• AnNUAL EDUCATION ISSUE • AUGUST 2016 • VOLUME 48 NUMBER 8 • $5.00 ‘Life In This Hallway Is Killing Me’

A Devoted Teacher Describes The Challenges Inside Oklahoma’s Cash-Strapped Public Schools

Back-to-School Special Report Begins on Page 18 Observations

www.okobserver.net Trickle Down Trump VOLUME 48, NO. 8 What is it going to take to drive a stake into the heart of the long-ago PUBLISHER Beverly Hamilton discredited theory of Supply Side economics? EDITOR Arnold Hamilton It failed spectacularly during the Reagan years – so much so that George H.W. Bush referred to it as “voodoo economics.” It failed in Kan- DIGITAL EDITOR MaryAnn Martin sas. It’s now failed in Oklahoma. FOUNDING EDITOR Frosty Troy Yet, the Koch Brothers, their stink tanks like the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs and, yes, even Republican presidential nominee Donald ADVISORY BOARD Trump refuse to give up the notion that cutting taxes for the wealthiest Marvin Chiles, Andrew Hamilton, 1% somehow magically causes government coffers to overflow and fat- Matthew Hamilton, Scott J. Hamilton, Trevor James, Ryan Kiesel, tens the bottom lines of the least among us. George Krumme, Robert D. Lemon, Actually, it’s a theory better described as “tinkle down” economics – Gayla Machell, Bruce Prescott, a reverse Robin Hood that alleged billionaire Trump wants to pursue if Robyn Lemon Sellers, Kyle Williams elected in November. OUR MOTTO Why pursue a strategy that doesn’t work for the vast majority of Amer- To Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the icans? Greed. Comfortable. Consider this: Trump’s proposal to eliminate the federal income tax would be a $7.1 billion boon for his family, according to Third Way, OUR CREDO So then to all their chance, to all their a Washington-based think tank. Moreover, Trump’s plan would add an shining golden opportunity. To all the estimated $10 trillion to the national debt over 10 years, the Urban- right to love, to live, to work, to be Brookings Tax Policy Center noted. themselves, and to become whatever We’ve seen this movie before. As it entertains and enriches the silk- thing their vision and humanity can combine to make them. This seeker, stocking crowd, it devolves into a horror flick for the middle class and is the promise of America. poor. - Adapted from Thomas Wolfe Look at Oklahoma: Billion-plus budget hole this year, at least $600 million next. Vital state services woefully underfunded. Tax breaks and FOUNDING PUBLISHER Helen B. Troy corporate welfare disproportionately benefiting the wealthy elite. 1932-2007 Mad-as-hell Oklahomans casting an anti-establishment vote for Trump might be well to familiarize themselves with an old, but applicable [ISSN 0030-1795] The Oklahoma Observer [USPS 865-720] phrase: cutting off your nose to spite your face. is published on the first Wednesday of each CONTINUED ON PAGE 43 month by AHB Enterprises LLC, 13912 Plym- outh Crossing, P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. Periodicals postage paid at Edmond, OK and additional entry office.

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LETTERS TO EDITOR E-mail to [email protected] or mail to P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113- 0275. 2 • AUGUST 2016 Observerscope

Dart: To OK County DA David Dart: To the Daily Disappoint- Aug. 11 is deadline for medical Prater, endorsing preacher Paul ment, stooping to new low with marijuana supporters to gather Blair in SD 41 GOP runoff because its puff piece on owner Philip An- enough signatures – 66,000 – to he won’t “compromise the tenets” schutz’s Sea Island, GA resort get the issue on the November bal- of his faith. Blair uses his pulpit as – solidifying its designation as lot. Visit okforhealth.org for more a platform for hate speech. America’s Worst Newspaper. details.

State Supreme Court Justice We note the passing of Oklaho- The Oklahoma Democratic Party Steven Taylor is retiring at year’s ma’s first black state senator, E. has new digs – 3700 N. Classen end. Appointed to the high court Melvin Porter. What a remarkable Blvd. Suite 100 in OKC. Former in 2004 by Gov. Brad Henry, Taylor legacy – civil rights sit-ins, NAACP Gov. David Walters is co-hosting a spent 33 years on the bench. president, 22 years in Senate and housewarming party Aug. 11 from passage of OK’s Anti-Discrimina- 5-7 p.m. Laurel: To Rep. Jason Dunning- tion Act. ton, D-OKC, and Sen. Kyle Love- “It is easy to boo, but it is harder less, R-OKC, announcing they will Laurel: To Planned Parenthood’s to look your kids in the face dur- re-introduce their equal pay for Tamya Cox, honored recently with ing a Donald J. Trump presidency.” women bill next session. It came Oklahoma Religious Coalition on – Sen. Bernie Sanders, responding oh-so-close to becoming law this Reproductive Choice’s Faith and to boos from California delegates year. Freedom award. Bravo! when he urged they work to elect Hillary Clinton Former Senate President Mike Senate President Pro Tem-to-be Morgan now serving an 18-month Mike Shultz, beware: Theocrat-in- Oklahoma carbon king Harold sentence at federal prison in Ar- chief Paul Blair isn’t even GOP SD Hamm as Donald Trump’s energy kansas for his bribery conviction. 41 nominee, but Capitol insiders secretary? Money can buy lots of He also surrendered his law li- say he’s already inquiring whether things – but not respectability. cense. a freshman can be elected pro tem. CONTINUED ON PAGE 44 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 3 Letters

speaking] be glad that the Re- publicans are going through tri- als and tribulations of a type we need not worry about. But actu- ally their problem is a one shot deal; if Trump loses [which is most peoples’ hope], they will merely regroup and carry on as if nothing happened. Unfortunately, our Democrats have a serious problem which is systemic in nature – and won’t easily be fixed. I see the Democrats as being broken up into two groups – I’ll call the first group “True-Blue” Democrats. These are the people who believe in “Old-fashioned Pol- itics,” i.e. the average person gives a small amount to the politician of his/her choice [a la, Bernie Sand- ers]. Editor, The Observer: or hoping to get elected would say. This group consists of most of To my generation: 1968 was a Could his original intent have us Democratic voters, plus a very year of assassins, ramped up war been to pitch in a million dollars few at the upper levels [people in Vietnam, racial tension and ri- or so, get a lot of personal public- like Bernie, Elizabeth Warren, and ots, cops being shot and Czecho- ity, and then go back to trying to Alan Grayson – there are others slovakia being invaded by the Sovi- increase his bank account with who are close to this definition: et Union. We elected Richard Nixon some type of self-promotion, using Sherrod Brown, Pete Fazio, Marcy as POTUS. That led this country to his campaign as the focal point? Kaptur and a few others]. Laos and Cambodia wars, Arab oil If he is half as smart as he wants The second group I’ll call “Dem- embargo, Watergate and the loss of us to believe, he must realize he licans” [because in their actions Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. is in so deep that there is no way they are half Democrat – half Re- Now comes 2016 and the Re- he could ever extract himself from publican]. My reasoning for this publican convention in Cleveland. the abyss he is in. Virtually all his split definition occurs because Now comes Donald Trump, a con comments are antithetical to what they firmly believe that the only man with no moral values and a any valid candidate would utter in way to win elections is to do what thousand times more narcissistic public. the Republicans do – accept “su- than Nixon! Somehow, we are in the middle per-pacs” and all other big money Seriously old people? Have you of a major league scam he is per- sources wherever you can find forgotten the friends you lost? petrating – with the whole US of A them. Almost all “top” Democrats Think about the grandchildren set to be the victim. fit this category [including Bill, you will lose under this insane If by some quirk of fate he should Hillary, and Barack]. You can see bastard! get elected, our governmental sys- the results in the 15½ years of Steve Hoffman tem would be in dire peril and sub- Bill’s and Barack’s presidencies. Oklahoma City ject to collapse. But who knows? If Both of them followed some Re- we could get through the rebuild- publican type strategies – especial- Editor, the Observer: ing process successfully we pos- ly in the financial and trade areas. These thoughts have been rico- sibly could get a government that Up till now, this split has been a cheting around in my alleged mind actually works. live-and-let-live situation. But now, for a while, and I wonder if they Tom Ellis it has broken out into no-holds- are in any way valid, rational, or Okeene barred warfare. Alan Grayson, make any sense. The things Don- running for Marco Rubio’s Senate ald Trump continues to say are not Editor, The Observer: seat in Florida, has been severely things that any credible, conscien- Fellow Democrats, we have a attacked by retiring Senate Minor- tious political candidate wanting problem, too! We might [inwardly CONTINUED ON PAGE 45 4 • AUGUST 2016 Arnold Hamilton

Rhetoric Ignores State’s Dependence On Uncle Sam

he knee-jerk conservatism that now rules growing list of problems? Oklahoma politics was built in no small mea- Actually, there are signs the anti-fed demagoguery sure on around-the-clock demonizing of the may be waning. federal government. In late June, for example, the Environmental Pro- TIt’s Ronald Reagan’s “the nine most terrifying words tection Agency announced that Oklahoma City was in the English language are ‘I’m from the government among six U.S. cities selected to receive design assis- and I’m here to help,’” writ large. tance under the agency’s Greening America’s Com- Indeed, if state taxpayers were given a dollar for each munities program. time Republican officeholders invoked the phrase “Oklahoma City is one of EPA’s premier partners “federal overreach” this century, Oklahoma probably in building healthy neighborhoods and strengthening would have more households worth $5 million-plus local economies,” said Regional Administrator Ron than the rest of the nation combined. Curry. “By emphasizing sustainability in their efforts, Though the anti-fed fervor is predictable – Okie Oklahoma City shows protecting the environment DNA always has included a healthy suspicion of the and helping communities thrive go hand-in-hand.” powers-that-be – it’s no less mind-boggling when con- No doubt eyeballs are rolling among the anti-fed ca- sidering how dependent the state is on a federal gov- bal. But the truth is, this is smart public policy – and ernment it seemingly loves to hate. good politics. Think about it: What would Oklahoma look like The EPA’s technical expertise will help Oklahoma without Tinker, Vance or Altus Air Force bases or City reduce flooding in areas just north of downtown Fort Sill? Or without its 48,000 federal workers [civil- and enhance neighborhoods from Edgemere Park ian and active duty personnel], most earning better- to the Paseo through beautification and improved than-average salaries and benefits? streets and sidewalks. Consider the impact on state services: The Oklaho- It’s quite a contrast: While Pruitt repeatedly chal- ma Legislature appropriates about $7 billion a year in lenges the EPA legally, Oklahoma City officials court state tax revenues. The feds kick in more than twice the agency’s help to improve the quality of life of its that much, bolstering funding for everything from ed- residents – an effort supported by Democratic state ucation to transportation. Rep. Jason Dunnington, whose legislative district in- It’s classic political disconnect, similar to Obam- cludes the affected neighborhoods. aCare protesters wielding signs declaring: Keep the “It’s the opposite of what our attorney general has government’s hands off my Medicare. done,” Dunnington noted. “We’re working with the It’s why Attorney General Scott Pruitt gets away EPA to do something positive for Oklahoma City” with squandering precious state tax dollars filing while Pruitt sues the EPA because “it’s politically specious lawsuit after specious lawsuit against the convenient to make it look like he opposed the big, federal government – most losers in court, but win- bad federal government.” ners with the voters. The Oklahoma City-EPA partnership is a small It’s why Gov. Mary Fallin and legislative leaders get example of what could happen if state officials quit away with shunning Medicaid expansion because it’s playing boogeyman politics and focus instead on – gasp! – ObamaCare, when what they’re really en- good public policy. suring is that federal taxes paid by Oklahomans are It also might help reduce hypocrisy at NE 23rd and spent on the working poor in other states. Lincoln Boulevard, where it’s OK politically to ac- When will enough rank-and-file Oklahomans awak- cept federal funds in the aftermath of tornadoes or en to the reality that sticking a metaphorical thumb wildfires or ice storms, but not Medicaid to improve in Uncle Sam’s eye doesn’t really help solve the state’s health outcomes for the least among us.

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 5 Theocrat-In-Chief Bircher-Preacher-Candidate Blair Wants To Take State Where Sally Kern Couldn’t nti-LGBT pastor and former OSU/NFL player public policies.” Paul Blair – who once said that Commu- What his campaign website doesn’t mention is his nism, the “radical homosexual agenda,” and membership in the John Birch Society [JBS], a far- the “secularist movement” are all inspired right conspiracy-mongering organization that has byA Satan – is running for state Senate in Oklahoma’s spent decades warning about the dangers of Commu- hotly contested District 41 [Edmond area]. nism, “big government,” multiculturalism, and secret Blair first ran in 2012, claiming that he was moti- global plots that will ultimately destroy freedom. vated to do so after allegedly receiving death threats Blair has referenced Communism as a threat, com- for opposing the addition of sexual orientation to an paring it in a 2011 broadcast from the anti-LGBT hate Oklahoma City anti-discrimination ordinance. He group Americans for Truth About Homosexuality [AF- lost in the primary that year. TAH] to biblical evil. This time around, he’s seeking the same Senate “You look at some of the things going on in America seat and claiming he’ll work to improve education and you would think we’ve moved into the Twilight and diversify Oklahoma’s economy. His website also Zone. But ultimately, all of these forces – the force states that he will “always stand on the side of the un- of Communism, the force of the radical homosexual born” and “will always stand for the individual right agenda, the secularist movement in America – they to religious liberty,” and also “fight against federal all have the same source, the same ultimate conspir- regulators who want to get in the way of our domestic ator, and that is Satan.”

6 • AUGUST 2016 It’s not that big a secret that Blair supports the JBS. section of the sidebar. It touts “Patriot pastors” and, While at The Awakening in March, a gathering spon- under its “homosexuality” sidebar topic, links to sored by the anti-LGBT hate group Liberty Counsel, First Stone Ministries, which supports harmful “ex- Blair handed out reprints of a 2015 interview he did gay” therapy [the false belief that people can turn with the New American magazine, JBS’ primary pub- from gay to straight] and also AFTAH, whose director, lication. Peter LaBarbera, has defended the criminalization of In that interview, Blair lambasted the Supreme homosexuality and linked it to pedophilia. Court’s decision to legalize marriage equality nation- The anti-Muslim hate groups ACT! for America, wide and said that states should be encouraged to Center for Security Policy, Christian Action Network, ignore federal court decisions “that are outside the and The United West are listed among the organiza- proper rule of law as defined in the Constitution.” tions linked to under “Islam” while under “Activism,” Furthermore, Blair said, “God grants rights, not gov- several hate groups are linked to, including the anti- ernment,” and said of homosexuality that, “it is by LGBT Faith2Action, Liberty Counsel, and Family Re- definition an abnormal and perverse behavior.” search Council as well as ACT! for America. Blair was also interviewed in the New American in Blair has picked up endorsements from Republican 2009 – his JBS membership came up then, too – and Oklahoma U.S. Reps. Steve Russell and Jim Briden- claimed that American students have been “taught stine; retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin, the anti-Islam ex- wrong” for years, and that “our schools teach athe- ecutive vice president of the Family Research Coun- ism and call it science” and “Christian heritage” is cil; and Gun Owners of America, headed by Larry being erased from history. Pratt, a Christian Reconstructionist who advocated “We have abandoned human government to the dev- for armed citizen militias in the U.S. to model them- il,” he said. “And now the devil is using human gov- selves on Central American death squads, known for ernment to attack the home and the church through torturing and killing civilians. ungodly legislation like legalizing homosexual mar- Blair faces an Aug. 23 primary runoff election riage and hate crimes.” against fellow Republican Adam Pugh, an Air Force Blair claimed at The Awakening that a group he veteran. The winner will face Democratic challenger, founded, Reclaiming America for Christ, has 980 pas- Edmond teacher Kevin McDonald, in November. tors and 20,000 supporters and is working with law- © Hatewatch/Southern Poverty Law Center makers to promote a nullification strategy. He said that people supporting state-led resistance are work- ing through different channels in Kentucky, Alabama, Texas, and Tennessee. College Fair Set Blair has vowed to “nullify” marriage equality in Oklahoma through Reclaiming America for Christ. Nullification is the belief that states have the right to For Aug. 27 In OKC disregard and disobey any federal law based on a spu- Fifty colleges and universities from across the rious interpretation of the Tenth Amendment, which region are expected to participate in the 3rd an- reserves to the states and people any power not ex- nual Oklahoma County Black Elected Officials Col- plicitly given to the federal government. lege Fair Aug. 27 at MetroTech’s Business Confer- Blair has also run into trouble over accusations ence Center, 1900 Springlake Drive, in OKC. that his group, originally known as Reclaiming Okla- All OKC-area middle- and high-school students, homa for Christ, endorsed political candidates in vio- grades 7-12, and their families are encouraged to lation of federal restrictions on churches engaging in attend the 9 a.m.-noon event, designed to show political endorsements. how college is attainable, affordable, and should In 2008, Blair stated in a sermon that he was voting be a part of students’ career plans. for John McCain at a “Pulpit Freedom Sunday,” an Along with colleges and universities from Okla- event started by the right-wing anti-LGBT legal group homa, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas and other states, Alliance Defending Freedom to purposely defy federal MetroTech representatives will be available to restrictions on religious groups and churches offer- speak with students about professional licensing ing political endorsements. In 2010, Blair appeared and career paths. at a rally in support of virulently anti-LGBT legisla- Several breakout sessions are planned where tor Sally Kern [who is term-limited and unable to experts will discuss various topics; those will in- seek re-election this year], which drew a complaint to clude applying for scholarships and other financial the IRS from Americans United for the Separation of aid, test-taking skills, how to apply for college, Church and State. how students can attend college tuition-free with The website for Blair’s Reclaiming America for an Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship, and “discov- Christ includes the JBS’s video “Overview of Amer- ering your path.” ica” as part of its “Worldview Training,” though the For more information, call Rep. Mike Shelton’s site doesn’t specifically say it’s a JBS product. The Capitol office at 405.557.7367. site also links to The New American in its “News”

