VOTERS SHOULD NEVER MISS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CUT TAXES!

 Weekly Opinion Editorial

NO ON 845 & YES ON 847!

by Steve Fair

 

On November 3rd, Oklahoma voters will see two state questions on the ballot.  State questions 845 and 847 were both sent to voters through legislative referendums.  Below is the lowdown on the two:

State Question #845 would amend article 7-B, Section 3 of the state constitution.  It proposes to amend the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) structure.  The JNC was established in 1967 by a vote of the people.  When there is an opening in the judiciary, the JNC nominates three candidates for appointment by the governor.

The stated reason the JNC was established back in 1967 was to remove the partisan influence from the judiciary.  It followed a major scandal that occurred in 1964-65.  Three Oklahoma Supreme Court justices were convicted of accepting bribes in exchange for favorable rulings over a twenty-year period.  The fallout from the scandal was the JNC.

The JNC is made up of fifteen (15) members.  Nine of the fifteen have to be non-lawyers.  The governor appoints six of the non-attorneys by the congressional district’s boundaries from 1967 and they serve six-year terms.  The Oklahoma Bar Association (OBA) appoints six members.  The other three serve as 'members at large' for two years.  The Speaker of the House and the Senate President Pro Tempore each appoint one of the at large members and the JNC members appoint the last at large member.  Of the three Members at Large, no more than two can be from the same political party.

If approved, State Question#845 would change the district requirement to the current congressional boundaries, allow commissioners to serve two six-year terms, remove the 'non-lawyer' provisions and permit any number or all of the commissioners to be attorneys.  It would also remove political Party membership for the at-large members.  remove the requirement that no more than three commissioners appointed by the governor be from the same political party and that no more than two at-large commissioners be from the same political party. 

The JNC needs reformation- or elimination- in Oklahoma.  In the recent past, the Oklahoma Supreme Court has consistently issued liberal rulings and undermined conservative legislation.  But SQ#845 is not the answer.  The proposed changes to the JNC empowers the OBA more in the process than it is already.  Some of the changes in SQ#845 are fine, but the fishhooks in it make worse than the current system.  Until the legislature gets serious about truly reforming the JNC, voters should vote no on SQ#845.

State Question #847 proposes to reduce the annual growth limit of the calculated cash value of property assessed for taxation.  It would reduce the annual growth from 5% to 4%.  It would reduce the annual growth amount for homestead exemption from 3% to 1.75%.  SQ 847 would eliminate the hard income cap to qualify for the senior property valuation limit, and change the senior property tax freeze into a tiered cap. Instead of locking the assessed value at exactly zero percent growth, the value would be permitted to rise by an annual limit of 1.75% or higher, depending on income.

Supporters say SQ#847 would protect property owners from sharp increases. Critics note slower growth in property values would also slow the growth of funding for local schools and services.  They point out property tax monies stay in the community where it is collected and are one of the few ways local citizens directly control funding for local services. 

Voters should never miss a chance to reduce their tax burden and the size of government.  The critic's argument voters directly control local funding through property tax is valid and accurate and that is precisely why voters should vote yes on SQ#847.  

Like Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell once said: “Death, taxes and childbirth! There's never any convenient time for any of them.”

On August 25th, YES 'EM BOTH!

 Weekly Opinion Editorial

YES ‘EM BOTH!

by Steve Fair

 

Oklahoma was the first state in the United States to include in its state constitution the right for citizens to circumvent the legislature and amend the state constitution.   Since Oklahoma became a state in 1907, 116 citizen-initiated ballot measures have appeared on the ballot.  The legislature regularly raises the number of signatures needed to get a state question on the ballot.  The number of signatures needed to get on the ballot is now 15% of the number of votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election. 

The second way and the most common way state questions get on the ballot is a legislative joint resolution.  Joint resolutions bypass the need for an initiative petition and refers state questions directly to voters.  They do not require the signature of the governor.

Oklahomans will be voting on two state questions on August 25th- SQ#844 and SQ$846.  Here is the scoop on both:

Oklahoma State Question 844 is a legislatively referred constitutional amendment.  Authored by Oklahoma Speaker of the House Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow) and Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, (R-Tuttle), HJR 1987 passed the House 69-22 and the Senate 38-7.   If approved, SQ #844 would alter how Oklahoma state government reimburses local governments and school districts for revenues lost due to the statewide five-year property tax exemption for manufacturing plants.  It would amend article 10, section 6B of the Oklahoma Constitution. 

Currently, the State must reimburse common schools, county governments, cities and towns, emergency medical services districts, vocational technical schools, junior colleges, county health departments and libraries for revenues lost as a result of each exemption provided.  Those exemptions have become expensive according to Paxton.  In 2024, the state paid $93 million in reimbursement. 

