Good judgement comes from experience, andoften experience comes from bad judgement.

— Rita Mae Brown

During the ‘60s, when I was tooyoung to care about such things,the Vietnam War was going on.

Many didn’t like it at all and they freelyvoiced their opposition. It was the eraof “psychedelic rock,” and many suchbands got on board with music andlyrics to spew their anti-war sentiments.One of the most famous was “CountryJoe and the Fish” who, although usuallyin a vulgar manner, asked the question,“What are We Fighting For?” I’m not here to protest any past or

current military action, but to tell youthat there indeed is a war going on. It’snot a conventional war; but rather a bat-tle for survival. As electric coopera-tives, we are in a fierce battle and it’simportant that we know what we’refighting for. But first — a brief historylesson.When FDR signed the Rural

Electrification Act in 1935 as part of his“New Deal” program, rural Americawas mostly in darkness. Big powercompanies had successfully and lucra-tively brought electricity to urban areas,but saw no profit in building powerlines into the sparsely populated ruralareas. So we did it ourselves. As part ofthe new REA program, rivers weredammed and power plants were built toprovide preference power to the ruralcooperatives that would be coming.Government-backed loans were issuedso this infrastructure could be built andthose loans have subsequently beenrepaid. Electric rates were high in thebeginning, but over the years havebecome relatively stable. Electricity lit-erally changed the lives of people livingin rural America. What began more than80 years ago has played a crucial role inthe country’s very progress and devel-

opment. Honest, hard-working peoplemade it happen themselves. Today, ruralelectric cooperative power lines coverabout 75 percent of the country’s land,but supply only about 10 percent of thecountry’s electric needs.Our country grew. Cities and towns

expanded into the rural areas, popula-tion density increased and areas that fordecades were too unattractive to the bigpower companies suddenly became ofinterest. Disputes over territories began,laws were enacted and co-ops began tofight for their right to serve. Untilrecent years, Southeast ElectricCooperative has seen very little of thisongoing battle for co-op survival, but itdoes exist. And it’s escalating. Our battlefield is the courtroom and

the halls of congress. Our war zone isWashington, D.C., and Helena; even inour local governments. Our enemies arelaws and mandates, rules and regula-tions that have the potential to destroyour ability to serve electricity at reason-able costs. We desperately need anational energy policy, but it must notbankrupt the co-ops in the process.There is presently a huge effort

against all coal-fired power plants.Southeast Electric receives most of itspower from coal. Thankfully, PresidentObama’s Clean Power Plan is presentlystalled in court. But at full implementa-tion, it would deal a severe blow to coalpower plants. The cause of our enemiesseems just — clean up the air, reverseglobal warming, save the planet. We’renot fighting against these things. We allwant them. Who have been better stew-ards of the planet than the farmers andranchers who ‘live off the land?’ Ourbattle is with the laws and regulationsthat may result from the over-zealous-

ness of our politicians and bureaucrats. We have very few allies in this war.

We’ll do this pretty much on our own.But that’s our trademark isn’t it? Ourparents and grandparents started theseco-ops years ago, and we can certainlyfight to preserve them. How do we dothat? You and I need to educate our-selves and our elected officials. Weneed to be more involved in the law-making process than ever before. Weneed to talk to our neighbors, ourfriends and our legislators. They cannotignore the voice of the people whoelected them. This is how we fight —this is how we will win. Now is thetime. If you need help getting involved,call us. I’ll repeat myself one moretime, “WE’RE ALL IN THISTOGETHER!”

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What are we fighting for?Manager’s Notes - By Jack Hamblin

PO Box 369 • Ekalaka, MT 59324Toll Free: 1-888-485-8762 • 406-775-8762www.seecoop.com • Facebook: Southeast Electric Cooperative

Photo courtesy of NRECA

SoutheastElectricCooperative is

guided by an electedBoard of Directors.Being a member ofthe board takes com-mitment and dedica-tion. It is a veryimportant role in yourelectric cooperative.It requires memberswho want to servewith the cooperative’sand the community’sbest interests in mind. The Board ofDirectors is a democratically electedbody nominated by members and votedinto position by those attending theAnnual Meeting. Directors follow the cooperative busi-

ness model, which is every member hasa voice in the business decisions. Theirpromise is to provide safe, reliable andaffordable electricity. The directors are also guided by the

