Will We Remember in November?

Shades of Lee Denny, Batman!

OKLAHOMANS HAD THE CHANCE

TO VIEW HISTORY BEING MADE THIS MONTH

WE HOPE THEY REMEMBER IT IN NOVEMBER

THE WATCHMAN

During the first two weeks of the second session of the legislature witnessed history unfold before their eyes. Not the kind of history that we like to remember, but the type of history that demonstrates the vast amount of corruption and lack of integrity that pervades the halls of our State Capital. A few brave Republicans and Democrats stood against these numbers and were successful in serving the citizens who elected them to office. We thank those that voted NO.

There was another factor involved in the debacle this week. That was the lack of leadership on the House floor displayed by the leadership staff. Most of that can be put on the shoulders of the inexperienced Speaker of the House Charles McCall. We will not get into his business practices outside of government. No one on our staff has done business with him so we cannot address that in a professional manner. We can and will address his leadership in the House. There is a far cry from being the CEO of a bank and the Speaker of the House.

We went back to Mr. McCall's 2012, 2014 and 2016 campaign records to see what type of donations he received. He has a well-documented history of receiving individual donations. We couldn't help but notice that many of the donors were members of the same corporations that are the financial backbone of the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce.

A proposal made by a collective of business men who claimed to be a "Grass roots Group" formed a plan that would place over $600 million dollar tax increase on those of us that work for a living while those who make a lot of money from oil and gas and other industries would see no increase other than what was enacted last year. In other words they were going to get richer while you got poorer.

Without doubt the best statement made against this tax increase was .found in this article. This is the most common sense item anyone in the legislature has said about the step up plan. Raising taxes on cigarettes by a $1.50 a pack to encourage them to stop smoking will only lead to a tax shortage of those who stop. What are you going to raise taxes on then? We know you want to take away the tax benefits that disabled veterans get. Is this the states way of hiding the truth about the death of a Veteran in a State Run Veterans Facility in 2016. This entire charade was a joke

In another show of lost control, or was it, we found this article. The former Budget Chair, who is too busy running for a different office to care about the people that elected her, Representative Leslie Osborn has repeatedly violated House rules on decorum with personal disparagements and political threats against not only the other party's caucus, but she's launched an overt civil war in an effort to throw many of her own party's Representatives out of office. It is a total disgrace that the Speaker of the House, Speaker Pro Tem Harold Wright and Josh Cockcroft, who had the gavel during Monday's session, saw fit to set her straight. This isn't a Representative of the people. This is a tyrant. Her antics should be reported to the House Ethics Committee and immediate action should be taken. A reprimand or even a censor is in order here. Speaker McCall if you are not up to the job then step aside and let someone who is take the reins of the House. Representative Wright you have already disqualified yourself by your failure to act.

Then we found this this article . This is a fantastic piece of journalism by the Frontier. We will grant that

new rules take effect this year however we suspect that critters that roam the halls of the Capital a few months of the year have probably already figured a way around them. There may be new rules but they didn't lower the amount that they could receive.

This is an election year people. We are going to be naming names and pointing out misdeeds. Regardless of your political affiliation or your office we will be getting the truth out to those that need it. Those of you who thought you got away with it are wrong. Trips to learn how to change from a system where every vote counts to a system that winner takes all are also up for grabs. There will be a few citizens initiatives out there that will once again limit the ability of those who think we should bow on our knees to them show them who has the real power.