A free society depends on a willingness to disagree openly without fear of being silenced or shamed by whoever happens to be in power.
America’s story did not begin in 1776. Long before the founding fathers gathered in Philadelphia, the seeds of liberty, self-government, and limits on power were sprouting in western Europe and beyond — it was a good bit of the reason people left there to settle in the colonies in the first place.
Life for those early freedom-seeking colonists, however, was often harsh, violent, and unstable. Settlers had to build communities, create rules, settle disputes, and depend on one another, and from those difficult experiences grew the ideals of independence and local responsibility.
So, by 1776, the colonists had learned that communities could and should govern themselves, and in the Declaration of Independence, they put that belief into words: Our rights don’t come from those in charge, and government is only legitimate when it answers to the People.
America has always involved a contest of ideas — not just about policy, but about who decides what is true, what is right, and how much power any authority should have over the People.
After 250 years, while we celebrate and look forward to the next 250, it’s vitally important to stay grounded in the principles that have carried the country this far. A free society depends on a willingness to debate, to disagree openly in that contest of ideas without fear of being silenced or shamed by whoever happens to be in power. Beyond that, it also depends on the discipline to think beyond the moment to make decisions that will still make sense years from now.
From their beginnings, Ohio’s electric cooperatives have tried to live that ideal. Your co-op follows a longer-term strategy that values reliability, affordability, and realism. That approach has given co-ops sound financial footing through plenty of economic ups and downs, and that in turn has allowed them to maintain the independence it takes to make the best decisions for their members — now, and into the future.
That’s the mission Ohio’s co-ops tackle every day: to serve members with that same spirit of 1776, relying on practical judgment and long-term responsibility that defines both this country at its best and the cooperative model at its core.
Craig Grooms is president and CEO of Buckeye Power, the co-op-owned utility that provides the electricity Ohio’s electric cooperatives deliver to their members; and Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc., their statewide trade association.
