Bolt Your Doors & Lock Your Windows

For the past several years people have asked “are you all in session.” My standard tongue and cheek reply has always been “no, you’re safe.” We can’t hurt you if we’re not running in a pack. Well, all that is fixin’ to change because Monday February 6th will mark the opening gavel of the second session o the 53rd legislature. Of course I joke pretty regularly about the danger of us being in that building in a group and it’s about half true. It seems like a lot of what we do is try to block things that can cause harm or be ever mindful of a great idea that can turn south at a moment’s notice. There’s always someone who has a notion to save the world or to make streets safer or right some wrong and I guess that even with all its faults it’s still probably the best system in the world.

I truly believe that most who take on this job do so with mostly good intentions and really have no intent to harm anyone or cost anybody any excess money. I also know that one of my favorite analogies is of a common household dog, that might be just like the pet you have at your house, under normal circumstances they wouldn’t bite a hot biscuit but if you put that dog in a pack and kick em’ out in the country they’ll take down a cow. While I don’t consider myself an expert on politics, I do understand group dynamics and I know we have to guard against that pack mentality. Quite frankly, I think we are much more dangerous in a group than any of us ever would be individually. Sometimes I wanna’ stand on top of my desk and scream at the top of my lungs “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” There are a whole lot of things in our State that work just fine and if we could figure out exactly what those things are and learn how to leave them alone we’d be miles ahead of the game. It’s kinda’ like Larry the cable guy walking up to a space shuttle and saying to the crew of rocket scientists “hey, I can work on these” and when they look at him astonished, then of course his next line is “I can’t fix em’ but I can work on em’.” It seems that we always have to work on something. Sometimes I wish we could just leave it alone but then again it’s hard for a young politician to go back to his district and when asked “what did you accomplish?” he can’t very well say “I just stood guard.” It’s not the answer his constituents wish to hear. We have to work on something or what good are we? So, I guess it’s just the nature of the beast. We’ve gotta’ work on stuff even if it’s not broken. We’ll try not to tear anything up.

On a much more positive note, we’ve had several applications for the Southwest Oklahoma Honor Flight that we talked about last week in the column. I can’t stress enough how important it is to seek out our Southwest Oklahoma WWII vets and make sure that they get this opportunity to view the memorial in DC. They may be a little ol’ neighbor of yours that may not be able to access a computer or a widower that lives down the road from ya’ that served his country and deserves this honor, you never know. I know that sometimes we tend not to want to bother people but I’m asking you to get outside your comfort zone and if you know of one of these fellas’, let us know. Time is of the essence. We need to move quickly to get these men and women applied. Again, the website is www.oklahomahonorflights.org and the phone number is 405-259-9000. One important point is, and I can’t stress this enough, when you look at the website you are gonna’ see a large waiting list. Remember, Southwest Oklahoma WWII vets will be moved to the front because of the angel donor and if this flight is not filled with Southwest Oklahoma veterans they will go to the back of the waiting list and I hate to waste such a great opportunity. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the special send off ceremonies at the fair grounds in Lawton the evening of May 3rd. Please reach out and help us find these vets so we can say thanks.

If you would like to contact me at the Capitol, feel free to call 1-800-522-8502 or email me at donarmes@okhouse.gov

And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:
''Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.''
—Will Rogers