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Here's a Nap
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What does all this have to do with potatoes? Can we get back on topic?

Vodka.

Here's someone that I've read knew his way around alcohol. I don't know why, but he looks a little "impaired" to me in this picture.

“Fear does not prevent death, it prevents life”.
Buddha

Allowing full attendance at a sporting event, especially without mandating mask wearing, is idiocy at this point. I agree that people should be free to act as they choose, except when it starts affecting others. Get everyone vaccinated and I’m fine with this. Until then, I think events like this just lead to the continuation of the pandemic.

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Masks are required at all their home games. Did everyone comply? I don't know, but probably not. But that's going to hold true any place that masks are required.

Masks and opinions
 

I was wondering when this type of discussion would hit net54. It is a very divisive topic. I'd like to see somebody set up some Polls so we can get a confidential measure of how collectors feel about these topics. It's not baseball card related, though. I live in Texas, so here people are more in favor of getting out in the open air and not just staying at home. Some reasonable social distancing is the right thing to do for awhile longer, though.

I can’t believe this is even an argument.... as they say, I can explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you.

Unbelievable. Seriously, unbelievable.

Agree with this take.... common sense. I want as little government intervention as possible, and think the issue has been somewhat overblown. States with strong restrictions are faring no better than states with few to no restrictions at this point. And states where schools are still not in session are a disgrace, IMO.

That said, I still wear a mask in public settings because I realize others might be uncomfortable otherwise. It's just a temporary common courtesy, and feels better to err on the side of safety. I do find it amusing when I see people hiking alone in remote areas with masks on, riding in their car alone, or riding their bikes outdoors with a mask on. But to each his own... and this too shall pass.

There in Texas, as Texans have told me, some favor leaving the Union and returning to The Texas Republic... and there are folks in the other 49 states that would see Texas leaving as an improvement for the Union.

The point isn't to dis Texas... the point is that just because some folks see no problem with a course of conduct does not mean they're correct. I recognize I live in a Democracy. I understand that there are times I'm in the minority with some of my views. I'm good with following majority decisions, but that doesn't mean the majority is right about something, it just means there are more of them. Majorities can be mistaken, ill informed, wrong...

And sometimes majorities can be right.
California... some there think they'd be better off out of the Union, as do some that aren't in California. (It's not just a Texas thing.)

What is good is that we can talk about such... Civily.

Actually, you live in a Representative Republic, which has a constitution that protects individual rights.

Example, Gilligan's Island. If it's a democracy (majority rule) the 5 non-rich castaways take the Howell's money from them. The 4 men vote to make the 3 women do all of the domestic work. And, finally, Gilligan is confined to his hut by the other 6, so they might have a chance at being rescued.

In a Representative Republic, with laws protecting the rights of the minority, these things couldn't happen.

If the majority in this country think I must eat potatoes at every meal, I needn't comply, because I have Constitutional rights that protect me.

By the way, on the virus thing, I have no firm opinion. It's just bad news all around with no good options.

First Padres no-hitter in their history (Joe Musgrove) not only knocked the bats out of Texas player's hands, but perhaps also helped minimize the amount of respiratory droplets from exiting the noggins of unmasked Rangers fans.

Brian (congrats Padres, finally!)

Representative Republic... I don't think so.

Constitutional rights... no Sir. Read the Constitution. It doesn't give you freedom of speech, for example. That's what we were taught in school, what we hear... but take a couple of minutes and read it.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The First Amendment does not give you freedom of speech. The Constitution doesn't give citizens any rights. It is not a right-giving document. It is a power-limiting document. It limits the power of Congress / the federal government / the Union. Founding Fathers came from 13 colonies, they wanted to create a 14th entity, the Union of States. It was to give a united front in international affairs, keep the states from setting up tariffs on commerce between the states, protect us from enemies... and the idea was that everything else would remain in each state's hands. The document says that the Union will maintain a navy, and raise an army when necessary (being a Navy football fan I like the unequal footing that affords). The Constitution was a document designed to limit the power of this new govenment / Union.

The US government fast tracked and paid for the vaccine. And they can distribute it to states. Once in the hand of the states, the feds can't totally control how some states are ready to vaccinate everyone, and some still have age restrictions.

States have differing license requirements for driving, doctoring, selling insurance, and such... The states held onto a lot of power.

