Democrats in Oklahoma are decrying the growing disparity between the richest and the poorest families in the nation, and especially in Oklahoma. They are citing a report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which reports that nationally,

For very high-income families — the richest 5 percent — income growth since the late 1990s has been especially dramatic, and much faster than among the poorest fifth of families

and in Oklahoma,

The richest 20 percent of families have average incomes 7.3 times as large as the poorest 20 percent of families.

The purpose of the Center, of course, is not to accurately report the status of the nationa or state-level economic conditions, but instead:

The Center conducts research and analysis to inform public debates over proposed budget and tax policies and to help ensure that the needs of low-income families and individuals are considered in these debates. We also develop policy options to alleviate poverty.

So what has caused the growth in recent years of this "inequality" between the rich and the poor? Could it be that the United States has been importing poor people for the past two decades by the millions? Actually, yes, as the Center unwittingly addresses the problem issue it has raised, on the "About Us" page:

Part of the Center’s work on means-tested programs involves seeking to improve the access of low-income legal immigrants to these programs, both by expanding eligibility and by removing barriers that prevent already-eligible immigrants from obtaining benefits. The Center is relied on as a source of analysis and innovative policy options by a variety of organizations that work on immigrant issues, as well as by federal and state policymakers.

Hmmm....

Labels: Budget, HB 1804, Illegal Immigration, Immigration Reform

Posted at 4/14/2008 08:03:00 AM |

(Alexandria, Va.) -- The multi-year decline of lawmakers' pro-taxpayers scores under Republican control of the House of Representatives and Senate entered a nosedive in 2007 with a new Democratic majority, according to the National Taxpayers Union's (NTU) 29th annual Rating of Congress. The scorecard, the only one to utilize every roll call vote affecting tax, spending, and regulatory issues, was based on a record 609 votes -- 427 in the House and 182 in the Senate. NTU President Duane Parde said:

Despite campaign-trail promises from many Members of Congress to put Washington on a stricter diet, our 2007 Rating shows that, by and large, the only things shrinking on Capitol Hill are lawmakers' pro-taxpayer scores. Overburdened taxpayers looking for an end to 'earmarked' spending, an extension of President Bush's tax cuts, and an honest entitlement reform plan won’t like what they see in Congress's performance so far.

Between 2006 and 2007, the average "Taxpayer Score" in the House fell from 39 percent to 35 percent. The Senate's average plummeted by 11 points, from 48 percent to 37 percent. This spiral takes scores closer to the all-time low (in 1988) of 27 percent and 28 percent, respectively, for the House and Senate. The highest marks were reached in 1995, when House and Senate averages were 58 percent and 57 percent, respectively.

Even though 2007's overall results were not the worst in the Rating's history, several other dubious records were achieved last year, including the lowest score ever (1 percent) and the largest number of single-digit scores (over 200 in the House and Senate). The latter result produced the lowest median scores (not averages) in the history of the Rating, and reflects tremendous political polarization between fiscally liberal lawmakers and the rest of Congress.

In 2007, only 52 lawmakers attained scores sufficient for a heavily "curved" grade of "A" (at least 85 percent in the House and 80 percent in the Senate) and hence were eligible for the "Taxpayers' Friend Award" -- a drop from the 61 who earned top grades in 2006. Meanwhile, 266 Senators and Representatives captured the title of "Big Spender" for posting "F" grades (again, heavily curved at 16 percent or less in the House and 14 percent or less in the Senate) -- a significant jump from the 224 biggest spenders in 2006.

Unlike those of other organizations, NTU's annual Rating does not simplistically focus on a handful of equally weighted "key votes," but every roll call vote affecting fiscal policy -- appropriations, authorization, and tax bills; budget target resolutions; amendments; and certain procedural votes that could affect the burden on taxpayers. For this reason, it has received praise from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including former Sen. William Proxmire (D-WI), creator of the "Golden Fleece Award." A Member of Congress's "Taxpayer Score" reflects his or her commitment to reducing or controlling federal spending, taxes, debt, and regulation.

For the fifth consecutive year, Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) was the top scorer in the House with a 96 percent rating -- bringing him one year closer to Rep. Ron Paul's (R-TX) record of six first-place finishes from 1979 to 1984. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) captured first place in the Senate for the second year in a row with a 93 percent rating. Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) received the worst score in the Rating's nearly 30-year history: 1 percent. Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) was the biggest spender in the Senate with a 3 percent rating.