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 7 Frozen Child Care Subsidy Thaws But Remains On Thin Ice BY CARLY PUTNAM n welcome news for working families, the Okla- going into FY 2017 combined with the successive rev- homa Department of Human Services [DHS] an- enue failures left DHS without options. nounced recently it would lift the freeze on child A DHS spokesperson told reporters, “We’re really care subsidy enrollment by Aug. 1. concerned about the effects this will have. We just IIn any given month, more than 30,000 Oklahoma simply have no choice.” kids get child care through the subsidy program. It’s Even before the freeze, affordable child care had a crucial help for these children and working parents. been getting less accessible for Oklahoma families. It’s good that the freeze has been thawed – but that a The number of children receiving the subsidy has freeze was necessary highlights how Oklahoma’s rev- declined by one-third over the past decade, in part enue gaps directly harm working families. because the program’s eligibility levels haven’t been In May, following two mid-year budget cuts, the adjusted since 2004. state’s child care subsidy program ran out of money. The eligibility cutoff for a single mother with one In response, the Oklahoma Department of Human child was $2,426 per month in 2004 – and in 2016, it’s Services [DHS] froze enrollment in the program for still $2,246 per month, despite three minimum wage most children effective June 1, just as schools were increases and a decade of inflation. getting out for summer. Subsidized child care is a common-sense measure DHS made it clear that freezing the subsidy was not for a state that values strong families and work. When a decision it wanted to make, but substantial cuts small children can attend quality child care, they are 8 • AUGUST 2016 more likely to be ready to learn and make the most of It should be unthinkable that this critical work their education when they start school. support could run out of money – but that’s exactly The subsidy also allows very low-income parents what happened. And the child care subsidy’s future is to work or go to school, helping them to rise out of by no means guaranteed. poverty. In a press release, DHS Director Ed Lake said that Access to affordable child care increases labor the program had been able to restart because the force participation, narrows the gender wage gap, and freeze allowed DHS to save enough funds to sustain boosts family earnings over their working lives. the program through the end of the year – “barring Freezing the subsidy jeopardized all of this – as one any future or unforeseen reductions to DHS funding.” child care provider said, “It tells families you can ei- In other words, another revenue failure could mean ther have children or have a job. Not both.” another freeze or worse, and that means another The temporarily frozen subsidy is just one more costly, last-minute scramble for families struggling entry in a long list of ways in which the Legislature’s to keep their kids safe while making ends meet. failure to adequately fund crucial programs harms Carly Putnam is a policy analyst with Oklahoma Oklahoma families. Policy Institute; www.okpolicy.org. Lexicon Tricks: Half Big Lies

BY JOSEPH H. CARTER SR. he latest political trick phrase designed to workers in Oklahoma. Despite enactment of “Right sway, fool or half-lie to Oklahoma voters is to Work” laws, the most powerful “closed shop” labor “Right to Farm.” Cleverly and deceitfully in- union – the American Medical Association – thrives vented, the slogan bridges truth about SQ and health care costs soar. Why? T777 that joins other referendum questions that be- “Right to Life” is another trick slogan. It is the smirch the Nov. 8 presidential election ballot. anti-abortionists’ jaded term to rouse hatred toward In reality, in the plain words of former Attorney women who desire personal freedom to control their General Drew Edmondson, the SQ 777 constitutional bodies and lives concerning unwanted pregnancies. amendment choice would grant a far-reaching license Abortions are a major issue in 2016 campaigns and for agri-business operators to pollute streams and RTL is chanted by a sector of voters who claim to oth- rivers and commit other atrocities. erwise defend individual liberty. We ask: where does Mainly it would shield ruthless agribusiness opera- freedom end? tors from civil penalties or paying for damages they “Death tax” is a misleading term employed and be- cause. loved by right-wingers who wish to protect the for- Edmondson strongly advises: “Vote No!” tunes of rich folks. There are many ways to preserve “Right to Farm,” while hugely deceptive, is the latest wealth and transfer wealth to younger generations political slogan designed slightly shy of the infamous – try corporations, trusts and planned gifts to heirs. “Big Lie Technique.” Big lies repeatedly chanted were The “death tax” slogan misleads voters. It simply most famously employed by Adolph Hitler to launch ends inheritance taxes that largely impact rich folks. a world war that devastated Germany and killed thou- “Government schools” is a brand new use of word- sands. That included people who believed Hitler’s lies ing to trick. and elected the fascist. After demeaning basic democratic government Likewise, if Oklahoma voters approve SQ 777, they to the point of creating anarchy, supporters believe can expect that they and their grandchildren will reap the term “Government Schools” is an ugly political the wrath of agribusiness’s untethered operations wedge justifying draconian cuts in funding of state with immunity. If you vote for the “Right to Farm” colleges and public schools. That mission in Okla- expect Guymon’s pig farm stench rolling statewide. homa is led by the Republican Oklahoma Legislature Be assured, SQ 777 has little to do with the right to and GOP Gov. Mary Fallin. farm or to properly produce quality food. In essence, these five examples of word pollution “Right to Work” was another tricky slogan. Used to all have been Republican tools. cloak another truth, it was championed by ex-Gov. Democrats also are guilty of slogans: FDR’s “New Frank Keating. In reality, the law outlawed unions Deal,” Truman’s “Fair Deal” and LBJ’s “Great Soci- that covered everyone in a shop under a union con- ety.” Each, in contrast to the Republicans, were hon- tract voted into force by a majority vote of the affect- est slogans and sparkling descriptions of what each ed workers. RTW ended “union shops.” Still legal are of those administrations actually wrought. open shops, where all workers get union benefits but Joseph H. Carter Sr. is author of Never Met A Man paying dues is a choice. I Didn’t Like: The Life and Writings of Will Rogers Effectively, “Right to Work” denied effective collec- [HarperCollins] and The Quotable Will Rogers [Gibbs tive bargaining for fair pay for thousands of hourly Smith Publishers]. THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 9 Speaker Gives Bennett Platform To Spew Hate BY ARNOLD HAMILTON hanks to outgoing House Speaker Jeff Hick- radical fringer. man, Oklahoma yet again is poised for na- When Bennett filed his interim study request June tional embarrassment this fall. 8, it was so alternate-universe that it didn’t seem pos- In case you missed it, Hickman recently sible Hickman would give it serious consideration. It Tauthorized state Rep. John Bennett’s between-ses- was a synopsis of Bennett’s list of grievances against sions study into whether “radical Islam” is a problem his favorite target – “radical Islam” and “Shariah in the state. Law,” “Muslim Brotherhood” and “jihadist indoctri- Think about it: Oklahoma is mired in perhaps its nation.” He also cited the September 2014 beheading worst fiscal crisis ever, yet precious tax dollars will of a Moore woman as reason for a “growing concern be squandered on a witch-hunt that affords a bigoted about the safety of Oklahoma citizens.” lawmaker a platform to spew anti-Muslim hate. “It is time,” the Sallisaw Republican asserted, “for That should burnish the speaker’s legacy, eh? our leaders to understand radical Islam and how It’s bad enough eastern Oklahoma voters gave Ben- American citizens are being radicalized here in Okla- nett an elected title. It’s even worse that the adults in homa as well as the rest of America.” the room at NE 23rd and Lincoln Boulevard. failed to Bennett’s paranoia caught the attention of clear- protect the state’s reputation against the ranting of a eyed, 21st Century thinkers who quickly dispatched 10 • AUGUST 2016 AN OKLAHOMA DEMOCRAT’S DIARY History In The Making BY LINDA JAMES

s at previous conven- Bill Clinton, Vice President The next speaker was Fred tions, excitement Joe Biden, President Barack Harris, former Oklahoma filled the air at the Obama, and, the last night, senator, former DNC chair and Wells Fargo Conven- Chelsea Clinton introduced former candidate for presi- Ation Center as Democrats her mother, the Democratic dent. Harris spoke about our from across the nation came presidential nominee Hillary “need to live up to the name together for a momentous Clinton. Democrat, and that we need event: the 2016 Democratic Each day of the conven- to spread the news that peo- National Convention. But tion started at the Cherokee ple we trust, trust Hillary Clin- this convention was differ- Nation tent, where lunch was ton. She wants to raise the ent as the first woman would provided by the Chickasaw minimum wage; re-structure be nominated president of Nation. All four days delegates taxation; supports education the United States. Opening and guests were treated to and health care of early child- remarks by Donna Brazile, speeches from notable Demo- hood; improve the infrastruc- interim DNC chair, marked the crats from across the nation. ture, and promote alternative beginning of four days of his- Cherokee Chief Bill John energy. Hillary has a special torical, optimistic and inspir- Baker spoke about what Hill- skill: negotiation. We have to ing speeches. ary and Bill Clinton had done work together, to negotiate, Delegates listened to First for Indians throughout the to get anything done.” Lady Michelle Obama, Sen. years. “We need a president Tuesday, the day of voting Bernie Sanders, Sen. Eliza- who knows about sovereignty. for the presidential nomi- beth Warren [originally from The Cherokee Nation has nee, again began at the tent. Oklahoma City], Sen. Al helped change the lives of the CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 Franken, former President people in Oklahoma.” a letter to Hickman, urging he deny the request. Hickman’s decision. Among the opponents – who recognized the po- Bennett is in a tough re-election fight against a tential for such a “hearing” to be used to demonize well-known, highly-regarded, well-funded Sallisaw “others” and embarrass the state – were the Oklaho- Democrat, Tom Stites, whose father J.T. Stites II pre- ma Conference of Churches, the Interfaith Alliance viously held the seat. Foundation of Oklahoma, the Jewish Federation of Bennett has done something that few back-bench- Tulsa and the Oklahoma Center for Community and ers manage to do – he’s united factions on both sides Justice. of the political aisle against him. When the State The study “concerns issues that are already be- Chamber and GOP leadership are on the same page ing studied under the jurisdiction of the federal gov- as organized labor and mainstream Protestants, it’s a ernment,” the letter said. It also made the case that sign you’ve made far more enemies than friends. “focusing on possible radicalization within only one So, did anti-Bennett Republican forces view the in- group may be counterproductive and encourage the terim study as an opportunity for Bennett to embar- very radicalization intended to prevent.” rass himself and damage his re-election chances? The letter fell on deaf ears. Hickman approved the Perhaps. But this hardly seems a winning strategy. study. Now Bennett gets his moment to invite so- First, you can bet many uber-conservative funda- called experts to spout their xenophobia and reli- mentalist preachers in HD 2 spread the same view gious bigotry at a Capitol hearing that undoubtedly on “radical Islam” as Bennett – meaning many of the will attract widespread media coverage. district’s voters might not be turned off by such a There can be no viable reason to give an outlier like hearing. Bennett such a platform. Second, the State Chamber and GOP elite haven’t Hickman is term-limited, so his speakership ends proved successful at knocking off outliers in recent later this year. He no longer needs to mollify the nois- elections. See, Sen. Josh Brecheen, R-Coalgate, as a iest elements of an increasingly fractured GOP cau- prime example. cus. No reason to risk a black eye for the state. Bottom line: we’re stuck paying for an anti-Islam, There could be political logic, however, behind wingnut extravaganza sometime this fall.

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 11 Confront The ‘Parasite Economy’ By Raising The Minimum Wage

BY DAVID BLATT

very quarter, the ADP Research Institute re- And since April 2015, the city of Seattle has been leases its Workforce Vitality Index, a mea- moving towards a $15 minimum wage, with the cur- sure of private sector job and wage growth. rent minimum ranging from $10.50 to $13 depending For the past two quarters, Washington state on employer size. Ehas led the nation in growing jobs and boosting wag- As the Workforce Vitality Index shows, businesses es, far outpacing the national average and such states in Seattle and Washington state are thriving and gen- as Texas, Florida, and California. erating more employment. Seattle’s restaurant indus- Why does this matter? Because Washington state try – which fought the wage laws fiercely – is continu- has one of the highest minimum wages in the nation ing to add jobs. at $9.47 an hour. The simple explanation is laid out by Nick Hanau-

12 • AUGUST 2016 er, a successful entrepreneur and venture capitalist $7.25 an hour. In 2014, initiative petitions to raise from Washington state, in an insightful article in The the minimum wage passed decisively in the conserva- American Prospect magazine titled “Confronting the tive strongholds of Arkansas, Nebraska, Alaska, and Parasite Economy.” South Dakota. Hanauer argues that paying workers decent wages Unfortunately, the minimum wage is stuck below is good for business and good for the economy. He subsistence levels in Oklahoma. Our $7.25 an hour writes, “When workers have more money, businesses minimum wage hasn’t been raised in seven years and have more customers. And when businesses have has lost 30% in inflation-adjusted value since 1979. more customers, they create more jobs.” Thirty percent of jobs in Oklahoma are in occupa- To take the restaurant industry as an example, tions where the median pay is below the poverty level higher wages lead to more disposable income that for a family of four. workers and their families can spend on eating out Rather than support even a modest increase in the in restaurants. minimum wage, Oklahoma lawmakers instead opt- Some prominent companies, such as Costco, Nor- ed to block cities from even considering adopting a dstrom, and QuikTrip, have voluntarily opted to pay higher minimum wage. their employees higher wages and offer full benefits. Raising the minimum wage would be a win for the They’ve been rewarded by higher employee productiv- Oklahomans who work hard preparing our food, ity and reduced turnover while remaining profitable. cleaning our offices, and caring for our loved ones. Yet in highly competitive sectors with low profit Just as importantly, by putting more money in the margins, many businesses calculate that they cannot pockets of the customers who shop in our stores, voluntarily pay their workers a living wage. travel our roads, and eat in our restaurants, it would The result is a race to the bottom in what Hanauer be a win for all of us. dubs “the parasite economy” – where businesses cut David Blatt is executive director of Oklahoma Policy costs by paying poverty-level wages, subsidized by bil- Institute; www.okpolicy.org. lions in taxpayer-funded assistance to keep the working poor afloat. Escaping this race to the bottom requires leveling the playing field upwards, so that businesses are not penalized for paying a living wage. Decent wages, along with basic ben- efits and greater scheduling certain- ty, would mean that all jobs are good jobs – jobs that provide security and opportunity for everyone willing to work hard, without reliance on pub- lic benefits or private charity. Thirty states now have minimum wages above the federal minimum of

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 13 ers must now support Hillary then do your part to make a now that she is the nominee. difference. You won’t be sorry Diary We need a Democrat in the you did, but you will regret not CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 White House.” being engaged.” Park Hill, OK delegate, Zach- Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Minnesota Sen. Franken, an ary Rogers’ impression of the Mexico spoke about the STOP advocate for Indian affairs, convention was that it was ACT – a bi-partisan act whose commented that “more Indi- “awesome.” Concerning the purpose is to stop the theft of ans have volunteered for the Bernie vs. Hillary campaigns, native artifacts, which are il- military than any other minor- Rogers stated, “We are a pro- legal to steal or export over- ity in the country. Everyone gressive party, and we will seas: needs to get behind Hillary work through it. If you have “We have struggled century because Donald Trump is so any reason to complain, you after century. Our country insulting to individual groups.” are the only one who can can move forward for Indian Although still a strong sup- change that. Everyone will sovereignty. Together we are porter of Sanders, Stillwater need to be engaged. Find stronger.” Democrat Jacob Waugh com- something in Hillary Clinton Former U.S. Rep. Dan Boren mented that “Bernie support- you are passionate about and brought greetings from Gov. Support Oklahoma Libraries And Education Grappling with deep budget cuts, Oklahoma’s public libraries and schools are being forced to make tough financial decisions. Many are electing to cut subscriptions to publications like The Observer. You can help ensure that educators, students, parents and library patrons continue to have access to facts and viewpoints the state’s rightwing mainstream media suppress. Your tax-deductible $35 gift to the Oklahoma Observer Democracy Foundation will provide a one-year Observer subscription to a library or school in your area. This month, these libraries and schools need your support in order to continue receiving The Observer:

