2018 Session: Week 2 Recap

Hey guys! Welcome back to blog...this week we’ve got some great articles you can check out, a recap of the major legislative activity this week and some more details about what happened with HB1033XX. We’ll also preview the upcoming week in the legislature and look ahead to our first Capitol Day of 2018 on February 22nd.

Don’t Miss This

Here is a list of the the articles, podcasts, blog posts and more from this week that you don’t want to miss:

1. Oklahoma Watch has a great article this week recapping the Q&A, floor debate and vote on the Step Up Plan. This is an in-depth, play-by-play of Monday afternoon and really is a good read.

2. Lots of Oklahomans are ticked off that the Step Up Plan failed, but I think teachers probably are probably the most upset and with good reason. NonDoc has a great piece focused on the response from teachers to the legislature.

3. If you needed any further evidence that our state is in dire straights, look no further than this story from the Enid News and Eagle.  The focus here is on bridges rather than infrastructure generally (hint: it’s not good).  Definitely worth a few minutes.

4. Here on the blog and definitely on the pod, we try to focus on things we find interesting, surprising or hopeful.  Lately, it feels like there has been a lot of doom and gloom. We’re not excited about this report from The Frontier that broke on Monday afternoon and led to the resignation of Preston Doerflinger from all his government positions shortly thereafter. Despite the depressing nature of the content, it does represent some fantastic investigative reporting by the folks at The Frontier.

5. We’ll try to end on positive note this week with this inspirational piece from The Washington Post focused on a group of high-school students from Lawton traveling to Washington, DC to meet the legislators and learn about government. No matter how bad things seem right now, if all our high school students are like these kids, I think the future for Oklahoma is bright.

6. And we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the hilarity that ensued on Valentine's Day when folks on Twitter created Oklahoma legislature-themed Valentine's puns and tagged them with #oklegvalentines. Check it out for some good laughs (and a bunch of groans).

Legislative Watch

There was a lot going on at the Capitol this week. The main event of course was the failure of HB1033XX to meet the 75% supermajority threshold required of all revenue raising bills.  Technically, the bill did pass the House; however, since it did not get a 75% supermajority, it now goes to a vote of the people.  So, it passed - just not by enough?

So, what happened? Many people have expressed surprise that this package was unable to get through, given its similarity to HB1054 which came within 5 votes of passage in November.  Honestly though, we’ve heard from many folks inside the Capitol that prospects for the bill never looked good for several reasons:

1. While an increase in gross production tax on oil and gas from 2-4% on all wells is a concession from Republicans (and industry), many Democrats feel very strongly that the tax needs to be at least 5%.

2. Taxes on tobacco are regressive by their nature. Most habitual tobacco users and cigarette smokers in particular are lower income individuals without a college degree. Philosophically, Democrats tend to be opposed to regressive taxes and while many Dems acknowledge the public health and policy benefits of using a tobacco tax to encourage smoking cessation, but they feel strongly that the state budget should not be balance on the backs of lower income individuals with an addiction, particularly without asking industry to bear a higher percentage of the load (see number 1).

3. I think the wind levy proved a poison pill for many Democrats.  Generally, the caucus is very supportive of renewable energy and felt very strongly that this new tax would serve to discourage investment in an industry that is (comparably) younger and still developing. There was intense opposition to this component of the bill by Democrats and may have been a deciding factor, at least for some of them.

4. I think that many Democrats had concerns about other portions of the Step Up Plan. In particular, several of them expressed frustration over 2 other revenue bills that were scheduled to be heard if HB1033XX achieved the 75% supermajority. In particular, HB1035XX (capping the deduction taken by zero-emission facilities) and HB1037XX (lowering the standard deduction for state income taxes) were opposed by many Democrats.

Essentially, even though Republicans have a supermajority in the House, enough members of their caucus are opposed to tax increases under ANY circumstances that Democratic votes have to be brought on board to pass a revenue package. This package was able to attract 10 Democrats; that wasn’t enough.

A couple other things of note happened in the Legislature this week. HB2632, which would expand the “Stand Your Ground” statute to include “places of worship”.  Some members of the Judiciary Committee who are themselves lawyers had some strong feelings about 1) whether this is a good idea and 2) how the bills is written. 

