After Stephanie Ruhle pointed out that the Texas Electric Grid collapse was a deregulation event and not a weather event, Pete Buttigieg had choice words.
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President Joe Biden has released his infrastructure plan. He titled it the American Jobs Plan. Are Democrats starting to adopt Republican marketing plans, just one that reflects the truth? The American Jobs Plan really will create jobs. Republicans' Clear Skies Act of 2003 was much less than its name indicated.
Stephanie Ruhle queried Pete Buttigieg, Biden's Transportation Secretary, about the plan. She then made a poignant statement and question.
"How do you help states who vote against it?" Stephanie Ruhle said. "Look what just happened in Texas. Texas was not a weather event. It was a deregulation event. They chose to deregulate year after year. And then their system wasn't prepared when they had a one-off weather crisis."
The Transportation Secretary then responded with a tactful slam against Texas.
"That's right," Buttigieg said. "I mean, these really ideological experiments are catching up to us. This decision to dismantle a lot of our shared public infrastructure is literally why we can't have nice things in this country. This is our chance to change that. I mean, the site of Texans melting snow in their bathtub so they could flush their toilets is not befitting of any country, certainly a country that views itself as leading the world."
Buttigieg did not forget that Texas is not a monolith of red.
"But let me also say you know in Texas, the city of Austin passed an initiative for infrastructure," Buttigieg said. "Same thing happened in a lot of communities in a lot of states. I think people are ready to invest in things like this when they know what the dollars are going."
I was concerned a bit when in a previous interview, Buttigieg seemed to suggest he would be OK with a per-mile tax. He backtracked on that quickly. The reality is there should neither be a per-mile or gas tax. Those who drive on roads many times are serving others and going to a job that enriches others. Roads should come from general tax funds we all pay, period.
My Books, "It's Worth It: How to Talk To Your Right-Wing Relatives, Friends, and Neighbors" & "As I See It: Class Warfare: The Only Resort To Right Wing Doom" support (1) communication techniques & (2) our Progressive message delivery.
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