The NTU scorecard can also be used to show which Democratic and Republican Members of Congress fell the furthest in their relative ranking from 2006 to 2007. Among Democrats, they are Rep. William Jefferson (LA), who dropped 156 slots in the House ranking, and Sen. Hillary Clinton (NY), who declined 30 steps in Senate rank. Rep. Tom Petri (WI) slipped the most among GOP House Members (75 places) while Sen. John Sununu (NH) lost 20 steps in Senate Republican rank. In 2005, Sununu was the upper chamber's top scorer.

The Rating likewise provided clues to how Republicans, now in the minority, responded to their 2006 drubbing at the polls. House GOP Members seemed to have taken the election results as a referendum on their declining fiscal discipline, as the average pro-taxpayer score rose nine points to 69 percent. Senate Republicans, however, didn't seem to get the same memo. Their average fell nine points to 66 percent in 2007. Democrats in both chambers saw drops in average scores: 16 percent to 6 percent in the House and 15 percent to 8 percent in the Senate.

Presidential candidates Sens. Clinton and Barack Obama (D-IL) saw significant decreases in their pro-taxpayer scores between 2006 and 2007: 17 percent to 3 percent and 16 percent to 5 percent, respectively. In 2007, however, scores for both Senators were based on less than three-fourths of the weighted total of votes cast. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), was not issued a score this year because he voted on less than half of the weighted total of votes cast. In 2006, he earned a score of 88 percent.

Among state delegations, South Carolina Senators turned in the highest average score (87 percent) while Idaho topped out in the House at 69 percent. On the other end of the scale, Hawaii posted the worst averages for both chambers, at 3 percent in the Senate and 4 percent in the House. No other state's delegations have ended up in the cellar on the NTU Rating as many times as Hawaii. Parde:

Based on the latest NTU Rating results, the 110th Congress as a whole seems intent on moving the cause of taxpayers back 20 years, to a point when lawmakers voted barely one-fourth of the time to reduce or control the size of government. The burden of taxes and deficit spending is too heavy on our economy and our families, a plight that Washington should stop making worse with careless fiscal policy.

The 362,000-member NTU is a nonpartisan, nonprofit citizen group founded in 1969 to work for lower taxes, smaller government, and economic freedom at all levels. Note: The 2007 Rating and a searchable Rating database from 1992 to 2007 is available at www.ntu.org.

---

More Oklahoma information on Oklahoma's Representatives and Senators can be found here.

Labels: Budget, Tax Cuts, tax increases

Posted at 4/09/2008 09:16:00 AM |

David Blatt, Chair of the Alliance for Oklahoma’s Future, issued the following statement in response to the new revenue estimate certified by the State Board of Equalization showing that the Legislature will have $195 million less revenue for the coming fiscal year than initially estimated.

“It is unfortunate, but not surprising, that the revenue reductions resulting from the tax cuts of recent years are fully kicking in just as the state’s economy is showing some initial signs of weakness. The revised revenue numbers, certified today by the Board of Equalization, are a clear and sobering indication that this is going to be an extremely difficult budget year that will strain the state’s capacity to keep schools, prisons, roads and hospitals properly funded.”

“The recertification numbers create the strong likelihood of targeted and even across-the-board budget cuts in the coming year. When so many of our critical public services already lack adequate funding, further budget cuts would have a real and damaging effect on Oklahoma’s citizens, communities and economy. In order to keep basic programs and services operating, legislators will have to be open to exploring all options for balancing the budget. This must include carefully scrutinizing the tax system for unnecessary and unintentional loopholes and exemptions, as well as reviewing and prioritizing existing spending programs and tapping into the Rainy Day Fund where appropriate.”

Labels: Brad Henry, Budget, OK Legislature, Scott Meacham

Posted at 2/19/2008 11:14:00 AM |

Labels: Budget

Posted at 2/13/2008 11:46:00 AM |

This morning, the GOP chairmen of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, Senator Mike Johnson and Rep. Ken Miller, held a news conference to unveil Governor Henry's proposed budget. Clearly, the governor's eyes are bigger than his stomach, and his proposals don't pass the Jenny Craig budgeting test.