Lastly, House Democrats held a press conference with State Auditor and Inspector Gary Jones endorsing his budget plan.  The plan includes an increase in gross production tax to 5%; a $0.75 tax on cigarettes and little cigars; and a $0.03/gallon tax on gasoline and $0.06/gallon tax on diesel.  The Democrats would like to add a cap on itemized deductions, allow casinos to use ball and dice games (which would create more taxable revenue for the gaming industry) and change hotel tax rates. The estimated total revenue for all of these measures is $622 million.  House leadership has signaled they may be open to at least some of these ideas but only for FY18-19.  Stay tuned.

Next Week

On Monday, the house will take up budget bills enacting cuts of 0.66% across all state agencies.  0.66% may not sound like a lot but it’s an effective cut of 2% as agencies have to implement these cuts in their entirety in the last quarter of the fiscal year.  No agencies are being held harmless and the cuts equal about $40 million.  The bills are expected to pass.  

As I mentioned earlier, our first Capitol Day is Thursday, February 22nd and we hope to see you there!  Be sure to look for next week’s episode of the podcast and accompanying blog post to make sure you’re up to date on everything that has gone down. Have a great week everyone and remember: Decisions are made by those who show up!

2018 Session: Week 1 Recap

Hey guys! Since we recorded our weekly episode of #LetsPodThis early this week for Governor Fallin’s State of the State Address, we put together a quick blog post to make sure you’re up-to-date with what has been a pretty busy first week of session.

Currently the Legislature in concurrent session, trying to wrap up the 2nd Extraordinary Session of 2017 and beginning the First Regular Session of 2018. Most of the action this week has been taken on bills filed as part of special session and most of that has been in the House.We’ve got all the details for you down below.

Don’t Miss This

There is so much news and noise being created these days it can be hard to know where to look for good information. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here is a list of the the articles, podcasts, blog posts and more from this week that you don’t want to miss.

1.     This editorial from the Tulsa World is a must-read. It is the best call to action we’ve seen in the run-up to this legislative session, both for lawmakers and citizens.

2.     Governor Fallin gave her State of the State Address on Monday, February 5. In case you missed it, the great folks at Oklahoma Watch have the full text for you here. Even better, they’ve annotated the speech to give some context and analysis. This is definitely worth a read.

3.     Oklahoma is making national and international news this week. This short piece from The Economist highlights our state budget crisis with a focus on education, highlighting where we’re at and how we got here. Hat tip to Grant Hermes from News9 for putting this article on our radar.

4.     The Washington Post got in on the action with this admittedly partisan op-ed that takes a critical look at the idea of supply-side (aka “trickle down”) economics as it has been employed in Oklahoma and positing what it might look like on a national scale. Lots of Twitter buzz for this one throughout the week. See what you think and let us know on Facebook or Twitter.

5.     The New York Times has a fantastic podcast called The Daily hosted by Michael Barbaro that you should absolutely make part of your podcast routine. Last Friday’s (02/02/2018) episode is a really interesting interview with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, formerly the Attorney General of Oklahoma. While the focus of the interview is not on Oklahoma politics per se, rumor has it that Mr. Pruitt has his eye on another statewide office in OK, possibly running for the US Senate. So, we thought this was worthy of 20 minutes of your time.

6.     After you listen to Scott Pruitt’s interview on the The Daily, you may want to take a look at this article from Politico Magazine. This is an in-depth look at the Tar Creek SuperFund site in northeastern Oklahoma. Tar Creek has been in the news lately as Mr. Pruitt is accused of revealing the findings of an audit of the clean-up to the subjects of the audit.

Legislative Watch

Early in session it can seem like nothing is happening. The late nights, major bills, Twitter drama and impassioned floor speeches typically happen in the last weeks of April or May. Not this year. With the budget crisis, concurrent sessions and the Step-Up Plan, there is A LOT going on this week.

The Step-Up Plan is getting all of the attention early in session. Several bills have been filed dealing with the both the revenue and government reform portions of the plan:

●      HB1033XX: House Bill 1033, this is the big one. This is a general revenue bill that combines a number of new taxes. The bill raises taxes on tobacco products, motor fuels, increases the gross production tax on oil and gas, and taxes energy production from wind. The bill passed the House Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget and passed Senate Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget shortly thereafter. We will spend some time talking through the details of this bill on next week’s podcast. We will delve into why this bill doesn’t (or at least, may not) violate the single subject rule as well as the impact this new revenue will have on our current budget crisis.

