OKLAHOMA CITY — A proposal which encourages public schools to purchase automated defibrillators is being derailed because House Republican leaders are feeling political pressure, the bill’s author claimed this week.
Norman Democrat Rep. Wallace Collins said he’s frustrated because he couldn’t get a hearing for House Bill 1847 — a measure, he says, which would encourage public school districts to make automated external defibrillators available “contingent upon certain funding.”
Collins developed the proposal in 2007. Since then, he said he’s struggled to get the bill heard by the House’s Republican leadership. “What’s crazy to me is here, they won’t hear a defibrillator bill which can help save lives, but they’ve got time to hear gun bills to make sure everyone can carry a gun.”
Collins claimed House Floor Leader Greg Piatt has refused to place the proposal on the House calendar because Collins has spoken publicly about his difficulty getting the bill heard and has encouraged residents in Piatt’s southern Oklahoma district to contact GOP leaders about the bill.
“He’s mad at me,” Collins said. “It’s not about the bill. It’s political, because he’s mad at me.”
But Piatt, an Ardmore Republican, said the issue isn’t with Collins, but his bill.
“I just found out about this bill a week ago last Thursday,” Piatt told The Transcript this week. “I started getting e-mails from Ardmore. I asked our legislative staff to look at it and they said the bill wouldn’t do anyting.”
Piatt said he contacted the House’s Education Committee chairman, Rep. Tad Jones — a Claremore Republican — and Jones, too, said the bill wasn’t heard because it “didn’t do anything.”
“The bill doesn’t change anything,” Piatt said. “That’s exactly the way it is right now. That’s the reason the bill wasn’t heard in the education committee. Why run a bill that doesn’t do anything?”
Collins, Piatt said, has “misrepresented” HB 1874 as “an avenue to fix a problem.”
Collins countered, saying Piatt is particularly sensitive to the issue because a boy from Dickson — a small town near Piatt’s home of Ardmore — died recently after collapsing at a basketball game.
In stories published in Ardmore’s Daily Ardmoreite newspaper, Dickson Superintendent Sherry Howe said 12-year-old Luke Davis — a Dickson Middle School student — died due to “an undiagnosed heart rhythm disorder.”
Davis died in early February.
Ardmore officials said Davis collapsed less than two minutes into a seventh-grade basketball game in February.
“If they had a defibrillator at the time, the little boy might have made it,” Collins said. “It probably would have saved his life and those people down there have taken this (bill) personally.”
Since then, Collins said several media outlets have contacted him about the measure, and the ensuing publicity has put a great deal of political pressure on Piatt. “I’ve been asked about my bill and I’ve answered their questions,” Collins said. “I’ve also referred people to Rep. Piatt and the speaker.”
Piatt acknowledged he was “frustrated” by the e-mails from his district.
“I asked him (Collins) to stop,” Piatt said. “I told him I wanted the e-mails from back in my district stopped. I didn’t have time to respond.”
Piatt said he did contact Luke Davis’ mother and “shared with her that Collins’ bill didn’t do anything.”
“I visited with her and that’s a tough phone call to make, let me tell you,” Piatt said. “That young boy died in February and it’s been a week and a month since he’d passed away. The day I called it was his birthday, it was one of the hardest calls I ever had to make.”
Collins said his focus was getting the bill passed and when asked, he “just responded to questions.”
On several occasions, Collins said he fielded questions from residents across the state about the bill. Collins said he encouraged those residents to contact either Piatt or House Speaker Chris Benge and that has angered Piatt.
“He (Piatt) doesn’t like that,” Collins said. “But I don’t think any of them would admit it.”
Copies of an e-mail obtained by The Transcript show that Collins did tell residents to contact Piatt and House Speaker Chris Benge.
In an e-mail dated March 10, Collins urged Ardmore residents Jamie and Charlotte Rutledge to “call or e-mail Speaker Benge and Floor Leader Piatt.”
“I feel this bill is important and can save lives,” Collins wrote in a reply to the couple.
Like Collins, Piatt said he, too, was frustrated.
