What do we have to lose?

A guy approached me at the coffee shop this morning, asked my name, said he recognized me from a Let's Fix This event or news story or something, and struck up a conversation. Important to note that we didn't discuss politics; we discussed his thoughts on the state budget situation and what it means for the future of Oklahoma.

The guy is married, has a couple of kiddos, lives in Edmond, and works for a large oil & gas company in downtown OKC. His family hasn't been directly impacted by Oklahoma's state budget shortfall - they're financially comfortable, plenty of food, nice clothes, reliable cars, good schools, etc. Honestly, they're probably better off than 80% of Oklahomans.

And yet, he's contemplating moving to Texas. Not because he can't make a living here, but because he's frustrated and ashamed at how our state government continues to stumble and fumble and fail. He admits Texas may not be the model example of how a state should be run, but he feels like they're doing a much better job than Oklahoma. He said the reason oil & gas companies pay so well and invest in local communities is because they need to attract people to live here & work for them...but if they choose to not properly invest in the state (in reality or in the public's opinion of them), then they're going to start losing people to other states just as quickly as we're losing teachers. 

That sentiment should give all of us pause. Moving is a huge hassle and costly, and if we're already losing the folks who can least afford to move, then it should be no surprise that we may start losing the folks who can most easily afford it. If you have the option, why would you raise your children in a state where they don't get a full week worth of school or where they don't have sports to play? Why would you keep living somewhere that requires you to drive for hours to get to a hospital? Why would you spend time in a state that neglects its roads, its state parks, and its people? Why would you live in a state that is widely known for having the worst health outcomes and highest incarceration rates in the entire country? 

We've got to change the narrative. All of us - from the Governor all the way down to you and I - need to stop and think about where we're at as a state and where we're headed. We're at a crossroads in our history, and this is the defining moment of our generation. Our response to the co-occurring crises of identity, purpose, value, and direction of our state will surely determine what the next 10, 20, and even 50 years of Oklahoma looks like. Because when we ask ourselves "What do we have to lose," the answer is an emphatic "Everything." And based on my conversation in the coffee shop this morning, we may already be starting to lose it. 

I'll end by reiterating what I said in my last post - we need leaders in our state who have a bold vision for our future and who are committed to leaving a legacy of decisive, formative, positive action on our state. We need people who are committed to the future of our state, not just the future of their careers. 

Leadership, Vision and Legacy

A lot of folks, myself included, have commented on the lack of leadership among our state legislature and other statewide elected officials. That deficiency has been highlighted repeatedly this year by the legislature's fledgling attempts to fix the budget. From the Governor's highly unpopular plan to tax services to the recent communication break down among legislative leaders, the people responsible for guiding our state's financial well-being have left the public feeling, well...honestly, pretty scared about the future. 

That's not leadership

Leaders shouldn't make you feel scared about the future. Real leadership is making others feel confident and inspired. Leadership is being able to clearly articulate a vision for the future, identify the objectives necessary to make that vision come to life, and encouraging others to join you in the pursuit.  True leaders pursue that vision relentlessly, and their legacy is defined by their achievement. 

Be thou my vision

Oklahoma needs a new vision. We need something to believe in - something bigger than ourselves, bigger than this perpetual budget hole, and bigger than our reliance on the oil and gas industry. We need to believe that we're better than being 49th, that we're not just some flat, one-party, "flyover state" who can't do anything right besides play football, survive tornadoes, and try to overturn Roe vs Wade every other month. Oklahoma needs to get its groove back.

Oklahoma has a diverse population, a diverse economy, and a diverse ecosystem. We have a rich, storied past of hard work and overcoming hardships. We're a unique blend of rugged individualism that formed strong communities. We're smack in the middle of America's compass, right at the crossroads of where East meets West and North meets South. Far too often we act like that means we don't know where we belong, but I think it's time we recognize that the middle is a pretty cozy place where many Americans want to be. Oklahoma has got to stop comparing itself Texas and get out from under the shadow of the Lone Star; we need to recognize our own self-worth and embrace our Oklahomaness. Once you realize you're not the ugly duckling; being a swan is a whole lot easier. We need to embrace the vision that Oklahoma is successful and desirable, and the sooner we start believing that, the sooner we'll all be acting like it's true.

