Gov Fallin Withdrew as Speaker for a Garvin County GOP Fundraiser When Flyer Listed KKK as a Discussion Item

Yesterday we spotlighted the positive Ad about Education by Democrat candidate Joe Dorman who is supported by a wide cross section of people.  May come as a shock to the hard right but we do have Republican teachers in Oklahoma who support Dorman.  Democrats in Oklahoma have common sense about a wide variety of topics compared to the Repubicans in this State you could say were stuck on stupid. 

If you don't believe the GOP is stuck on stupid remark, please read he latest out of the an OK GOP county organization who is hosting a fundraiser later this month.  Their flyer (copy below) caused GOP Governor Fallin to pull out of an event where she was advertised to speak.  Would be freaking me out if I was still supporting Republicans because it is one of the dumbest moves I have seen out of a County Party even in Oklahoma.  Thought I had seen it all but I was wrong.  It reinforces why I support Joe Dorman for Governor plus why I am leaving the hard right GOP behind.  Whoever came up with the truth is stranger then fiction deserves all the accolades after this debacle as chronicled by The Business Insider:

 Oklahoma Governor Won't Attend GOP Event With KKK Discussion

HUNTER WALKER, AUG. 6, 2014, 3:08 PM

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) will not be attending a fundraiser for a local Republican Party chapter after the group distributed a flyer promising the event would feature a discussion of "some things that you may not know" about the Ku Klux Klan. However, one of the event's organizers insisted the fundraiser was not "connected" to the KKK and was simply going to include information about how Democrats can be linked to the group.
Fallin spokesman Alex Weintz told Business Insider on Wednesday that the governor's office contemplated having her attend the GOP Bean Feed hosted by the Garvin County Republicans on Aug. 23, however, she will not be going to the event. 

"They had invited her to go, we had said we would look to put it on her schedule. She is not going," said Weintz. 

A flyer distributed by the Garvin County Republicans promised the event would feature a "great agenda" including remarks from Fallin and an opportunity to "discuss issues with fellow conservatives and find out some things that you may not know about the NRA, Planned Parenthood, Ku Klux Klan, and other organizations." Weintz would not say whether the flyer prompted Fallin's decision not to attend the event. 

"All I can tell you is she is not going and certainly that flyer was not something that is run by our office. ... If she had gone, she would have talked about her plan for economic growth in Oklahoma," Weintz said, adding, "The governor was never going to speak about any of those topics. Her plan was always to speak about her re-election campaign and her goals for the state." 

For the latest update, please click the link for Business Insider

Would be willing to bet the Fallin campaign originally told Garvin County GOP she would be there until her campaign saw this flyer.  First time I can remember that a County had to run a flyer past a candidate before it could be released.  If you haven't guessed, the Oklahoma Governor's Office is not an open book because it takes months to get a Freedom of Information request honored and some just sit there.  This is the same ALEC Governor that this spring vetoed over 15 bills including two that she wanted to teach the legislature a lesson so they would give her what she wanted across the board.

It is even funny the Fallin campaign thought they could say it was never on her calendar and everyone would believe the story.  Anyone who has been around politics knows full well you don't put a Governor's name on a flyer that they are speaking unless it has been confirmed.  Must admit this flyer is a doozy:

Just think Governor Fallin attending an event as the Guest Speaker where the KKK is discussed on the same program as the NRA, Planned Parenthood, and other organizations.  Bet that flyer sent shockwaves through her campaign staff along with Governor's office staff.

The menu is even funny to me as the Democrats are noted in Oklahoma for their Cornbread and Beans luncheons.  Used to be the standard menu for Norman Democrats at their monthly luncheon.  Is the Garvin GOP made up of former Democrats?  If they are, the GOP needs to keep them!

Let's move Oklahoma forward on 4 November 2014 by sending the Republicans to the unemployment line and bringing back elected officials who will put all Oklahomans first not just the wealthy! If you don't mind, I would also like people with a brain with common sense to be elected.  Don't think that is too much to ask after some of the dumb statements I see daily out of Republicans.

Governor Fallin Denies Chronically ill Oklahoma Inmate Medical Parole for Drug Convictions

Must be missing something because in all the states where we have lived when a Parole Board recommends parole for drug convictions, the inmates are paroled.  Governors just do not turn them down and didn't until Mary Fallin, Governor of Oklahoma, denied this inmate's medical parole.  The man is about to die, his sister had arranged for him to live with her, and then the Governor of Oklahoma says no which basically gives him a death sentence in prison.

Didn't understand Fallin's reaction to the two executions on the same night using untested drugs. It was downright ghoulish when you read the timeline of what happened.  Botched execution and no amount of spin out of Fallin or her supporters are going to change that.  Now this -- what gives with the Oklahoma Governor.  This is not a heinous crime and the man is dying but that's not good enough for Fallin to grant parole?  Doesn't seem very Christian like to me.

Either the person I knew before presented a good facade and this is truly the real Mary Fallin or she is a puppet of major donors who does what she is told.  Frankly I don't know which it is but this is just another in a long line of bizarre statements/actions out of the Governor this year.  Oklahoma can do better then this!

Chronically ill Oklahoma inmate denied medical parole 

An inmate who was told he will likely die this month from cirrhosis of the liver was denied medical parole in March. Wendell Green has served 15 years of a 20-year sentence on drug charges. 

by Graham Lee Brewer Published: May 8, 2014 

Gov. Mary Fallin sentenced an Oklahoma inmate serving time on drug charges to life in prison when she denied his medical parole, the offender’s sister says.

Mary Ladd said her brother, Wendell Green, has cirrhosis of the liver, among other ailments, and was told by doctors early this year he would likely not live past May.
Green has been incarcerated since 2000 on two drug charges. Ladd said her brother was caught in 1999 with methamphetamine and the tools necessary to manufacture the drug. He is due for release in 2019. 

Green also served time on convictions in Arkansas throughout the 1980s and 90s, including burglary, battery, and possessing a firearm after a felony conviction, according to the Arkansas Department of Correction. He is incarcerated at the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center. 

In March, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted to recommend Green for a medical parole. Ladd said she had arranged for her brother’s hospice care, and the plan was for him to live out his remaining days in her home. Motions were made to send Green home, but Fallin eventually denied his medical parole. 

Ladd said the medical exception counted as her brother’s annual shot at parole, and he is not eligible again until May 2015. 

“They even called him in and had him sign his release forms, had everything arranged, and then he was called into the office and told to just sit down because he was going to be there for a year. If you make it, you make it. If you don’t, you don’t,” Ladd said. “I think it’s cruel to say those things to him, because it is life or death.” 

Click Link to Read More at The Oklahoman

Been told by long time residents of the state that Fallin is by far the worst Governor they have ever had which in some ways made me feel that I wasn't imagining things that she is really is that bad.  She has quite a reputation from people who are speaking out and it is not good.  There is a solution, Oklahomans need to take the state back to common sense and elect Joe Dorman for Governor!

One Teacher Made a Difference for the Governor of New Hampshire

The teacher who made a difference in the Governor's life to teach him how to read represents a lot of teachers who do not get enough credit for what they do outside the classroom.  Good teachers are found in many elementary, middle, and high schools who prepare our children for college or a career in what they want to do.  College professors are found everyday who go outside their normal routine to help a student who comes to them and asks for help.  Their doors are always open.
The Governor of New Hampshire wouldn't be where he is today except for a teacher who took an interest in him and was determined he would learn to read.  
How many children today fall behind in poor school districts in States like Oklahoma whose legislature cannot seem to get their act together to fund education.  Oklahoma teacher's are 49th in pay which brings up the question of why are Oklahoma Republicans are so much against paying some of the best teacher's I have met a fair wage for teaching?