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14 • AUGUST 2016 Bill Anaotubby of the Chicka- saw Nation. Sen. Mazie Hirono of Ha- waii – the first Hawaiian- Asian-Japanese member of the U.S. Senate – recognized the codetalkers and their help in ending discrimination against native languages. She thanked Americans for sup- porting the indigenous groups in Hawaii, Alaska and across the nation. She commented, “We need a president who will listen because one person can make a difference.” Mike McElderry of Purcell commented that he liked hearing the stories the speak- ers told inside the convention From left, Arturo Delgado, Kenneth Corn, Debbie Hogue Downing hall about the many things and former state Democratic Party Executive Director Trav Robertson Hillary has done throughout her life to help people. conventions to the young man historical events have oc- Tim Mauldin, a delegate from South Africa who had curred, was the perfect place from Norman, noted, “The just become a U.S. citizen 2½ to hold the 2016 Democratic best part of this year’s con- weeks before the convention, National Convention. From the vention is voting for Hillary everyone seemed aware they First Continental Congress to and signing the nomination were a part of history in the the Declaration of Indepen- petition for Hillary.” making. dence to the nomination of Due to security, the hardest “I am very excited because the first woman for president, part for convention attendees the first woman is being Philadelphia could be consid- involved the logistics of trans- nominated as president,” said ered the home of the future of portation. delegate Debbie Hogue Down- America. This was a most inspira- ing. “As a woman, I am proud Linda James owns an OKC- tional convention. From the and honored to be a part of based printing company that 80-year-old woman from this historical event.” serves “Democrats, unions Florida who had attended past Philadelphia, where so many and friends.” Remembering Sen. E. Melvin Porter BY FANNIE PASCHALL BATES I met E. Melvin Porter in 1972 when we were both Court Citation from that judge and had to pay a $300 campaigning for Clara Luper for the U.S. Congress. fine. He quickly saw how naive I was. Here is the cool part: Sen. Porter never mentioned By the end of that first road trip to Tulsa with Clara it to me. A lesser man would have fired me or at least and Marilyn Luper, our relationship was firmly estab- chewed me out. lished as big brother and little sister. In the summer I figure he thought that the story was worth more of 1975, I did an internship in his law office on NE than $300. It was something to add to the long list of 23rd Street in Oklahoma City. stories with which he loved to regale a wide variety of One Friday afternoon at 3 p.m., a judge called the audiences. office and asked for E. Melvin Porter. W.B. Parker used to say that the senator remind- “Sen. Porter is gone fishing and there is no way to ed him of David in the Bible. You know, the one who reach him, Your Honor,” I replied. [I have been taught killed Goliath. I’ll let you figure that one out for your- in law school to never lie to a judge.] self. “Well, he is supposed to be in my courtroom,” the RIP, E. Melvin Porter, a trailblazer and my old friend. judge replied. Sen. Porter, Oklahoma’s first black senator, died July The next week, Sen. Porter received a Contempt of 26 at 86. Fannie Bates lives in Fort Worth. THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 15 PUBLIC FORUM Renewables Set To Eclipse Coal, Nuclear

BY BOB D. ROUNSAVELL

he annual energy outlook report issued by which have been 60%-70% since 2009. With the con- the Energy Information Administration [EIA] tinued combination of federal tax credits and CPP re- is about the fast emerging renewable energy. quirements, the EIA sees U.S. wind capacity nearly Renewables are about to pull ahead of dirt- doubling by 2022, reaching 144 gigawatts, while U.S. Tier energy in usage: wind, solar, geothermal, biomass solar capacity continues its incredible growth rate in- and hydropower are in the EIA list of renewables; creasing fivefold to 125GW by 2030. coal and oil and gas are fossil fuels. By 2020 they will Although geothermal will increase significantly in surpass nuclear and by 2028, coal. Renewables thus California and the Southwest, it will remain small na- become the second largest source of U.S. electricity tionwide. There’s very little growth in hydro or bio- generation after natural gas. mass during this time frame. It appears that U.S. en- Fast growth of renewables is somewhat astonish- ergy growth in the near term will primarily be from ing, considering the relatively low gas price. [This ar- wind and solar energy, with the latter providing much ticle is largely based on Steve Clemmer’s article on- more than the former. line at Ecowatch.] RENEWABLES CONTINUE REMARKABLE GROWTH What’s driving this incredible pace of the utilization Signicantly, renewable energy sources are well on of renewables as electricity generation source? Last their way to dominating the field of energy growth. year Congress passed a five-year extension of the fed- The EIA projections are for growth of 13% to 24% to eral production and investment tax credits for both 27% of renewables [wind, solar, geothermal, biomass wind and solar and EPA proposed the Clean Power and hydropower] share of the American electric- Plan [CPP]. Note, however, that the U.S. Supreme ity generations till 2040. Almost all the growth will Court has put a hold on implementing CPP. But the come from the two sources of wind and solar with tax credits and the CPP together are already stimulat- most of it being solar. ing a heretofore unheard of growth pace for the major Conceivable is faster growth of solar power than renewables. this estimate. In the works are many projects. One of In addition, state renewable electricity standards the most exciting is the potential for solar panel high- [RES] and continued cost reductions for wind and ways. In 2014 Scott and Julie Brusaw started Solar solar costs continue driving growth in renewables Roadways in Idaho. They plan to test their concept on through 2021, according to EIA. Actually projected historic Route 66 with the nation’s first solar road- is a slight decline in natural gas generation because way at a welcome center in Conway, MO. wind and solar are more cost-effective with the tax The Missouri Department of Transportation [Mo- credits. Dot] will first display a 12- by 20-foot patch of solar When CPP targets kick in by 2022, both renewables panels on a sidewalk leading to the main entrance. and natural gas will be the two most cost-effective According to Laurel McKean, assistant district engi- sources, accompanied by a modest increase in en- neer, the test strip will be the first phase. In the near ergy efficiency. States will then begin replacing coal future a second phase might be tested in the parking and comply with the CPP. By the way, an analysis by lot and then perhaps on a travel area of road. the Union of Concerned Scientists agrees with the The solar panels will generate electric power for the EIA assessment. center, as well as prevent snow and ice accumulation. With both wind and solar leading the growth in re- “What’s so appealing from the revenue side … if we newables in U.S. electricity generation, renewables don’t have to treat roads or sidewalks anymore, that’s share will jump from 13% to 24% in 2030 and 27% in less material, less chloride, less things that go into 2040 with most of the growth coming from the two the environment and also the aspect of getting en- leaders. ergy,” McKean says. And not to be forgotten is high Energy investors, have you known of this projec- labor cost. tion? According to EIA, the biggest increases in renew- Specifically, driving the growth trend in both wind ables will occur in the West and Plains states as and solar is the continuation of cost reductions, they have abundant supply of low cost wind, solar

16 • AUGUST 2016 PUBLIC FORUM and geothermal. The Southeast also will see a big filter. increase in solar as costs continue their fall. The The big advantage is the low cost of fuel. Charging Northeast and Mid-Atlantic areas will see a smaller the battery with typical home electricity [110-volts] increase in renewables and a bigger increase in takes about 18 hours. Electricity in Oklahoma aver- natural gas. ages 9.5 cents per kilowatt hour. At that rate, a full Interesting is the EIA observation of a modest in- charge costs $2.28. Off-peak hour electricity costs crease in nuclear generation in the Southeast due only five cents per kilowatt hour, so a full charge to five new reactors currently under construction in off-peak hours costs $1.20. That means the “fuel or operating in Georgia, South Carolina and Tennes- cost” for 86 miles of driving $1.20 to $2.28. Not bad. see. It should also be noted that the Diablo Canyon [Charging with 220-volt electricity takes only six to nuclear power plant in California will be replaced by seven hours.] renewable energy and energy efficiency measures. This past year I put 6,000 miles on my Leaf. That Using this EIA analysis suggests some good news means it has been fully charged roughly 66 times. At for our future. The world is not facing an energy the 9.5-cents/kilowatt-hour rate, my fuel cost would resources shortage. Taking into consideration the be $160.50 for 6,000 miles driving. Using the off-peak effects of global warming/climate change, there is hour rate of five cents/kilowatt-hour brings the cost plenty of renewable energy, sufficient to keep fossil down to $79 – roughly the cost of two oil changes for fuels in the ground, Mother Nature’s very own wind those driving gasoline-powered cars. and solar exist for us to use, if we do it properly and Driving a total electric car has some drawbacks. judiciously. There is the limited driving range. In the winter, using It’s reasonable to assume that our energy future is the cabin heater can dramatically shorten the driving bright and should not cost more than we can afford. range, but the car does have a heated steering wheel Even more important, people can begin to imple- and heated seats that don’t consume much electric- ment more measures to reduce the egregious effects ity, and which readily compensate for a chilly cabin. of climate change and to safeguard future genera- Driving with a “lead foot” also shortens the range. tions for some time to come. Indeed EIA’s projec- The air conditioner does not seem to have much tions should inspire us to take the measures neces- impact on the car’s range. Unlike other small cars, sary for such a future. whose engines struggle at stop lights, the A/C doesn’t Bob D. Rounsavell lives in Oologah and is president strain the car’s motor. of the Carrie Dickerson Foundation. His wife, Maria When merging onto highway traffic, the Leaf has S. Rounsavell, serves as his editor. more than enough acceleration to pin you to the seat. It has plenty of legroom, a stylish interior, and lots of gauges for the inner geek. My early morning drives are wonderfully quiet and tranquil – no engine noise. My Leaf Year After a year of driving, I say it’s a great car, great fun, and economical. The added bonus is that its en- vironmental footprint is half that of a car with an in- BY HAL SPAKE ternal combustion engine and would be even lower if year ago my wife and I bought a 100% elec- solar panels were used for the charge. tric car – a Nissan Leaf – the world’s most Norman resident Hal Spake is chairman of Common popular electric car. It had been a lease car, Cause Oklahoma, a retired U.S. diplomat and a for- had less than 8,000 miles on it, and, thanks mer National Security Agency employee. toA my wife’s bargaining skills, we got it for under $10,000. It has an 86-mile range on a single charge accord- ing to the manufacturer, but I frequently go over 100 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER miles. Only once has the remaining charge indicator dropped below 20 miles. Your Passport To Oklahoma’s Most Experts assure us that an all-electric car reduces one’s carbon footprint, even if your electricity is Progressive, Socially Responsible produced with coal. As more electricity is produced And Intellectual Audience with solar and wind power, electric cars become even cleaner. Advertising rates start as low It is an exceptional car for commuting, and mainte- as $40 per issue. nance is a snap: It uses no gasoline, oil, fan belts or engine coolant. The only real maintenance is keeping Call 405.478.8700 for details. the tires inflated and occasionally changing the cabin

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 17 ANNUAL EDUCATION ISSUE

Inside A Teacher’s World BY ASHLEY FESLER

ife in this hallway is killing me. How is it that nothing. We pay out the rear to get this done but then I can be this far in, with 11 years of service, a never have a consistent standard by which to truly business degree earned with honors, a mas- gauge understanding of content; therefore, money is ter’s degree in education for which I earned just being wasted, students and teachers frustrated, La 4.0 and graduated with top honors, still be earning and the general population is full of complaints about just over $36,000 a year, and not respected as the the fall of the public school system despite the fact professional I am? that they have no real understanding of why things We talk about the students’ rights and the parents’ are out of control. rights – oh, we love to talk about the right to a free They blame the schools. They blame the teach- public education – but the real truth is that nothing ers. They jump on the nearest bandwagon about how is free. We teachers know that better than anyone in much public education has gone down the tubes, all this fallen world. the while demanding that their child have access to This didn’t start with budget cuts, although I can that very free public education they complain about. and will eventually address that as well. The fall of To make matters worse, they do nothing to try and education began when we started messing with a sys- help make things better for the students or teach- tem that wasn’t really broken. ers. Teachers are expected to do as much as possible Someone, somewhere thought it would be a great for each individual student while each year receiving idea to make some changes so they could make some fewer and fewer resources to actually accommodate money, and that they did. We are creating standards such requests. That is where the budget cuts come and tests for accountability only to change them as into play. often as possible realizing that we are accomplishing Wake up people! There is not enough money to

18 • AUGUST 2016 ANNUAL EDUCATION ISSUE provide that for which you are looking. It’s time our can tell you, as a teacher, it appears not. state leaders swallow their pride and take notes from I know, I know … many of you will say a definite a state that knows how to manage money and how yes, that is what we want, but be careful what you say to take care of their children and teachers. It’s called and think. mentoring, and any teacher not doing well at their job Let me first explain what that would mean: It would would be expected to learn from one who does or else mean that we start at home teaching kids to be re- be fired. Why should it be any different for our state spectful to other children as well as to respect au- leaders? thority. Oops, I just said authority. I already lost some hy is it that schools/teachers must be people because that is an awful word in today’s soci- held accountable to ensure that their job ety. No one really wants to have an authority figure is done effectively, but there is no grad- over them. Whether you like hearing it or not, it is a ing system in place for state leaders? If reality, and once realized, people are better off. Just thereW were such a system, they would be receiving an to be clear, authority does not mean that someone is F, and we all know it! better than you or that they should be mean to you, They are ruining education for your children. They etc. It is simply life. Someone is going to be in charge, refuse to pay teachers a reasonable salary and con- and it will not always be you or me. tinue cutting per pupil spending, all the while expect- In life, there are rules, and we must be respectful ing more productivity, quality, and success amongst and follow those rules to truly enjoy all that life has the student body. to offer. Most lawmakers never step foot in a classroom. OK, now that we have that squared away, let me They have no idea what we face, yet they think they move on to consequences. It is a must for children to can understand because they were once students in a understand that choices have consequences. Why is classroom. Wrong again! Times have changed. this a problem these days? Let’s take a walk. As teachers, we give our own You are not a bad parent for allowing your child money to provide items for our classrooms, we spend to suffer the consequences of his or her actions. In countless extra hours working on school-related fact, if you are not teaching them this reality, you are tasks to ensure that your child is taken care of and setting them up to fail, and the real life “adult” con- receiving the best we have to offer. In addition to sequences they will face in the future will be much spending our own time and money, we rely on our harsher than any “childhood” consequence you own families to volunteer their time and money as could allow them to suffer now. At least they have well. you there to pick them up when they fall, but fall they I am so sick of hearing people say that we get off must if they are to learn about this thing we call life. early, have summers off, chose this profession – blah, This brings me back to the classroom. I am the blah, blah. It is nonsense. When I chose this profes- teacher, it is my classroom, and I am trying to create sion, I did so because I felt called to be a teacher. an environment where everyone feels respected and I wanted to make a difference in the lives of young accepted. That being said, there will be consequences people. for actions in my classroom. I will hold your child ac- I went in knowing that I would go above and be- countable for his/her actions, and I will then find my- yond to help my students experience success. I went self justifying my actions to you when you call upset in knowing I would most definitely at some point be because your child is sad for being held responsible. called to give up some personal time and even per- f they don’t do the work, they may receive a zero. haps provide some supplies. If I don’t do my job, I don’t get paid. Period. If I didn’t, however, sign up to be disrespected, lied to, they don’t complete their work by the due date, stressed out, and underpaid to the point of struggling they may receive partial credit resulting in a low- to pay my own bills. I didn’t sign up to babysit chil- Ier than average grade overall. If I don’t complete my dren whose parents have taught them absolutely no work/reports by the due date, I will be written up, rep- respect for authority. I didn’t sign up for giving in to rimanded, or fired. Period. student behavior simply because they get away with If they mouth off, talk back, or behave disrespect- that nonsense at home. I didn’t sign up to constantly fully, this could result in detention, being sent to the have to defend myself to parents due to their pre- office, ISD, etc. For the record, as a kid, I would have cious child being held accountable for poor choices. had my butt whipped and that would have been after t has gotten beyond ridiculous! Do we as a soci- getting swats at school. My, how times have changed. ety truly want a solid public school system that As an adult, defiant disrespect could result in me not offers opportunity for students to receive an edu- having a job. Period. cation, all the while providing them with a safe If your child gets into a fight, destroys school prop- Ienvironment and teaching them life skills that will erty, etc., they could be suspended. I would be sent enable them to be productive members of society? I to jail and facing charges. Period. This is life, folks! THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 19 ANNUAL EDUCATION ISSUE