●      HB1037XX: House Bill 1037 started its life as the bill representing the income tax changes proposed by the Step-Up plan. However, immediately before the bill was brought to committee it underwent a dramatic rewrite. The final bill is a restoration of the Earned Income Tax Credit and makes changes to the standard deduction. The folks at OKPolicy seem to think this is a good change, but we still have a ways to go regarding income tax reform in Oklahoma.

●      HB1027XX: House Bill 1027 is the first of the Step-Up Plan’s government reform bills. The bill authorizes the Governor to make some appointments to state boards. 

●      HB1029XX: House bill 1029 creates the Office of Government Accountability. This another of the Step-Up Plans government reform bills. How much it would actually reform government is another question. We’ll delve into this next week.

There were other bills considered and passed out of the Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget. In particular, the committee passed new caps on deductions used by the coal, railroad and wind industries.

Next Week…

First up on the House floor on Monday is HB1033XX.We can’t really say what else will happen next week because so much depends on this first vote. We anticipate the vote will actually open later in the day after lots of off-the-floor deal-making, arm twisting and vote counting. This will likely be a long vote, and no one knows for sure whether it will pass. The bill requires a 75% supermajority in both chambers. The committee votes both met this threshold but the full House vote on the floor is another matter entirely.

If the bill passes, it will be followed by a series of votes throughout the week on the other, arguably less contentious, votes on the other measures of the Step-Up plan. If the bill fails, the rest of the Step-Up plan bills will not be heard on the floor. At that point, what happens next is anyone’s guess. Stay tuned...Monday is a big day.

We’ll see you next week for the latest edition of #LetsPodThis. And remember: Decisions are made by those who show up!

Pulling Back from Partisanship

School has started, 2018 campaigns are kicking off, and interim studies are being conducted - it's a typical fall at the Oklahoma State Capitol. This is the time of year is typically when the thrashing tide of partisan pressure recedes and we begin to see calmer heads prevail as the rhetoric on both sides of the aisle attempt to take on a more collaborative, almost hopeful tone through the winter. But this year is different. This year, the legislative leadership pushed through a revenue bill that, as expected, the state's Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional. This year, we've had a steady stream of legislators and other Capitol employees resign from their positions, many due to scandals involving ethics violations and criminal sexual misconduct. This year, the legislature has to go back into special session in order to fix the $215 million budget hole created by the aforementioned unconstitutional revenue bill.

As we stand on the cusp of that special legislative session, the familiar frustrations and stress from the spring begin to re-emerge. The finger-pointing, snark, and dueling press conferences at the Capitol are rekindling the feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and apathy among voters throughout the state.

Back in the spring, I heard the phrase "This year was so much worse than usual" from dozens of legislators, lobbyists, and advocates this summer. But why was it so bad? Was it due to carryover from the presidential election (and the ongoing political discord at the federal level)? Was it was the dominance of one party in the Oklahoma legislature? Was it was the reprehensible actions of a few individual legislators? Was it was just because there was so much focus on one high-stakes issue (i.e. yet another enormous budget shortfall)? Regardless of cause, one thing is clear: a whole lot of voters were a whole lot more frustrated with our state government at the end of May than they were when session began. I don't know anyone inside or outside the Capitol who walked away from session feeling good about how things went down.

This summer I've also heard another phrase being tossed around: "post-partisan." The term refers to an environment where legislators from both parties work together for the causes and bills that are best for the state as a whole, where they do that work without blaming, grandstanding, playing political games, or otherwise disrespecting one another, and where party affiliation is an association but not a definition. Sounds nice, right? Post-partisanship isn't a new idea in American politics - The Atlantic wrote about it during the 2008 presidential campaign, and The Washington Times penned a piece shortly after that election as well.

My hunch is that many of the people who feel like the legislative session was terrible are the same ones who desperately long for members of our various political factions to come together in some sort of post-partisan, let's-find-a-way-to-work-together way. Honestly, I've never heard anyone say they want our political system to be more partisan and divisive. Even hard-core members of each "party base" have expressed concern that the level of vitriol being spewed isn't helping fix anything - they, too, recognize that it's making things worse.

Voters feel like the guy in the middle - perplexed and disappointed at the kill-or-be-killed showdown between political parties.

