Very Cold Weather In South 2/10/21

[SteveinMN]

BTW a lot of the people who had variable-rate electricity plans are probably the same ignorant people who get their income taxes done at a place that not doesn't charge them anything but actually gives them $50 cash because they had their taxes done there.

That is at least not as devastating as a five-figure electric bill, but it falls in the same category.

btw I'm not against helping out people who find themselves in a predicament that is (in a sense) not of their choosing. I mean, many people took the cheap contract, either hoping against or not knowing about a day of reckoning, A cold spell for so long and a state failure to find ways to keep the lights on? Kinda not the (direct) fault of the people who went for the variable-rate deal.

The situation can be likened to parents who bear a child with Down's Syndrome. Maybe they could have known there was a good chance of the condition; maybe not. But the kid is here and, if they need some help, I think it's in society's interest to provide help. However, if the state is going to socialize loss, it is fair to socialize gain as well through taxation. That's where the discussion starts to fall apart. Personal responsibility seems to stop hard at people's wallets.

[GeorgeParker]

btw I'm not against helping out people who find themselves in a predicament that is (in a sense) not of their choosing.... A cold spell for so long and a state failure to find ways to keep the lights on? Kinda not the (direct) fault of the people who went for the variable-rate deal.

I think the powers that be will end up declaring the extreme kilowatt hour prices "illegal price gouging during an emergency" and retroactively force all transactions to be recalculated by everyone at some set maximum price. They will also probably force the retail electric providers to accept monthly payments at no interest until whatever high bills are left have been paid off. At least I think that's the best we can hope for, and it seems likely since the power generators and distributors are rightly getting most of the blame for this mess.

[razz]

This is a long article but I found the history of climate changes through the millennia fascinating. It seems we have been living in the golden age the last 100 years or so:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine...istory/617793/

It is long but very informative. I had read bits and pieces that seemed to conflict but this article brought them all together. Will man (meaning all mankind) make the effort to limit CO2 or simply plan escape hatches into space somewhere for those that can afford it plus their workers?