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VOL. 44, NO. 3 An Independent Journal of Commentary FEBRUARY 10, 2012 Prisons Are Overflowing State Penal Reform? By Frosty Troy One in 99 Americans festers in Council of State Governments Justice prison with the rate rising to one in Center on an in-depth analysis of the nine for young black men. America’s state’s criminal justice system. imprisoned population is 2.3 million. Few punitive laws are ever repealed, Violent crime is higher than it was 40 though the Supreme Court recently years ago. pared back a law against depriving the No other country is nearly as puni- public of “the intangible right of hon- tive as the “Land of the Free.” The rate est services” which prosecutors loved of incarceration is a fifth of America’s because they could use it against al- level in Britain, a ninth in Germany most anyone. Still, they have plenty and a 12th in Japan. of other weapons. Oklahoma ranks fourth in men be- As a result Oklahoma prisons are hind bars, first in the percentage of now packed not only with thugs and women in prison. Oklahoma has a rapists but also with petty thieves, staggering 26,000 in prison. small-time drug dealers and criminals A serious attempt has been made who, though scary when they were to keep imprisoned Oklahoma wom- young and strong, are now too grey en connected to their children. Some and arthritic to pose a threat. non-violent offenders are being re- Prison is expensive – $20,000 per leased with ankle monitors as well as inmate per year in Oklahoma. The counseling and finding them jobs. cost of imprisoning often far exceeds No such program has been devel- the benefits, in terms of crimes avert- oped for men. An estimated 21,482 ed. minor children have fathers in Okla- New York cut its incarceration rate homa’s prisons. More than 10,000 by 15% between 1997 and 2007, while were living with dads alone. reducing violent crime by 40%. Oklahoma is that part of America Oklahoma, as noted by Speaker that has taken a tough, frontier at- Steele, needs fewer and clearer laws, titude toward justice. That tendency rises, tough sentences are demand- has mandatory minimum sentences, so that citizens do not need a law de- sharpened around four decades ago ed to solve the problem. As a result, which remove judges’ discretion to gree to stay out of jail. Acts that can as rising crime became an emotive America’s incarceration rate has qua- show mercy, even when the circum- be regulated should not be criminal- political issue and voters took to drupled since 1970. stances of a case cry out for it. ized. backing politicians who promised to Conservatives and liberals will al- “Three strikes” laws, which were at Steele worked hard to see a law on stamp out crime. ways feud about the right level of first used to put away persistently vio- the books that the governor had to act As House Speaker Kris Steele, R- punishment. Most Oklahomans think lent criminals for life, have in several within 30 days on parole recommen- Shawnee, noted, there is a 41% in- that those who are convicted should states been applied to lesser offend- dations. [Former Gov. Brad Henry sat crease in the cost of the criminal jus- go to prison for long periods of time, ers. on them for months]. Little did Steele tice system over the last decade. especially for violent offenses. The war on drugs has led to harsh suspect that Gov. Fallin would not Lawmakers want to sound tough Even by that standard, the extreme sentences not just for dealing illegal follow 50% of her own Parole Board’s and propose laws tougher than the toughness of Oklahoma’s laws, es- drugs, but also for selling prescrip- recommendations. last legislators’ toughest proposals. pecially the ever-broader classes of tion drugs illegally. Peddling a hand- Prosecutors’ powers should be When the crime rate falls, tough “criminals” affected by them, ful can lead to a 15-year sentence. clipped: most white-collar suspects sentences are hailed as the cause, seems increasingly counterproduc- Oklahoma imprisons people for are not gangsters, and should not even when demography or other fac- tive. technical violations of immigrant be treated as if they were. Mandatory tors may matter more. When the rate Along with many states Oklahoma laws, environmental standards and minimum sentencing laws should be arcane business rules. So many fed- repealed, or replaced with guidelines. eral rules carry criminal penalties The most dangerous criminals that experts struggle to count them. ought to be locked up, but Oklahoma Many are incomprehensible. could try harder to reintegrate the Gov. Mary Fallin, Senate President softer cases into society by encourag- Pro Tempore Brian Bingman, Steele ing them to study or work and by end- and other state leaders recently ing the pointlessly vindictive gesture kicked off “Oklahoma’s Justice Rein- of not letting them vote. vestment Initiative.” The reason behind the program for A diverse, bipartisan, 20-member Oklahoma women in prison who have working group comprised of key state children resulted from a study that leaders and criminal justice stake- a child whose mother is in prison is holders has been working with the See PRISONS Page 19 Observations Fallin’s Folly

Mark it down – Feb. 6, 2012 – the This is one more reason why some date on which Gov. Mary Fallin sealed claim churches should be taxed. Pul- her legacy for the history books. pit politics is common in Oklahoma Fallin unveiled an income tax elimi- and some churches have no respect nation scheme that undoubtedly of- for the separation of church and state. fers short-term political appeal, but in Windsor Hills has been notoriously reality is nothing more than “Voodoo political. The inference in the recent Economics, Redux.” sign is that Obama was behind the Where is David Stockman when you failed Solyndra program. He wasn’t. need him? We tried this fairy tale the- Not all Oklahoma Baptist churches ory – that cutting taxes will increase ignore the Constitution. But remem- revenues – before and it was a spec- ber, even Jesus didn’t pick 12 win- tacular failure. ners. Yet, Fallin is nothing if not the consummate toady of the state’s 1%, whose unabashed greed fuels a nev- Living Longer er-ending quest to impose a reverse Robin Hood system that shifts more Large declines in U.S. mortality of the tax burden to those who can rates in the past century have trans- least afford it. lated into sizable increases in the With a straight face, the governor survival of Americans of all ages. proposed blasting a $1 billion hole While mortality declined mostly in state revenues – with more cuts among children in the first part of the Nationally Board Certified teachers, to Republicans to come – at the same time she pro- 20th Century, in the second half mor- Sen. Jim Wilson wants to repeal the • Proctor & Gamble, $243K, 79% to motes, for example, spending hun- tality declines were concentrated at sales tax exemption for newspapers Republicans dreds of millions of dollars to fix di- older ages. and periodicals. • Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. [chicken], lapidated bridges. The probability of a 65-year-old sur- SB 1098 would provide additional $366K, 100% Republican She also displays breathtaking au- viving to age 85 has doubled between revenue according to the Oklahoma • Outback Steakhouse, $641K, 95% dacity in ridiculing federal spending: 1970-2005, the latest figures avail- Tax Commission, which the Democrat to Republicans At the same time she urged a federal able. from Tahlequah says could be used to • Tricon Global Restaurants [KFC, balanced budget amendment, she Education is the key to longevity pay back the state’s most qualified Pizza Hut, Taco Bell], $133K, 87% to suggested the state borrow – borrow! because that affects health, wealth teachers. Republicans – millions of dollars for routine Capi- and occupation. Poverty exacts its “The state made an agreement to • Brinker International [Maggianos, tol maintenance and improvements. toll for lack of a good diet and health pay teachers $5,000 per year if they Brinker Cafe, Chili’s, On the Border, Whatever happened to Republican insurance. became Nationally Board Certified. Macaroni Grill, Cozymel’s, Corner devotion to pay-as-you-go? When Jesus said the poor you will There is an exception in the law al- Bakery, EatZis], $242K, 83% to Re- The train-wreck that Fallin pro- always have with you, he didn’t mean lowing the state to renege on its com- publicans poses won’t fully be understood until to ignore it but change it. Social Secu- mitment if money is not available, • Waffle House, $279K, 100% to Re- long after she’s gone, even if she wins rity and Medicare have made a world but that agreement is a contract and publicans a second term. But once rank-and- of difference both for poor youth and should be paid back eventually,” said • McDonald’s $197K, 86% to Repub- file taxpayers come to realize what it senior citizens. Wilson. licans means for schools, roads and child Which is why you have to wonder Wilson came up with the $17 million • Darden Restaurants [Red Lobster, welfare, there will be hell to pay. And about Oklahoma’s House delegation NBC teacher backlog figure by adding Olive Garden, Smokey Bones, Bahama history will not treat this governor voting to eliminate Medicare. GOP the shortages of bonuses made in the Breeze], $121K, 89% to Republicans kindly. Rep. James Lankford wants to do past three years. In 2010, the state • Marriott International, $323K, away with Social Security in favor of gave districts $5,000 for each certi- 81% to Republicans “vouchers.” fied teacher, but neglected to pay the • Holiday Inns, $38K, 71% to Repub- At It Again You get what you vote for. district’s portion of payroll taxes. licans In this case some of the districts Among the largest Democratic Par- A big, bold sign in front of Wind- shorted their teachers $355.32 in ty funders: sor Hills Baptist Church in Oklahoma He Filed What? their gross pay to accommodate the • Hyatt Corp., $187K, 80% to Demo- City proclaimed: Obama Wants an- under reimbursement. The teachers crats other $1.2 trillion for more Solyndra Wow! Talk about a firestorm. In an were shorted $1,495.42 in their gross • Sonic Corp., $83K, 98% to Demo- spending. When will the bleeding effort to fund the estimated $17 mil- pay in 2011. crats stop? lion backlog owed to Oklahoma’s If this bill goes anywhere it would • Triarc Companies [Arby’s, T.J. Cin- be a miracle. One of the most potent namon’s, Pasta Connections], $112K, lobbies at the Capitol is the Oklaho- 96% to Democrats ma Press Association. Let People Vote

www.okobserver.net GOP’s Big Donors After a Mississippi judge blocked the release of 21 inmates pardoned by FOUNDING PUBLISHER • Helen B. Troy [1970-2006] PUBLISHER Next time you’re out and about din- former Gov. Haley Barbour, Oklaho- [ISSN 0030-1795] Beverly Hamilton ing or shopping consider the largest ma Sen. Harry Coates pointed to the The Oklahoma Observer [USPS 865-720] is published the 10th and 25th of each month, except July 25th and Dec. [email protected] funders in America for the Republi- resulting controversy as a textbook 25th, by AHB Enterprises LLC, 13912 Plymouth Xing, P.O. Box 405.478.8700 can Party: example of why Oklahoma should 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. Periodicals postage • WalMart, $467K, 97% to Republi- remove the governor from the parole paid at Oklahoma City, OK 73125. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Oklahoma EDITOR cans process. Observer, P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. Arnold Hamilton • K-Mart, $524K, 86% to Republi- Barbour issued more than 200 par- SUBSCRIPTIONS: 1-Year [22 issues] $40. Send check to [email protected] cans dons just days before leaving office. The Oklahoma Observer, P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 405.478.8700 • Home Depot, $298K, 89% to Re- Four of those pardoned and released 73113-0275. Online: Visit www.okobserver.net to use a credit card. publicans were convicted murderers, all of UPDATE ADDRESSES: Please notify us at least two weeks FOUNDING EDITOR • Target, $226K, 70% to Republicans whom had worked at the governor’s before your move to ensure uninterrupted service. E-Mail to Frosty Troy • Circuit City Stores, $261K, 95% to mansion while serving their sentenc- [email protected] or mail to P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. [email protected] Republicans es in minimum-security prisons. LETTERS TO EDITOR: E-mail to [email protected] or 405.760.1843 • 3M Co., $281K, 87% to Republi- While the Legislature in 201l ap- mail to P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. cans proved a measure to remove the gov- SPEAKERS BUREAU: To book Founding Editor Frosty Troy OUR MOTTO: To Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the Comfort- • Hallmark Cards, $319K, 92% to ernor from the parole process for for your Chamber banquet, convention or other gathering, and able. for rates and availability, call 405.760.1843. You also may sub- OUR CREDO: So then to all their chance, to all their shining Republicans most nonviolent crimes, Coates has mit your request via e-mail to [email protected] or by U.S. golden opportunity. To all the right to love, to live, to work, • Amway, $391K, 100% Republican filed a bill to remove the governor mail to P.O. Box 53371, Oklahoma City, OK 73152-3371. to be themselves, and to become whatever thing their vision • Kohler Co. [plumbing fixtures], completely from the process. Amen! To invite Editor Arnold Hamilton to address your civic and humanity can combine to make them. This seeker, is the club, students or political gathering, contact him directly at promise of America. $283K, 100% Republican SJR 46 would send the issue to a 405.478.8700 or at [email protected]. - Adapted from Thomas Wolfe • B.F. Goodrich [tires], $215K, 97% vote of the people. THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 2 Observerscope

Among the current crop of Repub- Our favorite legislative moron is at licans in the Legislature, if any dies it again – Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-OKC, and are cremated, their ashes should has a bill calling for a vote of the peo- be spread on the Oklahoma State ple that would grant “personhood” to Chamber of Commerce. a human embryo. Even Mississippi voters turned thumbs down on that Dart: To Oklahoma, ranking 29th lunacy. on the list of the most humane states. Maybe the new puppy mill bill will Laurel: To Sen. Jerry Ellis, D-Val- boost the state’s rating. liant, for his SB 1027 prohibiting tex- ting or reading text messages while We were disappointed that House driving. Speaker Kris Steele, R-Shawnee, came out in favor of cutting the state Oklahomans smoke too much. More income tax. It probably is the only than 23% of adults smoke, more than way he could get his penal reforms 20% of kids in high school smoke. though the Legislature. In Oklahoma more than 6,000 die of smoking each year. Laurel: To Dr. Eric Pfeifer, the new Dart: To legislative leadership that Laurel: To American Catholics, both chief medical examiner, reducing a failed to provide adequate funds for clergy and lay members who can now Dart: To the 62% who told the Soon- horrendous backlog of 1,111 autop- our world-class CareerTech. They appeal to a local authority instead of er Poll that Gov. Mary Fallin is doing sies to the current 69. One couple had have had to close prison programs. the Bishop of the Diocese. A canon a good job. If you wonder why Demo- to wait six months to find out how Director Phil Berkenbile called it law society is bringing democracy to crats are declining look no further their son died. quits and is running as a Republican the church. than half-assed Democrats. for a seat in the state Senate. Want to know why we consider Brad We were stunned by the state Su- Since the latest kick is rating jour- Henry a Democratic Party disaster? Those federal government-hating preme Court turning down a Senate nalism, why not rate hospitals and He not only signed $801 million in Republicans were tickled pink that redistricting case. It is clearly gerry- doctors? Oklahoma will if Sen. Tom Republican tax cuts, he signed the the feds approved Oklahoma’s hos- mandering. Maybe the court is worry- Adelson, D-Tulsa, has his way. Doc- bill creating state-supported vouch- pital provider fee, expected to raise ing more about politics than the Con- tors and hospitals reacted by saying ers for private and parochial schools. $340 million to reimburse certain stitution. their costs would go up. So? hospitals for patient care. Dart: To the Legislature for cutting Dart: To Mitt Romney who finally Laurel: To Mitt Romney for pointing Mental Health $30 million, sad news Laurel: To QuikTrip Corp., Chesa- disclosed his tax returns. Worth $250 out that being a Mormon has not one for 240,915 adults in need of treat- peake Energy Corp., Devon Energy million. Last year he paid an effective thing to do with running for presi- ment for substance abuse. Their lack Corp. and American Fidelity Assur- rate of 13.9% – far less than middle dent. Mormons are 2% of the Ameri- of treatment costs taxpayers tens of ance, all rated best places to work, class families. Newt Gingrich earned can population. We thought Jack millions every year. according to Fortune’s annual report. $3 million and paid 30% in taxes. Kennedy buried that issue, but bigots will be bigots. Oklahoma has 17 prisons but if Some House members are send- Fact Check: We erred in our item Speaker Kris Steele, R-Shawnee, has ing name-calling anonymous e-mails, on District Attorneys supervising U.S. networks [ABC, NBC and CBS] his way penal reform will head the leading Speaker Kris Steele to form 40,000 probationers [Observerscope, spent only 32 MINUTES and 14 sto- 2012 agenda. Most prisoners are non- an Ethics Committee that promises to 1.10.12]. The probation fee is $40 per ries for all of 2011 on climate change, violent, costing taxpayers $20,000 a censure the offenders if it continues. month. probably the most important issue year. the world faces, according to Think Dart: To those law-and-order legis- Laurel: To Oklahoma where only Progress. Laurel: To the federal judge who lators who keep adding to the list of 15% binge drink. Taxpayers end up killed Oklahoma’s proposed constitu- prisoners required to serve 85% of footing a $223.5 billion cost attrib- Dart: To Rep. Mike Reynolds, R- tional amendment on Sharia law, say- their sentences. If it stopped, the sav- uted to binge drinking. OKC, for HB 2195 that would rein- ing it discriminates against religion. ings would be $249 million a year. state don’t ask, don’t tell to the Okla- Rep. Sally Kern, R-OKC, said she will Oklahoma has 175 physicians for homa National Guard. He argues that fix it this session. Yes, and pigs fly. Jan. 19 was the last day for filing every 100,000 Oklahomans – ranking federal military rules don’t apply to bills. There were 926 House bills and the state next to dead last. Idaho has the Guard. Really? AMR Corp. filed for reorganization 26 joint resolutions. The Senate filed only 2,400 medical doctors. in bankruptcy. Oklahoma can ill af- 972 bills and 45 joint resolutions. Where did the Oklahoma Council of ford the loss of thousands of jobs at