[Oklahoma City, OK, February 1, 2016] In today’s State of the State address from Governor Fallin, many were befuddled as to what direction she believes we should see the state go this year, other than the perpetual slide down the mountain. This year’s address was little more than more Republican rhetoric and talking points – spread far enough apart that when one statement contradicted an earlier one it was harder to spot.
Governor Fallin finally recognized that Oklahoma has a revenue problem, not a spending problem, but without admitting that the Republican legislature and her leadership are to blame. We are shocked that the Governor is proposing $900 million in new taxes in order to recuperate the losses incurred through her administration’s failed tax experiment. She is continuing to try to shift the tax burden from the people and corporations that are already receiving huge tax breaks and place it on the backs of hardworking Oklahoma families that need relief the most.
Today the Governor once again showed her lack of genuine support for public education in Oklahoma.A major part of her “green means go” budget proposal is a $3,000 per year pay increase for teachers. Our response: “Where is the money?!?!?” Oklahoma is in one of the biggest budget crises since the 1980s, with the possibility of yet another revenue failure in the coming months. Even if the legislature manages to pass this nominal pay raise, with Fallin’s massive sales tax increase, most teachers won’t see any of that money stay in their pocket.
Furthermore, rural schools and rural Oklahomans were placed on the chopping block with the suggestion of forced school consolidation and the Governor’s endorsement of Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), which only help a few in urban areas of the state. Rural Oklahoma’s educational options are not as broad as the private and charter school selection we see in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and the surrounding metropolitan areas however, the Governor and most Republican legislators support this model which has proven time and again to be black holes of financial ruin and a lack of accountability. The most important thing we can do is educate the children of our state, but Fallin’s failed leadership continues to demonize teachers and school administrators while punishing students and parents for the failed policies of this Republican administration.
Governor Fallin completely failed to address the numerous concerns around earthquakes and wastewater disposal wells – an issue that many Oklahomans from across the state have come out to protest the lack of action from the legislature and the Governor. Nothing was mentioned about a plan to embolden the Corporation Commission to take further action and there was no discussion on the recent $1.4 million transfer to conduct more research on the earthquakes.
Finally, there was no mention of any plan to expand Medicaid despite wide support from Oklahomans – Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike. Medicaid expansion would mean increased revenue for Oklahoma, the ability to save rural hospitals and care facilities, and provide nearly 100,000 Oklahomans with affordable healthcare coverage.
There were, however, a few points where, for a moment, there seemed to be a light switch flipped on far down the hallway. “She is proposing a ballot initiative to address issues affecting non-violent criminal sentencing policies such as those affecting drug possession and the minimum value threshold for grand larceny,” said Sarah Baker, Communications Director for the Oklahoma Democratic Party. “She also proposed modernizing Oklahoma’s sales tax not by increasing the rate but by ‘broadening the tax base’ by imposing new or additional taxes on more goods and services.
“This State of the State address was an example in the Governor’s lack of concern for the issues facing the poor and middle class, children and families, and teachers. It was, however, another example of her unwavering support for failed economic policies, political rhetoric, and talking points that given enough distance in a speech can contradict themselves.”
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Sounds to me like she is just following in Koch plan for the states and following in the footsteps along the path Sam Brownback took in Kansas. That isn’t working out well in Kansas, they no longer have a decent credit rating and can’t even afford to rehire the Kansas State Patrol officers that have left because of the low wages they have been forced to endure. How much longer before Oklahoma becomes another failed experiment in conservative economics that think asking people who already have so little to give up more of that so a company can avoid paying their reasonable share? Corporations in Oklahoma have decided they should enjoy all the benefits of doing business in Oklahoma without having to contribute to cost of those benefits. The expectation is that we the people should incur an ever growing share of the expense necessary to lift ourselves out of poverty and become an educated, contributing member of the workforce. It was the combined tax contributions of labor and industry that built the educational system that turns out the workforce necessary to run the nation, why has it now become the responsibility of the workforce to shoulder the burden of the cost to turn their knowledge and interest into a career or vocation that serves the society as a whole, do corporations not enjoy the benefits of an educated workforce? Why should their contribution be a choice, if there benefit is a huge reward without any contributions to the social good? Shouldn’t benefits and costs be shared equally?
All for decriminalizing as much as we can in this state. Too many laws which legislate behavior and not results. Punish those that harm people and property, not drug users and non-violent crimes. No victim, no crime, no punishment, no government expense.
I’m all for raising teacher pay. I’m okay with $3K for the teachers (our teacher pay is terrible already and I’d love to see it go up more). In civilized states, the teachers drive better cars than the students, but not in Oklahoma. Take the money from DOC and oil companies instead of giving them more.