Weekly Opinion Editorial
NEITHER MAN NOR BEAST IS SAFE!by Steve Fair
The Oklahoma legislature is back in session. The 2012 state legislative session started Monday. Governor Fallin delivered her ‘State of the State’ address which includes a plan to eliminate the state income tax and streamline Oklahoma government. If successfully implemented and executed, elimination of the income tax would move the state forward and attract industry and jobs to Oklahoma. But if projections are wrong, then it could be a complete disaster for Oklahoma government. The legislature should proceed with caution when considering the elimination of a large part of the state government revenue stream until the details are clear.
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Stephens County now has five state lawmakers representing county residents at the State Capitol- up from four. Senator Anthony Sykes, (R-Moore), Senator Don Barrington, (R-Lawton), Representative Dennis Johnson, (R-Duncan), Representative Corey Holland, (R-Marlow), and Representative Joe Dorman, (D-Rush Springs). Dorman now represents the western edge of Stephens County and Barrington has a much larger piece of the county than before. The job of an Oklahoma legislator is to represent their constituency in an honest, principled manner. They should be accessible and listen to those they represent. The job of an Oklahoma citizen/voter is to know their legislator, what they stand for and to express their views on issues in a civil manner.
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Here are seven suggestions for the 2012 Oklahoma legislature:
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First, get the transferable tax credit situation under control. That includes not only the elimination of many that have been abused, but those that are not eliminated should be within the scope of an audit. That will involve expanding the role of the State Auditor’s office, but taxpayers must have the oversight to insure we aren’t being cheated.
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Second, fix DHS. With the retirement of former State Senator Howard Hedrick as Director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, the entire agency should be revamped and reorganized. DHS is the state’s largest agency and no doubt has some government waste. There will be no better time than the present to streamline it and make it more efficient.
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Third, require welfare recipients to be subject to random drug testing. Last year, several bills were filed, but none made into law. According to a study by the University of Michigan, almost twenty percent of welfare recipients report recent use of some illicit drug. If someone wants help from Oklahoma taxpayers, they should be willing to stay off illegal drugs.
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Fourth, be cautious when allowing state agencies to float bonds for capital improvements. Bonds are just another word for ‘debt.’ Some state buildings, including the Capitol, need work, but lawmakers need to be very cautious before they let taxpayers get on the hook for a long term mortgage.
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Fifth, fold the Turnpike Authority into the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Several bills are filed each session, but never make to the Governor’s desk. With Republicans in control of the legislature and the Governor’s office, this should sail through the chambers and get signed into law early in the session. We will see if the campaign rhetoric matches action.
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Sixth, pass a bill that would require the County Board of Commissioners to call a special election within 90 days of the death, resignation, or retirement of any county elected official. This ‘passing the baton’ to the next top aide reeks of good old boy politics. Voters should have a say in who represents them in county offices. This practice goes on throughout the state and should be stopped.
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Seventh, pass House Joint Resolution 1076 authored by Representative Corey Holland, (R-Marlow) that will force retiring Oklahoma legislators to wait for two years before they can go to work in state government. That two year moratorium is already in place, but both former Republican and Democrat state legislators have found a way around it by asking for an Attorney General’s opinion. Holland’s proposal would close the AG loophole.
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Between now and the end of May, the legislature will consider hundreds of bills. Many of them will impact your life and your wallet. Pay attention to what is going on at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Democrat and Oklahoma favorite son, Will Rogers said it best; “When the Oklahoma legislature is in session, neither man nor beast is safe.”
*****
Stephens County now has five state lawmakers representing county residents at the State Capitol- up from four. Senator Anthony Sykes, (R-Moore), Senator Don Barrington, (R-Lawton), Representative Dennis Johnson, (R-Duncan), Representative Corey Holland, (R-Marlow), and Representative Joe Dorman, (D-Rush Springs). Dorman now represents the western edge of Stephens County and Barrington has a much larger piece of the county than before. The job of an Oklahoma legislator is to represent their constituency in an honest, principled manner. They should be accessible and listen to those they represent. The job of an Oklahoma citizen/voter is to know their legislator, what they stand for and to express their views on issues in a civil manner.
*****
Here are seven suggestions for the 2012 Oklahoma legislature:
*****
First, get the transferable tax credit situation under control. That includes not only the elimination of many that have been abused, but those that are not eliminated should be within the scope of an audit. That will involve expanding the role of the State Auditor’s office, but taxpayers must have the oversight to insure we aren’t being cheated.
*****
Second, fix DHS. With the retirement of former State Senator Howard Hedrick as Director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, the entire agency should be revamped and reorganized. DHS is the state’s largest agency and no doubt has some government waste. There will be no better time than the present to streamline it and make it more efficient.
*****
Third, require welfare recipients to be subject to random drug testing. Last year, several bills were filed, but none made into law. According to a study by the University of Michigan, almost twenty percent of welfare recipients report recent use of some illicit drug. If someone wants help from Oklahoma taxpayers, they should be willing to stay off illegal drugs.
*****
Fourth, be cautious when allowing state agencies to float bonds for capital improvements. Bonds are just another word for ‘debt.’ Some state buildings, including the Capitol, need work, but lawmakers need to be very cautious before they let taxpayers get on the hook for a long term mortgage.
*****
Fifth, fold the Turnpike Authority into the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Several bills are filed each session, but never make to the Governor’s desk. With Republicans in control of the legislature and the Governor’s office, this should sail through the chambers and get signed into law early in the session. We will see if the campaign rhetoric matches action.
*****
Sixth, pass a bill that would require the County Board of Commissioners to call a special election within 90 days of the death, resignation, or retirement of any county elected official. This ‘passing the baton’ to the next top aide reeks of good old boy politics. Voters should have a say in who represents them in county offices. This practice goes on throughout the state and should be stopped.
*****
Seventh, pass House Joint Resolution 1076 authored by Representative Corey Holland, (R-Marlow) that will force retiring Oklahoma legislators to wait for two years before they can go to work in state government. That two year moratorium is already in place, but both former Republican and Democrat state legislators have found a way around it by asking for an Attorney General’s opinion. Holland’s proposal would close the AG loophole.
*****
Between now and the end of May, the legislature will consider hundreds of bills. Many of them will impact your life and your wallet. Pay attention to what is going on at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Democrat and Oklahoma favorite son, Will Rogers said it best; “When the Oklahoma legislature is in session, neither man nor beast is safe.”
1 comment:
Steve, the drug testing for welfare recipients law should be researched more. Florida is already having serious problems with it. They are 200,000.00 in the red, and mandatory testing for welfare has been blocked by a federal judge. This also is a violation of the fourth amendment. All I am hearing right now is how the wealthy need to be left alone and the woes of the nation are the fault of the poor. The poor do not have a stage or a voice. They rely on others to stand for them. I am now standing for them.
Cynthia Whaley Kennicutt
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