I do my best as a teacher to help build your child is caught up because we often get no support from up, set high expectations for them, and then give home. This means that we will make arrangements them the tools they need to reach those goals. But I on our planning period or before and after school to am just their teacher. I also hold them accountable, provide additional one-on-one time with that child. do not accept their pitiful excuses, and require more This is just a small fraction of what the education from them than most have ever before been asked. side of teaching entails in relation to content. There Is it because I am a bully? No. Is it because I am is a whole other side that many fail to realize when mean and simply enjoy making them miserable? No. assuming they know what goes on at school or what Is it because I am on a power trip? No. responsibilities fall on a teacher’s shoulders. Could it simply be because I care about kids? Could I am a mom and that factors in when considering it be because I want your child to know that they can what I do as a teacher. I love my students. I have reach for the stars and achieve goals if they will sim- spent countless hours counseling a heartbroken ply set them and work hard? Is it because I see great child who simply needed someone to be there for potential in your child and know that with that little them. I have sat on the floor during lunch to listen extra push, they can do great things? to a young child suffering abuse at home and wor- I am not a teacher for the money. I am not a teacher ried about what was to come with DHS involved. And for the benefits and summers off. I am not a teacher I have witnessed more than one child bang their head simply to earn respect as a professional; sadly, that against walls and done my best to talk them down is not awarded us in this profession much anymore. from self-destructive behavior. am a teacher because God called me here. He I have purchased clothing, provided and cooked called me to touch the lives of these youngsters. breakfast, given money for lunch, and even opened He called me to be a warrior for him in these days my home to a student for two years. This required when so many children are suffering. I will do my going through parenting classes and my entire family Ipart to live as He has called me for as long as He calls making sacrifices so that we could be a foster place- me, but I tell you I feel that life in this hallway is kill- ment for this child. ing me. I have been a safe home through DHS for anoth- I am not sure how long I will have the strength to er one of my students due to a difficult situation at continue in this profession. I question if I am still home, provided a place to spend the holidays, and being called or if I have done all I can here. I’m still even brought them along on vacations when they had seeking God’s will in that. nowhere else to turn. I have had students with life The days of teaching content, loving on kids, and experiences that no adult should have to go through, then going home are over. School is not the same. and I have cried with them and for them. I will not get Children are not the same. Is the school responsi- into the particulars for privacy reasons, but suffice it ble for this change? Are the teachers responsible for to say that the details are haunting. the change? How about parents? Lawmakers? Think e have students whose parents introduce about this before you choose your final answer. them to drugs, students whose parents A teacher’s job is a tough one. We are not only are in prison, students whose parents expected to create our lesson plans and teach our are strung out, and students who are ne- classes. We also must ensure that every child gets glectedW to say the very least. We have students come his/her needs met at their level. We do this in large to school hungry, dirty, and completely exhausted class sizes with a mix of regular and special educa- and barely able to stay awake. tion students. We modify and make accommodations Yet, despite all of these things, I am to educate them. and have a whopping 55 minutes per class period My responsibility as a teacher is to provide that free with these kids. public education I mentioned earlier. I am to make We don’t just grade papers and record data. We test sure that each child is educated equally, that they and collect data, go back to the drawing board, cre- can pass a state test regardless of the ever changing ate additional instructional tools, remediate based standards or what the child is dealing with outside of on collected data, attend more meetings than one school, that they have a safe environment in which to can imagine [and during our planning period or after learn [but remember, I should do this without using school which is typically when we are off the clock, consequences for behavior; that would be mean], and I might add], and spend a great deal of time track- that I do all of this with limited resources, no money, ing down students who need to come complete work large class sizes, and a plethora of learning levels and because they are failing and will not do their work at behaviors amongst each group. home. I must be able to maintain classroom control but We contact parents on a regular basis [again, off “get over” the occasional dropping of the “F bomb,” the clock many times], only to find that we will still one student flipping off another, or even the student be the ones responsible for ensuring that the child who flat out tells me that, “My parents won’t do any- 20 • AUGUST 2016 ANNUAL EDUCATION ISSUE thing, so just call home.” is why I chose this profession, but I feel like life in I get called into the office and informed that parents this hallway is killing me. I am beyond stressed and have made false allegations about how I am treating exhausted. I am overwhelmed by the daily tasks as- their child only to later receive apologies from stu- signed to me and the ever changing requirements for dents who admit they made it all up because they state testing, accountability, etc. were upset about something totally unrelated to me. I am concerned for the future of education, the bud- Of course, it is nice to have the record set straight, get cuts, and what this is going to do to children all but it doesn’t change the stress I already endured across Oklahoma. I know there are parents out there while trying to defend myself or the heartache I felt who adore their children and want the best for them. when falsely accused. It is exhausting! I know this, I do. But I feel that many of you do not I am to create an atmosphere in which each student realize that while we are trying to love on your child can achieve success but do so without holding the and provide them the best education possible, we are student accountable for their own choices. Unbeliev- dealing with all of the above-mentioned things that able, yet true! you may or may not be aware of. Oh, it is not my district or my administration. They If you are supportive of teachers and our profession are supportive of us. This is a much deeper societal as a whole, thank you. Your support is crucial, and I issue. We have people in positions at the state level appreciate all the parents who entrust their children who are making rules about testing and accountabili- to me and know that I am doing what is best for their ty who themselves have never been held accountable, child. let alone been in the actual classroom and worked in There is so much I could not mention in this letter. the trenches alongside teachers. So many more tedious tasks put on teachers in the erhaps this is why they have no problem midst of the daily struggle just to survive another day. holding me accountable for a student’s test I am thankful for the student who returns to me score when that child chose to take less than years after having my class to tell me the impact I 30 minutes on a 2½ hour test. That would be made on their life. I am thankful for the hugs and Plike holding an employee responsible for the lack of the occasional note stating that a student thinks productivity or success of a coworker in the next cu- I’m great. I am just not sure it is enough to balance bicle. Even a manager in that position would have the things out anymore. liberty of firing an employee holding him back. Is it enough to compensate for the health problems? Not teachers! We teach all students and all must Is it enough to make up for the anxiety attacks while be successful, according to standards put in place by trying to wind down after a long day? Is it enough state leaders who have never even taught in a class- to get through those nights when I lie awake worry- room and who do not even know the first thing about ing about a certain student or about what will happen the child upon whom they are basing our success or next? I just don’t know. failure. Sometimes, I feel like this hallway is killing me. We also have parents who want to call the shots Yet, I will stay in the trenches for as long as I can be- “because that is their kid” but do nothing at home to cause I care. I respect this profession; I am proud of actually help their child. Instead, they just hold them it. I just wish the rest of the world understood what back from reaching their full potential. Then we have it means to be a teacher and would get behind us in- the parents who really do want their child to succeed stead of standing in the way! but not by accomplishing things on their own. We Ashley Fesler teaches 6th grade English at Dewey live in a world where parents want to reach the goals Middle School. for their child rather than helping their child attain something for themselves. It is heartbreaking! How can you do all the work and then give the child the ribbon? How can you do their homework and then reward them for the grade? Seriously? I love my children. I love them enough to let them try. I love them enough to inspire them to work hard. I love them enough to show them that to try and fail is better than never having tried at all. I love them enough to hold them accountable for their choices and catch them when they fall. I love them enough to raise them in a way that allows them to grow up to be responsible, successful adults. I love them with everything in me. That is the motivation for what I do. I also care about my students and their future. That THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 21 ANNUAL EDUCATION ISSUE

Unfinished Business

BY CLAUDIA SWISHER

he beginning of a school year is time to re- are. Just last month the Oklahoma School Board ap- flect on the previous year and to move for- proved 300 emergency teaching certificates for dis- ward into the new one. Even though I’m re- tricts around the state. tired, I still answer that school bell when Let me explain: many teachers who get emergency Tstores display their “Back to School” specials. certificates are trained, certified teachers, but their So, weeks before the run-off elections, months be- certificate and position do not match. I taught four of fore the general election, and nearly half a year before my first five years with emergencies, in elementary the new legislative session begins, I’m thinking back and special education classes. But 300 emergencies on our work last session, the surge of pro-education is a symptom of a larger problem that our state is ad- candidates who are running for office, and I am think- dressing by loosening standards for alternative certi- ing about upcoming challenges. fication and emergency certification. All my legislative challenges for the 2016-17 school I’d love to see us go in the other direction and make year, and the 2017 legislative session are old busi- traditional teacher education paths more attractive, ness … unfinished business. Thinking like a teacher, more challenging, more supportive, more profession- I know we must often revisit issues, start from a new al. place, and keep working. Every child in our state deserves a highly-qualified, I’m ready, and I think there’s an army of parents competitively-paid teacher in his or her public school. and educators who are also ready. A beginning teacher, paid at the state minimum, TEACHER SHORTAGE AND SALARIES will earn $31,600. Interestingly, an Oklahoma legisla- Are these two challenges related? Of course they tor will earn $38,400. Policymakers had ample oppor-

22 • AUGUST 2016 ANNUAL EDUCATION ISSUE tunities in the last session to raise teachers’ salaries. points to vouchers being prohibitively expensive, and They didn’t do a thing. The governor said she had a ineffective. plan. Legislative leaders said they had a plan. It is a constitutional responsibility for the state of President David Boren has a plan, and it’s on the Oklahoma to provide a free education to every child ballot: SQ 779. The only game in town. The only pos- in our state. That cannot happen if voucher students sible option for teachers. Can we expect other solu- take more and more funding. tions next session, given the revenue failures, income I’m ready and willing to fight vouchers…again. #ES- tax cuts, one-time use of funds to balance this year’s AisNotOK. budget, and the hefty tax credits to corporations? Honorable Mention, because I can never settle on READING SUFFICIENCY ACT just a few challenges: Standards and assessment; de- This is my pet project. I’m a reading specialist. I regulation; consolidation, and expansion of charter know how students learn as youngsters, and how school law. See you at the Capitol! they learn as adolescents. Reading Sufficiency Act, Norman resident Claudia Swisher is a retired Na- or “Test and Flunk Third Graders” is a monumentally tional Board Certified Teacher and regional coordi- bad idea. nator for Education Leadership Oklahoma. It seems to have been born in Jeb Bush’s Founda- tion for Education Excellence. His state school su- perintendents, Chiefs for Change, unquestioningly Not-So-Special Session accepted his theories and hunches. Our former su- perintendent was a Chief for Change, and enthusias- ov. Mary Fallin’s special session proposal to tically promoted test-and-flunk. consider teacher pay raises is not serious. I have been active with this issue for years. I have First, the $140.8 million that magically two granddaughters who are living through this poli- appeared at the end of last fiscal year is a cy. I exchanged emails with the original author, Rep. Gone-time pot of gold. Sally Kern; and I advocated for Rep. Katie Henke’s bill With the state already facing a minimum $600 mil- that allowed teachers and parents some say-so in the lion budget hole for FY 2018, it defies logic to think promotion or retention decision. The test being used serious budget writers would hike salaries now and was flawed, not a reading test at all, and scores do not pray there would be enough money to fund them in give a reading level. the future. There is no research to support retaining nine-year- Second, Fallin is radioactive to many in the Repub- olds because they don’t reach an arbitrary score one lican legislative majority. By session’s end this year, day in April. Fans of RSA say all kids must read by almost anything she proposed was DOA on the Capi- third grade. tol’s fourth floor. IF they ever walked into a third grade class, they Why would lawmakers risk returning to special ses- would see every child DOES read … at his or her level. sion with a contentious Nov. 8 general election loom- They’ve only been reading for, perhaps, four years. ing, one in which incumbent Republicans are in the There are vast differences in their abilities. But they crosshairs because of their fiscal mismanagement? all read. Imagine the political heat if legislators favored one RSA must be changed: no high stakes, tests that vital state service over another. measure reading levels, funding for remediation, sup- Third, Fallin’s proposal looks all the world like a port for students and families and classrooms. I am not-so-clever diversion, an attempt to undermine all in. strong public support for SQ 779, the one-cent sales VOUCHERS tax proposal that could generate more than $600 mil- Or as their supporters like to call them, Education lion annually for education – including a $5,000-per- Savings Accounts – really public education funding year raise for teachers. given to parents for private school tuition. There is The GOP Powers-That-Be at the Capitol hate the no savings account; parents don’t earn it. It is MY sales-tax proposal. They even went so far as to cut money. Yours, our tax investment in public schools. higher ed nearly 16% – retaliation against OU Presi- We will continue to fight vouchers. We’ve heard the dent David Boren, who spearheaded the signature rhetoric about choice and family rights – from the drive that put SQ 779 on the ballot. same legislators who want to take all choice away Even if, by some political miracle, lawmakers agreed from parents through RSA. to a special session – and to give all $140.8 million It is a wretched scheme that ALEC, the American to teacher pay raises – it would be the equivalent of Legislative Exchange Council, is keen on. Our recent fool’s gold. There’s no way for the state continue the bills were copied-and-pasted from ALEC model legis- higher salaries next year without further gutting oth- lation, with a few twists. er vital state services – or raising income taxes. Research from other states is mounting, and it all – Arnold Hamilton THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 23 Heil To The Wannabe Chief

BY CAL HOBSON

efore I roll back Father Time 60 years, to about a fellow American and wannabe politician. For my comfy confines of 10 p.m. bedtime with your convenience and probable disbelief, they are re- cold milk, warm cookies and television that printed verbatim below: only offered three channels, let me bring up 1. “Even for a casual observer, the unthinkable of Ban equally boring subject: the definition of the word a few months ago has morphed into the possible. “prescient.” Thrice married Donald John Trump, blowhard bil- According to the dictionary, it means “having pre- lionaire, equal opportunity offender of all, could soon science or knowledge of things or events before they be addressed as Mr. President.” exist or happen; have foresight.” 2. “He is arrogant, angry, bigoted, pushy, profane, My much older sister, Leslie, has always told me preeminently profitable, probably paranoid, certainly that our mother used a similar sounding word – pre- charismatic, Teflon-coated, much admired and there- cious – to describe me shortly after my birth. No sur- fore electable.” prise there. Most parents utter such banalities until 3. “This guy is a brilliant verbal puncher who gives they get to know their little bundles of joy better. much better than he gets and thus is perfectly suited For example, in my case, other “P” words soon be- for what passes as political debate today.” came more prevalent, such as problematic, prepos- 4. “Trump understands how television conveys its terous, pestering, peculiar and, used most often, pee, message: brief, dramatic, theatrical bursts of infor- as in, “He’s peed his pants again.” mation, accurate or otherwise, delivered with smiles, But prescient? Never … until in this column … and frowns, scowls and gestures is what works on the guess who says I am? Me! boob tube.” Now, before you have an acid reflux attack and turn Like him or not, you gotta admit The Donald has the page, please let this formerly humble scribe ex- stayed on message. For his legions of loyal listeners, plain the origins of my savant-like soothsaying. A he is hitting all the right – and sometimes, far right year ago, I opined in the September 2015 edition of – notes. Build a tall wall, temporarily ban all Muslim this very publication the following pearls of wisdom immigrants, repeal ObamaCare, cancel stupid trade 24 • AUGUST 2016 Hillary Clinton Is Best Choice BY BILL JOHN BAKER

