Freezing Texans, you know, the ones who are burning their fences to stay warm, aren’t fans of limited government right now. But they were when they voted for Greg Abbot for governor, and Ted Cruz and John Cornyn for Senator.

Every state has to make choices about limited government vs. the welfare state model. Texans chose to go it alone on the power grid and are now paying a price. This is what my father used to call natural consequences. Maybe it wasn’t the right decision, but spending a few nights in the cold might fix that for the next time. All good.

In the midst of the crisis Texans found their senior senator Ted Cruz hopping a flight to Mexico to enjoy some rays while the food lines grew longer and the water shortages persist. As Atlantic write David Graham pointed out, Cruz’s sin was not so much hypocrisy because all politicians can be accused of that in some form, but that he failed to use what power he had to lift a finger for his constituents. Taking a page from the Trump playbook, he bolted for a warmer climate and recreational opportunities for himself.

The thing to watch according to Graham, is whether the response by elected leaders is performative versus useful. Witness last night’s Fox News interview with Gov. Abbott who, try as he might, tried to put the blame on the Green New Deal, which as we all know hasn’t even materialized yet. So far the response has been predictably performative.

As Ed Burmila aptly but it, there are no libertarians on airplanes. Deregulation sounds great until it’s you on the deregulated flight.