Last year the House had 1,168 bills Dart: To Sen. Steve Russell, R-OKC, Public Affairs dig up Jonathan Small? the American airlines plant in Tulsa. and 41 joint resolutions. Reason for back with SB 1092 to permit those He’s a CPA and claims Oklahoma Union workers say the company has the difference? They forgot to order meeting a few requirements to openly doesn’t have a revenue problem. It been badly mismanaged and this is a enough crayons. carry a weapon. If it passes be careful proves you can pass the courses but way to cut salaries and benefits. about cutting someone off in traffic. they don’t include common sense. Laurel: To Oklahoma Policy Insti- Dart: To doctors who take gifts – tute’s David Blatt for pointing out the sometimes expensive gifts – from danger of phasing out the income tax. pharmaceutical companies. The Tulsa It is the fairest tax of all – based on World tallied $6.3 million in gifts to ability to pay. Oklahoma already has promote drugs the companies make. high sales taxes and there would be an uproar if property taxes soared. We laughed out loud while reading Time Magazine [Jan. 23] featuring It’s official. The March 6 Oklahoma George W. Bush praising No Child Left primary ballot is set. On the Demo- Behind. He apparently didn’t know cratic side is Barack Obama, Jim Rog- Education Secretary Arne Duncan ers, Bob Ely, Darcy Richardson and has waivered every state. Oklahoma the religious nut Randall Terry. On educators were relieved. the GOP side: Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Michele Laurel: To Sen. David Holt, R-OKC, Bachmann, Newt Gingrich and Jon for SB 1243 which would subject Huntsman. the Legislature to the Open Meeting, Open Records Act. Democrat Donna Bebo of Fletcher is seeking Oklahoma’s 4th Congres- We are sorry to see state Rep. Dan- sional District seat. Her platform in- ny Morgan won’t be seeking re-elec- cludes repealing Bush era tax cuts, tion. He was a real Democratic leader ending corporate welfare and ensur- in the House, respected by both sides ing military cuts are careful to “pro- of the aisle. tect those who protect us.” THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 3 Letters Editor, The Observer: Policy has done of the task force re- It’s hard to express the extent of port, available at http://okpolicy.org/ my dismay and disappointment at the tax-reform-information. I’m confident Observer’s lead editorial in the Jan. their assessment will be different 25 edition that called the final report than yours. of the Tax Reform Task Force “excel- David Blatt lent” and urged the governor to heed Tulsa the report. Yes, there were some laud- able policy proposals included in the Editor, The Observer: report, including eliminating many Does Tulsa’s Republican Congress- tax credits that primarily benefit cor- man John Sullivan know that Canada porations. But that’s like praising the is not a part of the United States of domestic policies of President George America? W. Bush as “excellent” because he Interviewed on CNBC at 7:45 a.m. raised the child tax credit. CST, Jan. 17, Sullivan was typically The report: blasting President Obama. This time • Proposes to pay for cuts to the top he seemed irate because the presi- income tax rate by doing away with dent may have environmental con- the personal exemption and every tax cerns about piping heavy shale oil credit and deduction that benefits over the sensitive and vitally impor- low-income Oklahomans. Two-thirds tant Ogallala aquifer and is not run- of January. The Republicans continue to be of the revenues to offset the top in- ning unabashed in building the con- With the extravagant application of stunned that there are people in this come tax rate come from doing away troversial Keystone Pipeline. the filibuster by the minority party in country who have no photo ID. Gov. with these crucial broad-based tax Without rancor, Obama seems to be the U.S. Senate and the lack of work Nikki Haley, R-SC, asked, “how can exemptions, not business tax breaks. asking for full assurance there will ethics of the majority party in the you live a modern life without a photo A two-child family earning $30,000 a be no future burst of the huge line House of Representatives, their lead- ID? How can you get on a plane?” My year would pay $614 a year more in through Cushing, OK but across lo- ership could be compared to that of sister has never been on a plane. taxes, while a family earning $250,000 cations where a break could pollute Nero’s, of whom it was said, “He fid- Rick Santorum, R-PA, asked, “How would enjoy a $299 tax cut. This “ex- Ogallala water that is so vital for ag- dled while Rome burned.” do they buy beer or cigarettes if they cellent” plan is a true disaster for riculture and drinking in the Panhan- James B. Townsend have no photo ID?” That has never hard-working Oklahoma families. dle of Oklahoma. Because of Obama’s Shawnee been an issue for my sister. She has • Calls for the complete elimina- questioning, Keystone planners are never smoked or even had a beer. tion of the personal income tax over rethinking their route. Editor, The Observer: There are a lot of people like my time. Every time revenues would grow Sullivan informed national viewers Societies go through many phases sister. She is a simple country per- at all, the top income tax rate would of CNBC, the premier financial net- of trial and error – bequeathing to fu- son, but that doesn’t mean she’s not be cut deeper. Given the harm that re- work, that the pipeline will decrease ture generations the history books a valuable citizen of this country who peated cuts to state services have had our “dependence on foreign oil.” That full of lessons, often hard-learned or should be able to vote if she wants to. in recent years, and the challenges we is what was said by the duly elected at the expense of human life. My sister is intelligent and well in- face meeting our obligations, the last voice of the city that once self-pro- Slavery is one of those lessons. formed, the backbone of this country. thing we should be contemplating is claimed as “oil capital of the world.” Components in the justification of My sister receives some disabil- the elimination of our largest revenue If Sullivan doesn’t know that Can- this atrocious and predatory subjuga- ity income, but walks to the middle source. This “excellent” report is a ada is another foreign country, could tion of the image of God [the human] school every day and works part-time true disaster for every Oklahoman he also not know that oil and water include a presumed superior purpose for minimum wage as a janitor. Now, I who relies on state services. don’t mix? or agenda, one which supposedly guess Newt Gingrich, R-GA, is going • Emerged out of closed-door, pri- Joseph H. Carter overrides everything in its way, such to take that job away from her and vate meetings that the media and the Monkey Island as individuality and non-conformist give it to a nine-year-old. Maybe Newt public were excluded from. This “ex- beliefs. will send her to the moon to work on cellent” report is a disaster for trans- Editor, The Observer: We need to come to recognize that his colony. I hope that doesn’t require parency and accountability. The goal of the Republican Party, all unique people and walks of life a photo ID. If so, she’s in trouble. Your editorial could be defended if according to Senate Minority Lead- develop their own priorities and per- Deborah Lewis there were some flaws in an otherwise er Mitch McConnell, is to defeat the spectives. To the teen, it might be hav- Garland, TX solid report, or if the recommenda- re-election bid of President Barack ing a perfect complexion. To someone tions for making the tax system more Obama. I can appreciate their objec- who has struggled with survival, it Editor, The Observer: regressive and calling for the even- tive, but must ask, at what price to might be a nice warm place to sleep. So much to write about from this tual elimination of the income tax the middle class, the working poor If and when we ever begin to look on neck of the woods. A jail bond issue were incidental or peripheral to the and the poor. others with compassion instead of being refinanced for substantially the main proposal. But they weren’t. They The minority party has become the with narcissism, or as prey for our same debt as they began with some were the whole foundation of the re- majority party in the Senate through supposedly higher underlying agen- 13 years ago and, after announcing port. Yes, you swerved course at the the use of the filibuster that demands das, will we then be closer on track to they’d get new rates of from 3% to 6%, end of the editorial and took a jab at a 60-vote majority for passage of a bill God’s original purpose for humanity? are accepting 7%. But then these men the “witless buffoons” who’d do away or the approval of a presidential ap- Right now, much observation of hu- who represent Grady County, Mecca with the income tax – after endorsing pointment. We live in a country where man life consists in compassion vs. of Financial Malaise, Mistake and their master plan for doing precisely the majority rules in every situation, predation, as well as wolves seeking Mystery have never been known for that! In a word, given everything the except in the United States Senate. to dress better as sheep. their financial agility. Their original Observer believes in, you blew it big The Republican majority in the Stephanie Hershberger rates were in the 6+% range on most time with this editorial. House of Representatives under the Oklahoma City of the original debt. I hope your readers will take the leadership of Speaker Boehner has Then we have a public school ad- time to look at the analysis that OK taken a vacation for the entire month Editor, The Observer: ministration which is at odds with My oldest sister had polio as a their teachers and a college touting child. She has very limited use of her itself inappropriately when their en- Frosty Troy’s right hand and leg and walks with rollment is about the same as it was a pronounced limp. Therefore, she in the year 1934. What’s Right About Oklahoma has never had a driver’s license. She But those are for another day; what walks everywhere she goes. She still I’m hoping you may help me with is lives in the same small town where an issue long on my mind and which Want a pungent, humorous speech she was born. our public will never hear about again She has never had any reason to get without some assistance. That has from one of America’s best speakers? a photo ID to vote or anything else. to do with the organization known My sister only got a birth certificate as the OSSAA [Oklahoma Secondary Frosty covers 50 years of Oklahoma’s a few years ago and that took some Schools Activities Association] and crazy political scene. doing. She was born at home with the theft of some half million dollars no doctor in attendance. No matter from them by one of their own. how minimal the cost of a photo ID, It happened a few years ago and I’d Call Frosty at 405.760.1843 to book a speech. it would be a financial burden for my like to know the result of what I’ve sister. See LETTERS Page 5 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 4 Frosty Troy’s Notebook Unions Republicans are anti-union. Want proof? They have knocked out collective bargaining for all municipal employees with communities under 34,000 population. When police and fire- men stormed the Capitol, they exempted them. Why? Isn’t a person who picks up your gar- bage, keeps your streets clean and those em- ployees who keep City Hall humming just as entitled to bargaining rights? The Republican Frank Keating Administra- tion brought us right to work – which trans- lates right to scab. An employee holding a union job no longer has to belong to the union but enjoys the benefits of the union contract. Republicans particularly zeroed in on teach- ers. First they repealed trial do novo – or a teacher’s right to take a dismissal to district court. The Oklahoma Education Association FROSTY TROY with 30,000 members, beefed up their legal de- Founding Editor partment and will still help teachers who are fore him. The first case involved the mailers at the Daily Oklahoman. Publisher wrongfully terminated go to court. E.K. Gaylord fired them all and imported strike- breakers from out of state. Speaking of unions, how about the chambers of commerce and the State They literally lived and worked in the building at Fourth and Broadway because Chamber – they lobby and do all the things a union does. In fact, it’s a whispered of the pickets out front. And then came the truck drivers who delivered the Okla- fact at the Capitol that State Chamber Boss Fred Morgan is calling the shots. homan across the state – especially in western Oklahoma. E.K. fired them and The Tulsa Chamber got a wake-up call when American Airlines filed for reor- hired non-union drivers. ganization in bankruptcy. The union representing those 3,000 workers are the Little wonder that the Oklahoman has suffered in this down economy. It had United Auto Workers and were instantly blamed when it is a known fact that been losing customers for ages but now the Audit Bureau of Circulation, the AMR, the holding company, had been terribly mismanaged. All-told more than bible of advertisers, shows the Oklahoman has lost 70,000 subscribers. 6,000 jobs are affected at the AA plant. Labor unions built this country, not Chinese coolies. The first lockout came The facts prove otherwise. The union promptly agreed to work with the com- from Henry Ford and it’s been a struggle ever since. pany to keep it in Tulsa. The chamber immediately called for a bailout from the At last count, Oklahoma was 6% union – losing jobs to Mexico and China along state – the chambers answer for every calamity. with other states. That 6% represents the best paying jobs in Oklahoma. The We already have $4 billion in tax credits and exemptions on the books – $2 bil- state is an oil and gas bonanza but what goes up must come down. lion that have yet to create a single job. Rep. Dave Dank, R-OKC, held a number President Obama was right in his State of the Union address – small business of hearings and the committee documented the tax credits. is the backbone of America’s economy. The same is true of Oklahoma where un- Guess how many of them got there? Through the intercession of local cham- employment is 6.1% compared to the national average of 8.3%. bers of commerce – those pillars of a free market, bereft of regulation. If Republicans in charge in Oklahoma today keep making war on unions they We’re not in the days of Jimmy Hoffa. In fact, his Teamsters Union is the safest will live to rue the day. Teachers, now the 48th lowest paid in America, keep flee- on the road today – tracked by GPS so they don’t overwork. ing the state. Some say the union bashing began under Keating but it was occurring long be- Remember unions come from the Greek word “unus” – to stand united. Fallin Vs. Obama Critics are gathering more proof that Gov. Mary Fallin is an empty dress. Her and its 20,000 shovel-ready jobs – it is squandered.” reaction to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address was bogus. Not a scientist worth his salt favors the Keystone. Obama has blocked it to “Tonight we heard the same thing from President Obama that we’ve been hear- make sure the residue from fracking won’t do more harm then good. Even Re- ing since he took office: proposals for more spending and bigger government. publican Nebraska opposes it. Like in previous speeches, the president paid lip service to reducing the federal “Unfortunately, it seems the president is intent on continuing down a path deficit, but has not presented a serious plan to do so.” that will only lead to more debt and less job creation. He has already moved to reduce the national deficit by $2 trillion. Was she “It is clear by now that President Obama believes more taxes, more spending listening? and more borrowing is an effective recipe for economic success.” “Unfortunately, it is American families and businesses that are bearing the Did you fall asleep during his proposed tax plan – everyone making more than brunt of these failed and stale ideas. Almost two million more Americans are out $1 million a year would pay 30% taxes. Even multi-billionaire Warren Buffett’s of work today than when the president was sworn in.” secretary pays more in taxes than he does. She ever hear of George W. Bush? He left America in the hole and despite GOP “The president’s policies are failing. States like Oklahoma, on the other hand, opposition Obama is digging us out. serve as a reminder that small government, conservative solutions are succeed- “Even when his administration is given a golden opportunity to aid in signifi- ing in creating jobs where the White House is not.” cant economic growth – as was the case with the proposed Keystone XL pipeline Everybody in favor of giving Mary Fallin an I.Q. test raise their hands. LETTERS From Page 4 been told was no justice at all. for three Seals to each make a shot, dent once again issued a green light. fense, “Leon. Good job tonight. Good Homer H. Hulme a simultaneous kill shot. That almost The Navy Seals departed, prepared to job tonight.” The Navy Seals had been Chickasha sounds too impossible for a movie make a house call on the world’s head dispatched to Somalia and encoun- plot. Three shots were fired in unison weasel. Only a few hours later they tered nine Somali guards holding the Editor, The Observer: and in an instant three weasels were safely returned, along with the now kidnapped American. When the dust This is beginning to sound a bit dispatched. Problem solved. dead body of weasel No. 1. cleared there were nine dead weasels like a James Bond movie with an ad- Then there was the “Mission Impos- We now have another chapter. An and a rescued American. versary operating under some global sible” scenario relating to Osama bin American humanitarian relief worker There’s another weasel that’s fre- name. In this case it’s W.O.W. [Wea- Laden. The previous president said had been kidnapped by Somali wea- quently in the news with his little sels of the World]. he didn’t know where Osama was and sels and was being held for ransom. banty rooster threats. It’s Mahmoud Remember the Somali pirates that didn’t care. Our current president A plan was prepared, and as he was Ahmadinejad of Iran. Would you be captured the tanker? The captain was held a different view. Under his lead- preparing for his State of The Union surprised to later learn that planning in an enclosed inflatable life raft bob- ership intelligence was gathered, ac- address, the president gave the green is already underway for another Navy bing in the sea with three automatic curate intelligence, and Osama was light. Just prior to entering the Capi- Seal house call if the need arises? I weapons pointed at him. Also bob- located. The problem was, he was tol building the results were in. As he wouldn’t, but if I was Ahmadinejad it bing in the sea were Navy Seals on deep inside another country, actually made his way to the podium the pres- might make me lose a little sleep. board the tanker. The president gave nearby a major military installation. ident paused for a moment