“When I talked with him about the bill, he didn’t even know what was in his own bill,” Piatt said. “That’s frustrating. He just doesn’t get it. When Wallace left the House the first time he was in majority. When he came back, he was in a minority. That’s just the way it is. Not everyone gets what they want. You don’t go back and cry and complain. You don’t get everything you want when you are in the minority.”
Collins said he talked with Piatt about the issue again last week, and Piatt said he would not hear the bill because Collins was down in his (Piatt’s) district “stirring things up.”
“He said, ‘one more time and that’s it,’” Collins said. “So he’s mad. I guess I’m naive, I thought we were up here to do the right thing. I thought a bill would stand or fall on its own merits and personality wasn’t part of it. I’m being punished. For two years I’m not getting bills heard for purely political reasons.”
Paitt, however, said he supports the idea and has offered Collins a compromise.
“I told him we should run a House Concurrent Resolution,” Piatt said. “That’s what we need to do to bring awareness to this issue. If he wants to do that, that’s fine with me.”
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
COMMENTARY: When did Yield stop meaning Yield?
The small, blue Toyota ahead of me is in a hurry.
The driver — oblivious to everyone except himself — zooms in and out of traffic like a Formula One race car driver on Memorial Day.
I’ve watched him for several minutes and honestly, I’m amazed he’s still alive.
Especially after he exits off I-35 at about 70 miles per hour and blows past a large red and white Yield sign.
He missed the yellow truck by just a few feet.
Granted, Mr. Blue Toyota isn’t alone.
In fact, he’s just one example of an all-too-common problem I call “Nonexistent Yield Signs.”
And it’s getting worse.
Across Oklahoma, in small towns and right here in the Metro, there are hundreds — maybe even thousands — of Yield signs.
They are shaped like a triangle and painted red and white.
And they say, “Yield.”
And I have yet to see a driver obey them.
Seriously, those signs might as well not be there.
Because no one yields.
When I was taking drivers ed, the Yield sign was the metal equivalent of your mother standing there, waving her finger at you.
She was reminding you to be good.
She was telling you to slow down, pause, and look around you as you prepare to enter the highway.
She was not telling you to stomp on the gas, and try to beat the other driver to the end of the road.
But somewhere, somehow along the way the humble Yield sign’s clout began to fade. It no long stands as a warming, a caution. It’s simply being ignored.
And the results are tragic.
If you look at almost any major intersection in the Metro area, you’ll probably find an impromptu monument to the victim of a car wreck. Now you and I both know, the accident victim’s friends or family would not have put those monuments there had the accident victim lived.
Nope. Those little crosses represent someone who died.
And I’ll bet you my copy of Newt Gingrich’s Fun Things to Do When You’re No Longer in Office, that more than half of those victims of accidents ignored Yield signs.
Just two weeks ago, I watched as the driver a of new, pretty silver Mustang blew past a Yield sign and right into the back of slow moving minivan.
The minivan was filled with a family which included several small children. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
But as I drove away — I’d stopped to see if everyone was OK — I overheard the Mustang driver cuss the other driver because the minivan “was moving to slow and causing disruptions in the flow of traffic.”
Bull.
The truth behind the story is simple: The idiot (and that’s the only word that truly describes him) in the Mustang was traveling way too fast and did not bother to Yield.
Mr. Mustang came very close to killing himself and several other people.
Honestly, if public safety officials are not going to enforce the laws surrounding the Yield sign, then all Yield signs should be removed and the motoring public can take its chances.
If, however, Yield signs are to remain, then patrolmen should nail those drivers who cruise through the signs with the same type of penalty for failure to stop or speeding or all those other traffic violations we’ve all come to know and love.
Still, most of the fault remains with the drivers and not the police.
It is up to each and every person who travels the ribbons of highway in this great state to turn off their damned cell phone, unplug their iPod and pay attention to what they are doing.
And that means slowing down at Yield signs.
I know, of all the problems our state faces today, you’re wondering why the issue of “Nonexistent Yield Signs” needs to be addressed.
It’s simple.
Somewhere, sometime soon, you may be driving.
And somewhere some dolt with too much car and too little sense will be out there, too.
And the next monument could be for you.
The driver — oblivious to everyone except himself — zooms in and out of traffic like a Formula One race car driver on Memorial Day.
I’ve watched him for several minutes and honestly, I’m amazed he’s still alive.