How many kids like the NH Governor are going to be left behind because GOP State Legislatures keep cutting education.  Oklahoma ranks as the #1 state in the amount of cuts to education since 2008 when the GOP was in full control of the legislature.  Why do Republicans hate education?  Don't our children all deserve a quality education with good teachers?
A lot of questions but few answers in Red States.    
My first effort at volunteering to teach reading at Yucaipa Elementary in CA, almost made me not try again.  I had this little boy who all he wanted to do was count ceiling tiles no matter what you said.  I finally had it and told him to count tiles on someone else's time because he was there to learn to read and if he didn't want to try, then why should I waste my time.  He looked at me with wide eyes and said I want to get better at reading and every time after that he was ready to spend extra time on reading and never counted any more ceiling tiles.  By the end of the semester he had already caught up.  
I tutored reading for years as long as my children were in elementary school.  Had one little girl in Ohio who couldn't read a word at the beginning of first grade and by the end after working with her three days a week for an hour she read a book the to class and had tears running down my cheeks.  In Boerne, TX, they had mentoring program for elementary schools to help students with reading and math.  
Being a stay at home Mom I could volunteer in the schools which I did until my children graduated doing different things the schools needed after my children were older.  One of the worst things I ever had to do was to record the Edgar Allen Poe book For Whom the Bell Tolls which was a real pain to read out loud into a microphone.  That tape was used for English is a Secondary Language High School Literature Course.  Worst thing I did in the schools was becoming the President of the PTO -- had to have rocks for brains to take that when no one else would come forward.  Found out you not only cannot please everyone but you can please very few people in the long run.  
Oklahoma loses teachers all the time who go to surrounding states who pay more.  You would think the Governor would spend as much time on education as she did on making sure two men were executed on the same night which was botched.  The State School Superintendent Barrisi's answer was to ask the Legislature to give teacher's a $2,000 raise while Gov Fallin gave the heads of her agencies tens of thousands in raises.  Something is very wrong in Oklahoma and it starts in the Governor's office. Thought that she would make a better Governor then she has -- she is the worst Governor I have ever had in all the states we have lived and have had some pretty bad ones but nothing close to this.  I hear all the time people asking who is advising her because she sounds like a puppet.
How did the Governor's Association made her the Chair?  Wonder what they think now with all the bad publicity of the last few weeks.  
Oklahomans need to get out to vote and elect a new Governor who is a man who supports all the people of Oklahoma just not oil and gas along with wealthy donors.  He is very big into supporting teachers and education for our students at all levels.  Time to turn Oklahoma Blue because frankly Red is not working for the average Oklahoman.  We need better schools around the state not just in places like Norman where schools are excellent.  Every Oklahoma child should have access to that same type of education we give our kids in Norman.  Please get out to vote for Joe Dorman for Governor!

OK Governor Mary Fallin Vetoes Bills She Asked for as She Attempts to Show the Legislature Who is Boss by Vetoing 17 Bills!

Rep. Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie, said he didn’t understand why the governor Tuesday vetoed two of his bills that he said were requested directly from her office.  He said one of the bills was designed to save tax dollars by allowing state agencies to better use their purchase card authority.  “The governor is essentially vetoing her own request bill,” Murphey said. “It makes no sense.”  (My bold and emphasis in article)

The Fallin aggressive agenda isn't to move Oklahoma forward but to brandish her conservative credentials with the Tea Party.  When I read that former Senator Cal Hobson said she was originally a moderate Republican, it is starting to make sense.  Fallin made sure her opponent in the last primary, former State Senator Randy Brogdan who is very hard right, pulled out of the Governor's race to run for US Senator. What did she offer him is a question many here are starting to ask?

Gov Fallin has the disdain of people from around the world after the botched execution and her lie that he didn't regain consciousness or the whopper from Attorney General Pruitt that these drugs had been tested when it was the first time they were used.  Reporters witnessed him coming back and trying to get off the table hearing him say "Man" but she tries to tell us he didn't regain consciousness.  How dumb does she think Oklahomans are -- not all of us are Tea Party and even some Republicans I know here are questioning her being Governor for four more years.  The details of the botched execution are chilling:

While Mr. Lockett was convicted of a gruesome and disgusting murder, this does not change the fact that the way he died was in violation of both the laws of this nation and our collective morality as a community. 

As a result of these actions, we demand that the United States Department of Justice open a full investigation into Governor Mary Fallin and the Oklahoma State Department of Corrections, and their decision to 1) use an untested combination of chemicals during a state-sanctioned execution, despite the severe risk of severe pain and suffering for the condemned; 2) the secrecy with which these drugs were obtained; and 3) the coercive means used to get the Oklahoma Supreme Court to reverse its stay of execution and essentially fast-track the proceedings, which led to Mr. Lockett's horrible death.

Agree 100% that the Department of Justice needs to investigate all of this including our Supreme Court being faced with impeachment and setting up a constitutional crises by the Governor, Attorney General, and some State GOP Legislators.  

Personally after what we are witnessing, I think having her for eight more months is too long.  That press conference yesterday on the botched execution made me cringe.  She has totally lost it and the State suffers.  She has attempted to move the state very hard right when the majority of our state is moderate to conservative with Democrats, Independents, and a good number of Republican who are not part of the hard right which has driven me out of the GOP for good.  Didn't like the hard right when I first got involved in GOP politics here and now I loathe them and am leaving the party because the Republican Party is not big enough for me and the hard right, militia, Tea Party, John Birchers, Libertarians, and religious right social conservatives.

Why all the secrecy not just with the drugs and the protocol but with her office.  It almost takes an act of Congress to get her to honor a Freedom of Information request.  What is she hiding?  Never would vote for someone who pulls the stunt of vetoing bills to get their way.  I have lived in various states and she is the worst Governor I have ever had by far and that includes Dukakis in MA and Jerry Brown in his first term in California.   You cannot fathom how I regret supporting her in 2010 as I have watched her get progressively worse.  One of the worst choices of supporting a candidate I ever made.  Falllin should become the poster person for the "My Way or No Way" group of hard right!

April 30, 2014 

Gov.: Vetoes will continue until ‘major issues’ are addressed 

By Janelle Stecklein 

The Norman Transcript 

OKLAHOMA CITY — In what critics describe as an attempt at political manipulation, Gov. Mary Fallin took a swing at legislators Tuesday, announcing she would be rejecting their bills that were awaiting her signature until they tackle the state’s “major issues.”
By noon Tuesday, Fallin rejected 15 of 16 House bills awaiting her signature that she claimed didn’t have “substantial” benefits, are “redundant” or are “just bad policy.” At a press conference announcing her decision, she pledged the vetoes of House-proposed bills would continue until the House tackles issues that she believes are important to Oklahomans rather than special interest groups. 

“Lawmakers continue to find ways to avoid passing meaningful legislation,” she said. “We cannot continue to ignore the big issues facing the state.” 

Fallin said the House needs to pass legislation dealing with storm shelters at schools, set the budget for this coming year, look at funding Capitol improvements, fix the pension system and improve the health of Oklahomans. 

“I’ve used my executive power, my executive authority to set aside ‘minor issues’ so that we can have more time to deal with major issues here at the Capitol and hopefully get the attention to get those things done,” she said. 

Among the causalities of Fallin’s pen were bills that came from legislators across the state. They dealt with issues like expungements, regulating the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, liquor industry regulations and a bill that she claims makes it easier to sell stolen watches. 

“Gov. Fallin developed an aggressive agenda this session to move Oklahoma forward, however moving that agenda through the legislative process requires developing relationships with legislators across the state,” said House Speaker Jeff Hickman, R-Fairview, in a statement. 

He said legislators have passed an income tax cut, pension reform measures, and a ban on youth access to e-cigarettes, which were all part of the governor’s agenda 

.... 

Fallin vetoed the bill authored by Williams and Senate Minority Leader Sean Burrage, D-Claremore, which would have made it easier for people to get crimes expunged off their records. The bill had bipartisan support, and Williams said it was frustrating to lose a substantive bill “on the 1-yard line” because Fallin needed to pad her veto list for the day. He predicted her move would “infuriate” people, and hopefully lead to moves by the legislature to overturn her vetoes. 

He said such behavior by an Oklahoma governor is unprecedented and “politics of pride.” 