Of particular note is his proposal to increase the pay of public employees, a proposal for which he received thunderous applause at the State of the State address on Monday. Note the duplicity of this proposal in the 4th bullet point below:

EXTENDING THE SCHOOL YEAR: The governor proposed extending the school year by 5 days in his State of the State of address, but he did not include the $90 million that Superintendent Sandy Garrett requested to extend the school year.

PERMANENT FUNDING SOURCE FOR EDGE: In his State of the State Gov. Henry referenced his proposal to use excess gross production revenues – which equals about $80 million a year – to provide a permanent funding source for EDGE. However, the governor did not set this revenue aside in his budget – he keeps it in certified revenues to fund government.

ENDOWED CHAIRS: The governor used his State of the State address to call for funding the backlog of endowed chairs in higher education. Yet the governor’s budget makes no mention of increasing bonding authority to pay for endowed chairs, nor does he include money to service the bonds for endowed chairs approved last session.

STATE EMPLOYEE PAY RAISE: The governor proposed a 5% pay raise for state employees in his State of the State. But his budget only sets aside $32 million for the pay raise – which would only fund half a year of his proposal, leaving a massive budget hole to fill next session.

In addition, the governor cuts the state employee health benefit allowance by $22 million, taking a significant bite out the proposed pay raise.

BORROWING: The governor proposed $188 million in bonds to pay for a wide number of projects. However, the governor did not include ANY funding to pay for the debt service on these bonds.

QUESTIONABLE REVENUES AND UNSPECIFIED SAVINGS: Republicans were glad the governor acknowledged in his budget that savings can be found through efficiencies and streamlining. We’ve been saying this for years. However, the governor listed tens of millions of dollars in “savings” from efficiencies and other “revenues” without giving any specifics:

ENTERPRISE AGENCIES: The governor’s budget claims that creating “Enterprise Agencies” would save $26 million. However, he does not show where the budget reductions would occur for his proposed Enterprise Agencies: DHS, ODOT, or Department of Mental Health.

GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY INITIATIVE: Gov. Henry’s budget claims this would save $33 million, including $7 million in reduced IT spending and $10.5 million from an overhaul of the Central Purchasing Act. However, the governor provides NO DETAILS about which agency budgets would be reduced to account for these efficiencies.

CASH TRANSFERS: The governor proposes transferring $17 million from agencies to the Special Cash Fund, but he didn’t specify which agencies.

TAX COMPLIANCE: Gov. Henry’s budget claims a Tax Compliance Initiative would generate $30 million in revenues, but he provided no data to substantiate this claim.

TAXPAYERS LEFT OUT: We were also disappointed that the governor left taxpayers out of his budget. House Republicans, Senate Republicans – and even Senate Democrats – have called for some form of tax cuts this year. Why does the governor’s budget ignore taxpayers?

Labels: Brad Henry, Budget, OK Legislature

Posted at 2/06/2008 05:10:00 PM |

OKPNS wasn't going to write about this at first but we would be remiss not too for our many readers. Governor Brad Henry and the state have complained that the state is short on revenue to fix our roads and to fund our schools. OKPNS suggests that these "State Leaders" get serious about ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION and its impact on our state. We would have more money to spend on these things if we didn't have any influx of illegals clogging up our school system and DMV. I mean have you been to the DMV lately? I have and let me tell you something it makes me appreciate Rep. Terrill even more! The DMV is filled with Illegal Aliens getting drivers licenses and we already know that our school system has to ear the brunt with the ESL classes. What irked me the most was the woman who asked in ENGLISH for a DMV Book in SPANISH. OKPNS suggest that our Governor get serious about this ILLEGAL Immigration issue and then we will have more money to put into education, infrastructure, and other things.

