Off the books
The number of states that have the death penalty on the books shrank by one this week — sort of. Lawmakers in Connecticut voted to abolish capital punishment for all future cases, and replace it with life in prison without the possibility of parole. Eleven men are on death row in Connecticut, and that won’t change. Leaving those sentences intact helped give this bill the support it needed in the legislature. One House member called the bill “illogical” because “we allow the death penalty to continue for at least 11 people and maybe more.” True, but it’s essentially for show anyway — the state has carried out only one execution in the past 51 years.
Long-shot consideration
With his path to the Republican nomination for president now all but locked up, Mitt Romney can focus on choosing a running mate. It’s a pivotal decision. Among the names often mentioned as possibilities are House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman. All represent important states and constituencies or bring certain skill sets to the table. “It’s pretty easy to name the list. It’s pretty difficult to pick the guy,” U.S. Rep. Tom Cole said. Cole, R-Moore, offers a long shot female worth considering — New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte. He says she’s a rising star who could more than hold her own under the bright lights of a campaign.
Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 30, 2011 (AP Photo)
Fostering hope
A Crosspointe Church volunteer gives a camper an archery lesson at the church’s Royal Family Kids’ Camp for children in foster care. Photo provided, August 2011.
To best serve Oklahoma’s poor and disadvantaged, a partnership between the government and faith-based community is indispensable. The 8308 campaign, named for the number of children in DHS custody as of January 1, is taking this approach to address the urgent need for foster families. A statewide conference on Thursday, April 26 will provide information and resources for individuals looking to get involved and churches interested in establishing a foster care or adoption ministry. Journey Church in Norman is hosting the event from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Register at http://www.faithlinksok.org. The conference is free, and lunch is provided. The campaign is a collaborative effort of the Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, 111 Project, SALLT and Sandridge Energy. If you’ve been wondering what you can do to serve Oklahoma’s children, mark your calendar for this opportunity to put your faith in action.
Bill worth supporting
A prison reform bill headed to the Oklahoma Senate isn’t quite what House Speaker Kris Steele envisioned, but passage would represent progress nonetheless. A Senate committee this week approved Steele’s House Bill 3052 after removing a section that would have let inmates who must serve 85 percent of their sentence begin earning good-time credits when they arrive in prison. Presently, those credits can’t be earned until the inmate has served 85 percent of the sentence. The provision would have saved money and freed up prison beds, and its removal was unfortunate. However the rest of the bill is intact, and if approved it will result in an improved public safety network for Oklahoma. The full Senate shouldn’t delay in giving its OK.
Left: A guard tower at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Okla. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
Off to Illinois
Jim Scroggins’ departure as executive director of the Oklahoma Lottery is likely to be well received by legislative leaders. Scroggins had pushed for a change in state law that requires 35 percent of lottery earnings to go to education. His argument was that if that percentage were lowered, more money would be available for prizes, and that higher prizes would in turn draw more players. He was consistently rebuffed by Republicans who control the Legislature and who, on the whole, strongly oppose the lottery. Even so Scroggins, who left recently to take a position with the Illinois Lottery, is due a salute for his seven years of service, including getting our lottery up and running after voters approved the idea in November 2004.
Photo by Paul Hellstern, The Oklahoman Archives
Sounds familiar
Gov. Bob McDonnell (AP File Photo)
Gov. Mary Fallin can probably empathize to some degree with her colleague from Virginia, Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell. McDonnell, whose party controlled both houses of the legislature for the first time in 12 years, began the legislative session by urging lawmakers to focus on issues such as job creation and state finances, and not get sidetracked by partisan fights. Fallin and GOP leaders pushed a similar agenda last year. In Virginia, members didn’t listen very well. Republicans passed a number of prickly social bills favored by social conservatives, and McDonnell signed them all. Minority Democrats got a measure of payback by gumming up the budgeting process — a special session was needed to complete their work. Social conservatives caused their share of headaches in Oklahoma a year ago but Fallin met several goals, including reform to the state pension system, changes to the workers’ comp and civil justice systems, and government consolidation.
Slow growing
A visitor to the undeveloped site of the Oklahoma Centennial Botanical Garden in Tulsa looks over the area in 2007. PHOTO PROVIDED
Years behind schedule, a visionary project being built on donated land, with federal, state and private funds, needs a lot more money to reach completion. We’re not describing the American Indian Museum and Cultural Center in Oklahoma City but the Oklahoma Centennial Botanical Garden in Tulsa. Garden management now says it could take 10 to 20 years more to finish the project than the 10 originally promised. As is the case with the Indian museum, funding is the main reason for the delays. The museum here will get an infusion of private money but only if the state agrees to pony up more funds. One thing that differentiates the two projects is that they aren’t caught up in the capital envy Tulsans sometimes exhibit over public projects in Oklahoma City. Tulsans want a state-funded cultural museum as a condition of more state funding for the Indian museum. Oklahoma City isn’t insisting that a garden project here get the same attention from the state that the Tulsa project has received.
Spring forward, fall behind
March and April take a big bite for some Oklahoma taxpayers. The second half of property taxes are due by March 31. State and federal income tax returns must be filed — along with any money owed — by mid-April. Taxes have a long history. A proverb from ancient Lagash in Mesopotamia goes, “You can have a Lord, you can have a king, but the one to fear is the tax assessor.” We quote this from Paul Kriwaczek’s new book “Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization.” Taxes and civilization go together like spring and tulips. Whether in the ancient Fertile Crescent or in modern America, functionaries at all levels get a cut on the activities of daily living such as owning property, buying books like “Babylon” or, if the Obamacare legal challenge fails, simply breathing. Shekels were currency in the ancient world. Shackles is what comes to mind at tax time every spring.
Left: Tulip at Will Rogers Park (The Oklahoman Archives)
Pocket change
Canada is literally pinching pennies from its budget. The finance minister announced this week that the Royal Canadian Mint will cease distribution of the coin this fall. Producing a penny costs about 1.6 cents, so the change is expected to save 11 million Canadian dollars annually. As our northern neighbors eliminate a coin deemed a nuisance, our Congress is considering transitioning to a coin many consider inconvenient. Replacing the dollar bill with a dollar coin would supposedly help combat the deficit. The Americans for George coalition expresses concerns about the financial and practical implications of the change. A public opinion poll shows 97 percent believe the dollar bill is more convenient than carrying coins. The Government Accountability Office estimates over half a billion in net losses to the government during the first decade of the transition, and reports by the Federal Reserve Board and U.S. Treasury raise concerns that the long-term impact may also be negative. In the past 15 years, only one major country phased out a bill in favor of a coin: Russia. A penny for your thoughts?
(AP Photo/The Canadian Press)
Party animals
What do cauliflower, a sewing machine and an open palm have in common? All could appear on the ballot in municipal polls in India’s capital next month. Including a symbol next to candidates’ names, representing their political party, dates to 1951, when fewer than one in five people in the newly independent country could read. Though a nice idea, the proliferation of registered parties has complicated matters. Major parties get permanent symbols, but hundreds of smaller ones must choose from an ever-expanding list of approved “free symbols” every election. Nail clippers, a toothbrush and a dish antenna are now up for grabs. Two state parties are battling not only over ideology or parliamentary seats but over a bicycle; the dispute may have to be resolved by drawing 
a name from a jar. So much for a system designed to provide clarity to voters. America has about as much fun as we can handle with the contest between elephant and donkey. Just imagine nearly 1,400 parties fighting over candidates, plus mascot selection.
Left: A man rides his cycle past elephant statues, political symbol of the Bahujan Samaj Party, at Ambedkar Park in Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India. (AP Photo)
