You Must Get Involved

A lot of people started this legislative session feeling fairly optimistic - we believed the new leadership in the Oklahoma House & Senate were going to be thoughtful, reasonable, and empowering to the people of Oklahoma. We were prepared for the news of yet another revenue failure and an $878 million budget shortfall, but with so many people at the Capitol agreeing that the state isn't bringing in enough recenue to cover its expenses, we thought that we'd see multiple revenue measures pass through both chambers relatively quickly.

That's not what happened.

Instead, the Oklahoma legislature passed bills to make it harder for poor people to get food and healthcare, refused to even hear a bill to ensure women and men are paid equally, were found guilty of improperly using lottery money to supplant actual education funding, and, just this week, a state senator was arrested & charged with soliciting sex from an underage male prostitute. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Yesterday I sat in a meeting with leaders from organizations who advocate for the rights of women, children, education, churches, social workers, healthcare, the arts, criminal justice, and budget/tax policy (basically, all the key parts of society besides Big Corporate), and as we discussed what was actually happening at the Capitol and the potential ramifications of the legislature's inaction, the consensus was clear: 

This is going to be really bad.

Sure, we've budget shortfalls the past couple of years, but the legislature had people who knew where to find money to help minimize the sting of the budget cuts. This year, that's not the case. We've used up most of the one-time monies, and thus far our current leadership has been either too timid or simply unwilling to do what really needs to be done to fix things. That's not just annoying and offensive; it's literally going to cost people their lives. To quote the Governor's own Finance Secretary, Preston Doerflinger: "Our situation is dire. I beg you to have an appreciation for the situation we have before us."

Mark my words, if the legislature doesn't do something to raise revenue (and a lot of it), it's going to get ugly. State agencies are already being asked to outline will happen if they get cut an another 15% next year. Cuts to education will be catastrophic for Oklahoma's education system; schools will close, students will drop out. Cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other safety net programs will have devastating effects for millions of Oklahomans. Oklahoma's roads and bridges are already some of the worst in the country, and failing to fund repairs will bring more potholes, more vehicle damage, and more bridge collapses. 

Clearly the Oklahoma legislature doesn't get it, because we keep finding ourselves in this same position year after year after year. They've tried to "cut our way to prosperity;" that method hasn't worked. In fact, it's made things way worse. So, it's time for a different approach. 

And that's why you must get involved.

I'm not being dramatic here. I'm trying to get you and all the other regular folks out there across the state to understand the gravity of the situation we're in. I need you to understand how serious this is so that you'll do something about it. And that something is to speak up, to communicate with your legislators however you can. Phone calls and emails are a great start, and they should be part of every citizen's efforts. But if you really want to make a difference, show up at your legislators' offices. Show up, meet with them face-to-face, and ask them what they're going to fix things. What solutions have they proposed? What solutions do they face? Stand there until they give you an answer. Tell them what ideas you support.

If you're not sure what revenue-boosting options the state has at their disposal, here's a great list. There's also a decent chance that your state legislators don't really know what options we have...which, again, is why we need to talk to them.

Saving the budget is not a partisan issue. 

A sound and solid budget is required for the healthy functioning of our state, and there are TONS of things that pretty much everyone on both sides of the aisle agree on. Just off the top of my head, a quick list of some of those things that have broad, bipartisan support:

• Good public schools that are free for everyone
• Appropriate teacher pay
• Improving treatment for substance abuse and mental illness
• Healthcare and food assistance for the poor
• Reducing prison overcrowding
• Protecting consumers from skeezy business practices
• Clean air to breathe and water that is safe to drink
• Fixing bad roads and unsafe bridges
• Protecting children from being abused and neglected
• Making college more affordable
• Assessing taxes in a manner that is fair, equitable, and not overly burdensome
• Protecting the civil rights of all Oklahomans

I want those things, don't you? Doesn't everyone? I don't fully understand why the budget has become such a partisan issue, but I suspect it may have something to do with priorities. Not everyone at the state Capitol has the same priorities...and I suspect some legislators are prioritizing outside interests in order to protect their careers. I suspect that there are decisions being made to appease the voices at the Capitol who are the loudest, and sadly, it's not the voice of the people. Which brings me back to...

You. must. get. involved.

This is not optional. Seriously, you must get involved. I know a lot of people don't want to "be political." This isn't about being political; this is about being a good citizen. Heck, this is about being a good person. This is about caring for your neighbor who has cancer, this is about wanting your children or your grandchildren to be able to get a decent education, this is about helping the poor, the elderly, and the disabled. This is about living up to the Oklahoma Standard in our daily life, not just when there's an crisis. (Also, this is a crisis.)

