The Legislator Shell Game - Where's the Taxpayers' Money?

   "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive", and the Oklahoma legislators' state budget plan is a "shell game" and deception for taxpayers. Lawmakers have been lying about the State Budget going on a couple years now, piling on lie after lie, and certainly weaving a tangled web. We can only hope "the domino effect" is working, as three dominos (Shortey, Loveless, and Kirby) have already fallen this year, but Oklahoma taxpayers will probably have to unseat the remaining liars. The lies perpetrated by some lawmakers concerning the state budget, started a few years back, but we'll only examine a few lies of 2016 and 2017.

2016
LIE - "We're holding harmless public school funding." (no reductions).
TRUTH - Public Schools were shorted textbook funding, which reduced public school funding. Public school funding was then reduced time and time again during the course of the year.
2016
LIE - "The House and Senate appropriations are being reduced."
TRUTH - "The House and Senate played the old game of "Hide the Money" and moved much of their appropriated funds to another agency, effectively keeping it out of sight of taxpayers. The House and Senate both received huge $$$ increases."
2017
LIE - "Again, we've already told you once... we're not reducing public school appropriations... why aren't you believing us?"
TRUTH - Textbook funding and teachers' health insurance are not fully funded, and schools will likely be cut again in 2017.
LIE - "We believe teachers deserve a pay raise, but the 1 cent sales tax for education is not the way to do it."
TRUTH - "We believe teachers do not deserve a raise, so we will not provide one."

These are but a few of the lies that corporate lawmakers have fed the Oklahoma taxpayers over the past two years only. The sad part is that all of them were elected to office by the taxpaying public, so the charade will continue on, indefinitely and eternally.
   A good friend came up with a very good idea as to how to identify the "liars" and "cheats" in our state legislature: When they're first elected to office, they must wear the "team uniform" at the capitol and to each and every campaign function attended. A new law could be passed which requires the team uniform to be similar to the jacket and car that NASCAR drivers wear and drive: "Lawmakers shall be required to wear and display the 'colors' and sponsors (bosses) names on all clothing and/or automobile." I'd be willing to bet that no "constituent's" names would be displayed, only the out-of-state corporate interests and $billionaires...