News
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Federally Owned – Ratepayer Built
by David Callis, Executive Vice President and General Manager for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association When you’re immortalized in song, you can reasonably assume that you’ve made it. When a government agency is immortalized in song, well, that’s profound. The group Alabama did just that for the Tennessee Valley Authority with their 1988 hit, “Song of the South.” One verse reads, “Well Momma got sick and Daddy got down. The county got the farm and they moved to town. Papa got a job with the TVA. He bought a washing machine, then a Chevrolet.” Simplistic as it is, the song [...]
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Speak for Yourself
by David Callis, Executive Vice President and General Manager for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association From an early age, we’re taught to speak for ourselves. It’s part of the process of growing up and developing our own identity. “Please, may I have some more?” eventually gets you more food. Pointing out that your malicious sibling broke the lamp may keep you out of trouble. You gain confidence and a sense of self-worth. Mark Twain put it this way: “Each of you, for himself, by himself and on his own responsibility, must speak. And it is a solemn and weighty responsibility, [...]
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Important Work
by David Callis, Executive Vice President and General Manager for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association My good friend Kent Lopez is manager of the Washington Rural Electric Cooperative Association, serving in a position similar to mine. Kent is a transplanted Tennessean, and he recently shared the following about his work: “My alarm goes off an hour earlier this time of the year. The State Legislature is in session. So I spend some extra time every morning getting ready for the day because there are special people relying on me. There is the rancher in Nespelem, the motel owner in Winthrop, [...]
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Leadership Matters
by David Callis, Executive Vice President and General Manager for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association By now we’ve all come to the realization that the Mayans were wrong. Or, more accurately stated, we were wrong about the Mayans. Just because their calendar ended on Dec. 21, 2012, didn’t mean civilization was going to end on that date. The lesson we all should have learned is that calendars just mark an arbitrary point in time. It’s true that we tie a number of starting points to Jan. 1, but we do that out of simplicity, not because of some cosmic reasoning. [...]
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Independence forever!
Mike Knotts, Director of Government Affairs for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association “It will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward evermore.” — John Adams, second letter to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776 In my opinion, no single act has shaped modern human history as much as the [...]
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What is important
The week of March 12 was an eventful one in Nashville, to say the least. More than 200 devoted directors and employees from Tennessee’s electric cooperatives were in the state capital to participate in the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association’s annual Legislative Conference, Day on the Hill and Legislative Reception. Taking time away from their busy schedules, these individuals heard from and talked with some of Tennessee’s most powerful governmental officials about the key issues impacting your local community — and your member-owned electric co-op. I had the privilege of coordinating these two very full days, but fortunately I was unable [...]
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Patience is a virtue
Mike Knotts, Director of Government Affairs for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association For years, I’ve heard the saying, “Patience is a virtue.” I’m not sure I’ve ever really thought about what that means. Have you? I just hear it, reflexively agree with it and move on to the next thing. Just another cliché, something that people say. According to Wikipedia, “A virtue is a positive trait or quality subjectively deemed to be morally excellent and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being.” I know Wikipedia might not be the most authoritative source, but I think [...]
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Decennial decisions
Mike Knotts, Director of Government Affairs for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association One man. One vote. It doesn’t get much simpler than that. Every citizen in the U.S. has the right to equal representation. We may take this principle for granted, but it is one of the cornerstones of our form of government, a representative republic. What makes our system of government different from a democracy, however, is that our votes are cast in order to elect an individual who will represent us in a legislative body that deliberates and decides the people’s business. Our own vote does not directly [...]
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Spreading Mayberry ideals on Capitol Hill
Mike Knotts, Director of Government Affairs for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association I love “The Andy Griffith Show.” That’s not exactly breaking news, I know. It’s only one of the most popular television shows in history. And I suppose having a father whose name is Don Knotts may have helped pique my interest many years ago. But few can disagree that there is just something about that program that resonates with people across America. While my father was not the actor who played the iconic Barney Fife, I do relish the thought of life in Mayberry. Life was simple, doors [...]
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Photo ID required to vote
by David Callis, Vice President of Statewide Services for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association The Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation earlier this year that added new requirements for those eligible to vote. The legislation was passed this past spring but takes effect Jan. 1, 2012. Beginning with next year’s elections, potential voters will have to show government-issued photo identification if they choose to cast their ballots at the polls. The photo ID law was implemented to safeguard elections against voter fraud. The new requirement will have little impact for most voters — at least those who are licensed drivers. As [...]