illary Clinton is our best choice to serve leaders and will take action on the issues most as president of the United States. Hav- important to our people. She will ensure the is- ing served in the roles of Secretary of sues facing the First Americans will not be the State, U.S. Senator and the sometime last to be addressed. under-appreciatedH role of First Lady, she has un- I had the pleasure of attending a tribal lead- precedented experience in international and do- ers meeting at the White House many years ago mestic policy, which includes tribal sovereignty. when I served on the Cherokee Nation Tribal As the elected leader of the largest tribal gov- Council and it was then-First Lady Hillary Clinton ernment in America, that level of experience is who led our discussion. This was an historic mo- invaluable to Indian Country. ment, as there was direct engagement between Hillary Clinton will continue the legacy of mean- tribal leaders and the White House like never ingful government-to-government consultations before in modern history. She promised a true between tribal nations and the United States es- government-to-government relationship and a tablished by Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack real partnership to address our unique needs and Obama, and will build on that foundation. She the result of that meeting was Executive Order truly grasps the federal trust responsibility to 13175 on tribal consultation that was issued by our tribal nations, while being empathetic to the President Clinton. Secretary Clinton understands problems facing Indian Country. Indian people must have a seat at the table with Secretary Clinton has heard the call of tribal CONTINUED ON PAGE 46 deals, appoint only clones of Justice Antonin Scalia untrustworthy number has jumped to almost 70%. to the courts, nix NATO, cut taxes, slash spending – Of course, here in the reddest of red states, that and he says he’ll do it all by himself. abysmal dishonesty score is even higher, almost Meet Superman 2.0. touching unanimity. In the spirit of full disclosure, To say the least, this task to “Make America Great the Okie number reflects not a scientific poll finding; Again” appears to be huge – really, really huge. How- rather, only the dispassionate, objective and clearly ever, the conqueror of Manhattan, Atlantic City, West informed opinions of my six coffee drinking buddies Palm Beach, Scotland and most of the rest of the at Ruby’s Café in Purcell. civilized world has singlehandedly swatted away 16 Just so you know, these lifelong pals of mine are Republican opponents in his relentless race to the also of one mind in their belief that President Barack White House. Hussein Obama really is a Muslim, was delivered by Only an unpopular and untrustworthy little lady a witchdoctor in Kenya, has never even been to Ha- from the Land of Lincoln stands between Trump waii, and recently via an illegal executive order com- gaining the keys to the White House, unquestioned mandeered empty super-sized oil tankers in which to leadership of the Free World, and sole ownership of store soon-to-be confiscated guns, bazookas, mor- America’s nuclear codes. tars and framed photos of Rush Limbaugh. Apparently prescience is a rare human trait. Except I was too intimidated by itchy fingers stroking their for me, a lay-about liberal from Lexington; his mes- sidearms to tell them the part about the pictures isn’t merizing model-turned-wife Melania; the tantalizing true. After all, these dudes right now are very frag- troika of Evanka, Donald Jr. and Eric; arch-conser- ile, a bit unbalanced and some might say unhinged vative Alabama U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions; Trump’s two about a prospect of the pant-suited Hillary running former but still very rich and loyal spouses; and pre- the White House – and the Free World. vious campaign director Corey Lewandowski, few Fear, fright, bombs, bullets, things that go bump in imagined 11 months ago the Trumpster would ever the night and, of course, Mexicans. Makes you want hear the Marine Corps’ trumpets play “Hail to the to crawl under a bed and not even venture out search- Chief” in his honor when he walked in the door. ing for Pokemon, let alone select who on Nov. 8 will Perhaps you can hear them tooting now. According become the most powerful human being on the plan- to the CNN-ABC Poll, conducted just days after the et. close of the Cleveland Coronation, a majority of likely The Lady wants to be. The Gentleman already voters in November sure do. Following are the results thinks he is. in that head-to-head nationwide contest: Trump 48%, Cal Hobson, a Lexington Democrat, served in the Clinton 45%. Just one week earlier it was Clinton Oklahoma Legislature from 1978-2006, including 49%, Trump 42% and – even worse for Hillary – her one term as Senate President Pro Tempore. THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 25 CNN’s Revolving Door Of Political Hackery

BY MICHAEL CORCORAN

idespread outrage erupted in late June using his soapbox to explain away another one of over CNN’s hiring of Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s very public and obvious appeals to bigotry. just four days after he was fired as Don- That CNN felt it needed to hire an election commenta- ald Trump’s chief of staff. Lewandowski tor who can’t say anything critical about Trump may isW a controversial figure, and not merely because he seem strange, but it corresponds with CNN Worldwide was heading up a campaign fueled by bigotry and fear. President Jeff Zucker’s stated desire to push CNN to In March he was charged with simple battery for mak- the right. Even Fox News has taken the moral “high ing physical contact with a reporter [though these ground” in this situation: It blasted CNN and the deci- charges were later dropped]. Moreover, his utility as a sion at least twice. CNN contributor is clearly limited – if not worthless – But hiring Lewandowski is not an anomaly – it is since he is reported to have signed a non-disclosure business as usual for CNN and other cable news net- agreement that bars him from saying anything dis- works. When covering elections, CNN and its com- paraging about Trump or discussing anything he did petitors rely largely on former political hacks as paid during the campaign. contributors. They also commonly employ active CNN staffers were said to be enraged – but within lobbyists with inherent conflicts of interest that are a week, CNN’s newest contributor was on television rarely disclosed. 26 • AUGUST 2016 What we are dealing with is a Revolving Door of Po- subsequent hiring by CNN drew so much negative at- litical Hackery between campaigns, the media and tention. A USA Today article called the hire “horren- lobbyists. As we enter the final stretch of the 2016 dous,” while Slate described him as a “pundit/goon.” election season, this revolving door has been spin- And, as noted above, two Fox News anchors attacked ning rapidly, especially with GOP staffers heading to the hiring. Howard Kurtz called the hiring “sad,” and CNN. This reliance on beltway insiders and industry Megyn Kelly noted that he was “the same guy who surrogates is among the many reasons why campaign has threatened more than one journalist” and said coverage is so often woefully lacking in substance. “very ugly things” about women. It is rare that the The Revolving Door of Political Hackery does a dis- Young Turks and Fox News anchors find themselves service to the public as it further compromises the in agreement, but CNN made it possible in this case. dominant media, which is already failing the public SEEKING FIRED GOP HACKS with its numerous institutional biases. This method AND MILITANT TRUMP APOLOGISTS of staffing a news organization during the presiden- While the hiring of Lewandoski is shameful, it tial election contributes to a near-constant focus on shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. As CNN seeks to horse-race politics, rarely offering any discussion move right, it has been snatching up recently fired of how policies impact human beings [let alone the GOP campaign staffers and other single-minded en- environment]. It allows paid contributors to shill for thusiasts for particular right-wing candidates at a their friends and former bosses, or worse, it lets ac- dizzying pace. tive lobbyists do the same for their current employ- Consider the case of Amanda Carpenter, who left ers, usually without disclosure. her job as Ted Cruz’s communications director in Further, it adds to the media’s already jarring lack July 2015. About two months later she would be hired of diversity by limiting the discussion to those in the as a paid contributor by CNN. Her job, for all practi- DC bubble, while organizers, activists and even aca- cal purposes, was to advocate for Ted Cruz during the demics are left out. In this sense, the Lewandowski duration of his time in the campaign. Sure enough, hiring is entirely predictable. at every turn Carpenter was there to talk up Cruz and THE LEWANDOWSKI BACKLASH deflect criticism toward him after every debate. Lewandowski’s hiring was understandably trouble- Carpenter’s unceasing advocacy for Cruz has since some to many. In addition to his battery charge – for been outmatched. On July 6, just a couple of weeks which Trump defended him vigorously – he was the after the Lewandowski controversy, CNN invited Scot- political leader of the most openly bigoted campaign tie Nell Hughes to join the fray. Hughes’s public ef- America has seen in half a century. He was a “fierce forts to defend Trump – no matter how indefensible defender of Mr. Trump’s idiosyncratic approach to the his behavior – were so cartoonish she became the presidential race,” wrote the New York Times, “at a subject of mockery in a Saturday Night Live [SNL] time when many in the party have pressed Mr. Trump skit. While she never officially worked on the Trump to soften his message and build a more conventional campaign staff, she might as well have. She was a political operation.” one-trick pony as a frequent guest on cable, defend- What news value does CNN derive from hiring an ing Trump in virtually every appearance and even tell- angry Trump staffer who is contractually unable to ing Wolf Blitzer that riots at the Republican National criticize the candidate, nor speak about his time Convention “aren’t necessarily a bad thing.” working for him? Effectively, he will just be a pro- Months after the SNL skit had cemented Hughes’ Trump mouthpiece, as he was when he worked for reputation as a sheepish Trump apologist, she con- Trump, but now he will be getting paid by CNN to do tinued to live up to the reputation. On July 3, she it [while also getting severance checks from Trump]. appeared on CNN as a guest defending Trump’s use “I have never heard of a bigger conflict of interest in of an anti-Semitic symbol on Twitter. Her efforts were media history!” Cenk Uygur said on the Young Turks. so lacking in sense that the exasperated anchor who For all the antipathy toward Lewandoski from the interviewed Hughes, Brianna Keilar, could not man- left, the controversial figure was also disliked by age to hide her contempt. those on the other side of the ideological spectrum. The interview, described by the Washington Post’s “Mr. Trump had faced increasing concerns from al- Eric Wemple as “painful to behold,” was mocked end- lies and donors, as well as his children, over whether lessly. So how did CNN handle the aftermath of these Mr. Lewandowski, who had never before worked on embarrassing interviews? They hired her a day later. a national race, was able to direct a battle against “CNN’s management is determined to torture its an- Mrs. Clinton,” the Times reported on June 20. Reince chors,” quipped Wemple. That Hughes announced Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National her hire in a [since-deleted] tweet saying, “YUGE Committee, was among these critics and told the pre- anncm 4 me today,” only adds to the mystery of this sumptive nominee that “relations between his com- personnel decision. mittee and Mr. Lewandowski had become increas- CNN’S ATTEMPTS TO TRUMP FOX NEWS ingly strained, and that a change would be welcome.” Why is CNN going so hard after conservative cam- Perhaps it is no coincidence that Lewandowski’s paign staff, and especially militant Trump support- firing was supported by the DC establishment and his CONTINUED ON PAGE 29 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 27 Farewell, Roger Ailes. Take Trump With You? BY MARK MORFORD

ever doubt there is a divine and fearful sym- suring – sense. See, Ailes reached his nadir. Sauron metry afoot, usually for the better but then installed his doppelganger. Trump got the GOP nod again, these days, who can say? and the Fates threw up in their mouths a little as all Behold! It is entirely appropriate that on those years of Ailes-approved, Fox-led fearmonger- Nthe same, enormously humiliating day last month ing, misogyny, lying, homophobia, bashing of the en- that the Republican Party officially nominated Donald vironment and women and science et al, resulted in a Trump for president, AKA the day that America hung success far wilder, far nastier than even Ailes, in his its head in shame, one Roger Ailes, the famously tur- most sexually inappropriate fever dream, could pos- gid, unapologetically biased media mastermind who sibly imagine. made Fox News into the billion-dollar bastion of gid- Let history decry: It was Fox News – with Ailes at dy racism and shameless ignorance it so very much the helm – that essentially invented Trump the can- is, was on his way to being strategically ousted from didate, paved the way, set the tone, made it all kinds the network for allegedly sexually harassing enough of brutally easy for an orange-faced, sociopathic mat- women to earn him a nice gift basket from Bill Cosby. tress salesman to manipulate/abuse the media and Do you see the symmetry? The weirdly magical, the electoral system alike, flooding them both with oddly proper cosmic confluence? Sure you do. fear and childish authoritarianism like nuclear waste It all makes wicked – and maybe even slightly reas- into a river. 28 • AUGUST 2016 Make no mistake: Fox News, with its GOP lackeys, Whether Zucker actually believes that CNN has a made Trump happen. He is their most perfect inbred leftist bias – a dubious claim, to be sure – there is a spawn. His ascent and ruthless takeover of the de- clear financial incentive for him to move right. “CNN caying GOP is entirely deserved: After all, you can’t craves Fox News’ Conservative Viewers,” observed the attack the immune system of the nation for all those Post. Indeed, while studies have repeatedly shown Fox years and not expect a virus to ooze on through. News viewers to be far less informed than the rest of It remains, however, rather amazing to witness: the country, there is no doubting its aging viewership The moment Trump ascends, Ailes flounders. It’s as watches the channel in droves. For years, Fox News though the system can only handle so much poison has tended to dominate the ratings battle vs. CNN and at any given time. It’s as though the gods are saying MSNBC. And data from a Pew Research Center study “Look, you can’t have the Satan and Moloch on the in 2014 showed conservatives were “somewhat un- same playbill. Even the cockroaches are in retreat. derrepresented” within CNN’s audience. Someone’s gotta go.” And right now, blessed be the This helps explain the hires of Lewandowski, heavens, that means Ailes. Hughes, Carpenter and many other conservative pun- Of course, the Fates are far from done. What will hap- dits. CNN’s concerted attempt at an ideological shift pen after Trump loses the election, and badly? Will he has been noticeable in the debates it has hosted. As start his own news company, as he once threatened? Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting [FAIR] observed, Will he take over Fox News? Shut it down? Will Ailes CNN has invited movement conservative Hugh Hewitt then become the next Karl Rove, a sad, mealy troll to debates to question Republicans from the right. for the GOP? Will there be some bizarre role-reversal It was an interesting approach. Yet, when the Demo- nightmare comedy to witness? Will Melania get her cratic debate was scheduled, the presence of an “un- own reality show? Which of Trump’s sons will be first abashed progressive advocate” was “glaringly miss- to reveal his wish to become transgender? And how ing.” calmly will President Hillary let them all slither into It is also fascinating that as CNN moves right in the footnotes of history, and eat each other alive? an effort to grab Fox viewers, it is relying on an ex- Only the Fates know for sure – and truly, they’re a cessive number of pro-Trump voices. This could be little nauseous right now. a shrewd play for Fox News viewers. Fox News is in- © SFGate deed a conservative network, but it has faced a lot of conflict with the GOP nominee, most notably due to his disgusting remarks about anchor Megyn Kelly’s menstrual cycle and his decision to skip out on a Fox Hackery News debate. Given how loyal Fox News’ audience has been over the years, CNN’s attempt to appeal to con- servative Trump fans is a clever way to differentiate CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 itself from its rival network. “I will say CNN treats me better than Fox News,” said Trump in a Fox News ers? It is not as though there were a shortage of such interview. contributors. Before the most recent additions, CNN CNN did not respond by press time to Truthout’s already employed vocal Trump supporters, such as request for comment. contributors Kayleigh McEnany and Jeffrey Lord. MSNBC’S OWN REVOLVING DOOR McEnany has been praising the candidate on the air While CNN has been subjected to a great deal of and in writing at CNN.com. Lord, who recently pub- criticism for hiring Lewandowski, it is not often men- lished a book advocating for a Trump presidency, is tioned that MSNBC also strongly considered hiring even more extreme in his defenses of the candidate. the Trump staffer. The network even met with him One of his colleagues told the Post that his job was after he left the Trump campaign. So, CNN’s egregious “to carry Donald Trump’s decidedly fetid water every hiring practices notwithstanding, other networks day.” Lord’s controversial defense of Trump’s refusal should not be left off the hook. Obviously, Fox News to distance himself from David Duke and the KKK has a long history of being a GOP mouthpiece, but drew plenty of controversy and was covered by the MSNBC is not immune to the revolving door phenom- New York Times. Lord, according to the Daily Beast, enon, either. has publicly said that Trump had requested CNN to For instance, while CNN waited about three days to rely more on him for election coverage. hire Trump’s fired chief of staff, MSNBC worked with Nonetheless, CNN continues to hire more Trump similar haste to hire a Ted Cruz staffer who lost his supporters. But if you consider Zucker’s public com- job. Four days after Cruz asked for the resignation ments about his goals at the network, things become of his national spokesman Rick Tyler, MSNBC hired clearer. In early May, Zucker told the Wall Street him. Tyler had been let go for allegedly promoting a Journal that it “was a legitimate criticism of CNN that false rumor about Marco Rubio, causing a controver- it was a little too liberal,” and that the network has sy. This didn’t stop MSNBC from rushing to employ added “many more middle-of-the-road conservative him. Tyler proceeded to spend his airtime criticizing voices.” Trump and suggesting Rubio drop out of the race. THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 29 Tyler is not MSNBC’s first hire to come through tively “turning over an hour every night to a corporate the revolving door of political hackery, and he won’t lobbyist” and portraying “paid corporate hacks” as be the last. Karen Finney is a good example. Finney objective commentators. served as Hillary Clinton’s press secretary when she Eventually, MSNBC admitted its error and while it was First Lady and worked in various other roles in didn’t stop using Wolffe as a contributor, it did begin Washington politics in between. After all those years disclosing his job at Public Strategies. In 2012, he was as a partisan Democratic Party staffer and a Clinton hired full-time as an editor for MSNBC.com, although loyalist, she became a long-time MSNBC contributor his Twitter account indicates he has since moved on. and eventually even got her own [short-lived] show. Meanwhile, Howard Dean and MSNBC are still effec- During her five-year tenure at MSNBC she regularly tively engaging in the same appalling dance, as if the defended Clinton, whom she had worked for before, Wolffe incident had never occurred. Of course, Dean and would soon work for again. [She is now a key fig- and MSNBC are not alone in this practice. As FAIR ure in the 2016 Clinton campaign.] Could Finney pos- documented in 2013, the problem is still widespread, sibly have served as an objective voice when Clinton’s across networks and political parties. NBC’s Mike name came up in the news? Murphy, CNN’s Stephanie Cutter, David Axelrod [cur- As of this writing the home page for Finney’s old rently at CNN, formerly of MSNBC] and Robert Gibbs show, Disrupt, features excerpts from a Clinton book [who was at MSNBC until 2015, when he left for a job and features a video of Finney defending Clinton with McDonalds] are just a handful of names FAIR against GOP attacks. Surely, Finney was often right reported as having recently worked as lobbyists while to critique some of the most dubious GOP attacks on also appearing [without disclosure] as media com- Clinton, but it can hardly be surprising that conser- mentators. vatives took notice of her conflict of interest. Conser- MSNBC did not respond by press time to Truthout’s vative groups are quick to point out that at least 30 request for comment. people have gone from the Obama Administration to This problem with lobbyists has been rampant for MSNBC or vice versa – that tendency should trouble years. In 2010, the Nation published the results of an anyone who cares about journalism, whether the re- investigation called “The Media-Lobbying Complex.” volving door at hand is propelling conservatives into It concluded that in less than three years, “at least 75 CNN, or Democrats into MSNBC. registered lobbyists, public relations representatives Since her days at MSNBC, Finney has gone from at- and corporate officials – people paid by companies tacking Republicans as a talk-show host to disparag- and trade groups to manage their public image and ing the Sanders campaign as a Clinton staffer. Imag- promote their financial and political interests – have ine, if in a year, she returns to MSNBC. How could any appeared on MSNBC, Fox News, CNN, CNBC and Fox progressive trust her ability to objectively cover Clin- Business Network with no disclosure of the corpo- ton [whether she is president or not] or Sen. Sand- rate interests that had paid them.” ers? The Nation investigation found such complicity oc- LESSONS LEARNED AND LOST: curring at virtually all of the cable networks, demon- THE LOBBYING-MEDIA COMPLEX PERSISTS strating that the revolving door is not merely between Howard Dean is another Clinton supporter who has political hacks and the media, but between corporate been frequently featured on MSNBC in the last year hacks and the media as well. or so. When he goes on the air he has always been WHY THE REVOLVING DOOR KEEPS SPINNING introduced as a “Clinton supporter,” a proper disclo- The revolving door metaphor is typically used to sure from MSNBC. The problem is that Dean is also describe how politicians so often go from public ser- currently a paid health care lobbyist for the law firm vice to corporate lobbying. This has always been a Dentons, a fact that is rarely disclosed. This fact was, problem. But for the media to become another stop significantly, not acknowledged when Dean went on in this revolving door complicates the picture even the air to attack single-payer health care – a policy he further. Americans are supposed to be able to depend supported just a few years earlier – on behalf of Hill- on members of the media to vigorously investigate ary Clinton. corporate lobbyists and politicians. But now all three MSNBC is no stranger to such practices. In 2009, of these sectors, like George Orwell’s pigs in Animal former Newsweek reporter Richard Wolffe was a fre- Farm, have become, in some ways, indistinguishable quent contributor and guest host on MSNBC and gave from one another. his opinion on a wide variety of issues. The problem: And so the revolving door continues to spin. As a he was concurrently working for the lobbying group result, broadcast media – from which most Americans Public Strategies, which has worked with Lockheed still get their news – is a haven for privileged voices Martin and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Gallingly, with personal, political and corporate agendas. This Public Strategies even touted Wolffe’s access to MSN- is a byproduct of most of the media being owned just BC in his bio on its website. MSNBC did not disclose a few multi-national conglomerates and shows why this conflict of interest until it was critiqued by sev- media reform should be a big priority for advocates of eral journalists and activists. Among these journal- social justice and democracy. ists was Glenn Greenwald who said MSNBC was effec- © Truthout

