The Gasbag

Well, it is the Summer of an Election Year. So, unless you've been living in a cave, you have certainly seen several TV ads from local politicians by now. As of this Gasbag, it's the campaign for the July Primary Election in Oklahoma. So, most of the ads you will see will be of the "warm fuzzy" genre; painting each candidate as being family-friendly, likeable, and electable.

But this year, there is a different aura in the voters' eyes. People are truly fed up with business as usual, regardless of what house of government it is. The Tea Party movement is a clear demonstration of the anger in the electorate.

My opinion is simple and clear; I believe the politicians just don't get it. Here's why.

The Oklahoma Legislative Session lasted for 4 full months, yet the State's budget was not acted on until the last 3 weeks of the session. Sorry folks, but the budget should have been taken care of way before anything else was done. Instead, these people focused on running our lives, proposing bills on subjects ranging from abortion restrictions, new traffic laws, and more anti-smoking rules.

Yes, I smoke. I smoke in my favorite bar. Half of the patrons smoke there. 4 out of 5 bartenders here smoke. So does the owner. It is his choice to allow or prohibit smoking at his place.

I have decorated smoke-free bars in the past, and I will do so in the future. That list is growing, as more clubs go smoke-free. But it is because the Owners CHOOSE to do so.

In either case, The government did not tell them what to do. And that's the way it should be.

Why is this important? Because no matter how you feel about the smoking issue, you need to be aware that there are special interest groups and lobbyists trying to get the government to tell you how to live your life, no matter how you would choose to live it. It's the same thing with health care, carbon taxes, education funding, and much more.

Personally, I want less government. For every new law that is passed, perhaps two old and useless laws should be repealed. Why should I send $2.00 in taxes to Washington for education only to get $1.00 back in "matching funds"? Why do we need an Oklahoma Child Death Review Board to tell us what we already know?

The candidates are coming. They will knock on your door on a Saturday and blindly ask you for your support. Don't give in. When they come, ask hard questions. Put their feet to the fire and force them to directly answer your specific questions. Don't let them squirm out of a detailed answer.

And before you blindly vote to re-elect an incumbent, take the time to research his/her voting record on the kitchen-table issues at your house. My kitchen-table issues include the public smoking debate I mentioned, as well as job creation, education reform, faster road and bridge construction.

Oklahoma needs good jobs, with wages that allow a person to pay their bills and care for their families. They need jobs with affordable health, dental, and vision programs. We need jobs from quality employers with recognizeable names. We need a variety of jobs in areas of manufacturing, distribution, administration, and service. We don't need more call centers. Those are a dime-a-dozen these days, and they come and go all too quickly.

I have talked about this before, but I must ask again why we need over 500 School Districts in a state of less than 4 million people and only 77 counties? If these districts were re-drawn to 77 county-based districts, our education dollars would go farther.

Now, I don't always see things outside or the OKC metro area, but I often wonder why Broadway Extension was widened from Edmond to 63rd, but nothing has been done to widen it between 63rd and 36th yet. We're told it is on the agenda. But why the delay? It should have been done 20 years ago, but we are still waiting for a shovel to hit the dirt? The same goes for the I-40/I-44 interchange at Mathis Brothers, where rush hour is always a bottleneck nightmare.

What are your kitchen-table issues? Do you want the State sales tax removed from groceries? Do you want to see REAL reform at DHS? Are you sick of uncontrolled spending in Washington? And how do you feel about building a new Oklahoma County Jail, or seeing a racial obstructionist return as an Oklahoma County Commissioner?

I urge you to get involved! Don't let them claim your vote for promises in the dark. Your vote is NOT for sale. Make them earn that vote.

John R. "Radar" Doyle, CBA