It's vitally important that Lt. Gov. Jari Askins becomes Oklahoma's next governor so she can provide crucial political balance as Republicans retain or increase majorities in the legislature this year.
Askins, who won the Democratic primary for governor Tuesday, is an intelligent, experienced leader, who will serve the state with distinction as its first woman governor.
One of the major tasks facing Askins in her gubernatorial campaign will be to find some type of counter to U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin's Tea-Party rhetoric and sloganeering.
Politico published a recent post about U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, who has apparently turned over emails to federal investigators probing the fallout from U.S. Sen. John Ensign's extramarital affair.
Here's the post, the gist of which is that Coburn is now going to fully cooperate with investigators in the scandal. Coburn was a former roommate of Ensign and apparently knew about the affair, according to media reports. The Politico post stated the investigation is apparently focused on whether Ensign helped former staffer Doug Hampton obtain lobbying work. Hampton is the husband of Cynthia Hampton, who was involved in the affair with Ensign.
Oklahomans should support State Question 774, a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that, if approved, would increase per-pupil funding to the regional average.
The amendment is a long-sighted and game-changing approach to solve the systemic problem of inadequate education funding in Oklahoma, which ranks 49th in the nation and dead last in a seven-state region in per-pupil spending, according to studies. The historical and contemporary negative impact of this underfunding on student success, the high school dropout rate, the low college graduation rate and economic development here is incalculable.
What is obvious is that a state that ranks so low in per-pupil spending tells its own citizenry and the nation that public education has never been nor will ever be a priority among its leadership. It tells the story that this state is anti-education and doesn't care about children, its most vulnerable residents. This is simply a horrible message that depicts Oklahoma as a backwards place, not "a great place to raise a family," whose leaders care more about punishing petty criminals-we rank first in the nation in female incarceration-than developing young minds.
(Here are some excerpts from recent posts on Okie Funk and Blue Oklahoma. I will resume regular posting on Sunday. Thanks for reading the blogs.-Kurt Hochenauer)
Unless there's another energy boom soon in Oklahoma, the state will continue to experience slow population growth because of its current political milieu and anti-education bias.
For some Oklahomans, that might be fine, but for those interested in ensuring the state remains viable, slow or no population growth will mean a stagnant tax base and a stagnant business climate. This will only lead to less population growth, and the problem will only become larger.
Who has the best chance against U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin in the state's gubernatorial general election: Lt. Gov. Jari Askins or Attorney General Drew Edmondson?
It's a question vexing and dividing many Democratic political observers, who mostly like and admire both candidates, but there's wide agreement that this year's governor's race is about as crucial as it gets. Republicans are expected to retain majorities in the House and Senate, and only a Democratic governor can bring much needed balance to Oklahoma government.
Is U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin a liberal? Incredibly, that's apparently what one of her Republican opponents in the upcoming gubernatorial primary wants Oklahomans to ask themselves.
State Sen. Randy Brogdon (R-Owasso), who is running against Fallin, has been airing an advertisement (see the above video) attacking her for making "liberal compromises." The ad may or may not be effective among Republicans, but it does symbolize just how conservative the political discourse has become in places like Oklahoma.
The Oklahoman editorial page's recent spiteful "good riddance" to Wayne Rohde, who has fought intensely and bravely for a health insurance mandate here that would cover treatment for autistic children, is a new low in its pro-health insurance company agenda.
The editorial (Movin' on in: State loses some, gains even more July 13, 2010) also cites an article by two "Research Fellows" with the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), which makes dubious claims about population growth in the state.
The Oklahoman recently published what seems to be its annual story outlining all the problems with the underfunded Oklahoma Teachers Retirement plan, but this time it included an extra right-wing twist that should scare state educators even more.
The bottom line is this: If you're an Oklahoma teacher paying into the retirement plan and counting on a pension, you should be worried the prevailing, conservative political movement in this state may leave you with reduced benefits. That's not hyperbole.
U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn has been in Oklahoma recently terrifying what he calls his "petrified" constituents.
This is because, well, among other things, "She (U.S. Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan) is scary. She believes precedent trumps original intent. That really scares me. That says our wisdom is so much greater now that we don't have to pay attention to the founders." These remarks ("Americans are petrified about their future," July 11, 2010) were given to The Oklahoman editorial board recently. The board serves as a de facto propaganda ministry for Coburn.
(Check out DocHoc's views on state education funding in this week's Oklahoma Gazette.)
Here comes "Arizona-Plus."
