Oh, those big oil companies. Where can I even begin? They came into North Dakota, and what did they bring?
Remember back to those nostalgic times of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, when our state plugged along, watching generations move away while the state's economy grew from the bottom to not quite the bottom?
Then the oil men from Texas and Oklahoma dared to drill a few holes in North Dakota and Texas formations that had broken plenty of drillers before. The world thought they were crazy - but because of them, North Dakota is growing, we don't worry about every twist and turn in the Middle East and a whole new generation has remained in or returned home to the state and found good careers.
Remember, we didn't need government tinkering or grandiose leadership to do this. We needed leaders who set reasonable rules, and we needed some bold oil men to do the work.
So, what did Big Oil bring us? Big Oil brought opportunity, stability and a bright future to North Dakota. It brought this young veteran and his veteran wife great jobs.
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Chris Strand
Mandan, N.D.