“She does not believe the House has addressed her set of priorities so this is our punishment,” he said. “I don’t like being used in this manner. My constituents don’t like being used in this manner. I don’t think there’s a constituent out there that would support her in a move like today.” 

Click Link to Read More at Norman Transcript

Veto of 15 bills wasn't enough for the out of control Governor as she vetoed two more today.  She says that the Legislature is not taking action on her key agenda items but two of the bills of Rep Murphey (R-Guthrie) that were sent to her office that she vetoed, she asked to be submitted in the Legislature. Tell me that the OK Governor is not out of control when you veto bills you asked to be passed.

Today Fallin vetoed two more bills saying it was in the best interest of Oklahoma:

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Gov. Mary Fallin has issued two more vetoes on bills she says are not in the best interest of Oklahoma. 

Fallin vetoed the pair of bills on Wednesday, the same day the House voted to override a previous veto on a bill regarding federal regulations on firearms.  

One of the bills would have prevented law enforcement agencies from entering into contracts with non-law-enforcement entities. Fallin says the bill was well-intentioned but may slow the progress of law enforcement activity. 

The second veto was for a bill that would change the amount of paid time a state employee can spend on professional development.  

The vetoes come after a string of 15 vetoes earlier in the week. Fallin has accused state lawmakers of not taking action on her key agenda items. 

This article was written back in January about Governor Fallin -- would like to know what former State Senator Cal Hobson thinks today since she has gotten much worse:

January 16, 2014 

Fallin: Not pure enough for Tea Partiers

By Cal Hobson 

The Norman Transcript 

NORMAN — Let me make something very clear at the very beginning: I served with then-state-representative and now-Gov. Mary Fallin for a number of years when we both were in the legislature. I liked her then and like her personally today. She was and is a pleasant, dedicated career politician and a very successful campaigner. 

She was a moderate Republican legislator who seemed to vote policy first, politics second. 

However, apparently her political leanings have changed dramatically. To put it bluntly, she has been an awful chief executive of our state. 

Clearly, based on her policies and initiatives, Fallin’s top objective during her first term as governor has been to make sure no Republican challenger would be able to attack her for not being conservative enough. And she really worked at it.  

How otherwise to explain the deepest cuts found in the nation in funding for public schools (22.8 percent cut in a system where 95 percent of our kids are enrolled); a huge drop in the state’s share of financial support for higher education plummeting from 30 percent six years ago, now moving toward 11 percent in 2014; and endless and, thankfully, so far, futile efforts to cut our state’s already very modest tax base. We were seventh lowest nationally in 2012.   

Her personal income tax reductions are ill-conceived and unnecessary in an already very friendly environment to do business. Additionally, the governor’s 2013 tax hoax, just struck down unanimously by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, with the opinion written by a Republican appointee, would have rewarded a family of four with an annual income of $40,000, a whopping tax cut of 35 cents a day in 2016.  

Besides ignoring our aforementioned educators, Fallin stiffed public employees by ordering a “study” of their salaries, a classic dodge, while she gave generous pay raises to her own staff. 

Click Link to Read More at the Norman Transcript

We don't have a Governor, we have a dictator so New Jersey we know exactly how you feel with Governor Christie.  Wonder what the National Governor's Association is thinking having Fallin as their spokesman.  Her statement about looking out for Oklahomans is a bad joke IMHO.

Democrats need to work together with Independents and some GOP to oust Fallin as Governor by supporting Democrat Rep Joe Dorman, who is opposing Fallin for Governor.  I have yet to find anyone who doesn't like him.  Maybe my GOP state rep but I won't talk to him ever again.  The Conscientious Objector who had the Oklahoman taxpayers pay for his college and Law School then claimed CO status twice so not to serve overseas can shove it in my book.  First time he ran we had State Chair who understood why so many of us opposed him but he is probably the last honest chair that has led OK GOP.  He might be the ONLY honest one to head OK GOP since we have been in the state.

Return Common Sense to the Governor's Office, vote for Joe Dorman for Governor!  Follow Joe on Twitter at @Dorman2014 or on Facebook -- time to elect a Governor for all Oklahomans not just the wealthy!

One Botched Execution in Oklahoma Last Night Brings Up the Question: Why was Governor Fallin Adament on Executing Two Men Last Night Risking a Constitutional Crisis?

Oklahoma court lifts stay of executions, heading off confrontation with governor.  Republican governor Mary Fallin had tried to defy supreme court by making executive order to go ahead with lethal injections (LA Times)

After the botched execution of the first inmate last night -- there were to be two but a stay was given for the second one, I can truthfully say I oppose the death penalty except in rare instances like Terry McVeigh who bombed the Federal Building and then mocked the survivors.  Even then his co-conspirator Terry Nichols is serving a life sentence.  When I found out that there is a percentage of people on death row who were wrongly convicted, then it led me to believe that these executions have to stop.  This was inhumane anyway you view it and am tired of he got what was coming to him.  How does killing someone in the name of revenge for what they did make it right.  Especially from people who declare themselves to be these big Christians I have seen in the comment sections of websites on this.

This went viral around the world and is my hope that it ends the cruel punishment of executing (killing) people who did commit heinous crimes.  Why not let the people live with what they have done by keeping them in prison with no chance of parole?  

Some of us were telling people on Twitter that Governor Fallin had almost caused constitutional crisis with her determination to kill two prisoners in one night with a drug concoction that is still secret where it comes from.  The two convicts asked for a stay to find out more details on the drugs that Oklahoma and other states are keeping secret.

Something about Gov Fallin ordering an investigation into what happens rings very hollow and Christie like.  IMHO Fallin and independent investigation do not belong in the same sentence.  Found out from someone in MO they want to buy the drugs from OK and keep secret where it came from and how it is being used.  What's wrong with these people?  What happened last night in OK was inhuman IMHO.  Death Penalty needs to get the death penalty IMHO!  Noticed that the hard right so-called Christians were gleeful at what happened and that we were putting people to death.  Something about being Christian and lovers of the death penalty don't go together.

Here is the background from last week that went viral around the Country and the world making Oklahoma look like a backwoods State but then after what the Governor has been up to it is probably appropriate.  After last night, it is definitely appropriate.  She has become very dictatorial now vetoing bills to make the OK House do what she demands.  This is what almost led to a Constitutional crisis in Oklahoma because of Fallin and AG Pruitt thinking they are above the Constitution.  Best report of what happened came from the London Guardian -- my bold and red emphasis:

Oklahoma governor Mary Fallin steps into a legal tussle over executions  

Katie Fretland in Tulsa, Oklahoma  

Wednesday 23 April 2014 21.48 EDT

The Oklahoma supreme court has dissolved its stay of the executions of two men who challenged the state's secrecy about its source of lethal injection drugs. The court reversed the decision of a district court judge who said the law that keeps the source secret is unconstitutional. 

The turnaround heads off a potential constitutional crisis sparked by the state's Republican governor, Mary Fallin, who had tried to override the stay by issuing an executive order to go ahead with the sentences. 

A day after the Oklahoma supreme court originally issued a stay of execution for the two convicted killers, the governor issued her own order on Tuesday that the state would carry out the sentences next week, but legal experts said she had no power to do so. 

The court's reversal on Wednesday came hours after a resolution by an Oklahoma House member to try to impeach some of its justices. 

In removing the stay, the court said the inmates had failed to demonstrate "actual injury" and that "the right of access to the courts does not include the right to discover a cause of action" to litigate.

Fallin had said the state supreme court acted “outside the constitutional authority” of its mandate in staying Clayton Lockett's execution. She granted a stay of seven days for Lockett, rescheduling his execution for 29 April, the same day condemned inmate Charles Warner is scheduled to be executed. But legal experts said the supreme court's stays had to be followed and the governor lacked the power to reset the date. 

"Governor Fallin is a politician and not a lawyer," said Randall Coyne, a constitutional law expert at the University of Oklahoma. "According to well-established precedent of the US supreme court, the courts – not executive officials – have the final word on what is constitutional. She of course has the right to disagree with judicial decisions but they remain the law. The governor is dangerously close to precipitating a constitutional crisis." 

