Open Letter to the People of Oklahoma

During the coldest winter in recent history a band of thieves came into our homes, our schools, our churches and our businesses. They stole food from our table, clothes off our backs, books from our classrooms and dignity from the elderly and the poor.

This band of thieves didn’t care whether you were young or old, black or white, pro life, pro choice, union, non union, gay, straight, Christian, Jew, Republican or Democrat. They simply wanted your money, knew they could steal it and would never be prosecuted.

Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Tom Quinn and I’m here to tell you that ONG is not your friendly neighborhood gas company, and parent company ONEOK doesn’t give a damn about you or your family. They don’t care if you freeze to death, go broke or lose your job. All they want from Oklahoma is our natural resources, some cheap labor and a lot of political favoritism.

As a matter of fact, ONG, ONEOK, and a severely corrupted State Government is sucking the lifeblood out of Oklahoma’s economy! They are working in concert to drive up the price of everything we consume and are violating the basic rules of free enterprise, fair taxation and common decency.

Think about it! If these statements were not true, Oklahoma would have the finest schools, the highest paid teachers, good roads, no turnpikes, and a standard of living that was second to none, any where in the world.

Remember! It is not free enterprise when a utility company is granted exclusive access to your home, is guaranteed a profit by the Corporation Commission, buys product from their parent company ( at a price that is grossly inflated ) and the government gets a piece of the action every time utility rates and the price of a loaf of bread go up.

There is no shortage of natural gas! Oklahoma exports over 70% and reserves are at an all time high. It costs less than $1.00 per thousand cubic feet to find and produce and there is a 93 % success rate when drilling new wells. All natural gas producers make a very good profit at $3.00 Mcf and exploration was going strong at that price. ONG customers were charged over $7.00 per thousand cubic feet in January. ( Sources: Your utility bill, the Tulsa World, Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas Co., ONG, ONEOK, the Wirthlin Group & the American Gas Association ) Type in natural gas on the Internet and you’ll be surprised at what you find.

Now that you know the facts, why don’t we do something about it?

Here’s the plan:

#1 Billboards, yard signs, bumper stickers and labels that simply say ONG sucks.com.
( The first billboard goes up on February 23rd and bumper stickers and labels are being printed as we speak. They will be made available by mail and personal delivery.)

#2 Put bumper stickers on your cars, labels on everything you mail and signs where they will be seen by others. ( Hint! ONG sucks.com bumper stickers sure will look good on those bright orange construction barrels! ) Does anyone remember EASTER SEALS?

#3 Staple checks to utility bills, credit card payments and income tax returns. Insert your well stapled checks in the return envelope and then staple the outside of that envelope to insure the contents don’t fall out or get stolen. The number of staples you put in is up to you. I think you will be amazed at how good it feels to squeeze that stapler.

#4 Send emails to everyone you know, even people outside the state. ONG sucks.com should be the title so as to draw attention to how WE deal with unfair utility rates in Oklahoma. Perhaps we can help others who are also being ripped off. ( Hint: ONG, PSO and most elected officials also have email addresses and should be added to your list. )

#5 DO NOT BUY GASOLINE OR DIESEL FUEL ON SUNDAY! Make it a habit to fill up on any other day of the week but do not buy gas on Sunday This single change of habit would reduce our dependency on foreign oil by 5 to 7% and the price we pay for gasoline by at least 10 cents a gallon. ( Call or send reminders to everyone you know and honk at anyone you see buying gasoline on Thursday. )

#6 Turn your lights off and thermostat down at exactly 8:00 PM every Sunday. Turn them back on at exactly 9:00 PM. This will really get the electric company’s attention and everyone will soon realize how easy it is to affect change.

#7 Sunday is now FRIENDS and FAMILY NIGHT, FROM NOW ON! Who says? I do!
Everyone !! Please stay home on Sunday night. Prepare dinner, turn off your lights, your television and your computer, at exactly 9:00 PM, of course. Light a candle and sit with family members and friends for at least one hour. Enjoy your meal, communicate and share ideas on how we can make everyone’s life better and happier.

If FAMILY NIGHT takes off, I’ll be the happiest man alive because I will have done a greater service to my country than all the elected officials who have served in my lifetime.