So... that first amendment... Congress shall make no law... It doesn't say I have freedom of speech, it says Congress can't mess with my freedom of speech (whatever that might be).

Baseball... I like fans being at games. 100% seems nuts. Masks seem sensible. The opening up's around the world (including here) are followed by more outbreaks and an occasional mutation variant. If people could hunker down and stay safe, then the spreading and mutating would diminish, and we'd get this behind us.

Baseball... in another thread I saw an Art Girabaldi Zeenut and read that he'd played for the Cardinals. I didn't have his card among my Zeenuts. But now I have one!

It would be their constitutional right to do so. I seriously doubt our current pres. would invade like Lincoln did.

Many Americans and states feel a more decentralized federal gov't is in their best interest. Texas is in a unique situation because they are large enough and economically strong enough to do so with relative ease.

CA relies on the Fed gov't to prop them up. CA is a textbook example of how big gov't can turn a state with so many resources into a dumpster fire. It doesn't take a high level degree to figure out why its residents are fleeing in droves. Unfortunately...many of them are going to the state who has it figured out....TX

Why do people use vacuous, "pithy" sayings as if they're a pearl of wisdom that proves a point when, in actuality, most are nothing more than a heaping pile of dumdom?

My fear of putting my head inside a wild alligator's mouth is preventing my living? Good to know. :rolleyes:

"Fear does not prevent death?" What, pray tell, does?

You can put almost anything in that sentence in place of "death" and get a statement that many people would agree with.

"Watching TV does not prevent death, it prevents life." I'm sure my wife would agree with that.

Speaking of wives, how about "Marriage does not prevent death, it prevents life." I know many people who would agree with that.

How about something for the smokers out there? "Not smoking does not prevent death, it prevents life."

How about something for those of us who feel the need to drive drunk? "Driving sober does not prevent death, it prevents life."

I could go on all day with this, but hopefully you get the point.

Instead of "quoting" some famous person, state your own position, "Wearing a face mask does not prevent death, it prevents me from living my self-centered, non-caring life."

Texas, the only state that forces millions of its citizens to go without power for days if the temperature dips below freezing while allowing power companies to jack up prices 1000% during the crisis caused by them choosing not to winterize their equipment.

Yeah, Texas has it figured out. :rolleyes:

PS Doesn't California send more money to the US government than it receives back? How is that "CA relies on the Fed gov't to prop them up?"

I'm going to be the grammar guy for a moment and point out that you misspelled "asymptomatic."

Whenever you see one of the several variations of this comment, you can be assured that the person saying it is not a practitioner of science.

All science is provisional and necessarily falsifiable. It follows a rigorous process of hypothesis, testing, analysis, and peer review and represents the best current explanation of the natural world. As more information is learned, and as testing and analysis techniques improve, science moves forward and, in some cases, overturns the prior best explanations.

Anyone who expects scientific understanding to be immutable is confusing it with religion.

And since every thread needs a card:
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fknC-KQiH...ern_Wonder.jpg

Same as attorneys who practice law. One day are they going to do it for real?

With the brainwashing about the onset of "man made global warming" why would they spend the extra money increasing its citizens electrical bills to purchase solar and wind turbines that can handle cold spells?

https://rockinst.org/issue-areas/fis...yments-portal/

In 2019 California sent the US Fed $6.653 Billion more than they got back from the Fed.
Texas got $19.514 Billion more from the US Fed than they sent to the Fed.

So, who's being propped up by the Fed and who's propping up the Fed?

Is that what you consider having it figured out? Surviving on federal welfare?

Can you translate this jibber-jabber to English?

Hash brown potatoes with eggs and bacon for breakfast this morning. mmmm potatoes

Yes, that is correct. Data here.

Texas actually gets back more money than it sends. Though, to be fair, it is close enough to break even to not be considered a welfare state.

And, to continue a Texas theme, one of the more egregious error cards I have ever seen.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L-q3pgdyt.../app_front.png

That sounds great, I am going to make jambalaya for lunch. About to go pick up some red and yellow bell peppers so I have everything I need to make it.:D

As someone who works in the oil and gas industry, I would point out that natural gas pipeline and distribution systems require large compressors that suffer the same problem as wind turbines. Any kind of rotating equipment, if not properly weatherproofed, will break down. And many did.