The day before Lockett’s planned execution, the Oklahoma supreme court on Monday indefinitely delayed his and Warner's executions while they challenged the constitutionality of a law that keeps secret the source of the state’s execution drugs. The state's highest court stepped in after two weeks of legal tussles in which it and the court of criminal appeals both said they did not have the authority to grant a stay. 

On Tuesday the office of the attorney general, Scott Pruitt, asked the state supreme court to rehear the case, arguing the court had caused chaos for the bifurcated appeals system of the state. The supreme court denied that petition 6 to 3 on Tuesday, essentially rejecting Pruitt’s questioning of the court’s jurisdiction. 

Fallin then stepped in with an executive order, telling Pruitt’s office to file papers with the Oklahoma court of criminal appeals that would give her a blueprint as to how to implement the execution order.  

....  

Eric M Freedman, a constitutional law expert at Hofstra University, said Fallin's order was "pure political posturing". 

“The probability that the state will succeed in carrying out the executions in defiance of the stays entered by the Oklahoma supreme court hovers between zilch and zero," he said. 

Lockett and Warner challenged the constitutionality of an Oklahoma law that keeps the source of execution drugs secret. An Oklahoma county district court judge ruled in their favor in March, and judge Patricia Parrish said the statute violated their right to due process. Lawyers for Lockett and Warner say it would be "unthinkable" to carry out the executions while that challenge was unresolved. 

Oklahoma attorney Stephen Jones, a Republican who served as counsel to Republican governors, said Tuesday's developments were about politics and Fallin has made a power grab of the state judiciary. "It gives them something to campaign upon," Jones said. 

He said executing the men despite the court's stay would create a "nasty confrontation" that the governor and attorney general would legally lose. 

“She should have stayed out of it and let the courts work it out. She doesn’t really have a dog in the fight. Frankly I think it’s a sign of weakness on the part of the attorney general that he got the governor to do that. Scott Pruitt has not practiced much as a lawyer," Jones said. 

Brady R Henderson, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma, said the governor could delay an execution but resetting the execution date was unlikely to hold up legally. "The Oklahoma constitution simply does not give her the power to do that," Henderson said. 

"It is important to remember that the entire matter comes from a relatively simple request from two condemned men to find out about the drugs that would be used to kill them," he said. 

"There are serious concerns about the conduct of the lethal injection process, and an Oklahoma law attempts to bar the inmates and everybody else from finding out important information about the process. In other words, it puts a veil of secrecy over one of the most grave functions of state government – killing its own citizens." 

Seth Day, an attorney for the two men, said the secrecy surrounding the executions "undermines our courts and democracy". 

"It is unacceptable that Oklahomans have no way of knowing that the scheduled upcoming executions of Clayton Lockett and Charles Warner would be carried out in a constitutional and humane manner," Day said. "It's not even known whether the lethal injection drugs to be used were obtained legally, and nothing is known about their source, purity, or efficacy, among other questions."

As a citizen of Oklahoma, I do not understand why the drug sources and how the quanity was determined are kept secret because no one knows where they were obtained.  It is obvious after the botched execution that the secrecy should be ended if it takes the federal courts.  I am tired of this Governor's office and the Attorney General continually thinking they are above the law and playing politics in this state.  The AG continually suing to overturn the Affordable Care Act plus siding with a for profit business Hobby Lobby before the Supreme Court is over the top.  Pruitt is the worst type of Attorney General because he is a grandstander and now to learn from a Republican lawyer who has advised Republican Governors that Pruit has practiced very little law makes me question why he ran for Attorney General to begin with.  Wish I had NEVER supported or VOTED for him.  You can say the same about Fallin and Janet Barrisi the State School Superintendent.  My eyes are wide open now to the hard right Republican Party in Oklahoma and my answer to them is "JUST SAY NO!"

In case you missed it this is what happened with the execution last night which was botched (understatement) -- Los Angeles Times had the best coverage using AP and Tulsa World sources:

Oklahoma Halts Double Execution After One is Botched
Matt Pearce, Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Paresh Dave
April 29, 2014, 10:30 p.m. 

A controversial double execution in Oklahoma was scrubbed Tuesday night after the first inmate to receive an experimental three-drug cocktail writhed and grimaced on the gurney, struggled to lift his head and died of a heart attack more than 40 minutes later, officials and witnesses said. 

Clayton Lockett's bizarre death came after a constitutional showdown in Oklahoma over state execution secrecy laws. It is likely to provoke strong criticism from death penalty critics at a time when similar policies for lethal injections have come under fire across the nation. 

The botched execution will have a huge effect, Deborah W. Denno, a professor at Fordham Law School and a death penalty expert, told the Los Angeles Times. "The entire world was watching this execution." 

According to reporters at the scene, Lockett, 38, received the first dose of the three-drug cocktail at 6:23 p.m. 

The drugs were midazolam, which causes unconsciousness; vecuronium bromide, which stops respiration; and potassium chloride, which stops the heart. They are administered in that order. The state has said the procedure is meant to involve three doctors with hand-held syringes, injecting the drugs into IV lines in both the inmate's arms. 

At 6:33 p.m., 10 minutes after the execution began, a doctor said Lockett was unconscious. But three minutes later, Lockett began to nod and mumble and writhe, witnesses said. 

A spokesman for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, citing comments by the department’s director, Robert Patton, confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that Lockett did not die immediately after the lethal injection was administered. 

“The director did say that it appears that a vein [in Lockett's body] blew up or exploded, it collapsed, and the drugs were not getting into the system like they were supposed to,” spokesman Jerry Massie said. 

Massie said that after the new injection was administered, the condemned man “was obviously showing some movement.” 

“After several minutes, five minutes, he was not unconscious,” Massie said. “They made a decision to halt the execution, but at 7:06 he suffered a massive heart attack and expired.”
Massie said the inmate had a physician attending to him, a doctor who does not work for the department. Massie could not say whether that physician had ordered the inmate to be taken to a hospital. 

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin had strongly pushed for Tuesday night's double execution. She issued a statement acknowledging the botched death and ordered a two-week delay in the execution of Charles F. Warner, who was to die after Lockett on Tuesday night. 

Click Link to Read More at the LA Times

Latest from LA Times today on this atrocity,  I am using the Times as a source because they are not tainted by local Oklahoma politics.  Frankly having a member of the Oklahoma State Government do the investigation screams cover-up before they even start as the Fallin Administration has the transparency of a gnat:

Molly Hennessy-Fiske
April 30, 2014, 12:57 p.m.
Reporting from Oklahoma City— 

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin promised an independent review of the state’s execution protocols Wednesday after a bungled execution raised questions about the state's handling of capital punishment. 

The Republican governor emphasized, however, that she has faith that state officials were legally correct in proceeding with the execution over the objections of defense lawyers. 

“I believe the legal process worked,” Fallin said, “I believe the death penalty is an appropriate response and punishment for those who commit heinous crimes.” 

Witnesses have said that convicted murderer Clayton Lockett began writhing and mumbling after prison officials administered the lethal injection Tuesday and also was twitching on the gurney. Officials said Lockett subsequently died of a heart attack 

.....

Fallin defied the state Supreme Court’s order for a delay. A legislator sought to impeach the justices. But the unusual double execution was eventually cleared to proceed. 

Oklahoma is one of several states that have grappled with shortages of lethal injection drugs. 

Drug companies, fearful of protests, have refused to supply some of the drugs. Some states have responded by switching drugs, then declining to release information about the new drugs and who had supplied them, citing concern for the welfare of suppliers. 

Oklahoma officials have defended the drugs they use. 

After Fallin spoke, Oklahoma state lawmakers outraged by the execution called a briefing at the Capitol with local NAACP and ACLU leaders. They planned to discuss a proposed joint resolution that would call for a year-long moratorium on executions. A defense attorney was also expected to address the possibility of bringing a lawsuit against the state concerning its lethal injection methods and the drugs used.