Labels: Brad Henry, Budget, Revenue, Scott Meacham

Posted at 12/28/2007 10:29:00 AM |

“The opposite of being anti-government is not pro-government, it’s being for better government,” said Blatt. Saving money by eliminating duplication, waste and inefficiency makes more money available for critical public services, he said. On the other hand, such savings make less money available for growing government – a concept that appeals to groups on the other side of the political spectrum. Read More

Labels: Budget, Spkr. Cargill

Posted at 12/05/2007 11:24:00 AM |

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 27, 2007 For more information contact: David Blatt, Public Policy Director Community Action Project 918.382.3228 OKLAHOMA CITY – If the fiscal policies of reducing revenue continue, state government will lack the resources necessary to properly fund vital programs on which Oklahomans rely. According to members of the Alliance for Oklahoma’s Future, dramatic funding cuts in state services such as education, public safety, and state pension programs are inevitable if further reductions in state revenue occur this coming legislative session. “Because of recent decisions enacted by the Legislature, Oklahoma’s revenue growth has slowed dramatically and we are facing long term budget shortfalls,” said David Blatt, Alliance chairman. “Costs for the state’s existing programs are increasing faster than revenues and this situation will further put the squeeze on those priorities that matter most to Oklahomans.” The Alliance was called today to speak to members of the House Revenue and Tax Committee regarding changes to Oklahoma’s tax structure. The Committee chair posed the question, “Should Oklahoma cut taxes and if so, which ones?” “With a grossly underfunded education system, increasing poverty rates among Oklahoma’s children, crumbling roads and bridges, and a crowded prison system, we believe these are the wrong questions for the committee to be asking,” said Blatt. “First and foremost, we need to guarantee that we are meeting our goals as a state to achieve an adequate tax system that provides every Oklahoman opportunity, prosperity and security.” The Alliance proposed the following recommendations to the Committee: • Take a breather from further tax cuts; • Evaluate the current tax structure’s capacity to adequately fund the state’s goals; • Develop long-term budget forecasts; • Modernize Oklahoma’s tax system; • Maintain a balanced tax structure; and • Preserve and ensure equity in the state income tax. Further testimony by Elizabeth Hudgins, Senior Policy Analyst for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a national nonpartisan policy research organization, pointed out that Oklahoma’s taxes are already among the lowest in the nation. “Oklahomans pay among the least in the country in state and local taxes, ranking 43rd nationwide,” said Hudgins. “Policymakers should consider their state’s goals and priorities and ensure a tax system that works for all Oklahomans.”

Labels: Budget, CAP, OK House

Posted at 9/28/2007 09:16:00 AM |

Another doom and gloom economic forecast from the Community Action Project. By David Blatt Director of Public Policy, Community Action Project Oklahoma enters a new fiscal year amidst signs that state revenue collections may be entering a slowdown. As legislators grapple to address new responsibilities, rising costs and unmet needs, this revenue slowdown sends a signal of budget challenges on the imminent horizon. I. Revenue Trends The most recent state fiscal year, FY ‘07, marked the fourth consecutive year of revenue growth in Oklahoma. General Revenue (GR) tax collections, which represent approximately 72% of all state tax revenues, increased by 4.2% in FY ‘07 compared to FY ‘06. Since emerging from the steep downturn of 2002-2004, GR has grown at a robust annual rate of 9.2%. Also for the fourth consecutive year, actual GR collections came in well above certified estimates, allowing for a substantial end-of-year deposit to the state’s Rainy Day Fund, which has now reached $571.6 million. Read more...

Labels: Budget, CAP

Posted at 8/03/2007 01:53:00 PM |

The Alliance for Oklahoma’s Future today lauded as a “major step forward in promoting fiscal responsibility and sound public policy” the passage of legislation that would, for the first time, provide for a long-term state budget forecast. The Alliance is a broad-based, non-partisan coalition of nearly 40 organizations representing Oklahomans from across the state. SB 368, which passed on the last day of the recently completed legislative session, includes language instructing the Office of State Finance to develop a multi-year trend analysis of the state’s budget outlook that would take into account the best available information on economic activity, population change and others factors affecting the state budget. The forecast would be developed and published annually by November 1st. “We especially applaud Senator Jim Wilson for promoting this measure and Senator Owen Laughlin for agreeing to include the budget forecasting language in SB 368”, said David Blatt, Chair of the Alliance for Oklahoma’s Future. SB 368 also sets up a process to have the Oklahoma Tax Commission conduct dynamic estimates of the revenue impact of tax cut bills. “For too long, legislators have made budget and tax decisions that have long-term impacts in the absence of even basic information on the budget outlook beyond the next twelve months”, said Blatt. “We can hope that having access to realistic projections about long-term trends will raise awareness about approaching budget challenges and encourage prudent policy decisions that help keep revenues and spending in alignment”. “Long-term budgeting forecasting is long-term fiscal stewardship of the highest order. Future generations of Oklahomans should benefit greatly from this legislation,” stated Kent Olson, Professor of Economics at Oklahoma State University. A recent study by Prof. Olson revealed that, as a result of demographic changes, mounting spending pressures, and an outdated tax system, Oklahoma faces an approaching long-term structural deficit in which projected state expenditures will exceed projected revenues by large and accelerating amounts. This situation will force hard choices between future tax increases, spending cuts and alternative ways to pay for and ration public services. SB 368 awaits the Governor’s signature to become law.

