The Erratic Dr. Tom by Frosty Troy

$2.50

25,000 Blue Chip Readers

VOL. 43, NO. 10 An Independent Journal of Commentary MAY 25, 2011 An Oklahoma Embarrassment The Erratic Dr. Tom By Frosty Troy

No matter if it’s a Democrat or Repub- Power.] lican talking, Oklahomans are confused Republican Jim Inhofe, R-OK, is also a about the state’s Republican junior U.S. Family member and both he and Coburn Senator Tom Coburn. have traveled abroad to spread the gos- He’s a fixture in Washington where pel that only the elite should rule. The the media turn to him for a fast quote. Family has infiltrated every nook and He likes to say he and President Obama cranny of the federal government. are friends. Hardly. Check his voting re- Coburn is for vouchers and co-spon- cord. sored an unsuccessful Constitutional The religious right loves Coburn for amendment to allow prayer in public his pro-life stance. A former deacon in schools. the First Baptist Church in Muskogee, He voted for privatizing Social Securi- he poses as a “fiscal conservative” but ty and for a ban on gay adoptions. He fa- he has made no move against the three vors the death penalty for abortionists. quarters of a billion dollars hauled in by He has a perfect score from the Nation- the religious right – tax free. al Rifle Association. He voted to repeal He was the first Republican to repre- the inheritance tax and against medical sent the old 2nd District since 1921. Ac- marijuana. cording to his book Breach of Trust, he In his frequent appearances on talk intensely disliked the liberal Congress- shows such as Meet The Press, he comes man Mike Synar. across as an anti-government rightwing- The tobacco industry blew a fortune er. He is as far right as any member of to defeat Synar who was campaigning to Congress. put a warning label on snuff. Synar lost No one fought harder against President to 71-year-old principal Virgil Cooper, Barack Obama’s attempt to overhaul who was then defeated by Coburn 52%- health care in America. He told Meet the 48%. Press it was a case of an “uncontrolled Coburn is an M.D., one of only two federal government.” serving in the Senate. He was once sued In fact, it is just the opposite. Health for malpractice after delivering the baby care is out of control, with hospital mis- of a 20-year-old unwed welfare mother, takes killing nearly 100,000 last year, then sterilizing her without permission. according to the American Medical As- The case was eventually dismissed. sociation. A strong promoter of term limits, he He had the gall to filibuster a com- served three House terms and quit. His mon-sense amendment that would have rightwing credentials came into full view allowed those in the federal retirement when he endorsed radical Alan Keyes in system to count unused sick leave. the 2000 Republican presidential prima- He made headlines across the world ry. The district was easily carried by Bill when he protested NBC’s airing of the Clinton. historically significant movie Schindler’s Coburn belongs to “The Family” and List. He was quoted: “The movie [what lived in their facility on C Street in Wash- Hitler did to the Jews] takes television ington. [For the weird details, read Jeff to an all-time low, with full frontal nu- Sharlett’s The Family: The Secret Fun- dity, violence and profanity.” damentalism at the Heart of American – DonkeyHotey http://www.flickr.com/photos/donkeyhotey/5693723516 See COBURN Page 19 Will Coburn Face Scrutiny Over Ensign Affair? Sen. Tom Coburn’s role in the cover-up of former Nevada Sen. John Ensign’s extramarital affair was far more extensive than originally thought, a new Senate Eth- ics Committee report reveals. Coburn tried to help broker a $2.8 million settlement with the woman’s family. Ensign resigned from the Senate last month, but Coburn remains in office. Will he find himself in the committee’s cross-hairs next? See Will Ensign Cover-Up Tar Coburn? [Page 19] Observations Alarming Tulsa’s David Blatt, foremost ana- grades to schools based on student lyst of state government, looks at a performance on the Oklahoma School surprising and alarming provision Testing Program. buried deep into a 107-page tax bill Instead of adequately funding public that passed the Senate and is now on education, Republicans want to blud- the House floor agenda. geon it. Letter grades are meaningless SB 517 would sunset a number of for underfunded schools – 47th low- Oklahoma’s income tax credits as of est per pupil funding in America, 49th the end of 2013, presumably so they in teacher salaries. can all be evaluated as to their effec- Once again Republicans cited Flor- tiveness. ida as some kind of model. In fact, Along with the array of economic their ACT scores are well below Okla- development tax credits providing tax homa’s. advantages for various forms of investment and jobs, the bill would also sunset at the end of 2013 the Sales School Reform Tax Relief Credit, a broad-based credit of $40 per household member intend- SB 969, the Oklahoma Equal Edu- ed to offset the sales tax on groceries cation Opportunity Scholarship Act, for families earning up to $50,000 per would give businesses and individu- those that contribute. Individuals will tising liquor or tobacco and should be year. This would affect over a million als the opportunity to provide stu- receive a 50% annual credit for contri- treated exactly the same. Oklahomans who claim the credit. dents with expanded educational op- butions up to $1,000, $2,000 for mar- Never mind that the lottery has en- This is especially troubling at a portunities. ried couples filing jointly, and a 50% riched public education. time when the Legislature is moving Or so claims the author, Sen. Dan credit annually for corporations on Wright said gambling is potentially forward to further reduce the top in- Newberry, R-Tulsa, asserting it would contributions up to $100,000. There addictive and therefore children are come tax rate. provide an opportunity for poor chil- is a limit placed on total annual con- not allowed to take part in it. For that The poorest 40% of Oklahomans dren to attend private schools. tributions, totaling $5 million. reason, he said, constituents have would receive no benefit from that That idea was immediately attacked Of course Republican Gov. Mary Fal- told him again and again they do not tax cut, and they would bear all of the by Sen. Jim Wilson, D-Tahlequah, lin signed it – another blow aimed at think it is appropriate for children to burden from the loss of the Sales Tax who put the pencil to the bill and said public education. even be associated with gambling in Relief Credit. it amounted to giving the affluent a any way. If the Legislature does not reas- tax break for sending kids to private What about jacks, marbles or Inter- sess its priorities, the result will be or parochial schools. Unions net games? an unfair and unnecessary transfer of Newberry explained the bill: “This Once again, lawmakers are making wealth from the poorest to the wealth- legislation will encourage private sec- Thankfully, SB 826, a bill to reform jackasses of themselves. iest Oklahomans. tor investment in the success of our binding arbitration, was not heard in low-income children, removing barri- the House before the deadline to hear ers to achievement and helping chil- Senate bills. But the issue is not go- Oil Subsidies Hogwash dren build better lives. Expanding ing away. The bill could be considered choice will create a more fertile cli- in the House in the 2012 session. There’s no reason big oil companies As the Legislature draws to a close, mate for learning, improving our edu- The measure’s principal author, like BP and Exxon are receiving gov- Republicans are still pummeling pub- cation system.” Sen. David Holt, R-OKC, claims bind- ernment subsidies when we’re look- lic education, the latest being a letter To the contrary, Wilson noted that ing arbitration takes the power to ing at a budget deficit – and that’s why grade for public schools. it would be a boon to families earning spend tax dollars away from taxpay- Democrats are working to end $4 bil- Under HB 1456, by Republican $100,000 or more. ers. He is a typical Republican, pro- lion in free paychecks for the oil ma- Rep. Lee Denney, Oklahoma’s pub- Under the provisions of SB 969, stu- rich, anti-union. chines that damage our environment. lic schools would be given an annual dents meeting financial need require- “I think we all have to look in the Of course the Oklahoma delegation grade of “A” to “F” based on student ments or living in school districts mirror and ask ourselves how long we lined up against President Obama’s performance on state tests. identified for improvement under No want Oklahoma to continue prioritiz- initiative. They are all recipients of Gov. Mary Fallin called it “school Child Left Behind will be eligible for ing union interests above taxpayers,” hefty campaign contributions from reform” when in fact it is school de- scholarships. Holt said in a statement released after the oil and gas industry. form. Businesses and individual contri- his bill failed to make it out of com- Senate Democrats hope to wipe out Under the legislation, annual re- butions will fund the scholarships mittee. billions in tax incentives from oil gi- ports would be issued giving letter and the state will grant tax credits to Since when did Oklahoma give pri- ants, and redirect the money into the ority to unions? We’re a right to work budget – money that could potentially state which means that even in a help save social programs like Medi- union shop members are not obliged care that the GOP wants to obliterate. to be a member of the union. They’re Montana Sen. Max Baucus’ bill, for called freeloaders. example, would exempt oil and gas www.okobserver.net Union membership in Oklahoma is companies from the Section 199 de- at 6% – a long way from 20% just a few duction for domestic manufacturers, FOUNDING PUBLISHER • Helen B. Troy [1970-2006] PUBLISHER decades ago. Superb union jobs have reduce the tax credit for royalty pay- [ISSN 0030-1795] Beverly Hamilton moved out of state, including the GM ments to foreign governments and im- The Oklahoma Observer [USPS 865-720] is published plant. the 10th and 25th of each month, except July 25th and Dec. [email protected] pose an excise tax on certain Gulf of 25th, by AHB Enterprises LLC, 13912 Plymouth Xing, P.O. Box 405.478.8700 Republicans won’t be happy until Mexico leases. 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. Periodicals postage the working class is flipping ham- A vote on repealing about $2 billion paid at Oklahoma City, OK 73125. burgers and the rich grow richer. in tax breaks fell eight votes short POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Oklahoma EDITOR Observer, P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. Arnold Hamilton this month, but Democrats hope it SUBSCRIPTIONS: 1-Year [22 issues] $40. Send check to [email protected] will fare better later this year. The Oklahoma Observer, P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 405.478.8700 Think they will quit drilling if the 73113-0275. Online: Visit www.okobserver.net to use a credit Jackasses card. subsidies are banished? UPDATE ADDRESSES: Please notify us at least two weeks FOUNDING EDITOR Why don’t Republican House mem- Think again. Oil and gas profits are before your move to ensure uninterrupted service. E-Mail to Frosty Troy bers banish candy – a leading cause at an unprecedented high. [email protected] or mail to P.O. Box 14275, of obesity. That makes about as much Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. [email protected] LETTERS TO EDITOR: E-mail to [email protected] or 405.760.1843 sense as their vote to restrict the use Observer Family, mail to P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. of children under 18 in the promotion SPEAKERS BUREAU: To book Founding Editor Frosty Troy OUR MOTTO: To Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the Comfort- or advertising of the state lottery or able. for your Chamber banquet, convention or other gathering, and any lottery games. Take Note for rates and availability, call 405.760.1843. You also may sub- OUR CREDO: So then to all their chance, to all their shining mit your request via e-mail to [email protected] or by golden opportunity. To all the right to love, to live, to work, State Rep. Harold Wright, R-Weath- Founding Editor Frosty Troy’s e-mail U.S. mail to P.O. Box 53371, Oklahoma City, OK 73152-3371. to be themselves, and to become whatever thing their vision erford, author of HB 1321, argued that address is now [email protected]. To invite Editor Arnold Hamilton to address your civic and humanity can combine to make them. This seeker, is the promoting or advertising the lottery is His old e-mail account – ftroy@fullnet. promise of America. club, students or political gathering, contact him directly at net – has been closed. 405.478.8700 or at [email protected]. - Adapted from Thomas Wolfe no different from promoting or adver- THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 2 Observerscope

More than 423,000 American chil- The U.S. Department of Education dren are in foster care or welfare pro- has sent a letter to every school dis- grams, costing taxpayers $25.7 billion. trict in America informing them that Foster care alone last year cost $10.7 all students – legal or not – are en- billion. [State Legislatures magazine, titled to a public school education. April 2011] Bravo!

Dart: To the Republican governor Laurel: To Oklahoma, ranking only and Legislature for repealing the law behind the Department of Defense that gives municipal employees the when it comes to protecting chil- right to bargain collectively. Naturally dren in child care facilities. Oklaho- they exempted police and firemen. ma scored 96 out of a possible 100 The FOP donated $2,500 to Fallin’s thanks to the Department of Human campaign. Services.

