Weekly Opinion Editorial
WHERE ARE THE
RISK-TAKERS?
by Steve
Fair
The Oklahoma legislature is headed to a
special session. It’s not clear when,
but it will not likely happen until Governor Fallin and Republican legislative
leaders have the details hammered out on how to plug the $215 million dollar
budget hole created when the Supreme Court ruled the cigarette fee was actually
a tax and therefore unconstitutional. It
was reported that a budget deal had been worked out, but that was quickly
denied by legislative leadership and the governor. From all indications it appears they are
working exclusively on the ‘revenue’ side of the ledger. Bureaucrats have been effective in selling
their message that Oklahoma government has been ‘cut to the bone.’ Three
observations:
First, if Oklahoma government is lean and
mean and has little waste, has that been verified? Too many lawmakers have simply accepted it as
fact. There should be a comprehensive
audit of state government. Every entity
that gets one dime of state tax dollars should be audited. No
stone should be left unturned and the constitutional office charged with
auditing- Oklahoma State Auditor & Inspector- should be given incremental
funding to get it done, not some appointed ‘special auditor,’ handpicked by the
governor or legislative leadership. If
that is not done, then it is clear the legislature is not serious about ‘rightsizing’
government.
Second, a fundamental economic principle
that has escaped many lawmakers is that corporations and businesses do not pay
taxes, people pay taxes. Whenever a
politico talks about raising taxes on oil/gas companies, ending tax credits for
various other industries or charging sales taxes for goods and services, they
are in effect raising individual taxes.
Businesses aren’t sponges. They don’t
‘absorb’ taxes. They pass taxes along to
consumers in the form of price increases. When the price of peanuts(or the tax
on peanuts) goes up, the price of peanut butter goes up. Most citizens understand the concept, but it
appears many elected officials don’t get it.
Third, Oklahoma needs bold, innovative,
risk-taking leadership to move the state forward. We don’t need elected officials that will
simply grow government and do what has been done. We need leaders who will fundamentally change
Oklahoma government. We need risk taking,
inspiring leaders-people willing to do what’s right instead of what is easy.
President Ronald Reagan said, “This
country was founded and built by people with great dreams and the courage to
take great risks.” General George Patton
said, “Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.”
Oklahoma needs leaders who will take calculated risks and not just work on one
side of the ledger in a down budget year.
Every person running for the legislature
and the statewide offices in 2018 will claim to be a risk taker, but most who
claim to be risk-takers are reckless ideologues, who would have little chance
of being an effective change agent if they were elected. An effective risk taking leader is competent,
has character, courage, and charisma.
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