evidence: Texas politicians saw electricity deregulation as a better future. Years later, millions lost power. [...] Twenty-five years later, a fierce debate has erupted about whether the deregulation of the Texas electricity market contributed to the most calamitous week in recent Texas history, one that saw millions of Texans desperate and shellshocked as they sought out the most basic comforts of modern civilization — food, water, heat. [...] 'An electrical island': Texas has dodged federal regulation for years by having its own power grid