and said Kenny Belford the green light and the challenge was A plan was conceived, and the presi- to Leon Panetta, our Secretary of De- Tulsa THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 5 From The Editor’s Desk Shortey Busy Polishing His Tin Foil Hat There have been some other-worldly, paral- It also is inaccurate to suggest that tissue or cells somehow are being used as lel-universe moments within the marbled halls product ingredients. That’s dangerous, unethical and against the law. Every in- of the state Capitol over the years, but surely gredient in every one of our products is reviewed and approved for use by the U.S. nothing could top Sen. Ralph Shortey’s fear of Food and Drug Administration.” cannibalism. The FDA also told the Associated Press it is “not aware of this particular con- Cannibalism? In Oklahoma? In 2012? cern.” It’s true: Shortey is fretting that aborted hu- The Internet is a glorious technology, but it’s also full of malarkey like this. man fetuses are making their way into food in That’s the reason there are web sites like Snopes.com and UrbanLegends.com some diabolical laboratory somewhere, so he that are devoted full-time to investigating the accuracy of on-line claims. wants the practice outlawed in Oklahoma, the Here’s what’s especially disconcerting about Shortey’s proposal: It’s one thing sooner the better. for Aunt Sally to believe the spurious contents of a chain e-mail sent by one of As you might imagine, Shortey is the butt of her dearest lifelong friends. I know them – they wouldn’t lie to me or mislead me. lampooners everywhere. Unfortunately, so is It’s something else entirely for an elected public official – one who’s hired by Oklahoma – shamed yet again by the nonsensi- the taxpayers to be educated on the issues and to accurately inform his constitu- cal utterances of an elected official who makes ency – to embrace this sort of paranoiac, conspiratorial nonsense. us all look like knuckle-dragging Neanderthals. You can come to no other conclusion than that Shortey has somehow been This is actually getting quite serious. Sure, conditioned – far-out church teachings, perhaps? – to swallow this kind of bunk. other states have their share of buffoons that Why? Because the fundamentalist fringe is anti-science and anti-intellectual. ARNOLD HAMILTON embarrass them. But Oklahoma’s increasing They actually fear the human mind, afraid it will thwart their efforts to usher-in Editor penchant for electing reality-challenged law- an American Christian theocracy – their version of heaven on earth. makers from the political fringe is damaging I don’t know whether to pity Shortey or to be afraid of him and his unhinged the state’s hopes for a brighter future. worldview. Look at all Oklahoma has to recommend it to the world: Natural beauty and Either way, it’s clear that he represents an alternative universe around us, one wide-open spaces. Economical land and housing. Low taxes and bountiful water. that if we’re not careful could do serious damage to our state, nation and way of A cutting-edge CareerTech system and friendly, engaging people. life. All that is lost when the wingnuts command the spotlight, spewing ignorance and intolerance more befitting the Dark Ages than the 21st Century. Can’t you just see corporate executives and top researchers punching the “ig- nore” buttons on their cell phones when it’s an Oklahoma business recruiter calling? This isn’t the first time, of course, that Shortey has demonstrated he’s a bub- ble off plumb. Or that we’ve wondered what the hell his working-class, south Oklahoma City constituents were thinking when they elected him in 2010. In his first session last year, Shortey introduced measures that would have The News and Analysis You Want ... allowed police to confiscate homes and cars belonging to illegal immigrants and denied citizenship to Oklahoma-born children of illegal immigrants. Even worse, he’s apparently a card-carrying Birther – suspicious that Presi- When and How You Want It! dent Obama wasn’t really born in the good-ol’-U.S. of A, a certified Hawaiian birth certificate notwithstanding. So Shortey filed a bill that would have required presidential candidates to pro- vide proof of citizenship before they could appear on the Oklahoma ballot. None of those mean-spirited or delusional bills became law, thank goodness, but his miserable batting average hasn’t deterred him. This is the actual wording of Shortey’s Fetus Follies, aka SB 1418: No person or entity shall manufacture or knowingly sell food or any other product in- tended for human consumption which contains aborted human fetuses in the ingredients or which used aborted human fetuses in the research or develop- ment of any of the ingredients. Where did he get the idea? There are two possible explanations: Either he missed his calling and should be pursuing a full-time career in science fiction or he’s been surfing the web, boning up on the latest conspiracy theories and nonsense. Want to guess which? Yup, you can thank that bastion of accuracy known as the Internet for this crusade. It turns out Shortey read an article about an anti- abortion group’s boycott of companies that allegedly use embryonic stem cells for the research and development of artificial sweeteners. “As a pro-life advocate,” he recently told the Oklahoman, “it kind of disturbed me that we would use aborted embryos or aborted human fetuses to extract stem For 44 years, The Oklahoma Observer cells and use them for research to basically make things taste better.” The boycott apparently stemmed from claims that Pepsi had contracted with has been the state’s most trusted source San Diego-based Senomyx to develop a new low-calorie sweetener, allegedly us- for progressive news and commentary ing human embryonic stem cells in the testing process. – an antidote to the lockstep, rightwing, In an April 2011 e-mail to the Florida-based anti-abortion group Children of God For Life, Pepsi spokesperson Margaret Corsi denied the company was using corporatist rantings and spin of the state’s fetal tissue in its research. mainstream media. “Unfortunately,” she wrote, “there is some misinformation being circulated Now – wherever you are – you can access related to research techniques that have been used for decades by universities, hospitals, government agencies, and private companies around the world. These each hard-hitting issue in full color, our claims are meant to suggest that human fetal tissue is somehow used in our daily blog and our columnists from your research. computer, iPhone, Android or iPad. Or “That is both inaccurate and something we would never do or even consider. you can order our traditional print version – 22 issues delivered to your mailbox. Historical Advice Don’t miss a single word of our coverage of the 2012 Dear Abby: legislative session and elections. Visit www.okobserver.net “I have always wanted to have my family history traced, but I can’t afford to spend a lot of money to do it. Any suggestions?” to SUBSCRIBE now and receive a BONUS – a free book – Sam from Full Circle Books [up to $20 value]! Dear Sam: “Run for public office.” – Abby www.okobserver.net THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 6 The Buck Stops Anywhere But Here By David Blatt I recently participated in a StateImpact Oklahoma forum on the state budget with Republican Rep. Earl Sears of Bartlesville, the chair of the House Appro- priations and Budget Committee, and Democratic Sen. Tom Adelson of Tulsa. An audience member asked the legislators what they would do to ensure that more individuals with mental illness were provided treatment in the community rather than in jails and penitentiaries. Sears responded by saying that he is very supportive of the work being done by Commissioner Terri White and the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to raise awareness about the prevalence and cost of mental ill- ness. In particular, Sears praised the department’s “Smart on Crime” initiative that uses evidence-based programs to reduce recidivism and decrease demand for correctional beds. By diverting non-violent offenders into programs such as drug court, mental health court, or other similar programs, Smart on Crime can re- duce incarceration and ultimately save substantial tax dollars. The initiative, however, requires an upfront investment estimated at close to $100 million. And, Sears stated ruefully, we just don’t have $100 million to in- vest in Smart on Crime. POUR-MOUTHING IS MISLEADING Sears is a thoughtful and caring legislator who has done solid work chairing The Legislature did vote to defer payment on these credits for two years – but the House appropriations committee. But to say we don’t have money to fund the the bill is now coming due, adding to the state’s obligations over the next three Smart on Crime initiative is misleading. budget years. Many other narrow tax exemptions, such as the one that exempts Yes, we’ve had three straight years of budget cuts and are looking at continued NBA basketball tickets from the sales tax, have also been left intact. shortfalls or flat funding for next year. But our budget shortfalls are due in part Now, at a time when the state has some 6,400 persons with developmental to the policy decisions of our elected officials. disabilities on a waiting list for services, when some 600-900 people each day In the mid-2000s, the Legislature and governor approved the largest tax cuts in are on a waiting list for mental health treatment beds, when the Legislature has Oklahoma history, with a fiscal impact estimated at some $770 million annually eliminated funding for programs promoting quality teaching and schools, what in lost revenue. is at the top of this year’s legislative agenda? Just last month, Oklahoma’s top personal income tax rate fell from 5.5% to Further cuts to the state income tax – perhaps even its complete elimination. 5.25%. This tax cut has a revenue impact of $120 million, with most of the benefit HONESTY, NOT BUCK-PASSING going to upper-income households. Legislators may choose to prioritize further tax cuts over securing funds for Last year the Legislature could have decided to repeal or suspend the tax cut initiatives like Smart on Crime that would help address our most troubling so- based on the ongoing fiscal crisis and the continued cuts to vital public services. cial problems and save money over the long run. They chose not to. But if they make that choice, they cannot pretend to be blameless when the WHAT ABOUT TAX CREDITS? funds aren’t available. As Adelson noted at the forum, the Legislature also chose not to curtail tax Oklahomans deserve honesty from our elected representatives, not buck-pass- credits to oil and gas producers that exempt most horizontal and deep well drill- ing. ing from the gross production tax. These are paid out regardless of the price of – The author is director of the Oklahoma Policy Institute. An earlier version oil and gas, so in many cases they are subsidizing production that would already of this article appeared on the OKPolicy blog. You can sign up for OK Policy’s be profitable. They cost the state from $80 million to $120 million annually. e-mail alerts and daily news digest at http://okpolicy.org A Christmas Vacation He’ll Never Forget By Wallace Collins Would a trip to Washington, DC to very pleasant, plenty of lights every- suitable for young kids that tells the Speaker and daughter from Florida, meet the President and First Lady be where, a Christmas spirit, and great story from a child’s perspective, but people from Minnesota and all across a suitable Christmas present? weather. It was cold enough for a is not nearly as graphic as the adult the U.S. The state chair of the Oklahoma coat, but with plenty of sunshine and tour. Finally, it was time to enter the Democratic Party thought so. no Oklahoma wind, the 40s and 50s We spent about four hours there, White House, and we all dutifully Wallace Collins, former state rep- temperatures were just right for all and could have spent all day, if we emptied our pockets, were screened resentative and current state party the walking we did to see some of hadn’t needed to get around to see and allowed in. chair, had that opportunity recently. the monuments and historical sights other monuments, too. Upon entering, we were first en- Collins said that upon receiving an before us. We made stops at the World War tertained by a school aged choral invitation from the White House to Staying at a hotel near the Capitol II and Korean War Memorials, along group, and then a chamber ensemble attend a reception there, he came allowed us to walk to the Capitol with the Vietnam Wall. Then, it was dressed in bright uniforms played for home to alert his wife, Pat. each day to catch a tour bus to ride, on to the Lincoln Memorial, the new our listening pleasure. I thought since it was close to on the upper deck, to various loca- Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and Of course, there were Christmas Christmas, plus our 51st wedding an- tions for sight-seeing, and to get later the Arlington Cemetery. trees in every room, brightly deco- niversary was only a couple of weeks to the White House for our main There is so much to see that we rated, complete with a real looking away, it would be a great combination purpose – to meet and shake hands easily could have spent a week there, Santa Claus, and enough food to feed trip to celebrate those occasions, with President Obama and First Lady trying to absorb all the history and the country. plus, how many times do you get Michelle! sights. Unfortunately, we only had We were given a time slot to go invited to meet the president? On our first day there, we took the three days. in small groups to another room to I told Pat, “We are invited to attend tour bus and rode around the full We arrived early at the appointed meet the First Couple. When our turn a reception in the White House and route to see what there was to see, gate of the White House to make sure finally came, we readied our camera meet President Obama and First Lady and to decide where and what we we were at the correct entrance, and and two pictures of President Obama Michelle!” wanted to get off to see. on time. We were among the first in I hoped to get signed. She dryly answered, “Yeah, right.” Our first stop was at the Holocaust line, so we visited with others from To our dismay, the Secret Service I said, “No, we really are, will you Museum, which was a somber, but other states that were there for the would not allow any cameras, pic- go with me?” very educational place. The story it event. tures for autographs, etc. to be taken Her immediate response was, “No, tells is horrific, but one that needs A few people I already knew from into the room. There was a profes- I wouldn’t fit in.” telling, to make sure that the entire various Democratic conferences and sional photographer on hand to take After some more discussion, it fi- world knows what happened, and to meetings were there, but most were our pictures, which will be mailed to nally sank in on her that this was no make sure that such horrible suf- new to us. We met a woman that us later. joke and we really could go; she then fering and atrocities never happen was with Martin Luther King Jr. on After much anticipation, it was our began to get excited. again! the fateful march across the Ed- turn to actually meet the President Washington at Christmas was There is also a children’s tour mund Pettus bridge, a former House See PRESIDENT Page 8 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 7 What Upcoming Fed Cuts Mean For State By Gene Perry

Election news may soak up a lot of the attention this year, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the major policy changes set to go into effect no matter who wins in November. High among those are the automatic budget cuts that were part of the deal to increase the federal debt ceiling. A brief recap: The Budget Control Act created a supercommittee tasked with finding at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction measures. When that group failed to reach an agreement, an automatic budget cutting process called sequestra- tion went into effect. Under sequestration, there will be $1.2 trillion in cuts over the next decade, divided 50/50 between domestic and defense spending. These cuts are scheduled to begin January 2013, with one important caveat. Although the cuts are automatic under existing law, Congress is still free to intervene at any time. Much like with the expiration of the Bush tax cuts, also scheduled for the end of 2012, there is certain to be legislative wrangling. How- ever, President Obama’s promise to veto any attempt to alter the automatic cuts makes it much less likely that they will be stopped. ASSUMING SEQUESTRATION goes forward with no changes, an analysis from FFIS calculates the state-by-state impact of cuts. The good news is that out of the $7.43 billion in federal grants received by Oklahoma in FY ‘11, $6.25 billion would be exempted from cuts. Exempted programs include Social Security, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program [CHIP], Temporary Assistance for Needy Families [TANF], and SNAP food stamp benefits. Medicare, community health centers, and Indian health services are not exempt, but cuts to these programs would be limited to 2%. Cuts to non-exempted programs mean that overall, Oklahoma would receive $100.3 million less in federal funding compared to FY ’12 and $133.7 million less compared to FY ’11. Fully affected programs would see cuts of about 8.7% of their These include the Women, Infants, and Children [WIC] program, which subsi- federal funding compared to FY ’12. dizes nutritious foods and infant formula for low-income mothers with young THE IMPACT will be felt in two ways: reductions in services of the affected children, and Head Start, an important component of early childhood education programs or a need for Oklahoma to cover the shortfall by shifting money out of in Oklahoma. other programs. The childcare subsidy, a joint federal-state program, is only partially exempt Two programs in particular that would likely require an infusion of other state and has already been threatened by cuts on the state level. After arousing signifi- funds are Title I grants for disadvantaged schools funding and IDEA special edu- cant opposition, these cuts were deferred indefinitely, but a loss of federal funds cation funds. Both are set to receive full cuts, but school districts facing man- may put them back on the table. dates for student achievement may end up allocating more to cover the needs of WE ALSO SHOULDN’T forget the impact of the sequestration cuts going to de- high-poverty or special education student populations. fense spending. Federal employee salaries, both civilian and military, accounted Absent overall increases in state funding for education, this means that other for about 6.1% of the total personal income in Oklahoma in 2010, and private parts of district budgets, including non-Title I schools, could take at least some defense manufacturers are a major state industry. of the hit. Much remains uncertain, but what’s clear is that we need to be prepared for BY CONTRAST, programs administered by the