Thoughts for the Day, February 18, 2021: In a crisis, some politicians will say anything.

I feel bad for the people of Texas as they have to deal with a winter storm that has caused major loss of power at a time when the power is needed most. Rather than looking at the real cause of the problems and developing a plan to fix the problems it appears that it is easier to blame someone else. In listening to the governor and others, the outage is a result of the New Green Deal and the emphasis on wind power and wind turbines which always freeze up in the winter. This is so far from the truth it is laughable. Doesn’t the governor realize the wind turbines in norhtern states operate just fine throughout the winter, which are much worse than anything Texas is dealing with this week? Does the governor think the citizens of Texas are so gullible that they will not ask why the wind turbines work in the winter in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota? What is wrong with telling the truth? The blackout had nothing to do with the Green New Deal. Wind turbines supply only 23% of Texas’s energy, plus, the wind turbines installed in Texas were not equiped with the built-in warmers that are needed for them to operate in the winter. Bad decisions led the the blackouts.

And then there is Ted Cruz. During the worst winter power blackout in Texas history, Senator Cruz decided to take his family to Cancun, Mexico. Senator Cruz knew this was not a good thing to do because he didn’t let his aides know he was leaving the country. When initially questioned about his trip, he threw his daughters under the bus. After getting questioned about the trip, Senator Cruz, released a statement saying “he had flown to Mexico “to be a good dad” and accompany his daughters and their friends.”

The NY Times reported the following. “Text messages sent from Ms. Cruz to friends and Houston neighbors on Wednesday revealed a hastily planned trip. Their house was “FREEZING,” as Ms. Cruz put it — and she proposed a getaway until Sunday. Ms. Cruz invited others to join them at the Ritz-Carlton in Cancún, where they had stayed “many times,” noting the room price this week ($309 per night) and its good security. The text messages were provided to The New York Times and confirmed by a second person on the thread, who declined to be identified because of the private nature of the texts.

Senator Cruz returned home after one day and issued a different explanation per the NY Times. “After landing back in the United States, Mr. Cruz offered a new statement with a different tone from earlier in the day. Speaking to reporters after his arrival home, he conceded that the trip was “obviously a mistake” and said he had begun having “second thoughts” as soon as he boarded the plane to Mexico intent on a few days of remote work in the sun. “The plan had been to stay through the weekend with the family,” he said, framing the decision as a parent’s attempt to placate his two daughters, ages 10 and 12, after a “tough week.” “On the one hand, all of us who are parents have a responsibility to take care of our kids, take care of our families,” Mr. Cruz said. “But I also have a responsibility that I take very seriously of fighting for the state of Texas.” And this is coming from a guy who has desires to be president.

On a lighter note Detroit News Sports columnist Bob Wojonowski had an interesting column today. He made a case that in 2021 all four major sports teams in Detroit could have the worst record in each of their respective sports. He is not talking about all finishing last in their respective divisions, he is talking about having the worst record of all 28-32 teams in each sport. Being an optimist (except for the Lions) I had doubts about the possibility of it happening. After reading his column he makes a compelling case indicating all four teams are in the early stages of major rebuilds and with an injury to a key player or two, it could easily happen. We better enjoy Michigan basketball while we can. The rest of the sports year doesn’t look too promising for the Detroit sports fan.

Stay safe. Wash your hands. Wear your mask. Social distance. Schedule your vaccine.

Quote of the Day: “You can’t be jealous and be a leader.” Mick Jagger

Orchid of the Day: Michigan men’s basketball for their tough fought victory over Rutgers tonigh. OSU nex.

Onion of the Day: Ted Cruz, no explanation necessary.