Republican Mary Fallin spent $4.1 A bill that would permit open-carry million on her winning race for gov- of guns on CareerTech campuses was ernor. Her main opponent, Democrat still alive at press time. Opponents Jari Askins, spent $4.3 million. hope that Gov. Mary Fallin will veto it, if it reaches her desk. Laurel: To the Oklahoma House of Laurel: To OU President David Bo- The Tea Party mailed post cards in Representative for a formal reprimand Dart: To Republican Gov. Mary Fal- ren, taking off the gloves in defense Republican Gary Banz’s district, at- of Rep. Sally Kern, R-OKC, for racist lin for first accepting, then rejecting of a tuition hike, caused in part by tacking his voting record. The called and anti-women remarks. $54 million from the feds to set up a “irresponsible tax cuts” by the Leg- him a RINO – Republican In Name health care initiative to lower health islature. They total $771 million and Only with a 60% conservative voting What a difference a decade makes. care costs. She reneged when the clearly favored the affluent. record. Congressional redistricting sailed Obama haters went after her. through the Legislature, with a bit of U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, D-OK, has Laurel: To Dr. Katherine Scheirman, tweaking to balance districts. The del- New Oklahoma teachers will have to been re-elected to the board of the Na- Colonel, USAF, retired, named 2011 egation signed off on it. wait until they are 65 to retire. Pres- tional Rifle Association. We hope he Oklahoma Veteran of the Year by the ent teachers were grandfathered in at can shoot straighter than he votes. state Democratic Party’s Veterans Dart: To those questioning the use 62 years. There will be no more CO- Committee. A true patriot, an even of “Geronimo” in the Navy SEALs op- LAs unless money is available – very Dart: To Oklahoma for another better person. eration to kill Osama Bin Laden. It unlikely. was a tribute, not an insult. No apol- black eye – one in four children live in single-parent households, largest per- Gearing up for campaign 2012, ogy is warranted. Laurel: To Natalie Shirley, named centage of the 27 leading nations. Oklahoma Democrats elected a new president of Oklahoma State Univer- leadership team – former state Rep. It was a great fun to mock the Re- sity-Oklahoma City. She formerly Condolezza Rice is making the Wallace Collins as state chair and publican Legislature for approving a served as Secretary of Commerce and rounds of the talk shows, lying every Dana Orwig as vice-chair. state question requiring a birth certif- Tourism executive director. icate to run for President on the same step of the way. She’s still apologist- in-chief for President George W. Bush Dart: To Rep. Jason Murphey, R- day President Obama released his. T. Boone Pickens has raised anoth- who loved her piano playing. Guthrie, launching a sneak attack in er $191.5 million for Oklahoma State SB 709 against Tulsa’s Planned Par- Laurel: To Sen. Brian Crain, R-Tulsa, University, benefiting hundreds of Laurel: To former OKC Fire Chief enthood. His anti-abortion zealotry for scraping together enough money new scholarships. It’s from his Lega- Gary Marrs, recipient of the Ruby would put thousands of poor WIC re- to hold an OHP Academy. The OHP is cy Scholarship Match. allotted more than 900 troopers but it Award for Humanitarian Service for cipients at risk. his longtime support for the Ameri- has only around 700 today. Dart: To Oklahoma’s sorry congres- can Red Cross of Central Oklahoma. We mourn the loss of Eddy Krumme, sional delegation, opposing President wife of Oklahoma’s Mr. Democrat, Oklahoma’s presidential primary Obama’s proposal to cut $4 billion in Wal-Mart Stores led the nation last George Krumme. Her devotion to the election will be the first Tuesday in tax exemptions for Big Oil. ExxonMo- year with $421,849 billion in sales less fortunate was unparalleled. March. It was previously the first bil had $30,458 billion in profits last but ranked 18th in profits at $16,389 Tuesday in February. year. billion – Forbes magazine Laurel: To former Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, awarded the state Democratic Dart: To House and Senate Repub- Taking affirmative action out of the Dart: To the state Senate leadership Party’s prestigious Carl Albert Award lican leaders who went on a lobbyist- State Constitution will be on the bal- for drawing redistricting lines that at a gala that featured a real stem- funded golf outing in Arizona. Rep. lot next year. The Muskogee Phoenix put Tulsan Tom Adelson, a Democrat, winder from former Clinton Adminis- Mike Reynolds, R-OKC, said it best: noted that Rep. Sally Kern’s philoso- with a district that includes Duncan. tration insider Donna Brazile. “This is an example of abuse of power phy is exactly why we need to keep it Have they no shame? that goes on in the Legislature.” in the Constitution. Earth to David Koch? The billion- The Corrections Department has aire told New York magazine: Obama spent $7.7 million on overtime pay. is “a hardcore socialist and he’s mar- The agency has only 70% of the staff velous at pretending to be something it needs to do the job. Director Justin other than that, but that is what I be- Jones says it’s a travesty. lieve he truly is, a hardcore socialist. He’s scary to me.” Laurel: To Oklahomans over 45, the new voting age majority. They can’t be Still only three legislators have any worse than what was voted into signed up for Common Cause’s No office. The new bloc doesn’t want to Gifts List – Rep. Jason Murphey, Rep. privatize Medicare. Charles Key and Sen. Andrew Rice. Lawmakers should start wearing lo- This year’s Republican Convention gos of corporate sponsors on their delegates celebrated a clean sweep of suits just like NASCAR drivers. the governorship, Legislature and 11 statewide offices and the stupidity of A blog called Oklahoma Bunnies turning down $54 million for a health [oklahomabunnies.blogspot.com] has exchange. popped up on the Internet, ostensi- bly written by three GOP lawmakers Dart: With lawyers in every nook – Flopsy and Mopsy are House mem- and cranny of state government, the bers, Cottontail a senator. It’s full of state still spent $47 million on out- snarky commentary and intra-caucus side legal work in the past five years. intrigue. THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 3 Letters Editor, The Observer: or segregation. Forty-two thin-skinned Republican Every family in America, and every freshmen in the U. S. Congress, in- church, has members that are gay, cluding our own James Lankford of lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Let District 5, wrote President Obama on us welcome them all with open arms May 10 to ask that the President help into church, family, and society. stop the “political rhetoric” and con- Nathaniel Batchelder demn the “partisan attacks” on these Oklahoma City newly elected Republicans. These freshmen felt the heat back Editor, The Observer: home from people like me because of I may have mentioned that I pos- their “yes” votes for Rep. Paul Ryan’s sess the only Obama/Biden yard sign budget bill [HCR 34] which ends Medi- from 2008 in the entire county of Rog- care as we know it. er Mills. It sits in my office proudly Specifically, future Medicare benefi- along with a sign for a district judge ciaries – people now under 55 – would that I helped get elected. Both are in get a voucher called a “premium sup- plain sight of anybody coming into port payment” from the federal gov- the office. ernment. Each individual could then I had two snide comments about use this voucher as partial payment Obama today and I know they’re jack- for health insurance from a private ing with me so I say nothing. I just rity” to “a milk cow with 310 million ter if our shortsighted, elected repre- company. No economies of scale there smile and go on. teats.” I am 62 and have worked my sentatives do not educate themselves and no guarantee of health insurance, It does make me kind of want to whole life without pause. I cannot wholly before agreeing with a folly either. blow up that picture of Obama in the retire with my paltry retirement and such as this pipeline proposal. Rep. Lankford was one of 11 newly black hat and stick it on my office Social Security until I am eligible for Please reconsider your position to elected representatives to hold a news door! Medicare and even then I may not be protect your constituents’ interests conference on May 11 to promote the Sherri Goodwin able to because my wife is younger and not the profits of oil companies letter [described above] to President Cheyenne and covered by my insurance. and their marketing of this oil to Obama. Republicans won’t let us raise the places like China. Alternate energy Now, on his website under the head- Editor, The Observer: tax rate on the richest 1% [although sources and support for mass transit ing “Let’s Get Past All the Attacks, Class warfare? Oil companies drill with their lawyers and accountants systems to replace the daily, one-oc- Get on to the Serious Business,” on public lands and offshore leases they don’t pay anything near the rate cupant auto commuter need to be the Lankford wants to hit the reset but- and sell our oil back to us for huge they should be paying now] – again primary focus for a more progressive ton, wipe the slate clean, and let by- profits while they get monstrous tax screaming “class warfare.” future for Oklahomans and for U.S. gones be bygones as he continues to breaks and that’s just business. They won’t raise the amount of in- citizens as a entirety. “represent” about 750,000 of us in Giant banks get hundred billon dol- come from which Social Security tax Thank you for your consideration. Oklahoma, Pottawatomie, and Semi- lar bailouts while the executives who may be deducted, and they yell, “Class Darla Reynolds-Sparks nole counties. drove them in the ditch take multimil- warfare!” Yukon We’ll see how that works for those lion dollar bonuses and that’s busi- Readers, I say to you that there has who voted for him. ness. never been a land or a time in human Editor, The Observer: Wanda Jo [Peltier] Stapleton Pharmaceutical companies are al- existence that we haven’t been en- Re: May 7 letter appearing in the Oklahoma City lowed to take taxpayer-funded re- gaged in “class warfare” and more so Oklahoman: search from our universities and then now, than usual, the bottom 90% of us Jack L. Werner, insurance guy, says Editor, The Observer: sell us their product for triple the are getting our butts kicked. It’s time he would like to see “a reasoned de- When the Presbyterian Church price they get overseas. to join the fight! bate about how to live up to our ideals [USA], the largest Presbyterian de- Taxpayers build hundred thousand Rick Ewing and promises, a debate that doesn’t nomination in the country, ruled on ton aircraft carriers [the U.S. has Lexington degenerate into an unproductive, holi- May 10 that its member churches more aircraft carriers then all the er-than-thou yelling match.” Too late, may ordain gay and lesbian men and rest of the world’s navies combined] Editor, The Observer: and he needs to check on some of women, it joined the growing number for the world’s largest navy to protect An open letter to state Sen. Rob the things coming out of the mouths of U.S. churches and denominations corporate commerce worldwide. The Johnson, R-Kingfisher: of his fellow Republicans other than that no longer believe homosexuality taxpayer funded highway system per- I respectfully request that you find Sally Kern. is a sickness or a sin. mits business to flourish all over the time to read what a myriad of experts Holier-than-Sally & Steve? I grew The American Medical Association, country. are warning us in regard to the dan- up in the same religion as Sally and American Psychiatric Association, GE and many others pay no taxes gers of allowing the pipeline to pass with a lot of the same beliefs and I American Psychological Association, on huge profits. But if workers protest through our heartland. Your eyes and have known a lot of Baptists just like and National Association of Social cuts in wages or benefits, the haves mind will need more information than them. Workers have all officially declared scream the have-nots are fermenting you possibly have at this moment. They help the community and they that sexual orientation – whether one “class warfare.” They steal the money, The “jobs” that may be created and expect the community to help them. is gay or straight – is a normal human ruin the economy, and then blame it the wealth the oil corporations may They were obviously not succeeding characteristic. all on the greedy working people, both gain will never cover the loss suffered fast enough just preaching the word; For 200 years in America, Chris- public and private. by a major leak in something like the she decided that making adherence to tians cited scriptures in defense of In August 2010, Alan Simpson, for- Nebraska aquifer ... or the rich wheat her version of the “Word of God” the slavery. Then, for another 100 years, mer Republican senator from Wyo- belt soil ... or the precious waters of law of the land was better. cited scriptures to defend racial seg- ming, who was co-chair of Obama’s our rivers, lakes across this heart- It isn’t a sin to do that and you need regation. Those scriptures have not deficit commission, said our senior land. God’s forgiveness becomes it is a felo- changed, but few Christians would citizens are “the greediest genera- If you apply your thinking to the ny with jail-time, restitution and there cite them today in defense of slavery tion” as he compared “Social Secu- number of jobs that the clean-up of is no forgiveness. these spills and the decades and cen- Jack says, “When will we realize that turies before any use can be had after others don’t have to believe exactly as Frosty Troy’s man’s paltry attempts to clean gunky, we do to be valued and respected and poisonous bitumen sludge from our to make this world better?” Probably What’s Right About Oklahoma land, you may not wish to provide about the same time Sally realizes those types of jobs and the oil com- what she does in the name of God and panies are certainly not going to help what she does in the name of the GOP pay for those clean-ups. are very different things. Want a pungent, humorous speech Witness the Gulf of Mexico and the God told her to tell me which books from one of America’s best speakers? mess that BP can never repair to the my children could get at the library. healthy stage before that disaster. Re- To my knowledge, she has not endeav- Frosty covers 50 years of Oklahoma’s member also that BP is involved with ored to take one single anti-gay family crazy political scene. the Keystone XL pipeline and check book from the library. When my child out the leaks that are associated with was young I was always with her at that company’s poor practices at safe- the library, but apparently Sally and Call Frosty at 405.760.1843 to book a speech. ty and maintenance. friends just drop theirs off for the We would be courting total disas- See LETTERS Page 18 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 4 Frosty Troy’s Notebook Ralph Nader The day Tulsa World editorial page editor David Averill chose to run a vicious personal attack on Barack Obama his brain must have been AWOL. Of course the columnist was none other than Ralph Nader, hate peddler personified. He has a lot of Americans fooled but my personal experience with him makes me an exception. I introduced Nader’s column in Oklahoma, way back when he was a consumer advocate doing a bang-up job. Over the decades I’ve run into individuals like him who were good at something and they were suddenly inspired to run for office – many of them grossly unqualified. Nader hasn’t run once, he’s run four times. Madison Square Garden couldn’t contain his FROSTY TROY ego. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not their own facts. Founding Editor This nation’s financial woes and two wars can be laid indirectly at Nader’s feet. He was the third party candidate who took enough votes from the Democratic nominee in Florida that George W. Bush became president – with a little help from one of the foulest opinions ever issued by the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s easy for Nader and his ilk to sit on the sidelines and damage Obama’s repu- tation. Yes, Obama hasn’t gone after the big banks – we’re in the worst recession since the Great Depression. Yes, he bailed out the auto industry – but guess what Ralph? GM and Chrysler are paying the taxpayers back! Ford took no federal funds and all three are profitable again thanks to President Obama. Nader is mum on the subject of G.W. Bush, his gift to America, but he wails Obama is ridiculed for his health care proposal but he had to settle for less against General Electric and companies that don’t pay taxes. than a perfect law because of Republican do-nothings bowing to their lobbyist Nader obviously forgets Congress holds the power of the purse. Congress had benefactors. riddled the IRS code, thanks to billions spent by lobbyists to water down the IRS. At least he tried to do the right thing – national health insurance. We are the Lobbyists spent $3.5 billion last year. only civilized nation in the world that doesn’t provide health care for every citi- It was G.W. Bush who granted a trillion dollars in tax cuts to the upper 2% of zen – rich or poor. Americans. Bush says in his book he regrets the wars but doesn’t apologize for Health care costs are running out of control while nearly 100,000 were killed the fat cat tax cuts. by hospital mistakes last year. More than 18,000 lost their lives because health Obama is juggling two wars and problems in Libya but he’s done what no other care professionals didn’t wash their hands. president did – he unleashed the dogs of war and killed the world’s No. 1 peddler Nader keeps picking up those speaking fees – much like Sarah Palin and her of violence, Osama bin Laden. daughter Bristol – but history is on Obama’s side. Except for hardcore Republi- Nader writes that Obama’s principles have vanished. Obama has more prin- cans and racists of every stripe, he will be remembered as a guy who tried to do ciples in his little finger than Nader has in his whole sordid persona. the right thing. Brennan Society Forms, For Progressive Ideals In response to the outcome of the fall 2010 elections and recent actions in Congress and the state Legislature, a new progressive organization, The Brennan Society of Oklahoma, announced its formation. The organization, whose active membership is over 100, is a non-partisan group that aims to promote progressive ideals, issues and candidates. Led by a Supreme Court of nine elected Brennan Society Justices, and inspired by the progressive views of the late Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, William J. Brennan Jr., group members agree to support at least six of seven core progressive issues. These ideals and cherished values, staples among the progressive community, are: • Government funding for stem cell research • Equal rights for the GLBT community • Preserving and protecting Social Security • Supporting implementation of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 • Providing affordable and quality education for all people to compete with other developed and emerging economies • Promoting tolerance, peace, and social harmony among all people • Supporting the right to organize and collectively bargain Recent controversial comments made by Oklahoma City Rep. Sally Kern exem- plify the need for a broad-based progressive organization. “People like Sally Kern are too common in the Oklahoma culture,” said Dr. Tom Guild, one of the group’s founders. “We need to expand our view of who is entitled to full citizenship rights. Women, blacks, Hispanics, and gay people are a part of the future and fabric of our state. Diversity is imperative if we wish to have a vibrant and innovative business community.” According to the Brennan Society, preserving and protecting Social Security Brennan Society members participate in the We Are One rally April 4 at the State and Medicare are critical to our state and nation. The group said it would fight at- Capitol. Photo courtesy of James Coburn. tempts to privatize Social Security and to turn Medicare into a voucher system. “Protecting seniors and those who are the most vulnerable in our society is gressives to become members of the group, as it strives to build a more compas- a high priority,” Guild said. “We won’t allow the budget to be balanced on the sionate, community-driven and competent government in Oklahoma. Visit the backs of seniors and other vulnerable individuals just to pay for bigger tax cuts Brennan Society at www.brennansociety.com. for the most affluent in our country.” For additional information, contact Guild at 405.921.3811 or via e-mail at The Brennan Society meets in Edmond monthly and encourages fellow pro- [email protected].

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 5 From The Editor’s Desk ‘Can’t Give Away Store And Stay In Business’ The list of mean-spirited, bone-headed, egre- another .25 percent cut in state income taxes that will disproportionately benefit gious legislation is long this session – attacks the state’s wealthiest citizens while costing the state treasury an estimated $120 on collective bargaining, public education and million in annual revenues. abortion rights, just to name a few. Do you know anyone in a financial crisis that would choose to cut their work What may be most dispiriting, though, is that hours, ensuring less take home pay? Do you know anyone whose roof needs legislative leaders stuck their heads in the sand costly repairs or whose foundation is cracking that would purposely cut their and refused to tackle a problem that threatens income? Oklahoma’s future: corporate welfare. Of course not. You might have to juggle some bills or tap your savings, but you Republicans long barked that Oklahoma darn sure wouldn’t purposely reduce your cash flow. But that’s precisely what doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spend- the Legislature has done since 2004 – $771 million in income tax cuts that really ing problem. They are right. But the problem helped cripple the state budget when the nasty recession hit. isn’t what’s spent on, say, public education The taxpayers who think they can get hefty tax cuts and good state services – 47th in per pupil expenditures and 49th in aren’t in touch with reality. There is no free lunch. Those roads, schools and teach salaries. prisons don’t magically appear. They’re built with tax revenues. The problem is that Oklahoma spends nearly Further, it’s way past time for rank-and-file Oklahomans to hold their legisla- $6 billion a year – almost as much as the entire tive leaders accountable for giving away the store. It never ceases to amaze me state budget – on taxpayer-funded give-aways in that so many flag-waving, chest-thumping free-enterprisers end up first in line at the form of tax credits, tax incentives and other the taxpayers’ trough, effectively socializing losses and guaranteeing profits. ARNOLD HAMILTON tax breaks. Isn’t rugged individualism the whole idea of free-enterprise capitalism? Isn’t Editor Rep. David Dank, R-OKC, and Sen. Mike that why conservatives always fought to get government off their backs and out Mazzei, R-Tulsa, sounded the alarm sessions ago, urging their colleagues to sys- of their businesses? tematically study the tax breaks one-by-one. But they’ve been unable to over- Guess all that rhetoric was just plain old smoke-and-mirrors nonsense, de- come the opposition of powerful corporate interests that don’t want their gravy signed to obfuscate and confuse. What they really were saying is: No government trains thrust into the public spotlight. oversight. No independent third-party to ensure the rules are followed and the Why? Because it’s likely many of them are the next great scandals-in-waiting. playing field level. And once we’ve been unshackled, we’ll back our trucks up to We know, for example, $2 billion of the tax give-aways never created a single the state treasury and help ourselves to billions in tax breaks. job. Pressure is building to close the taxpayer-funded candy store. Both houses by Among the silk-stocking crowd that benefits most from these taxpayer-fi- wide margins approved HB 1285, creating a task force to review the tax breaks. nanced goodies, there’s a collective fear about what will happen if the public ever Dank hopes to begin hearings by mid-June. comes to recognize them for what they are – a legalized looting of the taxpayers’ The state, he said, is giving away too much of the taxpayers’ money “based on trough. politics and not on good, sound fiscal policy. My favorite quote is, ‘You can’t give So majority Republicans cut state services yet again this year, wailing about away the store and stay in business.’” a half-billion-dollar budget hole – when, in fact, there was plenty of money to We should have a good idea by late fall whether common sense or corporate ensure developmentally disabled children get the wheelchairs they need and the campaign cash will prevail and what Oklahoma’s future will hold. seriously mentally ill aren’t left forever on a waiting list for treatment. Why didn’t lawmakers simply re-direct money to these vitally needed services? Because it would have taken real guts to tell their deep-pocketed campaign benefactors that their free lunch is over. As Senate Democratic leader Andrew Rice put it, “The truth is these cuts didn’t have to happen because there was a choice. Republicans chose to support tax credits for people who send their kids to private schools at the cost of public schools. Instead of eliminating hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks for special interest groups, they left middle class families to make up the difference The Insight And Analysis You’ve Come To Expect ... with even higher college tuition. ... Now Delivered The Way You Want “We’re already seeing public schools across Oklahoma overwhelmed with the strain of budget cuts the last two years. This is a budget that will do real harm to IN PRINT communities in every region of our state, and it will make our climb out of this - OR - bad economy harder and longer.” ON-LINE Moreover, the gutless wonders masquerading as state leaders refused to block SUBSCRIBING TO THE OBSERVER Jean Kidd, RN IS AS EASY AS Healing Touch Practitioner 1-2-3 Healing Touch is a nurturing energy therapy that supports your regular medical care. 1. TOTAL ACCESS Only $60 for a full year Call 405-205-7918 for appointments. Unlimited access to The Oklahoma Observer on-line and in print. One-year subscription includes 22 issues of our award-winning print edition sent to your mailbox, on-line Oklahoma Chapter of access to each issue as it becomes available and on-line access to our AMERICANS UNITED FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH-STATE national columnists and special features. invites you to a Spring Dialogue $2.50