state but using entirely federal more federal austerity. Sequestration is just one more obligation in a growing funds are unlikely to be supplemented with state money. A major example is pile that threatens to squeeze every dime from the state budget. the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program [LIHEAP], which helps low- Rather than fantasizing about the next tax cut, it’s time to acknowledge these income families with winter heating and summer cooling costs. LIHEAP will take obligations and bring our budget discussion back to reality. the full cut under the sequester, even though it’s already been reduced to one- – The author is a policy analyst for Oklahoma Policy Institute. An earlier third of its 2010 budget. version of this essay appeared on the OKPolicy blog. You can sign up for OK As a result, OKDHS had to close new enrollment in the program and severely Policy’s e-mail alerts and daily news digest at http://okpolicy.org restrict eligibility. A DHS programs manager said of the move, “This goes against the very core of our mission at DHS, which is to help Oklahomans in need. How- ever, with limited funds from the federal government we can only do what we can with what we have.” Reynolds’ Personhood Several other programs important for Oklahomans would receive the full cut. PRESIDENT Proposal ‘Dangerous’ From Page 7 and First Lady! gave her a hug, as they were shaking By Martha Skeeters I introduced myself, even though hands. HJR 1067, introduced by Rep. Mike negative effect on the relationship our names had been read from a pre- After we left the receiving line, we Reynolds, R-OKC, proposes a ballot of doctor and patient, and seriously viously prepared card, and I told the had time to reflect on what would measure that would criminalize abor- impede health care for women. President, “I want you to know that be a historical moment for us. What tion in Oklahoma by giving “person- The overall impact of this law will there are some people in Oklahoma a once in a lifetime opportunity for hood” status to a fertilized human be an extraordinary intrusion of that love you, and we are working us, to actually get to go to the White egg. government into our most private hard to turn that red state blue.” House and meet the President and This is a dangerous bill that lives. Women and men, we are all He laughed and told me, “I love First Lady! threatens a number of appalling capable of making our own medical Oklahoma, great work!” I must say it was a thrill, and a consequences. For example, most and moral decisions. We know what About that time, one of the Secret meeting I will never forget. We told people in Oklahoma will be horri- our own circumstances are, what our Service people elbowed me and said, people at the hotel, and everywhere fied to learn that a state legislator is own values are. “keep moving,” so I stepped over we went, that we were going to get to trying to force women made pregnant We certainly do not need or want to speak to Michelle Obama. I was meet the President and First Lady, by rape to give birth to their rapist’s the government making those deci- surprised at her height. I knew the and people were all duly impressed, child. Victims of incest would also be sions for us. And we are weary of President was tall, but I didn’t real- even in Washington, DC. forced to give birth. our state Legislature passing un- ize how tall Michelle is, she is only We spent the next day with more In addition, some forms of contra- constitutional legislation that we as about an inch shorter than he is. excursions, to the Capitol for a tour, ception would be outlawed. taxpayers must pay to defend during She was very gracious, and and a tour of the Library of Congress, In order to enforce this law, the inevitable court challenges. thanked us for coming, and I thanked before catching a flight back to Okla- government would need to inves- Therefore, the Oklahoma Coalition her for the opportunity. Right behind homa. But it was a memorable time tigate any pregnancy not carried for Reproductive Justice calls on the me was my wife, Pat, who basically for us both, a trip that we will always to term, including determining the Oklahoma Legislature to reject HJR restated my comments about the op- remember, and one we will talk about cause and circumstances of any 1067. portunity, and told the President, “we for quite some time! miscarriage. This will mean surveil- – The author is president and co- love you, hang in there and stick to – The author, a former Norman lance of doctors and patients, which founder of the Oklahoma Center for your guns!” state representative, is chair of the will undoubtedly have an incredibly Reproductive Justice With that, he leaned down and Oklahoma Democratic Party THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 8 The Keating Years, Part II ‘Safe To Say He Wasn’t My Favorite Governor’ By Cal Hobson While the tragic Murrah Building bombing on April 19, tapping into it and constitutional changes that followed 1995 united all Oklahomans in our cumulative response to made it much harder to do so. Over nearly 30 years at the this senseless act of cowardice, it wasn’t long before politics Capitol I learned, with rare exceptions, politicians WANT as usual returned to the Capitol. to spend the money whether they are Democrats or Re- By that I mean, of course, the deep policy differences publicans. This self-proclaimed small government execu- between the Democratically-dominated Legislature and the tive was no exception. Republican administration of Gov. Frank Keating. And that While there were many other policy fights between the is as it should be. Legislature and the governor, for me two other events, Let me outline a few of the policy squabbles that endured unrelated to the mundane give-and-take between the two during the entire eight years of the governor’s service: branches, are seared in my mind. I mentioned both in the TAX CUTS: Any kind, any size, any time. From a political last Observer and I’ll wrap up this column with them. point of view I understand this mantra that has only grown Politics, as they say, ain’t beanball. I have no idea where stronger in Oklahoma and throughout the country. However, that phrase comes from but, suddenly and out of the most of the Democratic leadership had to raise taxes in the blue, I found myself the subject of a series of derogatory 1980s and knew how hard that was while Keating was in articles in The Oklahoman. That led to an inquiry by the Washington at the time and thus did not experience the less Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation that dragged on than joyous process. for 14 months. The tax-raising powers of the Legislature were further lim- Finally, I was offered the chance to appear, or not, before ited, to the point of impossibility, with a vote of the people something called a grand jury. Having never been there in 1990. Therefore, the tax base is the base you have and to before I had no idea what to expect but, contrary to the ad- continually shrivel it seemed, in the long term, very danger- vice of many, I was determined to appear and answer their ous. questions as well as those of an assistant district attorney. Grand jurors are I believe the state’s critical services – such as education, health care, roads, citizens called to duty that can run over a period of months and they usually public safety, mental health, etc. – will always rank at or near the bottom in look at a number of issues, individuals, allegations and even make a visit to the this country when measured by financial commitment to them by the state. local jail as required by law. Money matters. During my appearance they were courteous in carrying out their assigned re- PRIVATIZATION: Targets were any state service, ranging from locking up sponsibilities and after another long period of time the grand jury issued their felons, to highway maintenance services, to schools, and were proposed for report finding no wrongdoing on my part. conversion from being provided by state employees to often private for profit This period of time in my life and that of my family was hell on so many lev- companies. els – financially, emotionally and physically. Again, I recognize the popularity of such ideas but on close examination the Some period later it became public that Keating had, over a period of seven promised monetary and efficiency savings often could not be proved and thus years, taken $250,000 from a Wall Street investor, Jack Dreyfus. The reasons the Democrats opposed them ... with only limited success. given for this money varied from time to time, including Dreyfus’ desire to have CHARTER SCHOOLS AND VOUCHERS: As many sites and as much money Oklahoma inmates be given a drug, dilantin, he believed would have a positive as we would agree to fund. In the end a trade was arranged that provided for effect on them. a $3,000 pay increase for public school teachers in exchange for a handful of To his great credit, Corrections Director Larry Fields fought the proposal and charters and a small amount of money for vouchers. Not perfect for either side won, but it cost him his job. but it was the art of compromise. An alternative explanation was the money was gifts for the Keating children THE MARRIAGE INITIATIVE: Big Brother in your bedroom. While calling who, according to the governor, supposedly viewed Dreyfus as a “godfather.” for smaller government Keating took $10 million in federal funds to invest in Whatever really happened, soon after the firestorm broke the governor re- an effort to deal with Oklahoma’s always high divorce rate. In fairness I’m sure turned the money to Dreyfus. Keating indicated the proper federal officials had this idea has done some good but Oklahoma remains second in the country approved this deal but the smell test was, well, tested. in families splitting up. It was our view that this money could and should have In closing Frank Keating was tenacious in the pursuit of his policies, provid- been used for its original purpose which was to provide direct financial support ed strong support for his friends, and fervent opposition to his opponents. And for our poorest families. The marriage initiative continues today and is still the finally, due to his frequent negative comments in the press about me and my recipient of scarce dollars. situation leading up to my visit before the grand jury, it’s safe to say he wasn’t THE RAINY DAY FUND: Spend it all. One thing that became an annual tradi- my favorite governor nor could you find me, then or now, on his favorites list. tion at the end of the session was the governor’s call to clean out every dollar As I said politics isn’t beanball. of the RDF. The battle over this money was not, were we going to spend it, but – The author, a Lexington Democrat, served in the Oklahoma Legislature rather on what. Previous and later governors were much more stingy about from 1978-2006, including one term as Senate President Pro Tempore Make My Day, Buy My Cookies By Wanda Jo Stapleton Oklahoma’s “Make My Day” law On the way to my office, I stopped within seconds. Scout bill because, in the Senate, has been in the news several times by Rep. John Monk’s office to see if A couple of weeks later, I was driv- an amendment did not have to be recently. So I am reminded once he would co-author the bill with me. ing home from the Capitol and heard germane to the original intent of the again about how I became the un- I thought that would be a really good on the radio that the Make My Day bill. willing author of the Make My Day political move after his adamant op- amendment had been attached to the The amended bill came back to law in Oklahoma. That happened in position to the Equal Rights Amend- Girl Scout bill. I thought, “Well, the the House from the Senate, and Rep. 1987 during my very first session ment. media has made a mistake. Some- Jeff Hamilton, D-Midwest City, got as a state representative from south Rep. Monks, a Muskogee Demo- thing’s wrong here,” but I thought no up and asked, “Is this amendment Oklahoma City. crat, was delighted. He told me that more about it. germane to the original intent of the I was getting ready to go to the he had passed the Boy Scout flag law, Sure enough, Sen. Charles Ford, bill?” Rep. Lonnie Abbot, D-Ada, was Capitol when I heard on the televi- and he signed a co-author slip on the R-Tulsa, had filed a Make My Day bill sitting in the Speaker’s chair. He sion that this was the 75th anniver- spot to co-author the Girl Scout flag and Gov. Henry Bellmon had vetoed slammed down his gavel and said, sary of the Girl Scouts, founded on bill with me. it. Ford and Bellmon got together and “It’s germane!” March 12, 1912. [Note: that makes I knew the deadline for getting bills came up with language suitable to Rep. Monks, of course, was han- 2012 the 100th anniversary of the out of committee had passed, so I both, but they couldn’t find a place dling the bill at that point. Anyhow, Girl Scouts]. decided to put out a press release to to put their amendment. that’s how I became the unwilling I remembered from the [unsuc- wish the Girl Scouts a happy birth- The Girl Scout bill was the only author of the Make My Day law in cessful] struggle to pass the Equal day and finish passing the bill the bill still alive in the Senate that was Oklahoma. Rights Amendment in Oklahoma that next year. in the criminal section of the law. It This episode documents the saying the Boy Scout flag could fly over the Next thing I knew, Rep. Monks said, “It is against the law to fly any that “there are two things you don’t state Capitol, but not the Girl Scout stood up on the House floor and flag over governmental buildings want to see being made – sausage flag. So I decided to file a bill to al- said, “I ask unanimous consent to except the American flag, Oklahoma and legislation.” low the Girl Scout flag to fly over the pass this Girl Scout bill and send it flag, Red Cross, Boy Scout, and Girl – The author, who lives in Okla- Capitol as a way to say “happy 75th on to the Senate.” Scout flags.” So the senators put the homa City, is a former Democratic birthday.” And so it happened just like that, Make My Day amendment in the Girl state representative THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 9 BOOKS Clinton’s Clear-Eyed Primer For ‘12 Election By Joseph H. Carter

election and “why we need government.” BACK TO WORK Next, he gives answers to the nagging question: “So What About the Debt?” Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy With a review of current conditions in America, Clinton prepares readers for By Bill Clinton Part II that asks: “What Can We Do? And “How Do We Get Back in the Future Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Business?” 208 pages, $23.95 While the book holds a 2011 copyright, it is a guidepost to the 2012 general election when the nation’s voters will decide their own future. President Bill Clinton’s subtitle gives substance to the title by explaining “why As the general election looms, now is a time when voters can seek clear views we need smart government for a strong economy.” Clinton counters today’s an- and decide on choices outlined by next-door-neighbor Bill Clinton’s book. After ti-government fever with a common sense pro-government prescription that is all, the author is a veteran of public policy and is a Rhodes Scholar, just like healthy medicine to cure errant American voters. David Boren. For most Oklahoma officeholders and for the majority of voters who elect Moreover, voters have ample time before elections to read the book. Then they them, the book could be perplexing – if they can read. Yes, Bill Clinton’s message can watch how Clinton’s suggestions measure up against the onslaught of forth- is far-afield from Oklahoma’s coffee shop talk. Yes, Clinton counters the voices coming 30-second TV spots that political consultants hack out for candidates at of rightwing agitators. Yes, he appeals to thinkers who for years swallowed large all levels. doses of lies and elected contra-lawmakers and ignorant administrators who Be assured that those ads will fail to give the substance lavished by Clinton’s feast on clichés. learned book. It is strange that such a pro-government message would be written by a person – Joseph H. Carter, former director of the Will Rogers Memorial and author who spent more than two decades living, studying or teaching law within 100 of Never Met A Man I Didn’t Like: The Life And Writings Of Will Rogers, lives at miles of Oklahoma’s borders. Tea Party and rightwing pundits will dispute his Monkey Island views and quote history that Clinton didn’t collect Oklahoma’s majority of votes in either of his White House victories. He won without his neighbors’ help. Into that atmosphere, this reviewer timidly suggests that Oklahoma voters give Arkansas boy Bill Clinton a new chance. With no cheap talk, Clinton offers compelling ways to trigger economic growth, regain financial responsibility and to get the country “back to the future busi- ness.” This president, who left office with a national balanced budget in place, is far more compelling than the shabby ideas belched in Okie bars and commonly spouted in coffee shops. Deftly, Clinton counters radical views preached by the ruling rightwing politicians and big newspapers. In this climate, Bill Clinton, The Oklahoma Observer and this reviewer brave the torment and beg readers to take a chance and read the 196 pages of Back to Work before this year’s elections. Clinton opens the book saying the 15 million Americans need full-time jobs so that they “have the freedom and opportunity to pursue your own dreams and leave your kids a country where they can chase theirs.” Even fascists would find it difficult to disagree with that need. A strong public sector and a “smart” government working together, Clinton writes, can “restore prosperity and progress.” Point by point, Clinton tells how. He refutes many of the views of the Tea Party and of the rigorous right who say that government is the nation’s sole problem. Indeed, in modern society, there are many causes of problems. Clinton touts the private sector and suggests it needs a partnership with up- right, strong government. He supports that concept with heaps of evidence. To enumerate Clinton’s views would require pages. Page by page, the book de- serves careful reading. To make it easy, Clintons divides the text into two parts. The first segment discusses “our 30-year anti-government obsession,” the 2010 Escaping Tyranny Of Fossil Fuels By Terence McDowell

CLEAN ENERGY NATION Freeing America From The Tyranny Of Fossil Fuels By Jerry McNerney and Martin Cheek Amacon 320 pages, $27.95