Especially after he exits off I-35 at about 70 miles per hour and blows past a large red and white Yield sign.
He missed the yellow truck by just a few feet.
Granted, Mr. Blue Toyota isn’t alone.
In fact, he’s just one example of an all-too-common problem I call “Nonexistent Yield Signs.”
And it’s getting worse.
Across Oklahoma, in small towns and right here in the Metro, there are hundreds — maybe even thousands — of Yield signs.
They are shaped like a triangle and painted red and white.
And they say, “Yield.”
And I have yet to see a driver obey them.
Seriously, those signs might as well not be there.
Because no one yields.
When I was taking drivers ed, the Yield sign was the metal equivalent of your mother standing there, waving her finger at you.
She was reminding you to be good.
She was telling you to slow down, pause, and look around you as you prepare to enter the highway.
She was not telling you to stomp on the gas, and try to beat the other driver to the end of the road.
But somewhere, somehow along the way the humble Yield sign’s clout began to fade. It no long stands as a warming, a caution. It’s simply being ignored.
And the results are tragic.
If you look at almost any major intersection in the Metro area, you’ll probably find an impromptu monument to the victim of a car wreck. Now you and I both know, the accident victim’s friends or family would not have put those monuments there had the accident victim lived.
Nope. Those little crosses represent someone who died.
And I’ll bet you my copy of Newt Gingrich’s Fun Things to Do When You’re No Longer in Office, that more than half of those victims of accidents ignored Yield signs.
Just two weeks ago, I watched as the driver a of new, pretty silver Mustang blew past a Yield sign and right into the back of slow moving minivan.
The minivan was filled with a family which included several small children. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
But as I drove away — I’d stopped to see if everyone was OK — I overheard the Mustang driver cuss the other driver because the minivan “was moving to slow and causing disruptions in the flow of traffic.”
Bull.
The truth behind the story is simple: The idiot (and that’s the only word that truly describes him) in the Mustang was traveling way too fast and did not bother to Yield.
Mr. Mustang came very close to killing himself and several other people.
Honestly, if public safety officials are not going to enforce the laws surrounding the Yield sign, then all Yield signs should be removed and the motoring public can take its chances.
If, however, Yield signs are to remain, then patrolmen should nail those drivers who cruise through the signs with the same type of penalty for failure to stop or speeding or all those other traffic violations we’ve all come to know and love.
Still, most of the fault remains with the drivers and not the police.
It is up to each and every person who travels the ribbons of highway in this great state to turn off their damned cell phone, unplug their iPod and pay attention to what they are doing.
And that means slowing down at Yield signs.
I know, of all the problems our state faces today, you’re wondering why the issue of “Nonexistent Yield Signs” needs to be addressed.
It’s simple.
Somewhere, sometime soon, you may be driving.
And somewhere some dolt with too much car and too little sense will be out there, too.
And the next monument could be for you.
11 men seeking Cleveland County sheriff's post
At least 11 men — almost all of them from Norman — have applied to replace Cleveland County sheriff DeWayne Beggs, who recently resigned and will leave office at the end of April.
As of last Thursday, all 11 men had submitted resumes to the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners. The application deadline has closed.
Assistant District Attorney Dave Batton — who serves as the county commissioners' attorney — confirmed the applicants and said each meets the statutory requirements to be appointed to the sheriff's post.
Batton said the eleven include:
Roy D. Magerkurth, Norman, a former sheriff's department employee.
Lloyd D. Blaine, Norman, a current employee with the sheriff's department.
David Williams, Norman, a former undersheriff.
Jim D. Filipski, Norman, the current undersheriff of McClain County.
Christopher Manning, Norman.
Rhett B. Burnett, Norman, who previously ran for the sheriff's post.
Joe Lester, Norman, the former public safety director for the University of Oklahoma.
Neil Vickers, Norman, the former deputy chief of police for the city of Norman.
Eddie Thomason, Harrah, current undersheriff of Cleveland County.
Mark S. Hamm, Moore.
Don Holyfield, Norman.
While all of the men meet the statutory requirements to be appointed to the position, at least one of the applicants, undersheriff Eddie Thomason, would not meet the requirements to be elected to the office.
