ScissorTales » j.e. mcreynolds

The sixth seat

j.e. mcreynolds — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:48:03 +0000

Democratic Party activist Susan McCann (Your Views, Feb. 10) took issue with my analysis in ScissorTales last week that President Barack Obama’s “Hope and Change” message falls flat in Oklahoma. Of course the evidence for this is overwhelming: Obama didn’t win in even the most heavily-Democratic counties in a state in which Democrats held a significant registration advantage over Republicans. I have little reason to believe Obama will do any better the second time around. But the rope of hope is always available for the grasping. McCann said it’s only a matter of time before “progressives” will outnumber conservatives in Oklahoma City. We heard something similar in 2010 from supporters of 5th Congressional District Democratic nominee Billy Coyle, who said a Democrat could indeed win the central Oklahoma seat that hasn’t been held by a Democrat since 1974. That seat was open in 2010, and Coyle was an excellent nominee. But he got less than 35 percent of the vote — and Obama wasn’t on the same ballot. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before a Democrat will represent Oklahoma City in Congress. It would help if the state would grow enough to restore the sixth congressional seat it lost after the 2000 Census. Were that to happen, redistricting could center the district more in the urban core and less in the fringes. As things now stand, though, Republicans would be in charge of the redistricting. Still, Democrats should hope that the state GOP’s pro-growth policies will lead to a population change that will result in adding a sixth seat. Right now the Republicans are headed by a governor who took 57.5 percent of the vote in the county that McCann says is steadily marching toward a “progressive” majority. The governor’s predecessor, moderate Democrat Brad Henry (a frequent target of scorn from “progressive” Dems) won the county with 63 percent. Yet the moderate Democrat nominated for governor in 2010 got 42.5 percent. Is this really a matter of time? Or is it a matter of values?

Exit pols

j.e. mcreynolds — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:36:07 +0000

Early, voluntary departures are taking a toll on Democratic clout in the Legislature at a time when Republican successes at the ballot box have taken a toll on the Democratic head count. Senate Minority Leader Andrew Rice, D-Oklahoma City, resigned from his leadership post and left the state before the term-limit clock ran out. Former House Minority Leader Danny Morgan, D-Prague, says he’ll leave the Legislature before terms limits force him out. Former Senate Democratic leader Charlie Laster, D-Shawnee, is leaving early as well, putting his final three-plus years on ice. We thought term limits would change the makeup of the Legislature; we never thought so many lawmakers wouldn’t stay for the whole 12 years they’re eligible to serve. Laster filled the seat vacated by Brad Henry when he left the Senate to become governor in 2003. Henry, by the way, is technically eligible to serve another couple of years in the Legislature.

Photo by Steve Gooch, The Oklahoman

Do as we say…

j.e. mcreynolds — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:11:25 +0000

Graphic by Steve Boaldin

A single adult with one child needs a “living wage” of $16.74 an hour in Oklahoma County, where the state’s Democratic Party organization is based. The party touts itself as “a voice for workers’ rights and respectable wages, at both the state and national levels.” So how much does the party pay its own employees? The lowest wage at party headquarters is $11.63 an hour, which is more than the “living wage” for a single adult but considerably less than the rate for a single adult with one child. Also, in a list of 22 occupations, only three are typically compensated at a lower rate than the party pays. The party seeks to offer “competitively-priced options” for employee insurance. Not only is there a disconnect between what the party pays and what it thinks others should pay, but it seems to like competition in the health insurance field — something that its all-out support for Obamacare doesn’t jibe with.

Dancing with the snows

j.e. mcreynolds — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:50:30 +0000

AP Photo

When is the exercise of religion on public property not an invitation to an injunction? When Indian culture is involved. The latest example among many is a Utah tribe’s snow dance to benefit ski resorts in Colorado. Seems the Great Spirit has been a bit stingy with the white stuff this year. Colorado isn’t the only state where snow dances have been held this year. While ski resorts are private property, the rites have also been held at a state park near Lake Tahoe. These are religious exercises. Oklahoma’s car tags carry a depiction of the “Sacred Rain Arrow,” a religious image. In the past few years, groundbreakings for Oklahoma projects involving public funds have included Indian religious rites. While neither Judaism nor Christianity originated on this continent, they have a long history here and are part of the culture. Why is it OK for one culture to be overtly religious in the public square but not another?