“When your self-worth goes up, your net worth goes up with it. ”

— Mark Victor Hansen

What do you want your legacy to be?

What happens in the next two weeks will define the legacy of Oklahoma's 56th legislature. I can guarantee their legacy won't be how many abortion resolutions they passed or how many times they vowed not to support something Obama said or that they voted to allow us to hunt wild hogs from helicopters. It will be this moment, right here, right now, when they choose to either pursue a vision for healthy, growing, thriving Oklahoma, or when they choose to do nothing, turning their back on their fellow Oklahomans in harmful, cold neglect.

Oklahoma's state leaders need to decide what kind of legacy they want to leave behind. If they're simply content with being known as the ones who cut corporate income taxes or filled up the Rainy Day Fund, then folks - we need to elect better leaders. We need leaders with a passion and vision for the future. Oklahoma deserves leadership that will inspire us and unlock that greatness that we all know is living deep down inside. We need leaders who want to leave a legacy of prosperity, of greatness, of success. Not for themselves, but for Oklahoma. 

A New Deal for Oklahoma

Just over 84 years ago, in the midst of the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office and delivered his first inaugural address. The speech mostly was about the Depression, which was (and still is) the worst financial crisis in American history. However, if you read it now, you'd think he was talking to us about Oklahoma's present budget situation. We've been saying things are bad, and hearing FDR's words echo across history gives our current situation some much-needed context. The familiar phrase "those who choose to ignore history are doomed to repeat it" has never felt more relevant.

To help illustrate this point, I reworked parts his speech to make it sound more modern and swapped out national nuances for Oklahoman ones, while retaining key phrases to preserve the overall feel and sentiment of the original. And, because I believe we need to be inspired by strong voices and thoughtful dialogue, I will be delivering this version during our Capitol Day event this later morning. 

---

This is a day of statewide importance. This is the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. We should not shrink from discussing the conditions that face our state today. This great State will endure as it has endured. Together we can overcome, and together we will prosper.

First of all, let me be clear: the only thing that stands in our way is our own fear of speaking up, of speaking out, and of being labeled "too political." This is an unjustified terror which paralyzes us and inhibits our willingness to lead and do what is right and what is best for the people of Oklahoma. In this dark hour, as in every dark hour of our state, we need a leadership of frankness and of humility, a leadership that understands and supports the people themselves. We need to live up to the Oklahoma Standard that we so often revere.

Year after year, we face the same problems. Revenue has declined; taxes are levied inequitably and irresponsibly. Our government's ability to pay has fallen; our progress is frozen in the currents of corporate coddling; the withered leaves of broken families lie on every side; prisons teem with huddled, neglected masses; and the very safety nets that have saved thousands of Oklahoma families are now riddled with holes. Many of my fellow Oklahomans continue to face the grim reality of unshakable poverty, and an even greater number work tirelessly, week after week, living check to check, hovering just above economic collapse. Only a fool can deny the dark realities of the moment.

And yet, we have faced this adversity before. Compared with the perils of our past - the Dust Bowl, the oil bust, the other oil bust - we have much to be thankful for. The Earth still offers her bounty and our human efforts have multiplied it. However, while there is a package of prosperity at our doorstep, greed threatens to steal it away. The leaders of our state have failed, and yet, due to their own stubbornness or perhaps their own myopic incompetence, they still refuse to admit their failure. The shameless behavior of special interests stand indicted in the court of public opinion, and they are rejected by the hearts and minds of men.

True, the Legislative leadership may say they have tried, but they continue to act in the pattern of an outworn tradition. Faced by repeated revenue failures, they have only proposed more cuts and more social control. Without the ability to promise prosperity and entice us to follow their false leadership, they have resorted to exhortations, pleading tearfully for us to trust them while placating us with platitudes of moral indignation. They have no vision, and when there is no vision, the people perish.

