Tag Archives: Greg Abbott

State news

Consensus? Abbott is wrong about the masks!

By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

There seems to be a consensus building across Texas about the pronouncement made by Gov. Greg Abbott on how the state should handle the coronavirus pandemic.

It is that he has made a mistake in rescinding the mask mandate order he issued this past summer to fight the virus.

Most of us seem to understand his desire to open the state’s businesses back up. The mask mandate, though, needs to remain … if I am reading the state’s collective pulse correctly. Maybe I am correct, or maybe I am all wet.

I’ll presume that I am right, or at least in presuming  that the most vocal folks out there are those who oppose lifting the mask mandate.

It well might be that those who support lifting the mask order are too embarrassed to say so publicly. If that’s the case, well, I’d be embarrassed too. You know already that my wife and I intend to keep wearing our masks when we enter restaurants, the grocery store or stop for a cappuccino at the neighborhood Allsup’s.

I reckon million of other Texans will do the same.

This presumption I am drawing would seem to put the lie to the caricature so many Americans have of those who live in Texas. That we’re a state full of swaggering know-it-alls who distrust government telling us to do anything, let alone take measures to protect ourselves and our loved ones.

From what I am hearing, seeing and sensing among those of us who call Texas home, we aren’t too crazy about Gov. Abbott’s decision to lift an order he issued to protect the folks he governs.

I am totally fine with what he ordered. In fact, I intend to keep following it.

medical news, State news

What did Abbott’s medical advisers say?

By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

Texas media are abuzz with comment and reaction to Gov. Greg Abbott’s big announcement Tuesday that he was declaring the state open “100 percent” for business and is rescinding the mask-wearing order in light of the pandemic.

I am dubious of the governor’s action. I am not going to change a single thing in my house; my wife and I intend to do precisely what we have been doing to avoid getting infected by the COVID virus. It has worked so far.

This inquiring mind, though, wants to know something that hasn’t been reported: What did Gov. Abbott’s medical advisers tell him prior to making the announcement?

I ask the question because I have read comments from all over the state from educators, doctors and other scientists who have expressed concern that Abbott’s decision, at the very least, is premature. Too many Texans are getting sick and too many of us are still dying from the coronavirus.

I want to know what Abbott’s medical team told him. How do they justify this reopening notion from the governor? There might be a plausible rationale. If there is, then let’s hear it!

Oh, but then again there might be another notion, which is that Abbott didn’t listen to his medical team’s advice and decided it was more, um, “politically expedient” to open the state’s business community for everyone. Or, perhaps the governor sought to change the subject and yank our attention away from the clusterfu** response to the terrible winter storm that paralyzed the state and damn near caused a total collapse of our electrical grid.

Is any of that possible? Hmmm?

I’m all ears, Gov. Abbott.

local news, medical news, State news

Mask-wearers unite!

By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

It’s clear that I cannot possibly know whether what I am seeing on my social media network connotes a national trend.

Still, I am heartened to see the reaction to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement today that he is rescinding the mask mandate he ordered in 2020 to fight the COVID pandemic and that he is allowing businesses to open “100 percent.”

I am hearing from across the state that folks are going to continue wearing their masks, that they are going to keep their “social distance” from strangers and do not plan to frequent restaurants and bars.

Abbott sounded strangely victorious today when he made his announcement in Lubbock. Sure, he said we shouldn’t let up. Then he touted immediately the declining infection and death rates in Texas. I am not sure which part of Abbott’s announcement drew the most attention.

I am going to join my many social media contacts in declaring my own intention to keep wearing a mask; Lord knows I have enough of them. I also intend to keep my distance. I will slather sanitizer on my hands with abandon; I will wash ’em with soap and water at home with annoying frequency.

School district officials are talking, too, about resisting the governor’s call to reopen fully. They will continue to require students and teachers to mask up in classrooms; I am presuming the Allen Independent School District, where my granddaughter and her older brother attend school, will be among them.

I just am going to say a prayer that Gov. Abbott hasn’t acted too hastily in his effort to put Texas back to work.

local news, Sports news, State news

Fans at games, too?

By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

Greg Abbott’s big announcement today wasn’t as specific as perhaps it could have been.

The Texas governor declared that Texas businesses were “100 percent open,” meaning they could serve at full capacity. He implored us all to continue to observe social distancing, wash our hands and all that kind of thing.

