New House Committees to re-assert states’ rights and accountability
Last week, Representative T.W. Shannon, the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, announced the House committee structure for the next legislative session. This event…
State Government
The real story of how a bill becomes law
This week marks the first deadline when state legislators (Representatives and Senators) must submit notice of their intent to file bills for the 2013 legislative…
Why did your Property Tax go up?
When many of House District 31 residents, who also live in Logan County, received their new property tax assessments last April, they noticed a refreshing…
The Scary Side of State Government
Perhaps no effort to shrink the size of state government has been more aggressive than the attempt to consolidate the state’s massive information technology infrastructure….
New State Reps for Logan County and Deer Creek
Last Wednesday, the new members of the House of Representatives took the oath of office. Unlike Congress, the Oklahoma Legislature does not conduct lame duck…
The 2013 battle over Federal Health Care policy
There are many within state government who understand that the long term fiscal impact of the federal health care law will be devastating. While the…
Everyone Pays When Government Levies Intangible Tax On Corporations
Each day, taxpayers give up millions of dollars due to cost of living increases because of government regulation and taxation. Most taxpayers never realize that…
Can UN observers monitor Oklahoma elections?
This article is a continuation of last week’s column that answers some of the questions I am receiving about next week’s elections.
Answers to FAQs about The Election
As election day approaches, I continue to receive questions from constituents about the items on the ballot and the election process.
You have got to check this out
You have heard that sunshine is the best disinfectant to corruption in government. In recent years, the House of Representatives Government Modernization Committee has approved…
Thank you! I will always remember!
On November 14, I will take the oath of office for the next term of the Legislature. I have now served six years as your…
Getting lawmakers off welfare
When a lawmaker decides to accept lobbyist gifts, he enters into a type of welfare system. Like all welfare systems, this tends to destroy the…
Voters to vote on six state questions in November
This is the time of year when voters start researching and asking about the state questions which will be on the November ballot. Unlike two…
Shaking down lobbyists
Back in February I wrote an article describing the influence of certain lobbyists over the legislative process. I wrote that lobbyists, ” . . ….
State questions on November ballot
This is the time of year when voters start researching and asking about the state questions which will be on the November ballot. Unlike two…
Disqualifying candidates based on occupation
I believe our nation’s founding fathers designed Congress to be made up of citizens from varied professions and occupations. This concept was applied to the…
It is time to end pork earmarks
The issue of pork earmarks or legislative pass-throughs has received a bit of public scrutiny within the past few weeks after the Oklahoma Council on Public…
When the government refuses to follow the law
Imagine the challenge faced by the citizen who feels the call to become civically involved and hold government accountable only to be denied access to…
40 million dollars of savings and counting
Oklahoma taxpayers received some great news as part of a recently released report from Oklahoma State Chief Information Officer Alex Pettit. During the last legislative…
Who will pay for higher education in the future?
Last week I described the future model of higher education as being mostly free to use. This begs the obvious question. Who will pay for…