Unless you live in Texas you probably aren't qualified to really tell us how perfect or imperfect Texas is. Sometimes things happen like an unprecedented 100+ year Texas winter storm and it creates havoc. No worse than a hurricane or tornado. Similar to the pandemic our country was completely unprepared for. Couldn't even get enough PPE. Yes, they could have prepared better for the storm but more than likely it still would have been a problem for many since the forecast was pretty short notice. Where I live I'm pretty much set up to be self sufficient when needed and anyone else can easily do the same. I live in a flood zone and being an Eagle Scout I'm always over prepared. We had wood, water, fireplace, generator, etc. A lot of people weren't prepared and didn't take it seriously so it's not just on the state or the electric providers.
Also I have said before Texas isn't a free for all right now. In Central Texas all the virus protocols are still in place for masks, distancing, etc. even though the state doesn't have a mandate. They never enforced the mandates anyway. That was always at state and local levels. Seeing that the states that have the surges right now are all north of the Mason Dixon line I think it would be best for everyone to just chill on dissing Texas and other southern states who are using common sense but still practicing protocols. Vaccine appointments are down I read this morning even though it's open to everyone. Let's talk about all of the people who are scared to get one. Now that's an interesting topic. :)

Oklahoma and Louisiana are adjoining states and went through the same storm without the same problems. The Southeast Power Pool did have some limited rolling black outs on a couple days, but neither state suffered anywhere near the same level of havoc as Texas.

You know why it is so windy in Oklahoma? Because Kansas sucks and Texas blows! I'm here all week. Don't forget to tip your server.

I'm fully aware that the provider didn't prepare like they should have. That's on them and I bet they won't be doing it any longer after this storm. Most of the board has already resigned. BTW they aren't even based in Texas. Oklahoma has a history of really cold weather/snow for extended periods and Texas doesn't. Not even close to this severity. Texas hasn't had weather that cold for that period of time since the turn of the century. BTW they survived it then. LOL. Not all of Texas experienced it either. We never lost electric (not even rolling blackouts) or water here in Wimberley (west of Austin) even though I was quite prepared if we had. My point was people not in Texas sure have a lot of negative to say about Texas without any real life experience to base it on. You also can't believe everything you see on the Sheeple news.

Funny too. Two of my best friends are from Oklahoma, born and raised, and they couldn't wait to get here and say they would never go back. :)

I wonder, are there more people moving into Texas from other states, or moving out of Texas to other states? :confused:

Someone help me out here.

Exactly. Population has exploded here in Central Texas in the last fifteen years. Mostly from California, Oregon, Utah and Washington. I see more California plates here in Wimberley than Texas plates. LOL. Wimberley has almost doubled in population in the last ten years. It was less than 3000 the previous 150 years.

It is crazy here in Texas. We have a lot of people moving here who don't believe in our values, coming in and wanting to change Texas. Honestly, I wish they would all go away. I love Texas but want to keep it Texan. (conservative, but not to get too political)

.https://luckeycards.com/d382.jpg

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ed/4490501001/

In 2011 Texas suffered a cold snap causing power interruptions. "A post-mortem at the time – including a key finding that state officials recommended but did not mandate winter protections for generating facilities."

https://www.statesman.com/article/20...NEWS/304119704

In 1989 Texas suffered a cold snap causing power interruptions. The PUC prepared a report. "A section of the document labeled “Recommendations” stated: “All utilities should ensure that they incorporate the lessons learned during December of 1989 into the design of new facilities” and “ensure that procedures are implemented to correct defective freeze protection equipment prior to the onset of cold weather.”

Don't hold your breath.

Agreed! Don't California our Texas! :)

Well, I don't know about this. Almost everyone in upper management at ERCOT and the PUC have been fired or resigned over the recent freeze disaster. My guess is that it does get fixed for the future. But I could be wrong. It IS the government.

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I think this was the last straw though. Like I said, most of the board has already resigned. Those cold snaps though weren't anywhere near what we just had. It had been 100 years since we had a storm like this.

Right! And omitted from his post is the fact that most ERCOT executives didn't even live in Texas (or the US for that matter).

