A View from the Edge: The Teacher Pay Raise

   I should apologize up front to my friend Rob Miller, fellow blogger, for using the title of his blog A View from the Edge in this post. This post is a view from high up, however, where everything is seen and interpreted - especially the actions of lawmakers as they passed the pay raise for Oklahoma teachers. The House passed HB 1010xx on a vote of 79 YES to 19 NO, and the Senate then voted 36 Yes to 7 NO, to send it to the governor for her signature. One would assume that it's cut and dried to become law, but hold on for a minute and consider the corporate mindset of those NO votes in both the House and Senate. Examination of factual statements and actions of one Representative Tim Downing (C) from either Purcell or Norman (my representative) over the last several weeks concerning teacher pay and public school funding - reveals the rhetoric and sometimes "outright lies" that some lawmakers utilize to garner support. One may also "follow the money" as a determining factor for the "No teacher raises ever" crowd. In following the money, Downing has over $100,000 in his campaign account (contributed mostly by outside the district and state corporate groups). Very little of his campaign funds originated with his District 42 constituents. Even the "dark money" support he's received originated with corporate groups such as the "Stand for School Vouchers" group, formerly led by the current U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVoss.
   Mr. Downing released the following statement on March 20, regarding his votes on teacher pay raises: "I want to thank all of the teachers and others who have contacted me about the issue of teacher pay raises. I always support making Oklahoma competitive in teacher pay. I have voted for all the teacher pay bills presented to the House during regular and special legislative sessions over the past 14 months." A quick look back over the past 14 month history of Downing's support reveals he in fact did vote for one teacher pay raise bill (HB 1114), but it had no dedicated revenue stream to pay for it - so it eventually went up in smoke. He said it would be paid for by "eliminating government handouts and waste" such as the elimination of credits and rebates for wind. Downing probably knew the half-baked bill wouldn't fly, but seized the opportunity to support it, to garner teacher support.
   In 2016, Downing voted "No" on the one-cent sales tax for a teachers' pay raise because he believes taxes should not increase for any reason, much less a teacher pay increase. Downing also voted "No" on the "Step Up" plan several months ago for Oklahoma schools, because he's against raising taxes in general, even for teachers - who are still ranked 50th among states for annual salary. OK, we'll give him credit on this one, because most of the tax increases were regressive (affecting middle income tax payers more than the wealthy). As a matter of fact, Uncle Harold "Country Ham" urged him to vote "Yes", because it only increased the gross production tax to 4% (What Harold saw coming was the peoples vote on a 7% GPT, or what has transpired - a 5% GPT). Just this week, Downing also voted "No" on HB 1010XX mentioned above, presumably because Uncle Harold was in the gallery observing the vote (remember where most of Downing's campaign money and support originates, and the bill will increase Harold's tax burden to 5%, which will make his wallet only a little lighter). Many corporate billionaires have threatened to leave Oklahoma if the GPT increases. We will now find out if their threats are carried out.
   So now, Downing's documented statement that ... I have voted for all teacher pay bills... must be judged as inaccurate.
   All hope is not lost, however, for Uncle Harold, Hillbilly Doug, and Cousin Larry (The OK hillbillies of the World Corporate Federation (WCF) - as another group, Oklahoma Corporate United, otherwise known as Oklahoma Taxpayers Unite! from parts unknown, has been invented to fight the GPT. It will be circulating a petition for citizens to sign which will allow a vote to repeal the "still lowest GPT in the nation" - 5%. The tag-team tricks of the corporate oil executives are never-ending, so look for them never to give up...
   Next time well take a look at one bill Downing truly does support (House Bill 2782), because it takes funding away from our public school students - and the rationale behind it...