• An Independent JournAl of CommentAry • SEPTEMBER 2018 • VOLUME 50 NUMBER 9 • $5.00 Mullin’s Mischief 2nd District Rep’s Ethical Lapses, Broken Promises And Arrogance Tarnish Citizen-Legislator Image SPECIAL REPORT Begins On Page 12 Observations www.okobserver.org Where There’s Smoke … VOLUME 50, NO. 9 Oklahoma’s Department of Veterans Affairs is a suffering leadership crisis. PUBLISHER Beverly Hamilton There can be no other conclusion after a scathing audit revealed a EDITOR Arnold Hamilton “culture of fear and intimidation” created by a power grab at the top and the shedding of hundreds of employees at the bottom. ADVISORY BOARD The back-and-forth the audit ignited – including alleged patient pri- Andrew Hamilton, Matthew Hamilton, vacy violations and legislative calls for two top agency officials to be Scott J. Hamilton, Trevor James, Ryan Kiesel, George Krumme, fired – isn’t politics as usual. Nor should it be viewed that way. Gayla Machell, MaryAnn Martin, It’s potentially a life or death matter for the 1,300 or so veterans cared Bruce Prescott, Bob Rogers, for at seven state veterans centers. Robyn Lemon Sellers, Kyle Williams The agency’s leadership clearly knew it was in for trouble when state OUR MOTTO Auditor Gary Jones’ office deployed its flashlights and magnifying glass- To Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the es. Comfortable. In fact, Executive Director Doug Elliott sent an email to staff before the audit’s release, warning he could be fired “due to findings of mis- OUR CREDO So then to all their chance, to all their management, toxic environment, improper purchases or whatever other shining golden opportunity. To all the allegations I have heard of in the rumor mill.” right to love, to live, to work, to be Elliott later claimed the email was a joke. But even if it were, it was themselves, and to become whatever unwise, if not unprofessional, for an agency leader to fuel rumors and thing their vision and humanity can combine to make them. This seeker, innuendo in what was already a toxic environment. is the promise of America. Some legislators took issue with the state audit’s findings, demanding - Adapted from Thomas Wolfe in an Aug. 13 letter that Jones explain why it included only “negative feedback.” FOUNDING PUBLISHER Classic misdirection. The lawmakers didn’t take issue with the audit’s Helen B. Troy [1932-2007] specifics, hoping instead to shift the focus to alleged bias. The problem with that strategy is Jones’ record: In two terms as state FOUNDING EDITOR auditor, he’s proven to be a straight shooter – an umpire who simply Frosty Troy [1933-2017] calls balls and strikes. He doesn’t play games. Remember, the Legislature’s audit critics – led by Ardmore Sen. Frank [ISSN 0030-1795] Simpson and OKC’s Rep. Chris Kannady – sided with veterans affairs The Oklahoma Observer [USPS 865-720] is published on the first Wednesday of each leaders who pushed the controversial closing of the Talihina Veterans month by AHB Enterprises LLC, 13912 Plym- CONTINUED ON PAGE 43 outh Crossing, P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. Periodicals postage paid at Edmond, OK and additional entry of- fice. Phone: 405.478.8700. POSTMASTER Send address changes to The Oklahoma Observer, P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. SUBSCRIPTIONS 1-Year [12 issues] $50. Send check to The Yes! Please send me a one-year subscription for only $50. Oklahoma Observer, P.O. Box 14275, This special offer includes my certificate for a free book courtesy Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. Online: Visit of Full Circle Bookstore [a $20 value]. See page 41 for details. www.okobserver.net to use a credit card. UPDATE ADDRESSES Please notify us at least two weeks before your move to ensure uninterrupted service. E-mail address changes to subscriptions@ okobserver.net or mail to P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113-0275. LETTERS TO EDITOR E-mail to [email protected] or mail to P.O. Box 14275, Oklahoma City, OK 73113- 0275. 2 • SEPTEMBER 2018 Observerscope Date Change! September’s News- Did you see what happened when The summer’s best news? Argu- makers is the first Thursday – the Louisiana accepted Medicaid ex- ably, the FCC’s thwarting of Sin- 6th – featuring Rep. Forrest Ben- pansion? Saved lives and tax dol- clair Broadcast Group’s merger nett, OKPolicy’s Carly Putnam and lars. Democrat Drew Edmondson with Tribune Media. Uber-right Health Care Authority’s MaryAnn is only major party gubernatorial Sinclair could have controlled half Martin. See back cover for details. nominee for expansion. of OKC’s TV newsrooms. Dart: To turgid twins Donald Dart: To Gov. Mary Fallin’s hand- Dart: To Green the Vote leaders, Trump and Mick Mulvaney, rolling picked State Board of Education, misleading Oklahomans on sig- back protections for active-duty yet again overruling a locally nature gathering for SQs 796 and military preyed