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Nashville is furious about power outages. Republicans say ‘woke’ is to blame. (www.nbcnews.com)
submitted 9 months ago by to c/nottheonion@lemmy.world
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The finger-pointing escalated this week as some Republicans argued that a major utility company run by Democratic appointees has “woke” policies on diversity and tree-trimming that are the causes of customers’ woes.

There’s bipartisan and widespread consensus that Nashville Electric Service, which serves the city as well as surrounding counties, mishandled the storm, struggling to mobilize enough workers and equipment to quickly clear fallen trees and restore service.

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[–] 7 points 9 months ago (14 children)

No, he's complaining that Democrats value trimming trees right (to maintain the long-term health of the tree) instead of indiscriminately butchering them to get them clear of the power lines as quickly and cheaply as possible.

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  • [–] 21 points 9 months ago (13 children)

    Tree trimmers are not thinking to themselves "is this how a Republican or a Democrat would trim a tree?" They're cutting like they were trained to do. Politics could not be less involved.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago* (11 children)

    Yes, except that training to care about tree health instead of only cost/efficiency is a thing Democrats do.

    The training isn't political, but which training gets chosen is.

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago

    My blue ass state is constantly trimming trees around power lines. I've worked cutting trees on state land, but the electric company itself does the power lines, the state makes certain they maintain it. They'll prep for storms like this well in advance. I've been sad for some of the trees I've seen taken (gorgeous old trees have a place in my heart), but it's for the best sometimes.

    Historically blue state, We don't get power outages often, and if it occurs they are resolved quickly. "Which training gets chosen" it's the one that maintains the grid, thats the training that gets chosen.

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  • [–] -1 points 9 months ago* (9 children)

    Nobody does trainings on tree health. That's not how any of this works. They do apprenticeships. Once they finish they're basically free to do whatever they want.

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  • [–] 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (5 children)

    You're the one who doesn't know how any of this works. Haven't you ever heard of an arborist? They even have a professional standards organization that offers certifications and everything.

    More to the point, the article references this interview where somebody from the electric company apparently describes their pruning standards. If you think such standards don't exist, explain WTF you think is going on in the interview!

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago* (4 children)

    That's someone describing an occupation that they have no idea about. Arborist is the step above journeyman tree trimmer. There are specific rules about what an Arborist is allowed to do vs. what a regular tree trimmer is allowed to do. Mainly working within certain distances of powerlines. Kinda like how EMT Paramedic is the step above EMT Basic. There isn't anything "woke" going on in tree trimming. Just like there isn't anything "woke" happening at paramedic school.

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  • [–] 5 points 9 months ago (3 children)

    Okay, I don't think you understand the point I was making.

    I'm not saying I think there's anything "woke" about tree trimming, or that having certified arborists who know what the fuck they're doing is somehow a bad thing -- the notion is ludicrous.

    What I'm doing is explaining why they (Republican morons) claim there's something "woke" about tree trimming (i.e. explaining the kernel of truth that they're twisting out of proportion to form the basis of their lie), and how they're wrong.

    Going back to the beginning, you wrote...

    "He seems to be saying it’s a Democrat value to do things wrong on purpose?"

    ....and I was explaining how, although that's what the Republican moron might claim, it's ass-backwards compared to factual reality.

    What he's actually saying is that it's a Democrat value to do things right on purpose, and complaining about it. That's an even more insane and broken mentality than you gave him credit for.

    To continue your EMT analogy, it's like if Republican morons were bitching and moaning that trained paramedics were a thing, and wanted ambulances to be staffed by quacks doing bloodletting and trying to balance bodily humours instead. (Which, with RFK Jr. in charge, probably isn't far off!)

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago (2 children)

    There is nothing political about this. At all. There are trees. They need to be cut within a certain distance of the line. Budges get cut, they get behind, and a tree they thought they'd trim again in 2 years becomes one that causes a power outage 3 years later. That's how it goes.

    There's not a left or right wing way to trim a tree. There's a correct way and a wrong way. It's about how many miles they need to do in how much time.

    You're imagining an argument about fast and efficient vs. slow and careful. In reality they're highlighting the dangerous trees and making sure those ones get done in ideal weather, and the others can get done in less than ideal weather. It gets done at the speed it gets done.

    Again, it could not be less political.

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago* (1 child)

    Except it is, because the Republicans make it political.

    There's not a left or right wing way to trim a tree. There's a correct way and a wrong way. It's about how many miles they need to do in how much time.

    Yeah, and the Republicans want to force it to be done wrong while claiming the opposite. It's nonsense, but you can't deny the nonsense exists.

    It only takes one side to politicize.

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

    These contracts are short, like 1-2 years. Typically you re-trim every 2 years. So if you do a terrible job and then get outbid 2 years later, you basically walk away with money and leave the next contractor with extra work. That's the typical situation. That's often how these sorts of disasters happen. Someone underbid and then couldn't deliver. Now it's the taxpayer's problem.

    Again, it's not political. Someone underbid. Someone accepted the underbid. The contractor that underbid couldn't accomplish the task. Now they're behind. Where are you seeing a left and right in this?

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    Certified arborists aren’t real? You ever got a quote from an arborist versus a redneck with a chainsaw? Guess who the cities will hire if there’s no oversight?

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago (1 child)

    Seems like it's different in about half the country. Interesting.

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago

    Yes. Based on if you value getting the job done, or getting the job done right. My mom just lost a bunch of nice trees in front of her house. The city wanted to save money and destroy the character of the neighborhood, so they did. There’s a law preventing home owners from doing their own trimming. And the city is too cheap to do it right. So you get destruction of property value and shittier neighborhoods for it. 4 Generations of kids walked to school under those trees but the city probably saved $3,000 to remove them for the next 4 generations. Great success

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