JONES VISITS ALL 77 COUNTIES AND COURTHOUSES

Momentum has Jones on verge of victory!

State Auditor and Inspector candidate Gary Jones(pictured aboved @ the Roger Mills County Courthouse near the 'Records Vault') says he feels that he is on the verge of victory after visiting all 77 counties and county courthouses in Oklahoma. In early October, Jones set a goal of visiting every county courthouse before the November 2nd election. Craig County in Vinita was the first visited by Jones and on Thursday Roger Mills County in Cheyenne became the seventy-seventh (77th).

*****

“People across our state know the Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector is one of the most important elected offices in our state,” said Jones. “I believe it is critical that we have an Auditor that is trustworthy and honest. Nowhere is it more important to have that trust than in the rural parts of our state, especially our county courthouses.”

*****

Jones is known for his tenacity in rooting out corruption and making government more efficient. “I’m running because as a citizen of our great state I have uncovered more fraud and corruption in state government than the last three Auditors combined,” he said.

*****

Jones believes tax dollars should be spent efficiently and free of corruption and waste. “If there is waste or corruption, taxpayers lose,” he said.

*****

Jones has picked up several important endorsements during his campaign, the biggest being from United States Senator Tom Coburn, who is also known as the taxpayers’ watchdog.

*****

In addition Jones is receiving support from county officials in all 77 county courthouses. “I have support from sheriffs, county clerks, court clerks, treasurers, assessors, district attorneys, and county commissioners. No one works closer with the auditor’s office than county officials. Those that know the most about the State Auditor are overwhelmingly supporting me. I am proud to have their support,” said Jones. "I have traveled every corner of Oklahoma, from Boise City in the Panhandle to Idabel in far Southeastern Oklahoma, from Miami in Ottawa County to Hollis in Harmon County, and all points in between. I have been listening to citizens and those individuals elected to serve their communities. County officials are concerned that it has been as long 4 or even 5 years since their county has been audited. They don’t feel that they are getting their questions answered and they aren’t getting the support they need to get their jobs done."

*****

While virtually all county officials have praised the help they receive from the field and support staff of the auditor’s office, they don’t hesitate to point out a problem exist in room 100 at the state capitol, the Auditor and his senior staff.

*****

As a former Comanche County Commissioner, Gary Jones understands the importance of being able to get accurate advice in a timely manner to aid elected officials and their employees to follow the law as they work to serve the citizens of their respective counties. Jones also understands the importance of getting audits done promptly to protect the taxpayer’s interest and ensure that elected officials and their employees are following the law.

*****

Gary Jones is running because he’s always had a sense of purpose, determination and the ability to focus on getting the job done. “I’m running because I believe we must have someone who has dedicated his or her life to doing what is right for the citizens of Oklahoma. I’m running because no one will outwork me and no one will be more responsible to taxpayers of Oklahoma.” said Jones

http://bretburnsda.com/thenumbers.htm

Last week, Bret Burns ran an ad in the Chickasha paper claiming he has personally handled over 34,000 cases in his 18 year career. The person behind bretburnsda.com has done the math and found that would be next to impossible unless Burns is super-human. You can read the entire article at the link above, but here is one excerpt.

*****

"If we were to believe Bret's claims that he has personally handled 14,000 felonies and 20,000 misdemeanors over his 18 year career... That would mean 34,000 cases total. There are 52 weeks in an average year, with 5 working days, for an average of 260 days. For 18 years, that's 4,680 days. That would mean that Bret would have been handling 7.264 NEW CASES every single day he worked for 18 years!"

Weekly Opinion/Editorial

OKLAHOMA BECOMING MORE RED!

by Steve Fair

The latest voter registration data was released by the Oklahoma State Election Board last week and it shows Republicans have made significant gains across the state in voter registration since January 15, 2010. As of October 15^th, there is a total of 2,079,014 voters statewide. That compares to 2,038,620 in January 2010. There are an additional 40,394 voters in Oklahoma. During the ten(10) month period, Republican voters increased by 28,599(+3.4%), Democrats by 313(+Even) and Independents by 11,482(+4.8%).

*****

Republicans are the majority party in twenty two(22) of the state’s seventy seven(77) counties, including the state’s five largest counties. Voters registered Democrat are 48.1% of the total in the state, Republicans are 40.5%, and Independents are 11.4%.

*****

In my home county-Stephens County- there are just 459(+1.7%) new voters since January. There are now 26,064 total voters in the county. 14,610(56.1%) are registered Democrat, 9,214(35.3%) are Republican, and 2.240(8.6%) are Independent.

