Wolff Responds: The Root of Texans' Frozen Suffering 

The sheep worry about the wolf, it's the shepherd that will slaughter them!

"Private enterprise is not God's gift to the human race."-- That is one of the truest truisms that the good Professor has ever uttered.

I thought Texans were tough, go it alone people. Wake up people, you’ve been screwed.

For years, it's been the 1% versus the 99%, and the 99% have been losing.

"Capitalism has always been a failure for the lower classes. It is now beginning to fail for the middle classes." - HOWARD ZINN

I always feel somewhat buoyed-- even when the topic is so depressing-- by listening to Richard Wolff's voice of reason, and sanity, and moral conscience. As always, thanks so much, Richard, for all your efforts to raise awareness of what COULD BE... if we were willing to collectively demand such a world.

Absolutely correct: key industries must come under public ownership and management.

Flyin Ted approves this message : it is for this reason he chose to flee to the shores of Mexico (despites the fact he doesn't like Mexicans...LOL)

Build a couple more Aircraft Carriers and another 50 F16's that will fix everything.

Wolff for president!

"Capitalism is the astounding belief, that the most wickedest of men, will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone." - John Maynard Keynes

It’s absolutely unbelievable. It snowed on Sunday/Monday and we completely lost electricity and water for 5 days and still counting.

As an engineering student, our school is teaching us to maximize the profit for the company to get an job. Damn. This is what the capitalist society care about from the beginning.

It would seem that we don't have a political consciousness otherwise we would be doing what the farmers in India are doing.

Great take, Dr. Wolff!

Cheers to Senator Cruz. He has managed to magnificently made every Texan looked like complete idiots. For voting in such an obvious hypocrite.

"If you leave the maintenance of key social circumstances, and social institutions, and social protections, to the mercies of private profit enterprises, you are making a basic mistake".

The federal government shouldn't send any federal funds to Texas unless they join the national electric grid and winterize their infrastructure. The rest of the country can't be expected to pay for the failure of their system after their caplistist take the profits that caused that problem and refuse to fix the route cause.

Darwin never wrote the phrase “survival of the fittest”; that was a libertarian interpretation of his work. What he actually stated was that within communities of social animals (which most are) the it’s the most adaptable and COOPERATIVE that survive. The chimp, lion, meerkat, swallow, tuna fish or dolphin that tries to live as a lone wolf will soon starve, or become dinner for someone else. Capitalism is an unnatural system that encourages competition, not cooperation, so everything we’re seeing today shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.

Lack of regulations and politicians with back bones were a major cause of this disaster.

Thank you Prof!

Thank you Richard Wolff. We need your voice.

Very thought provoking video .Life has become unpredictable .Thank you Sir .

Perfectly said.

Wolff is a legend

And who ends up paying for recoveries from these “emergencies?” The people who consume water, electricity, and other things that we all consume. Prices for these things go up, but wages do not. The rich bosses keep everything in a capitalist system.

I nod my head so much when I watch Richard. He must be saying good stuff

I managed to make it to retirement owning my tiny home. I had to turn around and sign it away to the state to get health care. America is the only country that victimizes it's seniors. I was one of the lucky ones. This is your retirement American.

Mr. Wolfe, thank you for your knowledge, expertise and ability to explain economics, socialism and capitalism so clearly. I love listening to you and Abby Martin. When I listen to you I feel like I'm finally getting the truth. Thank you.

Nothing will change we must DEMAND change.

Dr. Wolff, I am happy to tell you about a small contracting company in Atlanta that I am involved with on the job estimating side of things. The owner is a good friend of mine now, after having met in a Model Train Store, and he told me how he solved a set of problems he was having. The core of his issue was that the contractors/employees he had on staff were completing home renovations and 'water displacement' work and not actually completing the jobs up to customer expectations. So after struggling with this for quite a while he decided to make a serious change to his business model. He gave each employee partial ownership of the company. Suddenly the quality of work delivered to the customers shot up, his need to inspect what his people had done plunged and everyone benefited as the company benefited from the increased reputation and the lack of callbacks. I believe this is sort of a real democratic form of business quite similar to the co-ops you have mentioned before - and it works.Yes, shared capitalism or true democracy in the work place tis a wonderful thing. The minute the 'owner' described what he was doing I thought of the many videos and lectures of yours I have listened to, and I felt I was meeting an actual example of what you talk about. Actually that was why I dcided to do the work being asked of me, it was not not the traditional top down management approach. I am not going to give out the company name as I expect youtube will want a fee for that plus I have not cleared this comment with the others. But your ideas, in various forms, are taking root across the country. Many small steps at a time. Cheers.

The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

I've worked for Texans. I know them to the extent that I don't feel sorry for them...

