Here are excerpts from recent editorials in Oklahoma newspapers:
Muskogee Phoenix. Jan. 20, 2019.
- Senate bills a good step
Steps were taken this past week to implement Gov. Kevin Stitt’s plan to increase his authority to appoint directors of state agencies - a power the governor said during his campaign is necessary to promote accountability and lead the state - should be taken up swiftly, carried out and expanded.
Those first steps were initiated by Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, that legislative chamber’s top Republican, who filed five bills that would grant the governor authority to appoint directors at five of the 10 state agencies toward which most appropriations flow. The appointees, if confirmed by the Oklahoma Senate, would then serve at the pleasure of the governor.
There have been instances when political appointees have tripped and stumbled and sometimes worse as they tried to carry out the functions of government agencies. There are concerns that appointees might politicize the leadership at state agencies in furtherance of some interest that may not align with an agency’s mission.
While that may be the case in some instances, we believe that is true only on rare occasions - voters and term limits could help dissipate most concerns. The real threat are the fiefdoms built up during extended periods of time by entrenched interests like those that seem to have been exposed at the Oklahoma Health Department.
Stitt made greater control of state agencies a central theme of his candidacy. More than 54 percent of the voters who cast ballots in November elected him to serve as the state’s 28th governor.
We agree with Treat to the extent that a governor, regardless of political persuasion, should have the authority to pick the person they want to lead state agencies for the purpose of enacting the vision and agenda believed best for the state. Senators must exercise legitimate oversight during the confirmation process.
Stitt is correct in his assessment that there have been rogue directors at state agencies that seem to be serving interests that do not align with the majority of those their decisions impact. Pushing a plan to bypass traffic around Muskogee, registering poultry barns, and granting water permits without properly studying the impact and affording due process are examples of how decisions made at state agencies can have a tremendous local impact.
These first five bills would change the appointment process for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Office of Juvenile Affairs, and Departments of Transportation, Corrections, and Mental Health. Consideration should be given to extend the governor’s authority to other agencies as well.
We support the new governor’s plan to bring some accountability to state agencies. If Treat’s efforts to implement the governor’s plan bears fruit, we will watch to ensure those chosen to lead will further the interests of true stakeholders - those who deal with the long-term impact of agency decisions, not just those who reap quick benefits then flee.
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Tulsa World. Jan. 22, 2019.
- Medical marijuana could get reversed on a county-by-county basis in Oklahoma
Sen. Casey Murdock, a Panhandle legislator, wants to give his constituents the right to opt out of State Question 788, a voter-approved law allowing medical marijuana.
Imagine that: Medical marijuana could be safe, legal, regulated and taxed in one county and prosecuted a few miles down the road. What gets you over the nausea of chemotherapy in Guymon, gets you thrown in jail in Boise City.
The state could license a doctor-recommended drug to people in Woodward County, but they better not get caught holding it in Beaver County.
That’s not the way it’s supposed work, Sen. Murdock.
If it were, there are lots of laws we might want to suspend in our part of the state.
Murdock points out that voters in his Senate district overwhelmingly rejected SQ 788 last summer. In Texas County, for example, the “no” vote got more than 64 percent of the vote.
But the voters of Oklahoma - all of Oklahoma, voting as a single state - approved SQ 788 by nearly 57 percent.
We are one state. If we get into the habit of having a different set of criminal laws according to local tastes, we might as well not be.
A higgledy-piggledy patchwork isn’t empowering local citizens. It is a recipe for chaos and confusion and disrespectful of the voters.
Like the other members of the Legislature, Rep. Murdock is sworn to support, obey and defend the Oklahoma Constitution. We’ll remind him of the unmistakable language of Article 2 of that Constitution - the state Bill of Rights: “All political power is inherent in the people.”
If you and your constituents don’t like medical marijuana, they shouldn’t use it, Rep. Murdock, but this issue is decided … by the people … and with an overwhelming mandate.
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The Oklahoman. Jan. 22, 2019.
- Federal stalemate has lasted far too long
While President Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrangle over border security and play political games, it’s everyday folks who feel the pain of the partial government shutdown. The sooner that pain ends, the better.
Trump and Pelosi have been firm with their stances - the president wants $5.7 billion for border security, including a “wall,” and has offered temporary protection for “Dreamers.” Pelosi and fellow congressional Democrats have said no. After a month at loggerheads, each side is loath to give much ground to the other.
As a result, air travelers are being made to wait far longer than usual - an hour or more in some of the nation’s busiest airports - to complete routine security clearance. The shutdown has left the Transportation Security Agency with fewer staffers available.
Furloughed workers at the IRS have been ordered back to work, without pay, to process tax returns (at least 222 IRS workers in Oklahoma were furloughed). The New York Times reported that furloughed safety inspectors for the Federal Aviation Administration were recalled to work, also without pay, and that pollution inspectors with the Environmental Protection Agency were among those not on the job.
The U.S. Coast Guard became the first branch of the armed services not to pay guardsmen. Secret Service agents are among those working without pay, as are air traffic controllers.
The shutdown means delays are imminent for highway projects in Oklahoma. The state Department of Transportation is holding off on taking bids on 26 projects that were scheduled to take place this month, and expects to delay taking bids on another 19 projects in February. All told, the projects are worth about $136 million.
In Oklahoma City, home to the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, roughly 1,750 FAA employees have been furloughed or are working without pay. Several of those furloughed workers picketed outside Will Rogers World Airport last week, warning travelers of the effects of the shutdown.
One of those workers told The Oklahoman’s Justin Wingerter that he had enough in his savings account for a couple months, “but if we go through too many more of these, it will affect my daughter’s tuition.”
The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission said late last week that 636 federal workers in Oklahoma had filed unemployment claims. The total doesn’t include federal contractors. Some of those who are out of work are staying busy as substitute teachers in Oklahoma schools.
As usual, Oklahomans are helping each other - Wingerter noted that the YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City has offered financial assistance to furloughed workers faced with canceling their memberships. The wellness center at the University of Central Oklahoma is allowing furloughed workers free access. The National Memorial & Museum and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art are waiving admission for those affected. The list goes on.
But the list shouldn’t be necessary. The politicians in Washington need to put egos aside and country first, and find a way to end this stalemate.
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