A couple of months ago I attended a "Public Budget Hearing" hosted by the Oklahoma House Democratic caucus in the House chambers at the State Capitol, and although the invitation was extended to all Oklahomans - explicitly including the opposing caucus - there was nary a Republican official to be found. Nor did we see any state senators from either party. Likewise, the "working groups" formed by Republican leadership in the House lacked much in the way of Democratic involvement. Now, this lack of cooperation and teamwork isn't surprising, but it is still disappointing.

What if things were different? What if, in the case of the budget hearing, members of both parties and both chambers had come into the room, some sitting on the House floor and some up in the gallery, sitting there with the rest of us, listening to regular, everyday Oklahomans find the courage to get up and articulate exactly how the state budget affects them on a personal and professional level. I hear from voters - from both parties - complain that the legislature "either doesn't listen or doesn't care." 

It doesn't have to be this way. There are a large number of legislators and other statewide elected officials who long for a post-partisan world just as much as many of you do. I mean, we're not just talking about far-off Washington, D.C. here - we're talking about right here in our home state, where our legislators live near us and work and eat and shop in the same places we do. You can meet them, shake their hand, and sit down to get to know them. Ask what matters most to them, ask why they vote the way they do, ask what their ideas are for improving our state. Find out where they want to see our state in five, ten, or twenty years. What do they envision? Tell them your side of things, too. Help them understand what matters to you, as a constituent. Look for common ground and build a relationship from there.

Regardless of party affiliation, we're all Oklahomans. C'mon Oklahoma, let's fix this!

Capitol Restoration Project, vol 1.

If you've driven by or seen photos of the Oklahoma State Capitol recently, you probably noticed that about half of the building is surrounded by scaffolding and shrouded in white tarps. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go behind the curtain with the project manager, Trait Thompson, to tour the capitol restoration efforts. It was an impressive, down-right fascinating look at how we maintain one of Oklahoma's top tourist destinations. It's a lot of work and a lot of attention to detail. Mike Holmes would be proud.

Construction on the Oklahoma Capitol Restoration project began in 2015, with the exterior repairs slated to wrap-up in 2019 and interior work ending in 2022. The scope and scale of the project are almost difficult to imagine: 21.5 miles of mortar joints, 477 cast-iron custom windows, hundreds of doors, thousands of miles of cabling and plumbing. 

View of what's currently in the basement ceiling. All of this has be re-routed.

This area of ceiling has already been completed. See how clean that looks? 

It's never an easy task repair a 100-year-old building and make it functional for the 21st century, especially when that building has six floors and is made of stone. To make matters worse, many parts of the building have been largely neglected for most of that time, with quick-fixes and temporary repairs now straining to hold things together. In fact, the main visitor entrance on the south side of the building has required scaffolding over the sidewalk to protect visitors from pieces of falling stone that crumble off the exterior walls. (For an in-depth explanation of the condition of the Capitol prior to restoration efforts, check out this lengthy document.)

The restoration project will affect every floor of the building, but the basement is getting some special attention, as it houses many of the key infrastructure components (such as plumbing and electrical) that keep the building running.

Miles of wire and cable has to be re-routed into...

...these shiny new electrical panels down the hall.

These pipes carry steam from geothermal wells near the Attorney General's building up to the Capitol to heat the building. (Yes, my fellow "The West Wing" fans - this is our very own "steam pipe trunk distribution venue." I can hear Ainsley's voice already...)

The basement will also become the new entry point for visitors, with a beautiful new, fully-accessible entrance similar to the one at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. 

Source: OMES

While the basement is about gutting and repurposing, the exterior work is more about cleaning and repairing. The building was originally constructed of limestone from Indiana and granite from Tishomingo, and the restoration team was able to source new stone from those same areas to use for repairs. Trait showed me how the stonemasons perform "Dutchman repairs" on damaged stone. It's pretty amazing to see but hard to explain, so just look at these photos if you're curious. Also here's some photos of the beautiful sculptural elements of our state Capitol:

Wouldn't be a government building without some bald eagles. This one is about 3 ft tall.

This is all one piece of stone. The original stonemasons carved in and around that block across the middle. 

I'd be amiss if I didn't introduce you to Burt, one of the eight winged lion chimeras that adorn the state capitol building. (This one has a mustache, so the restoration team named him after Burt Reynolds.) Burt sits on the top, northeast corner of the building and was carved from a single 60,000-pound block of limestone. He's one huge, solid piece of stone.