The governor did not make specific mention of sporting events. Will sports fans be able to sit next to each other at venues to cheer on their favorite teams? That question has surfaced, for instance, among fans of the Amarillo Sod Poodles, the Double A baseball team that is set to open its second-ever season in early May.

Therein lies a dilemma, ladies and gentlemen. What about the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers, the Major Leagues’ two franchises? Or the other minor-league franchises scattered throughout Texas?

If I were King of the World, I wouldn’t have made the declaration that Gov. Abbott made today. I would have kept the mask mandate in effect and I would have required that sports venues limit seating to a certain percentage significantly less than full. That ain’t my call. It falls to the governor, I guess, to determine whether it is safe to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers in sports venues.

I suppose the final answer to whether Sod Poodles fans will be able to fill all of Hodgetown’s seats when the season opens there in mid-May falls on the team ownership, or perhaps Amarillo City Hall.

I don’t have a suggestion on how the team should go with this one. You know already what I think of Gov. Abbott’s decision to open business back up to full capacity; I think it’s a potentially disastrous mistake. The pandemic is still raging, albeit at a bit calmer pace than it was a few weeks ago.

Perhaps the governor ought to provide some further guidance on what sports fans all over the state should do, keeping in mind that Priority No. 1 must be everyone’s health and well-being.

medical news, science news, State news

Abbott invites danger

By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

OK, I listened to most of Gov. Greg Abbott’s talk at the Lubbock restaurant.

The Texas governor has rescinded a statewide mask mandate and told all business owners who cater to all clientele that they are now free to open “100 percent,” despite the presence of COVID-19 virus that is still infecting Texans and other Americans.

I have decided to ignore Abbott’s recommendation. I am going instead to heed the call of President Biden who is asking us to wear masks at least for the first 100 days of his administration.

Biden is making the more prudent decision. As for the business reopening, most of ’em will have to make that trip back without me, and likely without my bride as well.

I’m staying the course in mitigating the effects of the killer virus. It could have claimed a member of my immediate family and the memory of that frightening experience is too damn fresh in my mind to ignore.

Be careful.

State news

No thanks, Gov. Abbott; I’ll keep wearing the mask

By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

Gov. Greg Abbott has declared that business will be 100 percent open and is ending the statewide mask mandate.

Fine. You go ahead with that call, governor. Me? I’m going to keep wearing my mask when I venture outside. I plan to keep wearing the mask probably for the entire year and — who knows? — maybe the next year, too. I also plan to minimize my appearance in local businesses while the pandemic is still raging around the world.

Abbott wants Texas businesses to resume “normal” activity. I do, too. I don’t like wearing a mask. I don’t like keeping my distance from everyone out there. I don’t like having to slater sanitizer on my hands every time I roll out a shopping cart or pump fuel into my truck. I just do all of it to stay safe from the COVID virus.

I do worry about whether Abbott’s declaration opens the door to yet another spike in coronavirus infection, hospitalization … or worse!

He went to Lubbock to make the announcement at a restaurant. I guess he wanted to show us all that it’s OK to go out and spend money to support local businesses. Hey, I am all in with that, too!

In due time. In due course. Not just yet.

My bride and I have been vaccinated. We are happy about that and we feel a good bit of relief knowing our systems contain the Pfizer medicine that we hope will fend off the virus. We are only about 10 percent of the entire U.S. population that has been granted that immunity. We need tens of millions more Americans to join us so we can meld into that “herd immunity” crowd that strengthens our chances of staying free of infection.

So, thanks for declaration, Gov. Abbott. I am going to say a prayer for all of us that we can avoid what I fear might be a consequence of yet another rush to returning to normal.

State news

Special legislative session awaits

By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

I am not a huge fan of special legislative sessions in Texas.

We send our legislators to Austin for 140 days every other year to take care of legislative business. We don’t pay ’em very much money; I mean, they’re “citizen legislators” and we pay them a pittance to do our work.

The 2021 Legislature has a huge task ahead of it that it might be able to finish in time for the regular session to adjourn sine die.

Gov. Greg Abbott needs to ensure they finish the one major task: That would be finding money to pay for a major overhaul/reform/strengthening of our state’s electrical grid.

The grid came within about four minutes of collapsing a couple of weeks ago. It damn near failed the entire state, throwing us into prolonged darkness and cold. How did that happen? Well, the jury is still pondering that one, but one element seems clear: The state has not “winterized” its generating system to cope with the zero-degree temperature that blanketed much of the state.

