Last Week to File Bills: Fallin in the Bahamas and State House Working Part Time

Release from the OK Democratic Party - photo found on DemoOkie

While hardworking Oklahomans put in long hours to provide for their families, Governor Fallin is taking an exotic vacation to the Bahamas and GOP leaders in the House and Senate are vowing to take it easy.

According to the Tulsa World, Fallin spokesman Alex Weintz said the governor left Saturday afternoon for the Bahamas with her husband and three of their children. Meanwhile, the state of Oklahoma is burning and House Republicans are spiraling out of control.  Just this week, Rep. Randy Terrill (R-Moore) has been reprimanded by the House of Representatives for violently threatening to break the Speaker of the House’s leg and referring to him as a mentally handicapped person. Fallin is expected to return to the state Thursday afternoon or evening.

This vacation is taking place during bill deadline week -- a time during legislative session where traditionally, all hands are on deck to get all bills filed. Instead, the state Senate has elected to adjourn Wednesday and the state house is choosing to meet from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday. In previous years, House and Senate members have worked until midnight during deadline week. House Floor Leader Daniel Sullivan (R-Tulsa) said, "I don't plan to stay late. If bills are not heard within the time allowed, they will not be heard”.

Oklahoma Democratic Party Chairman Todd Goodman was appalled by the Republican party’s behavior.  “While most Oklahomans rise early and work hard everyday to put a roof over their family’s heads and food on the table, the GOP leadership sees fit to kick up their heels and throw up their hands. These are not the values Oklahomans expect from their elected officials. We have a budget crisis to solve and all state agencies are having to make tough financial decisions.”

Goodman also added, “The Governor taking an exotic vacation, less than three months after she took the oath of office, during filing week and during a state of emergency is downright irresponsible.”

The Libya of the US could be Oklahoma

Are you tired of living under a dictatorship in the middle east?  Long for representative democracy or heck even a parliamentary government might even seem nice to Egyptians.  Then come to Oklahoma!!  Here we have the dictatorship you love to hate but it's masked with a Constitution and State House of Representatives.   So you'll feel right at home while still feeling like you're moving forward.

The Senate voted 25-19 on Monday to send to a vote of the people a proposal to make seven of the 11 statewide elected officials appointees of the governor. If approved, the governor would appoint all three corporation commissioners, the state treasurer, superintendent, labor commissioner and insurance commissioner. The Senate would have to confirm the appointees.

Sen. Cliff Aldridge, R-Choctaw, said the proposal was designed to "put some power behind the governor."

It is unclear if she would be prefer being made a Queen or a dictator.  We assume a Queen since she kinda acts like that already.  This is all part of the new Republican Plan to get folks to come to Oklahoma with the catchy motto:  Welcome to Oklahoma - F*ck You.

Hope she's having fun in the Bahamas!  Cant believe she didn't choose to vacation in state where we need the tourism dollars. 

Oklahoma's Economic Crisis Spurs Gov's VayKay

ala NewsOK

"Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb is serving as the state's chief executive. Gov. Mary Fallin and her family are taking a vacation. She will be back in the office Thursday, a spokesman said."

When the going gets tough... the tough go on vacation.  Stand strong, Governor Fallin, don't let Governor Todd feel too much at home.  We're hearing he's VERY ambitious and thinks you're unfit.

Fallin's Government Polices Itself

This morning's news has an interesting piece about the inability for Oklahoma to enforce it's sunshine laws to create a more open government, because its law enforcement (DA's etc..) are too busy trying to solve murders and drug trafficking and other such things.  The result is a corrupt government at all levels.

The best part comes from Governor Fallin's general counsel - emphasis mine:

Last year during her gubernatorial campaign, Gov. Mary Fallin addressed a gathering of open government advocates during Sunshine Week. She pledged to designate someone in her office to handle open records matters and to advise department heads to comply with open records and meeting laws.

Judy Copeland, Fallin’s general counsel, said she is filling that role. But Copeland’s authority is limited to executive agencies.

“When you start talking about city councils, I think that would be beyond what the governor would have any authority over if she wanted to,” Copeland said.

You've got to love it when your own government is policing itself... it seems to be so effective and efficient. But at least it's cheap, right?  It we're not holding our own employees accountable to the law then we don't have to pay for trials and lawyers and people to replace them... so just think of it as government transparency being cut for budget reasons.  Corruption is so much more economical.

Cuts Just Don't Cut It

If you're reading any sort of news lately then you've probably heard of the deep and serious cuts that Republicans not just Governor Mary Fallin, but everyone across the country wants.  Government is bad... we should cut it...

Despite Fallin's acceptance of lots and lots and lots of federal money she's still carrying the banner of cutting government.  Well - in a new Washington Post op-ed you can see that cuts.... just ain't gonna cut it.

"Independent economic analysts, including from the investment firm Goldman Sachs - hardly known for liberal or bleeding-heart tendencies - have concluded that the $61 billion in current-year budget cuts being demanded by House Republicans will shave up to two percentage points off the nation's growth rate and cause the loss of more than half a million jobs."

Hurm.... maybe it's time to start thinking about cutting something that makes a little more sense.  Just sayin...

