Can Oklahoma learn from Kansas

[cannon_fodder]

Argh.

That would mean we are funding education with a source we are actively trying to eliminate. That seems like a good long term plan.

While I have no affinity for cigarettes, and taxing them to pay for healthcare and prevent youth smoking is open season as far as Im concerned, unrelated taxes on an unpopular product seems like a dubious proposition. Next we tax beer to pay for roads?

[Townsend]

That would mean we are funding education with a source we are actively trying to eliminate. That seems like a good long term plan.

Yeah, that.  I guess you get the money where you can.  It sure as hell isn't going to come from successful state governance.

[Townsend]

Oil-Field Tax Break Authored by Senate President Benefits His Employer

https://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/2016/01/27/oil-field-tax-break-authored-by-senate-president-benefits-his-employer/

The tax break on electricity used to power old "waterflood" recovery projects was authored in 2005 by now-Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa.

The first company to apply for and receive the exemption was Uplands Resources Inc. of Tulsa. At the time, Bingman was the company's land manager. He currently works there as vice president of land and operations.

[heironymouspasparagus]

"Let's make America great again!" It clearly resonates with some but it's sorely lacking on details. Most of The Donald's slogans are like that and he bristles at supplying any real information.

You can fool some of the people all of the time and apparently that applies to about 35% of registered Republicans. It's depressing.

PLUS the 25% or so who are Cruz fans...that's 60% of Republicontins!!

[Townsend]

Suspension of Tax Credits Likely to Impact Poor

http://publicradiotulsa.org/post/suspension-tax-credits-likely-impact-poor

The Senate Finance Committee passes a measure suspending 20 tax credits for two years. Some credits were removed from the bill, but some remaining like the earned income tax credit and the child care tax credit would most impact the poor and working poor. It's a cause for concern by advocates who don't want to see the poor bear the brunt of the cuts. David Blatt is with the Oklahoma Policy Institute, and he believes subsidies for oil and gas production and property tax exemptions for business need to be in the discussion.

The measure must still pass the full Senate.

[AquaMan]

Kansas has given up on learning. Education budget cut in half. Teacher pensions on the block. Tax cuts for the rich untouched. Suddenly, Oklahoma doesn't look so bad to those teachers who fled to the north?
From Esquire magazine:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/today-fiasco-great-state-kansas-193055028.html

[Townsend]

State budget hole grows to more than $1 billion

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/capitol_report/state-budget-hole-grows-to-more-than-billion/article_91a29555-4b75-52f9-a632-1efafeb3ba60.html

OKLAHOMA CITY — Lawmakers are now expected to have $1.3 billion less to appropriate in fiscal year 2017, according to revised numbers released Thursday.

The Board of Equalization is set to meet Tuesday to certify what lawmakers will have available to spend in the next state budget.

Earlier estimates put the budget hole at $900.3 million.

John Estus, a spokesman for the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, said the new figures are not a surprise.

Well...glad it's not a surprise at least...

[AquaMan]

Well, here is the quandary. How can this be blamed on (godless) Democrats, Liberals, Obama, Socialists and Planned Parenthood? We elected almost all conservative Republicans to the state house, a conservative Republican Governor and tons of good conservative business minded Christian appointees along with conservative Republican mayors, state Senators and Congressmen. Our conservative credentials are impeccable.

How could this have happened in such a red state?

[TheArtist]

Well, here is the quandary. How can this be blamed on (godless) Democrats, Liberals, Obama, Socialists and Planned Parenthood? We elected almost all conservative Republicans to the state house, a conservative Republican Governor and tons of good conservative business minded Christian appointees along with conservative Republican mayors, state Senators and Congressmen. Our conservative credentials are impeccable.

How could this have happened in such a red state?

Its Obamas fault ya silly goon. Geesh   Oh, and gay people getting married and all the illegal immigrants.

[cannon_fodder]

Well, here is the quandary. How can this be blamed on (godless) Democrats, Liberals, Obama, Socialists and Planned Parenthood? We elected almost all conservative Republicans to the state house, a conservative Republican Governor and tons of good conservative business minded Christian appointees along with conservative Republican mayors, state Senators and Congressmen. Our conservative credentials are impeccable.

How could this have happened in such a red state?

Government operates best when there is a variety of opinions both heard, and that must be reckoned with in order to proceed. When any single ideology can brush aside all others, it almost always leads to disaster.  When the liberals had cart blanch in California, they drove it into the ground with overspending (not having the courage or political capital to raise taxes to pay for what they wanted to spend). I'm confident an all Democratic house, senate and governor with no meaningful dissent could eventually find a way to go overboard and turn their ideology into governmental disaster.