Clean Energy Nation is a review of the United States’ and the world’s history with fossil fuels and what we must do in this century to save our environment. Congressman McNerney is a renewable energy engineer who serves on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology; the Subcommittee on En- ergy and the Environment; and the Subcommittee on Investigations and Over- WHY WAIT? sight. Martin Cheek has been a journalist for more than two decades specializing in articles on the latest developments in science and the high-tech industry. Now you can subscribe to The Oklahoma Observer The authors start with our need for a “Declaration of Energy Independence.” They compare our present need with the needs of the 13 colonies in 1776 for the at the Full Circle Books checkout counter right of the people to govern themselves and determine their own destiny. Inside and receive your free book certificate on the spot! the halls of the U.S. Capitol, the elected representatives of the 50 states now struggle over the direction our nation must take on energy policy. IMPORTANT RESTRICTIONS To take advantage of this offer, visit Full Circle Books, where you can subscribe to The Oklahoma Observer at the checkout counter Today’s members of Congress now face the question of energy freedom and and receive your free book certificate immediately. You also may subscribe to The Observer using the coupon on page 3 of this issue how to cut the cord tying 300 million Americans to fossil-fuel addiction. 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 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. We are facing a dual crisis. First, there is a limited supply of fossil fuels. Sec- No facsimiles, printouts or photocopies will be accepted as a substitute for the original Full Circle certificate. This book offer is for new See ENERGY Page 11 subscribers only. Not valid with any other offer. THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 10 One In Three Mormons Says Mitt Unelectable By Steven Dee

I am always leery when religion is inserted into politics, whether we are speak- ing of JFK and the controversy surrounding his Catholic faith, to Barack Obama and the anchor Rev. Wright conservative commentators hung around his neck, to Sarah Palin’s addition to the McCain ticket for the sole purpose of shoring up the evangelical wing of the Republican Party in 2008. I just don’t believe religion should play a role in the most crucial political de- cisions we make as a nation. Nonetheless, it always has. No avowed atheist or agnostic has ever been nominated as a major party’s nominee, nor has any Jew. Now we face the reality of Mitt Romney’s Mormon religion being held against him, since he seems to be the most likely GOP candidate to win the nomination of his party. HE COULD CARE LESS Frankly I couldn’t care less if he’s a Mormon or a Wiccan or a Pastafarian. His fitness for the presidency should be based on other qualifications than to which God he claims to pray. However, many Mormons clearly feel that he stands less of a chance of being elected because of his faith rather than his appetite for vul- ture capitalism. I can’t say I blame them for feeling that way. According to the UK Guardian: One-third of Mormons in the U.S. believe that American voters are not ready to elect Mitt Romney, or any other member of their church, as president. the other is a three-time divorcee and serial philanderer. A survey of adherents to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Will Romney’s religion be a factor in the general election campaign against [LDS] released [Jan. 12] found that almost half of Mormons in the U.S. consid- Obama? I have to think that yes, it very well may affect voter turnout among ered themselves more discriminated against than African Americans. some of the more extreme conservative evangelical Christians, though how While I don’t think Mormons are as discriminated against as African Ameri- much of a factor it will prove to be is hard to pinpoint at this time. cans, they do have a point when it comes to how other other fervent Christians, However, in my opinion, his faith or lack thereof should be irrelevant. His re- particularly evangelical protestants, view them. cord as a governor of Massachusetts and as a venture capitalist and job destroy- A lot of the anti-Romney movement in the GOP race has to do with conserva- er at Bain Capital, and his proposed policies should be much more pertinent to tive evangelical Christians lack of trust in him based on his religion. I don’t voters. think it will ultimately hurt him as much this year as it did in his 2008 campaign, It’s unfortunate we have to even discuss his religion, but then again, consider- but it is still a factor. ing the vicious and often slanderous attacks Republicans made against Demo- Only 31% of self-described evangelicals voted for Romney in New Hampshire, cratic candidates based on religion such as Obama being a “secret Muslim,” it’s which was an improvement over his showing in 2008, but the overall GOP field is hardly surprising to see that Romney’s religious background is one reason for much weaker this year, and there is no true evangelical candidate left in the race. the Romney “enthusiasm gap” among the Republican base [at least at the mo- Evangelicals are splitting their votes among a number of candidates including ment]. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich. He’s not really one of them, and a lot of “them” don’t like that fact. How his DESCRIBING OTHER CANDIDATES Mormon faith affects the general election will be interesting to see. One is a staunch [if extremely compassion deprived] conservative Catholic and © The Daily Kos ENERGY From Page 10 ond, the atmosphere has reached its limit to absorb carbon without causing a nologies and develops new energy projects for its cities and farm towns. This rapid increase of energy in the atmosphere and oceans. inland valley has abundant wind power, vast solar resources, and potentially the Section one of the book discusses peak oil and the end of the fossil-fuel age. nation’s largest biofuels opportunities. The reserves of coal, oil, and gas are discussed, including the wide range of Chapter 13 considers how the United States can be inspired by the progress opinions on the topic. The growth of fossil fuel use during the 19th and 20th other nations have made in moving toward energy independence. Chapter 14 centuries is reviewed. looks at the issue of securing America’s energy future to protect our defense, The era of “Big Oil,” the electrification of the world, and growth of the Ameri- our economy, our public health and our food supply. can auto industry all led to the present massive consumption of fossil fuels and The final two chapters are about the power of strong leadership and our need the need to import oil. Lots of oil! for some leadership now. Chapter three is a review of the present state, and possible future advances, As the richest and most powerful country in the world, the United States must of the alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, water, biofuels, nuclear, lead by example in the battle against global warming. We must lead in reducing earth, and hydrogen. carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and in developing clean and renewable energy Section two discusses America’s energy issues as they interface with several sources. topics. Separate chapters are devoted to energy and good government, national The legislative battle over the failed American Clean Energy and Security Act security, environment, economy, transportation, agriculture, public health, and of 2009 is examined to highlight some of the problems of writing complex legis- education. These discussions contain an enormous amount of information that lation. every concerned citizen and government official should know about. Strong leadership is needed by the president, but he can’t do it alone. Our The chapter on energy and national security discusses several critical top- nation’s people must become passionate about taking actions toward solving ics, including terrorism, global climate challenges, peak oil problems and global our energy challenges. Our citizens should take an active role in shaping the competition with China for a diminishing supply of crude oil. Terrorists can clean-energy movement by sharing a vision of the kind of future they want for threaten not only our nuclear facilities and electric grid, but also our worldwide themselves and their children. oil transport infrastructure. Shorter supply lines have many advantages. I think this book should be required reading for everyone involved in legisla- The final section of the book focuses on America’s energy future. Chapter 12 tion and policy-making at all levels. The facts are presented in plain language examines how two regions of northern California are taking steps to improve and can be understood by anyone with an open mind on the topics of global their economies with various sustainable-energy projects and programs. warming and energy security. Silicon Valley and the San Joaquin Valley are the leaders in innovative tech- – Terence McDowell, PhD, lives in Edmond nologies. The city of San Jose has a 15-year target to reduce its per-capita fossil- fuel consumption by 50% by integrating more energy efficiency and renewable sources of power into its overall infrastructure. Mayor Reed has proposed that San Jose change its utility requirements to re- Read ceive 100% of its electrical power from renewable sources, use 100% of its land- THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER ON-LINE fill waste for energy production, and recycle or reuse 100% of the city’s wastewa- ter [about l00 million gallons daily]. By subscribing Central California’s San Joaquin Valley is a rich agricultural area that produc- @ www.okobserver.net es much of America’s fruits and vegetables. It is also undergoing a transforma- tion of its economy and society as it embraces emerging sustainable fuel tech- THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 11 Komen’s Surrender Doesn’t Mean Case Closed Although the Komen Foundation has apologized, it has not actually reversed its decision to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood. “Amending our criteria will ensure that politics has no place in our grant pro- cess,” said Komen Foundation founder Nancy Brinker. “We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligi- bility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities.” This battle is far from over. As The Huffington Post points out, Komen’s apology is not a promise to renew Planned Parenthood grants. It simply says “continue to fund existing grants” to the organization – which it had already planned on doing – and to make it eligible for future grants. “At no point in the press release does Brinker promise that Komen will renew grants to Planned Parenthood.” KOMEN’S EXPLANATION The Komen Foundation claimed the reason it had cut Planned Parenthood funding was because it had established new criteria for grant giving and that it would no longer give grants to organizations under investigation by local, state or federal governments. As pointed out by Mother Jones, the problem with that explanation is that the Komen Foundation currently gives $7.5 million in grants to the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center for cancer research; and as we all know, Penn State is under investigation. That grant would appear to violate that new rule at Komen. Oops. See KOMEN Page 17 Rectal Examination For Men Seeking Viagra A crafty state senator has done something so wonderful that we should all be Howell’s amendment was sadly defeated – though narrowly, 21 to 19 – and the cheering while simultaneously smacking our foreheads, because why didn’t we rectums of Virginia rejoiced. Who, you might be wondering, would have voted think of this earlier? The hero in question is Virginia senator Janet Howell. against such an amazing idea? Why, Republican Sen. Jill Vogel, of course, the The Democrat wasn’t happy with a proposed bill that requires women to have sponsor of the original ultrasound bill. an ultrasound before they can have an abortion, so she attached a very special Here’s her rock solid reasoning: “I do believe that erectile dysfunction in this amendment to the bill. context is different from pregnancy.” Howell simply attached an amendment that requires men to undergo a rectal In this context? It would be lovely if Vogel could elaborate on when ED is ever exam and a cardiac stress test before they can be prescribed medication for erec- the same as pregnancy, but I digress. What matters is that Howell was happy with tile dysfunction. Genius. Here’s what Howell had to say on the matter: the way it turned out, and one hopes she will continue crafting such equitable We need some gender equity here. The Virginia senate is about to pass a bill legislation in the future. that will require a woman to have a totally unnecessary medical procedure at TEXAS FIRESTORM their cost and inconvenience. If we’re going to do that to women, why not do A similar bill in Texas has caused a firestorm for providers and patients alike, that to men? and it’s being challenged in court. Perhaps sanity will prevail, and this ridiculous DO UNTO OTHERS practice will someday be abandoned. Yes! Yes! A thousand times, yes! It’s like Howell has single-handedly invented But for now, let’s keep our fingers crossed that Howell’s innovative approach a twisted new Golden Rule of Politics: “Do unto others’ nether regions as they to dealing with this nonsense will lead to a long string of similar “Shove It Up would do unto yours.” You’re a--” amendments in other states. And from then on, the good men of Virginia realized it actually feels really ter- After all, it is our Christian duty to make sure the men of this great land don’t rible when the government tries to “protect” you from yourself, and women were accidentally die of a heart attack while having medically-assisted sex with their free to do with their bodies whatever they damn well pleased and – screeeech. wives or whomever else their sacred vows of open marriage permit. Dream sequence over. Jezebel.com Obama OKs Near Universal Contraception Women’s groups were outraged by a recent Obama Administration decision to dren – a woman who has a planned pregnancy is more likely to be in better limit access to the Plan B morning after pill, but now they are smiling. health when she gets pregnant and more likely to seek prenatal care, and chil- After months of anticipation and debate, the administration announced a huge dren who are born at least two years apart are healthier. Family planning is also victory for women’s health – near universal, no-cost coverage of contraception. the most effective tool we have in reducing unintended pregnancy and the need Here’s the rundown: for abortion. • Most employers will be required to cover contraception in their health care An expanded religious exemption would have created an unreasonably large plans. loophole that would have kept these benefits beyond the reach of millions of • No co-pays. women. • No cost-sharing. This decision honors the conscience of these women over that of the institu- • Contraception will be covered to an even greater extent than Viagra, after tions that employ them and ensures that cost will no longer be a barrier to ac- years of the opposite being true. cessing basic and essential preventive health services. • Limited exemptions for houses of worship and other religious non-profits Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, who largely employ people of the same faith. points out the practical economic consequences of this decision for millions of Jessica Arons, director of the Women’s Health and Rights Program at the Cen- women: ter for American Progress, has more on why this is so important: Birth control is not just basic health care for women, it is an economic con- NARROW RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION cern. This common sense decision means that millions of women, who would Opponents of contraception had lobbied hard for a broad exemption that would otherwise pay $15 to $50 a month, will have access to affordable birth control, have allowed any religiously-affiliated employer to opt out of providing such cov- helping them save hundreds of dollars each year. erage. Fortunately, the Obama Administration rejected that push and decided to CREDIT AFFORDABLE CARE ACT maintain the narrow religious exemption that it initially proposed. It’s also very much worth noting that this tremendous victory is yet another Only houses of worship and other religious nonprofits that primarily employ success brought to millions of Americans thanks to the Affordable Care Act. and serve people of the same faith will be exempt. Religiously-affiliated employ- Not surprisingly, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is promis- ers who do not qualify for the exemption and are not currently offering contra- ing a legal challenge over the new rule, according to Kaiser Health News. ceptive coverage may apply for transitional relief for a one-year period to give “There really is no change,” said Sister Mary Ann Walsh, director of media them time to determine how to comply with the rule. relations for the bishops. “What has been announced is that they are going to Twenty-eight states already require employers, including most religiously affil- delay an enforcement. It’s as if they said ‘We’ll give you a year to figure out how iated institutions, to cover contraception in their health plans. The only change to violate your conscience.’” is that now they must cover the full cost. The bishops’ group, she said, “will fight this edict; they have no choice but to BETTER HEALTH OUTCOMES fight this edict.” Family planning results in better health outcomes for women and their chil- THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 12 Starving Schools Will Backfire Eventually By Robert Borosage Wall Street’s excesses blew up the economy. Now the question is who pays to clean up the mess. And across the country, our children are already paying part of the bill – as their schools are hit with deep budget cuts. A report – Starving America’s Public Schools: How Budget Cuts and Policy Man- dates are Hurting our Nation’s Students – released last fall by the Campaign for America’s Future and the National Education Association looks at five states to detail what this means to kids in our public elementary and secondary schools. Oklahoma has lost 1,500 teachers already and is likely to lose double that number next school year, given the Republican drive to voucher students – a direct draw from public school funding and a dangerous game of cherry-picking the best students. OKLAHOMA WAS A LEADER Every study shows the importance of early childhood education, and Oklaho- ma was a leader in the field. Analysts at the Federal Reserve discovered that in- vestments in childhood development have, in the words of Chair Ben Bernanke, such “high public as well as private returns” that the Fed has championed such cation money is getting siphoned off to private contractors to pay for elaborate investments, noting they save states money by reducing costs of dropouts, spe- tests, and to vouchers and corporate tax credits to subsidize private and charter cial education, and crime prevention. schools. We’re cutting billions out of educating kids while increasing spending Yet across the country, states are slashing funding for pre-kindergarten and on testing how they are doing. even rolling back all day kindergarten. Now only about one-fourth of 4-year-olds School budgets have been cut in some 34 states and the District of Columbia. are served by pre-K programs. Ten states have eliminated funding for pre-K al- In Arizona, the cuts average about $530 per pupil. In Florida, $1 billion was cut together, including Arizona. Ohio eliminated funding for all-day kindergarten. in next year’s budget, or about $542 per student. Not surprisingly, these cuts fall Every parent and teacher knows the importance of smaller classes, particu- hardest on the poorest districts that can’t afford to make up for them the way larly in the early years, when individual attention is vital. Yet across the country, affluent districts can. The kids who have the greatest need for public education schools are facing layoffs of nearly 250,000 workers next year, many of them are suffering the deepest cuts. teachers. Americans sensibly value education. Every political candidate promises our CROWDING THE CLASSROOMS children will have the best education in the world. Yet Washington seems largely According to the Tulsa World, some districts aren’t even close to meeting the oblivious to the carnage taking place in our schools. state mandated class size of 20 students. At Claremore, where budget cuts cost OBAMA PLAN FILIBUSTERED the district $5 million the past three years, elementary classes often reach 25 or Part of the president’s American Jobs Act was special funding to avoid more more. At Union, the average Pre-K to 5th grade class has 23 students – with some teacher layoffs. A filibuster by Republican senators kept that from even coming classes as large as 28. At Jenks, dealt a double-whammy of 400 more students up for debate, much less a vote. and $2 million in salary cuts, some kindergarten classes have as many as 28 Meanwhile, a furious argument continues about to what standard teachers and students and some middle school classes meant to have 26 now have 30 or more. schools should be held accountable. In Chester Upland, PA, 40% of the teachers were eliminated, with class sizes The administration, still touting its Race to the Top program, wants the reau- rising from 21 to 30 in elementary schools and to 35 in high schools, prompting thorization of No Child Left Behind to set the standard that all children should students to walk out. be “college ready” by the year 2020. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-IA, introduced a more Intelligence comes in many forms. Successful schools offer a well-rounded sensible standard of requiring “continuous improvement” from all schools. curriculum – not just the basics, but art and music, social studies, extracurricu- But schools are eliminating kindergarten, laying off teachers, cramming 35 lar activities and physical education. kids in a class, cutting advanced placement classes, and levying steep fees for But now schools across the country are forced to terminate or charge extra for kids to be in the band or play on an athletic team. Continuous improvement? anything beyond the core curriculum. In York, PA, art, music and physical edu- Race to the Top? The grim reality facing our kids mocks the rhetoric. cation was eliminated in elementary schools. In Medina, OH, students returned Jeff Bryant, author of the Starving America’s Public Schools report, notes that to find courses in French, German, art, music and advanced placement science there have been only two previous times since 1929 when this nation cut spend- and math were eliminated. ing significantly on its children’s education, once in the midst of the Great De- Children, needless to say, are extremely diverse. They learn in different ways, pression and once in the midst of World War II. at different rates, and face different challenges. Public schools educate the poor With schools facing budget cutbacks while the largest generation of kids since and the affluent, those with developmental challenges and those who are gifted. the boomers flood the classrooms, this is likely to be the third. The bankers who SLASHING VITAL PROGRAMS caused the mess got bailed out. The military budget exceeds Cold War levels. Yet across the country, schools are slashing funds for special learning instruc- The richest 1% of Americans, who make as much as the bottom 60% of Ameri- tion, for advanced placement courses. Increasingly parents face extra fees for cans, pay the lowest tax rates since the Great Depression. programs. In Medina, for example, it costs $660 to play a high school sport, $200 Our kids and their schools are paying the price for an economic mess they to join the school choir or $50 to act in a student play. didn’t create. No wonder Occupy Wall Street has spread across the country. And even as budgets are slashed for public schools, more and more state edu- © The Huffington Post Costs And Lost Benefits Of Graduation Exams By John Thompson Oklahoma’s law that requires stu- hold adult systems’ feet to the fire. But that gets to my concern about that has been encouraged as a way to dents to pass four End of Instruction And we are doing so in the age of test-driven accountability for stu- meet NCLB requirements. tests to earn a high school degree NCLB. dents. In my experience, most educa- As long as administrators know will take effect this spring. I am In my experience, most educators tors know that teaching to the test that graduation exams are a part of agnostic about those sorts of gradu- get tired of being the only people has been proven to be ineffective. As the contemporary “culture of ac- ation exams. A blue ribbon panel held accountable. So, I can under- the Gates Foundation has shown, the countability,” however, the fear of too of the National Research Council stand why Oklahoma, which gave best way to increase performance on many students failing will encourage concluded that graduation tests schools five years to prepare for standardized tests is holistic and en- educational malpractice. So, we risk have reduced their states’ gradua- the higher standards and adopted gaging instruction, not test prep. As both the sacrifice of students who tion rates by around 2%, while not alternative assessments for stu- Robert Balfanz’s Everyone Graduates will be denied a diploma in order to improving student achievement. But dents on special education IEPs, Center has shown, more remediation atone for the alleged sins of the edu- most graduation exams were a result has required graduates to pass four is not the solution. At-risk students cational “status quo,” and learning of the standardized test-driven ac- tests. A student can earn a degree by need the supports necessary to allow the wrong lessons. countability movement so I wonder merely passing freshmen and sopho- them to study a challenging curricu- There is an effort to repeal or delay whether the damage was due to the more level End of Instruction exams. lum. In a rational world, the need to the new graduation requirements tests, or instruction being distorted And, my old district, the Oklahoma teach students for mastery, so they because about 16% of the state’s by NCLB-type accountability. City Public Schools [OKCPS] has can pass End of Instruction tests, seniors began the year needing to The problem is that we are hold- responded with heroic efforts to pro- would have been a strong argument pass one or more of their exams. ing students accountable in order to vide remediation, and offer retakes. against the skin-deep instruction See EXAMS Page 16 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 13 Skepticism Would Infuriate Religious Right Five Founders Who Couldn’t Get Elected Today By Rob Boston To hear the Religious Right tell it, men like George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were 18th Century versions of Jerry Fal- well in powdered wigs and stockings. Nothing could be further from the truth. Unlike many of the current and former 2012 presidential candidates, the founders didn’t find it necessary to constantly wear religion on their sleeves. They considered faith a private affair. Contrast them to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich [who says he wouldn’t vote for an atheist for president because non-believers lack the proper moral grounding to guide the American ship of state], Texas Gov. Rick Perry [who host- ed a prayer rally and issued an infamous ad accusing President Barack Obama of waging a “war on religion”] and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum [whose uber-Catholicism leads him to oppose not just abortion but birth control]. There was a time when Americans voted for candidates who were skeptical of core concepts of Christianity like the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus and the virgin birth. The question is, could any of them get elected today? The sad answer is probably not. Here are five founding fathers whose views on religion would most likely doom them to defeat today: 1. GEORGE WASHINGTON. The father of our country was nominally an An- glican but seemed more at home with Deism. The language of the Deists sounds odd to today’s ears because it’s a theological system of thought that has fallen out of favor. Desists believed in God but didn’t necessarily see him as active in human affairs. The god of the Deists was a god of first cause. He set things in in the fertile intellectual soil of America. He once predicted that just about ev- motion and then stepped back. eryone would become Unitarian. [Despite his many talents, the man was no Washington often employed Deistic terms. His god was a “supreme architect” prophet.] of the universe. Washington saw religion as necessary for good moral behavior Jefferson took political stands that would infuriate today’s Religious Right and but didn’t necessarily accept all Christian dogma. He seemed to have a special ensure that they would work to defeat him. He refused to issue proclamations gripe against communion and would usually leave services before it was offered. calling for days of prayer and fasting, saying that such religious duties were no Washington was widely tolerant of other beliefs. He is the author of one of the part of the chief executive’s job. His assertion that the First Amendment erects great classics of religious liberty – the letter to Touro Synagogue [1790]. In this a “wall of separation between church and state” still rankles the Religious Right letter, Washington assured America’s Jews that they would enjoy complete reli- today. gious liberty in America; not mere toleration in an officially “Christian” nation. 4. JAMES MADISON. Jefferson’s close ally would be similarly unelectable to- He outlines a vision of a multi-faith society where all are free. day. Madison is perhaps the most enigmatic of all the founders when it comes to “The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud them- religion. To this day, scholars still debate his religious views. selves for giving to Mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy Nominally Anglican, Madison, some of his biographers believe, was really a worthy of imitation,” wrote Washington. “All possess alike liberty of conscience Deist. He went through a period of enthusiasm for Christianity as a young man, and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as but this seems to have faded. Unlike many of today’s politicians, who eagerly if it was by the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exer- wear religion on their sleeves and brag about the ways their faith will guide their cise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United policy decisions, Madison was notoriously reluctant to talk publicly about his States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, re- religious beliefs. quires only that they who live under its protection, should demean themselves Madison was perhaps the strictest church-state separationist among the as good citizens.” founders, taking stands that make the ACLU look like a bunch of pikers. He op- Stories of Washington’s deep religiosity, such as tales of him praying in the posed government-paid chaplains in Congress and in the military. As president, snow at Valley Forge, can be ignored. They are pious legends invented after his Madison rejected a proposed census because it involved counting people by pro- death. fession. For the government to count the clergy, Madison said, would violate the 2. JOHN ADAMS. The man who followed Washington in office was a Unitarian, First Amendment. although he was raised a Congregationalist and never officially left that church. Madison, who wrote the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, also opposed gov- Adams rejected belief in the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus, core concepts of ernment-issued prayer proclamations. He issued a few during the War of 1812 at Christian dogma. In his personal writings, Adams makes it clear that he consid- the insistence of Congress but later concluded that his actions had been uncon- ered some Christian dogma to be incomprehensible. stitutional. As president, he vetoed legislation granting federal land to a church In February 1756, Adams wrote in his diary about a discussion he had had and a plan to have a church in Washington care for the poor through a largely with a man named Major Greene. Greene was a devout Christian who sought to symbolic charter. In both cases, he cited the First Amendment. persuade Adams to adopt conservative Christian views. The two argued over the One can hear the commercials now: “James Madison is an anti-religious fa- divinity of Jesus and the Trinity. Questioned on the matter of Jesus’ divinity, natic. He even opposes prayer proclamations during time of war.” Greene fell back on an old standby: some matters of theology are too complex 5. THOMAS PAINE. Paine never held elective office, but he played an impor- and mysterious for we puny humans to understand. tant role as a pamphleteer whose stirring words helped rally Americans to inde- Adams was not impressed. In his diary he wrote, “Thus mystery is made a con- pendence. Washington ordered that Paine’s pamphlet “The American Crisis” be venient cover for absurdity.” read aloud to the Continental Army as a morale booster on Dec. 23, 1776. “Com- As president, Adams signed the famous Treaty of Tripoli, which boldly stated, mon Sense” was similarly popular with the people. These seminal documents “[T]he government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded were crucial to winning over the public to the side of independence. on the Christian Religion….” So Paine’s a hero, right? He was also a radical Deist whose later work, The 3. THOMAS JEFFERSON. It’s almost impossible to define Jefferson’s subtle Age of Reason, still infuriates fundamentalists. In the tome, Paine attacked in- religious views in a few words. As he once put it, “I am a sect by myself, as far as stitutionalized religion and all of the major tenets of Christianity. He rejected I know.” But one thing is clear: His skepticism of traditional Christianity is well prophecies and miracles and called on readers to embrace reason. The Bible, established. Our third president did not believe in the Trinity, the virgin birth, Paine asserted, can in no way be infallible. He called the god of the Old Testa- the divinity of Jesus, the resurrection, original sin and other core Christian doc- ment “wicked” and the entire Bible “the pretended word of God.” [There go the trines. He was hostile to many conservative Christian clerics, whom he believed Red States!] had perverted the teachings of that faith. What can we learn from this? Americans have the right to reject candidates for Jefferson once famously observed to Adams, “And the day will come when the any reason, including their religious beliefs. But they ought to think twice before mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of tossing someone aside just because he or she is skeptical of orthodox Christi- a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain anity. After all, that description includes some of our nation’s greatest leaders. of Jupiter.” – The author is senior policy analyst at Americans United for Separation of Although not an orthodox Christian, Jefferson admired Jesus as a moral Church and State teacher. In one of his most unusual acts, Jefferson edited the New Testament, cutting away the stories of miracles and divinity and leaving behind a very hu- man Jesus, whose teachings Jefferson found “sublime.” This “Jefferson Bible” An IQ of 64, a smart mouth, is a remarkable document – and it would ensure his political defeat today. [Imag- ine the TV commercials the Religious Right would run: Thomas Jefferson hates and the Truth ... Jesus! He mutilates Bibles!] Jefferson was confident that a coolly rational form of religion would take root www.bartcop.com THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 14 Moving Health Care Costs To Front Burner By Ralph Nader Looking at millions of individual all health care expenditures are the bills that make up the $2.7 trillion of result of computerized billing fraud annual health care costs opens a gi- and abuse. That will be $270 billion gantic window on the massive waste, this year. redundancy, profiteering, fraud and Dr. Sparrow, an applied mathemati- sometimes criminal over-billing. cian, says it could be higher if the Here is a partial example of what I federal government would simply do mean, in the words of Philip M. Bof- a more detailed study. He adds that fey, the estimable science writer for the enforcement budget should be the New York Times: 1% of the estimable volume of fraud. “Why does an appendectomy in In actual practice, the enforcement Germany cost roughly a quarter what budget is less than one/tenth of 1%, it costs in the United States? [$3,285 even though every dollar of enforce- compared to $13,123]. Or an MRI ment brings in at least $17 back. scan cost less than a third as much, [See Dr. Sparrow’s website: http:// on average, in Canada? [$304 com- www.hks.harvard.edu/fs/msparrow/] pared to $1,009]. Obviously the corporate fraud lob- “Americans continue to spend by is stronger than the taxpayer/con- more on health care than patients sumer lobby in Washington, DC. But anywhere else. In 2009, we spent why the health insurance companies, $7,960 per person, twice as much as the average cost in dollars for bypass Charles W. Slack and Warner V. a formidable force in their own right France, which is known for providing surgery is $13,998, $22,212, $16,325, Slack, MD, suggests another compel- when it comes to protecting its turf very good health services. And for $27,237 and in the U.S. $59,770. For ling comparison – between outcomes against single payer or full Medicare all that spending, we get very mixed cataract surgery the bill is $1,299, in different states in the U.S. They insurance [see singlepayeraction.org] results – some superb, some average, $927, $3,352, N.A. and in the U.S. ask “why, for example, do Missis- do not do more to stop fraudulent some inferior – compared with other $14,764. sippi, Louisiana, and Georgia have billing practices, is a puzzle. advanced nations.” Boffey adds other explanatory fac- such a high rate of mortality ame- All in all, the health care industry Moreover, France and Germany, tors. These include higher adminis- nable to health care when compared is replete with rackets that neither Italy, England, Canada, Belgium, trative costs to deal with insurance with Idaho, Oregon and Washington.” honest practitioners