Labels: Budget, OK Legislature

Posted at 6/04/2007 01:25:00 PM |

Oklahoma City – One day after the enactment of a bipartisan tax relief package, legislative leaders and the governor on Tuesday announced the outlines of a $7.1 billion state budget agreement that speeds up tax cuts for working Oklahomans, boosts teacher pay and includes important funds for critical state services such as public safety and state prisons. “This budget agreement is the result of hard work and bipartisan cooperation, and I thank legislative leaders of both parties for finding consensus on important issues. It hasn’t always been an easy process, but lawmakers ultimately came together to do significant things for Oklahoma, such as strengthening higher education, establishing a state bioenergy center and increasing teacher pay. This bipartisan budget addresses a number of other priorities, as well as ensuring tax relief. In all, it marks a win-win for Oklahoma,” stated Governor Brad Henry “We said very early on that the hallmark of this legislative session would be fiscal restraint and restored accountability from government. This is the first time ever in the history of our state that a Legislature cut government spending when there was the opportunity to spend more,” said Speaker Lance Cargill, R-Harrah. “We delivered a responsible state budget that makes record investments in core services while putting in place reforms that make clear we expect in return quality performance and results. At the same time, we have achieved real tax relief for Oklahoma’s working families – the very people whose productivity has helped fuel our economic growth. Important reforms include taking a first step toward a merit-based pay system for Oklahoma teachers and motivating our OHLAP scholars to earn better grades while in college. And for the first time, we will take a major step toward fixing our state’s prison problem by conducting a top-to-bottom review of the Department of Corrections.” “This budget agreement focuses on protecting middle class families and provides a fiscally-responsible framework for Oklahoma’s future by opening the door to educational opportunities for the next generation. It includes important funding to keep tuition increases to a minimum at our colleges and universities and establishes a permanent funding source to ensure the long-term stability of the Oklahoma’s Promise Scholarship Program,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan, D-Stillwater. “This fiscally-responsible agreement builds on the bipartisan budget and tax relief plan passed by the Legislature earlier this session, and represents a common sense compromise that Oklahomans can all be proud of – especially the tax cuts for working families and the long-term fix for the Teacher Retirement System,” stated Senate Co-President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City. “The Senate’s power-sharing agreement has resulted in a spirit of cooperation in the Legislature’s upper chamber, and this bipartisanship is evident in today’s agreement. The stage is now set for an orderly and on-time adjournment of the 2007 legislative session.”

Labels: Brad Henry, Budget, OK Legislature, Sen. Glenn Coffee, Sen. Mike Morgan, Spkr. Cargill

Posted at 5/15/2007 10:23:00 PM |

Community Action Project urges using proven fiscal tools over tax cuts to grow Oklahoma’s economy Economic research shows that policymakers who want to grow Oklahoma’s economy should invest more in education, health and infrastructure rather than cut taxes, according to an issue brief released today by Community Action Project (CAP). The issue brief according to CAP, is based on a thorough review of economic research, historical data and comparative studies with other states and nations. The brief considers a broad array of fiscal policy tools available to state policymakers for growing Oklahoma’s economy. It finds that public investment in education, health and infrastructure are the most effective ways to spur economic growth. Such investments stimulate the economy by lowering business costs and raising labor productivity. “This brief clearly demonstrates that we can encourage stable, long-term economic growth in the state by investing in the priorities needed to support Oklahoma’s families, businesses and communities,” said David Blatt, Director of Public Policy for CAP, a Tulsa-area anti-poverty agency. “Investing in public services helps those who run businesses that depend on a skilled workforce and functioning infrastructure. By helping to decrease significant business costs and improve the environment for revenue generation, Oklahoma policymakers can encourage business investment and entrepreneurial growth, significantly impacting Oklahoma’s economic growth rate.” In contrast, the study finds that tax cuts are an extremely inefficient fiscal tool for achieving economic growth. In one study cited by the brief, researchers found that 96% of the revenue given up by a typical tax cut is wasted money, going to firms whose investment decisions were not affected by taxes. “Research has found that public services, especially those dealing with education and infrastructure, are key determinants to business location and investment decisions,” said Jim Alexander, a policy analyst at CAP and the brief’s author. “Likewise, policy that improves the health and the opportunity for greater educational attainment of all Oklahomans creates a more productive, better-skilled workforce that attracts businesses and high- skilled workers.”