Layers of lawyers

j.e. mcreynolds — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:36:28 +0000

“GM Collapses Into Government’s Arm,” screamed a headline in The Wall Street Journal. “A Saga of Decline and Denial,” said another Journal headline. But the headline that really caught our attention was published in the New York Times a week before General Motors’ bankruptcy filing on Monday: “Auto Troubles Touch Many Concerns; Bankruptcy For G.M. Would Tax The Experts.” The story says GM’s troubles are bad for workers and execs, “but it will be putting a lot of lawyers to work.” The government bailout and subsequent bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler could be called the Lawyers Full Employment Act of 2009 - President Obama’s gift to the legal industry. Other booms from GM’s bust will benefit hotels and restaurants near the New York bankruptcy court handling the case. “For law firms,” the Times noted, “big bankruptcies can be very lucrative.” Taxpayers take note: We’re sending lawyers tubs of money to rescue another corporate giant.

Aporkalypse now

j.e. mcreynolds — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:08:15 +0000

Nothing like a pandemic scare to bring out the capitalists and the scam artists. One man’s swine flu symptom is another’s fatter pigskin wallet. Stores and Web sites have sold out of masks and hand sanitizers. Web sites created overnight are offering illegal and counterfeit flu drugs. Investment advisors are pointing out how to leverage swine flu into market gains. Designer breathing masks are on order, along with T-shirts that say “My folks went to Mexico and all they brought me was the flu.” Swine flu video games invite players to fatally inoculate pigs. An Australian newspaper dubbed this “aporkalypse humor,” but the flu is no laughing matter to pork producers and the capitalists who’ve been hurting due to curtailed travel and sick employees. Not to mention the survivors of those killed by this outbreak.

Relatively ‘rich’

j.e. mcreynolds — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:07:36 +0000

A conservative group puts Oklahoma in the top 15 of states in terms of “economic competitiveness.” The American Legislative Exchange Council favors states that aren’t trying to tax their way back into solvency. Utah was tapped as the best in this regard; New York is the worst. Oklahoma did well because of growth in gross domestic product and personal income between 1997 and 2007. The “Rich States, Poor States” report also favors states with right-to-work laws and a minimum wage that doesn’t exceed the federal floor rate. By these measures, Oklahoma ranks low among those who favor higher taxes, closed union shops and a state minimum wage. People and business leaders looking for a place to prosper, though, are put off by states such as New York and California. An example is Arthur B. Laffer, one of the study’s authors, who’s famous (or infamous if you don’t like him) for his supply-side economics position. He moved from California (ranked 43rd in the study) to Tennessee (ranked 9th).

Et tu, Greenpeace?

j.e. mcreynolds — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:34:18 +0000

We recently chided the Sierra Club for consuming so much conventional energy in trying to promote alternative energy. That effort doesn’t hold a patch to Greenpeace, a more radical environmental group, which has just come out with a “National Energy Scenario” report in conjunction with the European Renewable Energy Council. The report runs to 46 pages of tiny type, not to mention supporting materials sent to U.S. media affiliates. That’s a lot of paper and ink to talk about saving the environment in part through using less paper and ink. Of course we were comforted in knowing that the report and supporting materials were printed on recycled, chlorine-free paper using vegetable inks. No word on whether the presses were powered by humans working a treadmill rather than electricity generated by coal.

Drew who?

j.e. mcreynolds — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:49:14 +0000

He’s no Willie Stark, but Drew Edmondson seems to be going populist in a big way. Will it help him in his quest to be the next governor? That he needs some help is shown by a new poll in which 35 percent of those surveyed said they’ve never heard of the state’s long-time attorney general. That’s a better recognition rate than his potential rival for the Democratic nomination, Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, but worse by 10 percentage points than GOP front-runner Mary Fallin. Edmondson’s visibility may have risen with his recent attacks on the state Department of Health over the cause of an E. coli outbreak in Locust Grove last summer. With his ongoing lawsuit against and outrage toward the poultry industry, Edmondson is ramping up the populist thing that sometimes makes a difference in elections but sometimes leads to disenchantment with the message and the messenger.

