Let freedom ring

“Politics, of course, requires sweat, work, combat and organization... but these should not be ugly words for free people
        -  Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1962.

A friend of mine once asked me where he might board a horse for a while. I gave him the names of three neighbors who might have space available.

The first farmer said he would keep the horse for $100 a month, plus the manure. My friend thought that was a little steep. The second farmer’s price was $75 a month, plus the manure. Though the price was more than fair, my friend got a little greedy and headed down the road to the third farmer who agreed to keep the horse for $10 a month.

“How come you didn’t ask for the manure too,” my friend asked. The farmer replied, “For $10 a month, there won’t be any.”

The less energy, time, effort or money we invest in something, the less return we may expect. This is especially true in the political arena.

Many have told me that politics is a dirty business. If it is, it is because you and I have allowed it to become so by failing to uphold our responsibilities as citizens.

Politics is not inherently dirty. It is inherently untidy and frustrating because what each of us thinks does indeed matter. That fact alone assures controversy along the path to consensus.

That is why Martin Luther, the sixteenth century religious reformer who began the Protestant Reformation, said, “Our good young men must go into the ministry, but we must reserve our very best for politics.”

Every two years we get the opportunity to develop a consensus on candidates. We affirm that consensus at the ballot box.

It’s not the 4^th of July we celebrate. We celebrate Independence Day, which happens to fall on July fourth.  In order to celebrate independence from an absolute monarchy, we agree to become dependent upon ourselves for governance.

That requires that you and I become participants rather than bystanders. Liberty is a difficult baby to birth and an even more difficult child to nurture into maturity.

It requires the investment of energy, time, effort, financial resources ... and, as any veteran can tell you, life’s blood.

Few books I’ve ever read portray that more vividly than “Founding Brothers,” a Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Joseph J. Ellis. I recommend it to your reading and the appreciation you’ll gain for political action, courage and conviction.

Our personal investments of time, energy, effort and money will determine our Independence Day return. Someday it will be our grandchildren’s responsibility.

Like it or not, they will learn from our example.

The high price of natural gas 

As America adjusts to paying more for everyday necessities, Oklahoma's electric cooperatives are doing their part to keep electricity as affordable and reliable as possible.

Nearly half of electricity generation in our nation comes from coal-fired power plants.  But mounting pressures to lower greenhouse gas emissions have made it more difficult and costly to build coal-fired facilities.  Nuclear power doesn't emit greenhouse gases, but strong political and philosophical opposition makes building new plants very difficult.

The rising costs of fossil fuels and power plant construction materials like stell, concrete and copper make the industry's ability to bring sufficient generation on-line more difficult.  As a result, natural gas has become the "bridge" fuel of choice for keeping the lights on, at least until new low-emissions technologies are developed on a large scale.

Natural gas plants are usually smaller than coal-fired or nuclear plants, can be built faster and typically face less public opposition than other power generation options, making them a convenient alternative.  Simple gas-fired turbines - similar to jet engines on blocks - can be built in approximately 18 months; a combine-cycle unit that creates steam for extra generation can be up and running in just two years.  But natural gas also has its drawbacks.

The price of natural gas has tripled since 2002 and jumped 93 percent since August 2007.  These price fluctuations combined with limited domestic reserves and a greater reliance on imports make natural gas highly volatile.  As more natural gas is used for electricity, we're likely to see electric bills increase as well.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, if natural gas consumption continues at its current rate without an increase in imports, national reserves will be tapped out within 10 years.  And by adding more gas-fired power plants, the nation's 300,000 miles of natural gas pipelines - already operating close to capacity - will come under further strain.  If you use natural gas for heating and cooking, those costs will significantly increase, too, as more supply is used for power generation.

It has been our ongoing mission to provide you with reliable and affordable electricity.