Oklahoma State Senators and Representatives Aren't Working!

     The title of this post/column Oklahoma State Senators and Representatives Aren't Working, may have been best titled "Oklahoma State Senators and Representatives Aren't Working for Their Constituents" or "Oklahoma State Senators and Representatives Are Working for Corporate Bosses" - which would be more fully explanatory of the factual contents.
   An recent article appeared in US News for The Guardian entitled Oklahoma Isn't Working. Can Anyone Fix This Failing American State? The article was written by Russell Cobb, an associate professor in modern languages and cultural studies at the University of Alberta, in Canada. Dr. Cobb has no connections to Oklahoma nor to any other U.S. state for that matter, so has no reason to single out our state as being the "worst state in the nation" in regards to State Legislator provided public services. Cobb describes and provides examples of why Oklahoma is ranked dead last or nearly so, in public education, corrections, state transportation (roads and bridges), and public health care - all public services for local Oklahoma citizens and constituents, which our lawmakers should be concerned. He laments that Oklahoma public school teacher pay is last in the nation and we incarcerate more women than any state in the nation, while our men incarceration rate is second from the top. Our roads and bridges are among the worst in the nation, while the Cherokee Nation recently donated $5 million to our state's public school fund. Also, for the last four years running, Oklahoma has led the nation in budget cuts to our public schools. It's no small wonder that an international columnist saw Oklahoma as a state in need of intelligent lawmakers who care about Oklahomans first.
   When an Oklahoma Senator or Representative is asked the hard questions about what they're planning to solve some of these State Service problems, the answer all to often is standard party line. The first response is usually "Oklahoma is not worse off than any other state in the nation". This is not a true statement, as the evidence says otherwise. Another answer is to sound knowledgeable and important by saying "We are going to have to prioritize our state services, and realize that we're all in this together". The State Legislator might go on to say "My family and I were just discussing these issues tonight at dinner, and decided to pray about them. We know that God will give us the answer to our State problems, because we know that government cannot continue to provide appropriate services for our citizens". What the Legislator means is that "I have no idea how to solve the state's budget crisis, or low teacher pay, or the health care crisis, or the sorry state of our roads and bridges, or the over-incarceration of our female population... but God does, so I'll pray for answers. And if God doesn't know, we're all in trouble, so we've just got to roll up our sleeves and get to work!".
   Believe me, God does know how to solve our state's problems, and He will solve them. He will solve them in his own way though, and not because some lawmaker gave that as an answer to a constituent question. All State Legislators saw this state service catastrophe happening years ago, so to say one is "praying about it" as an answer to solving the issues, is pandering at its worst.
   State Senator AJ Griffin (R) of Guthrie was recently asked "What are voters... saying they want from you and your legislative colleagues? Has this changed at all since 2012 when you were first elected?" Senator Griffin did not answer "It's not about what my constituents want from me, but about what God wants for my constituents, so I'm gonna pray about it, and see what God wants". She didn't say "We're all in this together, so we've got to roll up our sleeves and get to work". And she didn't say "My constituents want gun rights, low taxes, and family values." Senator Griffin answered the question: My constituents want us to fix the budget... Now, I am hearing loud and clear that education funding, tax reform, and budget transparency are the topics on many people's minds. So, I'll ask the same questions of my local State Representative Tim Downing (R) of Purcell and State Senator Paul Scott (R) of Duncan and hopefully get answers. And hopefully their answer won't be "We're all in this thing together, so we've got to roll up our sleeves and get to work", like Kevin Fogarty of the Cheers sit-com.
   I'll be updating this post several more times, but I'm out of time right now... Keep on reading..