Walking the Mental Health Talk and Keeping the AC on

A Proper Diagnosis.  ͏  ͏  ͏ [expressnews.com]( [View in Browser]( [Tomlinson's Take]( Summer Sale: ONLY 25¢! Dive into local news with Unlimited Digital Access. [Subscribe Today.](   --------------------------------------------------------------- [Infarctions and Depressions]( Business and political leaders of a certain age [dropped dead with alarming frequency in the late 20th century](. Triple-bypass heart surgery was a right of passage for many CEOs as they clawed their way to the top of the corporate ladder in the 1970s. In some circles, heart problems were a sign of a hard-charger. Men — and they were primarily men — worked hard and played hard, and society honored them for it. A few weeks in a hospital bed to recover elicited outpourings of sympathy. Succeeding at the highest levels is exceptionally demanding, whether you are an athlete, business person, craftsperson, performer or politician. The competition is fierce and often nasty. Only a few reach the pinnacle of their professions, and getting there takes a physical, mental and personal toll. Some people may make it look easy, but it’s always a hard slog. Few young Texans have reached political prominence faster than Lina Hidalgo, the Harris County commissioner considered a rising Democratic star. This week, [she checked into a clinic seeking treatment for debilitating depression](, potentially scuttling her political career. Mental illness still carries a stigma that we don’t apply to problems like heart disease or cancer. We don’t question someone’s competence if their hormones cause a tumor, but we lose faith in them if their brain chemistry requires adjusting. The hypocrisy is galling when you consider the underlying cause of the 20th century’s epidemic of heart disease and stroke: self-medication for depression and stress. Back then, no one wanted to acknowledge that those [myocardial infarctions]( were manifestations of mental illness. Men drank and over-ate, failed to exercise or sleep enough, and bottled up the stress from their jobs and families in unhealthy ways. They were depressed and anxious too, and it showed up when their hearts seized. Today, women are not waiting until they have a heart attack to get help. The younger generation understands that untreated mental illness only leads to more significant and permanent problems. Speaking out and protecting themselves creates even more stress, though, as older generations ignorant about mental illness denigrate the brave few who acknowledge their illnesses. Texas gymnast Simone Biles found this out at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics when she withdrew because her head was not in the right place. Too many ignorant people responded with vitriol. Biles is [making a comeback](, though. She took care of herself, healed and is working her way back to the top of her field. Hopefully, Hidalgo will get the same chance. But more importantly, I hope many more follow their examples rather than suffer in silence.   [Photo of Chris Tomlinson] Chris Tomlinson, Business Columnist   --------------------------------------------------------------- What Else I'm Writing [Traffic is sparse on the snow-covered I-45 near The Woodlands Parkway following an overnight snowfall Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 in The Woodlands. Temperatures plunged into the teens Monday with light snow and freezing rain.]( [Lawsuits allege 2021 blackouts triggered by greed]( Did pipeline companies mistakenly trigger blackouts that killed hundreds in pursuit of profit? Multiple lawsuits allege they did exactly that.   [LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 24: A photo illustration of the new Twitter logo on July 24, 2023 in London, England. Elon Musk has revealed today a new logo for Twitter, which constitutes the letter 'X' as part of a rebrand of the company.]( [Elon Musk's dream of X may be his Waterloo]( Elon Musk’s dream to turn Twitter into X underestimates the financial and regulatory challenges ahead.   --------------------------------------------------------------- What I'm Reading Must Read: [Higher oil prices could drive inflation and be their own undoing]( No matter what the stickers on the pumps say, Biden did not raise your gasoline prices. (Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News) Should Read: [The brand of Texas: How a state became its own iconic image and rallying cry]( (Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News) Interesting Read: [The average doctor in the U.S. makes $350,000 a year. Why?]( Top doctors pull in 10 times that. (Washington Post) Technical Read: [Electoral College and Election Fraud]( The electoral college discourages election fraud by making it more difficult and costly to manipulate votes in swing states. (Becker-Friedman Institute, University of Chicago) Fun Read: [Looking Back to Luckenbach: 50 Years After the ‘¡Viva Terlingua!’ Sessions]( A brief explanation of why cosmic cowboys want to [go home with the armadillos](. (Texas Highways)   --------------------------------------------------------------- Question of the Week Should a history of mental illness disqualify someone from leadership? Reply directly to this email and tell me your thoughts.   --------------------------------------------------------------- Mailbag Last Week’s Question: Has the global 2023 heat wave led you to change the way you live? “I keep my AC set at 82 and have done this for years. I drive a vehicle 30,000 miles per year - I do building inspections, and there is no way to change this. An EV truck is too expensive at this point ($50,000). Also, I am a minority owner in a solar power system and a company that makes liquid-cooled computers that reduce computer energy demand by about 80%. All that said, I have not changed anything, but I have already pushed a green envelope.” – Jim Babb, Friendswood “I don't do laundry unless I get it started no later than 8:00 AM. I use fewer lights and won't use other appliances that may generate heat. I'm disgusted by the ‘business as usual’ mentality of politicians and energy companies who are raking in the profits. I contact state politicians. I am angered each time Energy Transfer's commercial runs implying that without oil and gas, everything from clothes to athletic shoes will suddenly disappear. What may disappear is so much more frightening.” – Linda Thomsen, Houston “I'm not convinced that ‘sacrifice’ is what is necessary to stop climate change, though it may be. What is necessary is change, which of course, some will interpret as sacrifice. Was buying a Tesla a change? Very much so. But I would hardly call it a sacrifice (at least for me). … But I guess my main point is that casting efforts to stop climate change as a sacrifice probably won't help inspire most people to make changes that may not even be a sacrifice.” – Alan Jackson, Houston   --------------------------------------------------------------- The Takeaway Knock on wood, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas grid is withstanding the heat and humidity. In August, I check the [ERCOT dashboard]( several times daily to see the gap between the supply and demand forecasts for bulk electricity. Grid operators like to maintain a 5 gigawatt cushion in case one of the big generators goes offline unexpectedly. When the cushion shrinks, the algorithm that sets the price rises quickly to incentivize generators to come online and to encourage big consumers to shut down. Commercial, industrial and cryptocurrency users pay wholesale prices, so when they rise from $30 to $1,000 a megawatt hour, it’s time to shut down. Or, in the case of HEB, [switch to natural gas generators]( located at many of their stores. The wholesale system performed its magic in the last few days when the cushion looked like it might drop to 2-gigawatt hours. The specter of paying more than $2,000 for electricity shaved 3 gigawatts of demand off the system. Most grid pundits (yes, we’re a thing) believe the grid will be fine this summer, barring some disaster with a generating plant, because scarcity pricing works. But it’s another winter storm we’re really worried about, and I’ll be writing about that more once the temperatures cool a bit.   --------------------------------------------------------------- Share With Your Friends Do you know someone who would like Tomlinson's Take? For the Houston edition, [send them here to sign up](; for the San Antonio edition, [send them here](.   --------------------------------------------------------------- More Newsletters 210 Report Our 210 Report newsletter fills you in on the top stories around San Antonio every weekday afternoon. [Sign Up](               [San Antonio Express-News]   ONLY 25¢! Dive into local news with our Summer Sale. 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