WHEN THE LONE STARWENT DARK
Texas’ reputation just took some double buckshot of rock salt to the face with this latest crisis. But a Blackout Texas is still more appealing than some parts of the country right now – a year into COVID, and there’s this irrepressible urge for Americans to find somewhere, anywhere that smacks of freedom. Oil won’t last forever, but Texas (or the idea of it) just might. He mentions the much-bandied minimum wage issue and how many Texan laborers are already making $20 to $35 an hour. Cactus sees Texas just like an immigrant would – wide-eyed and filled with possibilities. For in a country that nearly imploded this past year, buckling under political divisiveness, economic uncertainty, and pandemic fatigue, Texas is still a land of opportunity, a 2021 Ellis Island of sorts, with huddled masses hoping for something better across the border. Yes, Texas’ reputation just took some double buckshot of rock salt to the face with this latest crisis. But a Blackout Texas is still more kind of industry. MD Anderson is one of the top hospitals globally in cancer and treatment research – we’ve got some of the best military bases here in Texas. And now, next to California, we have the most vineyards of any other state.” Just what Gavin Newsom wants to hear.
appealing than some parts of the country right now – a year into COVID, and there’s this irrepressible urge for Americans to find somewhere, anywhere that smacks of freedom. Oil won’t last forever, but Texas (or the idea of it) just might. The full extent of ERCOT’s and the PUC’s fumbling will reveal themselves in the coming months. Governor Abbott should publicly take responsibility. Texas power plants need winterization, and there’s a $10 billion piggy bank to help actualize that initiative. The next winter storm, just like the next stock market crash, is inevitable. As for Texas having its separate power grid, Cactus and I will have to disagree. But hell, that’s Texas for you. Cactus shared a final thought about the Big Freeze that I hadn’t considered – nor had I read anything about, either. “We used to have some of the best speckled trout and red fishing in the bays along the Texas Coast. And I understand with the storm that there was a massive fish kill. And so, it’s going to be fascinating to see how the wildlife got affected. Just around Abilene, I’ve seen a lot of birds that froze to death. I think the deer population has done OK with it. They were able to find food and to keep from freezing to death. But there still has to be a lot of looking-into the wildlife situation – to see how much it was damaged.” There’s something almost poetic about the great Texan wildcatter Cactus Schroeder, wistfully wondering about all those dead, frozen birds scattered among his home soil.
68
March 2021
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online