25,000 SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2011 Blue Chip Readers 2. DIGITAL 9:30 am to 11:30 am VOL. 40, NO. 19 An Independent Journal of Commentary OCTOBER 25, 2008 Only $40 for a full year State Senate Chamber, NE 23rd & Lincoln, OKC State Oblivious To National Trends Land Of The Red Voter One-year subscription includes on-line access to 22 issues of The By Arnold Hamilton 7HATSæTHEæMATTERæWITHæ/KLAHOMA /KLAHOMAæ RESIDENTSæ RAILæ AGAINSTæ THEæ 7ITHæ APOLOGIESæ TOæ 4HOMASæ &RANKæ /KLAHOMANSæ hBIASvæ INæ ONEæ BREATHæ Observer as it becomes available and on-line access to our national ANDæ HISæ REMARKABLEæ ANALYSISæ OFæ THEæ næYETæPARROTæITSæ*OHNæ"IRCH ESQUEæEDI +ANSASæ ELECTORATE æ FEWæ STATESæ CANæ TORIALSæWITHOUTæEVENæREALIZINGæITæINæTHEæ SPEAKERS INCLUDE: MATCHæ /KLAHOMASæ POLITICALæ TRANSFOR NEXT MATIONæOFæTHEæLASTææYEARS $Ræ $AVIDæ "AIRD æ Aæ NOTEDæ /KLAHO &ROMæ Aæ STATEæ WITHæ ARGUABLYæ MOREæ MAæ HISTORIANæ WHOæ SERVESæ ASæ Aæ DEANæ SOCIALISTSæ PERæ CAPITAæ THANæ ANYæ OTHERæ EMERITUSæANDæPROFESSORæATæ0EPPERDINEæ columnists and special features. INæTHEæEARLYæTHæ#ENTURY æ/KLAHOMAæ 5NIVERSITYæ INæ -ALIBU æ #! æ SAYSæ THEæ HASæ MORPHEDæ INTOæ !MERICASæ REDDESTæ /KLAHOMANSæINmUENCEæONæTHEæSTATESæ Rep. Al McAffrey, House District 88 BASTIONænæALLæBUTæCERTAINæTOæVOTEæOVER DEVELOPMENTæ ANDæ ITSæ POLITICSæ CANNOTæ WHELMINGLYæ 2EPUBLICANæ FORæ THEæ THæ BEæOVERSTATED CONSECUTIVEæPRESIDENTIALæELECTION h)Tæ PLAYEDæ Aæ HUGEæ ROLEæ OVERæ THEæ 7ITHæMUCHæOFæTHEæNATIONæPOISEDæTOæ YEARS væHEæSAYSæh)TæWASæOFTENæSAIDæTHEYæ REPUDIATEæ THEæ '/0Sæ DIVIDE AND CON COULDNTæALWAYSæELECTæPEOPLE æBUTæTHEYæ QUERæ POLITICALæ ANDæ LAISSEZ FAIREæ GOV COULDæALMOSTæALWAYSæDEFEATæTHEMv ERNINGæMODELSænæANDæTOæELECTæTHEælRSTæ /KLAHOMASæ HISTORICALæ RELIANCEæ ONæ Prof. Martha Skeeter, OU Dept. of Women’s & Gender Studies !FRICAN !MERICANæPRESIDENTænæ/KLAHO MININGæ næ FROMæ COALæ TOæ OILæ TOæ NATURALæ MAæGLIDESæALONG æOBLIVIOUSæTOæNATIONALæ GASænæALSOæMAYæHELPæEXPLAINæTHEæSTATESæ TRENDS COLLECTIVEæ INSISTENCEæ ONæ 2EDæ 3TATEæ 3IGNSæ THATæ THEæ PENDULUMæ ISæ SWING POLITICSæATæAæTIMEæWHENæTHEæRESTæOFæTHEæ INGæ NATIONALLYæ næ EVENæ INæ LONGTIMEæ NATIONæ SEEMSæ TOæ BEæ CATCHINGæ Aæ "LUEæ 2EPUBLICANæ HOTBEDSæ LIKEæ 4EXASæ næ AREæ WAVE Scott Hamilton, exec. dir. Cimarron Alliance DIFlCULT æ IFæ NOTæ IMPOSSIBLE æ TOæ lNDæ INæ "AIRD æAUTHORæOFæTHEæNEWæBOOKæ/KLA 3. PRINT /KLAHOMA æWHEREæ'/0æNOMINEEæ*OHNæ HOMAæ!æ(ISTORY æSAYSæTHEæMININGæCUL -C#AINæ ENJOYSæ HISæ LARGESTæ LEADæ INæ TUREæOFTENæCREATESæAæBOOTSTRAP PULLING æ STATE BY STATEæPOLLS ME lRST æYOURE ON YOUR OWNæMENTALI (OWæ DIDæ /KLAHOMA æ WITHæ ITSæ COL TYæOFæhYOUæHAVEæYOURæMONEYæANDæ)æWANTæ LECTIVEæ PIONEER ERAæ SUSPICIONæ OFæ SILK TOæMAKEæSUREæANDæGETæMINEv STOCKING æBIG BUSINESSæELITES æBECOMEæ !LLæMAYæHELPæEXPLAINæWHYæ/KLAHOMAæ Only $40 for a full year SUCHæ Aæ RELIABLEæ RUBBER STAMPæ FORæ THEæ STUBBORNLYæVOTESæTOæRETURNæAæNATIONALæ NATIONSæUNABASHEDLYæCORPORATISTæPAR LAUGHINGSTOCK æ*IMæ)NHOFE æTOæTHEæ53æ TY 3ENATEæ!NDæ WHYæ )NHOFEæ SUCCESSFULLYæ !NDæWHATæCANæBEæDONEæTOæPENETRATEæ WOULDæ ATTEMPTæ TOæ MANDATEæ Aæ RELIGIONæ 4HEIRæTHINKINGæISæILLUSTRATEDæBYæTHEæ CAMPAIGNSænæORæSOæITæWOULDæSEEMænæASæ OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND FREE OF CHARGE THEæ RIGHT WINGæ CACOPHONYæ ANDæ RE IG ORæ CERTAINæ RELIGIOUSæ PRACTICESæ THEYæ STORYæ OFæ Aæ YEAR OLDæ /KLAHOMAæ COL AæMANæOFæPRINCIPLEDæSTUBBORNNESS NITEæ Aæ HEALTHY æ INCLUSIVEæ POLITICALæ DE OPPOSEDæ næ NOWæ AREæ ONEæ OFæ THEæ '/0Sæ LEGEæSTUDENTæWHOæWASæRAISEDæAæ3OUTH )Tæ DOESNTæ MATTERæ THATæ /KLAHOMAæ 22 issues of our award-winning print edition sent to your mailbox. BATEæOVERæ/KLAHOMASæFUTURE MOSTæLOYALæVOTINGæBLOCS ERNæ "APTISTæ BUTæ HASæ DECIDEDæ TOæ CASTæ RANKSæ INæ THEæ BOTTOMæ HALF æ IFæ NOTæ THEæ 4HEæ lRSTæ QUESTIONæ næ HOWæ DIDæ THISæ 4HEYæ FREELYæ DISTRIBUTEæ ONE SIDEDæ HISæ lRSTæ PRESIDENTIALæ VOTEæ FORæ $EMO BOTTOMæ lVE æ INæ MOSTæ SOCIOECONOMICæ HAPPEN ænæISæEXPLAINEDæMOSTLYæBYæTHEæ VOTERæhGUIDESvæTHATæPILLORYæ$EMOCRATSæ CRATæ "ARACKæ /BAMAæ 4HEæ YOUNGæ MANæ CATEGORIESæ)TSæASæIFæ/KLAHOMANSæHAVEæ POWERFUL æ TWINæ INmUENCESæ INæ /KLAHO ANDæALLæBUTæNOMINATEæ2EPUBLICANSæFORæ RECENTLYæWASæCONFRONTEDæBYæAæFRIENDSæ BEENæCONVINCEDæITSæBETTERæTOæBEæPOOR æ For more information contact: MAæ HISTORYæ OFæ POLITICALLY ACTIVE æ FUN SAINTHOODæ 4HEYæ WELCOMEæ RIGHTWINGæ FATHER UNEDUCATEDæANDæUNHEALTHYæTHANæTOæBEæ DAMENTALISTæRELIGIOUSæLEADERSæANDæTHEæ ZEALOTSæLIKEæSTATEæ2EPæ3ALLYæ+ERN æ53æ h9OUæ KNOW væ SAIDæ THEæ OLDERæ MAN æ Aæ VIEWEDæASænæGASPænæLIBERAL RABIDLYæ RIGHTWINGæ $AILYæ /KLAHOMANæ 3ENæ4OMæ#OBURNæANDæRETIREDæ#OLæ/LI STAUNCHæ3OUTHERNæ"APTIST æhYOULLæHAVEæ )TSæAæWORLDVIEWæTHATæGOVERNMENTæISæ EDITORIALæPAGE VERæ .ORTHæ INTOæ THEIRæ CHURCHES æ IFæ NOTæ TOæANSWERæONEæDAYæFORæYOURæVOTEv THEæPROBLEM æNOTæPARTæOFæTHEæSOLUTIONænæ 4HEæSECONDæQUESTIONæISæMOREæCOM THEIRæPULPITS æTOæSPEAK æSIGNALINGæTHATæ 4HEæIMPLICATIONæCOULDæNOTæBEæCLEAR AæTHEORYæCELEBRATEDæBYæCONSERVATIVES æ PLEX æBUTæANSWERSæMAYæBEæFOUNDæINæTHEæ '/$æANDæ'/0æAREæSYNONYMOUS ERæ)NæTODAYSæ/KLAHOMA æAæREALæ#HRIS ESPECIALLYæ INæ /KLAHOMA æ EVERæ SINCEæ STORIESæOFæ!MERICASæPOLITICAL æRELIGIOUSæ 4HEæ UNSAVORYæ MIXæ OFæ RELIGIONæ ANDæ TIANæCANNOTæBEæAæ$EMOCRATæ THEæ2EAGANæERA æBUTæONEæINCREASINGLYæ Chapter president Mike Fuller, [email protected]; ANDæ COMMUNITYæ LEADERSæ WHOæ RISKEDæ POLITICSæ ALSOæ HASæ CREATEDæ ALLIANCESæ #OUPLEæTHEæPOWERæOFæTHEæPULPITæWITHæ CHALLENGEDæ BYæ THINKINGæ 2EPUBLICANS æ CAREERSænæANDæMANYæTIMES æTHEIRæLIVESæ THATæ Aæ HALF CENTURYæ AGOæ WOULDæ HAVEæ THEæ POWERæ OFæ WHATæ WAS æ FORæ MUCHæ OFæ INCLUDINGæFORMERæ/KLAHOMAæ53æ2EPæ næ TOæ SPEAKæ UNWAVERINGLYæ AGAINSTæ THEæ BEENæUNTHINKABLEæ THEæ THæ #ENTURY æ THEæ STATESæ MOSTæ -ICKEYæ%DWARDS TYRANNYæOFæTHEæMAJORITYæANDæFORæSOCIALæ 3OUTHERNæ"APTISTSæANDæ2OMANæ#ATH POWERFULæMEDIAæOUTLETæANDæITSæNOTæDIF 3O æWHATæCANæ$EMOCRATS æANDæTHOSEæ To Subscribe, Visit ANDæECONOMICæJUSTICE OLICS æONCEæMORTALæENEMIES æPUTæASIDEæ lCULTæTOæUNDERSTANDæHOWæ/KLAHOMANSæ INTERESTEDæ INæ SOCIALæ ANDæ ECONOMICæ 4HEæCONmUENCEæOFæRELIGIONæANDæPOLI AæSEEMINGLYæUNBRIDGEABLEæTHEOLOGICALæ COULDæ BEæ PERSUADEDæ TOæ VOTEæ AGAINSTæ JUSTICE æDOæTOæGETæTHEIRæGROOVEæBACKæINæ Jim Huff, [email protected]; or Jim Nimmo, 405-843-3651 TICSæISæSTRONGæINæAæSTATEæTHATæCONSIDERSæ DIVIDEæ INæ ORDERæ TOæ UNITEæ ONæ Aæ SERIESæ THEIRæSELF INTERESTS æECONOMICALLYæANDæ /KLAHOMA æ ITSELFæTHEæBUCKLEæONæTHEæ"IBLEæBELTæ OFæ SOCIALæ ISSUES æ INCLUDINGæ ABORTIONæ SOCIALLYæ 7HILEæITæISæALMOSTæCERTAINLYæTOOæLATEæ &ORæEXAMPLE æ3OUTHERNæ"APTISTSæWHOæ ANDæGAYæMARRIAGEæCREATINGæAæPOWERFULæ %VENæ MOREæ REMARKABLEæ )Næ ANæ ERAæ TOæ OVERCOMEæ WHATæ THEæ POLLSæ SUGGESTæ ONCEæ CHAMPIONEDæ THEæ SEPARATIONæ OFæ POLITICALæ FORCEæ THATæ OFTENæ DOMINATESæ WHENæ THEæ INmUENCEæ OFæ DAILYæ NEWSPA ISæ -C#AINSæ INSURMOUNTABLEæ LEADæ INæ www.auok.org, www.au.org CHURCHæ ANDæ STATEæ næ FORæ FEARæ THEæ STATEæ /KLAHOMAæELECTIONS PERSæISæWANINGæACROSSæ!MERICA æMANYæ See RED STATE Page 16 WWW.OKOBSERVER.NET