Click Link to Read More at the LA Times 

If you live in in Oklahoma and vote, you may want to think twice before casting any votes for Governor Fallin or Attorney General Pruitt.  Will have more on Fallin's latest in vetoing bills to make the Oklahoma House do her bidding this week.

My support and my vote is going to Rep Joe Dorman (D) who speaks for all Oklahomans not just the wealthy donors of the GOP.

Oklahoma Republicans Have Cut More Than $200 Million from Education since 2008

Oklahomans need an accounting of what the Republican legislature has done with over $200M they have taken from education since 2008.  Where did they spend the money?  We have a right to know where over $200M has gone since it did not go to education for our children.

Oklahoma Policy Institute email this morning delivered the latest from Oklahoma Governor Fallin and the Oklahoma Legislature when it comes to education.  We have lived in five other states before coming to Oklahoma due to a transfer because of the BRAC Closure of Kelly AFB depot.  Not one of those states has the pathetic record on education as Oklahoma since the Republicans took total control of State Government in 2010 and before that the legislature in 2008 although Texas is striving to catch up with a Governor who has now gone hard right along with a legislature that has lost all common sense.

We chose to live in Norman, OK, which has an outstanding public school system and the absolute best Superintendent of Schools Joe Siano that I have ever seen anyplace we have lived.  We have a rainy day fund and a community that supports our schools.  We pass operating levies and bond issues because our school board never overreaches unless you are a Republican who always vote against anything the schools need with their 'smaller government' mantra.

First time I had a Republican tell me that the Bible needed taught in the Norman schools along with a Christian prayer every day, I had all I could do to keep from blasting them.  Instead I said we will just have to agree to disagree and was told to get out of the GOP if I support our schools because Republicans don't support public schools.  That said it all!

Sit here day after day and read the attacks on education by the Governor, State School Superintendent, and members of the Legislature as they don't see the need to fully fund both education and infrastructure. They are proud of themselves of their cuts to education and no raises for teachers which was the first hint that the vast majority Oklahoma Republican office holders are bought and paid for by wealthy donors and ALEC who is fronting for the Koch Bros.  Social issues have become a priority of the Oklahoma Legislature along with more tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy instead of fully funding education.  Some legislators now want to take money from infrastructure like roads and bridges when we have some of the worst in the Country to give more to education.  

Oklahoma Policy Institute which is a non-partisan has done an excellent job on tracking Education in Oklahoma which shows what the Governor, State School Superintendent,  and Legislature are doing in their attempts to destroy public education including our universities.  The GOP reaction is that OK Policy is liberal because they disagree with Republicans on the way they are handling education and other issues when they are telling it like it is without spin.

Latest Email from OKPolicy.org:

This year Governor Fallin and legislators are pushing more tax cuts in Oklahoma, even as the state faces a $188 million budget shortfall and support for public schools has been cut more than $200 million since 2008. State lawmakers have justified their actions by claiming that tax cuts will boost the economy and create jobs. A new fact sheet from Oklahoma Policy Institute makes that case that investing in education is a much better proven strategy for growth and job creation.

You can view the fact sheet on our website or download it as a pdf.

The fact sheet shows that:

• With few exceptions, the states where workers earn the highest wages are those with the most college graduates. And despite Oklahoma's recent economic successes, both our median wage and educational attainment are well below the national average.
• The wage premium for a college degree has increased significantly since the 1990s and 1980s. Those with more education earn higher pay and have fewer periods of unemployment.
• Oklahoma has made the largest cuts to K-12 funding in the nation, and state funding for higher education is down 26.2 percent after inflation since 2008. Oklahoma is consistently ranked near the bottom for education funding and teacher pay.
• Education cuts put Oklahoma’s economic future at risk. Over the longer term, the cuts make it less likely that Oklahoma can develop the highly skilled workforce needed to compete in today’s global economy.

You can find more of our research and materials about education issues at http://okpolicy.org/issues/education.

Click Here to sign up to get their daily emails with what is happening in State Government that affects all of us.  It is the best site I have found in any state we have lived to keep you up to date.  

A local democrat had a bet with me that education was going to be what drove me away from the GOP years ago.  He was right as I have always been a big proponent of public schools giving our children a good education based on facts not some junk science the hard right wants to teach in this State.  The very idea they want to bring religion into the public schools and make teachers teach the Bible which was in the GOP State Convention Platform at the last one I attended in 2010 sent me over the edge.  By the summer of 2011, I completely had it with Republicans in Oklahoma as they fully adopted the ALEC and the Tea Party agenda which many of us know is the Koch Bros Agenda. Seems money talks with Republicans today who put donors over what is good for the residents of their states.  They have lost all empathy for those less fortunate.

Just don't understand any state that would not want their children educated.  Is it because they want to be able to control what they think?  You can do that better with an uneducated populace.  Whatever the reason, I am embarrassed to ever have been a Republican in Oklahoma not to mention an active Republican.  One of the people I met said he was a conservative in Texas and a liberal in Oklahoma. Now we would both be liberals in the GOP in Texas which has gone hard right since we both lived there.  The hard right I thought was only in Oklahoma has gone all over the Country with this anti-public education and pro-charter schools owned by hedge fund and GOP donors.  Not hard to figure out what they are up to and must be stopped in November 2014 by everyone who values education for our children getting out to vote to send the neanderthals to the unemployment line.

Oklahoma Governor Fallin Receives Black Hole Award for Second Year in a Row

Fallin and her attorney, Steve Mullins, were recognized a year ago for citing executive privilege – which doesn’t exist under Oklahoma law (Freedom of Information OK)

Guess the word 'transparency' was only a con when Gov Fallin ran for office.  To win the award for the second year in a row means only her first year she didn't qualify but have to wonder how close she came.  What happened to the Mary Fallin a lot of us thought would be a good Governor who cared about all Oklahomans?  Obvious to more and more people she only cares when the spotlight is on her. Should have known that from the Congressional campaign that she ran in the primary -- win at any costs and truth goes out the window.  Turning out to be a partisan hack as Governor like so many other Republican Governors who support the wealthy, cut education and ignore infrastructure.  Forgot the most important part -- diss Affordable Care Act (ACA) at every turn, refuse to take the federal exchanges and money, and screw the citizens and taxpayers of Oklahoma royally with the partisan lawsuit antics on ACA.

Fallin is head of the Governor's Association which means she comes in contact with President Obama. Would like to know how she squares that with her hard right base who detests him here in Oklahoma based on lies which our local politicians know are lies starting with our two Senators not to mention our Congressmen.  Does she tell them a different story in private?

How Oklahoma members of Congress lie to your constituents over and over again about President Obama is beyond me.  Worse is that The Oklahoman seems to ignore the lies unlike the Tulsa World. Personally think The Oklahoman has gone downhill since it was sold and now go to the Tulsa World for most of my information.  Then there is always The Oklahoma Policy Institute which is non-partisan no matter what Republicans say where you always get sourced information -- highly recommend you sign up for their Daily Newsletter to get the facts.

Having worked for the Federal Government and handled Freedom of Information requests, we were told not to stall but handle the requests right away because the longer wait the worse they get.  Our office was responsible for a USAF Medical Center so we got the worst ones to answer, had get all the info, redacted, and then had my boss review and sign off on the reply.  Command Surgeon had a policy that you answer them ASAP with an initial response and then follow up in a timely manner.  He was adamant on not stalling because nothing good comes from a stall.  Looks like Governor Fallin could use some of his wise advice.

Why did Gov Fallin hire a private attorney and not use the Attorney General who keeps suing the Federal Government at every turn.  Stalling seems right up his alley.  The GOP Attorney General is out of control -- what got me is when he joined in with the lawsuit by the millionaire owner of Hobby Lobby on ACA birth control requirement.  What is the Attorney General of State doing being involved with a private business?  Never mind as big donors get special privileges.  Republicans in Oklahoma have gone over the edge of the cliff.  Now the Governor is caught in a lie about transparency for the second year in a row!  Imagine that!  Channel 4 news has the story:

Gov. Fallin earns latest award, but it is not a good thingPosted on: 6:15 pm, March 17, 2014, by Dallas Franklin and KFOR-TV

An organization whose goal is to support groups and individuals trying to access open records or have access to meetings that are illegally closed has named our governor as this year’s recipient of an award no state official would want to receive. 