30 • AUGUST 2016 Republican Platform Eviscerates Workers’ Rights

BY VICTORIA ALBERT

he Republican Party’s official 2016 plat- The platform claims that these laws will “protect form proudly states “the greatest asset of the economic liberty of the modern workforce,” but the American economy is the hard working in fact, they do just the opposite. According to the American.” American Federation of Labor and Congress of In- TThe writers must have a twisted sense of humor. dustrial Organizations, workers in RTW states make In a not particularly unexpected move, the party $5,791 [12%] less per year than workers without RTW, platform eviscerates the “hard working American,” and are far less likely to be insured. denying workers of their right to unionize while tar- More importantly, RTW weakens unions by forcing geting their most vulnerable communities. them to serve those who don’t pay for their services. GRAND OLD UNION BUSTERS When Michigan approved a right-to-work law in 2012, Perhaps the strongest anti-union feature of the its union membership dropped by 48,000, despite the Republican Party’s platform is the call for national addition of 44,000 new jobs. right-to-work [RTW] legislation. RTW laws – the bane The platform also targets both unionized Transpor- of unions nationwide, including Oklahoma – prevent tation Security Administration employees and the unions from collecting fees from non-members, who National Labor Relations Board’s presence in Native nevertheless benefit from unions’ grievance and bar- American communities, with Republicans pledging gaining services. to “correct [the] mistake” of permitting TSA employ- THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 31 ees to organize, and claiming to defend tribal govern- Trump’s portrait might be alongside those of Wash- ments from the Democrats’ “egregious” pro-union ington, Adams, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln in influence. the history books. A GOVERNMENT FOR THE PEOPLE I don’t feel qualified to write about him because … “We pledge to make the government work for the well, just because. But I do know something about people,” reads the platform, “not the other way his running mate, and that is where I will focus my around.” Yet for the country’s most financially vul- thoughts for this essay. Frankly, I feel the need to nerable – the 3.9% working for minimum wage – the expose Mike Pence for what he has done with public Republicans offer neither support nor protection. education in my state. The platform dismisses the widespread call for a Again, in the interest of full disclosure, I am an In- nationwide minimum wage, asserting that the matter diana citizen and, by trade, a teacher. That job title “should be handled on a state and local level,” and automatically gives me a bad name among many Hoo- pledges to repeal Davis-Bacon, a 1931 act mandat- siers on the far right. I understand and accept that. ing that federal construction projects pay union-level It’s just the way it is. [read: living] wages. Many on the far right around these parts see that I It has even less mercy for the undocumented. The am a teacher and automatically label me a lefty. That platform echoes Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric with is simply not accurate. I am a dyed-in-the-wool cen- its total rejection of amnesty for undocumented trist. There are several issues about which I agree workers. It also supports his proposal for building a with the right. There are several issues about which wall between the U.S.-Mexico border, with the intent I agree with the left. It is endlessly frustrating for me of “keep[ing] dangerous aliens off our streets.” when it comes time to vote. In the preamble to the platform, Republicans claim However, when it comes down to the issue where their plan “lays out – in clear language – the path to my bread is buttered, as it were, Mike Pence and I making America great and united again.” Yet if the could not be further apart. In my opinion, and in the Republicans’ path to greatness is to be built on the opinion of most other educators I know, Mike Pence backs of American workers, it is a greatness of which has been a detriment to education. Since education is we should all be wary. among the most important issues to me, as it should © Alternet be to you, I feel compelled to lay out the reasons why I can’t support any ticket with which Mike Pence is associated. This goes back to the previous Indiana governor, Why Mike Pence Mitch Daniels. His education plan was hostile to public education. It was very transparent, to all who would see, that Daniels was no friend to public edu- cation. He implemented a plan that, by its nature, pits Terrifies Me high-income schools against low-income schools and judges them based on an A to F grading scale. These BY SHANE PHIPPS grades are given on the basis of scores on a standard- ized test which requires all students to “clear the hesitate to post this blog simply because it is po- same bar” regardless of their starting point. litical … and I hate politics. But I have to speak This has resulted in a predictable gap in achieve- my mind here, knowing full well that I may risk ment where the affluent school districts tend to “out- offending a lot of my dear friends. I have many perform” the high poverty districts. Ifriends on the right and left side of the political spec- As a result of the Daniels program, the lower per- trum. That is a side effect of living near the center, forming districts get less funding than the higher as I do. performing districts. This, coupled with the vouch- In the interest of full disclosure, I am no fan of Hill- er system, which allows people to take advantage of ary Clinton. I just don’t trust her and I don’t think I government assistance to move their students from ever will. That said, I am in a state of disbelief that the one district to another, or to a state sponsored “char- Republican candidate is Donald Trump. The fact that ter school,” results in widening the gap between the there are so many intelligent people that I know who haves and the have-nots even further than before. are actually going to vote for Trump is a clear indica- The voucher system sounds great to many people tion that we have come to a very scary crossroads in [perhaps to you, too], but in reality, it only exacer- our nation’s history. bates the achievement gap. For the most part, only A lot of very fine Americans are completely fed up those families who can afford transportation to other with the status quo offerings from Washington. I schools take advantage of it. This creates a situation understand that. But I don’t even know what to say where some of the better students in “under perform- about Donald Trump. I still can’t believe that he is go- ing” districts move out to other districts or to charter ing to be a viable candidate for president. schools. As a history teacher, I can’t fathom a day where Of course, this often results in lower test scores in

32 • AUGUST 2016 did not perform as well as he would have liked. Mitch Daniels went on to become president of Pur- due University. Shortly thereafter, it was revealed that he had attempted to ban books by famed historian, Howard Zinn, from public schools in Indiana. Why, you may ask, did he object to Zinn? Because Zinn dared view history through the perspective of the de- feated. That’s right, Mitch Daniels was trying to deny Indiana students the opportunity to view history from multiple perspectives. That, in my book, is despica- ble! Back to Pence … Mike Pence entered the office vacated by Daniels on the heels of the shocking victory achieved by Glenda Ritz. He had an opportunity to step back and assess the clear message from the voters that we were not happy with the direction public education had taken. Instead of honoring the will of the voters of Indiana who, by the way, incredibly, gave Ritz more votes as a superintendent [normally an office that is an after- thought and doesn’t garner a lot of voters’ attention] than Pence got in his victory as state governor, Pence immediately began to look for ways to undermine the power of Ritz’s office. the schools those students vacated. That means no Pence, a champion of “small government,” formed pay raises for teachers in those schools. That eventu- an entirely new state board of education! That’s right, ally leads to teachers leaving the profession which he created a second board of education, thumbing his leads to teacher shortages. We are beginning to deal nose at the will of the electorate and effectively strip- with this problem now, big time! We need the best ping Glenda Ritz of much of her power! This actually and brightest teachers to be attracted to the students happened in in my state, Indiana … AMERICA! who need them most, not driven away. He then went on to further attempt to abuse the Another problem with vouchers that most outside democratic spirit by trying to start a state controlled education don’t understand is that, sometimes, you media outlet! That’s right, Mike Pence not only cre- can’t just pick and choose any school to which you ated a new government agency to try to circumvent want to sent your child. School districts can, and do, the will of the electorate, he then tried to control the close enrollment. Don’t think for a moment that this story by creating a state-run news agency! This hap- is done equitably. pened in Indiana … In America! I will just say this: if the most affluent school dis- Gov. Pence loves to cite the statistic that, under tricts in the state [you know who I am talking about] his leadership, Indiana has a budget surplus, a large suddenly were overrun with voucher applicants from “rainy day fund.” Yet, many school districts across Indianapolis Public Schools [or numerous other ur- the state have been forced to beg their communities ban districts around the state] who have had a his- for financial help through local tax referendums just tory of low academic achievement or high risk behav- to stay afloat. Districts have slashed budgets to the iors, you can bet that the voucher system would go bone. Class sizes are way up and many things benefi- away quickly! cial to students, like extra-curricular activities and In 2012, the same year Mike Pence was elected as field trip opportunities, are way down. governor, many thousands of Indiana educators be- How can Pence claim a surplus when so many gan a grass roots campaign to remove Gov. Daniels’ school districts are suffering financially? buddy, the superintendent of public education, Tony Pence is infamous for other things that got more Bennett, from office. Incredibly, the effort was suc- negative press for Indiana that I won’t even go into cessful and a previously unknown educator and li- here. You will, no doubt, read plenty about those brarian, Glenda Ritz, was elected as the new super- things in the national press in the coming weeks if intendent. you aren’t already familiar with them. But I wanted to The ousted Bennett went on to be named to a simi- shine a light on the things that don’t get mentioned lar position under Gov. Jeb Bush in Florida. While as much. These are the things that, as an educator, in that position, it was learned that Bennett, while first made me terrified of Mike Pence. in his previous position in Indiana, with Daniels’ Shane Phipps is a middle school history teacher in support, had been guilty of corruption when he ille- Indianapolis and author of the young adult histori- gally helped one of his pet charter schools, Chrystal cal fiction The Carter Journals: Time Travels in Early House, by changing the grade for the school when it U.S. History [Indiana Historical Society Press, 2015].