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 6 FY ‘12 State Budget Best The Legislature Could Do? Not Exactly By David Blatt Gov. Mary Fallin and the Republican leadership of the House and Senate recently announced an agreement on the FY ’12 budget. Total state appropriations for next year will be $6.511 billion, which is $254 million, or 3.8% less than this year’s final budget. To make the budget balance and limit the magnitude of cuts, the agreement includes some $370 million more revenue than what was certified as available for appropriation by the Board of Equalization in February. The main revenue enhancements include: $120 million in cash balances that have accumulated this year; some $100 million from the final round of federal stimulus money approved by Congress last summer; and a $100 million transfer from the State Transportation Fund that will be partly made up for by a $70 million bond issue for the Department of Transportation. Additional revenues include transfers from the Unclaimed Property Fund and agency reserve funds, increased tax compliance efforts, and diversion of tax revenues slated for the ROADS program to the General Revenue fund. Of the 10 largest state agencies, Transportation [-7%], Higher Education [-6.7%] and Career and Technology Education [-6.5%] will receive the largest cuts. Funding cuts were more modest for key agencies in health, human services, public safety, and to a lesser extent, common education. Many other agencies will absorb cuts of 7% to 10% in FY ’12. RELIEVED IT WASN’T WORSE Many agency leaders and advocates at the Capitol expressed relief that the cuts were less than was feared or expected. We are grateful that leadership heeded the calls of advocates to protect our most vulnerable populations by targeting class sizes. available funds for Medicaid, human services, mental health, and rehabilitative The Department of Corrections will continue to struggle to stay at even 70% of services, as well as ensuring that education and public safety were spared the staffing capacity, putting stress on the safety of officers, inmates and communi- full brunt of cuts. ties. The Health Department, which faces additional cuts of over 4% on top of The agreement shows that legislative leaders and the governor worked to mini- the 15% cut it has absorbed the past two years, will have to continue to cut back mize the damage, especially where cuts in state funding would have entailed a on services that maintain the state’s public health infrastructure and protect corresponding loss of federal matching funds. Some agency heads expressed op- vulnerable families. timism that they would be able to make it through next year without substantial OUTCOME NOT INEVITABLE reductions in staffing and services to the public. This outcome was not inevitable. Those who negotiated the budget will say THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR OF CUTS they played the best hand possible given the cards they were dealt. However, this agreement is not cause for celebration. State agencies are now However, we must recognize that a choice was made not to play with all the facing a third consecutive year of funding reductions and budget cuts, which will cards in the deck. Their decisions not to put serious revenue options on the continue to corrode their ability to perform their core missions. table and to allow a cut in the top income tax rate to take effect seriously con- Overall, next year’s budget is slated to be $622 million, or 8.7%, less than FY strained what could be done to limit the magnitude of funding cuts. ’09. It also meant that the revenue enhancements that were adopted were once Almost all agencies will have seen their funding cut by over 10% in this period, again primarily one-time fixes that won’t do anything to address the ongoing and many by over 20%, including the Department of Agriculture [-25.9%], Arts budget gap and will in fact complicate the budget outlook in subsequent years. Council [-22.1%], Military Department [-22.0%] and Council on Law Enforcement As resources dwindle across state government, we will continue to fall short Education and Training [-20.2%], among others. of what is needed to provide our children a quality education, protect the public Since FY ’09, no agencies have received funding to address increased employee health and environment, assist our most vulnerable families, seniors, and per- health care and retirement costs, general inflation, or, in most cases, caseload sons with disabilities, and administer justice. growth. Yes, it could have been worse. Yes, we can and must do better. For example, public school enrollment rose by 15,000 students between 2008 – David Blatt is director of the Oklahoma Policy Institute. An earlier version and 2010, yet next year’s appropriation to Common Education will be 10% less of this article appeared on the OKPolicy blog. You can sign up for OK Policy’s than in FY ’09. This will again mean fewer teachers and support staff, and larger e-mail alerts and daily news digest at http://okpolicy.org Steele’s Penal Reform Becomes State Law Landmark corrections reform legislation is now law. The governor was joined Community sentencing is significantly less expensive than traditional incar- by House Speaker Kris Steele, Department of Corrections Director Justin Jones ceration. States such as Texas, Indiana and Kansas have seen dramatic cost sav- and other state leaders for the signing of HB 2131. ings and reductions in crime rates by adopting community sentencing policies The measure, authored by Steele, is designed to relieve widespread fiscal and like those proposed in HB 2131. social strains caused by Oklahoma’s nation-leading incarceration rates. In Oklahoma, it costs about $56 a day to incarcerate someone. By comparison, “This bill is about being smart on crime as well as tough on crime,” Gov. Mary it costs about $3.50 a day to send an offender to supervised community sentenc- Fallin said. “The reforms we are signing into law will not only save taxpayer dol- ing. lars, they’ll help to address some of the social problems that continue to drag HB 2131 also calls for increased use of Global Positioning System [GPS] moni- down the quality of life in our otherwise great state. toring of offenders. GPS monitoring costs about $4.75 per day. Releasing non- “By pursuing responsible community sentencing options that allow non-vio- violent offenders under GPS monitoring improves public safety and helps the lent offenders – many of whom have substance abuse problems – to receive treat- offender reintegrate into society in a positive way, according to a study by the ment and safely reintegrate into their communities, we can help to break a cycle Pew Research Center. of poverty, drug abuse and crime that has inflated our incarceration rates and Overall, the bill is expected to save the Department of Corrections at least $5 hurt Oklahoma communities and families.” million a year. Steele, who authored the bill, said the reforms would save money and make Oklahoma’s prisons are at 96% capacity, but staffing levels at the Department Oklahoma safer. of Corrections are at 69% of authorized levels. “HB 2131 will save money, produce better outcomes and increase public safe- Many community sentencing programs provide treatment for substance abuse ty,” Steele said. “We cannot afford to continue on the current path with our in- and teach offenders vocational and relationship skills. carceration policies. This bill shows we are serious about changing course to be Under HB 2131, decisions made by the Pardon and Parole Board on paroles for smarter on crime. most nonviolent offenders will be honored if the governor does not act on that “With the reforms in this bill, we can be more efficient with tax dollars and parole within 30 days after receipt. have more success. It’s a win-win situation.” The governor would still be required to act on all paroles for violent offenders The measure includes three key proposals: It expands offender eligibility for and could act on any nonviolent parole matter if she chose to do so. community sentencing programs; modifies the governor’s role in the parole pro- HB 2131 changes specific qualification requirements for Pardon and Parole cess for nonviolent offenders; and establishes requirements for members of the Board members. There are currently no requirements. Pardon and Parole Board The bill takes effect Nov. 1. THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 7 Voting Rights Act Is Violated By Senate By Constance Johnson I am deeply concerned about the way the Senate Redistricting process was carried out this session. As the senator for one of the state’s two minority districts and a member of the minority party, I feel that many opinions and requests on how districts should have been drawn have been ignored. Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act prohibits enactment of redistricting plans that are adopted with a discriminatory purpose. I feel strongly that the Sen- ate Republican’s hiring of a highly paid political consultant to draw our lines led to selective discrimination against Democrats and many minorities, including African Americans in Senate District 48, and Native Americans in Tahlequah. HOUSE MORE TRANSPARENT The impact on other areas has yet to be determined. The House process was more transparent and has caused less contention among members. I’m especially concerned about the decision to now assign a significant portion of the northeast section of Senate District 48 to Senate District 17 in Shawnee, while adding precincts selected by the committee chair [prior to a protest he had previously added the area to Senate District 41 in Edmond] to the northwestern side of the historically northeast OKC district. Given the fact that northeast Oklahoma City is a largely African American area of the city/county, I believe this decision ignores the fact that the representation of this suburban area by a predominantly rural area legislator who presently represents Shawnee will mean that this community’s interests will potentially have such far reaching and unintended consequences on the future of our state. be put on the back burner. There are numerous areas in the northeast quadrant of Oklahoma City/County CREATES A DISCONNECT that have greater minority populations than the northwest section that the Sen- This is also an area that adds to the present and ensures the future economic ate Redistricting Committee chair chose to include in Senate District 48. diversity of District 48. If the truth be known, the demographic changes in the northwest quadrant of An additional concern is that the House of Representatives plan keeps this Oklahoma City/County may actually support the creation of another majority- area in House District 97, and thus creates a disconnect for the voters in that minority district. As it is, given the “behind closed doors” nature of the process, area with regard to connectedness between their elected state senator and rep- we will never know. resentative. The lack of collegiality in this year’s redistricting process is inexcusable and The power grab of the area east of I-35 and north of Wilshire away from Sen- bodes poorly for the future best interests of the state as a whole. I am calling on ate District 48 could be detrimental to the area’s future economic interests, and everyone who will to join in protesting the process and the outcome of the Sen- is an insult to African Americans who have remained in this area and now view ate redistricting plan. these actions as gentrification from the north. In short, something reeks in the process. By the time Oklahomans realize the Gentrification from the south has already headed for 4th Street as 2nd Street disservice that the current plan represents, it will be rotted and stinking. has already been reclaimed by the powers that be. I will keep speaking out publicly about the plan as the discussions now need These poorly thought out new district lines also further substantiate various to move from the hallowed political halls and highly partisan process to the peo- other senators’ concerns about the lack of respect, inclusion and collegiality ple of Oklahoma for their reactions and input. I encourage all citizens to weigh that has characterized this decade’s redistricting process. in on the far reaching implications of what the Senate approved. UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES – The author, an Oklahoma City Democrat, represents District 48 in the Okla- No one person or party should be entrusted with making decisions that will homa Senate Independents Still Being Denied Primary Vote By Norm Rourke Women were given the right to strive to choose the best from each primary elections. by what some party boss tells them. vote. People of all races were given party. That alone should make their But that doesn’t change the fact They may lean toward either party, the right to vote. Eighteen-years-old vote more palatable and worthy. They that only a totally open primary but their ultimate decision will be were given the right to vote. aren’t necessarily pushing for a third where independents can vote is made by what they believe to be best It was well past time that these party. They just want fairness and what’s needed to bring Oklahoma for the state regardless of party. Americans were given the right to equality in the voting process. into the 21st Century politically. Denying them the right to vote in vote. And when this right was given In the last presidential and con- It is interesting that in current po- primary elections will continue to there were no restrictions placed gressional elections, political pun- litical campaign talk, the word “val- lessen your influence and respect. on what party, if any, they were to dits and TV talking heads made much ues” is freely used. Where are these Ultimately independents will gain affiliate themselves with. Nor was of the impact independents would so-called “values” when it comes to their right to vote in primary elec- there any restriction placed on which have on the outcome of these elec- allowing 250,000 Oklahomans their tions in spite of your stubbornness elections they could cast their votes. tions. This impact is continuing to right to vote in primary elections? and archaic ideas to the contrary. This is as it should be. grow and more people are choosing Do “values” only apply to those who Remember, it was a hard battle to But this isn’t true for the more to be independent in their political support a party line? enact term limits as professional than 250,000 registered indepen- thinking and voting. It would seem the politicians’ politicians in the legislature fought dents in Oklahoma. These voters So why does Oklahoma continue values fall short of their campaign it. But it came. And so will the right have been denied the right to vote in to deny independents the right to rhetoric … which isn’t surprising. for independents to vote in primary primary elections just because they vote in primaries? Is it because some Woody Guthrie said it well: The elections. choose not to affiliate with either of dimwits in the Legislature still live in times they are a changin’. Of course, – The author lives in Beggs the major political parties. This isn’t the Dark Ages of political progress? Woody was vilified by the status right. Is it because party bosses fear a loss quo because he didn’t buy into the Why should independents be of power? Or is it just plain fear of political clap-trap of his day. Unfor- What’s up @ the penalized because leaders of the something new that the good old tunately as far as politics, not much Democratic or Republican parties say boys can’t handle? has changed since Woody’s day. The Capitol? they should be? Who gave them the Rep. Eric Proctor, D-Tulsa, intro- party bosses are still calling the Follow The Observer right to deny anyone from voting? duced legislation [HB 1287] that shots. up-to-the-minute on ... Who made them God? would allow independents to vote in Note to Oklahoma legislators: The Independents are not wingnuts presidential primaries. Unfortunately, number of independent voters is or wackos just because they don’t a vote on his bill was stifled by GOP growing. They are making their own follow a specific political party line. legislators who also added a plank choices after thoroughly examining More often than not, they vote for in their party’s platform that denies the candidates and their campaign http://twitter.com/okobs candidates of the major parties. They the right of independents to vote in rhetoric. They are not being bound THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 8 WIC In Cross-Hairs Attack On Planned Parenthood Hurts Poor By Kate Richey The Oklahoma Legislature is poised to deal a major blow to non-profits and faith-based organizations who help administer the WIC program. The Women, Infants, and Children [WIC] program is a federally-funded, state- Another Abortion administered nutrition service for low-income women, infants and children under five. WIC subsidizes nutritious foods, infant formula, education on healthy eating and breastfeeding, and screening and referrals for other health and welfare services. Bill Becomes Law On average in 2010, Oklahoma WIC clinics provided 133,002 low-income moth- Gov. Mary Fallin signed HB 1970, a measure that will require physicians to admin- ers $37.18 dollars in food and formula each month. ister abortion inducing drugs in accordance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration WIC clinics are operated by health departments, tribal governments, faith- [FDA] guidelines. based organizations, community health centers and non-profits. For instance, “Gov. Fallin has been a consistent champion for the sanctity of life, and I’m very the clinic in Variety Health Center in south Oklahoma City serves an average of pleased she has signed this bill into law,” said Sen. Greg Treat, R-OKC. “Oklahoma is 8,066 low-income women and children each month. The Edmond Ministerial Al- blessed to now have a governor who recognizes and defends the value of human life. liance’s Hope Center Health Clinic serves 1,611 average monthly participants. This legislation protects women and the unborn from potentially deadly medicine.” CREATING A GOVERNMENT MONOPOLY The measure will require that physicians examine their patients before prescribing Rep. Jason Murphey amended SB 709, a senior nutrition bill, to prohibit non- an abortion-inducing drug. profits and faith-based organizations in Tulsa and Oklahoma counties from ad- “I’m very grateful to Rep. [Randy] Grau and Sen. Treat for their efforts to protect ministering WIC benefits to thousands of women and children across the state. the unborn and their mothers,” Fallin said. “This legislation provides important safe- Section 2 of SB 709 creates new law that stipulates: guards for pregnant women, and is a critical part of our effort to promote the cause For purposes of purchasing and contracting in counties with a population of life.” greater than four hundred thousand [400,000], funds received for the federal Grau, R-Edmond, said the bill will also require physicians to schedule a follow-up Women, Infants, and Children [WIC] program shall only be distributed by the appointment and provide the patient with the drug’s label to ensure the patient is Oklahoma Department of Health to state, county, tribal, public schools or city/ fully aware of the risks associated with the drug. county health agencies. These funds shall only be spent by these agencies and “I believe abortion-inducing drugs must be better regulated in order to ensure the not contracted out to other agencies. safety of pregnant women,” said Grau. “Every patient is different and doctors will Why transform a successful private-public partnership into a government mo- now be required to perform an exam and schedule follow-up care before prescribing nopoly? an abortion-inducing drug. TARGET: PLANNED PARENTHOOD “This ensures that the drugs are prescribed only after careful review and that the Murphey is concerned about government funds going to organizations that doctor addresses any adverse effects in a follow-up appointment. I thank Gov. Fallin provide abortion referrals. for signing the legislation.” Murphey’s amendment, which eliminates eight clinics distributing food and It wasn’t that long ago – was it? – that Republicans paraded around the state, formula benefits to thousands of poor families in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, was demanding the government get out of people’s lives. In the six years since the GOP intended to target only one location – Planned Parenthood of Arkansas and East- took control of the state House, however, they’ve made a habit of sticking the govern Oklahoma [PPAEO]. ernment’s nose into private lives – often with abortion restrictions that proved un- The Tulsa Planned Parenthood location distributes WIC benefits, along with a constitutional and cost the state a small fortune in legal fees. variety of other family health services, but does not perform abortions. Terry Bryce, WIC service chief at the Oklahoma State Health Department, explained to OK Policy that contractors operating WIC clinics submit a line-item rely on public transportation – with one or more small children in tow. Some of budget and none of the money allocated to Planned Parenthood in Tulsa goes to the new mothers are younger than 16 years old and obviously would have no fund abortion referrals. choice but to rely on someone else to drive them. HEALTH DEPARTMENT’S STRESSED TO MAX CORRECTING THE MISTAKE? If SB 709 becomes law, the Health Departments in Tulsa and Oklahoma City SB 709 has passed the House and Senate and awaits action by a conference would be responsible for distributing WIC benefits to an additional 24,000 wom- committee. Murphey told OK Policy that he didn’t realize the number of provid- en and children. ers that would be affected by his amendment and would work in conference com- Bryce said the Health Department lacks the capacity to absorb those cases. mittee to narrow the bill’s language so it would not affect so many vendors. Health Department locations in Tulsa and Oklahoma City do not have the space, Let’s hope he and his conference committee colleagues are true to their word staff or materials for thousands of additional families. about correcting their mistake. Over the past two years, the Health Department has absorbed cuts of 15%, Otherwise, the impact will be to strain an already stressed Health Department which seriously compromises its ability to perform its core function of preserv- budget, deprive vulnerable low-income families with young children of healthy ing public health. More cuts are on the way. groceries, and transform a program efficiently operated with the active involve- Not only does local government lack the infrastructure for such a fundamental ment of the private sector into a government monopoly. change, but also the families receiving WIC benefits are often not in a position to – Kate Richey is a policy analyst for Oklahoma Policy Institute. An earlier travel to another site. As a Tulsa World editorial explained: version of this article appeared on the OKPolicy blog. You can sign up for OK Remember, these are not women of means. Many, if not most, would have to Policy’s e-mail alerts and daily news digest at http://okpolicy.org Lack Of Safety Belts And Seats Devastating With the summer driving season fast approaching, everyone should remember injuries and deaths. The risk of dying from a motor vehicle crash injury is re- to travel safely to and from their destinations using safety equipment to help duced up to 65% when people riding in vehicles are wearing seat belts. prevent injuries and deaths. In Oklahoma, 329 children and adults ages five to 89 years died in crashes Recent findings by the Traffic Data Linkage Project found that the proper use while not using a child safety seat or seat belt. of safety equipment like child safety seats, seat belts and motorcycle helmets According to OSDH officials, an estimated 214 lives could have been saved if can help save lives and prevent injuries. restraints had been used by all of these persons. According to an analysis of the latest data by the Oklahoma State Department WHY SEAT BELTS? of Health [OSDH] Injury Prevention Service, about 235 of 383 motor vehicle-re- Hospital charges were 35% higher for crash victims not using seat belts than lated deaths could have been prevented and $7 million in hospital charges could charges for those who were belted. Approximately $4.9 million could have been have been saved if proper lifesaving equipment had been used. saved if all had been wearing a seat belt. “The loss of one life is devastating; the loss of more than 200 Oklahomans Helmet usage is 37% effective in preventing fatalities among motorcyclists. In from preventable traffic deaths is unacceptable,” said Pam Archer, chief, OSDH Oklahoma, 51 motorcyclists who died in 2008 were not wearing a helmet. If all of Injury Prevention Service. these riders had been wearing a helmet, 19 lives could have been saved. “It is time for Oklahomans to choose to take just a few seconds to buckle up The median hospital charges for persons not wearing a helmet were 30% higher or put on a helmet before each ride.” than charges for motorcyclists wearing a helmet. Approximately $2.1 million in WHY SAFETY SEATS? hospital charges could have been saved if all motorcyclists involved in crashes According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Oklaho- had been wearing a helmet. ma Highway Safety Office [OHSO] and the OSDH, child safety seats reduce crash “The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office and the Oklahoma Department of Health deaths up to 71% among children. encourage people to make wise choices about the use of safety equipment when In 2008 in Oklahoma, three children four years and younger were not restrained driving or riding in any type of motor vehicle,” said Kevin Behrens, OHSO interim and died in passenger vehicle crashes. If all of these children would have been director. properly restrained in a child safety seat, two lives could have been saved. “This is one resolution people can make that will save lives, prevent injuries, When seat belts are used properly, they are effective in reducing motor vehicle and save money, and that’s good for all Oklahomans.” THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 9 BOOKS One Tough Turnaround Compelling Tale Of Locke High’s Revival Must Read For Nation’s Turnaround Schools By John Thompson the single best approach to reform. An extra $15 million from outside funders STRAY DOGS, SAINTS, AND SAVIORS was invested. Green Dot used the flexibility of a charter, while retaining the sta- Fighting for the Soul of America’s Toughest High School bility provided by the union. By Alexander Russo Locke rejected the silly “quick fix” of claiming that improvements in classroom John Wiley & Sons Inc. instruction can drive something as complex as a turnaround, and it addressed 256 pages, $24.95 order and safety first. In fact, the teacher in me was disappointed by curriculum reforms instituted by Barr’s successor, who brought in “a consultant’s version of As the school year closes on hun- academics rather than a teacher’s.” dreds of school turnarounds, the But fundamentally, Russo tells the story of a reality-based reform. Stray Dogs, must-read book is Alexander Russo’s Saints, and Saviors should be required reading at 702 of the nation’s 733 turn- Stray Dogs, Saints, and Saviors. Rus- around schools that adopted a different approach for the 2010-11 school year. so recounts the turnaround of south – The author lives in Oklahoma City and blogs regularly for The Huffington central Los Angeles’ Locke High Post School by Steve Barr and Green Dot, the non-profit charter school organization. I must declare two biases. I blog for Russo at This Week In Education. And being an inner city teacher, he won me over by making the urban classroom come alive. For instance, Russo describes the distractions of electronic devices and cell phones, that had also been used to videotape pre-planned fights. [I also loved his account of the absurdity of “AB Block Scheduling,” where 100-minute classes met every other day.] So, I will leave it to other reviewers to describe Russo’s outstanding