Ok, ok, I get it. I'll get involved. But...how?

1. Find out who your state legislators are. (Go here.)
2. Decide what you want to say to them. (Use this.)
3. Call or send them an email right now. (Here's a contact list.) 
4. Join us this Wednesday, March 22nd for our next Capitol Day. 
5. Can't make it this week? Plan ahead for April and May.
6. Can't take off work? Come for a Capitol Crawl.
7. Follow us on Twitter & Facebook for last-minute announcements and live coverage of our events.
8. Vote in every single election you can. Sign up for TurboVote and/or register to vote by mail so you never miss another election.

Here's the thing: Whether or not you get involved, decisions about the budget will be made. And as we all know, decisions are made by those who show up. So if you want to have a say in them, you must get involved. I'm in this. I'm doing this, and so should you. Invite your BFF and come to our Capitol Day. I promise it'll be worthwhile.

See you then,

Andy 

Why We're Here

A few hours ago I watched President Obama deliver his farewell speech to the nation. It was a good speech - warm, reflective, inspiring. All the things you'd want an outgoing, two-term president's speech to be. After the speech I did some laundry and did some tidying up around the house, but I couldn't stop thinking about one passage of the speech that resonated with me so strongly that it kinda weirded me out. Here's the passage:

If you’re tired of arguing with strangers on the Internet, try talking with one of them in real life. 

If something needs fixing, then lace up your shoes and do some organizing.

If you’re disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clip board, get some signatures, and run for office yourself. 

Show up, dive in, stay at it.

Sometimes you’ll win, sometimes you’ll lose. And more often than not, your faith in America and in Americans will be confirmed. Mine sure has been.

Did you catch that? Read the second sentence of the passage again:

If something needs fixing, then lace up your shoes and do some organizing.

That is literally how Let's Fix This got started. I saw that something needed fixing, so I laced up my shoes (err...or created a Facebook event) and started organizing. You can imagine my surprise when the leader of the free world told the American people to do that very same thing.

HOW IT ALL STARTED

In the spring of 2016, the local media posted story after story about the state budget shortfall and it's ramifications on state services. The government had declared not one but two "revenue failures" which resulted in two across-the-board budget cuts to all state agencies. Teachers and child welfare workers lost their jobs, disabled people lost benefits, poor people lost health insurance coverage. It was bad news all around, and it was getting worse every day. Like most folks, I mostly just reposted news articles on Facebook and exclaimed "Somebody should fix this!"

Now, I need to admit to you that at the time, I had never contacted my state legislators. Not even once. I didn't even know who they were. I actually had a couple of friends who were in the legislature, but I hadn't even bothered to reach out to them about anything. Sure, I knew I was "supposed" to send emails and make phone calls, but I didn't think it would matter and somehow I continued to rationalize that I didn't have time to do that. (As if sending one more email is really going to throw my entire day off track. Sheesh.) I started joking to friends that we should do it better - rather than an email or phone call, we should just take the day off of work and go to the Capitol and have a face-to-face conversation with our legislators about these issues. After the fourth or fifth person responded with "Yes, we should do that. If you organize it, I'll go with you," I knew what I needed to do. It seemed increasingly clear that my exclamation needed to change from "Someone should fix this" to "Let's fix this," with the contracted "us" meaning all of us - you, me, and our state legislators. We're all in this together, and we needed (and still need) to fix some stuff with how our government runs.

WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO

On my closet door still hangs a giant, 3' x 2' Post-It note from our first group meeting, on which we brainstormed a list of who we are and what we do:

 

View fullsize

The starred items are what it all boils down to: We are regular people who promote civic engagement and provide education to the public (about governmental/political topics) and to the legislature (about how those issues actually affect Oklahomans in real life). We want to empower people to engage with their elected officials by helping them understand how easy it is to do (and how effective it actually can be!). And while we are also nonpartisan, we also want to encourage our state legislature to be less partisan as well. Many of the issues facing our state really aren't inherently partisan issues, or at least they shouldn't be. Both parties should properly funding support public education. Both parties should support ensuring that widows and orphans and vulnerable people are protected and cared for. Both parties should support managing our state's money in such a way that is beneficial to the most people, not just for the benefit of the rich. And don't forget - both parties need input from their constituents. We can't expect them to represent us accurately if we don't talk to them.