Yes, some of those who created this situation have fled from their high seats in this building, the temple of our state. We may now restore this temple to the truth it once held. How well we restore it requires we seek values more noble than mere monetary profit.

Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and the moral stimulation of work should not be forgotten in the mad chase of fleeting profits. These dark days, my friends, will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to live in fear that our government may abandon us in our time of need, but to remind us that our state constitution was ordained to secure a just and rightful government, and to promote our mutual welfare and happiness. 

We must recognize that lower taxes will not magically make Oklahoma successful, and that must go hand in hand with legislators giving up the false belief that the only value of public office and political position are pride and personal gain. There must be an end to the conduct by both the legislature and by businesses that places politics and profits ahead of people. I'm not surprised that people have no confidence in our state government. Confidence thrives only on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection, and on unselfish performance. Without them, confidence cannot live.

If we are to restore this state, it will require more than changes in ethics alone. This State is asking for action, and action now. As I stand before you today, our primary task is to fix the budget. This problem is completely solvable if we face it wisely and courageously. There are, in fact, many ways in which the budget can be helped, but it can never be helped by merely talking about it. We must act, and we must act quickly.

We must recognize that this will require nearly all of us to share the responsibility. However, the burden borne by each person should be fair, equitable, and proportionate to the degree of blessings each of us has received. Broadly supported measures, such as increasing taxes on cigarettes and fuel, despite their regressive nature, are a must. A surcharge on high incomes would only affect three percent of households, and they would still be paying less income tax than they did prior to the most recent round of tax cuts. Ending wind subsidies and the capital gains exemption, adopting combined corporate reporting, and increasing the gross production tax are all reasonable, viable, and totally justifiable means for reconstituting our lost revenue.

And finally, in our progress toward fixing our budget, we require two safeguards against a return of the evils of old: there must be a strict supervision of funding and how it is spent. There must be an end to automatic tax cut triggers that ignore the full context of the state's economy.

These, my friends, are the lines of attack. Through adoption of this plan, we begin to put our house in order and slowly restore the persistent optimism that has guided our state for more than a hundred years. Our social policy, though very important, must be secondary to establishing a sound state economy. I favor, as a practical policy, the putting of first things first. We all want to completely eliminate every ounce of waste, fraud, and abuse, but the emergency we face cannot wait on that accomplishment.

The basic thought that guides this specific plan of statewide recovery is the recognition of the old and permanently important Oklahoma spirit of the pioneer. It is the way to recovery, and it is the immediate way. It is the strongest assurance that recovery will endure. We must blaze a trail to solvency, to hope, to our successful future. 

We must be good neighbors; we must be the neighbor who resolutely respects himself and the rights of others; the neighbor who respects his obligations and respects the sanctity of his agreements with all of his neighbors. We cannot merely take; we must give as well. If we are to move forward, we must recognize that we are all in this together.

We hope that the normal balance of authority between the House and Senate will be enough to meet the unprecedented task before us. However, in the event that the legislature fails to take a proper course; in the event that the statewide emergency is still critical, we shall not evade the clear course of duty that will then confront us. We will file, we will campaign, we will vote, and we will win each and every seat currently occupied by legislators who do not represent the best interests of the good, hardworking people of Oklahoma.

Now, we don't distrust the future of democracy. We, the people of Oklahoma, have not failed. We have registered a mandate that we want direct, vigorous action. We have asked for discipline and direction under leadership. We have made the governor and the legislature the instruments of our wishes, and in the spirit of that gift, we request, nay, we demand that our leaders stand up and lead.

We face the difficult days ahead with an increasingly warm courage of growing statewide unity; with the collective decision to seek justice based upon inclusive and accepting moral values; and with the clean satisfaction that comes from doing what we all know, deep down, is for the common good. We all want a secure and prosperous Oklahoma life.

