Chicago where I live experiences severe cold, snow, and occasional heavy amounts in winter.
This year in February, severe cold, including days of single-digit and sub-zero temps persisted throughout most of the month, easing now expected in the new week.
The city is prepared to deal with these conditions, including when occasional heavy snowfalls occur.
Main arteries are cleared promptly for street traffic to move as smoothly as possible.
Since the late 1960s, I can’t recall a downtown power outage or shortages of food or other essentials.
Texans aren’t as fortunate. Over three million residents lost power for days when most needed.
According to current reports, power is mostly restored, but millions of state residents lost access to water because of severe cold.
Where unexpected and unprepared for, pipes cracked. Water treatment facilities and distribution were knocked out in many areas.
According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Houston, other cities and towns are under water-boil notices, about 14 million Texans in 160 counties affected.
Winter storms, severe cold, frozen turbines, large-scale power outages, water disruptions, citrus and other crop losses, and related failures turned much of the Lone Star State into a disaster area.
According to the state’s Electric Reliability Council (ERCOT), the power grid was close to catastrophic collapse that could have affected residents and businesses for months if occurred.
America’s infrastructure is crumbling. What’s happening in Texas could repeat anywhere in the US nationwide, things worsening, not improving for lack of investment.
Repairing damage in Texas will cost billions of dollars and take months to complete.
While Chicago is prepared for severe cold and snow, the city’s infrastructure is greatly in need of repair.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the city and state need “to repair crumbling roads and bridges.”
Other infrastructure and mass transit need upgrading.
Because of longstanding neglect, the cost could exceed $40 billion.
“Rebuild Illinois” plans are hard-pressed to fund what’s needed without federal aid and tax increases.
Conditions in Texas left some areas short of food and other essentials to life besides loss of power and water.
In parts of the state, residents are queuing up at supermarkets and other stores to buy what remains on shelves.
In Austin, the state capital, Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth and elsewhere, lack of food and fresh water followed widespread power outages.
What’s happening in Texas and elsewhere because of severe weather conditions is symptomatic of a nation in decline.
It’s at a time of the severest Main Street economic crisis in US history with scant relief in prospect for most people.
For 48 straight weeks, around a million or more jobless Americans applied for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits—1.4 million in the latest reporting period.
Nothing in US history remotely matches what’s gone on since early last year—a made-in-the-USA crisis by dark forces.
What never should have happened is likely to worsen and be protracted because of diabolical deep state plans to transform the nation into a ruler-serf society.
Because of major media complicity with what’s going on, most Americans are unaware that it was planned so privileged interests can benefit at the expense of most others.
Governments in the US, West and elsewhere are enemies of ordinary people—exploiting, not serving them.
America the beautiful exists only on the silver screen, in television sitcoms and bad fiction.
The nation I remember long ago was transformed into a totalitarian police state.
It’s been thirdworldized and heading toward full-blown tyranny.
Most Americans are increasingly on their own.
The nation’s resources are used largely for advancing imperial interests, corporate handouts, and homeland security to protect privilege at the expense of beneficial social change.
All of the above is happening while fundamental rights are eroding and heading for disappearing altogether.
It’s the wrong time to be living in America and the West—nations no longer safe, equitable and just for most of their people.
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Is trouble in Texas symptomatic of America’s unravelling?
Posted on February 23, 2021 by Stephen Lendman
Chicago where I live experiences severe cold, snow, and occasional heavy amounts in winter.
This year in February, severe cold, including days of single-digit and sub-zero temps persisted throughout most of the month, easing now expected in the new week.
The city is prepared to deal with these conditions, including when occasional heavy snowfalls occur.
Main arteries are cleared promptly for street traffic to move as smoothly as possible.
Since the late 1960s, I can’t recall a downtown power outage or shortages of food or other essentials.
Texans aren’t as fortunate. Over three million residents lost power for days when most needed.
According to current reports, power is mostly restored, but millions of state residents lost access to water because of severe cold.
Where unexpected and unprepared for, pipes cracked. Water treatment facilities and distribution were knocked out in many areas.
According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Houston, other cities and towns are under water-boil notices, about 14 million Texans in 160 counties affected.
Winter storms, severe cold, frozen turbines, large-scale power outages, water disruptions, citrus and other crop losses, and related failures turned much of the Lone Star State into a disaster area.
According to the state’s Electric Reliability Council (ERCOT), the power grid was close to catastrophic collapse that could have affected residents and businesses for months if occurred.
America’s infrastructure is crumbling. What’s happening in Texas could repeat anywhere in the US nationwide, things worsening, not improving for lack of investment.
Repairing damage in Texas will cost billions of dollars and take months to complete.
While Chicago is prepared for severe cold and snow, the city’s infrastructure is greatly in need of repair.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the city and state need “to repair crumbling roads and bridges.”
Other infrastructure and mass transit need upgrading.
Because of longstanding neglect, the cost could exceed $40 billion.
“Rebuild Illinois” plans are hard-pressed to fund what’s needed without federal aid and tax increases.
Conditions in Texas left some areas short of food and other essentials to life besides loss of power and water.
In parts of the state, residents are queuing up at supermarkets and other stores to buy what remains on shelves.
In Austin, the state capital, Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth and elsewhere, lack of food and fresh water followed widespread power outages.
What’s happening in Texas and elsewhere because of severe weather conditions is symptomatic of a nation in decline.
It’s at a time of the severest Main Street economic crisis in US history with scant relief in prospect for most people.
For 48 straight weeks, around a million or more jobless Americans applied for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits—1.4 million in the latest reporting period.
Nothing in US history remotely matches what’s gone on since early last year—a made-in-the-USA crisis by dark forces.
What never should have happened is likely to worsen and be protracted because of diabolical deep state plans to transform the nation into a ruler-serf society.
Because of major media complicity with what’s going on, most Americans are unaware that it was planned so privileged interests can benefit at the expense of most others.
Governments in the US, West and elsewhere are enemies of ordinary people—exploiting, not serving them.
America the beautiful exists only on the silver screen, in television sitcoms and bad fiction.
The nation I remember long ago was transformed into a totalitarian police state.
It’s been thirdworldized and heading toward full-blown tyranny.
Most Americans are increasingly on their own.
The nation’s resources are used largely for advancing imperial interests, corporate handouts, and homeland security to protect privilege at the expense of beneficial social change.
All of the above is happening while fundamental rights are eroding and heading for disappearing altogether.
It’s the wrong time to be living in America and the West—nations no longer safe, equitable and just for most of their people.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.” Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.