contribu- tion to policy debates, and focus on classroom issues. HISTORY OF SOCIAL PROMOTION Locke, like other schools, had a long history of just passing students on. Russo aptly describes the embarrassment of the many students who could not read, and the few who “couldn’t read a text message.” His accounts of the point systems used to coax work out of students and control classroom behavior are hilarious. Locke teachers “gave credit for every conceivable behavior” so “kids had to work at failing.” Even so, over 40% failed their core classes by not coming to class, not doing any work, and not doing any makeup work. One key to the Locke strategy was the enforcement of the dress code. Even though the new policy produced endless squabbling over little things like tuck- ing in shirttails, one teacher explained, “It could have been anything. They just have to enforce something.” DAVID’S STORY In fact, it was a minor dispute over tardiness that led to one of the book’s most interesting dramas. David was bright, annoying, and disrespectful. David was failing most or all of his classes, but with the rational expectation that he would just do some extra worksheets to graduate. After finally pushing an administra- tor over the edge, the student texted a counselor who came to the rescue. Russo thus describes the omnipresent tensions between sincere educators who feel like they must draw a line somewhere, and equally committed advocates for students. David gets a final, last chance, and rubs salt in the educators’ wounds by cutting class to get ready for the prom. David was not alone in making such a poor choice, however, because, “It’s a ghetto thing, this prissiness.” LOCKE AVOIDED ‘CREAMING’ The reason why Stray Dogs is such a compelling story is that Locke violated another rational expectation. The assumption at the beginning was that Locke would not try to keep its most difficult students, the “knuckleheads,” and the kids with the more serious special education needs. After all, it is a safe assumption that most successful secondary school turnarounds dump their troublemakers on neighboring schools. Locke, however, invested $700,000 in security in order to avoid “creaming.” WHY WAIT? Green Dot, for instance, had the good sense to address chronic hall walkers, who may come to school, but who refuse to go to class. It also established an Now you can subscribe to The Oklahoma Observer alternative school within the school, even though it did not work out as well. I would like to learn more about that story. at the Full Circle Books checkout counter ENGLISH PROFICIENCY UP 74% and receive your free book certificate on the spot! By the second year, Locke “had really become a school.” The culture was not perfect, said an assistant principal, and “you are going to get cussed out by an IMPORTANT RESTRICTIONS To take advantage of this offer, visit Full Circle Books, where you can subscribe to The Oklahoma Observer at the checkout counter angry student once in a while.” and receive your free book certificate immediately. You also may subscribe to The Observer using the coupon on page 3 of this issue Of the 360 seniors who went through the graduation ceremony, 247 were eli- 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. gible to get their diplomas. But the English proficiency rate increased by 74%. No facsimiles, printouts or photocopies will be accepted as a substitute for the original Full Circle certificate. This book offer is for new Green Dot founder Steve Barr may not have been perfect, either, but he took subscribers only. Not valid with any other offer. THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 10 She’s Mad As Hell Public School Teacher Challenges The Critics By Angela Beeley I am a public school teacher and a member of a union. Contrary to popular political rhetoric at play in Wisconsin and elsewhere, I am not, however, a leech on society, nor am I a lazy incompetent who shows up to collect a paycheck, not caring whether my students learn. I am a teacher and, in the words of Howard Beale in the film “Network”: “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” I am an English teacher who wakes up in the middle of the night, puzzling over how to engage 37 students in my third-period in an upcoming lesson. I am a teacher who gives up part of almost every evening and weekend to grade the never-ending deluge of papers. I am a teacher whose job performance is judged on scores from a test that counts for nothing for the students and their parents. LOOK AT SOME OF MY STUDENTS I am a teacher of children who have been coldly molested, beaten, ignored, neglected, left hungry, and might not know where they are going to sleep that night. I am a teacher who cries at the end of every school year because, as they leave me, I am reminded of the basic goodness of the students I teach. I am also a mother, a mother who shops for her family’s clothes, including her own, at Target. I have a coupon file that embarrasses my older daughter. I drive a 10-year-old car that my parents helped me purchase. We coexist with termites eating away at the foundation of our house because we don’t have the thousands of dollars it would take to rid ourselves of them. NOT EXACTLY THE SOFT LIFE I have a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, a My husband and I aren’t wearing Prada sunglasses or jetting to St. Tropez on master’s degree from Claremont Graduate University, and I am a National Board this outrageous salary my union has negotiated for me. Certified Teacher. I am a professional. This misdirected anger at unions and public employees is a sad, cynical ma- I don’t think it’s too much to ask to make a salary commensurate with my nipulation. Are there waste and hypocrisy in unions and public administration? education, to be able to take my daughters to the doctor, and to retire with a Of course there are! Please name for me one sector of society that doesn’t have small measure of security after choosing to devote my life to educating America’s these problems. children. These are human failings, not union failings. And can states spend money they WHO WANTS TO BE A TEACHER NOW? don’t have? No, they can’t and shouldn’t, and hard times call for sacrifice from I love my students, but who on earth does the public – which is accepting these all in both the public and private sectors. We must contribute, but we must never political shenanigans – think will choose to become a teacher now? No one in give up the right of the American worker to bargain collectively. his or her right mind would go into this profession. The outcry against unions and collective bargaining is a complete red herring. After seeing teachers beaten up in the media for our society’s failings and be- The unspoken message is: Let’s make the average American forget that Wall ing portrayed by our elected officials as lazy fat cats when we are working our Street crooks set up our economy for a meltdown and that, not only are they not butts off having to “teach” to a test, no student with two brain cells to rub to- in jail, they made money on the deal. gether is going to want to become a teacher. HAVES AND HAVE NOTS I would challenge anyone – including Wisconsin’s governor – who thinks that Let’s make them forget that the richest 400 people in the United States make teaching requires little effort, no summer break, or a decent salary to spend a more than the entire bottom half of all earners. year in the classroom. Get in there, Gov. Walker. You wouldn’t last a week. Let’s hide the fact that CEOs today make several hundred times what their em- Editor’s Note: Angela Beeley has taught at Alta Loma, CA, High School for 18 ployees make, rather than the 20 to 30 times more they used to earn. years. She currently teachers 10th grade English. She earned certification from Let’s snicker as the workers rip each other’s throats out, scrabbling for the the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards for the first time in 1999 privilege of going to the doctor when they’re sick. and for the second time in 2009. High Court Nullifies Separation From Religion You knew it was coming, given the fact that seven of the nine U.S. Justices generous result of a tax credit.” on the Supreme Court are Roman Catholic. Americans United for Separation of Added Lynn, “This decision puts taxpayers’ rights to challenge many govern- Church and State criticized the Court for dismissing a challenge to tax aid to ment subsidies to religion in extreme jeopardy.” religious schools in Arizona. Lynn noted that the Arizona program has been plagued with problems. For In a 5-4 ruling, the court turned back a legal challenge to an Arizona scheme example, the plan allows tax aid to go to schools that mandate participation in that allows taxpayers to take a 100% credit for donations to “school tuition or- religious instruction and worship. ganizations” that fund religious and other private schools. The court said the In 2009, two Arizona newspapers reported that much of the largess was going plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the case. to well-off families – even though the program was pitched as a way to help poor “This misguided ruling betrays the public school system by directing tax dol- and minority students. lars to religious schools,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United’s brief in Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization Americans United, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case. v. Winn was joined by the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation OBAMA JOINED IN League, the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty and The Interfaith Al- “The court, with the full support of the Obama Administration, has slammed liance Foundation. the courthouse door in the face of Americans who don’t want their tax dollars to Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, subsidize religion.” DC. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the impor- Under the controversial program, nearly 92% of the funds collected have gone tance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom. for tuition at religious schools. Taxpayers challenged the plan as a violation of It will do horrible harm to public education in the years ahead. The Roberts’ church-state separation. Court is the most radical in history. You could see the future of the Court when The Obama Administration not only argued in favor of the Arizona funding it ruled that a corporation is a person. scheme, it advocated denying taxpayers’ right to challenge the program in court. Furthermore, the Solicitor General’s Office at the U.S. Department of Justice requested and was granted 10 minutes to argue in favor of the plan during oral Read argument before the justices. THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER ON-LINE A LEGAL FICTION The high court ruled that taxpayers could not challenge the plan because the By subscribing aid was distributed through a tax credit, not a direct appropriation. @ www.okobserver.net “The court bought into a legal fiction that tax credits are not state aid to private schools,” Lynn said. “Any American working on a tax return right now knows the THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 11 Teachers Are Greatly Undervalued In U.S. By Bill Cirone I have a deep and abiding admiration for those who go into public service. It’s a given that they sacrificed much higher pay and far better working conditions to make their communities better places. I’m talking about people with high degrees of education and specialized training, who had a variety of career options. I’m referring to teachers, firemen, nurses, policemen, and all the lawyers and doctors and managers who chose to work in government roles rather than private practice, to help make their neighborhoods and communities safer places. I also include the janitors, road repair crews, bus drivers, park rangers, and lower-paid government workers who toil every day to help in their neighborhoods. When on earth did these people become the enemy? It’s outrageous. RAKING IN THE MONEY Wall Street imploded, and yet top executives there continue to rake in bonuses with so many zeroes that two or three of those bonuses could solve some state Yet recent letters to the editor in local publications point to firefighters and deficits. other public safety workers as a huge problem. What happened in such a short The financial industry doled out high-risk, mortgage-backed securities that time to spin common sense on its head? collapsed when the housing bubble burst. Critics point to short hours or short careers for public servants, but the prem- These people still get their full pay, their full benefits, and mind-boggling bo- ise itself rings hollow because we all know that our star athletes often have the nuses. shortest of seasons and work days, and are among the highest paid. In defending those bonuses, some have said that they are contractual obliga- The same goes for our movie and TV stars. People want to include the prepara- tions and must be paid. These same commentators turn around and deny con- tion time for athletes and entertainers, but not for teachers or first responders. tract obligations to public employees, each making the tiniest fraction of the SHAME ON THE CRITICS Wall Street salaries. I do not begrudge these celebrities their money. I just say shame on those who Plus, public employees work toward the common good, and add benefit to our turn around and disparage teachers and nurses and firemen and policemen and society. Wall Street moguls nearly destroyed our economy for the sake of lining all those whose work is so vital to our community and our nation, who struggle their own pockets and those of their colleagues. Where is the outrage over that? to get by on their full-time salaries. Where is the shared sacrifice? Without teachers there would be no other professions. Period. TOPSY-TURVY WORLD Are there areas that need reform in the public sector? Absolutely: Just as there When did the world go topsy-turvy to make the working person, and particu- are in the private sector. Let’s make those needed reforms while remembering larly public servants, the target of scorn? Those crafting that fiction must be who the true heroes are among us. chortling over those of us gullible enough to buy the line of argument. Why have these hard-working, sacrificing public employees become the target Take teachers. In many countries, teachers are revered and compensated high- of scorn? Why indeed. Who gains from pointing the finger at teachers and nurses ly. It is not a coincidence that those countries tend to have the highest achieving and first responders? students. It seems clear to me that the agenda has nothing to do with the details being Some say teachers have it made in our country because they only work from 8 argued and everything to do with dismantling public institutions. If that’s what a.m. to 3 p.m. Nonsense. Teachers work till late hours, over weekends, holidays, we want to do, let’s have the courage to say so – and then figure out who will and summers crafting more relevant lesson plans, refining their professional teach our children, tend to the sick, keep our streets safe, and fight our fires. abilities, evaluating student work, and gathering materials. Shame on all of us who scapegoat the true heroes in our midst, or remain THEY KEEP US SAFE silent while others do so. They say this country is angry. Let’s get angry about Or take firefighters. After 9/11, and after the multiple fires here in Santa Barba- that. ra County, our first responders were lionized, and appropriately so, for the heroic – The author is the Santa Barbara County superintendent of schools. Contact and brave work they do to keep us all safe, especially in disasters. him at [email protected]. Finally, The Return Of The Real McCain By Joe Conason For the longest time, a certain With every right-wing enabler from country, who we believe was not Why is this still important? Mc- admirable, independent senator from John Yoo to Marc Thiessen to Liz tortured. None of the three detainees Cain doesn’t believe that those who Arizona disappeared from public life, Cheney suddenly stepping forward who were waterboarded provided Abu ordered and implemented the crimes replaced by an irresponsible, oppor- to suggest that that the death of bin Ahmed’s real name, his whereabouts of the past should be punished, al- tunistic and occasionally demagogic Laden absolves Bush-era criminal- or an accurate description of his role though not everyone in this country figure, who seemed to have been ity, it is refreshing to hear McCain’s in al-Qaida. In fact, the use of ‘en- or elsewhere agrees. But he is cer- warped by his presidential ambitions clear, strong voice of opposition. The hanced interrogation techniques’ on tainly correct when he says that any and his disappointment in losing. torture advocates have claimed that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed produced endorsement of torture endangers But John McCain has now returned, the waterboarding of Khalid Sheikh false and misleading information.” American soldiers who may someday just in time to refute the sinister Mohammed, a high-ranking leader in Owing to his own experience of be captured in conflict abroad. And attempt by his fellow Republicans to al-Qaida and an alleged mastermind brutality at the hands of his North he is yet more astute in noting that justify torture as the instrument of of the 9/11 attack, caused him to Vietnamese captors as a prisoner of amid the Arab democratic awaken- Osama bin Laden’s demise. reveal the identity of a courier whose war, McCain possesses a moral au- ing – which we hope will repudiate During the last administration, trail led, almost seven years later, to thority on the subject that no other everything represented by al-Qaida even as a supporter of the Iraq inva- the hideout in Abbotabad, Pakistan. American politician can claim. He and its unlamented leader – our sion and the “war on terror,” McCain McCain is having none of this non- also understands – from the perspec- country must “stand as an example broke ranks with his party to protest sense, as he explains in a blistering tive of someone who was once sub- of a nation that holds an individual’s the worst excesses of the George W. essay published in The Washington jected to “enhanced interrogation” human rights as superior to the will Bush presidency. In one of the most Post: – why extreme pain and fear tend to of the majority or the wishes of gov- memorable moments of the other- “The trail to bin Laden did not produce unreliable information: ernment.” wise desultory Republican primary begin with a disclosure from Khalid “I know from personal experience Boasting that torture vanquished debates in 2008, he cited the Con- Sheikh Mohammed, who was water- that the abuse of prisoners ... often our worst enemy is wrong, stupid and stitution, the Geneva Conventions boarded 183 times. The first men- produces bad intelligence because unbecoming to a democracy that lost and American military tradition to tion of Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti – the under torture a person will say any- so much moral authority by violating upbraid Mitt Romney for waffling on nickname of the al-Qaida courier thing he thinks his captors want to the principles of our founders during the issue of waterboarding. who ultimately led us to bin Laden hear – true or false – if he believes it the past decade. As McCain might “This is what America is all about,” – as well as a description of him as will relieve his suffering. Often, infor- say, that was a mistake we cannot he said indignantly. “This is a defin- an important member of al-Qaida, mation provided to stop the torture afford to repeat. ing issue.” came from a detainee held in another is deliberately misleading.” © Creators Syndicate THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 12 The DeVos Family Wealthy Working To Kill Public Schools Since the 2010 elections, voucher bills have popped up in legislatures around the nation. From Pennsylvania to Indiana to Florida, state governments across the country have introduced bills that would take money from public schools and use it to send students to private and religious institutions. Vouchers have always been a staple of the rightwing agenda. Like previous efforts, this most recent push for vouchers is led by a network of conservative think tanks, PACs, Religious Right groups and wealthy conservative donors. But “school choice,” as they euphemistically paint vouchers, is merely a means to an end. Their ultimate goal is the total elimination of our public education system. SUPER WEALTHY FAMILY The decades-long campaign to end public education is propelled by the super- wealthy, rightwing DeVos family. Betsy Prince DeVos is the sister of Erik Prince, founder of the notorious private military contractor Blackwater USA [now Xe], and wife of Dick DeVos, son of the co-founder of Amway, the multi-tiered home products business. By now, you’ve surely heard of the Koch brothers, whose behind-the-scenes financing of right-wing causes has been widely documented in the past year. The DeVoses have remained largely under the radar, despite the fact that their stealth assault on America’s schools has the potential to do away with public education “Vouchers are not an end in themselves; they are a means to make a transition as we know it. from a government to a free-market system.” The quote is in a 1995 Cato Insti- The conservative policy institutes founded beginning in the 1970s get hun- tute briefing paper titled “Public Schools: Make Them Private,” he said. dreds of millions of dollars from wealthy families and foundations to develop Joseph Bast, president of Heartland Institute, stated in 1997, “Like most oth- and promote free market fundamentalism. More specifically, their goals include er conservatives and libertarians, we see vouchers as a major step toward the privatizing Social Security, reducing government regulations, thwarting environ- complete privatization of schooling. In fact, after careful study, we have come mental policy, dismantling unions – and eliminating public schools. to the conclusion that they are the only way to dismantle the current socialist POOR KIDS ARE A DODGE regime.” Whatever they may say about giving poor students a leg up, their real priority ‘GOVERNMENT’ SCHOOLS is nothing short of the total dismantling of our public educational institutions, Bast added, “Government schools will diminish in enrollment and thus in and they’ve admitted as much. number as parents shift their loyalty and vouchers to superior-performing pri- Cato Institute founder Ed Crane and other conservative think tank leaders vate schools.” have signed the Public Proclamation to Separate School and State, which reads But Bast’s lofty goals have not panned out. That’s because, quite simply, vouch- in part that signing on, “Announces to the world your commitment to end in- er programs do not work. volvement by local, state, and federal government from education.” The longest running voucher program in the country is the 20-year-old Mil- But Americans don’t want their schools dismantled. So privatization advocates waukee School Choice Program. Standardized testing shows that the voucher have recognized that it’s not politically viable to openly push for full privatiza- students in private schools perform below the level of Milwaukee’s public school tion and have resigned themselves to incrementally dismantling public school students. systems. The think tanks’ weapon of choice is school vouchers. Even when socioeconomic status is factored in, the voucher students still WHO VOUCHERS GO FOR score at or below the level of the students who remain in Milwaukee’s public Vouchers are funded with public school dollars but are used to pay for stu- schools. dents to attend private and parochial schools. The idea was introduced in the Cleveland’s voucher program has produced similar results. Private schools in 1950s by the high priest of free-market fundamentalism, Milton Friedman, who the voucher program range from excellent to very poor. In some, less than 20% of also made the real goal of the voucher movement clear. students reach basic proficiency levels in math and reading. What’s Inside Big Oil’s Head? By Jim Hightower The big five of Big Oil might want absurdly labeling it “discriminatory.” are plenty of incentives.” That was no can in the House voted in lockstep to to mull over a bit of advice that base- Next up was Shell’s man, who feigned lefty basher of Big Oil talking, it was protect all of the oil subsidies. ball great Ted Williams once offered almost-comic outrage at the no- George W. Bush. Also, the budget that the GOP to rookies: “If you don’t think too tion that our nation’s budget deficit Yet, thanks to an army of lobbyists rammed through the House last good, don’t think too much.” should be reduced “by taking more and the regular delivery of bushel month retains every dime of the $4 Apparently, the chieftains of BP, from the few,” as though he was baskets full of campaign cash, the billion giveaway, even as that budget Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon- unaware that “the few” in question oil guys have been allowed to keep slashes food stamps, job training, Mobil and Shell thought that a bit are notorious tax dodgers, paying drilling into our public treasury, college aid, and health care for se- of gruff, CEO bluster would be just little or nothing on their enormous pumping out some $4 billion a year niors and the poor. the thing to brush back public anger profits. in various tax subsidies – more than But it’s the poor oil goliaths that over the industry’s all-star avarice Wildest of all though was Conoco’s half of which goes to the five richest draw the tongue-clucking sympathy and arrogance. chief, Jim Mulva, who inflamed sena- corporations. of these compassionate corporatists. Bad thinking. tors and insulted the public by call- Incentives for what? Not to explore For example, GOP presidential Recently, the head of these mul- ing the bill “un-American.” for more oil, hire more Americans or hopeful Tim Pawlenty called the idea tibillion-dollar behemoths, pumped No, Mr. Mulva, what’s un-American invest in renewable energy. of ending the subsidy “ludicrous,” up on narcissism, strode into a U.S. is that you five clueless CEOs expect Instead, top executives have spent wailing that killing it would be a Senate hearing room and took wild to haul in $100 billion in profits this the vast majority of their huge profits crude “tax increase” on the waifs of swings at a bill titled: Close Big Oil year, yet you’re whining that you driving up their own corporation’s Big Oil. Tax Loopholes. should be given $2 billion in special stock prices to enrich – who else? Meanwhile, Chevron’s CEO says: “I In a time of $4-a-gallon gasoline, tax breaks, even as little kids are – themselves. don’t think people want shared sacri- stratospheric rises in petro profits being cut off from Head Start and the This is why oil executives are less fice [from oil corporations]. and a federal budget deficit severe GOP threatens to take Medicare away popular than a Mississippi River “I think they want shared prosper- enough that Republicans have called from grandma. flood. ity.” for killing Medicare, the spark that Start thinking about someone be- Indeed, despite being called “un- Hello, Earth to Chevron-Man, exploded the public’s fury at oil sides your sorry selves. American” by Conoco, the con- you’ve been grossly prosperous for giants was the revelation that the As one politician bluntly said of gressional proposal to repeal the years – where’s the sharing? big five are on the government dole, Washington’s annual tax giveaway to loopholes is supported by 74% of us If ignorance goes to $100 a barrel, drawing more than $2 billion a year massively profitable oil corporations: Americans, including a majority of try to get drilling rights on that guy’s in corporate welfare payments. “We don’t need incentives to the oil Republicans. head. Exxon’s top exec flailed at the bill, and gas companies to explore. There Yet, in March, every single Republi- © Creators Syndicate THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 13 The Big Question: Who Do We Kill Next? By Alexander Cockburn