Not bad looking for a 100-year old, weather-beaten, mustachioed lion with wings.

Below you can see a side-by-side comparison of what the exterior restoration looks like. The image on the left is yet to be restored, while the image on the right is of columns that have been cleaned and repaired & repainted windows.

Old & moldy vs new clean & shiny. (And watertight, which is a new feature.) 

Speaking of windows, Trait said they have been the most difficult part of the exterior restoration. There are 477 windows, all made of cast iron, and nearly all needing to be repair. The windows are unique to this building and are unlike anything else in the world. As you can imagine, when rainwater sits on the iron window frames for, oh, 100 years or so, it begins to rust. Ironworkers craft custom replacement pieces and weld them into place. The cost of repairing is far less than replacing them - only $8 million rather than $20 million. (If you think that sounds like a lot of money, go get an estimate to replace all the windows in your home - you'll be surprised by how expensive even "regular" windows can be!)

Big thanks to Trait and the rest of the Oklahoma Capitol Restoration team for giving us a deeper understanding and appreciation of the project. We look forward to visiting again as the work progresses.

This post barely scratches the surface on what they're doing; I strongly encourage you to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more of the story. If you're really interested in all the details (including the research, proposal, and finances) of the project, visit their website: http://capitolrestore.ok.gov. 

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. 

It's time to Save Our State

Yesterday Let's Fix This stood with nearly two dozen nonprofit and professional organizations to announce the Save Our State budget plan. This three-year budget blueprint is far more than just the gimmicky fixes that the legislature often passes - this plan puts Oklahoma on a real, sustainable path to prosperity. It steers us away from more devastating budget cuts and allows us to actually invest in education, public safety, healthcare, and transportation.

• NewsOK report
• Save Our State website
• Full-text of budget blueprint
• Two-page summary
• Action guide

You probably know the phrase "We're all in this together," and this budget plan definitely embodies that idea. It's broad-based and reflects the ideals of the democratic republic in which we live - if everyone gives a little, we all get a lot in return. Rich and poor, sales and services, oil and wind, public and private - everybody chips in to share the responsibility for helping Oklahoma reach it's full potential. 

This isn't the only budget plan out there. Governor Fallin announced her plan at the beginning of session, and it has a few strong components. The House Democrats released their "Restoring Oklahoma" budget plan a few weeks ago, and it's pretty solid, too. We chose to join the SOS Coalition because we believe this budget plan is the best recipe for Oklahoma's success. Like any good recipe, ingredients and proportions matter. We encourage lawmakers to not pick and choose just the things they like best; we encourage them to consider the plan as a whole. Think of it like baking a cake - if you leave out some of the ingredients, it's not going to work. In fact, it's going to be a disaster. You can't use just flour and sugar and expect to have a cake that tastes good; you'll just have a pile of dry powder that no one wants. Likewise, you can't just use sugar and eggs. Will it sweet? Yes, it'll also be really gross. Oklahoma deserves better. 

Oklahoma deserves a DAMN good cake.

The SOS budget blueprint is based on five key things:

• Address the overall budget situation, not just the public education crisis. The plan ensures there will be enough revenue to avert further budget cuts and invest in key priorities.
• Acknowledge revenue is part of the problem and modernize the tax system while ending special interest giveaways.
• Look beyond the current crisis and propose realistic solutions to structural budget problems plaguing the state.
• Propose reforms to budgeting practices that will increase legislative oversight and reduce the potential for future revenue failures.
• Model the transparency we believe our elected officials should adopt.

Fixing a state is a big task, but it's not insurmountable. We believe that with this plan and your help, together, we can fix this. Visit SaveOurStateOK.org to pledge your support, and then use this 30-second guide to put your support into action.

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.

Breaking the Cycle

Most of my career has been spent working in the mental health field, which isn't exactly known for being lucrative. (For reference, it's likely that NASA will put a man on Mars before I will pay off my student loans.)  But, it's good, honest work and I have always appreciated the opportunity to serve a group of people who have complex, sometimes painfully difficult needs. It is truly a privilege to be bear witness to the depth and darkness of a person's life, to hear their secrets and their fears, and to be a living testament to the struggles and suffering they have endured. 