*****

Since January 2010, Democrat voters in Stephens County have declined by 96(-1.3 percentage point), Republicans have increased by 428(+1 percentage point), and Independents increased by 127(-.4 percentage points). Stephens County voter registration grew slightly less than statewide- 1.9% vs. 1.7%.

*****

Bottom line- Oklahoma is becoming redder. Makes sense since Oklahoma means 'Red People,' in Choctaw.

*****

Statistics can bore you to tears or be used to understand behavior. As Scottish poet Andrew Lang said, “An unsophisticated forecaster uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts - for support rather than for illumination.” So what can we learn from these numbers?

*****

First, the statistics reveal that Oklahomans are aligning their political party affiliation with their voting habits. Oklahoma is a conservative state where the majority of the citizens are conservative thinkers. They are pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, fiscally conservative and somewhat ‘Libertarian’ in their thinking. Oklahoma has not voted for the Democrat nominee for President since 1964.

*****

In 2008, Oklahoma was the only state in the country where all counties voted for John McCain. Four of the five members of Congress representing Oklahoma are R’s as are both U.S. Senators.

In 2004, Oklahoma voters gave Republicans control of the State House.

*****

In 2006, Senator Anthony Sykes, (R-Moore), then a little known political outsider beat a Democrat incumbent to give the Republicans a ‘tie’ in the Senate. In 2008, Republicans won outright control of the State Senate.

*****

Republicans are making inroads in County Courthouses. The county elected officials in the five largest counties in the state in population are mostly Republican. It has taken rural Oklahomans a little more time to align with their convictions, but that is happening in increasingly large numbers. In Little Dixie, (Durant) which is a heavily Democrat area in registration, a former aide to Senator Tom Coburn, Josh Brecheen, is leading in recent polls over Democrat incumbent State Senator Jay Paul Gumm. Twenty years ago that would have been unheard of, but in 2010, it’s the norm.

*****

Secondly, the stats reveal that Independents may have peaked in Oklahoma. Voters often register independent because they are disgruntled Republicans who want to send a message to Party leadership. Independents, as a percentage, declined in Oklahoma in the past ten months.

*****

Thirdly, the numbers reveal that it is not just the larger counties in Oklahoma where Republican have made significant gains. Many rural counties are electing Republicans to county offices for the first time in state history. The gains Republicans have made in the state legislature have not been in the larger metropolitan areas. It has been in rural Oklahoma where many of the voters are registered Democrat. As those voters have become more comfortable having Republicans representing them, they have aligned with their convictions and changed parties.

*****

What the numbers don’t reveal is the motivation behind the changes. A recent poll may. Rasmussen did a poll in late September which revealed that over two thirds of Oklahomans disapprove of the job Barrick Obama has done as President. That same poll showed that one third of Oklahoma voters identify themselves as a member of the ‘Tea Party,’ and trust Republicans more than Democrats on the handling of the economy, taxes and immigration by wide margins.

*****

A recent Sooner Poll conducted for The Tulsa World shows the Republican candidate leading in every statewide race. A ‘sweep’ of the statewide offices is very possible. The key is voter turnout. There is no excuse not to vote in our state. Oklahoma has in-person absentee balloting. You can vote the Friday, Saturday or Monday before November 2^nd at the County Courthouse.

*****

If Oklahoma voters elect a Republican Governor, it will be the first time in state history Republicans will control the State House, Senate and the Governership at the same time. If that happens, it would be historic, but making history doesn’t guarantee effective leadership- it only provides the opportunity.

WHY HAVE THE DEMOCRATS

GONE NEGATIVE?

by Steve Fair

This week Steve Burrage, the Antlers banker appointed to fill an unexpired term as State Auditor, began running an ‘attack’ ad against his opponent Gary Jones. In the TV spot, Burrage is NEVER mentioned- only his opponent. The ads are a clear 'hacket' job and should make The Oklahoman blush after their endorsement of Burrage because in their words 'he was a known quantity.' If The Oklahoman has any integrity, they will condemn Burrage's ads and retract their recommendation.

*****

Kenneth Corn, a termed out State Senator who has never held a real job, is running ‘attack’ ads against Todd Lamb, his opponent. The latest numbers has Lamb leading by double digits and this may be Corn's HAIL MARY pass. It's gonna be tough on Corny when he has to get a real job!