Mr. Wolff you 📣 a freighting truth🕵👌🌪🎥

I'm thinking of making "This is Richard Wolff" my ringtone

Thank you Prof. Richard. It goes much deeper. Due to the generous donations to campaigns of leadership there large builders have been receiving passes on code enforcement requirements, some of great importance. EG: Many homes in Texas seem to have energy eating features such as huge steepled/gabled ceilings/ roofs, gorgeous facades & little to no insulation throughout the home & especially no insulation or protection for the pipes for plumbing. So this unregulated utility cuts the power during a polar vortex event & all the pipes freeze & burst.

If unregulated capitalism can produce a Martin Shkreli, it can produce this Texas weather disaster.

I thought America has the biggest oil reserve in Texas & why there's no electricity for its 30 millions citizen.

Private companies doesn't exist to maximise quality of service and wellbeing of people.

In the Netherlands, we experimented briefly with the privatization of things that everyone depends on, such as health care. This changed back very quickly because it turned out to be a drama. (privatization = demolition for profit, or sucking empty)

Eating the rich sounds pretty good. Not enough to go around for everybody.

Bad thing is if you want to live off grid, the gov says "hell no serf, we want your money every week for our pockets."

Right on Richard! On another tack, now the people of Texas will begin to understand what the people of Leningrad suffered for almost 3 years!

It's cheaper to build buildings without fire escapes. So, profit dictates "build buildings without fire escapes." After all, what are the odds of a fire?

Lack of empathy.

When will we raise up and stop giving them all our power? As employees. Stop giving them our labor to not pay us fair wage. Us alone no power us together are powerful.

Right as usual

Freakin AWESOME! commentary Prof Wolff

i think this very interesting the electricity grids in the European union are all connected to each older and that has already prevented several blackouts in Germany and the rest of Europe. Why one country can not manage such a thing ?

Yep... amazing how many people don't understand what for-profit businesses prioritize.

Prof Wolf, I wonder if the Texas energy company will get a bailout? Nobody is going to be able to pay those price gouged bills. Those CEOs are licking their chops. I hope we can head that plan off at the pass because PG&e of California was responsible for the wildfires and got to hike rates to pay for upkeep they should have been doing all along. No one went to jail despite the deaths they were responsible for. I don't think the customers should pay for the negligence of the company.

The illusion of American dream.

"no mystery here"...Prof Wolff speaks clearly about the circumstances we find ourselves in. Unflinching greed & cruelty. "Systemic fundamentalism"!

SPOT ON!

Once more, Prof Wolff is spot-on. Profits over people = disaster, one way or another. The one hope is that these "biblical proportions" will finally wake us all up.

Do forget the misery of the homeless families. Sad.

When Services and goods that are discretionary , companies and businesses should make as much profit as the market will bare. But water and electricity are not luxuries.

I think the ghost of ENRON does haunt Texas today. However, it didn't used to get cold there. They didn't think they needed cold weather stuff. Maybe global warming has come along and changed things somewhat. Maybe there is a lot of other global warming stuff we ought to be preparing for,.........and not just in Texas. The preparation has got to be a public program.

Very interesting Professor Wolf, and I agree that all private companies always look at the bottom line to maximize profit. But, you did not mention that the owners of all private businesses take “the risk” of potentially “losing” their capital and going bankrupt. The workers take no such risk. You make a good argument, I would have liked to have seen you debate Milton Friedman.

I live in Austin, TX. The record low was -2 degrees in 1949. So our current weather is NOT extreme, unexpected weather, like some are claiming to avoid responsibility for not preparing. They KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN ONE DAY. The simple truth: the power company did not properly weatherize our power grid. Why? To save money of course, to increase their profits, of course. How many more millionaires and billionaires were created at OUR expense as they hoard OUR money?

I think our political and economic systems are imploding. Also, what is going on in Texas is due the neglect of government. There has been studies all the way back in the 1980s pointing out that our infrastructure, including our power grid, was becoming obsolete.

It's gonna get worse. Much worse.

I'm cynical about the Perseverance landing on Mars when things on Earth are so horrific.

America, America. What is ailing you?

People Over Profits

Texas elected such a smart leader like ted cruz, when the state is in need, he is on vacation. Adios suckers.

Add to that the telescope collapsed couple of months back showing the failing of government even to maintain its facilities

Seems like more Super Villains are being elected in public office. They should make them take a narcissist test? Empathy coarse

It's interesting to take a look at El Paso. They have a public utility that actually winterized, and so they haven't had outages. Most of the rest of Texas is on the market fundamentalist ERCOT system that could only raise prices thousands of percent as everything collapsed.