Pinko terror-simps and the “rule on the tendency toward executive of law” gang may cavil and whine hubris and wartime overreach. ... The at the lack of legal propriety in the absence of any sustained outcry over execution of Osama bin Laden, but the White House’s willingness to as- it’s not cutting much ice with liberal sassinate American citizens without America. For long years, what might trial should be equally disquieting.” be called the “progressive” segment Douthat’s reference to American of American voters have chafed at Re- citizens concerns Anwar al-Awlaki, publican gibes that their guy Obama the U.S.-born cleric believed to be is a wimp, all the more irritably in Yemen. Toward the end of April, because deep down, many of them Obama signed off on three extraju- thought the charge had some merit. dicial assassinations: bin Laden’s, But now, the former professor of Gadhafi’s [near miss] and al-Awlaki’s constitutional law is really and truly [a miss]. The Pentagon says a bid on an American. He’s flashed his long, al-Awlaki’s life was made by drone at- long Cadillac of a birth certificate, tack on May 5 and they reckon they not merely the short unconvincing didn’t nail him but hit a car, which subcompact going the rounds for may or may not have contained bad years. Better still, he has cojones. guys. Hey, who’s counting? Bigger cojones than those of George Obama is certainly not the first U.S. W. Bush, who said that the capture president to have taken a keen inter- of Osama was of no interest to him. est in assassinations. Assassination Obama didn’t task the Navy SEALs, has always been an arm of U.S. for- “If Osama shows no sign of resis- eign policy; just as in periods of tur- tance, it is your duty under Rules of bulence, like the ‘60s, it has always Engagement to bring him home alive been an arm of domestic repression to face a fair trial.” No. He said to as well. This is true on either side of make sure it’s bin Laden, then kill the executive order. him. President Gerald Ford issued an We have Sen. Jim Inhofe of Okla- who it was.” Godfather, when Michael Corleone order in 1976 banning assassina- homa to thank for making Osama’s So the SEALs grabbed bin Laden, calmly acts as godfather at his neph- tions. “No employee of the United orders clear. In an interview with took the live pics, then shoved his ew’s baptism at church, even as his States Government shall engage in, CNN’s Eliot Spitzer, he described kid to one side and gave him the lieutenants carry out the gory hits he or conspire to engage in, political as- the photographs, thus far denied the business, twice in the head, once in has ordered on rival mobsters. sassination,” stated Executive Order American people but available to the chest. “Just substitute ‘Leave the copter, 11905, now presumably inoperative. members of Congress. Maureen Dowd holds up the liberal take the corpse’ for ‘Leave the gun, Line up Obama with his fellow as- Inhofe: “Three of the first 12 pic- end of The New York Times’ panel take the cannoli.’ ... sassins, from Eisenhower through tures were of Osama when he was of columnists. Many’s the tetchy “The president’s studied cool and Bush, and I believe he’s the most re- alive. And they did this for the pur- column she’s written across the past unreadable mien have sometimes pellent of the bunch, down there with pose of being able to look at those couple of years railing at Obama for distanced him from the public at Woodrow Wilson. None of his rivals and seeing the nose, the eyes and his selling out to the bankers and being moments of boiling crisis. But in the quite match the instinctive egotism relationship for positive identifica- way too submissive to his Republi- long-delayed showdown with Public that allows Obama effortlessly to af- tion purposes. And that was good. can assailants. Enemy No. 1, these qualities served fect the earnestness of a man taking “One of the shots went through an It’s wondrous what two expanding him perfectly.” the moral high road while executing ear and out through the eye socket, bullets to the head of an unarmed In another column, Dowd writes, a cynical program of electioneering or it went in through the eye socket man will do. Dowd has written no “I want memory, and justice, and by assassination. and out – and then exploded. It was less than three columns back to revenge. ... Liberal guilt may have Cynical but effective. The Republi- that kind of ordinance that it was. back, imparting to her large audience its uses, but it should not be wasted cans are in a state of total confusion Now, that caused the brains to be her raptures. Call them spiritually on this kill-mission. ... Morally and and have no plausible candidate to hanging out of the eye socket, so hairy chested. operationally, this was counterterror- run against Obama. The progressives that was pretty gruesome. “No wonder,” Dowd glowed, “the ism at its finest. are solidly behind their man. “But the revealing shots really, I president’s top generals call him “We have nothing to apologize for.” – Alexander Cockburn is co-editor thought, the pictures, were the three ‘a Cool Hand Luke.’ [Actually, the It fell to the NYT’s young conser- with Jeffrey St. Clair of the muckrak- that were taken on the USS Vinson in generals tend to call him far less vative columnist, Ross Douthat, to ing newsletter CounterPunch. He the Northern Arabian Sea, and they complimentary names.] If we could make the sensible observation that is also co-author of the new book were the ones that showed him dur- have seen everything unfolding in “Now that Democrats have learned to Dime’s Worth of Difference: Beyond ing the cleanup period ... they had real time, it would have had the same stop worrying and embrace the impe- the Lesser of Two Evils, available taken enough blood and material off dramatic effect as the intercutting in rial presidency, the United States through www.counterpunch.com. his face so it was easier to identify the president’s favorite movie, The lacks a strong institutional check © Creators Syndicate News Briefs, Events The Interfaith Alliance Foundation of Oklahoma is hosting a public forum May Young readers will explore “One World, Many Stories” starting with the annual 26 in Oklahoma City that features Dr. Charles Kimball, director of the University of Family Kickoff Party June 11 at OLBPH. Children and teens who sign up for the sum- Oklahoma’s Religious Studies Program and author of the new book When Religion mer program are invited to come and bring family members and teachers for a day Becomes Lethal. of fun. The event, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the First Christian Church, 3700 N. Walker, is de- Arts and crafts activities begin at 10 a.m. After lunch, the Sugar Free All Stars will signed to increase awareness of the complexity of the religious and political world rock the library with a great musical performance. Readers will get summer reading and the need for non-fundamentalist’s interpretations. log records, gifts and “One World, Many Stories” t-shirts, as well as chances to win Kimball believes that as a society and as a world we are at a critical time that calls door prizes. for greater understanding of the world’s religious traditions. In that context he will The library’s annual Summer Reading Program is designed to encourage young address issue of Islamophobia in the United States and Oklahoma. readers to read for pleasure during their summer break. Each participant sets a per- He will have copies of his book available at the event. For more information, sonal reading goal for a number of books or amount of time reading during June and contact Jeff Hamilton, Interfaith Alliance Foundation of Oklahoma president, at July. Every reader who meets the goal receives a Braille, audio or large print book 405.640.3914. to keep. • OLBPH is part of a group of libraries nationwide that are participating in the Col- The Department of Rehabilitation Services’ Oklahoma Library for the Blind and laborative Summer Library Program. Physically Handicapped will host the 2011 Summer Reading program from June 1 Register for the Summer Reading Program and the Family Kickoff Party by calling through July 31. 800.523.0288 or 405.521.3514.