"There's a gray area in the law on appointments," Batton said. "And Mr. Thomason meets those requirements. But it looks like he might not be able to run for the office because he lives in Harrah and not in Cleveland County."
State law requires a person seeking the office of sheriff to be a "registered voter in the county at least six months prior to the first day of the filing period for the election."
Because Thomason lives in Harrah he wouldn't qualify to run for election to the post, Batton said.
And though state law doesn't require any applicant — or person running for the office of sheriff — to have law enforcement experience, Batton said all the applicants were certified by the Council for Law Enforcement Education (CLEET).
Batton said he is compiling a notebook with all the applicants' resumes. That information would be given to Cleveland County commissioners to review. Once the commissioners decide who they want to interview, county officials will interview those chosen and pick a successor to Beggs.
An announcement is expected by the end of the month.
As of last Thursday, all 11 men had submitted resumes to the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners. The application deadline has closed.
Assistant District Attorney Dave Batton — who serves as the county commissioners' attorney — confirmed the applicants and said each meets the statutory requirements to be appointed to the sheriff's post.
Batton said the eleven include:
Roy D. Magerkurth, Norman, a former sheriff's department employee.
Lloyd D. Blaine, Norman, a current employee with the sheriff's department.
David Williams, Norman, a former undersheriff.
Jim D. Filipski, Norman, the current undersheriff of McClain County.
Christopher Manning, Norman.
Rhett B. Burnett, Norman, who previously ran for the sheriff's post.
Joe Lester, Norman, the former public safety director for the University of Oklahoma.
Neil Vickers, Norman, the former deputy chief of police for the city of Norman.
Eddie Thomason, Harrah, current undersheriff of Cleveland County.
Mark S. Hamm, Moore.
Don Holyfield, Norman.
While all of the men meet the statutory requirements to be appointed to the position, at least one of the applicants, undersheriff Eddie Thomason, would not meet the requirements to be elected to the office.
"There's a gray area in the law on appointments," Batton said. "And Mr. Thomason meets those requirements. But it looks like he might not be able to run for the office because he lives in Harrah and not in Cleveland County."
State law requires a person seeking the office of sheriff to be a "registered voter in the county at least six months prior to the first day of the filing period for the election."
Because Thomason lives in Harrah he wouldn't qualify to run for election to the post, Batton said.
And though state law doesn't require any applicant — or person running for the office of sheriff — to have law enforcement experience, Batton said all the applicants were certified by the Council for Law Enforcement Education (CLEET).
Batton said he is compiling a notebook with all the applicants' resumes. That information would be given to Cleveland County commissioners to review. Once the commissioners decide who they want to interview, county officials will interview those chosen and pick a successor to Beggs.
An announcement is expected by the end of the month.
Moore council approves firefighter's contract
City councilmembers endorsed a new contract for city firefighters, changed a municipal ordinance governing oil and gas storage wells, and approved more than $1 million in spending during a meeting Monday evening.
Voting unanimously, councilmembers approved a new contract with the international Association of Firefighters, Local 2047.
That contract, Mayor Glenn Lewis said, would give Moore firemen a 3 percent pay increase.
“Basically it’s a 3 percent raise,” he said. “This is the second year of a two-year contract and it was very easy to work with the firemen.”
Lewis said city officials use the 2007 Oklahoma City firefighters’ contract as the baseline for Moore’s pay schedule.
“We stay one year behind Oklahoma City’s contract,” he said.
In addition to the firefighters’ contract, Lewis said councilmembers endorsed changes to a city ordinance requiring sightproof fencing on oil and gas wells.
“People from three different oil companies attended the meeting,” he said. “And this a nice compromise with them.”
Under the ordinance, Lewis said oil companies would be required to screen pumps and storage tanks with fencing and landscaping.
“We want them (the storage tanks) to be secure,” Lewis said. “We don’t want solid fencing, because you can’t see if kids sneak in there to play. Those things can be dangers and we want to secure them.”
Companies who use “chain-link” fencing will be required to landscape the area around the tank, he said.
“We’re working with the oil companies to clean up the sites. They are painting tanks, cleaning up and keeping them beautified.”
