Gov Mary Fallin Spends Tax Payer Money to Talk About Her Reckless Fiscal Spending

Gov. Mary Fallin is headed to Washington to chill with the President again and talk to her peers - other GOP Gov’s about her amazing success in spending and spending and spending all of Oklahoma’s money while not providing anything to her people.
Via News OK:

“Gov. Mary Fallin will be telling her peers this weekend about her efforts to reduce a $500 million budget shortfall by agency cuts and consolidations and making the state more efficient by sharing services… . .”

Several lines below that

“She said she will boast that Oklahoma officials this week voted to cut the state’s top personal income tax rate from 5.5 percent to 5.25 percent at a time other states are raising taxes.

She has proposed a number of cuts and cost-saving measures to deal with having $500 million less to spend in the $6.2 billion budget for the 2012 fiscal year, which begins July 1… .”

This reminds me a lot of spreading the wealth around only… she’s robbing from the not so rich to give to her buddies the CEO’s.  Go Mary Go!

No word yet on how much this trip to DC will cost the tax payers to fly her, her security detail, her husband, or Coffee to DC and put them up.  It’s unclear if this “fiscal responsibility” will be paid for by you and me or if it will come out of her recruiting businesses to come to Oklahoma fund.

Another FallinFail: Tulsa World - Budget Hole Doesn't Prevent Income Tax Rate Cut

I think this title should be changed to Budget Hoe Doesn’t Prevent Income Tax Rate Cut… but that’s just me.
Told you so…. (emphasis below is mine)

“Gov. Mary Fallin, whose budget calls for agency cuts of up to 5 percent in fiscal 2012, argues that reduction of the tax rate yet again is a logical extension of the message taxpayers sent in the November election. She claims that the mandated reduction will stimulate the economy and make the state more business friendly and more competitive with other states. Will this income tax cut do something that the previous ones haven’t?

Come on.

Are businesses seriously going to look at this state and say, “Oklahoma, what an economic Garden of Eden?” and overlook the fact that the quality of life here is eroding by the day?

Oklahoma’s state services are woefully underfunded. The education system is being starved. Roads and infrastructure are mediocre and in many cases are crumbling. The health and welfare of Oklahoma’s citizens don’t appear to be a high priority for those holding the purse strings.

But, hey, never mind all that, the fatter cats get this great reduced tax rate of 5.25 percent. “

See… It’s what I’ve been saying.  The most important part of this piece is:

“The state has suffered enormous revenue losses and gone through a series of tax cuts over the past several years. It’s also gone through some staggering cutbacks in state services, and faces a yawning budget hole of at least $500 million in the next fiscal year.”

Dr Phil would say “If you always do what you’ve always done… you’ll always be where you always are….”  If the state has consistently cut taxes… and cut services and spending for things like education, roads, and other such things fall asunder our question must then be - at what point do you finally think about changing course?  Honestly, does Governor Fallin intend to run the state into the ground before she finally admits that her republican “Cut and Spend” policy is not only reckless and irresponsible failing to make Oklahoma the bastion of business that everyone claims it will be?

FallinFail Tip:  Cut and Spend doesn’t work.

Massive OK Budget Shortfall Triggers Tax Cuts

Nothing says “We have no money” like a good old fashioned tax cut!
Seems the great state of Oklahoma has a trigger for some income tax cuts for FY 2012.

A state board approved cutting the state’s income tax rate Tuesday after approving healthier tax collection estimates for the upcoming fiscal year.

The action reduces the state’s top individual income tax rate from 5.5 percent to 5.25. The lower rate takes effect Jan. 1.

Wow - what a genius idea!!  When we don’t have any money, and we’re cutting jobs and services by 3-5% statewide the best way to combat this $500 million short fall is to…. wait for it….. cut taxes.  This is exactly how we should solve our problems. 
Golly gee - I’m sure glad we elected someone as smart as Mary Fallin.  She sure is brilliant.

Ethics? HA! We don't need no stinkin ethics! Part Deux

There’s no ethics in the Oklahoma Republican Government… try searching the public statements at the ethics site… and you get nothing.  A sad day for transparency… a sad sad day.

Mary Fallin's War on Rural Oklahoma

Surprise surprise… The Tulsa World has a poll showing that Oklahomans think we have too many school districts.  In fact - people in Tulsa and Oklahoma City REALLY think that because they don’t see a problem with driving 15 minutes to pick up their kids.

Well guess what - rural Oklahoman’s know better.  When all a town has left is their schools - and the whole city shuts down on a Friday night to watch the kids play football then the impact of a school district being consolidated into one 30-50 miles away is huge.  City folks don’t get it, Fallin doesn’t get it - or she doesn’t care one, and republican power in Oklahoma comes from the suburbanites and the cities.

So guess what’s going to end up on the chopping block along with senior nutrition centers, conservation districts, rural fire departments, public safety, and the rest of the life blood to rural Oklahoma… that’s right… our schools.  Because, really, we don’t need to educate our kids - that’s what McDonnalds is for.

Heads up Rural Oklahoma - the war is coming and it’s not going to be Republicans vs. Democrats … it’s going to be Rural vs. Non-Rural … and you’re going to lose.
Don’t blame me - I voted for rural candidates.

OK Weird Conservatives Driving Away Business

Sure is hard to bring business to Oklahoma when companies look at our state and go - THESE PEOPLE ARE NUTS!

During Monday’s inauguration, Governor Mary Fallin said her administration will be focused on creating jobs.

But could the stumbling block to this goal come from fellow Republicans?
….
Chamber President Roy Williams says businesses don’t want to risk angering their customers and employees by going to a hostile environment.

“Companies have told (Arizona business development officials) directly, they’ve canceled expansion plans of existing plans within Arizona,” Williams says. “We’ve also heard them tell us that site location consultants have been told by their clients to take Arizona off the list.”

Keep up the good work there Miss Mary.  We have faith you’ll figure it out some day.