Calls for help have been ringing out for at least 24 hours now. Many of our neighbors are waking up to no running water and no electricity. The timing couldn’t be more horrible. We have a storm that has rendered us helpless inside our homes. One of my neighbors from across the street managed to get a tractor. He was able to remove some of the snow in his driveway.

It is uncommon to see snow plows here, so people are relying on whatever they have to keep them going. Some families have been without electricity for over a day. The temperature has been as low as 9 degrees at times. It hasn’t gotten out of the teens for the last 24 hours.

Texas is no stranger to natural disasters, hurricanes, and tornadoes often occur. We were in the tornado that touched down the day after Christmas some years ago. Yet, the problem today is how this winter storm has crippled so many Texans and placed people in harm’s way. It is bad enough to be stuck in a storm of this size, but to be stuck without heat is unforgivable.

Some of our Republican leaders are already trying to shift the blame away from their interests. No matter what they say or do, this mess falls on them. At some point, we need to get away from voting for a party and start voting for people who have our wellbeing at heart. There are reports of rich neighborhoods with their electricity on and reports of failed rolling blackouts.

In most cases, rolling blackouts shift from neighborhood to neighborhood. They do not last over a couple of hours. We used to get them when we were stationed in California. We would drive around the duration of the blackout. The fact that we have families here with hours of no electricity showcases a real problem. These people have not been able to warm up, and if their driveway is anything like ours, getting out is going to be a nightmare. It all comes down to the vote, people. If you keep giving yourselves up as sacrificial lambs for the slaughter, you will keep getting treated like the lamb you are.

Yet, once again, this falls on Greg Abbott. He has shown a lack of understanding when it comes to taking certain situations seriously. Not only did we see major issues with his governance over COVID-19, but now we are witnessing another problem with his response to the winter storm.

It is time for Texas to get new leadership because we are seeing a pattern of bad leadership putting more Texans in harm’s way.

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