The effort, Lewis said, makes a good partnership. “We’re working with them instead of fighting,” Lewis said. “We all want to make sure the areas are secure so no kids can get in there. We want to clean them up and make them safe.”
Monday evening councilmembers also heard a report about the city’s proposed new wastewater treatment plant.
A new plant originally was planned on land near the intersection of Indian Hills Road and south Pennsylvania Avenue.
However, the facility drew the complaints from landowners in the area and city officials eventually shelved the idea.
Monday evening, councilmembers heard a report from Eagle Consulting about alternative sites for the plant.
“We’re going to build a new facility on the same land that our old facility is on,” Lewis said. “We will build the new plant first, then tear down the old one.”
Lewis said the new plant would be “state of the art” and would be funded by a construction loan from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.
“We’ll be holding a public hearing soon,” he said. He said construction costs are expected to be between $28 million and $35 million.
“We’re going to do it as quick as we can. We’re trying to get more capacity and take out the odors.”
In other action, councilmembers:
• Approved a $500,000 budget supplement to the General Fund Street Department.
• Accepted a drainage easement from Richard Montgomery in lots 10, 11 and 12 in block 8 of the Lockhoma Estates Addition.
• Approved a lot split in the Westmoore Business Park.
• Endorsed a $3,000 contract with Cleveland County Rebuilding Together for low-income repairs.
• Approved the preliminary plant of Old Town Square.
• Approved spending $101,277 for the purchase of three one-ton Wildland Grass-Bursh apparatuses.
Acting at the Moore Public Works authority, the council approved:
• A contract with the Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling company.
• Claims and expenditures totaling $119,126.
Acting as the Moore Economic Development Authority, the council approved:
• A report from the city’s economic development director.
The council’s next meeting will be 6:30 p.m. April 7 at Moore City Hall, 301 N. Broadway Ave.
Voting unanimously, councilmembers approved a new contract with the international Association of Firefighters, Local 2047.
That contract, Mayor Glenn Lewis said, would give Moore firemen a 3 percent pay increase.
“Basically it’s a 3 percent raise,” he said. “This is the second year of a two-year contract and it was very easy to work with the firemen.”
Lewis said city officials use the 2007 Oklahoma City firefighters’ contract as the baseline for Moore’s pay schedule.
“We stay one year behind Oklahoma City’s contract,” he said.
In addition to the firefighters’ contract, Lewis said councilmembers endorsed changes to a city ordinance requiring sightproof fencing on oil and gas wells.
“People from three different oil companies attended the meeting,” he said. “And this a nice compromise with them.”
Under the ordinance, Lewis said oil companies would be required to screen pumps and storage tanks with fencing and landscaping.
“We want them (the storage tanks) to be secure,” Lewis said. “We don’t want solid fencing, because you can’t see if kids sneak in there to play. Those things can be dangers and we want to secure them.”
Companies who use “chain-link” fencing will be required to landscape the area around the tank, he said.
“We’re working with the oil companies to clean up the sites. They are painting tanks, cleaning up and keeping them beautified.”
The effort, Lewis said, makes a good partnership. “We’re working with them instead of fighting,” Lewis said. “We all want to make sure the areas are secure so no kids can get in there. We want to clean them up and make them safe.”
Monday evening councilmembers also heard a report about the city’s proposed new wastewater treatment plant.
A new plant originally was planned on land near the intersection of Indian Hills Road and south Pennsylvania Avenue.
However, the facility drew the complaints from landowners in the area and city officials eventually shelved the idea.
Monday evening, councilmembers heard a report from Eagle Consulting about alternative sites for the plant.
“We’re going to build a new facility on the same land that our old facility is on,” Lewis said. “We will build the new plant first, then tear down the old one.”
Lewis said the new plant would be “state of the art” and would be funded by a construction loan from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.
“We’ll be holding a public hearing soon,” he said. He said construction costs are expected to be between $28 million and $35 million.
“We’re going to do it as quick as we can. We’re trying to get more capacity and take out the odors.”
In other action, councilmembers:
• Approved a $500,000 budget supplement to the General Fund Street Department.
• Accepted a drainage easement from Richard Montgomery in lots 10, 11 and 12 in block 8 of the Lockhoma Estates Addition.
