CONGRESSIONAL FRESHMEN FLEX THEIR MUSCLES

++ AGENDA FOR THIS WEEK’S MEETING
++ ANNOUNCEMENTS
++ REPUBLICAN CONTROL, THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY
++ CONGRESSIONAL FRESHMEN FLEX THEIR MUSCLES


++ AGENDA FOR THIS WEEK’S MEETING

Our 12 noon luncheon for Wednesday, February 16th will be held at
Italiano’s restaurant, 4801 North Lincoln in OKC. Our speaker this
week will be David Tackett from the Tulsa area and founder of a new
organization called Oklahoman’s For Liberty. I believe this
organization’s efforts will be pointed at exposing corporate welfare
and what might be considered as those parts of the agenda of the State
Chamber of Commerce that could be considered as abusive and anti- free
enterprise.

As a point of interest, I believe with Governor Fallin’s appointment
of Glen Coffee as Secretary of State and Glen’s close relationship
with Fred Morgan (When Glen was Senate President Pro-Tem, Fred was his
legislative liaison) then throw in Dave Lopez as Commerce Secretary,
we may now be in the place where the State Chamber is behind the wheel
and running the State of Oklahoma. Mary may be little more than the
front person for the Chamber. I probably shouldn’t say this, BUT Mary
may be little more than a hood ornament for a powerful vehicle to run
around, through, or over anything that stands in the way of the agenda
of the BIG STATE CHAMBER.

When we were in Bartlesville last year, just before Christmas, to
demonstrate outside of the convention center during the Republican
House Caucus meeting, a reporter from the Tulsa World asked me in an
interview if we considered the State Chamber as the enemy. My answer
was that the word “enemy” was too strong. BECAUSE, there are many
points of their agenda that are very good and we can join hands with
them in those efforts. As an example, the State Chamber’s opposition
to S.Q. 744 was very important. In the past they were a driving force
to pass right to work and their agenda to reform tort laws, workers
compensation, tax code and improve education are all good objectives,
though many conservatives and constitutionalists may disagree with
parts of their objectives or what might actually be a true fix.

My biggest problem with the State Chamber and many of their local
affiliates is their opposition to a free market based economy. Most
chamber members hearing me make such a statement would look at me much
like a calf looking at a new gate. Most Chamber members have little
understanding that they actually promote a mixed blend of capitalism.
Their idea of capitalism is a blend of fascist, socialist and free
market capitalism. The blending slowly suffocates free market
capitalism and puts the government in an ever greater control of the
economy rather than the market.

During Governor Fallin’s State of the State address she showed that
her moral underpinnings are that of situational ethics. She fails to
understand that taking one person or entity’s private property away
from them and against their will, to then give that property to
another person or entity for their social or business benefit is
theft. She shows her moral shallowness and willingness to participate
in legalized theft or plunder. As an example, she said they would
examine tax credits to determine which ones create jobs and which ones
do not.

I don’t know how she will make those determinations, but she said in
the SITUATIONS when they create jobs, they will stay and in the
SITUATIONS they do not, they will go. That makes perfect sense in a
centrally planned and controlled economy, but please understand, this
is NOT free market economics. She showed further why her rhetoric
about creating an environment for economic growth is hollow and that
she actually believes in economic development (the term used by people
who think government is supposed to be responsible for jobs and a good
economy).

She asked the legislature for a further level of corporate welfare by
asking them to set up a “closing fund” to better compete with Texas
when a business is on the bubble in deciding if they will come to
Oklahoma or go somewhere else. I am sure this is a high priority for
the State Chamber and though the legislature may find it difficult to
find the money for such a fund, the way those things get started is to
create the fund and the first time some extra money is found, to fill
it at that time.

As a point of interest, approximately 15 years ago, Oklahoma created a
program known as Oklahoma’s Quality Jobs Act. It was basically created
to be an incentive to increase the number of manufacturing jobs in
Oklahoma. It was set up to work like this. If a company would locate
in Oklahoma or an already existing company expand their workforce, the
state of Oklahoma would kick back to the owners of that business, from
the state’s general fund, 5% of the wages of their employees.

Fifteen years ago the top income tax rate was 7% (people would reach
the top tax rate making less than $10,000 dollars per year), so the
employees would pay taxes at 7%, with the state kicking back 5% to the
owners, thus leaving the state 2% and the state gaining jobs. However,
we have been lowering the top income tax rate for the past few years
and we are now going to have a top rate at 5.25%. When the 5
millionaires and billionaires who owned the Seattle Sonics, now turned
OKC Thunder, were negotiating with city leaders to get as much
corporate welfare as possible, they also asked the legislature for a
huge windfall. I believe they would have brought the team here without
state dollars.

