Giving it another try
Numerous legislative efforts through the years have failed to put much of a dent in the number of uninsured drivers in Oklahoma. This evergreen topic blooms again with a bill by Rep. Steve Martin, R-Bartlesville. Martin wants suspicion of driving while uninsured to be considered probable cause to make a traffic stop. That suspicion could be piqued through use of the state’s online verification system, which lets police know whether a vehicle they have pulled over is insured. Uninsured vehicles can be impounded after traffic stops — but driving an uninsured vehicle is not probable cause to make a stop. If Martin’s bill were to become law, he said, more vehicles could be cited or towed “without the need for the driver to break other laws at the same time.” It’s worth a try, at least until the next attempt comes down the pike.
Fighting for a cause
Fighting Sioux -- March 22, 2010 AP File Photo
The University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux nickname isn’t going away without a fight. The nickname was among several the NCAA deemed “hostile and abusive” in 2006. The NCAA threatened those schools with sanctions if they didn’t change their nicknames and logos. The university dropped its nickname and logo — the profile of an American Indian warrior — last year after the repeal of a state law requiring the school to use them. This week, organizers of a petition drive delivered about 4,000 more signatures than are required to put the question to voters. The university’s president then said the school would resume using the nickname until the referendum process is completed. Good for them. The NCAA was wrong to bully schools such as UND and others. We’re still waiting for it to put the squeeze on the Fighting Irish of the University of Notre Dame. Not hostile and abusive enough, apparently.
Towering costs
One consequence of the Great Recession has been a lowering in construction costs. Tell that to New Yorkers. This week, auditors looking into the new World Trade Center said completing the tower will cost $14.8 billion — a stunning 35 percent more than the last estimate of $11 billion in 2008. Auditors said the Port Authority, which owns the site, has “insufficient cost controls and a lack of transparent and effective oversight” of the project. No kidding. Contrast that with construction of the Devon tower in Oklahoma City. The estimated cost was $750 million when the building design was unveiled in 2008. Now? “We have not revised that figure,” spokesman Chip Minty said.
Above: World Trade Center, Jan. 31, 2012. (AP Photo)
Left: Devon tower, Feb. 1, 2012. Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman
Not mincing words
The criticism continues to roll in over President Obama’s decision last week scuttling (for now) construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The 1,700-mile pipeline would move crude oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and would produce thousands of jobs along the way, including here in Oklahoma. In a memo to employees, Bill Klesse, CEO of Valero Energy, shared the statement that the company had issued to media after the decision. The statement called rejection of the plan “absurd” and said the administration’s policies would force companies such as Valero (which has a refinery in Ardmore) to buy more oil from sources outside the United States and Canada. It also said the decision “throws dirt into the face of our closest ally and largest trading partner.” In an aside to his employees, Klesse said the administration’s decision wasn’t about pipelines in potentially sensitive areas of the country. Instead, “This is politics at its worst.” Well said.
Photo by Paul B. Southerland, The Oklahoman
Meal time
State Rep. Mike Reynolds has the right idea with an attempt to keep lobbyists from buying legislators’ meals at the Capitol. Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, was moved to act after the Oklahoma Ethics Commission voted last week for a proposed rule that would let lobbyists provide lunch or dinner for groups of legislators at the Capitol. The rule also wouldn’t require lobbyists to identify which lawmakers got the meals. Legislators who like the idea argue that a meal here or there won’t sway their decisions on bills. That’s debatable. What isn’t debatable is that lawmakers, many of whom get per diem of $148 per day along with their generous salaries, don’t need free lunches. They can pay for their own, and should.
Expensive trash
The story of bankrupt solar company Solyndra keeps getting worse. Solyndra was an administration darling when the company opened — an example of green technology at its best. That attitude was reflected in a $535 million loan the government provided in 2009, despite indications that things weren’t going well. Solyndra eventually went belly up last year. But the waste continues. KCBS television in San Francisco recently filmed workers tossing new glass tubes used in solar panels into trash bins. The station reports that Solyndra paid at least $2 million for the specialized glass. According to court documents, the bankruptcy trustee said the glass was of “inconsequential value” because the cost of storing them was greater than their value. An employee for the company in charge of selling Solyndra’s assets said they did a thorough search for buyers, with no takers. But KCBS says the tubes weren’t included on the list of assets put up for sale at two auctions last year. The owner of a Las Vegas warehouse, who already was reselling Solyndra solar panels, told the station he would have bid on them. Maddening.
AP Photo
A special salute by Thunder
Kudos to fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder for their support of our men and women in the military.
The team held Military Appreciation Night on Wednesday for the game against the Washington Wizards. The invocation was delivered by a military chaplain. The honorary captains and game ball presenters were the children of parents on active duty. Fans were given the opportunity to buy Thunder gear and souvenirs to be sent in a military care package.
And, team sponsors and season-ticket holders were asked to donate their seats so active members of the armed forces could use them – about 1,800 tickets were made available. Well done by all involved.
Birds of a feather …
Have you noticed more northern shovelers in Oklahoma? How about red-shouldered hawks? The Audubon Society says those birds (and others) have become more common in the Sooner State in the past four decades as they have moved farther north for the winter.
Credit global warming – the Audubon Society does. Other factors have no doubt contributed, such as urban sprawl, but the society says warming is the only explanation for why more than half the bird species on this continent winter farther north than they used to.
We wouldn’t mind seeing fewer Canada geese. These fowl now call Oklahoma home year-round and cause havoc for farmers while soiling parks, golf courses, walking trails – you name it.
Birds of a feather …
Have you noticed more northern shovelers in Oklahoma? How about red-shouldered hawks? The Audubon Society says those birds (and others) have become more common in the Sooner State in the past four decades as they have moved farther north for the winter.
Credit global warming – the Audubon Society does. Other factors have no doubt contributed, such as urban sprawl, but the society says warming is the only explanation for why more than half the bird species on this continent winter farther north than they used to.
We wouldn’t mind seeing fewer Canada geese. These fowl now call Oklahoma home year-round and cause havoc for farmers while soiling parks, golf courses, walking trails – you name it.
Another bad splash by Michael Phelps
The latest embarrassing story about Olympic swimming great Michael Phelps should remind parents why holding up athletes as role models is a dicey proposition at best.
After the 2004 Athens Games, Phelps – underage at the time – was arrested for drunken driving. He pleaded guilty and apologized, saying it wouldn’t happen again. And in fact, he hasn’t gotten popped for drinking since.
Instead, Phelps made news this week when a British tabloid published a photo of him taking a hit from a marijuana pipe. The newspaper said the picture was taken during a house party in November while Phelps was visiting the University of South Carolina. Phelps and his handlers didn’t dispute the authenticity of the photo.
“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps said. “I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way …”
Using age as an out is lame – a 23-year-old is an adult by any measure. If you’re going to swim with the big boys, you need to act like one.
Phelps’ remarkable drive to succeed was clear in his stirring come-from-behind win in the 100-meter butterfly at the Beijing Games, where he won a record eight golds. That drive and his work ethic are to be admired, even emulated. Everything else? Not so much.