• Approved a lot split in the Westmoore Business Park.
• Endorsed a $3,000 contract with Cleveland County Rebuilding Together for low-income repairs.
• Approved the preliminary plant of Old Town Square.
• Approved spending $101,277 for the purchase of three one-ton Wildland Grass-Bursh apparatuses.
Acting at the Moore Public Works authority, the council approved:
• A contract with the Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling company.
• Claims and expenditures totaling $119,126.
Acting as the Moore Economic Development Authority, the council approved:
• A report from the city’s economic development director.
The council’s next meeting will be 6:30 p.m. April 7 at Moore City Hall, 301 N. Broadway Ave.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Meacham: No tax reductions this session
MOORE— A $114 million hole in the state's budget will put the kibosh on any tax reduction plans for this year, the governor's chief budget negotiator said Wednesday.
Speaking to members of the Moore Rotary Club, state treasurer Scott Meacham said the $114 million hole presents a challenge for state lawmakers, but said the budget picture "wasn't as bad as it was in 2003."
"In 2003 things were a lot worse," he said. "We were looking at a $700 million hole."
But while Meacham said the state's financial picture wasn't rocky as the past, he said Oklahomans shouldn't expect new tax reductions this year. "I don't see any tax reductions right now," he said. "I believe we're looking at a maintenance type budget."
Meacham said that "maintenance budget" would include little, if any, new spending and would probably fund most state agencies at their current level. This year's budget probably wouldn't incude tax reductions, increases in pay for teachers or state employees or other spending initiatives.
"It's not a standstill budget, because I think we'll be able to adjust some things for inflation," he said. "I expect it will just be a maintenance budget."
Last week, Meacham said preliminary financial reports show the state's general revenue fund collections for February totaled about $303 million. That figure, he said, was 0.6 percent below last year and $26.9 million - about 8.2 percent - below this year's estimate.
"When the revenue loss from income tax cuts is factored in, Oklahoma's economy is showing growth. The trend of the past few months continues - the Oklahoma economy is expanding, just not as fast as during the past few years," he said.
Collections from three of the four major tax categories - sales, gross production and motor vehicle taxes - exceeded the prior year by $19.1 million and were above the estimate by a total of $20.7 million.
However, collections from income taxes were below the prior year by $4.1 million and below the estimate by $20.8 million.
Meacham said "timing issues" were primarily to blame for the "less than estimated" income tax collections.
"Electronic filing of tax returns has sped up the rate at which refunds are being paid," he said. "We anticipate this month's income tax shortfall will balance out to a certain extent in the coming months."
Additionally, net income tax collections produced $40.7 million - about $4.1 million or 9.2 percent below the prior year - and $20.8 million or 33.8 percent below the estimate. Net income tax collections, he said, include personal income taxes and corporate income taxes less refunds paid for the month.
Personal income tax collections totaled $38.9 million for the month, short of the prior year by 3.3 percent. Meacham said those figures failed to meet the estimate by $19.6 million or 33.5 percent.
"This year's budget is a good lesson for all of us," he said. "It's a lesson on who we can all work together."
Along with any new tax proposals, Meacham said he "didn't expect" a bond issue to pay for roads and bridges. "I do foresee some type of bond issue," he said, "but not for transportation."
And while Meacham was critical of some lawmakers for "the partisan nature" of the state capitol, he said he expected bugets issues would be resolved.
"Again, things aren't as bleak as they were before. There are many areas where we can find revenue. And people always seem to work better together when there is little money to spend."
Speaking to members of the Moore Rotary Club, state treasurer Scott Meacham said the $114 million hole presents a challenge for state lawmakers, but said the budget picture "wasn't as bad as it was in 2003."
"In 2003 things were a lot worse," he said. "We were looking at a $700 million hole."
But while Meacham said the state's financial picture wasn't rocky as the past, he said Oklahomans shouldn't expect new tax reductions this year. "I don't see any tax reductions right now," he said. "I believe we're looking at a maintenance type budget."
Meacham said that "maintenance budget" would include little, if any, new spending and would probably fund most state agencies at their current level. This year's budget probably wouldn't incude tax reductions, increases in pay for teachers or state employees or other spending initiatives.