The owners wanted legislation to make professional sports to also be
included into Oklahoma’s Quality Jobs Act. However, 10 years for kick
backs would not be enough for these owners, so the legislation made it
15 years for professional sports teams and oh yes one other item. A 5%
kick back wouldn’t be enough, they wanted 5.5%. As you can see, since
we are lowering the tax rate to 5.25%, ALL the income tax dollars paid
to the state of Oklahoma for its vital government functions from the
players, coaches and office staff, will go to the state and then be
kicked directly back into the pockets of the owners. But an
additional .25% of all the Thunder’s payroll will come from the rest
of us and will go right into the pockets of the owners.

Some people don’t care, as long as they have a good job, nice car and
home, a chicken in the pot and some money to have fun, they just cruse
through life not caring one wit about right or wrong. It is called
situational ethics.

However, I just wasn’t built that way. One of the team owners is the
principle owner of Mid-First Bank. We closed out our account at Mid-
First and went to another bank. Another owner owns the Iconic Route 66
restaurant in Arcadia named Pops. I used to eat there with some
frequency and enjoyed taking others there to see the unique place. No
longer, you see, my thought is that if I am forced to support their
basket ball team, outside of going to a game by purchasing a ticket,
then I am damn sure not going to support their other businesses, at
least the ones in which I have an easy choice.

But wait, there is more. I don’t know if this exception has been a
part of the Quality Jobs Act from the beginning or if it is a recent
modification. Now there is a provision that if the jobs created pay 3
times or more than the average salary of the people of Oklahoma, then
the rebate will be 10%, not 5%. I would say that virtually all of the
employees associated with the Thunder fall into that category, though
it may not apply to professional sports. However, the 500 new jobs
with Boeing coming to OKC fall into that category. Therefore, those
employees will pay 5.25% to the state and then the state will kick
back 10% to Boeing. That is what I call “double” corporate welfare. If
Mary would have had a closing fund, we would have given Boeing even
more as these businesses know how to play the game.

If the legislature gives the state chamber, excuse me I mean, Governor
Fallin a closing fund, you can bet companies will hold out until they
get their hands on those funds as well. I am all for reducing the
state income tax and corporate taxes more and more until they are
eliminated. However, that can only be done by reducing the size of
state government and its expenditures. They have probably cut taxes
about as much as possible without further reducing the size of
government. It is hard to reduce the size of government when you keep
spending millions of dollars each year in the form of corporate
welfare. Much more could be said about this but that will be for
another day.

++ ANNOUNCEMENTS

* NOW - I have written an article for the on-line version of the
New American magazine which is a national publication of the John
Birch Society. The article is about the $350,000 wasted federal tax
dollars funneled through the Oklahoma state health department in
regard to the 5320 project. If you would like to read it, log on to
www.newamerican.com and click the link to state issues. It was posted
last Friday, February 11th.

* TUESDAY EVENING - TULSA AREA - The Tulsa Area Republican
Assembly will have their monthly meeting with those arriving to eat at
6 and the speaker will begin at 7:00 p.m. The location will be the
Golden Corral, 71st and Mingo street. The speaker will be Bruce Delay
with the subject about the Mexican and U.S. Border. Bruce has been on
location many times and is in close communications with border patrol
organizations. Please attend this meeting to better understand one of
the greatest threats to the security of our nation.

* TUESDAY EVENING - ADA AREA - The Ada Tea Party will hold their
meeting this Tuesday evening starting at 7:00 p.m., the location will
be the Pontotoc County Career Tec Center in Ada. I believe the
speakers will be Labor Commissioner Mark Costello, Jo Joyce and
myself. If you live in the area, these meetings are always very
educational and they have a great group in the Ada area, which also
includes parts of Seminole county.

* THURSDAY MORNING - OKC AREA - The business and professional
chapter of the John Birch Society will have their monthly meeting
which will start with breakfast being served at 7:15 and the meeting
will begin about 7:45 a.m. The speaker this month will be newly
elected State Senator Ralph Shortey. Senator Shortey was recently put
on a joint Senate and House committee to study Oklahoma’s immigration
laws to see what additional legislation needs to be crafted to deal
with the invasion of illegal aliens flooding into Oklahoma. Ralph is
passionate about this subject and we look forward to having an up-date
about what is happening with this issue.