Oklahoma and state Rep. Randy Terrill made national news recently when The Washington Post reported on Terrill's plans to introduce next session anti-illegal immigration legislation even more stringent than the controversial Arizona measure.
The federal government has filed a lawsuit against the Arizona law, which has drawn widespread criticism for condoning racial profiling. The suit argues the Arizona law usurps federal authority.
How will the Republicans govern if they win back legislative majorities in the U.S. House and Senate this coming November?
Look no further than Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele's disingenuous comment about U.S. military action in Afghanistan as a "war of Obama's choosing" and U.S. Rep. Joe Barton's sycophant-like apology to BP because the White House simply held the oil company accountable for its Gulf oil leak.
Obviously, both comments drew criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike, but don't get fooled by GOP posturing and calculation. In general, the GOP will continue to rely on distortions, if not outright lies, to make their case to voters, and they will also grovel at the feet of corporations in order to fund campaigns of deceit. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision allows corporations to spend as much as they want in federal campaigns.
The Oklahoman editorial page published a snarky, hateful piece of commentary Saturday that criticized state Sen. Jim Wilson, who is running against U.S. Rep. Dan Boren for Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District seat in the Democratic primary.
Apparently unable to make a rational argument to support Blue Dog Democrat Boren, the ultra-conservative newspaper resorts to demonizing. Ironically, the act of demonizing is its formal complaint against Wilson.
U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin and state Sen. Randy Brogdon, who are running for governor this year as ultra-conservative, anti-Obama Republicans, are not showing up at political forums to discuss issues.
How will they govern? What issues are important to them? How do they compare to other Republican and Democratic candidates for governor? Are they afraid to discuss the issues? Why?
Fallin, who is considered the race's frontrunner, and Brogdon, who is from Owasso, missed a forum for gubernatorial candidates in Lawton Wednesday that was sponsored by The Oklahoma Academy, a nonpartisan group. Earlier in June, the two candidates missed a similar forum at Oklahoma City University.
Unless there's another energy boom soon in Oklahoma, the state will continue to experience slow population growth because of its current political milieu and anti-education bias.
For some Oklahomans, that might be fine, but for those interested in ensuring the state remains viable, slow or no population growth will mean a stagnant tax base and a stagnant business climate. This will only lead to less population growth, and the problem will only become larger.
The Oklahoma City LGBT Pride Parade starts at 6 p.m. today near Memorial Park at NW 36th St. and Classen. The parade goes down Classen to 39th St. and then ends near The Strip at Penn.
This year's parade will honor the late Paul Thompson, a civic leader who helped organize the first Oklahoma City Gay Pride Parade.
A related festival, featuring music, food and gift booths, will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Memorial Park. Other events will be held at The Strip before the parade begins.
The LGBT Parade, which has grown substantially over the years, attracts a diverse crowd of participants and spectators, and it's always a lot of fun.
U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, the Blue Dog Democrat from Oklahoma's Second Congressional District, continues to draw heat for his ultra-conservative views, which include what some people argue is blatant pandering to big energy companies and the National Rifle Association.
People now organizing and arguing against State Question 744 usually omit the most crucial point about why the issue is even on the ballot: Oklahoma has underfunded its schools for years.
SQ 744 will simply bring the state up to the regional average in education funding if voters approve it during the November election. Note the words "average" and "regional." Why in the world would Oklahomans not want to fund education as much as, say, New Mexico and Arkansas fund education? Why is the state last in per-pupil spending in this region and, according to one recent report, 49th in the entire nation?
So far, The Oklahoman commentary on the BP oil leak disaster in the Gulf coast has been a pro-big oil quagmire of false comparisons, contradictions, inconsistencies and faulty logic.
Even as it calls for more offshore drilling despite the ongoing environmental disaster, the newspaper's editorial page has criticized President Barack Obama's response and demeaned U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman for his tough questioning of BP CEO Tony Hayward.
State revenues are on the upswing, but it's not enough money to prevent the gutting of state government and public education this coming fiscal year.
According to State Treasurer Scott Meacham, May revenues were higher than last year and beat the official estimate. The revenues have allowed the state to pay back cash funds that were used to allocate money this fiscal year, Meacham said, and left $6.7 million for next fiscal year.
This is a community blog operated since 2006 by people dedicated to promoting and restoring progressive values in Oklahoma. A courageous band of patriots, we fight right-wing tyranny in one of the reddest of red states. Do you want to help by posting here? Do you want traffic back to your blog or site? We welcome posts written by liberals and centrist to conservative Democrats and Independents. Register above and start posting. Crossposting is allowed. Questions? Contact kurt.hochenauer@gmail.com.
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