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 33 Jim Hightower

What’s Next For Sanders Revolution? s we exit the Democratic convention, let’s growing the movement – starting now. These ever- look back at the primary race ... and forward larger and broader local coalitions will: [1] be rooted to the future. in principled, anti-corporate politics; [2] launch di- The mainstream media tried to reduce the rect grassroots initiatives and actions on a range of twoA Democratic campaigns as a Hillary v. Bernie war. populist issues; [3] recruit, train, and elect thousands The reality, though, is that most Sanders backers of movement candidates to school boards, city coun- were enthusiastic precisely because his campaign’s cils, state legislatures, and other offices; [4] deepen purpose was far bigger than the usual personality the relationships and sense of shared purpose in this politics. Supporters were signing up for a revolution revolutionary democratic movement. And [5] – Make against corporate rule. it fun – putting the “party” back in politics. www.the- To achieve this, we have to keep mobilizing for a peoplessummit.org truly democratic movement, and this is much harder Brand New Congress. What if progressive organizers than one presidential run. Sanders and close advi- and volunteers joined forces to run a nationwide cam- sors are strategizing to help grow the grassroots re- paign to replace today’s corporate-owned congress – bellion – from school boards to Congress. This new all at once? Yes, one sweeping campaign to oust all coordinating effort will build on the framework and incumbents of either party who owe their jobs to the momentum of the campaign. Big Money powers. Those congress critters, feeling Outside of Sanders’ circle, a multitude of Bernie snug in their gerrymandered rabbit holes, could be supporters are not waiting on a smoke signal from outed by hundreds of coordinated, Brand New Con- headquarters. With the primaries over and the con- gress campaigns running simultaneously in every vention starting, a mushrooming, percolate-up cre- state. Each local campaign would back candidates ativity has already burst into new organizing projects publicly pledged to fight for an agenda of economic, that are advancing this energized populist movement. social, environmental, and political justice. Here are just two examples: Impossible? Not in the minds of Zach Exley, Becky The People’s Summit. In the world of politics-as- Bond and other former Sanders staffers who con- usual, a losing candidate’s supporters just drift away, ceived and implemented this campaign’s successful but All-Things-Sanders tend to be unusual. So, on grassroots model that Exley calls “distributed orga- June 17, just three days after the final Democratic nizing.” They trained and empowered tens of thou- primary, some 3,000 Berniecrats from all across sands of far-flung volunteers to be autonomous or- America gathered in a Chicago convention center to ganizers, digitally linked into a nationwide network, “Keep the Bern Alive.” Rather than being morose or eliminating the need and cost of a rigid hierarchy of cynical about Sanders not winning the nomination, “leaders” to boss volunteers, recognizing instead attendees were exuberant about the future and the that volunteers themselves are leaders – in church- movement that he galvanized. This extraordinary, es, clubs, workplaces, community groups, etc. Now uplifting event was a combination of tent revival and they’re applying this model to Brand New Congress workshops for serious strategizing and organizing, that will carry the message of authentic populism and was rightly labeled a “Festival of Joyous Rebel- and a shared agenda of populist policy proposals. lion.” The two-day summit was convened by National BNC is to be a true bi-partisan effort, running Dems Nurses United [a scrappy, aggressively progressive in blue districts, Repubs in solid red ones, and in- union] and co-sponsored by more than 50 diverse dependents whereever that makes sense. But wait – and effective democracy-building groups. how can BNC get Republican candidates to run on This meeting had a minimum of blah-blah and a progressive values? By recognizing that true popu- maximum of planning on how to put experienced, lism is neither a right or left theory, but a top vs. bot- locally-based organizers and volunteers directly into tom reality that even middle-class and lower-income 34 • AUGUST 2016 Republicans can relate to. [Note: In Vermont, which out of the middle-class, got rowdier. Then, as though often elects Republican governors, Sanders won 71% delivering a line from The Godfather, Nelson assures of the vote in his last Senate race]. Indeed, outside of the crowd that the corporation means nothing per- the right-wing Congress, many rank-and-file Repub- sonal by taking their jobs: “This is strictly a business licans would support stopping global trade scams decision.” and crony-capitalism corruption, as well as assuring No, it wasn’t. This was a calculated greed decision. health care for all, recognizing climate change, and Severing this workforce of 2,100 top-quality, experi- standing up to bigotry. enced, and dedicated producers makes questionable Bernie has urged his supporters to keep pushing business sense: The move to Mexico is expected to for their democratic ideals. “Real change never takes save UTC only $70 million a year in labor costs [a blip place from the top down. It always occurs from the on the spreadsheets of global behemoth that hauls in bottom on up – when tens of millions of people say $56 billion a year and has an uninterrupted 22-year ‘enough is enough’ and become engaged in the fight record of increasing dividends]. for justice. That’s what the political revolution we But, UTC’s greedy Wall Street investment bankers helped start is all about. That’s why the political revo- demanded that the giant go on a cost-cutting binge lution must continue.” aimed at generating a 17% hike in its stock price over © Creators.com the next two years. And what better way to please big institutional shareholders than to show a cold will- ingness to whack payroll. While making such cuts is “painful,” mused Carrier’s top financial executive, It’s Getting Hot they are necessary for “shareholder value creation,” adding cheerfully: “We feel very good about being able to execute on that.” So a city must suffer factory abandonment, and In Indianapolis workers must have their decent-paying jobs taken from them so some distant, don’t-give-a-damn, rich shareholders can see a dollar rise in UTC’s stock f the chieftains of industry and their political price. “Execute” seems like the right word. henchmen want to know what’s roiling the riff- There’s also an unstated motivation in play: Grego- raff, they could read Thomas Piketty’s landmark, ry Hayes’s pride. The UTC chief had taken heat from a 1,000-page book on inequality: Capital in the board of directors concerned that the stock price had ITwenty-First Century. Or, they could listen to one of not climbed as high as fast as Wall Street wanted. In- Bernie Sander’s hour-long, tub-thumping speeches. deed, last year, the board sliced his executive bonus Or, they could just spend three minutes and 32 sec- in half. “It’s embarrassing,” a financial analyst noted. onds watching an online video showing a Carrier Cor- “He got dinged.” But no need to cry for Greg, since poration executive speaking to hundreds of workers his 2015 paycheck still totaled $6 million. [A typi- in the air-conditioning giant’s Indianapolis plant this cal Carrier worker would have to stay on the job 150 past February. years to earn that much]. The proud Steelworker union members thought Welcome to the new Wild Kingdom of Corporate maybe they’d been called to the factory floor to hear World, where prideful executive royals are empow- about new orders for their quality products. After all, ered to uproot the livelihoods of commoners in a ploy sales at parent company United Technologies were to please Wall Street, manipulate corporate stock zooming – expected to jump at least $2 billion to $58 prices, collect extravagant bonuses, and save face. billion in 2016. Notice that such whimsy was pulled off autocrati- Instead of receiving praise and good news, however, cally. Despite a unionized workforce, UTC/Carrier they got an ugly surprise. In the fuzzy video recorded simply commanded the workers to assemble so they on a worker’s phone, UTC/Carrier honcho Chris Nel- could be unilaterally dispatched – there was no ne- son doesn’t bother with any opening pleasantries. He gotiation, consultation, or any other say-so by the gets right to the point, reporting in the dry tones of workers, their community, public officials, or anyone a corporate lifer that the bosses have decided that, else. This is our new norm of plutocratic rule, envi- “The best way to stay competitive and protect the sioned and implemented by the rampaging forces of business for the long term is to move production corporate avarice. from our facility in Indianapolis to Monterrey, Mexi- This disregard for workers is not just a one-time In- co.” KABLOOEY! He couldn’t finish his sentence, for diana problem. Carrier’s chief financial officer blurt- the entire assembly exploded like a human cluster ed out to the New York Times that top executives are bomb, with cries of disbelief, raucous booing, and a eyeing other factories to move to Mexico. Look out steady barrage of f-bombs. Charlotte [NC], Collierville [TN], and Tyler [TX]. “Please quiet down,” the obtuse functionary in- The carnage on working class Americans won’t structed. But the devastated workers, realizing in stop until we actually start punishing these corpo- an instant that Carrier is kicking their families right rate malefactors. – Jim Hightower

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 35 Senate Bill Seeks To End Tax Breaks For Private Prison Companies

BY MIKE LUDWIG

en. Ron Wyden, D-OR, introduced legisla- lowed to file with the IRS as Real Estate Investment tion last month that would make it tougher Trusts, or REITs, which enjoy a special tax status de- for private prison companies to take advan- signed to encourage real estate investment. tage of federal rules that provide massive tax The bulk of CCA and GEO Group’s multibillion-dol- Sbreaks for special real estate firms, a move that ra- lar revenue stream comes from taxpayers, but both cial justice and prison divestment activists say is an companies have seen their corporate tax rate plum- important step toward confronting the corporations met by 30% or more since they secured REIT status that control around 8% of the nation’s prisons and in 2012, according to annual financial reports. CCA, immigrant jails. which owns 66 jails and prisons nationwide and The nation’s two largest prison firms, GEO Group runs an additional 11 facilities on behalf of the gov- and Corrections Corporations of America [CCA], ernment, reported a net income tax benefit of nearly avoided a combined $113 million in federal taxes in $138 million in 2013 alone. 2015 alone. Large portions of the companies are al- Federal law requires the bulk of these tax benefits

36 • AUGUST 2016 to be paid out to shareholders in the form of divi- of color. dends, so the extra cash is not reinvested into pro- “As part of rethinking our criminal justice system, grams and resources for prisoners and jailed immi- particularly as it results in the mass incarceration grants, or to pad the salaries of private prison guards, of low-income and minority individuals, the tax rules who can earn wages as low as $15 per hour. Activists for REITs must be changed so that we are not encour- also say these dividends encourage wealthy investors aging companies to unjustly profit from prison deten- to profit from mass incarceration and lobby for the tion services,” Wyden said in a statement. racist policies that drive it. Meanwhile, prison corporations are not happy about “Private prisons are one part of a larger system of the bill. CCA spokesman Steve Owen told Truthout mass criminalization that has to be fought on many that the “rationale for this bill is deeply misguided” fronts,” said Amanda Aguilar Shank, an organizer and Congress has better things to do “than legislat- with the racial and economic justice group, Enlace. ing winners and losers in an independent, IRS-driven “Part of dismantling this system is recognizing the REIT qualification process that is already time-test- huge economic investment we are making in crimi- ed, rigorous and fair.” nalizing and locking up enormous sectors of our “The fact is, we provide problem-solving alterna- community, and finding ways to divest and reinvest tives that help our government partners address those resources into life-giving services like housing, some of their biggest corrections challenges, such education and health care.” as dangerous overcrowding and skyrocketing costs,” Established as a special tax status more than 50 Owen said. “Our company has made significant pub- years ago, REITs were originally intended to be pas- lic commitments to help inmates successfully re- sive investment vehicles, allowing groups of inves- enter society, including helping thousands of people tors to put money into real estate properties without earn a GED.” actually buying and servicing them, much like mu- Critics of the industry, however, say prisons run by tual funds. REITs are required to distribute 90% of private companies are more violent than public pris- their taxable income back to shareholders annually ons and have higher rates of recidivism among pris- in the form of cash or stock dividends, which in turn oners. are tax-deductible for the REIT. Plus, private companies that provide telecommuni- REITs are supposed to stick to the real estate busi- cations and other services to prisoners make busi- ness, but CCA and Geo Group provide dozens of [non- ness decisions that increase the likelihood that in- real-estate-related] services and products to jails, carcerated people will become returning customers, prisons, immigrant jails and the people held captive such as banning in-person visits with family mem- in them. Both companies also run entire facilities. bers despite research showing that maintaining fam- The IRS has allowed companies to break them- ily ties reduces recidivism. selves up in order to meet REIT requirements and en- “Because private prison profits come from people joy the tax breaks, so CCA and GEO Group spun off spending time behind bars, it’s no surprise the com- sections of their companies that provided services, panies make business decisions resulting in higher such as education and health care, or incorporated recidivism,” said Donald Cohen, executive director of them as “subsidiaries” of the REIT. In the Public Interest, a watchdog group that recently These spin-offs are supposed to pay federal taxes, published a brief on the subject. but both companies have convinced the IRS that the It’s unclear at this point whether Wyden’s bill will bulk of their business is essentially renting space make it out of committee, but Shank said that grass- out to the federal and state governments to house roots pressure to reform the criminal legal system prisoners, so the majority of their income is now tax- and abolish private prison is only building, so law- exempt. makers should decide whether they want to be on the Wyden’s legislation would close this loophole by right side of history, or not. preventing “active business activities” from filing as “We are living in an era of mass incarceration, im- REIT subsidiaries. migration detention and police brutality,” Shank “This legislation would significantly weaken the for- said. “Grassroots movements like Black Lives Matter profit prison industry,” Shank said, “and it would di- and Not1More deportation have exposed this violence vest resources from tax subsidies for private prisons, and provided a unified direction for a growing number freeing up millions of dollars that could be reinvested of people of all races that are committed to fighting in services that actually keep our communities safe.” criminalization in all of its forms.” Wyden blamed a “broken-down tax code” for allow- The push to end the REIT tax breaks is just one ing private prison firms to take advantage of REIT sta- part of the National Prison Divestment Campaign, an tus, but he made it clear that the bill is not just about effort spearheaded by Enlace, community groups, taxes. and unions seeking to divest public resources from With the nation roiling over racist police violence, prisons and reinvest them into services that prevent Wyden noted that the bill is part of a broader effort poverty and violence, such as housing, health care, to reform a criminal legal system that has dispropor- education and community-based safety strategies. tionately negative impacts on immigrants and people © Truthout

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 37 Study Links Fracking To Asthma Attacks BY LORRAINE CHOW

nother study has further cemented how pads. Another 4,728 wells were stimulated and 3,706 fracking can be a human health hazard. were in production. People who live close to fracking wells have For the study, lead author and PhD candidate Sara a higher risk of asthma attacks among asth- G. Rasmussen, MHS, and her colleagues analyzed maA patients, according to a Johns Hopkins Bloom- health records from 2005 through 2012 from the berg School of Public Health study. Geisinger Health System, a health care provider that The paper, published last month in JAMA Inter- covers 40 counties in north and central Pennsylvania. nal Medicine, focused on Pennsylvania’s Marcellus The researchers identified more than 35,000 asthma Shale, one of the country’s most active and notori- patients between the ages of five and 90 years, iden- ous fracking regions. In the years between 2005 and tifying 20,749 mild attacks, 1,870 moderate ones and 2013, the area has seen 6,253 unconventional natu- 4,782 severe attacks. They then mapped where these ral gas wells spudded [the start of drilling] on 2,710 patients lived relative to nearby well activity. 38 • AUGUST 2016 The data revealed that people who live nearby a development that present the most risk.” large number or bigger active natural gas wells were Earlier this year, researchers found that at least five 1½ to four times more likely to suffer from asthma chemicals associated with unconventional oil and gas attacks compared to those who live farther away. The operations are linked to respiratory health issues on risk also showed up in all four phases of well devel- infants and children, including asthma, reduced lung opment: pad preparation, drilling, stimulation – the and pulmonary function, increased susceptibility to actual fracturing – and production. infection, chest discomfort, difficulty breathing, lung While the exact cause of the trend was not identi- inflammation and other adverse outcomes. fied, the authors of the paper suggested that exposure For environmental advocates, this study is further to air pollution and psychosocial stress – increased evidence why fracking is unsafe. truck traffic, loud noises and bright lights disrupting “This study’s findings confirm what we have known sleep – from drilling operation can exacerbate asth- for years—that fracking is an inherently hazardous ma. process that threatens human health and safety ev- “Ours is the first to look at asthma but we now have ery day,” Wenonah Hauter, founder and executive di- several studies suggesting adverse health outcomes rector of Food & Water Watch said. “More than 17 related to the drilling of unconventional natural gas million Americans live within a mile of a fracking wells,” Rasmussen said. “Going forward, we need to site, and they are all at risk. Despite countless dol- focus on the exact reasons why these things are hap- lars spent by the oil and gas industry in numerous pening, because if we know why, we can help make attempts to sway public opinion, the truth is winning the industry safer.” out. As recent polling proves, the more Americans Fracking can induce asthma attacks in three ways, hear about fracking, the more they oppose it.” as Barbara Gottlieb, the Environment and Health pro- © Ecowatch gram director at Physicians for Social Responsibility who was not involved in the study explained to USA Today. As USA Today writes, “The release of volatile or- ganic compounds can interact with other chemicals in the fracking sites to form ground-level ozone, an asthma-inducing pollutant. Increased industrial ac- tivity near fracking sites, such as transportation, also aggravates asthma symptoms. And natural gas, or methane, leaks that occur at fracking sites add to asthma exacerbation as well by accelerating climate change and increasing temperatures which increases ground-level ozone.” This paper adds to the mounting research link- ing the fracking industry to various health impacts. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, involves injecting water and silica sand, and a slurry of toxic chemicals at high pressures into the ground to release gas de- posits. “We are concerned with the growing number of stud- ies that have observed health effects associated with this industry,” said Brian S. Schwartz, MD, MS, an author of the study and professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Bloomberg School. “We believe it is time to take a more cautious approach to well development with an eye on environ- mental and public health impacts.” “Asthma is a common disease with large individual and societal burdens, so the possibility that UNGD [Unconventional natural gas development] may in- crease risk for asthma exacerbations requires public health attention,” the authors concluded. “As ours is the first study to our knowledge of UNGD and objec- tive respiratory outcomes, and several other health outcomes have not been investigated to date, there is an urgent need for more health studies. These should include more detailed exposure assessment to better characterize pathways and to identify the phases of