++ REPUBLICAN CONTROL, THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY

The session began last week with some fireworks regarding rule
changes. State Representative Jason Nelson (R-OKC) issued a press
release extolling the virtues of rule changes which were suggested by
a working group of which Nelson was a member. In his press release he
said: “The rule reforms adopted this week will dramatically increase
public scrutiny of the legislative process and deter the last-minute
shenanigans that have often embarrassed our state,”.

I do agree with Representative Nelson that by requiring those joint
House and Senate conference committees to actually hold public
meetings and have recorded votes is a great improvement. He also
indicated that a bill must be granted a hearing if a majority of
committee members sign a petition requesting that a bill receive a
vote and along the same lines a bill theoretically could by-pass the
committee process if 2/3s of the House will sign a petition requesting
that action. I would suggest not holding your breath to ever see if
that happens. I believe the simple majority to require a bill in
committee to be heard was already in effect before the rule changes
were made.

Here are a couple of problems which occurred with the rules.
Leadership had called a meeting week before last to share potential
rule changes with lawmakers and possibly take suggestions for rule
changes. I believe there was more than one of those meetings that was
called off or delayed.

On Sunday afternoon of a week ago, lawmakers received e-mails with
dozens of pages with proposed rule changes. Hum, I wonder what was
going on a week ago Sunday? Could it have been the Super Bowl with
lawmakers busy with family and friends like most other human beings?
Might lawmakers, living long distances from the Capitol, have need of
going to bed to get up early to drive to OKC for meetings?

To try to make a long story short, State Representative Charles Key (R-
Bethany & OKC) introduced an amendment to the rules legislation that
would REQUIRE every bill to be heard. The normal practice is to have a
large percentage of legislation locked away in the desk of a committee
chairman, never to be heard. Some of the legislation that committee
chairmen bottle up is good and never has an opportunity to be heard.
In other cases, some of the legislation is very bad and thus a
committee chairman will also have the opportunity to make sure it will
never see the light of day. So it is a double edged sword.

Now please pay close attention to Representative Key’s reasoning for
this kind of legislation. Every lawmaker elected is a representative
of the people of that district and as such, when that lawmaker has
legislation, it is representative the people of that district. If a
committee chairman, floor leader or the Speaker simply has the POWER
to decide not to allow the legislation to be heard, then the people
aren’t represented. What you then have is a dictatorial tyranny, not a
republican form of representation.

In the most important vote, Representative Key’s amendment was
defeated with 53 no votes and 42 yes votes. Every Democrat voted in
favor of Key’s amendment, not because they have any egalitarian
motive, this rule change would simply give the minority a guaranteed
voice. If the Republicans were in the minority, they would all have
voted for this measure, every one of them.

I am only going to list the Republicans and not the Democrats who
voted for the measure as well as the Republicans who voted against the
measure: For, freshman John Bennett, Gus Blackwell, Mike Christian,
David Derby, freshman Randy Grau, Sally Kern, Charles Key, Louis
Moore, Jason Murphey, freshman Tom Newell, Mike Reynolds, Mike Ritze,
Randy Terrill and Paul Wesselhoft. These should all be commended for
their courage and commitment to open and representative government.

Many of the Republican freshmen lawmakers who voted against this
measure will one day see legislation they care deeply about not get a
hearing because some dictator in a place of power will decide not to
hear such. Their opposition to Representative Key’s amendment and this
vote will someday come back to bite them in their behinds. Remember,
just because legislation is heard, that does not mean it won’t be
voted down as much of it should be.

There was actually a preceding vote to table Key’s amendment which
failed, thus showing enough strength to pass the amendment. That is
when leadership sent their whips into action pressuring, especially
the new lawmakers to change their vote to a no. Following are the
Republican no votes: Against, Don Armes, Gary Banz, Lisa Billy,
David Brumbaugh, Ann Coody, Josh Cockroft, Marian Cooksey, Doug Cox,
David Dank, Lee Denney, Dale DeWitt, John Enns, Rusty Farley, George
Faught, Lisa Hall, Hardin, Jeff Hickman, Corey Holland, Mike Jackson,
Fred Jordan, Charlie Joyner, Dan Kirby, Guy Liebmann, Scott Martin,
Steve Martin, Mark McCullough, Randy McDaniel, Skye McNiel, Glen
Mulready, Jason Nelson, Nollan, Charles Ortega, Pat Ownbey, Ron Peters
(this guy is leadership’s little puppet they use to make motions to
cut off debate), Pam Peterson, Quinn, Phill Richardson, D. Roberts,
Sean Roberts, Todd Russ, Mike Sanders, Colby Schwartz, Earl Sears,
T.W. Shannon, Arron Stiles, the little dictator Dan Sullivan, Todd
Thomsen, John Trebilcock, Steve Vaughn, Weldon Watson, Harold Wright
and the Speaker Kris Steele.