Seven CooperativePrincipals: 1) Voluntaryand Open Membership2) Democratic MemberControl 3) Members’Economic Participation4) Autonomy andIndependence 5)Education, Training andInformation 6)Cooperation AmongCooperatives and 7)

Concern for Community. Southeast Electric Cooperative

Directors attend meetings and coursesto learn more about the challenges thatwe face today and what is comingtomorrow. They represent the member-ship with the highest degree of integrityand respect. They have the ability toreason logically and demonstrate soundjudgement. They understand others’needs, problems and viewpoints.

Southeast ElectricCooperative AnnualMeeting is June 2, 2017.Mark your calendars! Weinvite you to enjoy aFREE supper, attendanceprizes for all members,entertainment, awesomedoor prizes and to exer-cise your right to vote foryour Board of Directors.

L TO R: Leroy Jardee – District 5, Doug Gardner –District 2, Albert Paul – District 9, Karen Kreitel – District6, Dave Hayden – District 8, Mike Hansen – District 3

Bringing Home BabyBy Kelly Trapnell

Preparing for a baby — whetheryou’re a new parent or anextended family member — is

no small task. Along with a little bun-dle of joy comes a big responsibilityfor feeding, cleaning and providing asecure environment. Bumps and boo-boos will be part of

a child’s life, but make the effort tokeep a baby safe from critical dangerssuch as electricity.

Splish, splash safelyA baby’s first bathtub may be on a

countertop or the kitchen sink. Bemindful of outlets in the area. Be surethey are special ground-fault-circuit-interrupter (GFCI) outlets that willminimize a shock if exposed to waterduring splashy bath-time adventures.Also, set your water heater to 120degrees or below to help preventscalding and save energy.

While you were sleepingSleep may be fleeting with a new

baby, but there are still precautions totake. Install smoke alarms and carbonmonoxide alarms outside all bedroomsand near fuel-burning heaters. Followcurrent guidelines on crib and mattresssafety, and sleep positions.

Techie Baby New-and-improved electronics come

out every day to make parenting easi-er, especially for monitoring a baby inanother room. Follow manufacturer-recommended safety measures, keep-ing cords contained and properlymounting gear. Take care not to over-load outlets with new electronics.

Don’t BlinkYour baby won’t be little for long.

Before you know it, he or she will bemobile and new responsibilities willarise. You may think a room lookssafe, but peer down to a baby’s levelto see what else catches your eye. Thenew perspective may alert you to out-lets, cords and other hazards within achild’s reach. You can’t plan for everything, and it

may not be possible to test all productsand baby items before a baby comeshome. Look for the UnderwritersLaboratories (UL) mark on home elec-tronics. UL tests items for productsafety to give you a degree of comfortin new purchases.

SOUTHEAST ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC.

APRIL 2017 5

Directors play an important roleSECO Safety Corner

BOARD OF DIRECTORS:Dave Hayden, PresidentAlbert Paul, Vice PresidentKaren Kreitel, Secretary-TreasurerLeroy JardeeMike HansenDoug GardnerEMPLOYEES:Jack Hamblin, ManagerJerry Kalstrom, Line ForemanMike Dalzell, LinemanGreg Erlenbusch, LinemanJake Hammel, LinemanAdam Kuntz, LinemanBill Kalstrom, Lineman Sam Erfman, Apprentice Lineman Dave Johnstone, Groundman Robin Kuntz, Office Manager Rita Williams, Office Assistant Vicki Fix, Member ServicesTerri Buck, Custodian

Non-Discrimination StatementSoutheast Electric Cooperative, Inc.

is an equal-opportunity provider andemployer.If you wish to file a Civil Rights

program complaint of discrimination,complete the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture ProgramDiscrimination Complaint Form,found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or atany USDA office, or call (866)632-9992 to request the form. You mayalso write a letter containing all of theinformation requested in the form.Send your completed complaint formor letter to us by mail at U.S.Department of Agriculture, Director,Office of Adjudication, 1400Independence Ave. S.W., WashingtonDC 20250-9410, by fax (202)690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov. (revised 1-31-14)