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 39 Books

Firmly Planted In The Stone Age, Politically

Shenkman relates that we are driven by gossip, which POLITICAL ANIMALS worked well in tribes of less than Malcolm Gladwell’s How Our Stone-Age Brain Gets “magic number” of 150. Since we live in a world of In The Way Of Smart Politics millions, though, this leads to apathy and paralysis. Our brains can’t handle too many people. By Rick Shenkman On top of this, we have hard time reading politi- Basic Books cians. Whether it was Ronald Reagan or Richard Nix- 336 pages, $26.99 on, Shenkman finds that our ability to read people is pretty good, but it’s rather shallow, especially in large populations. Shenkman says our brains play tricks on us. For ex- BY JOHN WOOD ample, in a Harvard study, students watched 10-sec- ond videos of people running for governor. They were ick Shenkman writes a compelling book asked who had won. Fifty-eight percent of time they about our political system and our relation were right on who won. Instantaneous assessment to it. Shenkman gives us insight into how seems to influence what people favor. someone like Donald Trump could win the An awful lot of voters are doing this instantaneous RRepublican nomination. selection, which says something about how we as- To do so, the author takes us back 100 years to sess candidates. New Jersey’s four freak shark attacks in 1916. That In a study at Princeton, students were shown mug year, Woodrow Wilson won handily, but not in those shots of U.S. senators for a measly one second. They NJ counties where the shark attacks happened, even correctly identified the winner at a 70% rate, which is though he was that state’s governor just four years much higher than most politicos. earlier. Seems strange for constituents to go against We tend to spend little time deciding to vote for the incumbent in his home state, but it also appears with almost no real information. Our brains fail us. that the people there wanted to lash out against any- We all want to feel good about our situations, so one and they took it out on Wilson as the incumbent. Shenkman argues that we fail to reward politicians In this case, our instincts went against us, because who tell us the truth. That undermines our abilities reasonably, no one could blame Wilson for shark at- to ultimately respond whatever the situation. Exam- tacks. So, Shenkman asks: “Why don’t our instincts ple: We hated Jimmy Carter’s Malaise speech because work all the time?” we felt bad about ourselves. He answers his own question, which is central to Shenkman argues that our bodies and brains are the book: We are essentially still in the Stone Age! still stuck in the Stone Age. Seeing what we see on Our brains were designed to solve problems as TV, we think we know familiar faces. In the Stone hunter-gatherers. This design fails as we face the Age, we knew three people in our community. We incredibly complex problems of the 21st Century. could read faces because we had context, we knew Shenkman says we can’t trust our instincts anymore. their character. We see people on TV, we think they When it comes to politics, you can’t unquestionably are familiar. go with your instincts because of the four failures of In addition Shenkman argues that we fail to show our human condition: Apathy, not reading politicians empathy. He finds that 1% of the population is psy- properly, not rewarding politicians for truth-telling, chopathic and one-fourth of those in jail are as well. and failure to show empathy when it is called for. This is true in politics, as well. Consider the case of Apathy is revealed when we have a population of Rob Portman, a rabidly, anti-gay U.S. senator. It took low-information voters at the highest rates ever. Portman’s son, coming out as gay, to give the senator 40 • AUGUST 2016 a new perspective. It took empa- thy, going against abstraction. Likewise, we unfortunately find it easy to bomb other countries when those people live far away and speak a different language. In those cases, we think in abstrac- tions and empathy fades away. Shenkman spends some time talking about Linda Taylor, who became Ronald Reagan’s political foil – she made $150,000 a year on welfare, falsely claiming multiple identities. While she in no way represented the average welfare recipient, Reagan found her useful to trigger our natural anger toward freeloaders. Shenkman argues that we think we can rely on our empathy, but we can’t – and it skews debates, because we end up siding with those we most know. For example, in a debate where someone pro- motes the idea that we need to carpet-bomb ISIS, that person has an advantage over someone who holds the opposite the view and is empathetic. This is because it is difficult to have empathy when people look, speak and even think differently. Why did Trump win? It’s not about him. He instead makes his supporters feel good about them- selves and not guilty for their an- ger toward minorities. They can feel free to be their bigoted selves, a dark side they long felt the need to hide. Shenkman’s book synthesizes a lot of emerging research, inte- WHY WAIT? grating the brain with evolution, in a very readable fashion. Unfor- Now you can subscribe to The Oklahoma Observer tunately, the human condition at the Full Circle Books checkout counter detailed in two-thirds of the book and receive your free book certificate on the spot! may cause the reader to despair. IMPORTANT RESTRICTIONS Even so, Shenkman is surpris- To take advantage of this offer, visit Full Circle Books, where you can subscribe to The Oklahoma Observer at the checkout ingly optimistic. He finds that edu- counter and receive your free book certificate immediately. You also may subscribe to The Observer using the coupon on page 3 of this issue or by visiting our web site www.okobserver.net. You then will receive via U.S. Mail a certificate from Full Circle Books for a cation indeed works with low in- free book [$20 limit]. The certificate is not transferable and must be presented in person at Full Circle Books in order to receive your free book. No facsimiles, printouts or photocopies will be accepted as a substitute for the original Full Circle certificate. This book formation voters who are the most offer is for new subscribers only. Not valid with any other offer. prone to the type of fear promoted by candidates like Trump. anger because it paralyzes our miliar. Luckily, while biological evolu- thinking, but being anxious opens We can grow and evolve. We al- tion is slow-moving, cultural revo- it up. ways have and always will. lution is rather fast-paced, and we When the world doesn’t fit our John Wood, PhD, is an assistant are not slaves to our instincts. We stories, we can go either way – to professor of political science at can tell stories to humanize those fear, anger and war or to hope, am- the University of Central Oklaho- who are not immediately familiar biguity, anxiousness and open up ma and a regular contributor to to us. We need to stay away from to science and what is not so fa- The Oklahoma Observer. THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 41 Cure To Some VA Waits Creates New Ills BY FROMA HARROP

e who oppose calls to privatize the work ulent ones. Veterans with great needs are bumped of the Veterans Affairs Department are out of appointments by fakers. And money that could sorely tested at times. Complaints two go to those too disabled to work a regular job gets years ago of unreasonably long waits for diverted to the well-bodied. careW at VA health facilities led to “reforms” in several Veterans themselves are complaining about the VA programs. scams. Here are two stories as reported in The Wall In 2013, applications for VA disability benefits were Street Journal: piling up, with some claims languishing for over a Brian Jacobson spent more than year on roadside year. The remedy – streamlining the process for judg- patrol in Iraq’s Diyala province. He justly receives dis- ing disability claims – was not done carefully. ability compensation for post-traumatic stress disor- The new computerized system demanded less evi- der and traumatic brain injury. dence to prove disability. Examiners were given less But when he was applying for the benefit, a clinic time to spend with the applicants, forcing them to staffer advised him thus: Act “like you have a screw make rushed evaluations. It was inevitable that some loose in your head. Wear clothes with holes that veterans would exploit these weaknesses to obtain haven’t been washed in a while. And act like you’ve unwarranted disability payments or pad their checks. been homeless.” Jacobson knew he was fully quali- As a result, the plan to unclog the pipeline for dis- fied for disability compensation, but the coaching, he ability claims has ended up re-clogging it with fraud- CONTINUED ON PAGE 47 42 • AUGUST 2016 Observations Better Information, Better Policy Oklahoma Policy Institute provides timely and credible information, analysis and commentary on state policy issues. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 See our latest issue briefs, fact sheets and blog posts at:

Think things are bad in Oklahoma now? Wait until a Trump Administration gets ahold of the U.S. govern- ment purse. In a state so dependent on its military David Blatt, Director n 918.794.3944 n [email protected] installations and federal civilian jobs, it could make the Dust Bowl-Depression era look like boom times.

Local Control

Big Ag is promoting SQ 777 – the cleverly, but inapt- ly named “Right to Farm” proposition on November’s ballot – because it wants to enshrine in the state Con- stitution the ability to do whatever the hell it wants. No local say. No state government oversight. No way to ensure water isn’t poisoned, air isn’t polluted and neighborhoods aren’t protected from feedlots. SQ 777 is up for statewide vote because the Re- publican-dominated Legislature heeded its Big Ag TOM and SHERRI masters and, yet again, broke its promises to rank- and-file Oklahomans that local control was best. Sac- GOODWIN rosanct. Inviolable. Cheyenne, OK Remember, the GOP majority rammed through legis- lation blocking cities from setting a higher minimum Readers and supporters of The Observer wage and expanding worker rights. It also thwarted municipal authority to ban hydraulic fracturing and for over 30 years and counting. other oil and gas activities. Now it wants the voters to give Big Ag license to op- erate unfettered – claiming it would protect farmers and ranchers from wild-eyed, liberal, out-of-state ani- mal rights groups like the Humane Society and PETA. Other states seem to be operating just fine, thank WORSHIP AT MAYFLOWER CHURCH you, by allowing local governments to set standards that work best for them. For example, five counties For religion that is biblically responsible, intellectually honest, emotionally satisfying, in California have now banned fracking. Two other and socially significant. Services at 9 and 11 a.m. counties also are considering such prohibitions. Full church school. Interestingly, Colorado voters will decide two initia- Located on NW 63rd Street, tives in November that would enhance local control one block west of Portland, 405/842-8897. over fracking – one that would give cities authority to impose stricter health and safety regulations than Dr. Robin Meyers, Minister the state and another that would create 2,500-foot Rev. Lori Walke, Associate Pastor buffer zones between new oil-gas drilling and homes, Mayflower Congregational Church schools, playgrounds, water sources and other sensi- 3901 NW 63 Street, Okla. City, OK 73116 tive areas. Not surprising, the drilling industry – including such companies as Anadarko Petroleum Corp., Noble Energy and Whiting Petroleum – is spending millions Read in hopes of killing the initiatives. No doubt SQ 777 is a pre-emptive strike against a The Observer similar pro-environmental movement here. Oklaho- mans headed to the polls Nov. 8 would be wise not to On-Line vote away their rights to protect their backyards. www.okobserver.net THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 43 Observerscope

11701 N. MacArthur Blvd. Oklahoma City, Ok. 73162

[405] 721-3252 springcreekbc.com

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 Laurel: To Journal Record Editor Ted Streuli, to be honored Aug. 10 at the Voice Awards in Los Angeles for his work in mental health. The award is a program of the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Happy 90th birthday this month to dedicated Ob- server reader Monroe F. Reece of Tulsa. Have an extra piece of cake for us!

George W. Bush tells former staffers gathered in Dallas he’s worried he could be the “last Republican president.” His disastrous administration set the stage for Trump’s nomination.

Priorities? 98.5% of Millennials can correctly iden- tify Pokémon character Pikachu, but only 61% can identify Vice President Joe Biden. – Time

In handicapping the presidential race, consider this: Catholics represent 22% of the electorate – simi- lar to the number of blacks and Latinos, combined – and were on winning side of the popular vote in the last 10 presidential elections.

Laurel: To Northern Oklahoma College, ranked No. 1 among public two-year colleges for students’ return on investment, according to SmartAsset. Average starting salary for grads is 1.9 times the total cost of attending NOC.

Edmond’s City Council votes to oppose SQ 779, the proposed one-cent sales tax hike for education. It’s a tough spot for municipalities – good schools keep and attract residents, but the sales tax is their pri- mary source of revenue.

It won’t be official until later this year, but it ap- pears certain OK’s public schools will be majority THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER minority this year. White students outnumbered non- whites last year by only 26. Your Passport To Oklahoma’s Most Progressive, Forty percent of unarmed people who die at the Socially Responsible And Intellectual Audience hands of police are black men – even though they rep- Advertising rates start as low resent only 6% of the U.S. population. Of the 1,502 as $40 per issue. killed by on-duty officers since Jan. 1, 2015, 732 were white, 381 black and 382 of unknown race. – Call 405.478.8700 for details. Time/Washington Post 44 • AUGUST 2016 Letters

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 okea.org ity Leader Harry Reid. Harry has come up with a mil- lion dollars to help a so-called Democrat [with a lousy record and who supposedly donated a large sum of money to Mitt Romney four years ago] to run against Alan in the Florida primary. I have also heard that the Democratic National Committee did several things which tended to help Hillary, or hurt Bernie’s chances in their duel for the presidential nomination. This has resulted in the sudden departure of Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. We Democrats must come up with a way to stop this internal battle. Jerry Gowman Oklahoma City

Editor, The Observer: With the attention given to the bride of Donald Trump over the cribbing of her speech from one given by the bride of President Obama, no one has pointed to the entrance of Trump at the convention on Mon- day evening, July 18. Trump arrived in the midst of a cloud and strode forth like an emperor of old. But note: in the biblical tradition, the cloud is a symbol of God. God speaks from a cloud, commending Jesus as his Son. Also, the Messiah is foretold as returning on clouds of glo- ry. With Mr. Trump appearing in a cloud, the only in- terpretation one can make is that God blesses Trump and furthermore he is the true Messiah! And as a friend pointed out: the supermodel is the queen of Sheba! Jeff Hamilton Midwest City Editor’s Note: Jeff Hamilton is a former Democratic state representative who served from 1984-94.

Editor, The Observer: There has to be something fundamentally wrong with religion when it is used as a platform, tool and weapon to rule the lives of citizens, whether of that religious persuasion or not. Yet, people continue to blindly flock to these beliefs without question or shame. The Trump GOP has allowed the delusional evan- gelical wing of the party to write much of the GOP campaign platform. As expected, it if filled with hate,

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 45 bigotry, discrimination and punitive measures to be a $69.6 million rate increase at ratepayers’ expense. imposed against citizens and groups that the faithful They couldn’t wait for the Oklahoma Corporation find unsuitable. In part, it states that the U.S. Con- Commission to approve or deny their $92.5 million stitution is essentially subservient to the “god given, rate increase request. So a technicality in the law per- natural, unalienable rights of the people” – to be de- mitted the big utility to just raise their own rates. It termined by the faithful, I assume. sure doesn’t work like that at my job. I am amazed how card-carrying Republicans buy You would think OG&E is barely squeaking by fi- into these positions without hesitation or objection. nancially, but actually the company reported reve- Essentially exhibiting a cult-like mentality and devo- nues of $2.2 billion and net income of $271 million tion to this faith-based political dogma. for 2015, but paid no income taxes because of accu- Maybe it is time to reconsider the place of religion mulated federal and state tax benefits earned in prior in society. Perhaps it is time to begin taxing the prop- years. On Jan. 1, 2016, the company still held more erty and income of these tax-exempt institutions. If than $150 million in unused state tax credits. the church wants to continue to be actively involved Citizens should oppose OG&E’s $92.5 million rate politically in government and the laws that effect citi- increase. It would double the base rate – that’s the zens, as they do now [see the fingerprints of major amount we pay no matter how much or little electric- religious leaders and figureheads on the 2016 GOP ity we use – from $13 to $26 per month. The rate in- platform], then religious institutions should be taxed crease would also create a more regressive “demand like all other citizens. Pay to play as it were. charge” pay structure by allowing the big utility to It is time for a change in the way we do business identify our highest 15 minutes of electric use during with religious institutions. the month and multiply that kilowatt use by $2.75 as Michael R. Collins an additional charge on our bills. Ponca City No publicly regulated utility in the U.S. has ever been allowed to place a demand charge on residential Editor, The Observer: users. We don’t want to be first. Now is not the time. Oklahoma Gas & Electric recently gave themselves Please tell the Oklahoma Corporation Commission at 405.521.2211 before it’s too late. Phyllis Bryant Clinton Bethany CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER federal officials in the development of federal pol- icies affecting our communities. She has been a vocal and visionary leader Your Passport To Oklahoma’s Most for tribal citizens as a supporter of the Violence Progressive, Socially Responsible Against Women Act, Tribal Colleges, the Indian And Intellectual Audience Health Care Improvement Act and the UN’s Dec- laration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Advertising rates start as low Secretary Clinton is the most qualified candi- as $40 per issue. date to be president because she understands that our brightest future lies in strong relation- Call 405.478.8700 for details. ships, especially as we strive to bring equality and economic development to Indian Country. History teaches us that failure to include the voices of tribal leaders leads to devastating re- sults for Indian people. This dialogue is critical to productive federal-tribal relationships. As president, Hillary Clinton will continue an ac- tive dialogue with tribal governments. She will focus a progressive agenda on the needs of our youth, our women, our veterans, our natural re- sources and access to quality health care for our people for generations. I hope you join me in supporting Hillary Clinton as this race moves forward, as she is the best equipped and most experienced person in the race to become our next commander-in-chief. Bill John Baker is principal chief of the Cherokee Nation.

46 • AUGUST 2016 Waits CONTINUED FROM PAGE 42 said, made him “feel dishonest.” Such discussions must also note the very good rea- Another veteran of the Iraq War, Jack Murphy, said sons for rocketing disability costs, unrelated to fraud. he was told to say that he had “horrible nightmares” The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have drawn Amer- and was “too shellshocked to do anything.” He was to ican troops into very dangerous and stressful mis- add that he’s impotent, even as his wife was expect- sions, creating a growing population of injured and ing. As for his pregnant wife, the friends reportedly sick veterans. Improvements in battlefield medicine said, “They don’t know anything.” are saving the lives of many grievously injured troops Adding to the problem has been an easing of stan- who would otherwise not have survived. They return dards for obtaining disability payments. For example, home with broken bodies. proof of a traumatizing event in war was once required Those wounded in service to their country are en- for claiming PTSD. Now it isn’t, which helps explain titled to the best of care. If their injuries impede their why PTSD claims nearly doubled from 2011 to 2015. ability to work, then a monthly disability check is One wishes these applicants, though a minority of their due. But though all veterans deserve thanks for veterans, would refuse to lie their way to benefits that their service, they are not entitled to commit fraud. could go to their suffering comrades. But human na- The solution for long waits – whether for decisions ture being such, it’s obvious that if you open a path on disability claims or receiving medical attention to receiving a monthly check with lies, some people – should be more staff to do the work. Opening op- will try to take it. This applies to all government pro- portunities for cheating serves neither taxpayers nor grams. veterans stuck in the resulting gridlock. It creates Veterans’ disability payments have soared from unfairness all around. about $15 billion in 2000 to over $60 billion last year. © Creators.com Kid Wisdom A Sunday School teacher was discussing the Ten ALL of Grandma’s hairs are white?” Commandments with her five- and six-year-olds. • After explaining the commandment to “honor thy For weeks, a six-year old lad kept telling his first- father and thy mother,” she asked, “Is there a com- grade teacher about the baby brother or sister that mandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers was expected at his house. and sisters?” One day the mother allowed the boy to feel the Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, movements of the unborn child. The six-year old was “Thou shall not kill.” obviously impressed, but made no comment. Fur- • thermore, he stopped telling his teacher about the An honest seven-year-old told her parents that Bil- impending event. ly Brown had kissed her after class. The teacher finally sat the boy on her lap and said, “How did that happen?” gasped her mother. “Tommy, whatever has become of that baby brother “It wasn’t easy,” admitted the young lady, “but or sister you were expecting at home?” three girls helped me catch him.” Tommy burst into tears and confessed, “I think • Mommy ate it!” One day, a little girl was sitting and watching her – Thanks to A.J. Henshaw for sharing mother do the dishes at the kitch- en sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head. “Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?” she asked. Her mother replied, “Well, every time you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.” The little girl thinks about this awhile, then asked, “So how come

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 47