But there is no doubt that the conservative dream has been tested in Kansas, and tested in Oklahoma. Low taxes, gutting public education, low spending on everything but police state infrastructure ("tough on crime"), fight against unions, removal or degradation of safety nets and social programs, an attitude that poor people don't need help - they need to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps," and a focus of government on what it thinks the morality of its people should be.

It hasn't worked well at all. Poor people are poorer. Uneducated people are more uneducated. Good jobs have not come flooding in. (and I'm discounting both the boom, and bust from the oil field)

Time to go back to a democracy with mixed opinions, divergent views, and compromise.

[Conan71]

Government operates best when there is a variety of opinions both heard, and that must be reckoned with in order to proceed. When any single ideology can brush aside all others, it almost always leads to disaster.  When the liberals had cart blanch in California, they drove it into the ground with overspending (not having the courage or political capital to raise taxes to pay for what they wanted to spend). I'm confident an all Democratic house, senate and governor with no meaningful dissent could eventually find a way to go overboard and turn their ideology into governmental disaster.

But there is no doubt that the conservative dream has been tested in Kansas, and tested in Oklahoma. Low taxes, gutting public education, low spending on everything but police state infrastructure ("tough on crime"), fight against unions, removal or degradation of safety nets and social programs, an attitude that poor people don't need help - they need to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps," and a focus of government on what it thinks the morality of its people should be.

It hasn't worked well at all. Poor people are poorer. Uneducated people are more uneducated. Good jobs have not come flooding in. (and I'm discounting both the boom, and bust from the oil field)

Time to go back to a democracy with mixed opinions, divergent views, and compromise.

Aside from all this, which I do agree with, <$30bbl oil is at the heart of the short-fall.

Five years ago when we designed and started building steam generators, oil had remained steady over $75/bbl for six months.  At any point over the next three years or so, most people thought $60/bbl was the lowest oil would ever go again.  We had tested around $150/bbl in 2008 and it stayed in and around $75-$100/bbl from late '09 forward.

The state, much like many in the oil business, hired and spent (and cut personal income tax) with the assumption $30 oil was long a thing of the past.  A "bust" would have been $50/bbl, instead WTI was almost 1/2 that the other day.

[Townsend]

Aside from all this, which I do agree with, <$30bbl oil is at the heart of the short-fall.

Lack of diversification and and too much palm greasing

[AquaMan]

Its not like it was unpredictable. It just wasn't predicted. Its kind of like gambling. If you're an addict you know you can lose, you just never expect or plan for it.

I know these cycles are devastating to the industry and to state revenues but these guys ran as conservatives on platforms of fiscal responsibility as opposed to the more moderate or liberal candidates who wouldn't or couldn't put "conservative for...." on their push-in signs. They must be accountable instead of blaming the energy industry or internet taxation.

It was their job to make sure we had enough money/taxation to pay our bills, diversify our economy and advance our state. They instead spent an inordinate amount of time, energy and credibility trying to vanquish their enemies and set up a theocratic state which accomplished none of those goals.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Well, here is the quandary. How can this be blamed on (godless) Democrats, Liberals, Obama, Socialists and Planned Parenthood? We elected almost all conservative Republicans to the state house, a conservative Republican Governor and tons of good conservative business minded Christian appointees along with conservative Republican mayors, state Senators and Congressmen. Our conservative credentials are impeccable.

How could this have happened in such a red state?

sauerkraut.  Breadburner.

[Vashta Nerada]

But there is no doubt that the conservative dream has been tested in Kansas, and tested in Oklahoma. Low taxes, gutting public education, low spending on everything but police state infrastructure ("tough on crime"), fight against unions, removal or degradation of safety nets and social programs, an attitude that poor people don't need help - they need to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps," and a focus of government on what it thinks the morality of its people should be.

But we need more money for education because educators dont put up a fight when it comes time to grease the corrections donors.

Major pay raise for Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers, other state laws take effect  http://newsok.com/article/5380982

One month later:  OKLAHOMA CITY — An short-staffed Highway Patrol can no longer afford to hire new troopers due to the state's ongoing budget crisis, officials
said this week.  The only reason the agency can train its latest crop of 35 recruits, who started a 20-week training course in late January, is because the Turnpike Authority has agreed to pick up the roughly $5 million tab.