There is a war that will be fought beginning September 25 at the state capitol. The war will determine which state taxes will increase for Oklahoma tax payers, and which state taxes will not. It's a fairly safe bet that taxes on Oklahoma citizens will increase, as our do-nothing Corporate Legislators have no choice but to raise taxes.
I think it depends on what the definition of is, is. The definition of a tax for a Corporatist Legislator is a "regressive tax" or a tax which affects middle-income earners more than it does the wealthy or corporate interests. Examples of regressive taxes are sales taxes, user fees, income taxes, and property taxes for individual property owners.
The definition of a tax for conservative (not corporate) Republican Legislators and conservative Democrats is a "progressive tax" or a tax which affects the wealthy (not many Oklahomans) and Corporate Interests equally with middle-income earners. Examples of "progressive taxes" are all corporate taxes (wind energy, oil and gas production), corporate income tax (of which there is none), and corporate property tax.
The "battle lines" are now being drawn and the sides chosen for the Corporatist Legislators on one side, who only want to raise "regressive taxes" to fill the budget hole and Conservative Republicans and Democrats on the other side, who want the tax increase spread out out among all tax-payers, corporate, wealthy, and middle-income earners.
It will be very interesting how this "war" plays out beginning September 25, and just which tax-payers will eventually bear the burden.
Update: The Oklahoman Editorial Board has chosen its side in the "battle to balance the state budget", and it has taken the side of the Corporatist Legislators. The Edit. Board has stated that Governor Fallin is amiss in suggesting that the Legislature address all budgetary issues, instead of just the cigarette tax revenue stream. It (the board) implies that our mathematically challenged Legislators lack the concentration level required to focus on multiple budgetary issues instead of only one. I agree with the Board's assessment on this issue, but I don't agree with the board's apparent motivation for "spelling out" why Governor Fallin is wrong about wanting the Legislature to fix the state budget on multiple levels. Corporate Legislators only wish to re-instate the cigarette tax because the tax is regressive. They do not want to create any revenue stream for state services that would increase taxes on the wealthy and corporate entities or restore lost corporate welfare revenue. Any type of Legislative action which would be progressive, would cut those (C) Legislators own revenue streams.
Update: After watching The Vietnam War by Ken Burns this past week on OETA, it reminds me of just how serious war is, and anything else by comparison is only a game.
My high school football coach, Joe Tunnell, who became Oklahoma's winningest high school football coach in 2009, put games in perspective for his team in 1967 (his first year at Lindsay High School). It was a year (1967) that the United States was heavily involved in the Vietnam War, and tensions between Russia and the United States were at its worst (Cold War). Many Americans thought the next War would inevitably be between the U.S.S.R. and the United States of America. In November of 1967, the Lindsay Leopards had just been beaten (slaughtered) by the Clinton Red Tornadoes, 35 - 7. Clinton was led by Coach Jim Frazier, and future Collegiate and NFL players such as Roy Bell. In the Leopard locker room at Red Tornado Stadium immediately following the game, Coach Tunnell addressed his downtrodden Leopard players. He did not say "Keep your heads up, you played a good game". Coach Tunnell only made one statement to his team: "Just remember one thing - if we ever go to war with the Russians, those guys (implying the Red Tornadoes) are on our side".
So, now, I'll be analogizing the Capitol Corporatists verses the Budget Balancers as only a game, and not a war... We'll start with the head coaches for each team: For the "Fitin' Corporatists, the Speaker of the House and Head Coach Charles McCall has recently banished several team members, including Leslie Osborn, to the Budget Balancers team. He leads a formidable cast of Corporatists into battle, whom we'll mention later. The Budget Balancers Head Coach Mary Fallin was recently traded from the Corporatists to the Budget Balancers by the (C) team owners - The Corporate Budget Busters. She has only recently been in favor of a balanced state budget, much to the disappointment of the Corporate Lawmakers on her former team. The edge for "Head Coach" goes to Charles McCall of the Corporatists as he has much more money to work with.. (I mean work for).
The quarterback for the Budget Balancers, Scott Inman, the House minority leader, has championed for a long time that state taxes should be spread out among all taxpayers - the wealthy, corporate, middle class, and include all types of taxation - sales, property, income, and intangibles. Inman is highly intelligent, but seems to lack the persuasiveness enjoyed by most Corporate quarterbacks, including the present Corporate quarterback, Ray Carter, who is also an editorialist for the Daily Oklahoman. Carter, a strange Corporate player, but talented nonetheless, believes he is the "Tom Brady" of Corporate quarterbacks. Many Budget Balancers believe if Ray Carter is the all-star quarterback he believes he is, then his spouse Jennifer is the Giselle Brady of Corporate quarterbacks. Many others, however believe that Giselle is the real quarterback, and Ray is just the "water boy" for the team. The nod for the top quarterback, nonetheless, must go to Ray Carter and the "Fitin' Corporatists because of his knack for influencing other team members.
The Corporatists have suffered all season long from team members being charged and convicted in many cases for sex crimes and "embezzlement crimes". The Four Horsemen of Corporatism - Shortey (C), Downing (C), Loveless (C), Marlatt (C) are all proven corporate team players, but only Downing remains on the team as the other three have been suspended. This type of corporate behavior has cost the corporatists dearly, but not dearly enough - as they still have the "edge" over the Budget Balancers. Corporate Legislators' name of the game is more money for themselves and their Corporate team owners, and not in winning for Oklahoma citizens. They certainly believe they've won the Super Bowl of special legislative sessions, even if they lose. It's a win-win for Corporate Lawmakers, because they will be paid $30,000 per day while in session, and will cry about losing - all the way to the bank.
The edge in the Super Bowl of Sessions (kick off is Monday, September 25) must go to the Corporatists! They win, even if they lose.
A play-by-play analysis of the game will be provided on this Blog, beginning Monday, so stay tuned...
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