Let's Stay On the Issue.

It seems the farther I get into my legislative career, the more of a fighter I become. I do not know whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. One thing I have learned in my political career is that one of the best ways to keep from talking about the real issue is to cloud that issue with negatives. State question 744 is still exactly what it was when it was first introduced several months ago. It is a very bad idea embraced by some well-meaning folks who have been sold a really large bill of goods. I have said before and stand by my statement that SQ 744 may well cause the biggest wreck that we have seen in 20 years. Most of the folks that are trying to sell you on 744 and get you to vote yes have never had to struggle with the state budget. I can tell you from eight years of experience through good and bad times that the state budget is a puzzle with many pieces, all of which have to be placed together for it to work. I can also tell you that, as a former teacher as well as a current legislator, I have seen this argument from both sides. I can tell you that if this were a good idea and a fiscally prudent move, Governor Brad Henry would be the first in line to support it. The fact that Governor Henry has come out in opposition to SQ 744 should speak volumes. Governor Henry’s legacy will be that he was the “education governor” and he is opposed.

We have got a state full of good teachers that care very much for our children and take their jobs very seriously. None of my comments are intended in any way, shape or form to disparage the very important job that they do. But, the members of the out-of-state campaign team, whose full-time job is to try to convince you that 744 is a good idea, are not residents of Oklahoma but employees of the NEA who have poured 3 million dollars into our state to buy very pretty, well done television ads to convince you to vote yes. When it is over and the dust settles, they will board airplanes and head back home and we, the citizens of Oklahoma, will be left to sort out the mess. I do not begrudge teachers wanting more money for education or even higher pay. Few could argue that good teachers are not worth more. But, should 744 pass, dramatic budget ripples will look more like waves as the severe cuts to everything else in the state budget occur to meet this mandate. 744 will cost the state of Oklahoma an additional $800 million dollars that must be cut from other important functions of state government. The fact is that it will cost an estimated $1200 dollars from every man, woman and child in Oklahoma in increased taxes just to cover the cost. Right now, the ads are attacking the legislature saying that we pay ourselves more than any other legislature in the region. Let’s set the record straight on who decides what legislators make. In Oklahoma, legislative pay is set by a compensation board. We, as legislators, have no say in how much we are paid and legislative pay has not been increased in over 10 years. Many confuse the Oklahoma state legislature with Washington. Here is what a state representative or senator makes. The annual salary is $38,400. The median income for a teacher in the state of Oklahoma is $43,000. That is not the beginning teacher or the veteran teacher, but the median. Had I remained in the education business as a 12-month ag teacher, I would now make over $50,000 a year. In those attack ads, they also claim that legislators only work four months out of the year. There are many unseen duties of a legislator that many may not be aware of. I never had to back up to get a paycheck as a teacher. I have never had to back up to get my paycheck as a legislator. It is like saying teachers get off at 3 o’clock. We know that is not true also. Teachers work many extra duties and spend a great deal more time than their nine month contract to get the job done right. I have a great deal of respect for the job that educators do and have been a proponent of education since my first election in 2002. I have stood for teachers and public education and have a voting record to substantiate that. In fact, the first bill that I carried as a state representative was to support fundraising efforts in many schools called raffles. I thought it was logical and made sense and was something that would help, especially in small schools.

It would be very easy, given the recent “hit pieces”, for me to come out sluggin’ but that is not my goal. My goal is to convince you that a yes vote for 744 could be a fatal mistake for Oklahoma. Most of the tax credits that are referred to in this latest negative campaign have been done away with and tax credits alone are not evil, especially when they do things like help Goodyear to expand and increase the amount of high paying jobs that expansion will provide. Not to mention, that at some point Goodyear will even pay more property taxes on their expanded plant, which will further support education. My biggest fear is that if 744 passes and we have to cut an additional $800 million from other agencies throughout the state and the awful things come to pass, we have been told that teachers that teachers will have the biggest black eye they have ever had. So, if you want sales tax to go up by 35 percent, just vote yes on 744. Remember that the increase asked for by 744 will require us to spend $120 million more for education than we spend on the entire public safety sector of the state budget. Some of those evil tax exemptions that they speak of are things like the child care exemption and agricultural exemptions. Those special interests that are attacked in these very high quality commercials are you. It is okay to vote no on 744. It does not mean that you do not care about kids.

"Money often costs too much." -Ralph Waldo Emerson