upon by payday elected school board to approve an 797. The claims proved wildly in- lenders. Will it soon be open sea- American Indian charter school in accurate, setting the push for full son on underpaid Tinker, Fort Sill, OKC. Didn’t Republicans stand for marijuana legalization back years. Vance and Altus personnel? local control, once upon a time? Fear of deep-pocketed rightwing- SQ 801 is a Trojan horse. The Rhetoric: OU and OSU made ers [think Walton and DeVos fami- November ballot referendum does headlines declaring medical mari- lies] keeps Oklahoma lawmakers nothing to solve Oklahoma’s pub- juana will remain illegal on their from mandating homeschool stan- lic education funding crisis. It campuses under federal law. Real- dards. The recent child abuse case only widens the gap between rich ity: Legal or not, pot won’t be hard involving a “homeschooled” Meek- and poor districts. to find in Norman or Stillwater – er teen underscores the need. never has been. Laurel: To University of Central Colorado hopes to succeed Oklahoma President Don Betz, Laurel: To Rep. Regina Goodwin, where Oklahoma failed: Initiative honored with the OK Political Sci- D-Tulsa, working to clarify state 93 on November’s statewide ballot ence Association’s Robert Darcy laws on when voting rights are re- would hike income taxes, generat- Lifetime Achievement Award. Betz stored for ex-felons. Fairness dic- ing $1.6 billion for public schools. is retiring next June after eight tates as soon as society’s debt is years at UCO. paid – not 10 years later. CONTINUED ON PAGE 44 THE OKLAHOMA OBSERVER • 3 Letters by the OSSAA], one Spring Break [in statute], one state testing win- dow [formerly in statute but now to be a SDE rule – not yet passed], and one statewide walk-out. It’s 2018 and it’s time to be fair to taxpayers – 28 different start dates is not the best use of state funds. The proposal for a uniform start date is not far-fetched. Three of our neighboring states have such laws [Missouri, Arkansas and Tex- as]. Maybe the later start date is a positive factor for all the teachers who have moved to these states. Barbara Bowersox Oklahoma City Editor, The Observer: In a 1955 article “The Role of Government in Education,” Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Editor, The Observer: the educational priority of starting Friedman proposed supplement- True story [I couldn’t make this school in peak utility rate periods ing publicly operated schools stuff up]: Today, waiting for an oil of the school year. OK4SCR urges with privately run but publicly change for my elder, faithful Hon- a uniform start date so that there funded schools through a sys- da, I read a hunting magazine sto- is prioritization of educational tem of school vouchers. In 1996, ry in which several hunting guides funds on instruction over summer Friedman and his wife founded the compared notes. They agreed that utility bills. A later start date and Friedman Foundation for Educa- hunters/clients who believed in going to school for more days in tional Choice to advocate school Big Foot-Sasquatch also voted for May [not in the peak utility rate pe- choice and vouchers. In 2016, the Trump! riod] would help shift this priority. Foundation changed its name to Bob Jackman Another question is how the EdChoice, respecting the Friedma- Tulsa statutory mission of state test- ns’ desire to have the movement ing is fulfilled when schools start continue without their names. Editor, The Observer: in July and August. The statute’s In response to Greg Forster’s Regarding “State of Emergency,” purpose is to “guide instruction Aug. 25 editorial in the Oklaho- [Observer, August 2018], one item and student remediation.” The man, it does not appear that he has been overlooked: including timeline under the most recent takes his own advice of not po- school calendar reform in a com- version was that results were to liticizing Oklahoma schools. Mr. prehensive approach to improve be returned to districts by Aug. 1. Forster is a Friedman Fellow at Ed- and stabilize education budgets. With schools starting on, before or Choice, the organization founded Oklahomans for School Calen- shortly after this date, are the re- by Milton Friedman, Republican/ dar Reform [OK4SCR] is pleased sults being used for the students’ libertarian economic advisor to that House Interim Study 18-051 best interests? A third question is President Reagan and others. Con- regarding school calendar adjust- how does the sales tax free week- troversial still, Friedman consis- ment was approved. We hope the end help Oklahoma families in tently claimed both that “markets next Legislature and governor can districts [such as Oklahoma City always work and that only markets be supportive of the suggested re- Public Schools] that begin school work,” according to Paul Krug- form of a uniform start date of af- before the annual savings event? man, also a Nobel Prize-winning ter Labor Day.