Energy

Some financial pundits are predicting Americans will soon be paying $7 a gallon for gasoline, and, rest assured, when it happens the corporate media here will spin this on one level as great news for Oklahoma because local energy companies will benefit with massive profits.

Sure, you might see the obligatory times-are-tough stories. But, really, who cares that you cannot afford to drive to work anymore? What is good for energy companies is good for Oklahoma, the mantra goes at The Oklahoman and Tulsa World. It has become a deeply entrenched Okie mythology that Oklahoma’s quality of life and the happiness of its people is dependent on the success of a handful of energy companies here and throughout the world.

When gasoline prices go up, well, then Okies should be dancing in the streets, right? After all, these wonderful energy companies contribute much to the state’s tax base and provide great jobs. Why, you are simply un-American and un-Oklahoman if you do not love those wonderful energy companies who make life so great here.

The only problem here is the mythology is not the least bit true. This is what energy company worship has wrought in this state: Oklahomans have relatively low average incomes when compared to other states. It does not provide adequate funding for education because its tax base is traditionally low and shrinking because of recent tax cuts that reward wealthy people. Its deteriorating roads and bridges are some of the worst in the nation. The state has high rates of hungry families, poverty and uninsured people. It ranks close to the lowest in the nation in most categories dealing with health issues.

Meanwhile, some local energy executives use their wealth to support ultra-right wing politicians and initiatives that help promote the oil-company mythology. This keeps the state’s political leadership mired in a corporate-worship mindset that hurts ordinary Oklahomans and rewards only the relatively few millionaires in the Okie oligarchy.

So what happens to a state that has been built on the sanctity of energy companies and planned on the ubiquity of the automobile when gasoline prices hit $7 a gallon?

During the last belch of The Oil Age, expect Oklahoma, in particular, to face incredible fallout. The state’s sprawling cities and neighborhoods were planned on cheap gasoline, for example, even though the idea of diminishing supplies of oil has been discussed for decades. Who will lose out as people here move closer together in centralized locations? More importantly, who will want to move here knowing they might have to drive 300 miles or more each week? As the economy sours even more because of rising costs, local energy companies will have even more leverage here to call the political shots.

The solutions are obvious, but nothing will happen here until we face a full-blown crisis because of the current political influence of energy companies. Here are some obvious solutions to rising gasoline prices: The state should become more sustainable. Oklahoma City and Tulsa should centralize their neighborhoods and important institutions. Local governments should provide new funding for mass transit. The government here should encourage the use of alternative energy sources through tax incentives.

The first thing that must happen, however, is for Oklahomans to stop electing politicians who support the agenda of oil companies over the needs of struggling families. A vote for politicians such as U.S. Senators Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn, who support the interests of energy companies over regular families, is an act of self-loathing. It should be known as a form of family abuse.

The financial success of energy companies has been an integral initiative of the failed neoconservative experiment, and these companies have reaped record profits. Now it is shaping up to be a year of great political change in this country. It would be a shame if Oklahoma once again got left behind, but it seems inevitable at this point.

Once the last bit of oil and natural gas is sucked from the soil here, the energy companies will leave and never come back. They are a blip on the state’s and country’s history. They have prevented the state from prospering by using political manipulation to protect their narrow interests, and that is what the historical record will show.

Carlin and Russert

When NBC’s big-shot infotainer Tim Russert recently died, he received the equivalent of a state funeral and the corporate media lauded him for days as a great “journalist.” Imperial President George Bush even attended Russert’s wake to obviously thank him posthumously for his unequivocal support of the Iraq invasion and ensuing occupation.

When comedian George Carlin died a couple of weeks later, the media offered up obligatory obituaries.

This is yet another example of how the mainstream media distorts reality and significance. Carlin and his comedy, which always offered brilliant critiques of our culture, will be remembered as an essential part of the American milieu in the last half of the twentieth century. Russert, who hosted Meet The Press, will be forgotten in a few years or so. If Russert is remembered at all, it will be as a sidenote, as one of those millionaire celebrity infotainers who served as a toady for the most corrupt presidential regime in the country’s history.

Here are excerpts from some recent Okie Funk posts:

Oklahoma City is hard hit by rising gasoline prices. The metropolitan area encompasses a large geographical area. Many vital institutions, such as major hospitals and medical offices, can be miles away from residential areas and rural communities. For example, the Oklahoma Heart Hospital in north Oklahoma City is approximately 30 miles and more away from Norman neighborhoods.