Local organization, Freedom of Information Oklahoma, has recognized Governor Mary Fallin as this year’s recipient of their Black Hole recognition. 

The Black Hole award recognizes an individual, agency or organization that has most thwarted the free flow of information. 

According to FOI Oklahoma, Gov. Fallin was named as deserving the Black Hole recognition for damaging access to records that should be easily available to the public. 

Gov. Fallin has received many complaints regarding delayed access to public records for sometimes more than a year. 

The Tulsa World reportedly waited 15 months for the governor’s office to release more than 8,000 records related to prison reforms.

This is the second year in a row that Gov. Fallin has received the recognition for failing to release records to the public. 

Two new lawsuits have been filed because of her office’s slow relase of public records, and today another organization joined the list. 

The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma Foundation filed a motion for summary judgement and a supporting legal brief today in Oklahoma County District Court on behalf of Vandelay Entertainment, the publisher of TheLostOgle.com, in its suit against Gov. Fallin. 

According to a release, the suit seeks a court order compelling Gov. Fallin to release 100 pages of public records she has refused to turn over regarding her decision to reject medicaid expansion. 

Governor Mary Fallin has hired a private law firm to defend her office in this ongoing open records lawsuit

Haven't gotten over making the Tulsa World wait 15 months?  Was the Fallin Administration hiding something or are they that incompetent?  Either way she looks to be over her head as Governor and listens to way too many people giving her bad advice.  This from the Freedom of Information Oklahoma organization about the award they gave Gov Fallin:

Gov. Mary Fallin is a repeat recipient of the Black Hole recognition for persistent stonewalling on requests for public records. Fallin is the first repeat recipient of the Black Hole. 

Fallin and her attorney, Steve Mullins, were recognized a year ago for citing executive privilege – which doesn’t exist under Oklahoma law – in refusing to turn over emails regarding the state health insurance exchange. A lawsuit was filed for full release of the emails. 

Two new lawsuits have been filed because of her office’s slow release of public records via the creation of a “first-come, first served’’ procedure. 

Her attorneys argue that access delayed is not access denied. 

The Tulsa World waited 15 months for the governor’s office to release more than 8,000 records related to prison reforms. 

“First-come, first-served” resulted in an Open Records Act lawsuit filed in late October by the governor’s former Tulsa office director. 

Wendy Gregory’s attorney said Fallin’s staff had “stonewalled” his request for her personnel records for “the past six or eight months.”  In January, the judge refused to dismiss that case. 

Also, the mothers of two Moore schoolchildren killed in the May tornadoes filed suit accusing Fallin of violating the Open Records Act by not releasing records related to school safety that were requested several months earlier. 

 (snip)

FOI Oklahoma recognizes Black Hole recipients but does not make an award presentation.

Please check out FOI Oklahoma for more info on Black Hole Recipients

My mind is boggled how Fallin and her private lawyer cited 'Executive Privilege' on turning over emails when 'Executive Privilege' does not exist under Oklahoma Law.  What am I missing?  How can they be that dumb not realize that 'Executive Privilege' does not exist in Oklahoma since Fallin was Lt Governor for 12 years, before going to Congress for four years, and now Governor?

To all Oklahoma voters, please do not just mark a straight party ballot but THINK and do some research on the candidates which is exactly what Republicans don't want you to do.  Time to Turn Oklahoma Back Blue as the Republican experiment has been a disaster and getting worse.  Cost the taxpayers school funding, infrastructure funding, and millions in unnecessary lawsuits filed by this Attorney General.  That doesn't even take into account all the bills pass by the legislature, approved by the Attorney General, and signed by the Governor declared unconstitutional by various judges.

My favorite is the Oklahoma Constitutional requirement that every bill only deal with one subject and last time they had a bill that was declared unconstitutional because it dealt with three subjects.  Are Republicans that stupid or did they try to sneak it through which was never going to happen.  More waste of tax dollars by the Republicans in charge.

Have a good rest of the Spring Break week and enjoy the Final 64 Basketball Tournament -- Go Sooners -- both men's and women's teams are in the Tournament.   

Time to Oust Oklahoma Republicans from Control Over Higher Education and Public Schools

Happy St Patrick's Day -- Rivers across America are being turned green today from the San Antonio River on the Riverwalk to the Chicago River as everyone becomes Irish for the day!  Little corned beef, potatoes, carrots  and cabbage on the menu at many households and restaurants with some soda bread and mint brownies for dessert with loads of whipped creme.  Today is the day that green alcohol becomes extremely popular with a lot of people needing to park their car and take advantage of a ride home.  This is Spring Break for The University of Oklahoma but it has not stopped the OU President from having his say on cuts to high education:

“It’s almost hostility to higher education,” University of Oklahoma President David Boren said. “We’ve gotten out of whack.”  

That is probably the understatement of the day, month or year!  Can only imagine what is being said behind closed doors when I know what I am saying about this Republican run state that is being run into the ground following the lead of Kansas.  The Kansas State Supreme Court had to restore some funding for Kansas public schools.  Republican members of the legislature and the Governor's offices across America have no right to take public tax dollars for private religious schools -- guess separation of church and state are not on their radar? My tax dollars going for any private school goes against what I believe because private schools are not subject to rules or regulations like public schools are in order to keep their accreditation.  The religious schools are free to teach their own version of science and thus have a generation of illiterate children who believe the earth is 6,000 years old and dinosaurs roamed the earth with man just like in the Flintstones.    

In Oklahoma today, would say we have two happy college Presidents because University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University made the NCAA Basketball Tournament but at the same time they are are as disgusted with this Republican Governor as you can be especially President Boren who was the Governor at one time and also a US Senator before becoming President of the University of Oklahoma. What is mind boggling is Governor Fallin wants to cut higher education more while giving the wealthy a tax cut -- typical Republican Koch/ALEC puppet.  Just don't understand what Republicans have against public education including higher education -- makes no sense to me unless they don't want an educated populace.

This Republican Governor has been a disaster for education at all levels and her good friend the State School Superintendent, Janet Barrisi, is the absolute worst and most detested State School Superintendent by both sides of the aisle -- total arrogance from someone with no recent background in public education since she sat on the school board for a charter school and was a dentist.  Barrisi was the first Republican State School Superintendent and hopefully the last.  Republicans are showing that education means nothing to them unless they can use charter schools to help their donors plus be able to teach what they want with no regulations or oversight. This anti-public education movement on the right has many long time supporters of public schools up in arms -- I am one of them.  Have volunteered countless hours over the years to public education from tutoring reading to being head of the PTO and everything in between.  There is no way I am sitting on the sidelines and allowing Republicans to destroy public education without a fight.

Oklahoma leads the Country in cuts to public education since 2008 when Republicans took over complete control of the legislature.  Maybe if they quit wasting so much of our tax dollars on social issues, they would have money left for educating our students.  Republicans received my last dollar along with my last vote in 2010 after their attacks on education in Oklahoma after Republicans took full control of state government.  All children deserve a very good education but you don't get there with the draconian cuts by the Republicans in the Legislature and Governor's Office since 2008/2010. Asking higher ed to take a $50M cut while handing out tax cuts is stupid and irresponsible.  The very fact these Republicans refuse to increase the taxes on horizontal drilling that were cut in the early 90's says all you need to know about these bought and paid for Republicans in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma higher education leaders hope to avoid budget cut 

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education requested an increase of 7.7 percent — or an additional $76.3 million — for the next fiscal year, but the governor has called for a cut of nearly $50 million. 