"It's not a standstill budget, because I think we'll be able to adjust some things for inflation," he said. "I expect it will just be a maintenance budget."
Last week, Meacham said preliminary financial reports show the state's general revenue fund collections for February totaled about $303 million. That figure, he said, was 0.6 percent below last year and $26.9 million - about 8.2 percent - below this year's estimate.
"When the revenue loss from income tax cuts is factored in, Oklahoma's economy is showing growth. The trend of the past few months continues - the Oklahoma economy is expanding, just not as fast as during the past few years," he said.
Collections from three of the four major tax categories - sales, gross production and motor vehicle taxes - exceeded the prior year by $19.1 million and were above the estimate by a total of $20.7 million.
However, collections from income taxes were below the prior year by $4.1 million and below the estimate by $20.8 million.
Meacham said "timing issues" were primarily to blame for the "less than estimated" income tax collections.
"Electronic filing of tax returns has sped up the rate at which refunds are being paid," he said. "We anticipate this month's income tax shortfall will balance out to a certain extent in the coming months."
Additionally, net income tax collections produced $40.7 million - about $4.1 million or 9.2 percent below the prior year - and $20.8 million or 33.8 percent below the estimate. Net income tax collections, he said, include personal income taxes and corporate income taxes less refunds paid for the month.
Personal income tax collections totaled $38.9 million for the month, short of the prior year by 3.3 percent. Meacham said those figures failed to meet the estimate by $19.6 million or 33.5 percent.
"This year's budget is a good lesson for all of us," he said. "It's a lesson on who we can all work together."
Along with any new tax proposals, Meacham said he "didn't expect" a bond issue to pay for roads and bridges. "I do foresee some type of bond issue," he said, "but not for transportation."
And while Meacham was critical of some lawmakers for "the partisan nature" of the state capitol, he said he expected bugets issues would be resolved.
"Again, things aren't as bleak as they were before. There are many areas where we can find revenue. And people always seem to work better together when there is little money to spend."
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Medal of Honor winner remembered as "humble hero"
Funeral services are pending in Washington state for former Norman resident Richard M. McCool Jr., a former Navy lieutenant who earned the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1945.
McCool, 86, died last Wednesday at Harrison Medical Center in Bremeton, Wash.
McCool was one of only two Celveland County residents to earn the award — the second, Major John Lucian Smith of Lexington.
A native of Tishomingo, McCool graduated from the University of Oklahoma, then at 19, earned an appointment to the Naval Academy in 1944.
After graduating from the academy, he was placed in charge of the Navy transport ship USS Landing Craft Support 122.
The ship — similar in looks to a landing craft which brought soldiers ashore, but heavily armed with machine guns and rockets — was used to protect Naval destroyers.
On June 10, 1944, McCool’s ship was attacked while in Okinawa.
According to the book “Medal of Honor, Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty,” McCool rescued 99 crew members of the USS William D. Porter after the Porter was attacked by a Japanese Kamikaze.
The next day, Kamikaze planes attacked McCool's ship.
McCool’s crew blew one Kamikaze out of the sky and gunners hit a second, but that plane crashed into the 122, about 8 feet below the conning tower.
Of the 71 crew members on board, 12 were killed and 23 injured, including McCool, who suffered shrapnel wounds, burns and was knocked unconscious.
“When he came to, the conning tower was on fire,” author Peter Collier wrote. “He managed to get down to the main deck, and acting instinctively — he would remember almost nothing of the ensuing events — he rallied his crew to fight the fire that threatened to engulf the ship.”
As they attempted to save his ship, McCool learned that “several men were trapped in the burning deckhouse” and “went in to rescue them, carrying one of them to safety on his back, despite his burns.”
McCool continued to command his ship until he collapsed.
Because of his actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor “for saving the lives of many” and for “saving his ship for further combat service” by then-President Harry Truman.
Created in 1861 by act of Congress, the Medal of Honor is the highest military award for bravery in the United States. It is traditionally awarded only to members of the armed forces for valor and/or self-sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty while in combat.
Since 1863, only 3,456 Americans have received the medal, incuding 28 from Oklahoma.
