20 years ago, probably still is today. Maybe give it a read before you get too excited about what Texans are for and against.