According to the piece:

"After slamming Democrats for not focusing on "jobs, jobs, jobs," Republicans have decided to ignore their own winning message in favor of "cuts, cuts, cuts." This is bad economics - and bad politics. . ."

This is because it turns out that

"When asked whether government, in general, is trying to do too much or not doing enough, 51 percent said government should do more. That's not exactly a mandate for slashing federal, state and municipal programs and trying to turn public employees into a caste of untouchables. . .

"A pretty impressive 40 percent said that "the deficit and government spending" should be considered the federal government's No. 1 or No. 2 task. But a far more impressive 56 percent said that "job creation and economic growth" should be given first or second priority. "

But leaders like Governor Mary Fallin aren't listening to the people whether Americans or Oklahomans, she's listening to a small subset of her party that just happens to be the loudest.  Instead Mary talks about "creating jobs" and then in the same breath talks about consolidation (which cuts jobs), cutting spending (more jobs), cutting the income tax which cuts funding for... you guessed it... people's jobs, and bringing more business to Oklahoma (bringing more out of state workers for Oklahoma jobs).  You go girl!  Create those jobs!  How many net jobs has Governor Mary Fallin created so far?  Anyone got a tally?

While normal everyday Oklahomans who are lucky enough to go to work each morning, drive on pathetic roads, pay for overpriced gasoline while subsidizing oil companies, scrimp for food grown in other countries, and pay for pathetic systems of education while their children are squeezed into classrooms like sardines in a can.

When you cross that state line imagine hearing our new motto coming from the Oklahoma Capitol with every vote that is passed:  Welcome to Oklahoma.... F*ck You.

Obscenely High Salaries Paid by Oklahoma Tax Payers

Bryn wrote on our facebook page but the emphasis is ours:

"1) The Governor of Oklahoma makes a salary of $140,000 annually.  While that's $25,000 a year lower than her congressional salary, it still ranks as the 16th highest salary of a governor in the U.S.  For a state with a population under four million people, that is consistently ranked in the bottom 10 of everything including education, why are we paying more for governors who haven't done a damn thing to put Oklahoma on the map for something GOOD except sports teams?!

2) Secondly, the OU Daily ran an article earlier this month about David Boren's salary and compensation as president of OU.  It tops the national average for college presidents.   

OU Daily (February 25, 2011) has an article "President David Boren’s total pay much higher than reported" to cover addition compensation Boren receives from serving on corporate boards, etc.  

Being the cost of education is out of control, and pursuing a college degree can mean years of debt to pay off loans, how do you justify such a salary?  Boren makes almost as much money as Harvard's president.  Harvard is a private university that has been at the top of everybody's 'best list' for about as long as it's been in existence.

Why does a man with no children, a free home and lots of money need to have his ego continually stroked by the hard earned dollars of Oklahoma's hoi polloi?

3) OU Football Coach Bob Stoops is the highest paid college football coach in America according to Education in Review.  After his 10 year anniversary as coach in 2008, he received a $3 million one-time payment.  

•Bob Stoops – University of Oklahoma $4,303,000
•Urban Meyer – University of Florida $4,000,000
•Nick Saban – University of Alabama $3,900,000
•Les Miles – Louisiana State University $3,751,000
•Jim Tressel – Ohio State University $3,722,000
•Mark Richt – University of Georgia $3,096,576
•Mack Brown – University of Texas $3,060,500
•Kirk Ferentz – University of Iowa $3,024,500
•Bobby Petrino – University of Arkansas $2,858,000
•Jeff Tedford – University of California $2,807,500

I rest my case.  There's a lot of fat in the Oklahoma budget that can be cut.  But we can't afford to take care of infrastructure, have quality schools, or provide healthcare while these people live like princes and princesses in a state with one of the Nation's lowest costs of living?"

Bryn makes a good point.  I love OU and I love football but everyone needs to make sacrifices in this troubling economy right?  Why is it we only ask the middle class to make "sacrifices" and not the rich.  I love David Boren - a hell of a lot more than Dan Boren by the way, but this is excessive.  Similarly Bob Stoops is Oklahoma's rock star but my tax dollars pay his salary and as long as I'm having to make sacrifices ... so can he.

Letter to Fallin from an Oklahoma

Posted on our Facebook Page:
An open letter to Gov. fallin:

To the Honorable Gov. Mary Fallin,

I read with interest your remarks regarding the move-up date for state healthcare plans. I would like to know what efforts you have made to ensure 'Oklahoma remains on the front edge when it comes to health care?'

What exactly is 'front edge' health policy for Oklahomans who rank highest in negative health behaviors according to the CDC?

Gov. Fallin with a shorter deadline to provide a plan that covers as many Oklahomans 'as affordability and comprehensively as the Affordable Care Act does, without increasing the deficit' and your vote of confidence that your efforts are front edge, could you please share your plan with me and my fellow Oklahomans?

Sincerely,
Denise Ashley

Posters: Do your civic duty and write a letter to the governor or contact her through her e mail on the government site. Fax. A phone call will more than likely net you the secretary who must relay your message. Do it!