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 14 Six Universities In Cahoots With Kochs By Lee Fang ThinkProgress recently highlighted reports from the St. Petersburg Times and the Tallahassee Democrat regarding a Koch-funded economics department at Florida State University. FSU had accepted a $1.5 million grant from a foundation controlled by petrochemical billionaire Charles Koch on the condition that Koch’s operatives would have a free hand in selecting professors and approving publications. The simmering controversy sheds light on the vast influence of the Koch political machine, which spans from the top conservative think tanks, Republican politicians, a small army of contracted lobbyists, and Tea Party front groups in nearly every state. As reporter Kris Hundley notes, Koch virtually owns much of George Mason University, another public university, through grants and direct control over think tanks within the school. For instance, Koch controls the Mercatus Center of George Mason University, an institute that set much of the Bush Administra- tion’s environmental deregulation policy. READ HIS BOOK Similar conditional agreements have been made with schools like Clemson and West Virginia University. ThinkProgress has analyzed data from the Charles Koch Foundation, and found that this trend is actually much larger than previously known. Many of the Koch university grants finance far right, pro-polluter professors, and dictate that students read Charles Koch’s book as part of their academic study: The money has been used to hire five new faculty members, and establish a pro- • West Virginia University: As ThinkProgress reported last year, Koch funds an gram for undergraduates to enroll and learn about Charles Koch’s “Science of array of academic programs at West Virginia University, a public university. One Liberty” management theory. Koch-funded academic at WVU, economics professor Russell Sobel, has written Professor Randy Simmons, the “Charles G. Koch Professor of Political Econo- a book blasting regulations of all types. my” at the school, helps select students – who must provide information about He even argues that less mine safety regulations will make coal miners more their ideological interests in their application form – to the Koch program. Sim- safe. As the St. Petersburg Times reported, a similar arrangement has been made mons also works for several Koch-funded front groups, and writes papers against with WVU as with FSU in accepting at least $480,000 from Koch. environmental regulations. BIG MONEY PAYS OFF Koch’s The Science of Success, a book Forbes mocked for proclaiming a “Marx- • Brown University: The Charles Koch Foundation funds the Political Theory ist faith in ‘fixed laws’ that govern ‘human well-being,’” is part of the required Project at Brown, which provides funding for “Seminar Luncheons for under- reading list for the program. A representative for Utah State did not return Think- graduates, academic conferences, research fellowships for graduate students, Progress’ calls about conditional strings attached to the Koch grant. support for faculty research, and a postdoctoral fellowship program.” CONSERVATIVE SPEAKERS • Troy University: The Charles Koch Foundation, along with the Manuel John- Some of the programs, like the Charles Koch Student Research Colloquium son and the BB&T Foundation, provided Troy University, a public university, a at Beloit College, are funded by grants of little over $130,000 and simply sup- gift of $3.6 million to establish the Center for Political Economy last year. port conservative speakers on campuses. We have reached out to several of the The Center’s stated goal is to push back against the belief following the finan- schools to learn more about the agreements, but none so far have returned our cial crisis that markets need regulation. Notably, the center’s entire advisory calls. council is made up of Koch and BB&T-funded professors at other universities, Overall, Koch is still a dominate player when it comes to meddling with aca- including Sobel at West Virginia University and Peter Boettke at George Mason demic integrity. Part of the effort is coordinated through operatives like Richard University. Fink, who doubles as a vice president at Koch’s corporate lobbying office. Currently, the Center’s only staffer, Professor Scott Beaulier, is a board mem- Through an organization called the Association of Private Enterprise Educa- ber of the ExxonMobil-funded attack group, American Energy Alliance, and a for- tion, Koch organizes these corporate-funded university departments into a pow- mer staffer for Koch’s think tank at George Mason. erful intellectual movement. The organization allows Koch staffers in Washing- • Utah State University: The Charles Koch Foundation has given nearly ton, DC to request certain types of studies, interfere with hiring decisions, and $700,000 to Utah State University, mostly for the Huntsman School of Business. reward loyal free market academics with hefty research grants. Koch Theater ‘Rebranded’ With Tea Party Ties By Kristen Gwynne On a Wednesday night in mid-May, a diverse crowd of more than 500 New York- anti-consumerist gospel shouters.” ers gathered at Martin Luther King High School behind Lincoln Center in prepa- ‘I AM THE TEA PARTY’S WALLET’ ration for a “Guerrilla Drive-In,” a satirical urban take on the drive-in movie. The crowd included a gaggle of local “stealth” activists recruited via a secret The rowdy event was designed to shine a spotlight on the now infamous Koch text message strategy set up by AgitPop, reminiscent of “flash mobs.” Brothers and their efforts to cover up their far right wing, anti-environment, anti- “We realize the Koch brothers spend a lot of money to put their names on union agenda by donating large sums of money to New York City cultural institu- buildings but not other places they give their money – the Tea Party and union tions. busting,” explained Tenene Allison, political director of Brave New Foundation, The audience witnessed the world premiere of Brave New Foundation’s short a non-profit organization that uses video and new media to inform and mobilize film, and the event culminated in adding a sign reading “I am the Tea Party’s wal- the public. let” to the name plate of the Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater. Thus, renaming the Koch Theater by adding “I am the Tea Party’s wallet” sim- [After donating more than $100 million to Lincoln Center in 2008, the institu- ply put the context behind the man. tion renamed its New York State Theatre, which houses the New York City Ballet John Sellers, CEO of AgitPop, a netroots subvertising agency delivering boots- and Opera, the David H. Koch Theater.] on-the-ground guerilla marketing to progressive campaigns, called the Koch ‘KOCH BROTHERS EXPOSED’ Brothers “evil geniuses with billions of dollars and a deeply formed political Led by Reverend Billy and the radical marching band Rude Mechanical Orches- agenda capable of changing the course of history and democracy.” tra, the crowd paraded [popcorn in hand] from the high school to Lincoln Center MOCKING VILLAINS for the Performing Arts. Prior to the action, several attendees said they were unsure what the event en- From the plaza behind the theater, activists watched the film “The Koch Broth- tailed but were eager to participate. The Danger and The Yes Men, two New York ers Exposed” and Reverend Billy, dressed in white pants and a matching jacket, City event/activism listservs, had alerted them. spoke into a megaphone as the crowd tightened: “We’re here because we love the Judith LeBlanc, national field director of Peace Action and distributor of pop- Earth and we love our city. This must stop!” corn at the event, put it like this: “Stay with us and march to see the world pre- The boisterous, fun-loving crowd then marched to the front of Lincoln Center miere of a movie to mock villains in public funding and services.” to participate in a “guerilla rebranding” of the Koch Theatre. The event was or- As revealed in “The Koch Brothers Exposed,” brothers David and Charles Koch chestrated by key staff from the Brave New Foundation and AgitPop, along with have donated $31 million to the Tea Party, $50 million to deny climate change, the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, and of course the popular Reverend Billy, who $34.6 million to union-busting organizations, and much more to other right-wing leads a radical, 50-person performance community that describes itself as “wild See THEATER Page 16 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 15 Tax Dodging Firm Target Of Protesters By Allison Kilkenny From coast-to-coast, more than 40 cities joined in a day of action protesting the tax-dodging practices of massive corporations that they see as the real source of the country’s deficit. “I’m tired of people calling for shared sacrifice and it’s all coming from the workers and nothing’s coming from the top,” says protester Dave Sonenberg. “I’m sick of companies like Bank of America not paying their taxes.” Bank of America hasn’t paid a nickel in federal income taxes for the past two years, and in fact raked in an additional $1 billion in tax “benefits.” The bank is enjoying these profits after accepting $45 billion from taxpayers, which the company then got to count as a deduction when they paid back the money. DIFFERENT SET OF RULES Big corporations get to play by a whole different set of rules, says tax expert Bob Willens of New York-based Robert Willens LLC. Sally says BA’s practice of evicting people from their homes without the original It’s also not unusual for a company to pay no federal taxes, while still paying mortgage notes is illegal, but that “illegal doesn’t seem to matter.” state and local taxes, Willens said. Items that can be deducted for federal purpos- Organizers created fake checks that represent what Bank of America should es aren’t always deductible for state and local returns, he said. State taxes can have paid in taxes during 2009 [$1.5 billion]. The plan was to go into BA, attempt also be based on the amount of capital deployed in a state, not pre-tax income. to cash the checks, and then ask for a manager when the understandably flum- This is why two-thirds of corporations in America pay no federal income taxes. moxed teller didn’t know what to do. US Uncut planners reminded the protesters If they were forced to, we’re told, the whole country would suffer. Jobs would be to be courteous to everyone: the tellers, the manager and police. The process lost, salaries slashed. Thank heavens we’ve avoided such calamity by allowing appeared to go on without a hitch until my cameraman and I went into BA with corporations to shape legislation in their favor. US Uncut organizer Duncan Meisel. In 2010, Bank of America handed out $2.2 million in campaign contributions INCREDIBLY FAKE CHECK to Congressional representatives and PACs [36% went to Democrats, 64% to Re- The bank’s manager recognized Meisel from being part of the Uncut protests publicans]. and immediately asked for the police to remove us. Meisel said he was in the BUYING CONGRESS bank to cash the check, and when the officer discerned it was fake [because it By throwing around that much cash, huge companies like BA have a big say looks incredibly fake], he told us to leave, claiming we were giving the tellers “a when it comes to crafting legislation that permits them to escape paying taxes, hard time” before. according to US Uncut organizer J.A. Myerson. “Get out,” the cop ordered. “You want to get out or get a criminal summons?” “The reason it’s not illegal is because they have bought and paid for the people At which point, my cameraman, Zach Roberts, stated he was a Bank of America who make the laws. The laws are made to accommodate this sort of nefarious- customer, a credential that didn’t appear to impress the officer at all. ness,” he says, adding that the process is wrong, and ordinarily that would mean “You want to play games?” he asked. “Give me your ID.” Meisel stated that he approaching Congress to ask them to fix it, but there’s no point in attempting that intended to leave, but he also produced his wallet and extended it to the officer, when the system is so heavily rigged in favor of the rich and well connected. who grabbed it and shoved Meisel backwards. “So what US Uncut is doing right now is not Capitol Hill lobbying because The police then detained Meisel inside BA before ultimately giving him a ticket that doesn’t seem like it’s a fruitful avenue. It’s trying to directly undermine the for disorderly conduct. Afterwards, Meisel harbored no ill feelings toward the ability of Bank of America to earn record windfall profits by depleting the public officer. “It sounds like he had a bad day today, but it’s not anything personal. trust that they are an upstanding member of society.” I know cops have it bad these days because there’s budget cuts coming from RIGGED GAME them. There’s budget cuts coming from everybody. I’d rather not have a sum- The rigged game has left citizens feeling burnt and angry. An activist named mons, but I don’t hold it against anyone.” Low Paid Women In Wal-Mart v. Dukes No matter how available wage data is sliced and diced, a single truth remains: Even when researchers have controlled for demographic differences between a wage gap exists between male and female workers. male and female employees, such as worker qualifications, experience, occupa- On average, full-time female workers make 23% less than male full-time work- tion type, and industry, a persistent gap in wages remains. ers. And for women of color, the gap in wages is even larger. African American For example, the gap in wages between male and female physicians has only in- women and Hispanic women working full-time make far less, on average – 62% creased over the past decade, even after controlling for medical specialty, hours and 53% respectively – compared to white, non-Hispanic men. and practice type. There is a gap in wages in every part of the country, with women in Wyoming Set against the backdrop of widespread disparities in pay, there is a tremen- and Louisiana making just 66% of male earnings. dous amount at stake in the pay and promotions discrimination class action Even in the District of Columbia, where the wage gap is the smallest, women Wal-Mart v. Dukes. The Supreme Court will determine whether a nationwide make 88% of male earnings. And although the Department of Labor has docu- class of women workers challenging alleged sex discrimination by Wal-Mart in mented a gap in wages in every field, sales occupations are particularly behind pay and promotions can proceed. the times. According to the plaintiffs’ evidence, women at Wal-Mart on average earned Women working full-time in sales occupations earned only 64% of their male $5,000 less than men, even though women tended to have higher performance counterparts’ earnings in 2010 – the highest of any occupation. In fact, the last ratings and more seniority. time the overall wage gap was so large was 1981, when women across all occupa- Women also were less likely to be promoted to store manager positions and tions earned just 64.4% of men’s earnings. had to wait significantly longer for promotions than men. This gap in wages is not merely the result of women’s “choices” in career or The Court’s decision will also effectively determine whether workers can con- family, as study after study has demonstrated. tinue to challenge company-wide discrimination by larger employers. THEATER From Page 15 think tanks and conservative candidates. least for a moment, one of their most prized institutions, and they had one hell The film and rebranding are part of an effort by Brave New Foundation to ex- of a time while doing it. pose the family’s multimillion dollar campaigns to pump money into the right The action lasted until about 9 p.m., when four NYPD paddy wagons rolled-up, wing agenda and further their own business interests as oil refiners. and legal counsel Wylie Stceklew advised the crowd to disperse. Just as Lincoln POLICE ARRIVED TO BREAK IT UP Center attendees were leaving their events – creating a juxtaposition of evening In front of Lincoln Center, before a large crowd, organizers projected visuals clad concert-goers and the casually dressed protesters. onto the building from a projector inside the Empire Hotel, across the street As the police formed a human barricade on the sidewalk and pushed on-look- from The Koch Theater. Theater attendees watched the crowd from the balcony ers north, the crowd and band continued to sing “We’re Not Going to Take It.” above the sidewalk, and passers-by stopped to check out the action – it was a For Reverend Billy, however, the advice came just moments too late, as he was difficult one to miss. arrested on trespassing charges while leaving the scene. Organizers and attendees alike were excited by the success of the event. A – The author is a journalism student at New York University peaceful evening, the mood was hopeful and positive – New Yorkers took back, at © Alternet THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 16 Largest Paper’s Nasty Attack On Retirees The Rupert Murdoch-owned, right-wing Wall Street Journal is lying, plain and simple. The conservative playbook isn’t difficult to decipher. They rely heavily on the politics of resentment – point to someone in our society, claim they’re a lucky- duck using unverifiable anecdotes or cherry-picked data, and then urge people to ask, “Why does that person have it so good when I’m busting my ass to make ends meet?” It was apparent in Ronald Reagan’s “welfare queen” rhetoric, and also in the ubiquitous references to “young bucks” buying T-bone steaks with their food stamps. EXACT SAME ATTACK Now the Right’s using the exact same play for those greedy public employees supposedly living large on their fat salaries. The Wall Street Journal featured an excellent example of the genre by John Co- gan, a fellow at the corporate-backed Hoover Institution. The piece, titled, “The Millionaire Retirees Next Door,” is a shining testament to the dishonesty sur- rounding our discourse on “entitlements.” Cogan’s pitch is this: “The typical husband and wife who reach age 66 and qualify for Social Security ... will begin collecting a combination of cash and Social Security’s method of automatically increasing benefits to successive co- health-care entitlement benefits that will total $1 million over their remaining horts of retirees by more than inflation makes less sense. expected lifetime.” MONTHLY BENEFIT HIGHER They’ll get an average of $1 million in cash and health-care bennies over the It means that the average worker who retires this year receives a monthly ben- rest of their lives, which makes them millionaires! Why aren’t you? efit that is about 23% higher after adjusting for inflation than the monthly benefit HIS CALCULATION received by the average worker who retired 20 years ago. What’s more, “The typical 66-year-old couple and their employers, on their be- The average worker who retires 10 years from now is, in turn, promised an ini- half, have contributed nearly $500,000 in payroll taxes.” In other words, they’re tial benefit at retirement that is 14% higher after adjusting for inflation than the going to pull in a half-million more than they paid! average worker who retires today. “We cannot even remotely afford to make good on these promised benefits Congress passed an automatic cost-of-living increase in 1972, not 1978. COLA ...[to] so many million-dollar couples,” he writes. “The benefactors will be a gen- is based on the rate of inflation, so benefits aren’t “automatically” increased eration of younger workers who are trying to support themselves and their fami- faster than the rate of inflation. The reason retirees today will take home larger lies while paying taxes to finance the rest of government spending.” benefits than those who left the workforce 20 years ago reflects the higher wages Won’t somebody think of the children? they earned. The same is true of those who will retire 10 years from now. All of this, Cogan says, is according to his own calculations based on govern- REALITY CHECK ment data. It’s all wrong, however, and while it’s often difficult to say with any Let’s pause for a reality check. It’s true that, according to the Urban Insti- certainty whether someone is intentionally lying to people or simply making an tute [which adjusts for inflation], Cogan’s average two-earner couple will receive honest error, in this case it’s clear. $882,000 in combined benefits over their golden years. SLEIGHT OF HAND But we need to disaggregate that figure; the average monthly Social Security Cogan’s sleight of hand is simple: when he gives the amount this average cou- benefit for retirees this year is $1,179 per month. Multiply that by two, and you ple paid into the two programs, he adjusts for inflation to current dollars. don’t exactly end up with Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. On the benefits side, he doesn’t – he uses future dollars, which results in a Of course, it doesn’t matter what an “average” two-earner household pays in larger number. John Cogan is a professor of public policy at Stanford University; and takes out; lots of families aren’t average, and the only thing that matters is every one of his students knows that he or she would get an F comparing infla- the system’s overall solvency. And the Social Security administration has taken tion adjusted numbers on one side of the ledger to nominal dollars on the other in more than it’s paid out for all but two of the last 30 years. It’s run significant – it’s apples and oranges and it’s about as mendacious as one can get. surpluses, and hasn’t added a single penny to the deficit. This year’s surplus is He tries a similar trick with this grievance: In 1978, Congress instituted au- projected to be $113 billion. tomatic cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security. That’s reasonable. But Cogan says we “can’t afford” these benefits. Fox News Stars Beck, Palin Fade The news flashes came just five hours apart in early April. Both bulletins obsessed over a possible shutdown of the federal government, Palin took to her brought bad news for Fox News stars Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin. Both head- Facebook page and posted a blistering attack on Obama. lines marked the end of a rightwing era of sorts in American media. Not that long ago an online missive like that from Palin would have generated Indeed, the simultaneous rise and fall of Beck and Palin stand as remarkable headlines and been treated as a news event in and of itself. [Think “death pan- tales of Fox News failures, as well as for the radical, Obama-hating media move- els.”] Instead, it was mostly crickets as Palin’s Facebook screed barely drew a ment they’ve helped champion on cable TV. passing glance from the Beltway press or the larger political arena. Confirming speculation that Beck and Fox News were parting ways in the wake The collective shoulder shrug, not to mention the brutal NBC/WSJ polling re- of Beck’s falling ratings and the massive advertising boycott that was bleeding sults, prompted Salon’s Steve Kornacki to ask, “What Ever Happened to Sarah his program, the breakup was shocking nonetheless. Palin?” The move would have been unthinkable one year earlier, when Beck was being At some point recently, she stopped simply being a polarizing lightning rod toasted in the press as a cultural phenomena and battling Bill O’Reilly for the – one with as many fanatical followers as diehard critics – and transformed into crown of Most Watched Show In Cable News. a figure who even Republican-leaning voters have a hard time taking seriously. TWO BOMBSHELLS WHY FADE SO FAST? That was bombshell No. 1. Five hours later, a smaller Fox News explosion went The same questions were being asked about Beck’s cable TV demise. How did off when the Wall Street Journal and NBC News published the results of their Time’s Person Of the Year contender and right-wing King Of All Media fall so far latest polling effort. so fast? Was it because he claimed President Obama hated white people? He For Fox News’ Palin, the findings were disastrous: Her disapproval rating fell to urged Catholics to leave the church during the holy season of Lent last year? an all-time high of 53%. [Just 25% view her positively.] Or was it because Beck illogically portrayed the pro-democracy movement that And when Republican voters were asked which candidate they preferred to be swept Egypt this winter as the unleashing of demonic forces that would soon the party’s nominee in 2012, Palin, who often used to sit atop of that list, barely threaten peace around the world? [That was too much even for Bill Kristol.] registered a double-digit response, which slotted her into fifth place among a Just over a year ago, Beck and Palin seemed poised to use their unique Fox weak field of contenders. [If Palin were the nominee, she’d likely turn Georgia News platforms to reshape the American political culture. But it never hap- and South Carolina blue, warned one pollster.] pened. It’s true that Palin may have no interest in running for president. And yes, her Following the pep rally he threw himself last summer in Washington, DC, Beck personal polling numbers have been in the ditch for quite a while [although the seemed to want to position him as a leader who transcended party politics. But Beltway press often ignored that fact.] But what must have stung Palin about the Beck quickly slipped back into his dark, conspiratorial ways, advertising parti- NBC/WSJ numbers were they came at a time when her overall cultural standing san demagoguery that was often laced with attacks that were unspeakably ir- seemed to have evaporated. responsible. ATTACKING OBAMA AGAIN As for Palin, she was going to change the political press by essentially ignoring For instance, when the budget and spending showdown loomed and the press See Fox Page 19 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 17 Helping The ‘Neediest’ Among Us By Jim Hightower To be fair to lawmakers, it’s not break is available to anyone, whether by billions of dollars – but we’ve got schoolchildren stiffed in sacrifice to easy making the tough spending rich or poor, so in that sense it’s fair. your yacht covered! You see, it’s sim- the Deficit Gods. But look – General choices in these dire times of ris- But is it really necessary? ply a matter of getting your priorities Electric is a sacrifice-free corpora- ing public need and inadequate tax Using both of his brain cells at straight. tion. With almost 1,000 tax lawyers revenues. Legislators in my state once, Davis explains that it is. You For instruction in this political and other specialists in its tax de- of Texas, for example, are trying to see, he says that Florida already exercise, look to Washington, where partment, this infamous polluter and make $27 billion in cuts to balance provides such a tax giveaway to the the new priority is “shared sacrifice.” job-cutter has paid exactly zero in an already miserly budget. yachting crowd, so our state must Sounds nice. But it’s really just code federal income taxes since 2006, de- So, assume you’re a member of the match it, lest Texans go there to for gouging the middle class and the spite raking in $26 billion in profits. Texas House. What needy constitu- make their boat purchases. poor. Again. Indeed, its army of sacrifice-avoiders ency would you try to spare from the Excuse me, but if you’ve got a Republican budget-whackers use produced a $4 billion tax refund for budget ax: school kids, poor people, few million bucks to splurge on a the shared sacrifice phrase like a war GE in those five years. Yes, we paid old folks in nursing homes ... or yacht, chances are you’re not flying cry as they slash Medicare, educa- it to not pay taxes. Meanwhile, GE yacht buyers? to Florida and hauling back just to tion, job training and every other continues to be rewarded with bil- Yes, yachts. Not your run-of-the- avoid a sales tax. public program they hate. lions of dollars a year in government mill yachts, but big ones – those Still, Davis proudly says that he President Obama, too, has taken to contracts. costing more than $250,000. You sees his bill as an “economic de- uttering the phrase as he surrenders In a concise report titled “The might not be surprised to learn that velopment” measure for our people. to the contrived wisdom in Washing- Artful Dodgers,” a watchdog group the Republicans, who have a super- Imagine their gratitude. ton that every American must give up named Public Campaign uncovers majority in the House, went with OK, he’s a goofball, but were there even essential government benefits the flagrant tax avoidance scams of a yacht buyers. no adults in the room? Uh-uh. The in order to balance the budget. dozen hugely profitable corporations, Some days when you read the committee chairman just shrugged But guess who’s not sharing. The including oil giants and bailed-out news, you don’t know whether to go his sorry shoulders and said the corporate powers, which use their banks, as well as such outfits as Fe- crazy, go bowling or go very deep into yacht break is “one of those things lobbyists, lawyers, campaign cash, dEx and Carnival Cruise Lines. the woods and weep – and this was you have to do.” Sheesh – 100,000 tax havens and other tools to avoid When your local, state and national one of those days. sperm, and he was the fastest? giving up anything in the call for politicos mouth platitudes about Rep. John Davis, a Houston Repub- The House budget will take away national sacrifice. And now, they can sacrificing for the national good, tell lican, passed his bill in committee to college aid for 60,000 students, elim- buy a tax-free yacht in Texas – no ‘em to start at the top, then get back give a sales tax break to the purchas- inate nearly 100,000 teachers and sacrifice needed there. to you. ers of quarter-million-dollar-and-up other school employees, and short- Hundreds of thousands of school- To download “The Artful Dodgers” yachts. I should note that this tax change health care for poor people teachers are being dumped and our report, go to publicampaign.org. LETTERS From Page 4 staff to police their reading material. tions. It should be as plain as the – Umar Patek, Abu Faraj al-Libbig and more dangerous year by year. Imag- Did my child ever pick up a book I nose on your face that Sally will say Tahir Shahzad had lived in the area. ine if you can, coming to work every considered questionable? anything and everything for votes. 5. Pakistani military brass and a day with Bloods, Crips, Mexican Ma- Yes, she did. She loved to read and Sally is in campaign mode and it brigade of the Pakistani army lived in fia, KKK, Indian Brotherhood, Arian in most cases we read that book to- takes precedent over her faith mode the same town with bin Laden. Brotherhood, Irish Brotherhood, and gether and I would explain why I didn’t in odd number years. She cannot get 6. The military academy was a mile much more. Numbered among them agree with it. votes from her base by saying she or two down the road. are murderers, multiple murderers, Gays – or what Sally calls “The thinks poor people or people of color 7. His only guards were two couri- shoot [or stab] with the intent to kill- Gay Agenda” – are more dangerous should be treated with respect. She ers. He didn’t need any more when ers, maimers, rapist murderers, rap- than terrorism, but she said that at should be allowed to denigrate those the establishment was on the take. ists, child molesters, many varieties a church meeting and what she says she wants to help in the name of the 8. This harboring of bin Laden cost of robbers and so on and on. there should be off limits. What you GOP, but not in the name of GOD. hundreds of American fighting men Would you send a family member to say in church should never leave the The Capitol building does have a their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan work there? Six in 10 new hires are vestibule. big old steeple/minaret type thingy on wars. gone within weeks. You can only add Gays are taxpayers and you can top, but that doesn’t make it a house With our boys’ blood on their so much water to the soup in the mess say what you want at church, but you of worship. hands, I wouldn’t give Pakistan an- halls before you ask for trouble. don’t get to do that at the Capitol. Karen Webb other dime. Perhaps you can find new places to She believes she should be consult- Moore Virginia Blue Jeans Jenner cut that have been heretofore missed, ed in the examining rooms of every Wagoner but I beg you to be aware that the fat OB-GYN in the state and, in fact, in Editor, The Observer: has long been cut from the human fac- the nation. Don’t call the USA “Uncle Sam” any Editor, The Observer: tor and we are into sinew and bone. She believes that in public school more. Just make it “Uncle Sucker.” An open letter to Oklahoma legisla- I implore you to arrange a visit to science classes children should be How else can we face the music of tors: your state corrections facilities often, allowed to answer questions with our ally, Pakistan, being more in bed Please help the Department of Cor- and don’t just talk and drink coffee in whatever their parents or church has with the al-Qaida terrorist network rections and Probation and Parole. We the warden’s office – get out and talk taught them. I was taught creationism than us – and we keep sending them have suffered cut after cut to our bud- with uniformed and non-uniformed and evolution and had no difficulty billions of dollars in aid? get [no pay raise for over five years staff out working face to face with passing science. Fresh evidence of Pakistan’s dou- now] and have been slashed to the some of the most heinous inmates Frankly, I find both trains of thought ble-dealing is its hiding of the world’s bone. Furloughs have cut everyone’s our state has to offer. rather magical. Making people from No. 1 mass murderer, Osama bin Lad- pay. Ride along with a probation and pa- dirt or a sudden explosion both seem en, the al-Qaida leader who called the Our facilities are operating at about role agent [so for one time she doesn’t pretty iffy if they result in all of this shots in the 9/11 attack. 66% staffing and are becoming more have to go by herself] to the seedy part order in nature. In science class you Here are the facts: dangerous with every drop in front of town to check out a parole violation are requested to answer with answers 1. Navy Seals killed bin Laden where line staffing, both uniformed and non- with one of her clients. from the text. No one requires you to he had been lounging in a million-dol- uniformed. The fear factor is a huge The decisions you have had to make believe it. lar mansion and compound located in detriment in replacing staff losses about DOC up to now have necessar- She believes that she not only has the wealthy Pakistani town of Abbo- through attrition; new people are ily hurt; the ones you make next will free speech rights to preach in her tabad for nearly five years. rightly scared to come to work for leave lives hanging in the balance. church and community, but she also 2. His home was surrounded by DOC. Clifton Richards has the right to force her beliefs on walls ranging from 10 to 18 feet and We are one of the few agencies that Lexington everyone else through legislation. topped with barbed wire – a red flag if must do more and more with less and Editor’s Note: The 2011-12 state More and more ministers and wives there ever was one. less. As our staff levels drop offender budget negotiated by the governor are running for office. Obviously they 3. A pit in the backyard was used for levels continue to rise every year. The and legislative leadership would im- have a lot of extra time on their hands; burning household trash, another red water is rising and the dam is leak- pose a half-percent cut on the Depart- that could be spent helping the poor flag. Garbage men squeal. ing. ment of Corrections. At press time, instead of campaigning for contribu- 4. Three of bin Laden’s buddies Offenders are getting younger and however, state lawmakers were still THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 18 Will Ensign Cover-Up Tar Coburn? Now that it’s clear Sen. Tom Coburn played a more extensive role than previ- take the request to Ensign. The former senator from Nevada, however, refused ously known in covering-up the extramarital affair of his C Street buddy, former to pay that total. Nevada Sen. John Ensign, a question looms: Will Coburn now become the focus Coburn denied that he served as a negotiator when he testified for the report, of a Senate Ethics Committee investigation? but acknowledged he spoke to Hampton’s attorney, Albregts, in May 2009. The A two-year committee inquiry found Ensign violated campaign finance laws Oklahoma Republican told the Ethics Committee that he was simply planning and obscured justice in an attempt to cover-up his adulterous relationship with to pass along information to Ensign. Cynthia Hampton, whose husband, Doug, is a former Ensign aide. In 2008, the senator was one of the men to confront Ensign about ending his The committee’s recently released report also splatters Oklahoma’s junior affair with Cynthia Hampton, according to the report. Coburn, along with C senator – Coburn helped negotiate a $2.8 million payment [down from $8 mil- Street Christian fellowship’s evangelical leaders Tim Coe, David Coe and Marty lion] to the Hamptons, widely regarded as hush money to keep the affair quiet. Sherman, talked to Ensign and Doug Hampton at their group house on Febru- As the Huffington Post’s Elise Foley reports: ary 14, 2008. The Coes and Sherman are involved with The Family, a Christian The Oklahoma Republican’s involvement in the cover-up of the affair could group the C Street House is affiliated with. lead to uncomfortable questions for the senator and his party going forward. “Sen. Ensign was told that the affair had to stop,” the report says. “Mr. Hamp- While Ensign left the Senate hastily last week, Coburn remains an active fig- ton was very emotional during the meeting, and at one point got very close to ure. a physical confrontation with Sen. Ensign. Sen. Coburn asked Mr. Hampton to The report provides extensive details of Coburn’s collaboration. He spoke to leave, stating ‘we’ll take it from here. We’ll take care of this.’” Hampton’s attorney, Daniel Albregts, three times on May 22, 2009, to discuss Eventually, Tim Coe went to the ex-senator’s father, Michael Ensign, to stop money Ensign planned to give the Hamptons. Coburn first said he wanted to the affair. Tim Coe reportedly said that Coburn “was not big enough” for the job. “help Doug out” because he liked him and felt bad about what had happened, The elder Ensign said he would handle it, according to the report. the report says. The Oklahoma Republican asked Albregts to find out what Coburn staged a second intervention for the Nevada politician about a month Hampton needed to start over. after the Feb. 14, 2008 talks. According to the report, Albregts called about an hour later, interrupting Co- “Sen. Coburn stated, ‘I can’t take this anymore. I’ve got to tell these guys.’ burn from mowing his lawn on a tractor. The lawyer told the senator that Hamp- Mr. Sherman and others, including Members of Congress, went to Sen. Ensign’s ton had proposed $8 million to resettle his family and find a new job. Albregts bedroom at the C Street Center and confronted him about the affair,” the report told the Ethics Committee that Coburn countered, calling the figure “absolutely says. The adulterous relationship continued until later that year. ridiculous.” Instead, Coburn reportedly said the Ensigns should purchase the When the affair ended, Coburn was part of the “team” that discussed relocat- Hampton’s home and give them some money to live off of while they looked for ing the Hamptons to Colorado and providing them with money for their transi- new jobs. tion, the report says. In a third call, Albregts proposed payments for the Hamptons of $1.2 million Ensign’s father eventually gave the Hamptons $96,000 as a gift, which Ethics for their home and $1.6 million for relocation, the report says. During that five- Committee charges was in violation of campaign finance laws. minute call, Coburn said he thought that was reasonable and that he would Coburn’s duplicity is now a matter of official public record. COBURN From Page One His protest was too much for fel- that have killed the vision of anybody Cherokee quantum is 1/512. All right, How extreme is he? He is against low Republicans William Bennett and wanting to invest in Oklahoma.” most people in this room have more abortions even in the case of rape or Jack Kemp, calling Coburn’s protest a One of his more controversial Town Cherokee in them than Cherokees.” the mother’s health. He co-sponsored “huge mistake.” Bennett added that it Hall meetings came when he said: His voting record speaks for itself. a bill to outlaw the morning after pill, made Coburn look foolish. “All right, listen. I was a congress- Here are a few examples: RU-486. Coburn was taped at a Town Hall man where most of the Indians are in • No on helping families save their Proof that he’s a flaming hypocrite meeting in Altus, saying, “You have a this state. The problem is that most homes from bankruptcy. came when he denounced fellow Sen. bunch of crapheads in Oklahoma City of them are not Indian. The average • No to the American Recovery and Ben Nelson for pork barrel politics. Reinvestment Act. Coburn was immediately slammed • No on Children’s Health Insurance by the media, especially in Oklahoma, Program Reauthorization Act. because he didn’t protest pork barrel FOX • No on the Lilly Ledbetter Act re- projects for Oklahoma. quiring equal pay for women. He opposed additional regulation of From Page 17 • No on extension of unemployment tobacco products by the FDA in addi- benefits. tion to the ATF oversight. He worried it. Often refusing to engage with mainstream reporters, Palin for long stretches • No on the Medicare Improvement that a “free market” would be hurt if restricted her media interaction to right-wing talk radio hosts, bloggers and Fox for Patients and Providers Act. the FDA controlled tobacco. News hosts. Palin was going around the Establishment media to prove just how • No on the Higher Education Op- More than 500,000 persons a year irrelevant it had become. [And how powerful the GOP Noise Machine had be- portunity Act. are killed by tobacco and 50,000-plus come]. • No on the Consumer Product Safe- are killed by second hand smoke. His Incredibly, lots of Beltway scribes bought into, and promoted, the ruse. Time’s ty Commission Reform Act. position is peculiar for an M.D. Mark Halperin last year marveled at how Palin “can dominate the news cycle with • No on the American Housing Res- He routinely puts a “hold” on bills, a single tweet and generate three days of coverage with a single speech.” He also cue and Foreclosure Prevention Act. When the Whistleblower Protection toasted her “energy, charisma and popularity” and announced Palin was “oper- • No on the Relief and Education Act came up with bipartisan support, ating on a different plane, hovering higher than a mere celebrity, more buoyant For Minors Act. he put a hold on it, effectively prevent- than an average politician.” [Wow!] Little wonder he’s known in the U.S. ing passage. In reality, the Fox News contributor Palin locked herself in the far-right media Senate as “Senator No.” That’s just He’s no environmentalist. He fought bubble where she became most famous for whining about her press coverage. fine for the average Oklahoman. After two bills honoring the 100th birthday “It was clear then that Palin is drunk on her own anger, self-regard and sense of all, he represents the reddest of the of Rachel Carson, claiming her book victimization,” wrote Steve Chapman of The Chicago Tribune. Red states. Silent Spring was “junk science.” We also can’t escape the fact that both Fox News’ Beck and Palin fell in love He was accused of an ethics viola- He may be a perfect fit for a majority with their own hype; with their own press clippings and became convinced they tion when he continued practicing of Okies, but he’s he a giant embar- were transcendent figures in American media. medicine in Muskogee on weekends. rassment in Washington. © Media Matters