Right now, there could be a manufacturing company about to move into Oklahoma and we know nothing about it. Then all of a sudden, we get hit with a very large property tax reimbursement that we have to absorb that takes away from other things,” Paxton says.

Critics of SQ#844 claim it would eliminate the guaranteed constitutional protection for schools and emergency service funding that has been around for 41 years.  They don't want the legislature to decide how much revenue- if any- local entities would receive.

Giving duly elected legislators power to control reimbursements will provide more transparency and accountability to the process.  Voters should approve SQ#844.

Oklahoma State Question#846 is a legislatively referred constitutional amendment.  Authored by Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, (R-Tuttle) and eight House members, SJR 47 passed the House 78-15 and the Senate 39-8.  If approved, SQ846 would amend the state constitution to mirror current state law, which requires voters to show identification at their polling location before they vote.

Proponents argue placing the rule in the constitution "sets it in stone" so that a future Legislature cannot easily eliminate voter ID rules without a direct vote from citizens. Critics argue the amendment is redundant because a voter ID law is already active. 

Voters should approve SQ#846.  It's just common sense to verify who is voting is who they say they are.  Making it harder for cheaters is never a bad idea.

Because SQ#844 and SQ#846 are statewide ballot measures, all registered voters in Oklahoma are eligible to vote on them, regardless of political party affiliation.

On August 25th, voters should yes 'em both!

IGNORING AMERICA'S NATIONAL DEBT IS NON-PARTISIAN!

 Weekly Opinion Editorial

by Steve Fair

 

On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress formally adopted the final wording of the Declaration of Independence. While the actual vote to separate from Great Britain took place two days prior on July 2, approving the text on July 4 established the official birthdate of America.  It wasn't until August 2, 1776 the Declaration was signed. On that day, 56 of the 65 delegates signed the handwritten parchment copy.  Seven outright refused to sign the Declaration.  Two were absent due to illness.

On Saturday July 4, 2026, America celebrated the 250th anniversary of declaring independence from Great Britain.  Parades, rallies, fireworks, and feasts marked the occasion.  Americans love a party, even when they don't know what they are celebrating.  According to a Cato Institute poll, 46% of Americans had no clue what the holiday actually commemorated.  A whopping 61% of Generation Z (ages 14-29) were clueless about Independence Day. 

Sadly, the youth in America know nothing about how and why the United States was founded.  The principle each individual possesses unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, is foreign to them.  To them, one system of government is as good as the next.  That is why socialism/secularism is on the rise in the U.S.  As America celebrates the Semiquincentennial, here are three observations:

First, America has failed to educate the next generation.  As evidenced by the Cato poll, the youth of America have little knowledge of the United States system of government.  Relying on public education to instill the story of how America came to be hasn't worked well.  Parents haven't taken any equity in passing along why a representative democratic republic is a superior form of government.  The lack of participation by parents in America's self-government system has reaped extreme apathy in their offspring.

Second, America has failed to keep the dream alive.  Since the country's inception, those who came to America believed regardless of background, one could prosper, achieve happiness and financial success through hard work, determination, and initiative.  But that dream has been damaged by government mismanagement and irresponsibility.   

The U.S. national debt has grown from $75 million in 1776 to over $39 trillion in 2026. Deficit spending by government has put massive tax burdens on taxpayers, so consumers do the same and spend more than they make.  Individual credit card balances in the United States are over $1.25 trillion.  Until citizen and government discipline themselves to live within their means, the American dream will be a nightmare.

Third, America is ruled by a permanent political class.  Those 56 signers of the Declaration envisioned "citizen-statesmen" those who would serve for a limited time and then return to their private lives.  The founders were largely unpaid or offered minimal per-diem wages. They feared a permanent political class would lead to corruption and elitism, ie elected officials who listen only to special interests and ignore their constituents.  Sound familiar?  Increasingly in America, the only people who can afford to run for office are rich people.  The average person can't win because it takes big money to run a political race.  So long as the 'grassroots' operate like a circular firing squad and refuse to collaborate with anyone who doesn't 100% agree with their views, expect the wealthy to win and rule.

In 2012, Senator Tom Coburn wrote, "The Debt Bomb."  The book warned America's threat to survival wasn't from foreign governments, but from Washington politicians who were spending America into bankruptcy.  "Everyone from both the right and left must sacrifice to fix America's mounting debt problems," the late doctor said.  Coburn predicted America's debt problem will be its demise. 

Meanwhile, America has become Wayne's World; Party on America- Party on!