|
The power is in the peopleHow do I know this? Because the super-rich prove it every time their traditional approach of congressional contributions and lobbying fails. My case in point is T. Boone Pickens, an 80-year-old oil billionaire, who is spending his own money to promote an alternative energy strategy. He's fun to watch and we may learn the extent to which money can buy influence and when it is only a platform from which one can appeal to the common man and woman. I am not opposed to the wealth or power of Mr. Pickens since we are both Oklahoma State University graduates. He is, more accurately, an Oklahoma A&M graduate, as he received his degree before the name changed in 1958. In recent years, he has been the largest benefactor to the university with donations approaching $200 million dollars. They've named the stadium after him and awarded him every perk the creative fund-raisers can find. If he buys us a football team that can beat OU and stay within the rules of the NCAA, I'm all for it. His mission, of late, is to gain public support for alternative energy. How can it be that an oil man wants the country to move away from oil? His measure is not the oil that comes out of the pipe, but the money. Pickens sees that the oil fields of the United States are drilled out. The environmental battles of the continental shelf and Alaska are not worth fighting, so he's looking for new investments that bring forth energy in a different form. Pickens is an advocate of wind energy. There have to be 10 great analogies about Texans and wind that I can insert here, but I'll refrain. He wants to develop what is becoming a logical new energy source that can be drawn from the Plains and upper Midwest. Wind energy production is not cheap but the rising price of oil has now made it feasible. Technology has risen to the occasion and American factories are producing giant blades and turbines that can be set on tall towers within "wind belts" to produce many megawatts of electricity. It's almost pure green energy if you have the infrastructure to tap into the national grid and export the wind watts to homes and businesses. The problem is Congress. The body politic has decided to fight about offshore drilling and opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Wind energy tax credits are about to expire. Pickens appears to have given up on traditional means to steer the House and Senate and decided to use his money to deal directly with the greatest force of a democracy: public opinion. He knows he's the perfect guy to do so because his background is in oil. When he says "we can't drill our way out of this," he has great credibility. He's like Bill Clinton saying we need to balance the budget. There is just noone who can stand up and say he's wrong. Pickens is doing TV commercials that are folksy and very simple. He is making town hall appearances and playing to the media who carry his message to a larger audience. In Le Mars, Iowa, last week, he said his energy plan calls for adding wind power to account for 22 percent of U.S. electricity needs. That would remove the need to fuel power plants with natural gas. The gas would then be used to power trucks and reduce the need for diesel which would cut dependence on foreign oil. Even someone educated at Oklahoma State University could understand that! The language used by Pickens is probably a little more country than what he'd use if he were talking to New York investors, but he knows who he is talking to and what he wants. He admits he's rich and even uses it to show that he's honest and telling the truth. "I've got enough money," he tells reporters. "I just want us to stop buying oil from people who don't like us." I think back to a couple of earlier billionaire voices who decided their best pathway to political change was through the people. The first was Eddie Childs, owner of The Western Company (oilfield servicing) and a man who was angry at Washington, D.C. He appealed for smaller government and less spending. He, unfortunately, was an Oklahoma University graduate. Nevertheless, he spent his own money for radio and TV commentaries where he said: "I'm Eddie Chiles, and I'm mad as hell!" He became a folk hero in the Southwest and millions of people put bumper stickers on their cars that said: "I'm mad, too, Eddie." Then there was Ross Perot, another Texan, who made his money in the early years of handling data electronically and sold his company for billions. He announced on TV, in 1992, he was running for president and charged on the scene as a populist alternative with a strong protectionism platform. Perot pulled votes from both parties, plus added many who would not have voted had he not been on the ticket. Perot did not have an Oklahoma-based education (U.S. Naval Academy-Annapolis, Maryland) and that appears to have been his downfall as he began to show signs of indecision and paranoia as media pressure became intense. All three men came from the land and realized the American dream. They were disillusioned by politics in Washington, D.C., and decided to take their case to the people. Their actions are proof that a united populace, focused on changing course or accomplishing an objective, is the real power of this country. Getting our attention and holding it until that course is changed or action taken--that's the real challenge. Even a billionaire has yet to accomplish that feat. Editor's Note: This is Ken Root's 34th year as an agricultural reporter. He grew up on a small farm in central Oklahoma and started his career as a vocational agriculture teacher. He worked in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri as a broadcaster and was the original host of AgriTalk. He has also been the executive director of the National AgriChemical Retailers Association in Washington, D.C. and the National Association of Farm Broadcasters in Kansas City. Ken is now the lead farm broadcaster at WHO and WMT Radio based in Des Moines, Iowa. He has been a columnist for HPJ and Midwest Ag Journal for seven years. 8/25/08 Date: 8/21/08
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2008. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
