Democrats Make Gains Nationally and In Oklahoma

There was a time when the GOP referred to the Democratic Party as the "Tax and Spend Party."  To the average voter, it looks like the GOP was jealous of such branding and have taken it on for themselves.  This is evident by the increase of taxes including; fuel tax, gross production tax, tax on tobacco, and finally (of course) increased taxes on booze.  As this happens, we see this mass exodus of Republican "lawmakers" taking better paying jobs with the Feds and other government teats.  

This is the same party that once said that welfare was a bad thing, but corporate welfare is okay and being a perpetual burden on the taxpayers as long as you're elected and not terribly poor.  

Back in the days of WKY, I remember talking frequently about the reality that for most elected officials, it is the best job they will ever have and that holds true today.  The concept of being a "citizen legislature" has given way to the disturbing influx of Political Science majors who are beginning to show their lack of "real world" experience.  

But I digress.

Virginia, New Jersey, and even already liberal Washington State have seen a growth spurt in the number of Democratic elected officials and no one should really be surprised.  As Cal Thomas once said, "If Republicans are going to act like Democrats, you might as well vote for Democrats because at least then you know what you're getting."  There is a great deal of truth to that, you know.  

Many will blame President Trump for the increase of elected Democrats, but in Oklahoma, the increase in taxes and the amount of fraud that is being uncovered by State Auditor Gary Jones leaves no one to blame but the Republican leadership.  There was even questions about departments that were/are run by Lt. Governor Todd Lamb in terms of financial mismanagement.  But yet, there are more and more career Republican politicians who are looking for more opportunities to suckle from the taxpayer teat by either running for higher office or finding a taxpayer-funded bureaucratic job.

And we used to think lobbyists were bad.

Sure, there has been a lot of propaganda spewed about from both sides of the aisle regarding just how horrendous our budget situation is/was/will continue to be, but in the aggregate, our elected officials aren't losing any services.  They are still getting their medical coverage, their retirement funds, their salaries (highest paid part-time legislators in the country, by the way), and in some cases, the opportunity to pocket some taxpayer funds until they are caught.

Neither party is perfect and the way they are acting does nothing but underscore the reality that third party candidates are becoming increasingly appealing to the disenfranchised voters as it is.  But, there is still hope, my fellow Oklahomians.  We simply have to be diligent and call a pig a pig.  Ask hard questions of our elected officials and of those who desire to be elected officials and if they give us some bovine feces answer, call them out on social media and within your sphere of influence.  We can change the direction of Oklahoma government.  We just have to care enough to do so.

Of course, that's just my opinion and I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it.

Ron "Gorilla" Black

State of the Gorilla State

The Honorable Governor Mary Fallin gave her rousing address to members of the legislature and through media coverage; to the rest of the citizens in the state of Oklahoma.  It should come as no surprise, however, that a lot of people in the state of Oklahoma are already aware of the problems we're facing and that includes what the media likes to call a "budget shortfall."  

The problem with the language being used by the media and by elected officials alike is that the budget in the state of Oklahoma is predicated on revenues.  They are not "short" or "long," they simply are what they are and the legislature is tasked with maintaining government services within those revenue projections.  Just like when citizens find themselves with less income, government has to make a few cuts here and there from previous budgets to make ends meet.

Governor Fallin suggested an increase on fuel taxes and taxes on tobacco, but an elimination of the tax on groceries (good) and an elimination of corporate income tax (bad - see below).  Governor Fallin is sounding more and more like former Governor Henry with each passing day.  Increased taxes…that's supposed to be a Democrat thing.

So, here is a few suggestions from your humble little Gorilla as to revenues and the so-called "state of the state."

The first thing we have to do, in my opinion, is to deal with the elected official infrastructure as it exists right now.  We have some of the highest paid part time legislators in the country and while our teacher pay is at the bottom of the barrel, legislators seem to be doing just fine, don't they?  One way to deal with this is to cut the legislative session in half and in so doing, pay legislators based on the average median income for their respective legislative districts and break that down for the time that they are in session.  For example, if the average median income for a legislative district is $35,000, we take that hourly rate and pay them hourly for the time they are in session.  That alone would save hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.  

The next thing on the list is to cut the tax subsidies for energy companies and for the Oklahoma City Thunder as well.  Currently, the Thunder pay no income tax on salaries as part of an incentive authored by the legislature to lure them here so, it's time for the golden goose to start crapping out some golden eggs.  In addition, wind energy subsidies in the state of Oklahoma are ridiculous and should be eliminated immediately.  Oil and gas company tax incentives should be set aside as well.  Not sexy, I know, but it is common sense and something that is desperately needed in Oklahoma.  

Lastly, absolutely no taxes or fees should be increased until the first suggestions are implemented.  Fees and taxes could be raised in the event that the recipient government entity can provide an audited statement to justify the need for increased fees or taxes.  The State Auditor should be involved in this process to ensure that there is integrity and consistency throughout.

When you have legislators who are trying to undermine the will of the people by fighting against state questions that were voted on and approved by the people of Oklahoma, that should give an indication as to where the problem lies under the methane gas filled dome.  For a lot of these legislators, it is the best job that they will ever have and their thirst for power and hunger for acclaim drive them more than the desire to do what is right by the people of Oklahoma.  

This state needs a legislative enema.  

It's time, friends.  It's time to take a long, hard look at what has been happening and why it has been happening.  We keep electing the same group of people, handled by the same group of consultants with the same talking points and we wonder why there isn't a real shift in the tide.  This isn't an issue of Republican versus Democrat, Liberal versus Conservative; this is an issue of common sense versus lunacy.