*****

Brett Burns, incumbent DA for District #6, has come out swinging against his Republican opponent Jason Hicks. He ran an ‘attack’ ad in the Chickasha paper. Burns' ad has a half page full of criminal mug shots- people who he has supposedly put in the pokey. The ad attacks Hicks for his so-called 'lack of experience.' The real question is not who Burns has prosecuted, it's who he hasn't. People tell me there have been a number of embezzlers that Burns has not prosecuted. Burns appears to be too cozy with DEFENSE attorneys- particularly those outside the district and gives their clients flavorable treatment over the average Joe. One law enforcement official told me he was sick of Burns selective prosecution. Hicks, a Duncan Republican, is clearly the front runner in the two largest counties in the district.

******

What is up with these Democrats going negative?

*****

Negative campaigning is nothing new- it’s been around since the founding of the republic. John Quincy Adams went ‘negative’ in the 1828 presidential election against Andrew Jackson. If Adams were alive today and the same things said, charges would be filed. Check out the original 'Coffin Handbills' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffin_Handbills

*****

Negative campaigning, also known as “mudslinging", is trying to win an advantage by referring to negative aspects of an opponent or of a policy rather than emphasizing one's own positive attributes or preferred policies. Does mudslinging work? Some say it only works when you are ahead, when you are behind or when you are even. In other words, it works all the time. Some contend that while the voting public say they despise the mudslinging commercials, they secretly love them. But who is influenced by negative ads?

*****

According to a 1995 study by Stephen Ansolabehere and Shato Ivengar negative ads have a greater impact on Democrats than on Republicans. The study showed that base Republicans will vote no matter what (and will vote only for a Republican), but Democrats can be influenced to either stay home and not vote at all or to switch sides and vote for a Republican. This led them to conclude that Republicans benefit more from going negative than Democrats. Ansolabehere and Ivengar also said that negative campaigning suppressed voter turnout among independents. They also conclude that mudslinging works most effectively with uninformed or under informed voters.

*****

So when should a campaign go negative? Cathy Allen, president of Campaign Connection of Seattle, suggested negative campaigning might be the 'proper course' during political contests in the following situations:

• when taking on an incumbent;
• when being significantly outspent;
• when there is irrefutable information that the opponent has done something wrong;
• when the candidate has little name recognition

IN OTHER WORDS- WHEN A CANDIDATE IS LOSING!

*****

The latest Sooner Poll numbers show Burrage and Corn both trailing their opponents. http://soonerpoll.com/poll-finds-republicans-poised-to-sweep-oklahoma%e2%80%99s-november-election/

*****

That explains why Oklahoma Democrat candidates are going negative. THEY ARE LOSING, but it’s not likely their tactics will work this election cycle. Oklahoma voters are engaged and motivated. They want to know where the candidates stand on the issues and negative ads turn off informed voters.

*****

Ed Rollins, former Reagan advisor, wrote an insightful column on why Democrats are going negative nationally. You can read the column at http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/10/06/rollins.democrats.negative/index.html?eref=rss_latest&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+%28RSS%3A+Most+Recent%29

Weekly Opinion/Editorial

VOTE YES ON SQ #748

by Steve Fair

When the 2011 Oklahoma legislature conveys next year one of the most important tasks they will tackle will be re-districting. Re-districting is the process of changing political borders. This often means changing electoral districts or constituency boundaries usually in response to periodic census results. In Oklahoma the legislature draws the boundaries for the congressional, state legislative and the county every ten years- the year immediately following a U.S. Census.

*****

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, re-districting is done by the state legislature in thirty six states. Seven states use a bi-partisan commission to do re-districting. Some Oklahoma voters mistakenly think that State Question # 748 would take the legislature out of redistricting, but that is not the case.

*****

State Question #748 is on the November ballot after passage of a Joint Resolution by the Oklahoma legislature. The authors of SQ #748 are Senate Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, (R-Oklahoma City), and Speaker of the House Chris Benge, (R-Tulsa). If passed, SQ #748 would amend the state constitution by dissolving the current ‘Redistricting Commission,’ which functions if the Oklahoma legislature fails to come to an agreement on re-districting. Currently, the commission is made up of the Attorney General, the State Treasurer and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, all liberal Democrats.

*****

If approved, SQ#748 would expand the commission to seven members. The Governor, Speaker Pro-Tem, and the Speaker of the House would each appoint one Democrat and one Republican to the Commission and the Lt. Governor would serve as Chair of the commission. Keep in mind the commission would only function ‘if’ the legislature and the Governor failed to reach an agreement on re-districting.

*****

In our state history the Redistricting Commission has never functioned. They have never held a meeting or a hearing. There has never been a need for them to function- the legislature has always reached an agreement on re-districting. The commission is a safety net, placed in the constitution, just in case the legislature reached an impasse on re-districting. .