or regulators Sweden and all other western coun- paperwork, higher insurance com- Wide differences between states and find worrisome enough to effectively tries plus Japan and Taiwan cover pany profits and executive compen- counties have been documented challenge. The perverse economic in- almost all their citizens, unlike the sation and less developed electronic regarding the cost of identical opera- centives in this industry range from U.S. where 50 million people are health records leading to costly tions, frequency of operations such third party payments to third party uninsured. errors. as cesarean sections or hysterecto- procedures. Add paid-off members Boffey, who wrote a book on the Except for Germany there are mies and other surgical disparities of Congress who starve enforcement National Academy of Sciences, The somewhat longer waiting times for studied under controlled variables. budgets and the enormous prof- Brain Bank of America: An Inquiry some patients to see a specialist in Health care bills come with hefty its that come from that tired triad into the Politics of Science, under these countries. But in the U.S. see- levels of fraud. From the historic “waste, fraud and abuse” and you our sponsorship in 1975, goes on ing specialists is often prohibitively study 20 years ago by the then- have a massive problem needing a to cite the comparative price report expensive, and if you cannot afford General Accounting Office of the massive solution. of the International Federation of such services, that is the longest Congress to the present estimates So, voters, why not start challeng- Health Plans in 2010. They are stun- waiting time of all. by the nation’s leading expert in this ing all candidates for elective office ning! For Britain, Canada, France, A recent commentary in the Mayo field, Professor Malcolm Sparrow to make this vast daily heist a front Germany and the U.S., respectively, Clinic Proceedings last August by at Harvard University, fully 10% of burner campaign issue? One Student’s Lesson In Religious Freedom By Charles C. Haynes At the tender age of 16, Jessica After the School Committee bowed Williams, who was himself ver- state entanglement with religion Ahlquist has already endured more to public pressure and voted to keep bally attacked, was banished from violates conscience, divides society, verbal abuse than most people expe- the banner, Jessica’s father [support- Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 and [most important for him] offends rience in a lifetime. ed by the American Civil Liberties for objecting to the entanglement God. A high school student in Cranston, Union] filed suit on her behalf. of religion and government that, he Of course, keeping government RI, Jessica has been taunted and On Jan. 11, U.S. District Judge believed, corrupted both. neutral toward religion did not mean threatened at school, targeted by an Ronald Lagueux ruled in Jessica’s fa- He founded Rhode Island as the for Williams then, and does not mean online hate campaign, and called “an vor and ordered the banner removed. first government in history with no now, keeping religion out of public evil little thing” by a state represen- It was an easy case. For more than established religion and a commit- life. He would applaud that Cranston tative on the radio. 60 years, the U.S. Supreme Court ment to protect liberty of conscience students are free to pray alone or in Her crime? She asked school of- has repeatedly held that promotion for every person. As a deeply reli- groups [as long as they don’t disrupt ficials to remove a “school prayer” of religion by public school officials gious Christian minister, Williams school]. Moreover, under current law, banner from the auditorium of Cran- violates the establishment clause of vowed to put an end to centuries of students may bring their scriptures ston West High School. Addressed the First Amendment. oppression and coercion by erecting to school, share their faith with to “Our Heavenly Father,” the prayer “When focused on the Prayer Mu- what he called “a wall or hedge of classmates and form religious clubs. banner was presented to the school ral,” wrote the judge, “the activities separation” between the “Garden of You might think it would be easy to by the class of 1963 and has been and agenda of the Cranston School the Church and the Wilderness of the stand up for religious freedom in the affixed to the wall as a mural ever Committee became excessively en- World.” birthplace of religious freedom – but since. tangled with religion, exposing the Rhode Island was to be a “haven apparently it isn’t. In Judge La- At the School Committee hearing Committee to a situation where a for the cause of conscience” where gueux’s words, Jessica Ahlquist “is to consider the issue, public outrage loud and passionate majority encour- government stayed out of religion clearly an articulate and courageous turned the meeting into a religious aged it to vote to override the consti- and all people [including Quakers, young woman, who took a brave revival. Angry citizens lined up to tutional rights of a minority.” Catholics and others persecuted in stand, particularly in light of the hos- proclaim their allegiance to God, Undeterred, supporters of the surrounding colonies] would be free tile response she has received from quote the Bible, and condemn Jes- prayer banner are holding a “prayer to choose in matters of faith. her community.” sica to hell. rally” this week to urge the School If he were alive today, there’s little Thanks to Jessica, the spirit of “If you take the banner down,” one Committee to keep fighting. doubt that Roger Williams would be Roger Williams – America’s first great woman testified, “you are spitting Jessica may be in the minority in solidly in Jessica’s corner. He would dissenter – is alive and well in Rhode in the face of God.” Another banner Cranston, but she’s in good company view the “school prayer” banner as Island. supporter warned: “You can’t vote to as the latest in a long line of Rhode blasphemous state appropriation of – The author is director of the Reli- take this down and say that you’re Island dissenters – beginning with religion. However big or small the gious Freedom Education Project at standing with God.” the state’s founder, Roger Williams. issue, Williams believed that any the Newseum in Washington, DC THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 15 Supreme Court Concludes Ignorance Is Bliss? By Danny M. Adkison Just a few weeks ago the Supreme his attending doctor cut his own Court handed down one of the early finger when searching for a knife he cases of its term that began last had left among his bed sheets, the October. It was an 8-1 decision. doctor lost the use of his hand due Given all of the 5-4 decisions from to the infection he got from the inci- last term, and more severely split dental wound. decisions that are expected this term Alexander Graham Bell invented [President Obama’s health care law?], a device [he called it the Induction it would seem that the court must Balance] to locate the bullet but have gotten it right in this recent both of his attempts to do so with case. It didn’t. Garfield were unsuccessful. In the The recent case dealt with the is- end, the location of the bullet didn’t sue of eyewitness identification of really matter. It was the physicians’ the alleged perpetrator[s] of a crime. ignorance about germs that probably Believe it or not, there is a connec- sealed his fate. tion between this case and the assas- Likewise, with the Supreme sination of a U.S. president. Before Court’s recent decision concerning discussing the connection, here are eyewitness testimony. The Supreme the facts of the case. Court realizes that eyewitness iden- About 2 a.m. one August morning tification can be erroneous. Yet as it in a town in New Hampshire a Mr. When the police asked Mrs. Ullon tiny of the Republic, suggests that did in its most recent case, it ruled Ullon looked out the window of his what she had seen, she described a the answer is that unlike most of that unless the police intentionally fourth floor apartment and noticed tall African-American male break- the Civil War soldiers who received try to get a person to erroneously someone [an African-American] walk- ing into a car [by shattering the rear a wound similar to Garfield’s, the identify someone they consider a ing among the cars parked near the window]. president received almost immedi- suspect, they won’t require a jury to apartments. He noticed the man was When the police asked for a more ate medical treatment. That is not a be warned of the hazards of identify- looking in the windows of the cars detailed description of the man, Mrs. misstatement: she argues that the ing one at night from a fourth floor apparently with the intent of break- Ullon walked to the window of her doctors probably killed President window [having just minutes before ing into them. He called the police. apartment [remember, on the fourth Garfield, not the lead bullet lodged in been sound asleep]. While waiting for the police Mr. floor] and said the man was stand- his body. Justice Sotomayer tried to point Ullon woke his wife who also looked ing in the parking lot next to a police The doctors called to the scene out what over 2,000 studies over out the window, and then woke their officer. He was, in fact, the only other to attend to Garfield probed, with the last few years have shown: [1] neighbor telling him she saw some- man standing in the lot next to the their unwashed fingers, what they “eyewitness misidentification is one breaking into his car. policeman. thought was the wound in an attempt the single greatest cause of wrong- When the first police officer arrived What does this have to do with the to locate the bullet. They did this ful convictions in this country” and on the scene she witnessed an Afri- assassination of President Garfield? multiple times. They also explored [2] “76% of the first 250 convictions can-American [Mr. Perry] standing in Think about this question: What ex- the wound, multiple times, with overturned due to DNA evidence the parking lot holding a car stereo plains why President Garfield died of germ invested probing devices. Why? since 1989 involved eyewitness mis- in his hand. When she inquired an assassin’s gunshot wound [even Because they didn’t know better, and identification.” where he got the stereo he told her though it missed all major organs] because they refused to believe what The court seems to be just as he found it lying in the parking lot. while hundreds of Civil War veterans some European physicians were mired in old legal studies concerning In the meantime another police car survived the same kind of wound? beginning to preach: keep the patient eyewitness identification as Gar- arrived and while one police officer The probable answer to this question and his surroundings and all who field’s physicians were concerning entered the apartment complex to might surprise you. come in contact with him sterile. proper surgical procedures. question Mr. Ullon the other stayed Candice Millard’s fascinating book A few months later President Gar- – The author teaches constitution- in the parking lot with Mr. Perry. on the Garfield assassination, Des- field’s body was so toxic that when al law at Oklahoma State University EXAMS From Page 13 Tulsa area superintendents asked for good to be true. Although the dis- districts. And again, it is not the year until we provide the supports a delay, noting that 33% of the Tulsa trict’s figures are meticulously ac- fault of the school system that there necessary for high-quality teaching School System’s 1,666 seniors have curate, under the rules of NCLB, they are not enough hours in the day to and learning. Perhaps policy makers not passed all four of their tests. mostly ignore many of the kids that meet NCLB requirements, and actu- will see that those socio-emotional Oklahoma City’s schools are 90% low the federal law was supposed to help. ally make sure that no child is left supports are also needed to help our income and face a tougher challenge, As is common throughout the na- behind. kids who have been invisible as they with around 40% of 1,300 seniors tion, the graduation rate was inflated But, during my last two years in shuttled from one school to another. beginning the year in danger of not by dubious “remediation” and “credit the classroom, every day I had a Perhaps it will be understood that graduating. recovery” efforts that mostly were student transfer in or out. Not many dumbing down instruction may be a The effect of the law will be more fig leafs for “passing kids on.” And students whose lives are on an up- rational act of self-preservation for uneven within the OKCPS. The that is another reason why society ward trajectory choose to attend the schools threatened by NCLB-type district’s official Statistical Profile is demanding its pound of flesh from toughest schools. Similarly, students accountability, but that the only way shows, however, that it has gotten students in order to hold schools ac- who couldn’t make it in the state’s to help our most vulnerable students a bum rap. Our district’s magnet countable. lowest performing school were reach high standards is to show schools have the same great results And here’s the kicker. Because unlikely to prosper in schools with them the same respect as we accord as the selective charters, with aver- it is mostly the outcomes of FAY higher standards. to kids who are on track for col- age pass rates exceeding 80% and students that matter, we overlook the Given those numbers, why do I lege. Most educators already know with virtually no attrition. Our gradu- greater number of students who are keep an open mind on the merits of that we should be teaching analysis, ation rate has grown dramatically “highly mobile.” The OKCPS record exit exams? Although I am no longer synthesis, and problem-solving, not since it dropped to 39.9% during of producing about 780 seniors who in the classroom, I have seen my remediation or testing tricks, so the crack and gang years. In 2009, passed their tests on schedule looks former colleagues sweat blood, get- perhaps our experiment with gradu- when our district’s 1,300 seniors very different when their 1,852 fresh- ting as many students as possible to ation exams will prompt us to follow were freshmen, the OKCPS had 1,524 men classmates, who missed more take advantage of their last chances the path we always knew we should freshmen for whom it was account- than ten straight days of school, are to pass their retakes. I am confident be taking. able because they were categorized not ignored. Even under the best that they will help many struggling – The author is a former Okla- as “Full Attendance Year [FAY].” So, case scenario, when our seniors students complete their senior year homa City public schools’ teacher absent the new challenge, our poor entered 9th grade, the district served in triumph. Moreover, teachers have who blogs for The Huffington Post, district would have posted a gradu- 3,376 freshmen and only about a to hope that incoming freshmen will This Week In Education and other ation rate which would be above the third of that number will graduate learn a lesson from their ordeal. sites and is wrapping up work on his national average. from the OKCPS. Perhaps adults will also learn a les- new book Getting Schooled: Battles The problem was that everyone Of course, an unknown number of son, and recognize that they will be Inside and Outside the Urban Class- knew that such a record was too mobile students graduate from other going through the same ordeal every room THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 16 KOMEN From Page 12 There is no question that the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood was politically motivated. It allowed political pressure – apparently coming from high up in its own organization – to betray its own 501(c)3 mission “...working together to save lives.” RIGHT-WING PRESSURE The Komen Foundation launched an all-out attack on poor, young and unin- sured women when it announced that it was cutting all grants to Planned Parent- hood even though it was used for cancer screenings. This action was apparently taken at the direction of some right-wing extremist senior staff and board member. In April 2011, Komen hired Karen Handel to be its new senior vice president for public policy. Handel’s extremist positions were not a secret. Handel had run unsuccessfully in 2010, on the Republican line, for governor of Georgia. Describing herself as a pro-life Christian, she ran on a platform to cut all pub- lic funding to Planned Parenthood even for non-abortion-related health services. Clearly, Komen was allowing her to push her agenda. BRINKER’S RETURN In addition, Brinker is a former Bush Administration official – serving as am- bassador to Hungary and chief of U.S. protocol – and we all remember the rabid anti-choice agenda of the Bush years. Some Komen staff resigned after the decision to cut Planned Parenthood fund- ing was made in December. Komen’s willingness to cut funding to Planned Parenthood highlights the ease with which a direct assault on women – particularly the poor, young and unin- sured – can be launched. The majority of those served by Planned Parenthood are uninsured. Unlike many private doctors, Planned Parenthood does not turn the poor and uninsured away. Komen’s funding cuts would have directly attacked the well-being of the most sides of the aisle – although he started as a Democrat and has given donations vulnerable women. It was the Komen Foundation’s version of the Hyde Amend- to Dems – he is now a full-fledged K Street operative. ment. Raffaelli showed his K Street colors when he told the New York Times that KOMEN’S FINANCES “Komen was bitterly disappointed that Planned Parenthood was using Komen’s No doubt the Komen Foundation has done some good and honorable work, but decision to raise money.” according to the most recent audit, it had $471 million in “public support and In another NYT article he played the self-pity card: “Why are they [Planned revenue” in the fiscal year ending Mar. 31 and a whopping $193 million in net Parenthood] going nuts?” Raffaelli asked rhetorically. “And the answer is that assets. That’s a lot to account for. they want to raise money, and they’re doing it at the expense of a humanitarian To Komen’s credit, it has posted its official financial statements from the last organization that shares their goals and has given them millions of dollars over few years on its website [http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/FinancialInformation. the years.” Whether or not Raffaelli’s lobbying firm also has contracts with Ko- html.] men could not be ascertained from the IRS filings online. So many women and men have invested their money, volunteer hours and CAVING IN TO FANATICS? hopes in Komen that it is reassuring to know that it makes its revenues and ex- What does all this mean in terms of the Komen board? It calls into question penditures accessible, in terms of its audit and IRS required 990 forms. why a foundation that pulls in several hundred million dollars a year, based on But there is another kind of transparency