Snack bar straw man

The state Senate’s minority leader used a favorite Democratic tactic — class envy — to help defeat a bill that would have opened to free-market competition the contract to run a Capitol snack bar. Sen. Sean Burrage, D-Claremore, said during debate on House Bill 2119 that the Legislature had granted hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits to special-interest groups through the years. The vision impaired who run the snack bar “are not asking for tax credits,” Burrage argued. “They are asking for dignity.” Well. The bill by Rep. Jeff Hickman, R-Fairview, would have exempted the Capitol from a law giving vision-impaired vendors preference in renting space in most state and county buildings. Hickman said the service provided by vendors in the Capitol isn’t up to par. His bill would have had proceeds from renting the space to private vendors directed to the Department of Rehabilitative Services to help fund its programs. And the vision-impaired could have still bid on the Capitol snack bar contract. But let’s not consider those ideas. Better to trot out tiresome straw man arguments.

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