The state of the state is as it always has been until we vote for people with a passion for this state and our communities rather than an ego boost and a step on the career ladder.

Of course, I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it.  

Ron "Gorilla" Black

What Did You Expect?

To lighten the mood a bit, I've decided to take tidbits from the news and from social media and ask one of the most profound questions in all of history:  What did you expect?  These are morsels of truth that no one really likes to swallow but are as necessary for survival as oxygen; and we need to laugh at and with ourselves once in a while.  

Journalist Who Profiled Melania Trump Files Police Report After Getting Threats:  What did this journalist expect?  She pulls no punches in a story about the wife of a bombastic and incendiary POTUS candidate and she gets threats.  This should be under the "profound grasp of the obvious" file because there is no doubt she knew (Julia Ioffe) that it was inviting trouble.  You can't jump into a pit of vipers and then bitch about the fact that your dumb little butt got bit.  I'm not saying that threats are a good thing and neither am I justifying them.  I'm just saying that when you're in the media and you stir up some poop, you have to expect to get some poop on you yourself.  

Raising Taxes to Solve Revenue Problem:  Our legislature in Oklahoma as well as the Governor herself have considered that one way to solve the "problem" of an income crisis is to raise taxes on citizens, but to leave in place countless incentives for the richest among us.  For example, the Thunder organization is not required to pay payroll taxes on their massive payroll.  This benefits the multi-million dollar players and the millionaire owners, but doesn't do a damned thing for the average working Joe in Oklahoma.  Yes, I know that the Thunder has become a sacred cow in Oklahoma City, but the truth is what it is.  They receive a ridiculous incentive that they just don't need.  Yet, it is not just limited to the Thunder, but rather extends to the rich and famous in Oklahoma.  Instead, they are planning to raise taxes on cigarettes (again) because Medicaid needs the money and they want to toss some by way of the education infrastructure.  But what did we expect when we elected this particularly raw group of narcissists?  We knew that it was fame and fortune for them and for most of them in office, it's the best job they will ever have.  What did we expect, really?

American Ninja Warrior at the Capitol:  ANW is filming in Oklahoma and they are filming in the parking lot of the methane gas filled dome.  Seriously?  What did we expect?  It's the perfect location for horseplay such as that.

Axl Rose Singing for AC/DC:  The response has been tepid at best where the Guns-N-Roses front man heading up AC/DC is concerned and really, we shouldn't be surprised.  Live performances when Rose was in his prime were always a crap-shoot, and now that he is forced to sit on a throne because of a broken leg and screech out what we thought were AC/DC tunes, he sounds like a cat that needs to be put down with impunity.   

Hillary Targets Female Voters, Attacking Trump's Standing With Women:  Hillary has most meat-eating conservatives on the right chomping at the bit to see her in jail and most of the Hillary-haters are men so, it should not be a surprise at all when we see Hillary trying to cuddle up to the female voters in the attempt to make Trump look like a big meanie who hates girls.  Trump doesn't have the greatest family values record, to be sure, and admittedly, neither do I.  But there are a ton of Americans who have grown tired of the chest-thumping of the dominionists who want to run the country (and state) like a theocracy.  They want efficacy and a no-holds barred approach to problem solving; not a bunch of hand-wringing bed-wetters who are strong only on religious issues, but are sissies where issues of Constitutional import are concerned.  It was predicted that this would be the way she would steer her strategy.

These were just a few issues and problems that were just too funny not to mention and do so with a sense of humor.  We live in wickedly weird times, my friends and it's only going to get more strange.

Of course, these are just my not-so-humble opinions and I could be wrong.  But, no.  I'm not.

Gorilla

Obama Approves FEMA Aid

Beyond a controversial appointment to Secretary of State and a bunch that weren't, it looks like the first real official move of Governor Fallin was to reach out to the federal government to receive federal money for...snow.  From the Newsok.com story:

Gov. Mary Fallin asked Wednesday for the federal government to approve an emergency disaster declaration request for the entire state. President Barack Obama took action on that request and authorized the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency to supplement state and local response efforts that have been affected by the winter storm.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize and provide at its discretion equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency in all of the state's 77 counties. While no dollar amount was mentioned in the initial news release from FEMA, it did say that emergency protective measures will be provided at 75 percent federal funding.

I apologize for the link, above, making you suffer through Dave Morris' droll, dry and boring video commentary.  It's the Oklahoman's way to be "hip and happening."

Congrats to the State of Oklahoma working hard to no longer be a donor state.  And hat-tip to Governor Fallin who can now say that one of her first acts as Governor did, in fact, bring money to Oklahoma. 

Christina Fallin No Longer Lobbyist

Christina & Mary Fallin

The McCarville Report received the report that Christina Fallin, daughter of the newly sworn-in Governor, is no longer a registered lobbyist at our Capitol.  From McCarville:

Yesterday, Fallin said the decision that her daughter, 23, would no longer be a lobbyist was hers: “We felt that that was not in the best interest of her or the best interest of the governor's office,” Fallin said.

Fallin said her daughter is in her senior year at the University of Oklahoma; “She is looking at different job opportunities outside the Capitol and outside being a lobbyist,” Fallin said. “As her mother, it was my decision. But she understands that's something she needs to do.”

The news broke that Christina had registered as a lobbyist back in March of 2010, her career short-lived, and the media frenzy ensued shortly thereafter.