Labels: Budget, CAP

Posted at 5/01/2007 11:25:00 AM |

Speaker Lance Cargill issued the following statement today after Governor Henry indicated he would veto five budget bills passed today that match his own executive budget: “Oklahomans won’t let the governor’s smoke-and-mirrors press release cloud this simple fact: The governor is getting ready to veto his own budget. The absurdity of this speaks for itself. He doesn’t like our plan. Now he doesn’t like his own plan. And he still refuses to publicly submit a new plan.”

Labels: Brad Henry, Budget, Spkr. Cargill

Posted at 4/19/2007 06:04:00 PM |

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Governor Brad Henry says appropriation bills passed by the Legislature are "dead on arrival" if they're unchanged from appropriations in the general budget bill he vetoed two weeks ago. Leaders in the state Senate are planning to introduce five appropriation bills they say contain the same amount of money for separate state agencies that was contained the original budget. The lawmakers would not say which agencies would be included in the bills. But Henry says he'll veto those bills if they're just "repackaged" from the budget bill and he says legislative leaders should stop wasting time on what he calls an "exercise in futility." Henry wants leaders in the House and Senate to negotiate with him and House Democrats on what should be included in the budget.

Labels: Brad Henry, Budget, OK Legislature

Posted at 4/12/2007 08:04:00 AM |

Oklahoma House Speaker Lance Cargill issued the following statement yesterday, after Governor Henry threatened to veto five agency budget bills that match his own executive budget: "The Governor continues to sit on the sidelines and throw rocks at our ideas without submitting any of his own. Our bipartisan plan has been released for weeks, and there are only six weeks left in session, butthe Governor still refuses to submit an alternative budget based on current projections. The Governor is now threatening to veto his own executive budget. The five budget bills that passed today are identical to the numbers in his executive budget. It makes absolutely no sense for him to veto these bills. This is theater of the absurd. The Governor needs to quit worrying about who gets credit and playing obstructionist games. He needs to put in the effort and show us his detailed planinstead of just criticizing ours."

Labels: Brad Henry, Budget, Spkr. Cargill

Posted at 4/12/2007 05:14:00 AM |

Labels: Brad Henry, Budget

Posted at 4/09/2007 02:00:00 PM |

Dear Governor Henry, Thank you for your letter inviting us to discuss the Fiscal Year 2008 budget. Before such a meeting is scheduled, please provide us with a copy of your comprehensive, detailed alternative to the Legislature's bipartisan budget plan. We look forward to meeting with you once we have received your alternative proposal and compared it to the Legislature's bipartisan budget plan. The bipartisan budget in HB 1234 has been open to the public for two weeks. We presume your alternative plan will be similarly open and detailed. The budget adopted by the Legislature through HB 1234 is a constitutionally-mandated balanced budget based on revised revenue estimates adopted by the Board of Equalization in February. Inasmuch as your Executive Budget was prepared using revenue estimates that are no longer valid, we would like to see your alternative plan reflecting the revised revenue estimates. Sincerely, Mike Morgan Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee Senate Co-President Pro Tempore Lance Cargill Speaker of the House

Labels: Brad Henry, Budget, OK Legislature, Scott Meacham, Sen. Glenn Coffee, Sen. Mike Morgan, Spkr. Cargill