Let's be honest - we're all sick and tired of Oklahoma being last in everything, right? Well, I hate to break it to you, but getting better is going to take work, and it's going to require all of us working together to get there. You don't magically lose a bunch of weight by yelling on Facebook that "someone" needs to exercise - you actually have to do some work. (You also don't lose weight by simply pointing out that someone else is overweight, but that's the sort of non-working, painfully partisan, mud-slinging that we've gotten mired in.) 

WHAT'S NEXT?

You've got to do something, and I think you should make plans right now that you are going to be involved this legislative session. We want to make it super easy for you. Here's a quick to-do list to help:

1. Find out who your legislators are.

2. Call them or email them. It only takes 2 minutes, I promise.  (Pro tip: Write out what you want to say to them before you call. You can use this form we created to help you find your words.

3. Make plans to join us for one or more of our monthly Capitol Days. If you can, request off of work so you can really have a chance to experience and understand what happens at the Capitol. As an added bonus, in the evening following each Capitol Day we will have what we call a Capitol Crawl, where members of the legislature actually come hang out with us at nearby restaurants and bars. It's a really great opportunity to talk with them about issues in an environment that's not so...governmenty." [Web | Facebook]
    3a. Pro tip: if you plan to visit your representative and/or senator in person during a Capitol Day event, it's usually advisable to call ahead and make an appointment with them. 

4. Invite a friend or two (or twenty) to come with you. It's always less intimidating - and way more fun - when you have a friend with you. If they don't live in the same district as you, even better - you can go to each other's

5. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter so you can stay in the loop.

IN CLOSING

I started this post with a quote from Obama's speech, so in the spirit of bipartisanship, I'll end with a quote from the farewell speech of his predecessor, George W. Bush: 

President Thomas Jefferson once wrote, "I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past." As I leave the house he occupied two centuries ago, I share that optimism. America is a young country, full of vitality, constantly growing and renewing itself. And even in the toughest times, we lift our eyes to the broad horizon ahead.

Oklahoma may be facing some tough times, but I, too, share in our past presidents' optimism about the future. We can do this, you guys. We can totally do this.

Knowing Your Limits

Several months ago Together Oklahoma invited me to write a blog about the importance of self care for advocates, and at the time I eagerly agreed. We had just finished the 2016 state legislative session and everyone was exhausted, including myself. I knew I had done a terrible job at self care - Let's Fix This began more-or-less on accident and blossomed more quickly than I had ever imagined. In response, I gave it my all without consideration for what it would mean for my physical or mental health. By the time the legislature proclaimed sine die near the end of May, I had a full-blown sinus infection, middle school-grade acne, and a sleep debt that could only be counted on both hands and feet. I was the poster child for "How not to take care of yourself."

Here's the deal: If we're honest with ourselves, we really do know our own limits - we just choose to ignore them and rationalize that whatever it is we're doing is more important, thereby justifying our self neglect for the sake of the greater good. Friends, I'm here to tell you that nobody believes that lie. Not your friends, not your family, not your own flesh. Burning the candle at both ends means you run out of light more quickly, and that doesn't help the cause whatsoever. What we all do believe is that taking care of yourself is not just advisable, it is downright necessary. There are dozens of TED talks that document it and articles that explain how to do it. Heck, the University of Buffalo School of Social Work even has a free, online Self-Care Starter Kit that you can use (and you should).

Some of you may know that my background is actually in mental health, not politics. (Hence the emphasis on the "regular people" theme with LFT.) I've been a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) for nearly 10 years, and during that time I've treated hundreds of people for a wide range of issues, including the ever-popular: "Trying to do too much stuff all at once" phenomenon. It's an increasingly common ailment in today's busier-than-thou world: we try to be everything to everyone, all the time. Our society values busyness and stress; we measure others' worth by how many hats they wear, on how many boards they serve, and on their ability to be seen at all the important events in town. And we fail, miserably, all the time.

We fail because that's not the way it should be. I confess that I'm absolutely guilty of perpetually overextending myself. For example, in addition to running Let's Fix This, I'm a single father, I have a demanding full-time job, and I'm also pursuing my MBA at the OU Price College of Business. I try to rationalize all these things by saying that LFT was an accident, school won't last forever, and someday I'll have an amazing job that allows me the freedom and flexibility to take breaks and vacations whenever I want while also saving the world during the work week. That's a lie, and both you and I know it. 

