Perspectives: Sam’s Perspective – Making Points

Hello, I’m Sam Jones. So,… what are you? Christian, Jew, Muslim, Agnostic, Atheist or Satanist? Truth be told, it matters not to me what handle you claim. As long as you don’t try to force it on me, I don’t care if you worship a fire plug or nothing at all. It’s your business and you have a right to it. Something else that bothers me is when I hear someone say, “America right or wrong.” When you cross that line, you are usually pushing others to cross it with you because you are either a bully or a coward and afraid to go it alone. To me, it’s sort of like saying, “My mother, drunk or sober.” So if you use that line, chances are you are a politician appealing to your base ‘cause you got the job and you want to keep it and you don’t have anything else to attract the voters.
I bring all this up because you need to know about Oklahoma Senate Bill 40, a measure based on hate, ignorance and prejudice. It was written by Senator Paul Scott, a Republican from Duncan. Let me tell you a little bit about this bill. It would eliminate state funding for the Sooner program which provides pregnancy and maternity services to low income women, including those who are not legal residents. It is tied to the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program and cutting it would create a $91-million dollar loss in Oklahoma that covers health services for Oklahoma’s poorest children and all eligible Oklahomans including pregnant women who are citizens. Now before you start repeating the tired lie that pregnant Mexican women are flocking to America for free prenatal care, let me point out that Mexico provides free or low cost health care to low income families. They are coming to America because to outsiders, our government appears stable.
They are also looking for work. Now before you start repeating another tired lie, that they are taking jobs away from real Americans, I want you to do something for me. The next time you pass a house getting a new roof, check out who is on top of it, working on those roofs in the heat and in the cold, what color are they? Also look into who picks the food you eat from the corporate farms on this side of the border and who cuts the lawns or does any number of other jobs most Americans refuse to do.
State Senator Duncan knew all of this before submitting his proposed legislation. He now says he won’t push for passage, and is blaming the Federal government for his hands being tied. Where do we get such men? How do they sleep at night or look in the mirror every day?
Truth be told he knows this country needs to take a serious look at our immigration policies but like our lawmakers at the Federal level, he can’t come up with a solution. Shame, Shame, shame. All he can do is say, “My mother, drunk or sober.”
And that’s my Perspective.