Most of the counselors I know make in the low to mid $30,000s, and they do this work because it is important, it is rewarding, and it is absolutely necessary. Same with many teachers, social workers, police officers, custodians, bus drivers, and a bajillion other jobs that allow our society to function with civility and help people support their families and pay their bills.

Except for when they can't.

Sadly, most Oklahomans live paycheck-to-paycheck. We get by so long as our paycheck is deposited on time and nothing unexpected pops up. You can pay most of your bills, but you dont' really get to save much. And then sometimes it's a cold winter and your gas bill is really high, or it's a really hot summer and your electricity bill skyrockets. Suddenly, living paycheck-to-paycheck really sucks, and you don't have quite enough to pay all the bills. If you're fortunate enough to have some money tucked away into a savings account, you might dip into it to make ends meet and hope to replace it later on down the road. 

Until it's all gone. Then what?

That's where Oklahoma is right now. The state has been living paycheck to paycheck, and it simply doesn't have enough money coming in each month to pay all the bills. In fact, it was announced earlier this week that the state's Rainy Day Fund had been depleted. We had to use the last $240 million in our savings account to make it through the month...and there's still three months left in the fiscal year. The folks at the Capitol think there will be enough revenue in April to put that $240 million back in savings...but what if we they're wrong? What if we don't even have enough revenue to pay bills next month? 

I'll tell you what would happen: Agencies will get cut, schools will end the year a few days short, and ultimately Oklahomans will lose their jobs. That's right. It won't be pretty. Just for reference, ending the school year early means that tens of thousands of people get paid less, plus tens of thousands of Oklahoma parents have to scramble to find childcare for a day when their kids should be in school. So, they have to take off of work (if they can), which costs Oklahoma businesses tens of millions of dollars in lost productivity. People will lose wages (or even their actual jobs), and then they'll need to state assistance so that their family doesn't starve. Tell me: How does that help the state move forward? 

It doesn't have to be that way. We don't have to keep cutting and cutting and cutting until we're just a poor, demoralized, shell of a state. There's another, better option. 

We need to bring in more money.

As I said earlier, the I didn't go into the most lucrative career field, and I've faced my share of personal "budget shortfalls." When things have been tight for me, I immediately reduced my expenses as much as I could. I turned off my cable, I stopped going to the movies, I started taking my lunch. When that wasn't enough, I got a second job...and sometimes a third and a forth. Shortly after grad school I worked as an adjunct professor three days a week, mowed lawns two days a week, and saw counseling clients at my office in the evenings...and I still picked up occasional odd jobs, like painting houses, whenever I could. In order to make ends meet after my son was born, I did contract work for a mental health agency in the evenings and did roofing on weekends in addition to working full-time. The point is, we've cut all we can cut, and now we need to look at ways to increase income. If we want things to improve, we must increase how much money the state takes in. If I can do it, the state can do it.

The state only gets money one way: we pay taxes. Now, nobody wants to pay any more taxes than they absolutely have to, but there's a trade-off. You pay taxes, and in return you [should] get a robust public school system that feeds the minds of our children so they can grow up and be productive members of society, roads and bridges that are safe and don't rattle your car to pieces, clean air and water that is safe to consume, laws and policies that give structure to our society so that individuals are protected and businesses thrive and grow, state parks and museums and cultural events to enjoy.

You get what you pay for.

You know it's true. Pretty much anything worthwhile costs money, and nice stuff costs extra. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of Oklahoma being among the worst at everything. Seriously, we're in the top 10 worst for: Obesity. Education. Children in poverty. No health insurance. Cardiovascular deaths, cancer deaths, drug deaths, premature deaths, Deaths at work. Infant deaths. Suicide. Diabetes. Chlamydia. Frequent mental distress, frequent physical distress. Smoking. Median household income. And, you know, just Overall.

Ugh. Let's stop doing that. Instead, let's fix this.

Running a state isn't cheap, but it is a team effort, and we need all hands on deck for this. We need you to understand that you get what you pay for, which means we're all going to need to pay a little bit more in taxes so we can pay for something better.

We need the richest 3 percent of the population to be willing to be a teensy bit less rich so that their fellow Oklahomans who are incredibly poor can not die.

We need big businesses who are making fat profits to do more to prioritize people over profits, otherwise they won't have any employees or customers.

We need legislators of both parties to stop worrying about being one of the popular kids in that big marble high school, to put people over politics, and to vote for increased revenue. 

Together, we can do this. We can fix this. 

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