Mole hill to a mountain in a heartbeat

That deregulation, privatization, and gifts to the billionaires is great isn't it?

This is what kind of Leaders we have!

Thank you for such concise and expert analysis of the needless suffering that Texans are going through. That is all except one who decided to return from the balmy beaches of Mexico because he got caught. If anyone had any questions about how "private enterprise" is NOT invested in serving the people a glance at Texas is enough to wake us up. The cruelty of it all.

Capitalism is about profit, not the people..that simple

Tx: We love our freedom to get screwed because we don't understand or like socialism.

Would really like to hear your take on Kroger Groceries closing the Seattle stores rather then give the workers the extra $4 a hour hazard pay.....

Da Wolff lays it out like it is...

They breed capitalists mean and hard-hearted. There are tomes of examples and hope these will help to "turn the ship around" to avoid total catastrophe. Think Prof Wolff's earlier suggestions of consumer co-ops is a major step forward ... it can help folks to start off on a more cohesive approach to survival via community contributions .... no capitalist funding or slavery !!

The private policy of the state & cooperation is not public safety. America should dealt with these systems decades ago with diversity of systems. The cost of disaster will continue to be the working poor and vulnerable citizens of the society.

Put people to work and hire ourselves!

VOLUME, PLEASE, Professor!! 📣📣📣

In an earnings call, CFO Ronald Burns of Comstock Resources, a Texas-based oil & gas firm (whose majority stock holder is Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys football team) said, "This week is like hitting a jackpot ... with some of these incredible prices ..." ... Last quarter gas averaged $2.50 /cu ft, with the colder weather it climbed to $15 / cu ft and during the current crisis in TX it jumped to $179 / cu ft ... all of which means TX customers must pay through their nose when they need it the most

Hear,Hear,Hear.....Yes,Yes,Yes......

Dr. Wolf, what is a nation or community or a small family organized to do? Is the goal always to maximize gains and minimize losses? If so, then how do we avoid the fundamental premise of all 'organized groups'? How would we organize for large projects if there is no investment money, technological development, and space?

Ted cruz ,that kind of senator ,saying how he care about his people day and day ,once this disaster happened ,he just left them and run away

Businesses and citizens just don’t want to prepare for future events. It’s simple, during prosperous times you prepare for the inevitable downturns and catastrophes. It’s like Americans just don’t get it, even after this pandemic and this natural disaster in Texas is over, you must always save and be vigilant. Don’t spend, don’t go on vacation (Ted Cruz) and discipline yourselves!

I am glad you are the Gadfly on the side of the profiteers, stating clearly what their role is in the society. Keep up the great job of waking up the majority to assert their rights against boss despots....

It's interesting how the root of what make this country amazing is how our society is rich and capable of supporting each other. This is a prime example of private companies dividing us for profit and leaving us exposed to physical and economic dangers. From people dying to people getting charged thousand of dollars from inflation on electricity. Either way, the private companies interests are protected. That is what unregulated capitalism looks like my friends. Hope you learn your lesson.

Sophomoric understanding. Our state’s private utilities did an excellent recovery job during our last ice storm. They brought in 600 additional linesmen from other locations and companies. Who would the bureaucrats rely on? Themselves, and we know how inflexible government offices and employees are! Local, State, and Federal Governments tell the private contractors what their expectations are. They set the bar. Ask any company that bids on government projects.

BUT the stock market is up....

Looking from afar, America seems a messed up version of Kafka's "A hunger Artist", where the hunger artist has died but the crowd ends up in the cage and the panther is running the show. The US needs to copy the legislative environments of many other Western countries where listed companies run profitable operations while prioritising infrastructure maintenance and new investment. It is a matter of national security therefore such legislation cannot be dismissed as "socialism".

Don't mess with Texas!!!

Nothing is best managed by private enterprises.

lovely in seatle and vancouver

Thank the Texas GOP and deregulation...

I think the federal government needs to do the R and D for innovative nuclear power plants and get the plants on-line as soon as possible. I also think there should be a moratorium on windmills and solar until batteries are invented to store the energy. Ethanol needs to go bye bye too. The Paris Accord is just a waste of money.

Speaking about boiling water. China still boils water. US still drinks bottle water.

Unfortunately Richard this is what happens when Truth is replaced with Falsehood, when people choose the Lie of Wilfull Ignorance over Truth Tellers. The rest of the world is marching Progressively Forward, America is Regressing back to the Stone Age, due to in part to the Greed of the few at the cost of the many. Cheers from Michael. Australia.

Don’t forget the energy prices determined by supply and demand so people in Texas are getting bills costing thousands of dollars. (That might be new news since this video was published.)

Shame on Ted Cruz.