Posted at 4/02/2007 04:38:00 PM |

By Andrew Spiropoulos The problem with the conventional wisdom is that it is generally more conventional than wise. The story everyone is telling at the Capitol these days is that the Governor and the Senate Democrats are deeply at odds; the Senators were just delighted with the now aborted budget deal while the Governor was betrayed by them. He is now lashing out by vetoing their deal. Nice story, but what if it's not true? The last two years we often heard from the Governor and his minions as well as the Democrat Senate leadership and staff how angry they were at the other and how they would much rather deal with us, the Republicans. My suspicion-and operating assumption-was that this kind of talk was a pretense and that they were really working together to maneuver us into an unwinnable position. I obviously don't know for sure whether they were playing it straight then and I know even less about what is going on now. But I do know this-the veto of the budget deal leaves the House and Senate Republicans in a very tough jam. They are going to be forced to negotiate the deal twice and thus satisfy, out of their hide, the hearty spending appetites of both the Governor and the Senate Democrats. Read more...

Labels: Brad Henry, Budget, OCPA, OK Legislature, Scott Meacham

Posted at 4/02/2007 10:17:00 AM |

Speaker Cargill mentioned at his weekly press conference this afternoon that the governor’s chief spokesman on matters of policy and finance, Scott Meacham, has said that they are in favor of 90 percent of the bipartisan budget that the governor vetoed yesterday. Meacham made his comments yesterday on the News9 Morning Show: NEWS9 MORNING SHOW REPORTER DOUG WARNER: No one is suggesting this morning that the governor is waking up this morning shoving the budget in a paper shredder or anything, but uh, are there any parts that you guys have looked at that you actually like, and think, hey, this was a good move, this was a good decision? STATE TREASURER SCOTT MEACHAM: “I think a lot of the budget is – probably 90 percent of it, maybe a little less than that – is okay.” Insiders are scratching their heads and are asking: Why would the governor veto a budget deal, he's 90% in agreement with?

Labels: Brad Henry, Budget, OK Legislature, Scott Meacham, Spkr. Cargill

Posted at 3/29/2007 08:30:00 PM |

"Divisiveness destroys success, and too much is at stake for us to surrender to the pitfalls of partisanship. There is no glory in gridlock, but the rewards of working together - of joining forces on behalf of our fellow Oklahomans - are truly without limit." Gov. Brad Henry - 2007 State of the State Address It seems Governor Henry's Democratic colleagues in the legislature heeded his words until he bribed them Monday with a $100,000 fundraiser. Henry today used his line-item veto to strike down $6.8 billion in new state spending, saying legislative leaders employed a "flawed, closed-door process to craft a flawed budget product that did not represent the best interests of Oklahoma taxpayers." The governor is employing curious logic to say a bi-partisan budget agreement doesn't "represent the best interests of the people," especially in light of the current political climate where bi-partisanship is as rare as bull with udders! One would think 149 legislators would have some idea of what is in the best interest of the people. The governor's chutzpah continues: “I do not use my veto authority lightly...I had no other choice but to strike down the spending bill.” Rep. Trebor Worthen (R-Oklahoma City), asked House Democrats yesterday to sign pledge cards committing their votes to uphold the agreement. "House Democrats have formed their own gridlock gang to keep this responsible state budget package from becoming law. They need to quit playing games and throwing temper tantrums and commit to uphold this agreement. The majority of House Democrats voted for this measure when it originally passed the House last week. Then they stood behind the governor today at his press conference, as if to say that they're now against the agreement. The taxpayers of this state expect them to stand up for responsible government and not play partisan games." On Tuesday, the governor distributed his own pledge cards to House Democrats in an effort to gauge support for his efforts. Worthen said that by voting for HB 1234 originally, only to later threaten to help the governor veto it later, House Democrats are being dishonest and appear to just want to have the limelight thrust their way. "Instead of offering constructive criticisms and trying to help find solutions to budgetquestions, House Democrats are standing in the way of a responsible state budget, just because they don't feel like they had enough say in the process. The worst part of it is, they are preventing state government from meeting the April 1 Fund Education First deadline. When we passed this budget bill last week, we met the deadline, but by vetoing this measure now, the governor and his gridlock gang of House Democrats are holding up funding for teachers and education."

Labels: Brad Henry, Budget, OK Legislature, Rep. Trebor Worthen

Posted at 3/29/2007 10:38:00 AM |