By Kathryn McNutt Published: March 16, 2014

Higher education leaders are optimistic they can avoid the cut in state funding Gov. Mary Fallin proposed in her fiscal year 2015 budget. 

The governor’s budget includes a 5 percent reduction for most agencies because estimates show the state will have about $188 million less to appropriate for FY15.

“I’m pushing to at least make up the 5 percent cut,” Rep. Harold Wright, R-Weatherford, said last week. 

Wright, chairman of the House Higher Education and CareerTech Committee, said he thinks lawmakers can keep the funding level and keep tuition as low as possible. 

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education requested an increase of 7.7 percent — or an additional $76.3 million — from the current fiscal year, but the governor has called for a cut of nearly $50 million. 

Higher Education Chancellor Glen Johnson said the state appropriation makes up about 38 percent of the total higher education budget, down from half in 2007. 

The state has cut the higher education budget an average of 8.4 percent each year since 2008 at a time when enrollment is increasing and costs have gone up, Johnson said. 

“It’s kind of an unsustainable crunch. The governor has Complete College America and wants to graduate more students,” Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis said.
“Meanwhile, we’re cutting the dollars and, therefore, how do you make that up?” 

“It’s almost hostility to higher education,” University of Oklahoma President David Boren said. “We’ve gotten out of whack.” 

Revenue sources 

Boren and Hargis both support reducing the gross production tax exemption for horizontal wells to increase the available dollars for state appropriations. 

Estimates of the money that would produce are pretty dramatic, Hargis said. 

“I think there’s going to be a little more money (in the state budget) than they currently are working on,” he said. 

Another step that would put more money in the budget is delaying an income tax cut, Boren said.

Read More on Education by Kathryn McNutt at The Oklahoman

Now we will see if OSU President Hargis sticks with his Party, the Republicans, or stands up for higher education and the OSU college students.  The jury is out on that one as we wait to see which side major OSU donor Boone Pickens falls.

With President Boren we have no doubt -- he would be saying and doing the same thing no matter who the Party in charge was who wanted to cut higher education.

Time for Oklahomans to get a clue and return this state to common sense by getting rid of the anti-education faction in this state.   That means electing Democrat Rep Joe Dorman for Governor who values public education for all of Oklahoma's children.  Rep Dorman is willing to work across the aisle for the betterment of all Oklahomans versus the Republican 'my way or no way' attitude of some members of the Legislature and State Government.  Rep Dorman has my support and my vote in November -- time for a change in Oklahoma!

Disclaimer:  Opinions are my own on this blog.  I do not receive compensation from any candidate, organization, or group. 

What State has a bill to End Marriage, Cut Taxes when There is $170M Shortfall, and Give Additional Tax Breaks to Those Who Stay Married for Starters?

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A!

That doesn't include additional social engineering like more anti-abortion bills that just passed committee in a state with some of the toughest abortion bills already.  Like recent bills these will probably get overturned as well and cost the taxpayers as the hard right Attorney General defends them all the way to SCOTUS.  This is becoming a habit in Oklahoma -- State Supreme Court rules they are unconstitutional so the AG takes them into the Federal system and the SCOTUS refuses to hear or finds them unconstitutional either way upholding the Oklahoma State Supreme Court.

My absolute favorite bill that I think is just funny is the one to end all marriage in Oklahoma to prevent gay marriage from happening on non-tribal lands in Oklahoma.  They have no jurisdiction over the tribal lands and cannot tell them who they can marry.

Because most elected Oklahoma Republicans are stuck back in time, our Republican Governor ended all spousal benefits sign-ups at Guard locations to keep gays from getting spousal benefits at local Guard facilities.  Some had to drive a couple of hours to sign up but that didn't affect the Governor. She even referenced a referendum in OK that forbid gay marriage and said the Federal Government cannot tell Oklahoma what to do?  Sitting here shaking head as she is head of the Governor's Association. Whoever pushed Gov Fallin to head the Governor's Association must make some of the other Governor's scratch their heads.

Now that same Republican Governor Fallin wants a reorganization of state agencies and forgot to get input from those agency heads as they were caught off guard. She is running Oklahoma more like a dictatorship.   'What is behind this merger' is the question?  We keep hearing she is involved in who gets contracts and if that is true this would add to big donors getting more contracts IMHO!  

Governor Mary Fallin recommended in her State of the State speech that five state agencies be consolidated into the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation. The directors of those agencies said they were stunned and perplexed by the speech, and it was the first they had heard of the idea.

The head of tourism wasn't consulted, either, said a spokeswoman for that agency. In the governor's State of the State speech, she recommended consolidating the Oklahoma Arts Council, J.M. Davis Memorial Commission, Oklahoma Historical Society, Will Rogers Memorial Commission and Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission into the Tourism Department.

Read More at The Oklahoman   

Just a little background on the Tourism board -- probably one of the more unethical boards under the Governor and has been for years.  I was working a campaign for State Senate where we discovered they were giving contracts to Democrat candidates who were running for office to help them fund their campaigns.  They were outed when we were tipped off what was going on with the opponent of my State Senator and found it is when I picked up the copy of the contracts.  Woman in the office at Purchasing was so nervous she walked into a wall and missed the door.  Then heard her on the phone asking if she had to give me everything so they gave me contracts that were not involved and buried in this avalanche of paper were the details.

Been around Federal contracting for years.  They had a list of companies they went out for bids to make it look like they didn't go sole source but these were the big aerospace companies so they just filled in names -- none of their contracting offices at the addresses given even the solicitation in their files.  Told over and over that their companies were not interested in doing a $50,000 Environmental Impact Study for Lake Thunderbird.  Then we found it is was a contract for a small amount that could grow to $500,000 and ended up sole sources when no one else bid.  The contract was let by Tourism which the current Governor headed as GOP Lt Governor at the time and never did get a straight answer.

More on the Governor's dealings on behalf of GOP donors:

Governor: Oklahoma’s State Parks are Not Yours To Sell! 

(Marshall and Bryan Counties, OK) — For over fifty years, Lake Texoma State Park was a critical economic engine for southeastern Oklahoma.  Then, republican Governor Frank Keating and Lt. Governor Mary Fallin targeted it and other state parks for privatization.  As Lt. Governor, then U.S. Congresswoman, and now governor, Fallin has been the leading  promoter for privatizing Oklahoma’s state park resorts and recreational areas. 

Seven years ago, Lake Texoma State Park was shut down by the Commissioners of the Land Office (CLO), of which she was a key member.  As the CLO’s ranking member, Fallin continues to represent private corporate interests.  Despite her assurances to the contrary, the public has been completely shut out for the benefit of fellow republican, Aubrey Kerr McClendon.

Social engineering continues in Oklahoma.  State representative in Oklahoma has come up with a new angle to keep people married:

Another House Committee narrowly voted to create a tax deduction for married couples that grows based on the length of the marriage.

It sounds like fiction but it is real -- we have a state that has infrastructure falling apart and massive cuts to education in the last few years plus a shortfall of over $170M this year and they want to give a tax break to people who stay married.  How about spouses who lose their spouse through death?

On 31 January 2014 they closed the bridge Between Lexington and Purcell even to foot traffic:

During a routine inspection on Monday, January 20, ODOT engineers say they found cracks in beams on the truss system underneath the bridge. Due to this damage, on Tuesday, January 21, ODOT had to drop the weight limit to travel across the bridge to 16 tons.

However, authorities decided to shut down the bridge on Friday due to safety reasons.   

Tempers flare in the small cities and towns near Purcell and Lexington as motorists try to get used to a new reality in the area. The bridge connecting Lexington and Purcell is shut down and many people now have a 34 mile detour to deal with for a trip that used to be only a mile long.

An example of our failing infrastructure in Oklahoma but then the Legislature and Governor haven't figured out how to fix the State Capitol which has entrances shut off as you might get concrete on your head that falls off the building.  This article from The Gazette in December 2012 is true today -- nothing  has been done to the exterior although the Republican led legislature authorized spending over $5M to upgrade offices and conference rooms inside the falling down Capitol:

January 11th, 2012 

Reality knows a good metaphor when it sees one. The state Capitol building is falling apart. 