A fur piece

j.e. mcreynolds — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:28:20 +0000

What’s a PETA-loving liberal to do? Just as the warm glow of Barack Obama’s election reached its zenith, many of his black supporters at the inauguration were keeping themselves warm by wearing fur coats. Seems fur is making a comeback after years of being demonized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and its celebrity supporters. The fur industry says fur is a traditional symbol of status, luxury and beauty, but warmth and practicality are two key reasons for its popularity. Fur is particularly popular in the Chicago area, from whence Barack Obama ran for president. Blacks are “disproportionately big fur buyers,” the Wall Street Journal reported last week. Michelle Obama doesn’t wear fur, but we doubt she’d advocate pelting red paint on those who do, some of whom are her husband’s biggest supporters.

Having it both ways

j.e. mcreynolds — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:40:05 +0000

We’ve long observed how obsessed liberals are with hypocrisy, while noting that their own variety seems exempt from self-evaluation and that the word “hypocrisy” is often inaccurately applied when the word “inconsistent” is more apt. The literal meaning of hypocrisy is “actor” - portraying oneself as something he’s not. We found a trace of hypocrisy and a ton of inconsistency in a recent letter-to-the-editor submission. A clip-art note at the end, in green type, urged the receiver not to print the email if at all possible. We presume this is to save trees and ink. Yet the writer wanted his letter printed in a newspaper, using paper and ink. Not to mention electricity.

Our green speaker

j.e. mcreynolds — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:45:07 +0000

It’s easy being green these days, but if you’re a conservative Republican it’s not so easy being known as being green. Yet the man taking the lead on alternative energy at the state level is Republican House Speaker Chris Benge of Tulsa. He wants to make it easier for vehicles to run on natural gas instead of gasoline or diesel. He wants to reward people for using solar power and wind power. Conservatives and Republicans are widely represented in the alternative fuel movement. Benge, R-Tulsa, is pushing House Bill 1952, which offers incentives for increasing the number of vehicles powered by compressed natural gas. The bill also addresses the problem of the paucity of CNG fueling stations. Benge is also pushing initiatives creating incentives for wind power and solar power. The state will be better off for his efforts.

Lords of the rings

j.e. mcreynolds — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:49:48 +0000

The phrase “counter-intuitive” means contrary to normal expectations. We were surprised to learn that the University of Arizona is home to the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research. The university is in Tucson, usually associated with the desert rather than forests. This would be like the University of Oklahoma hosting the National Hurricane Center rather than the National Severe Storms Lab. Yes, we know Arizona has The Petrified Forest. But living trees? Actually, the Coronado National Forest lies just outside Tucson’s city limits. And why not a research station for dendrochronology (dating events through tree-ring research) in Arizona? Texas A&M has a department of oceanography, even though College Station is 130 miles from the ocean. Also, the lead research on the Oklahoma Cross Timbers region has been conducted at the University of Arkansas in a state that has virtually no presence of prototypical Cross Timbers flora. Perhaps we’ll discover that the fine print of the stimulus bill includes funding for iceberg research at OSU.

Smile of cars

j.e. mcreynolds — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:49:30 +0000

What’s it going to take to put you in the driver’s seat of that new car? This should put a smile on your face: Part of the federal stimulus package is a deduction on taxes paid when new cars are purchased. Congress considered, but rejected, another deduction for the interest paid on new car loans. Oklahoma doesn’t assess sales taxes on vehicles. Instead, it takes 3.25 percent of the purchase price on new cars (used cars also have an excise tax, but it’s figured differently). Motor vehicle excise tax collections led all categories in declines for January, compared to January of 2008. The vehicle tax decline was nearly 60 percent. Most car buyers will qualify for the new federal deduction. So in addition to those dealer incentives, Uncle Sam is offering one of his own. Of course all of us will ultimately pay for this deduction through the increase in the federal debt.