HOMEWORK

So here's my challenge to you: Do less stuff. I mean it. Say "no" more often. You know your limits, and you need to adhere to them. Choose one night each week to spend with your favorite person, whether that is your spouse, significant other, BFF, child, grandparent, whomever - just make it happen. (On a related note, go visit your grandparents. My grandma lives 10 minutes away and I'm terrible about this, but I'm pledging right now, publicly, that I am committed to improving that.) I promise you, it's much easier to stick to a plan that you've made in advance than it is to try to simply "wing it" each week. 

I promise you - once you've said "no" to a few things, you'll start to understand (and appreciate) the value in doing so. Freeing up one or two nights a week means you can spend more time with the person(s) that matter most to you...and that can most certainly include you. There is no shame in unplugging and choosing to be alone for a bit. Whether you want to exercise, sew, take a bath, read a book, watch a movie, play video games, etc., the point is, doing something for yourself that takes your mind off of work (or "work") will invariably make you feel better and make you more productive once you return. 

The Plan for 2017

Wow, what a year it's been! It's hard to imagine that it was just 8 months ago I created a Facebook event and invited a bunch of people to join me at the Capitol to talk to our lawmakers about the dire situation in which we found ourselves. That event exceed my wildest expectations and it was clear that the public was thirsty for way to be involved, so we held another event, and then another, and then another. Since April, we've mobilized thousands of Oklahomans - most of them just regular folks who, like me, had never done anything political in their lives. We've worked hard to create opportunities for people to engage with their government in meaningful ways. We've fostered conversations between the public and their legislators wherever we can - at the Capitol, on social media, at restaurants, and even in bars. And that was just the first year!

Where does that leave us for 2017, you ask? Well, we've been busy making plans and putting things into motion. Here's a quick preview of what we have scheduled right now, and we will be rolling out more content every week for the next several months:

Staying true to our roots, we will be holding "Capitol Day" every month while the legislature is in session where people can come meet with their legislators and get some information and training from us. 

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We're also going to have a "Capitol Crawl" each month as well (usually the same days that we're at the Capitol), where representatives, senators, and city leaders come out of their offices and interact with the public in places where we "regular folks" feel more comfortable - namely the restaurants, coffee shops, and bars of our communities. 

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In the final days of the legislative session, it's almost inevitable that the House and/or Senate will have some long floor debates that extend into late night hours, sometimes as late as 9pm, 10pm, or even midnight. During these late night sessions, the legislature often debates very important bills, including the state budget, and they occur long after the public and news crews have gone home. So, this year we're going to make sure that they know we're paying attention, regardless of what time it is, and we're going to gather outside the chambers and continue to have face-to-face conversations with legislators. Can't make it that late? You can still participate by communicating with your legislators via social media while they're in session.

(Because of the unpredictable nature of these events, be sure you're following us on Twitter & Facebook so you can catch the announcements.)

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Feeling unprepared for all of that? Don't worry - we'll get you ready. We understand that going to the Capitol to talk to legislators can be kind of intimidating, but it's a lot easier if you feel confident in what you're going to say before you go. Most people can identify a problem, but when it comes time to suggest a solution, sometimes folks lock up and shut down. So, we're going to be hosting Info & Training Sessions in the community and online where you can learn how to be a better advocate for yourself. We'll also post tools and resources to our website that you can print off at home and practice before you go.

Remember, we're all in this together. Oklahomans have always relied on one another to survive. We believe that the "Oklahoma Standard" should be a way of life, not just something that happens when there's a traumatic event or natural disaster. That standard - the desire to help our neighbors, a respect for others, a willingness to seek solutions in order to overcome big challenges - should be the basis for our society and for our government. The public is sick of the bickering and partisan politics, which is why we are nonpartisan and why we actively promote transparency and civil discourse between parties. We applaud those (in the community and in the legislature) who actively reach out to those who may see the world differently so that they can learn to see from another perspective. Whether that's across the aisle, across town, or across the state, we must work together to fix this place.

We look forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new people at each event this year. If you've attended LFT events in the past and plan to come again this year, please invite someone to come with you. It could be your friend, your neighbor, your coworker, or that person who posts political rants on Facebook all day. Tell them to put their words into action, just like you're doing. You don't even have to agree on issues or be of the same political party - just get them to come and participate in something bigger than themselves and see what it's like. Heck, bring them to a Capitol Crawl and let's have a beer or share some cheese fries or something. We all want Oklahoma to be better, right? Great, so let's stand on that common ground and work toward solutions together. 

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.