Opinion

There is an old saying about never meeting your heroes for fear of being let down.

I am sure there are many examples in which people can point to which would demonstrate this.

I have been fortunate to be able to not only meet many of the individuals who I have looked up to as a young man and tried to emulate with my career, but to also develop friendships with many of them.

Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with such a person who inspired me to public service and thank him. He is a hero who has never disappointed.

An exciting movement is under way in our nation. It is in accordance with former Sen. Tom Coburn’s final instructions to our nation, recorded in his last published book.

Sen. Mike Braun, (R-IN), is taking a leadership role to see that the Convention of States effort, that Sen. Coburn devoted so much time and energy to after he left Congress, is supported within Congress.

To the Editor:

While I enjoy the events I have attended and am proud of the investments and improvements that have been made, I would like to bring up an area that has not been given enough attention or focus - seating for the handicapped.

At the county fair and the El Reno Fly-In, seating is still a problem, especially for handicapped people.

Since my two boys were little, I would tell them to “always make the next right choice.”

That comes to mind when I read the story about the possible oil wells to be erected on the land near the Williamstown and Wessex additions as well as South Reno.

The drilling spot is surrounded by homes and the people living in those homes don’t want to have the nuisance and noise of an oil rig, or four, right in their backyards. I don’t think that’s an unusual request. For full disclosure, I am one of those homeowners.

To the Editor:

As president of the Williamstown Homeowners Association, I applaud the decision of the Board of Adjustment for refusing to grant the application to Revolution Operating Company, LLC to drill four wells south of West Elm Street between Reno and Country Club.

This area is a prime location for future development of homes that would benefit local schools and government in the form of ad valorem taxes.

This was a Planned Unit Development (PUD) that was established several years ago and is still in effect today.

The Biden Department of Justice just unleashed its political subpoena power in the state of Alabama, and no one should be surprised that a conservative group has come in their crosshairs – all because they had the temerity to urge the state Legislature to pass a law stopping the use of puberty blockers on minors.

To the Editor:

At a special meeting of the Board of Adjustment of the city of El Reno, the attorney for Revolution Operating Company, LLC said the company had the right under the law to drill four oil wells on a narrow strip of land on West Elm Street between Reno and Country Club.

Several years ago, the city developed a Planned Unit Development (PUD) for the property. Development has happened in phases around this area where the wells are proposed.

Last week, President Joe Biden unveiled a plan to unilaterally erase a wide swath of certain federal student loan debts.

Not only is such action completely unfair to millions of Americans who do not have student loans or already paid them off, but it will also add hundreds of billions of dollars more to the national debt.

This move will ultimately drive our country deeper into a recession in the days and months ahead and could permanently damage the American psyche for generations to come.

The world lost a giant recently when Bill Russell, the all-star center who led the Boston Celtics to 11 NBA championships during his playing career from 1956 to 1969, passed away.

Only Wilt Chamberlain had more career rebounds than Russell, who revolutionized the center position by his phenomenal ability to block shots.

The 6-foot-10 basketball star was also the first black head coach in any major American sports league.

In states across the country and nations across the globe, politicians’ embrace of a “Green New Deal” style of environmental policy has often been a comedy of errors.

But the real-world results are no laughing matter.

The problem is appearing even in conservative states like Texas, where over-reliance on “green” wind power has created numerous problems.

About 30 percent of Texas’ electricity is generated by wind power.

That’s all well and good — unless the wind isn’t blowing, which is often the case during hot spells.