George Washington grew hemp. If George were around today the DEA would put him away. How tacky would that be?

REGULATE THE DRUGS WWW.DPRNOK.NET

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 19 Friends Meeting (Quakers)

Oklahoma City (Sunday evening) 405-632-7574 Worship at 7:00 p.m. (use west entry) Wesley Methodist Church 1401 NW 25 (at Classen)

Stillwater (Sunday morning) 405-372-4839 Tulsa (Sunday afternoon) 918-743-6827 Norman (Sunday morning) 405-321-7971

Oklahoma Retired Educators’ Association

The only organization that works for Retired Educators

405.525.2230 okea.org 800.310.2230 www.orea.org

WORSHIP AT MAYFLOWER CHURCH

For religion that is biblically responsible, intellectually honest, emotionally satisfying, and socially significant. Services at 9 and 11 a.m. Full church school. Broadcast 9:30 a.m. on KOKC AM 1520 Located on NW 63rd Street, one block west of Portland, 405/842-8897.

Dr. Robin Meyers, Minister Rev. Chris Moore, Associate Pastor Mayflower Congregational Church 3901 NW 63 Street, Okla. City, OK 73116

Additions, Renovations & Repairs DentalConfessions.com Gresham LEARN ABOUT DENTISTRY’S BEST-KEPT SECRETS… Construction Gingival Sulcus | Fluoride Fraud | Mercury Deception

Bob Gresham 3024 NW 43rd St Jim Maxey D.D.S. 405.659.6812 Oklahoma City, OK 73112

Tom Temple Sustainable Design

1230 N.E. 70th � Oklahoma City, OK 73111 405/478-4936 � www.TTemple.com

TOM and SHERRI Better Information, Better Policy GOODWIN Oklahoma Policy Institute provides timely and credible Cheyenne, OK information, analysis and commentary on state policy issues. See our latest issue briefs, fact sheets and blog posts at: Readers and supporters of The Observer for over 20 years and counting.

David Blatt, Director n 918.794.3944 n [email protected]

THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER, MAY 25, 2011, PAGE 20