I love Austin. I came here in '72 to attend UT and have never found my way out. The population back then was around 235,000. Now it's approaching 1,000,000. It has changed a lot. Not all change is bad. You have to accept the bad with the good and try to accentuate the good.

My dad was born and raised in northeast Texas. We visited my grandmother and uncles and aunts frequently in the 60s. Racism was rampant among my dad's family and that region. Some things need to change.

I do wish people would STOP moving here though.

I have the bottoms of 3 toes on my left foot which still have no feeling from the frost nip I got. I had cold weather boots on but not my heavy cold weather ones . :eek:
I have lived here all my life (close to 60 yrs. now) and have never seen anything anywhere close to what it just was. I understand it will be the largest insurance claims event in history, for Texas. Going through the natural disasters we have had that is saying something.

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Yeah, the reason nothing changed after 1989 and 2011 is because most ERCOT executives lived out of state in 2021. :rolleyes:

They've had 10 years to resolve the problems and chose to do nothing. It's easy not to care when you don't live here.

Maybe that's why most quit or got fired. Gee, go figure. :rolleyes:

A distinction without a difference. You say po-tA-to, I say PO-Ta-TO.

It actual isn’t a distinction without a difference and illustrates what people often get wrong about what the first amendment means. A totally unabridged right to speech would mean that no one could suffer any consequence from speech, even private consequences like losing a job or being barred from joining a private club. The phrasing of the 1st amendment simply prevents the GOVERNMENT from penalizing your speech. So it’s actually a pretty big difference

Also McDonal’s French fries are magic not science

I certainly understand that the meaning of the simplified term "free speech" has limitations, like not being able to shout "Fire!" in crowded places, not being able to slander others or break legally binding non-disclosure agreements with impunity, and so on. But in the struggle between government and individual rights, what the government can't restrict confers to the individual.

Time for a non fungible digital fantasy asset:

That's a nice Hogsett card. He's one of the players I read about before I was a teenager. I read about the 1934 World Series, while all other kids seemed interested in Mickey Mantle; but then it was the mid-60's and as a kids, we knew nothing.

Leon's toes... not a laughing matter. Toes are critical to controlling balance. I hope the feeling returns.

I didn't realize Texas had an independent power grid. With hindsight, that's a mess, a disaster waiting to happen. Texas should join the national grid, East or West, either is fine.

I recall, as a kid, asking my Grandfather what the TVA was. He had driven by a dam in northern Tennessee and mentioned that it was a TVA dam. I was a nerdy, inquisitive kid, and my Grandfather knew 'stuff'. I listened about the WPA, depression recovery, putting people to work, electrification (which was not very far along, even in the 1950's), affordable electricity, flood control, reliable sources for public water... and I asked him why the government owned the TVA. He explained that all of that needed doing, but that it would be maybe 55 to 65 years before the TVA could reach a point where it could have debt paid down to the point where it could be profitable. He mentioned affordable electricity again and said that where we lived we paid less for electricity than many of the people in the country. He said that business men, companies, corporations, they would not undertake a course of action that would not show a profit in a man's lifetime. But that government could do that. So the TVA was necessary to develop the system in the southeast... a system that helps with flood control, manages water resources and water recreation areas, and provides affordable and reliable electricity.

Texas needs to be on the national grid. Seems likely to me that the state government office holders, having received oil money supporting campaigns, couldn't vote against local oil and private power interests; so the citizens of Texas are stuck with a flawed yet replaceable system.

I'll offer a prayer tonight for those toes, that isn't a laughing matter.


I'd like to buy an example of that green background Wagner portrait card... that looks great!

You cherry pick one natural disaster regarding TX as your example? The state didn't force anyone to go without power...the weather did. How exactly does a state control the weather? How did they force their residents to not have generators? (I have 2). Did I miss when they would not allow residents to leave???

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't CA the state who has rolling black outs? LOL. I see people whining all the time about the heat and no power for AC in CA.

I assume they just enjoy the freedom that deregulation gives them to maximize profits while foregoing upkeep? I'm not paying close attention, but I'm willing to bet none of the people who got rich off this system for years will have to pay up, just the taxpayers.

I guess not enough read this sign?

Absolutely, Mike
 

I read a great analysis somewhere about what would actually happen to Texas economically if it did secede, and yes, it was the electrical grid fiasco times a thousand.

And yes, California does send more $$ than it receives...