*****

It’s highly unlikely the seven member commission SQ #748 would create would ever decide re-districting in the foreseeable future. With Republicans in control of both Houses of the legislature, the only possible roadblock would be a veto by the Governor that was not overridden by the legislature and that is not likely to happen.

*****

Some vocal critics of SQ #748 have said the measure is a ‘power grab’ by the legislature. They say the current system of having three statewide ‘elected’ officials deciding re-districting ensures the people’s voice in the process. They claim the three statewide elected officials are more accountable to the people because they had to stand for election at the ballot box. They say creating a commission of ‘appointed’ members will cause re-districting to become political and the members of the commission would only be accountable to those who appointed them. Some of my friends are among these critics and they make some valid points. I just happen to disagree with them.

*****

First, re-districting is political. Some of the biggest political battles in our nation’s history have been fought over re-districting. We have all heard the word gerrymander. The word gerrymander was used for the first time in a Boston newspaper in 1812. The word was created in reaction to a redrawing of Massachusetts state senate election districts under the then governor Elbridge Gerry. Gerry signed a bill that redistricted Massachusetts to benefit his Democratic - Republican Party. When mapped, one of the contorted districts in the Boston area was said to resemble the shape of a salamander. That still goes on today. District lines are drawn to protect incumbents or to insure the majority Party stays in power. The Party in power controls the process and draws the boundaries. That’s as political as it gets. It just reinforces the adage that ‘elections have consequences.’

*****

Second, SQ # 748 will give the leaders of the legislature and the Governor more power, but the way the provision is written, it creates a potentially more balanced commission than the current format. If the commission were to function today, it would be composed of three Democrats. Under the proposed rules, no more than four of the seven members would be from one political Party, a more balanced approach.

*****

Passage of State Question #748 will likely not have any impact on re-districting in Oklahoma in the foreseeable future, but it does add a balance to the process that is lacking in the current system. I would urge you to vote Yes on SQ #748.

OH.. YOU LEFT OUT A LOT OF STUFF!
Thorton Melon from Back to School

The Oklahoman has gotten it wrong AGAIN on the State Auditors race! In 2002, the Oklahoman endorsed Jeff McMahan. In 2006, the paper took ‘no position’ in the Auditor’s race- even after evidence of McMahan's misbehavior and crooked dealings were presented to the editorial staff. McMahan resigned in June 2008 after being convicted on charges of bribery and conspiracy. Governor Henry appointed Antlers banker Steve Burrage to complete his term. In their October 8^th edition The Oklahoman recommended Burrage be elected Auditor saying he was a ‘known quantity.’

*****

What is a 'Known Quantity?' According to Webster, it means someone whose character, personality, and behavior are recognized and understood. So, a 'known quantity' doesn't necessarily mean a person of strong character, convictions or values- it just means they are 'known." They could be a crook, a liar, a cheat and be a 'known quantity.' That begs the question- just how much does The Oklahoman know about Steve Burrage and if they knew some of the things listed below, why did they leave them out of their endorsement in today's paper?

*****

The editorial fails to mention that Burrage contributed $2,300 to the John Edwards presidential campaign, $1,000 to the Andrew Rice campaign and is clearly a partisan Democrat? In fact Burrage and his family gave $13,000 to the failed Edwards for President campaign. Edwards and Rice are LIBERAL DEMOCRATS! Is this the type of ideology we want from an elected official in Oklahoma?

*****

The Oklahoman fails to mention how Burrage has clearly botched the Broken Arrow school audit. They also left out the fact Burrage is years behind in performing county government audits. All this, while he travels the state at taxpayer expense to speak to civic clubs on how good of a job he is doing.

*****

Shouldn’t voters know that Burrage’s bank was the one used by former State Senator Gene Stipe and Steve Phipps to funnel taxpayer dollars to their non-existent dog food plant? In the interest of full disclosure, shouldn't the paper tell voters his brother was Stipe's lawyer?

*****

Why hasn't The Oklahoman polled county elected officials across the state asking them their opinion of the job Burrage is doing? Several county elected officials have stated they have been 'cussed out,' by the Auditor. That is inexcusable behavior from an elected official- period! Where is that in the op/ed?

*****

The office of State Auditor is arguably the most important statewide office Oklahoma voters will decide in November. The Auditor is the people’s watchdog and makes sure tax dollars are spent where they are supposed to be and are properly accounted for. It’s critical we have someone above reproach in that office. Burrage fails that test. It’s disappointing the Oklahoman again has failed taxpayers by endorsing a ‘known quantity.’ The last 'known quantity' they endorsed for the race- McMahan- wound up in prison!