Debating against the measure was Dan Sullivan (R-Tulsa) who, several
times exaggerated the intent of the rule change with such statements
as, “To suggest that just because someone in my district thought a
bill was a good idea and, therefore, it should become law is not the
way this process works.” May I suggest Representative Sullivan, when a
constituent comes to you with a bad idea, be a man and tell them why
you won’t run a bad bill. When I ran for office in 1990, I had a nut
case from Meeker come up to me and ask me if I would sponsor
legislation to make it illegal for an employer to fire an employee. I
explained every way possible why that would not be a good idea. I
probably lost that vote, but you simply have to man-up and do what is
right. Being a representative for what is right is from the idea of a
republic. Being a puppet on a string to represent constitutes who want
what is bad comes from the idea of a democracy.

Further debate against Representative Key’s amendment came from Don
Armes (R-Faxon) who expressed concern that his fellow legislators
would no longer be able to hide behind the committee chairperson by
asking the rhetorical question, “What you need sometimes as a state
representative is the protection of that committee chairman to go to
him and say, I got a guy. I promised him I would introduce this bill.
It’s a terrible idea. How do I stop this train before we change the
law in a negative way?” Representative Armes, it is actually quite
simple, man-up and say no to your constituents.

Following the loss of Key’s amendment, they went on to pass the rules,
but here is where openness in government took a big hit. One of the
rule changes will now require 15% of those on the floor to second a
motion to have a RECORDED floor vote rather than the previously
required 2 people to second such a motion. This will empower Democrats
who will be able to force a vote to be recorded anytime they want.
But, the conservative minority within the Republican caucus will have
a difficult time requiring recorded votes. When things move fast, it
will be nearly impossible for conservatives to get recorded votes.
Sorry, Representative Nelson, but you voted to bring this secrecy to
government, not openness. This will make it easier for leadership to
hide their dictatorial intentions.

One other rule change that will give leadership more power to control
the process came with a rule change that I don’t fully understand,
except for the effect. Last year, when Committee Chair Sue Tibbs was
trying to keep second amendment legislation from going to a vote,
there was a mechanism to work around her efforts. That mechanism was
eliminated with these rule changes. Therefore, we gained some and we
lost some. In the end, leadership is more powerful than in the past
and the people’s representation will depend on the dictators being
benevolent.

++ CONGRESSIONAL FRESHMEN FLEX THEIR MUSCLE

Congressional leadership was planning on “REAL” cuts in spending at
somewhere around the $30 billion range. The 80 freshmen said that
wasn’t enough and have about doubled the “REAL” amount of budget cuts
to $61 billion.

Some will say this is not nearly enough, but let me caution people to
understand. Our economy has been propped up for many years by
borrowing and printing money so we could deficit spend to replace all
the lost dollars due to our deficit trade imbalance.

We must be careful not to cut too fast and at the same time we need to
make changes to re-capture our manufacturing base, which will put
Americans back to work. To do otherwise would risk plunging this
nation into a severe depression.

A $61 billion cut in spending is probably about right for the 7 months
left in this fiscal year. Republicans need to keep extending the debt
ceiling a little at a time and only if we keep making cuts in spending
and thus working toward a balanced budget.

If the Democrats in the Senate and the President aren’t willing to go
along with the House on this, then Republicans will need to have the
courage to offer a budget based only on incoming revenues, which will
bring much of government to a halt. They must make the point that such
an abrupt correction is the result of Democrats acting irresponsibly.

In the meantime liberals are already going berserk at the thought of
cutting funds for women, infants and children (WIC), education and
etc. Sorry folks, those expenditures are un-constitutional and should
have never been started or funded by the federal government in the
first place. Business as usual is over, weak and dependent people are
going to suffer the most, mainly because they have allowed themselves
to be made into weak and sniveling dependents. Life as we have known
it in the past is going to change. We will either make painful
corrections and save our country or it will implode and the suffering
and chaos that will follow will be beyond most people’s imagination.

I look forward to seeing everyone this Wednesday.

Charlie Meadows
Charliemeadows7@gmail.com