Officials urged residents to remain out of the pounding wind and rain. At least two people were killed by falling trees, as Beryl knocked out power to more than two million customers.
Why invest in infrastructure when we can give that money to billionaires?
I'm not a small government type, but god am I tired of taxpayer dollars going to big oil, animal ag, banks and arms dealers that are literally trying to speed run the end of humankind.
I'm not a small government type, but god am I tired of taxpayer dollars going to big oil, animal ag, banks and arms dealers that are literally trying to speed run the end of humankind.
It'd seem to me that the problem isn't with the size of the government but the sort of people elected to run it.
Perhaps it goes without saying, but I just didn't want to come across as a an-cap or something by complaining about government spending when my issue isn't that we're spending taxpayer money, but what we're spending it on.
I agree and wish they would but the water table in Texas and Louisiana are pretty high so if they attempted to dig the lines, they would hit water pretty quick. For example, there's a reason they don't bury people in New Orleans and there are above ground tombs. I live down here and after consistent power failures I finally invested in a home generator. I hope it will increase my home value when I'm finally able to get out of here.
The water, sewer, and gas lines in my state are all still buried. We don't have basements, so when these lines enter the house, they are often routed to the attic. But we don't have big wooden poles that carry water or gas at roof level and get blown down with ever strong gust of wind.
Burying the lines would require an additional expense for home builders and energy/data technicians. Telephone and electricity poles are much cheaper to erect than big trenches for the lines are to dig and insulate. But you'll notice in Houston that areas in downtown and the Galleria and certain corners of the wealthy suburbs, we're able to maintain power through even the worst weather because we buried the fucking lines over there. It is absolutely possible to do. It just incurs an upfront cost that these businesses don't want to pay and the city doesn't have the authority (or inclination, under our current shitty cheapass mayor) to do themselves.