*****

In 2010, ‘known quantity,’ ain’t good enough!

Weekly Opinion/EditorialPROTECT THE KIDS!
by Steve Fair

The problems the Oklahoma Department of Human Services has experienced in child welfare cases have been well publicized. The death of two young Oklahoma girls has some people questioning the judgment of child welfare case workers and judges.

*****
Kelsey Briggs was just three years old when she was murdered on October 11, 2005. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the abdomen. Her stepfather was arrested on first degree murder. Her mother was later charged with two felonies of Child Abuse and Enabling Child Abuse. In April 2006 Kelsey's body was exhumed for a second autopsy where sexual abuse was documented. The stepfather's charges were amended to add the sexual abuse.

*****

Aja Johnson was a seven year old Geronimo girl who was kidnapped and murdered by her stepfather, Lester Hobbs, after he had killed her mother in late January of this year. Aja’s badly decomposed body was found along with Hobbs body near Norman in March, nearly two months after she was kidnapped.

*****
According to Kathie Briggs, Kelsey's grandmother, Yolanda Hunter, a DHS Lincoln County case worker, was one of the primary caseworkers in the Kelsey Smith-Briggs and Aja Johnson child death cases. Hunter retired in July at her own request.

*****
After Briggs death, the legislature contracted in 2009 with an independent firm Hornby Zeller Associates to ‘audit’ the Oklahoma child welfare system. According to the study, Oklahoma had nearly twice the U.S. average of children in state custody. Thirteen children out of every one thousand in Oklahoma were in DHS custody. The audit criticized Oklahoma DHS for failing to acknowledge they were a part of a larger child welfare system.

*****
"Too many of DHS’ relationships reveal a lack of respect for those other parties, with foster parents treated as dispensable, judges treated with disrespect by not providing workers with the proper training to appear in court, and parents’ attorneys and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) not getting straight answers,” the audit report states.

*****
State Representative Ron Peters, (R-Tulsa), Chairman of the State House Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Services said in 2009, "If we can just get the number of kids coming into the system down to the national average, we’ll have half as many kids coming into the system. That addresses the workload issue. It addresses the stress levels. It addresses a lot of things.”

*****
Some observations about the Oklahoma child welfare system:
*****

First, Peters' statement about getting the number of children in state custody to the national average is callous and lacks compassion. Citing statistical goals is appropriate if we are dealing with reducing the number of bureaucrats in state government, but not abused children. Hitting numbers should not be the focus of what the DHS Child Welfare team does. They should be protecting the kids first- and statistics shouldn’t be a factor in the case.

*****
Second, blaming DHS workers and judges for violent acts against children is misguided and unfair. Case workers and judges are only human and don’t have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight when they make their evaluation/judgment. That doesn’t excuse shoddy, sloppy, inconsistent investigative work by a lazy case worker or poor judgment by a clueless judge, but if they have done all they can to insure the child is not placed in a dangerous environment, then making the case worker or judge the scapegoat is clearly wrong.
*****

Third, perhaps Oklahoma should think ‘outside the box,’ for the solution. Last week Peters released a study on the privatization of child welfare in Oklahoma. Peters, R-Tulsa, said. “I think that all options must be examined, including privatization. At the end of the day, we have to have a system that serves our children.” Is privatizing the way to go?
*****
Thirteen states across the U.S. have privatized some of their child welfare services, including Kansas. In a comprehensive evaluation of the privatizing of child welfare, Childrensrights, org says, “Public agencies should not expect to save money through privatization, given the real costs of developing, implementing, and overseeing a privatization initiative and the costs associated with providing a full array of services to children and families under expectations of higher quality.”
*****
But while Oklahoma may not save money, we could get “better” case work through the private sector. Sounds like something that should be explored
*****
Last week, Oklahoma Speaker of the House Designate Kris Steele (R-Shawnee) questioned several state child abuse experts on the contact DHS had with Aja Johnson before her death. “The thing that stood out to me is that there is a long track record of DHS involvement in the life of Aja and her family,” said Steele, R-Shawnee. “Did the state of Oklahoma do everything possible to try and protect this child? I'm not insinuating that did not occur. I just want to make sure.”

*****
Steele said he's considering legislation for next session that would require more background checks on family members before children are placed in a home, and more sharing of information between child welfare agencies and law enforcement. Steele is on the right track. In a down budget year, one area not to scrimp on is protecting those who can’t protect themselves.