Oklahoma is in another severe downturn in the oilfields again!
This is an exact repeat of what happened in the early eighties!
The OPEC nations have ramped up production to make sure they keep their hold on the market share by flooding the market with cheap oil.
Why hasnt Oklahoma tried to diversify their economy before now?
Why aren't we the trucking Hub of the United States?
We are at the crossroads of America with I-35 and I-40 intersecting in Oklahoma City.
We have the largest inland port at the Port of Catoosa that goes all the way up to the Gulf of Mexico by New Orleans.
We have the cheapest fuel prices and license tags for semi trucks anywhere in the nation.
Only one reason and that is because of the turnpike system. There are too many people are making too much money selling bonds to keep these refinanced into eternity!
Until the stranglehold on our economy is broken, Oklahoma will never advance economically. We are a one natural resource state. Our economy is built upon oil and very little else.
Until we learn this, we will never break free from the slavery of unstable oil prices. We will constantly be at the mercy of nations who hate us!
Why are we letting nations who hate us, and our way of life, dictate our economy by adjusting the price of a barrel of oil on the world market?!
I do not see a downside of removing the turnpikes and making them a free road. As one person said, the turnpike system looks like a wagon wheel with spokes coming out of Oklahoma City. If these were free roads, we would be able to attract all kinds of trucking companies here to do business in Oklahoma.
We are better than this! We have been through this before. It seems to me that we have learned nothing. What will it take to wake us up and change our economy?
No comments:
Post a Comment