that is lacking on the site. Absent, the trust of donors who are looking to battle breast cancer – along with a massive for example, is the context that Brinker and her late second husband Norman “cause marketing” corporate brand campaign – is in the hands of so few people, have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Republican Party and GOP many with a loyalty to the founder and current CEO, including her son and some candidates. Or that former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer played a signifi- fellow GOP partisans. cant role in a recent key senior level hiring at Komen. The pressure from anti-abortion groups had apparently been building for years According to Think Progress, Fleischer – an opponent of Planned Parenthood on Komen. But is the role of Komen to work to reduce breast cancer or cave in – brought up the organization and its “problematic nature” for Komen during the to fanatics? Indeed, why did the board allow the hiring of Handel, an avowed interviewing process. The question of why such a partisan figure as Fleischer anti-abortionist, anti-gay zealot – as well as former GOP candidate for governor was retained to hire a senior vice president for communications and external re- of Georgia – as the vice president of public policy? It puts a rightwing extremist lations is well worth asking, particularly in light of the communications disaster as the titular head of government policy development for Komen. caused by the announcement of the Komen Planned Parenthood planned cut-off. This is not a political issue; it is about the struggle to live itself and vanquish- REPUBLICAN STALWARTS ing a virulent disease. The Komen Foundation is not a private Republican corpo- A review of the Komen board of directors reveals that Brinker has the likely rate charity; it is a public trust. votes to control board decisions at any given time, and that those votes are ei- – This story combines reporting from Choice Matters, Mother Jones, Center ther Republican stalwarts or individuals personally loyal to her. for American Progress and Buzzflash. For instance, one of the members of the relatively small nine-person board – given its nearly half-billion dollars in annual revenue – is Brinker’s son, Eric Brinker. Another is Brinker herself, although, to be fair, many non-profit boards have the CEO as a member. Poor Ol’ Mitt Linda Law, an apparently extremely accomplished real estate developer and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney released the following letter to the consultant, includes in her Komen board biography that she is an “RNC regent.” American people: This means she is a top bundler and fundraiser for the Republican National Com- Dear American People: Yesterday, comments I made about poor people made me mittee, an odd detail to be included in a non-profit board bio. look terrible. This always seems to happen when I say what I really believe. Komen board member Linda Custard, a Dallas social insider, and her husband, The fact is, I do care about poor people. That’s because I’m poor myself, when you William, are listed on opensecrets.org as giving more than 95% in significant compare me to Mark Zuckerberg. According to most projections, Facebook’s IPO contributions to Republicans. should net Mr. Zuckerberg a personal fortune of $28 billion. I couldn’t make a pile of Connie O’Neill, a Dallas socialite who headed the Junior League there and dough-re-mi like that even if I fired people 24 hours a day. numerous charity balls, has been on the board and working with Brinker on de- Now, let’s take a look at Mitt Romney’s net worth: a measly $200 million. Now do veloping Komen over many years. Although there is no opensecrets.org record of you see why I consider myself poor? Compared to Mark Zuckerberg, Mitt Romney is her political giving, unless something has changed she appears to be a Brinker practically a crack whore. friend and insider. Now, I’m not going to sit here and envy a rich person like Mark Zuckerberg. That’s LESS OVERTLY PARTISAN MEMBERS exactly what President Obama wants poor people like me to do. Mark Zuckerberg That’s not to impugn the integrity of Komen board members, despite Brinker’s made his money fair and square, by creating useful products like imaginary sheep apparent de facto control of the board and the partisan leanings of some key and angry birds. Say what you will about Facebook, it has totally revolutionized the board members. way we waste our lives. Indeed, there are some members – such as the chair, Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall, The fact is, if you’re poor in America, you should do what Mark Zuckerberg did: Jr., who is a nationally distinguished oncologist and also a medical professor create a social network. I’ve just started my own, called TwoFaceBook. With Two- at Howard University – who appear non-partisan in terms of their roles on the FaceBook, your profile doesn’t stay the same for more than two seconds. board. So to for Brenda Lauderback, a cancer survivor, and Elyse Gellerman [also In closing, there’s one more reason I don’t worry about poor people. They have a breast cancer survivor], who represents the Komen affiliates. Groupons. Vote for me, Mitt Romney. – Andy Borowitz Komen board member John D. Raffaelli, though, is a lobbyist who swings both THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 17 Leasing Through The Back Door Financing Of ‘Public’ Prisons Mushrooming By Christopher Petrella Nearly 130,000 bodies are currently caged in for-profit or privately managed “correctional” facilities in the United States, a figure that accounts for 16.4% of federal and 6.8% of state populations. Since 2000, moreover, the number of extant for-profit and privately contract- ed penal institutions has skyrocketed by approximately 120% during a time in which the population of “public” federal and state facilities has grown four times as slowly. Although federal and state expenditures on prisons have mushroomed by 72% over the last decade and now cost taxpayers $74 billion per annum, the two largest private prison companies, Corrections Corporation of America and GEO Group [formerly Wackenhut Corrections Corporation], have together “earned” over $2.9 billion in profits since 2000. While in recent years much public attention has rightly been devoted to illu- minating the “industrial” operations associated with the proliferation of private prison facilities – from the pocketbooks of private prison operators to the profits generated by telecommunications companies by way of no-bid phone contracts – surprisingly scant attention has been paid to the private financiers of “public” prison projects who earn a profit each time a prison is built. Unlike those who collect revenue on prison operations, firms that purchase bonds for prison construction needn’t have a personal stake in the eventual util- ity or solvency of any given facility. Their coffers will grow whether or not prison beds are occupied. MORE PRISONS FOR MORE CRIMES But a two-decade long declension in public support for prison expansion has thwarted traditional options for financing new prison construction and has re- sulted [as it usually does] in new opportunities for cadres of investment bank- ers, building contractors, and consultants to realize indulgent returns-on-in- vestment with abidingly anti-democratic financing schemes. I call it “leasing through the back-door.” Even a cursory review of prison, jail, and detention expansion initiatives dem- onstrates that federal, state, and municipal governments are using “back door” financing instruments that allow them to borrow billions of dollars to build fa- cilities that the public does not want nor can afford. Of course, prison finance policy is far from immutable and often reflects polit- ical-economic trends, exigencies, and anxieties. In fact, prior to the mid-1980s, prisons were generally financed in one of two ways. State officials either adopted a “pay-as-you-go” approach by funding new construction out of general revenues or they borrowed money through the sale of general obligation bonds. to concern Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley – three of the HIGHER RISKS largest six U.S. financial institutions – that have underwritten and purchased The higher risk and cost associated with lease-revenue bonds doesn’t seem See PRIVATE Page 19 Politicos Are Stealing The People’s Property By Jim Hightower “Sorry, we’re closed.” In one of officials are snuffing out this invalu- – stealing from America itself. But that was only part of the the saddest signs of the times, this able, uniting social force. They are Check out the robbery in my state robbery. A state sales tax on sport- message is popping up all across the stupidly treating parks as nothing of Texas. Things tend to be bigger ing goods, dedicated by law to help country, as governors and legislators but a budget number or a piece of the here – bigger hair and hats, for ex- finance the people’s parks will gener- are cutting off funds [and shutting “nanny state” to be axed in the name ample, bigger money and egos ... and ate about $236 million this year and off access] to one of the finest, most of ideological purity. Worse, they are bigger thievery by political con men. next. But the governor and his legis- popular assets owned by the people sacrificing parks in order to keep the Last year, the gang of GOP huck- lative henchmen raided this pile of of our country: state parks. tax-dodging moneyed elites who pay sters who control our state govern- revenue, filching two-thirds of it for More than 6,600 of these jewels for their campaigns from paying even ment pulled off a huge heist, cover- the state’s general fund so they could draw some 700 million visitors a year a dime more in taxes. ing it up with an equally huge boast: claim that they “balanced our budget to their grand vistas, historic sites, The majority of states have been “We balanced our budget. Not by [without] raising taxes.” abundant wildlife, majestic forests, closing many of their parks, slash- raising taxes but by setting priorities To replenish some of the tax mon- cascading waters, expansive beaches, ing hours and services at others or and cutting government spending,” ey taken by The Perry Gang, the head nature trails, campgrounds, educa- simply handing the public’s asset to bragged the gang leader, Gov. Rick of parks for the Great State of Texas tional centers and lodges. Parks are profiteering corporations. “Oops” Perry. How’d they fill the $27 is now engaged in a shocking specta- a tangible expression of America’s Idaho’s governor has proposed billion shortfall that they themselves cle: public begging. In a video played democratic ideals, literally a com- eliminating the entire parks depart- had created by their previous bud- at 11 December press conferences in mon ground for every man, woman ment; California shut the gates of a getary mismanagement? By stealing state parks across Texas, the chief and child to enjoy, learn, absorb ... fourth of the state’s parks last year; money from already poorly funded of a major state agency is reduced to or just be. Especially for the middle officials in Arizona and Florida in- programs – from education to parks – shaking a tin cup, pleading for $4.6 class and the poor – the great major- tend to privatize their parks; Wash- that ordinary Texans count on. million in donations. “Please act now ity of our people who can’t jet off ington state has cut off most of its People here are justly proud of to help keep our state parks open for to luxury resorts for a getaway for park funding; and Ohio has OK’d oil their 94 parks, but many of these all Texans to enjoy,” he beseeches. vacation – these spaces offer a form drilling in its parks to replace state treasures are now understaffed, open These right-wing politicians howl of real wealth, something of great financing. fewer hours and in disrepair because that they want to shrink government value that each of us literally “owns,” As Woody Guthrie said of outlaws, the system’s budget was whacked by – but they are the shrunken ones, knitting us together as a community “Some’ll rob you with a six gun/Some 21.5% in order to spare the wealthi- and the narrowness of their vision and nation. with a fountain pen.” This is theft est families and corporations in this is diminishing what it means to be Yet so many spiritually shriveled, by the in-laws, the political insiders enormously rich state from paying a American. small-minded and short-sighted state who’re stealing The People’s property teensy bit more in taxes. © Creators Syndicate THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 10, 2012, PAGE 18 PRISONS From Page One more likely to wind up there someday. capita have decreased in three of the phase of the Justice Reinvestment Clement cited the corrections crisis Oklahoma’s drug courts and mental state’s four major cities, where most Initiative. Analysis will continue as in California, where officials neglect- health courts are proving their worth crime occurs. working group members begin devel- ed prison overcrowding and other cor- but they should exist in all 77 coun- • State law hinders post-prison su- oping policies for lawmakers to con- rections issues for years until federal ties. pervision of certain felony offenders, sider this session. officials assumed control of prison It seems odd that a state that re- including some who are high-risk. “The analysis so far shows Oklaho- medical operations and a state court joices in limiting the power of the • Last year, 51% of felony offenders ma has an opportunity to make major ordered 40,000 inmates released from state should give so many draconian released from prison were released improvements to its criminal justice state prisons, which had reached powers to its government, yet for the unsupervised. The number of felony system in ways that better protect the 196% of capacity. past 40 years lawmakers have gener- offenders released unsupervised has public,” Steele said. “Oklahoma simply cannot afford ally regarded selling to voters the idea risen 28% since 2005. “Specifically, it appears we need to to lose control of its criminal justice of locking up fewer people as political • 53% of all felony offenders re- do a better job of preventing repeat of- system, as California has. The sky suicide. leased in 2007 were rearrested within fenses. We must do more on the front isn’t falling here yet, but it could be An era of budgetary constraint, three years. end rather than after the fact. We have soon if we don’t get serious about do- however, is as good a time as any to “Our criminal justice system is at been pleased to learn there are prov- ing things differently,” said Steele, try. Sooner or later Oklahoma voters a crossroads,” said Steele. “Business en, evidence-based ways to do this who is co-chairman of the state’s Jus- will realize that their incarceration as usual has proven to be incredibly that we will now begin exploring.” tice Reinvestment Initiative Working policies are unjust and inefficient; costly and ineffective. Oklahoma can Steele, who guided landmark cor- Group. politicians who point that out to them no longer spend and build its way out rections reform legislation into law “We know the challenges Oklahoma now may, in the end, get some credit. of this problem. To get safer, we must last session, said Oklahoma’s crimi- faces and I look forward to finding Oklahoma has significantly in- get smarter, which is what the Justice nal justice system cannot continue ways to address those challenges in creased spending on its criminal jus- Reinvestment Initiative is all about.” on its current path. the coming months.” tice system, but the state’s violent More than a dozen states, includ- As an example of why, Steele and It’s not a moment too soon. crime rate has decreased far less ing Texas, Kansas and Ohio, have than it has nationwide, according to successfully used the Justice Rein- an analysis conducted as part of the vestment Initiative to increase public state’s Justice Reinvestment Initia- safety by reallocating resources so PRIVATE tive. serious public safety threats can be From Page 18 The analysis projects Oklahoma’s adequately addressed and recidivism prison population will increase 11.5% can be reduced. over $2 billion in lease-revenue bonds for prison construction in California from in the next decade, which presents At one Town Hall meeting, a nation- 1991-2007. significant challenges for a system al- al criminal justice expert said Okla- The public must be made to know that although financial institutions like ready operating at capacity. homa has a great chance to get ahead Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley do not profit directly by The analysis also shows supervi- of the challenges identified by the exploiting prison labor or by operating private penal facilities, they nonetheless sion of felony offenders is declining, Justice Reinvestment Initiative. realize exorbitant annual revenues by propping up a “prison industrial complex” leading to fewer offenders being su- “Oklahoma faces serious chal- by way of “leasing through the back door.” pervised after release, which results lenges, but it’s not too late to ad- And to paraphrase 16th Century Dutch polymath Balthazar Gerbier, too many in unacceptable recidivism rates. dress them,” said Marshall Clement, back doors make thieves. Speaker Steele and the state’s Jus- Justice Reinvestment Project Direc- © Nation of Change tice Reinvestment Initiative Working tor with the Council of State Gov- Group unveiled preliminary findings ernments Justice Center, which has from the analysis at Town Hall meet- been in Oklahoma for the past several ings in Lawton, Enid and Muskogee. months analyzing the state’s criminal LOST IN TRANSLATION The analysis has focused on violent justice system. In Oklahoma there is a town called Shattuck, where some of its citizens still speak crime trends, current offender super- “You have less of a police presence, a form a German, which was the language of many of the area pioneers. One day, vision policies and inmate popula- but more inmates, and more of those a local rancher driving down a country road noticed a man using his hand to drink tions. Among the key findings: inmates are being released without water from the rancher’s stock pond. • Between 2000 and 2010, Okla- supervision. You have spent more and The rancher rolled down the window and shouted: “Sehr angenehm! Trink das homa’s prison population increased more, but see just as much crime, and Wasser nicht. Die kuehe haben darein geschissen,” which means: “Glad to meet 15% and its corrections spending much of that crime is violent.” you! Don’t drink the water. The cows have sh-- in it.” rose 41% but the state’s violent crime The Town Hall meetings were op- The man shouted back: “I’m from New York and just down here campaigning for rate decreased only 4% as the nation’s portunities to inform and seek input Romney. I can’t understand you. Please speak in English.” violent crime rate fell 20%. from citizens. The working group now The rancher replied: “Use both hands.” • Law enforcement officers per is focusing on the policy development

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