Perspectives: Sam’s Perspective – Do Nothing

Hello, I’m Sam Jones.

We are taping this on Wednesday, February 7 2018. It’s important that you know the date because it underscores the ongoing saga of Oklahoma’s financial woes. For years this wonderful state has been sinking deeper and deeper into a budget hole. As a result state agencies have been dealing with increasingly problematic budget shortages. One of the hardest hit has been the funding of public schools. I said earlier that we’ve been fighting the financial shortages in Oklahoma for years. Let me add that the folks in charge over in Oklahoma City knew it was coming and failed to do anything about it. Now here we are, living, if you want to call it that, with lawmakers’ inaction. Oh they knew what to do, they just didn’t have the courage to do it. Most recently, the current Governor pushed for and got tax cuts that only added to our shortages.

Now, she’s turning to lawmakers to come up with solutions to problems that she, in fact, helped them create in the first place. Really? What a circus. Does anyone seriously believe that major industries will want to move here knowing the mess they’ll become a part of? You know the answer to that. As it stands, the eyes of several groups are on the current session of the legislature. One is out of state that and laughing all the way to the bank because this group is making money over the legislature’s failure to act. Another is made up of every state agency that’s being hurt by the legislature’s failure to act. That group includes public education, the department of corrections, state transportation and a few others. Another group includes every lobbying group paid to influence state government on how to vote. And finally, the people of Oklahoma are watching, which doesn’t seem to mean much to lawmakers.

So now here we are, a state in trouble and the majority in the legislature and the current occupant of governor’s office, don’t seem to care. Oh they talk a good game but there is a lot of winking and grinning going on. Enough already. There are a few lawmakers who’ve tried to do the right thing, but they’ve been ignored by the majority. It’s time for the rest of the legislature to take off the pointed, aluminum foil hats, put on their big boy pants, close the door to all the lobbyists and out of state special interests and do the job they were hired to do.

Start acting like adults for a change. Its way past the time to do something for the people of the great state of Oklahoma instead of auditioning for Comedy Central.

And that’s my Perspective.