Local officials need to continue planning to improve and increase mass transit. Undoubtedly, there will come a time when mass transit and energy conservation will become emergency issues. Is Oklahoma City ready? Is the state ready?
March 3, 2008

Coburn, a Republican, recently put a “hold” on legislation known as the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). The bill, authored by U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-New York), prohibits employers from discriminating against anyone for their genetic predisposition. Recent advances in DNA research have made such a law crucial. This is a pressing contemporary issue.

The bill is nonpartisan and has overwhelming support. It passed the House on a 420-3 vote and passed on two Senate votes by 95-0 and 98-0 margins. The Bush White House has issued statements of support for the bill.
February 27, 2008

Let us all hope the civil rights lawsuit filed this week against the Oklahoma Department of Human Services will open up a real dialogue here about how to solve the state’s massive socioeconomic problems.

Children’s Rights, a child advocacy group based in New York, has filed a lawsuit asking a judge to order reforms to the state’s child welfare system because, as a spokesperson for the group puts it, “Oklahoma has long maintained one of the most dangerous and badly mismanaged child welfare systems in the nation, and thousands of children have suffered under nightmarish conditions for years as a result.”
February 15, 2008

The hunger issue in Oklahoma is a serious one, and it takes a heavy toll on individual lives. It also, unfortunately, echoes the state’s Dustbowl history. During the 1930s, there was massive hunger and poverty in the state and many Oklahomans migrated to California and other states. Oklahoma should show the nation it takes the hunger issue seriously in 2008.

Everyone should donate what food and money they can to local food banks to help alleviate the problem. But growing hunger and poverty in this country demands more action by the federal government. We need permanent solutions. Food banks alone are not the answer. People need decent jobs and health care.
January 31, 2008

What Does It Mean For You?

The recent discussion about state water woes at the Governor's Water Conference in Oklahoma City this week shows again how Oklahoma needs to become more sustainable in the first years of the twenty-first century.

Essentially, the state’s water story is this: A recent drought has lowered water levels in some state lakes that are used as water sources. The levels are low enough that experts are quite concerned some communities could be without adequate water supplies in the future, according to news reports. In addition, new federal regulations making sure our drinking water is safe might require some communities to make major investments in new water treatment equipment. These communities may not have the money or tax base to make the improvements.

City leaders say the Oklahoma City water supply is fine despite low water levels at Lake Hefner, but that could change in coming years.

The larger view is that state leaders need to embrace the idea of local sustainability and make major investments in improving both the water supply and food sources. A recent study, conducted by SustainLane, shows that Oklahoma City ranked 49th out of 50 cities in terms of sustainability. (Here is the link to the Oklahoma Sustainability Network.)

At the risk of sounding like Chicken Little, I argue the state is setting itself up for a major disaster and another mass exodus of people similar to the 1930s.

The drought continues, but the state won’t or can’t make sure water supplies are adequate. Meanwhile, the state grows little food for local consumption. Geographically, the state’s largest city is so spread out it takes massive quantities of fossil fuels to get around on daily business.

What if the drought continues for several more years? What if there is a major energy crisis and the cost of transporting food becomes enormous? What if you live in Norman but you must travel on a regular basis to Oklahoma Heart Hospital in the Mercy Medical Center complex, and you can’t afford the gasoline?

The neocons will undoubtedly argue the market needs to take care of all these issues. Once gasoline costs, say, $8 a gallon, car manufacturers will make more fuel-efficient cars. But the problem with this thinking is history shows major financial and energy calamities are sudden.

In The Great Depression, after a sudden stock market crash in 1929, Oklahoma suffered immensely because of poor initial planning with its infrastructure. A drought in the 1930s pushed people from their land as oil tycoons made off with the cash. The federal government had to step in with massive assistance to create water supplies and to prevent land erosion here.

Could it happen again? Yes. Could there be a major energy crisis? Yes. What does it mean for you? Don’t count on the Oklahoma power structure, the vested business interests, to do anything to help or to make the right planning decisions.

The Observer Goes On

Okie Funk has failed to mention that Arnold and Beverly Hamilton are taking over The Oklahoma Observer, the only state journal exclusively dedicated to progressive commentary. The indomitable Frosty Troy, a true state legend, is still writing for the publication.

Troy announced the transition a few weeks ago. It’s my hope The Observer might capture younger readers with a Web site and a new layout. It’s important the journal remain a major force in the state’s progressive community.

In the November 10 issue, Troy’s excellent article, “Hear The Canary In The Mine: Our Financial Ruin,” explores what it means now that the country has gone from an empire that makes goods to one that imports them. This “may spell doom for the U.S. as a Super Power.”

To subscribe to The Observer, send a $30 check along with your address to P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275.