Special legislative sessions too often are the product of lawmakers running out of time because they spend so much time dawdling at the beginning of these regular sessions. The 2021 Legislature doesn’t have time to waste. It has begun some key hearings peppering utility officials with questions about what went so damn wrong this past month.

Texas has a Rainy Day Fund that it can use to help pay for the cost of weatherizing its energy plants. There needs to be some serious priority-setting as well.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the electrical grid, is under intense fire from critics who wonder about some of the bone-headed decisions that reduce energy output at critical times during the deep freeze.

We have lots of energy in this state. We also have some pretty good minds in key places that can figure out what went so terribly wrong and find solutions to fix it.

If it takes a special session to finish the job, I would hope — and I expect — Gov. Abbott will be quick to summon legislators back to get it done.

medical news

Shuck the mask? No thanks

By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is considering whether to lift the state’s mask mandate that’s been in effect since July.

My request to the governor? Don’t do it. Not yet. Please.

I am going to go with what I understand are guidelines set by medical experts familiar with the COVID-19 virus. The Texas Tribune reports:

The Centers for Disease Control recommends that people who have received two doses of the vaccine continue to avoid crowds, stay at least 6 feet away from people who live outside their households, and wear masks to cover their nose and mouth.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease doctor, has repeatedly said that he does not know when Americans will be able to return to normal, but that they may still need to continue wearing face masks into 2022.

Gov. Greg Abbott weighing end to mask order, other Texas coronavirus rules | The Texas Tribune

I have received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Effective tomorrow, my bride will have received her two doses. We’re going to keep wearing masks despite a decision to withdraw the mandate … if Gov. Abbott is foolish enough to do it.

local news, State news

Shouldn’t they live here?

By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

Let’s start with a fundamental concept involved in governing people’s lives. Those who make decisions that affect others ought at least have to suffer — as well as enjoy — the impact of those decisions.

Six members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas have resigned. What do these individuals have in common? None of them lives in Texas, the state where ERCOT manages the electrical grid that became the source of a whole lot of heartache and misery for Texans suffering from the bitter storm that swept into the state this past week.

I won’t get into the particulars of the decisions that ERCOT made that could have contributed to the massive power failures that occurred in Texas. Indeed, North Texas — where I live — went dark for several days as the electrical utilities sought to restore power.

ERCOT is a non-profit organization. It also is subject to regulation by the state. Gov. Greg Abbott has called on the Texas Legislature to investigate ERCOT’s decision-making and, I presume, make recommendations for changes that could prevent an unacceptable loss of power in the future.

Here’s a thought: Require all ERCOT board members to reside in Texas.

Resigning ERCOT members acknowledge “pain and suffering” of power outages | The Texas Tribune

The Texas Tribune reports: “I want to acknowledge the pain and suffering of Texans during this tragedy that continues for many,” said Sally Talberg, ERCOT’s board chair, who was among the members who resigned. “All of our hearts go out to all of you who have had to go without electricity, heat, water, medicine and food from frigid temperatures and continue to face the tragic consequences.”

Thanks, Ms. Talberg, for the expression of concern. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and presume she means it. That doesn’t cut it, though, given that she resides out of state and wasn’t feeling the “pain and suffering” of those of  us who live inside Texas’s borders.

A big part of me is drawn to the notion that there ought to be a residency requirement placed on those who set the policies that have an effect on those who must endure their effects.

Doesn’t that make sense? It does to me.

Uncategorized

President for ‘all Americans’

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By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

President Biden’s campaign pledge to be “president for all Americans, not just those who voted” for him sprang to mind as he made a major disaster declaration for Texas.

Why is that a big — or even a medium deal? It’s because his predecessor at times politicized these decisions, taking aim at officials in states that didn’t vote for him in the 2016 election; the California wildfire disaster comes immediately to mind.

Biden approves major disaster declaration for Texas: FEMA (msn.com)

President Biden has told the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pull out all the stops to help Texas recover from the monstrous winter blast that knocked power out for millions of Texans and continues to cause major water-quality problems for thousands of us.

It’s interesting, too, that the White House has been working closely and feverishly with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican who was one of those who refused to recognize initially that Joe Biden, a card-carrying Democrat, was really and truly elected president in 2020.

None of that matters one damn bit … not to Gov. Abbott now or to the president.

Presidents do govern the entire country and must answer to all Americans. They also must set aside partisan differences when Americans are suffering.

As the saying goes: We live in the United States of America.