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Show Currently Speakings) J C Ni'CA Bv MOON LAKE ELECTRIC ASSOC. INC. COOPERATIVE MONTH "Cooperatives Building a Better America," the theme that highlights the seventeenth observance of Cooperative Month emphasizes what the cooperative movement means to the entire nation. Reliable electric light and power made possible through cooperative rural electrification brought radical changes to the lives of rural Americans whose existence was characterized by hardship and struggle. Lighting up rural America, literally and figuratively, figurative-ly, enriched every aspect of rural life. The rural electrification program has been called one of America's great success suc-cess stories. It is certainly one of the best examples of what people can pro- duce by working together for a common goal. The cooperative philosophy has proven for nearly 50 years that a job can be done economically and efficiently efficient-ly through the democratic process. There have been struggles and crises, but rural electric leaders, with support and active involvement of consumer members, demonstrate repeatedly that they can and do surmount obstacles and explore new avenues to keep their program pro-gram strong. Less than fifty years ago only ten percent per-cent of America's rural areas were - electrified. Today, nearly 1,000 rural electric cooperatives provide electricity electrici-ty to 25 million consumers in 46 states, including most of the nation's farmers and ranchers. They are responsible, in part, for the remarkable achievement of American agriculture and the quality of rural life which attracts millions of people each year to the countryside. Rural electric systems have played a mighty role in building a better America. |