What’s Your Major?

Former Senator Owen Laughlin from Northwest Oklahoma had a favorite saying that I have borrowed on numerous occasions. He would always say “Being in the Legislature is like going to college and majoring in EVERYTHING.” I’ve thought about that many times in my tenure as a State Representative. To be an effective Statesman you have to be willing to learn about a lot of different subjects, some of which may not interest you in the least, but all kinds of different issues are important to someone. I started my career with special interests in agriculture, Ag. youth programs like FFA and 4-H, rural issues in general and while many of those issues have kept me grounded, I’ve also had to learn a great deal about education, even though I was a teacher, healthcare, transportation infrastructure, public safety, and a whole host of assorted issues that spin off from each of those areas. It requires a great deal of time and energy to become somewhat knowledgeable in a host of various areas and I think to truly represent an area like District 63 which can be as cosmopolitan and culturally diverse as we are around Lawton/Ft. Sill and can transition into one of the State’s leading agriculture regions as you head Southwest to Tillman County you must be pretty open minded as you learn the multitude of issues that can affect an area with tremendously diverse interest. It’s an area with three hospitals, an Army post, a Federal wildlife refuge, a tremendous amount of large and small schools, 1500 square miles of interstate highways as well as County roads. A single issue Legislator won’t survive long in a district like this one. I believe that to truly serve an area with as much diversity as this one, the learning curve is steep and you must be prepared to listen to a wide variety of constituents with a huge variation of issues. Being in close proximity to Ft. Sill there are also a great many Veterans who retire in our area and have issues facing them that are very important. There again you must be open minded and as well versed as you can be to care for a constituency as diverse as this one. This Ag. guy has had to major in everything. I’ve had to study and learn and that process never sleeps. The issues vary as much as the terrain from the mountains to the flat lands all the way to the river bed. I don’t think you can be an effective legislator and have a one track mind. I brought no agenda to the table when I started this job other than to stand up for the voters in my district. I think you can tell from this brief conversation that they certainly don’t all look the same or have the same needs. I think that to serve this district well, one needs to be as comfortable in a business suit as you are in a pair of jeans. This job requires walking into a lot of circles with a variety of hats and the willingness to learn and more importantly a willingness to serve. Open mindedness is paramount and this is way bigger than any single issue. I’ve spent ten years of my life doing my dead level best to be a Statesman and I intend to finish the job.

If you would like to contact me at the Capitol, please feel free to call me at 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:

I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him. ~Abraham Lincoln