Open your wallets

j.e. mcreynolds — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:26:08 +0000

If you think government budget shortfalls are bad now, wait and see what will happen if various advocacy groups, judges and bureaucrats get their way. For starters there’s the Oklahoma Education Association funding proposal, set to go before voters next year, which would increase the education budget by $850 million a year. The cost of a verdict in a lawsuit against the Department of Human Services is unknown if the state loses. But it would be in multi-million-dollar category. Also consider the U.S. Justice Department’s scathing criticism of the Oklahoma County jail and how that may ultimately lead to major spending to correct deficiencies. Most of the above doesn’t involve one-time spending. It involves recurring expenses in perpetuity. One thing’s certain: A handful of trial lawyers will be making a lot of money, so personal income tax receipts should be going up as well.

www.williteverstop.com

j.e. mcreynolds — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:28:54 +0000

Never too early to start a political campaign, right? With the 2010 general election still 22 months in the future, electioneering has begun. Several candidates are on board to run for governor and lieutenant governor. No doubt some term-limited legislative seats are also drawing early interest. For the political novice, running for office can start with a trip down a qwerty keyboard instead of calling an experienced consultant. The Web site electionmall.com (slogan: “Where every day is a campaign”) offers a range of services and advice, from robocalls to blast faxes, to how to raise money without actually pressing the flesh with voters. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign was hailed as a breakthrough in harnessing high-tech methods to get voters and cash. New GOP Chairman Michael Steele has vowed to do likewise. With a never-ending campaign season, services such as electionmall.com seem to be a truly recession-proof industry.

Hold the pork

j.e. mcreynolds — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:33:32 +0000

Stimulus package? Who needs pork when you can schedule an election that pumps nearly $19 million into Oklahoma’s economy? A Tulsa World analysis of 2008 election spending reveals a massive amount of cash coming from lawyers and lobbyists (some of it to fight tort reform), a nearly equal amount coming from the oil and gas industry and sizeable chunks coming from health care professional and Indian tribes. The World says the spending figure is a conservative estimate and further digging will swell the numbers. Twenty cents of every dollar contributed came from lawyers, lobbyists or the petroleum industry. Lawyers and lobbyists alone coughed up nearly $2 million. The oil and gas industry was right behind them. Do we need more elections to generate economic activity? Perish the thought! By the way, trial lawyer spending to stop tort reform was a bad investment: Republicans still took over the Legislature.

Cars still rule

j.e. mcreynolds — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:47:34 +0000

High gasoline prices last year contributed to a 4 percent decline in vehicle miles traveled, but public transit didn’t capture all of the traffic that was lost to the roads. Sam Staley, Reason Foundation’s director of urban growth, testified before Congress recently and urged lawmakers “to prioritize transportation solutions that increase our mobility and decrease traffic congestion,” according to the libertarian foundation. Staley asked Congress to keep public transit in perspective when designing a stimulus package. Public transit is responsible for a tiny share of mobility in this country; increasing transit ridership significantly would require “a dramatic and largely involuntary relocation of people and families into housing they do not want,” Reason says. People still like to commute by car. One factor is time: On average, public transit riders spend about 36 minutes traveling to work while private automobile travelers commute about 21 minutes.”

The age of foolishness

j.e. mcreynolds — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:50:04 +0000

This is a tale of two Arkansas River cities and we’ll get to the moral immediately rather than saving it for last: Let sleeping rocks lie! The capital of Arkansas, named for a rock, wants to showcase the piece of sandstone that once served as a river dock. The Wall Street Journal reports that over the years the rock was whittled away, hidden by weeds and mud and covered by graffiti. Planned is a $650,000 restoration project to give the rock its due. The problem is there might not be much left to see after excavation. Upriver from Little Rock is Tulsa, which unearthed its own buried treasure 18 months ago. A 1957 automobile, encased in a time capsule for 50 years, was pulled out of the ground amid much fanfare but the Plymouth (the car, not the Rock) was a veritable rust bucket. Whether in the best of times or the worst of times, nature doesn’t give the dickens about things of value to people.

Works both ways

j.e. mcreynolds — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:54:37 +0000

Turnabout is fair play. In response to a lawmaker’s ill-advised proposal to crack down on homeschoolers, Russell E. Spiars of Zionsville, Ind., suggests that a pro-homeschool legislator author a bill to let homeschool parents crack down on public schools. A pending bill would require parents to alert local school districts of their homeschool plans and offer academic progress reports. Spiars, in a letter to The Oklahoman, says, “I have observed many kids from both homeschools and government schools, and it is apparent to me that the most effective means of improving educational achievement would be to give homeschooling officials oversight over government schools.” Of course there’s not enough homeschool parents to go around, but it’s apparent that public schools need more oversight than homeschooling parents. Indiana has fairly lax homeschooling regulations, but it’s not as free of government interference as is Oklahoma. The proposed bill would change that.