Falling chunks of limestone on the building’s southeast side have forced workers to set up scaffolding and fencing. That exterior damage, coupled with needed electrical wiring and plumbing repairs, has an estimated price tag of $130 million, according to state Department of Central Services officials. 

Gov. Mary Fallin, for one, has floated the idea of a bond issue to fund Capitol repairs. For hardcore right-leaning state lawmakers, however, bond issues are about as unpopular as getting hit in the head by falling pieces of building, so how this gets resolved remains anybody’s guess.

The latest from The Norman Transcript two days ago showing that repairs are not progressing because they don't know where to find the money but they found $5M of our tax dollars to fix up their offices and conference rooms?

OKLAHOMA CITY — It’s been more than two years since yellow barricades and scaffolding sprang up outside Oklahoma’s Capitol building to protect visitors from mortar and pieces of limestone falling from it. 

Inside, debate continues among lawmakers on how best to finance repairs to the nearly 100-year-old Capitol’s exterior, antiquated plumbing, electrical wiring and other features.
Some favor a bond issue to raise money for the repairs, which officials estimate could cost up to $160 million. Others support a pay-as-you-go approach that would tap annual state revenue and avoid creating new debt for the state.  

(snip) 

A detailed examination of the building found a concrete beam above the south portico that is crushing the brick that supports it as well as antiquated piping and electrical wiring that are original to the building. There is also extensive cracking of the terrazzo floor in the building’s lower level. 

State Bond Advisor Jim Joseph said bond indebtedness is not an issue in Oklahoma and that the state has plenty of bonding capacity to afford a bond issue. More than 41 percent of the state’s bond indebtedness will come off the books in 2018, and more than 86 percent will be eliminated in the next 13 years. 

“I think we have capacity for additional borrowing,” Joseph said. “Our ratings are strong. The market’s good. The sooner we borrow, the better.” 

Read More at The Norman Transcript

At the time they put the new Keating dome on, I asked the question if anyone had done a structural analysis -- they used a local OKC firm.

Six years ago, Frankfurt-Short-Bruza Architects P.C. of Oklahoma City completed a feasibility study for the project and determined that the existing structure could indeed support a dome. At that point, the Oklahoma state legislature approved an act that would allow the project to proceed using a design-build process.

It stands to reason when you have a project requiring more than 1,200 precast concrete pieces that altogether weighed more than 1,300 tons, the heaviest pieces weighing almost 8 tons which make up a portion of the pieces contributing to what is now an 80 foot-diameter-dome, which projects 157 feet above the existing roof and weighs more than 2,500 tons that a 90 year old building might have trouble supporting 2,500 tons of limestone.  Now the Capitol is shedding limestone and our legislature cannot figure out how to pay for the fix which is getting more costly?  

Another question is how have the earthquakes we are getting in Central Oklahoma near fracking sites affecting the Capitol with that additional 2,500 ton dome?  We are an oil and gas state so you don't mention fracking might be causing problems and no one is going to answer your question.  Asked when earthquakes were hitting Norman and received no answers.

Note to Tea Party -- right now using bonds to fund long term debt is a bargain -- pay as you go when you already have $170M less to spend than last year is convoluted thinking.

Finally a Republican State Rep submitted bill to earmark $3.2B for command ed over the next ten years.  It passed the committee with one dissenting vote.  It would be a a big to increase in funding for common ed after five years of cuts.  Wonder what Tea Party person is going to challenge GOP State Rep Denny of Cushing who came up with the proposal?

 By RANDY KREHBIEL Tulsa World Staff Writer |  

A proposal to earmark nearly $3.2 billion for common education over the next decade advanced from a House committee on Monday. 

House Bill 2642 by Rep. Lee Denney, R-Cushing, would create a special account to receive escalating apportionments drawn from tax receipts before they reach the general revenue fund. 

The bill specifies that the money would be in addition to regular school funding.
The account, to be called the Securing Educational Excellence Fund, would receive $57 million in the budget year beginning July 1, with the amount to increase to $575 million in fiscal year 2014.  

The amount going into the fund would remain at $575 million. 

The bill passed the House Common Education Committee on a vote of 15-1, with Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City, the lone opponent. 

"How much is enough, and how do we know it's enough?" asked Nelson, a frequent critic of public education's spending habits. 

Denney said common education has less money than it did five years ago while serving 90,000 more students. 

HB 2642 next goes to the House Calendar Committee, which schedules legislation for floor votes. 

Read More at The Tulsa World

That is one bill for common sense in Oklahoma that has cleared the first committee hurdle -- will it get passed?  Or will the Governor veto it in the end?  One bill for common sense is more than I expected out of this GOP dominated house.

Another extremely important bill in the social engineering agenda of the Oklahoma legislature.  I thought it was a joke like the no marriage in Oklahoma but I was wrong -- this one has passed out of committee:

House committee OKs 'Merry Christmas Bill' 

A bill to allow public schools to observe Christmas and Hanukkah advanced from the House Common Education Committee on Monday. 

Known as the "Merry Christmas Bill," House Bill 2317 would allow districts to "educate students about the history of traditional winter celebrations, and allow students and district staff to offer traditional greetings regarding the celebrations." 

The bill would allow displays such as Nativity scenes or menorahs as long as more than one religion is represented and the displays "do not endorse, favor, disfavor, or encourage adherence to a particular religious or non-religious faith, belief or perspective." 

HB 2317 passed the committee 15-1 with Rep. Jeannie McDaniel, D-Tulsa, as the lone dissenter. The bill next goes to the House Calendar Committee. 

Rep. Ken Walker, R-Tulsa, is among the bill's sponsors. 

From the Tulsa World comes this gem on Tax Cuts.  We have $170M less to spend this year and now a bill in the legislature has increased the amount for tax cuts?

Tax Cuts 

Appropriations and Budget subcommittee on revenue and taxation. The subcommittee met for more than 2 1/2 hours Monday and advanced two competing plans for lowering the top state income tax rate. 

HB 2508 by Rep. Earl Sears, R-Bartlesville, is similar to the quarter-percentage-point reduction proposed by Gov. Mary Fallin, except Sears' bill would delay implementation until 2016. 

Rep. Leslie Osborn, R-Mustang, one of the Legislature's leading tax hawks, proposed cutting the top tax rate from 5.25 percent to 4 percent over four years, resulting in an $843.9 million loss in revenue when fully implemented. 

Osborn argued that the figure is based on "static" estimates and predicted that revenue will actually increase if the reduction is adopted. 

Osborn said state revenue has increased every time the tax rate has been reduced. Skeptics claim that the opposite occurred — revenue increased and then taxes were reduced.
In response to a question, Osborn said general fund revenue has been stagnant in recent years because tax rates have not been cut and because of national and international economic factors. 

Two attempts by Rep. David Dank, R-Oklahoma City, to curb tax credits were defeated, while a bill to extend the state's $5 million-a-year tax-rebate program for filmmakers through 2014 advanced on a 12-1 vote. 

Legislation passed by the subcommittee next goes to the full Appropriations Committee.

We still have the archaic 1% tax on horizontal drilling that was 7% at one time and the Republican House won't hear the idea that the tax should be raised.  This may be one of the hard headed group of legislators every in Oklahoma with some of their stupid ideas.

Will the new Speaker of the Oklahoma House Rep Jeff Hickman, R-Fairview, stick with his original vote to be one of the few Republicans who voted against tax cuts last year or will he flip flop?  He is a more moderate Republican so this should get interesting.  Have no clue what is going to happen but I do know we need some more moderate, common sense people elected to the legislature and state government in Oklahoma.  Hopefully Speaker Hickman is a start but the jury is out.  Have had enough of the hard right running our state into the ground and putting social issues #1 over infrastructure and education.

Decided to support a man who is running to represent all Oklahomans not just the special few.  I say we give him a chance to turn the state around -- we cannot take four more years of GOP rule the way Oklahoma is going in the tank!