My fellow Oklahomans, I ask you to join me in this fight. Join us in asking the legislature to fix the budget, to redeem our state. There are many in this building who already stand with us. My friends, with your help, we can do this. Grab a friend, join me, and together: let's fix this.

Counting Every Penny

The Oklahoman recently published an editorial written by Oklahoma House of Representatives Speaker-elect Charles McCall (R-Atoka), in which he states that before the legislative sessions starts in February, the House will hold budget hearings for the top five appropriated state agencies. (He doesn't mention which agencies, but they are Education, Health, Human Services, Public Safety, and Transportation.) McCall also appears to want these hearings to be group participation activities, stating:

These hearings will take place in the House chamber, allowing every member of the House to attend and ask questions. In addition, the public will be encouraged to attend. When hearings are scheduled, a meeting notice with the date and time will be added to the House website at www.okhouse.gov.

Now, we're big supporters of public involvement and we certainly believe that the state budget deserves a close examination every year,  but we're rather disappointed that these hearings are only looking at spending and, yet again, ignoring income.  His decision to examine appropriations to five state agencies completely ignores (and arguably distracts from) the fact our state doesn't have a spending problem, we have a revenue problem. Everyone wants a larger piece of the pie, and rather than trying to slice it differently, we need to be looking at how to make the entire pie larger. 

{ Hey look, the proportions are the same AND all the slices got bigger! }

McCall's analogy of the legislature deciding about funding agencies like a mother who is forced to choose between buying healthy vegetables or face another week of PB&J sandwiches is not just overly simplistic (and sexist), it completely disregards any consideration of how much money is coming into the household and what other non-food expenses the woman may have. To better reflect the reality of how our legislature handles Oklahoma's budget, perhaps we should compare it to a man who complains he doesn't have enough money because he refuses to go pick up his paycheck from his employer (and then keeps spending what little money he does have on beef jerky and orange soda). 

If Oklahoma is going to experience growth and prosperity, we have got to talk about taxes. The only source of income our government has is from taxes, and yet some of the good folks at 23rd & Lincoln still believe that we can cut taxes year after year and somehow have more money. Think about that for a second - if someone said to you "If I give you less money, you'll actually have more money," you'd say they were delusional. It's not getting any cheaper to operate this state - the cost of everything has gone up. Roads, healthcare, pensions, copy paper, Capitol repairs - all these things cost money, and a million dollars doesn't buy as much as it did 10 years ago. (There are 50,000 more students in Oklahoma schools than there were in 2008, but we're spending $175 million less on education. How is that a good idea?)

Listen, I don't want to pay any more taxes than you do, but I'm okay with paying my fair share. And based on the conversations I've had with friends, family, and folks at the Capitol, it seems like most people agree. Most folks think that corporations should pay their fair share, too. People should be rewarded for doing a good job, but let's not go overboard. Call me crazy, but maybe companies shouldn't receive millions in tax credits and incentives even when they're making hundreds of millions in profits. 

So, what can you do? First of all, talk to your state representatives and senators. They need (and want) to hear from you. Ask them questions like:

• "Will you move to stop future income tax cuts until the state economy has time to fully recover?
• "Why does Oklahoma have the lowest gross production tax rate in the country? Will you propose restoring the gross production tax rate to 7 percent?"
• "Why do we give money to energy companies for wells that don't produce anything?"
• "Did you know that nearly 1 in 4 children in Oklahoma live in poverty? What are you doing to reduce the gap between rich and poor Oklahomans?"
• "What are you doing to ensure that schools in my district have enough money to provide my children with the education and experience they deserve?"
• "Will you stand up for what is right for Oklahoma, even if your party's leadership asks you to vote otherwise?"
• "What's your favorite kind of cookie?"

(Throw that last one in there just to mess with them...and also as a reminder that they're people, too, who also pay taxes and have families and have to live in this state with us. Plus it's helpful to know what kind of cookie to send them as a thank-you for standing up for what's right, even when that's politically unpopular.)

Once they announce the date(s) of the budget hearings, we'll share the information on Facebook and Twitter.