Letter to the Editor:

I hate to admit how many years I have misconstrued the franchise system. So I will just round it off at 50 years ago that I started believing that when a utility was granted a franchise for a community, it was dipping into their profit money and giving some to the city in exchange for the franchise. I also thought that a franchise was worth so much to the utility because it would keep another company from bidding in a lower rate to get the job.

Silly me.

I probably would have even been willing to charge a company an extra dollar to get the new franchise. Who would have ever guessed that the company would just put the same amount on my bill and increase my bill an extra dollar each month? Not me, obviously.

So, am I calculating that if I vote for a $7 franchise fee, it costs me $7 for the privilege? Well now, I may be silly, but you know that I am not crazy, right?

Oh darn, I guess I just let the cat out of the bag.

Now what? Too many people recognize me. Some have even known me for more than 50 years. Maybe I will buy a new hat and wear my dark glasses for a few weeks. Most of you probably will forget by then.

(Disclaimers: I claim that I am not influenced by the fact that I own stock in the gas company and I plan to buy stock in the electric company.)

One more thing – I saw a story from a giant entertainment company about the death of H. Ross Perot and it did not mention that he was right about "a giant sucking sound" he described in a campaign speech. Prior to and after that election, I traveled often through Texas as far as the Rio Grande River and observed tremendous changes. My hearing was so bad by then that I could not hear that sound but I could see it and read about in Harlingen area newspapers.

Jack Fisher, Alva