In a story published in the Kitsap Sun, McCool’s friends remember him an a “humble hero.”
“He was the most humble of men,” Fran Moyer, a friend of McCool’s, told the paper. “He did not ever want to be invited to a parade or anything like that because he could never think about himself as being a hero. The heroes were the men who gave their lives.”
After recovering, McCool returned to Norman, then returned to active duty service in mid-1946. He served in the Korean and Vietman wars and retired as a Navy captain in 1974.
That same year, McCool and his wife, Carole Elaine, moved to Bainbridge Island in Washington.
Active in politics, McCool served as chairman of the Kitsap County Democrats.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Carol Elaine; one daughter, Carolyn McCool of Vancouver, British Columbia; and two sons, Rick of Gig Harbor, Wash., and John, of Indianola, Wash.
McCool, 86, died last Wednesday at Harrison Medical Center in Bremeton, Wash.
McCool was one of only two Celveland County residents to earn the award — the second, Major John Lucian Smith of Lexington.
A native of Tishomingo, McCool graduated from the University of Oklahoma, then at 19, earned an appointment to the Naval Academy in 1944.
After graduating from the academy, he was placed in charge of the Navy transport ship USS Landing Craft Support 122.
The ship — similar in looks to a landing craft which brought soldiers ashore, but heavily armed with machine guns and rockets — was used to protect Naval destroyers.
On June 10, 1944, McCool’s ship was attacked while in Okinawa.
According to the book “Medal of Honor, Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty,” McCool rescued 99 crew members of the USS William D. Porter after the Porter was attacked by a Japanese Kamikaze.
The next day, Kamikaze planes attacked McCool's ship.
McCool’s crew blew one Kamikaze out of the sky and gunners hit a second, but that plane crashed into the 122, about 8 feet below the conning tower.
Of the 71 crew members on board, 12 were killed and 23 injured, including McCool, who suffered shrapnel wounds, burns and was knocked unconscious.
“When he came to, the conning tower was on fire,” author Peter Collier wrote. “He managed to get down to the main deck, and acting instinctively — he would remember almost nothing of the ensuing events — he rallied his crew to fight the fire that threatened to engulf the ship.”
As they attempted to save his ship, McCool learned that “several men were trapped in the burning deckhouse” and “went in to rescue them, carrying one of them to safety on his back, despite his burns.”
McCool continued to command his ship until he collapsed.
Because of his actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor “for saving the lives of many” and for “saving his ship for further combat service” by then-President Harry Truman.
Created in 1861 by act of Congress, the Medal of Honor is the highest military award for bravery in the United States. It is traditionally awarded only to members of the armed forces for valor and/or self-sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty while in combat.
Since 1863, only 3,456 Americans have received the medal, incuding 28 from Oklahoma.
In a story published in the Kitsap Sun, McCool’s friends remember him an a “humble hero.”
“He was the most humble of men,” Fran Moyer, a friend of McCool’s, told the paper. “He did not ever want to be invited to a parade or anything like that because he could never think about himself as being a hero. The heroes were the men who gave their lives.”
After recovering, McCool returned to Norman, then returned to active duty service in mid-1946. He served in the Korean and Vietman wars and retired as a Navy captain in 1974.
That same year, McCool and his wife, Carole Elaine, moved to Bainbridge Island in Washington.
Active in politics, McCool served as chairman of the Kitsap County Democrats.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Carol Elaine; one daughter, Carolyn McCool of Vancouver, British Columbia; and two sons, Rick of Gig Harbor, Wash., and John, of Indianola, Wash.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Intelligent design politics,not science, OU prof says
A movement which claims to be an alternative to the scientific theory of evolution is nothing than an attempt to inject politics and religion into the classroom, a University of Oklahoma professor said Friday.
Victor H. Hutchinson, a former George Lynn Cross professor of zoology at OU, told members of the Cleveland County Democratic Party the intelligent design movement is part of an "ongoing culture war" being waged in America.
Hutchinson, now retired, spoke at the Democrats' weekly Tyner Cornbread and Beans luncheon.
"Evolution is not a faith and intelligent design is not a scientific theory," Hutchinson said. "Science can only ask 'how,' science cannot ask 'why?'"
Using a computerized slide presentation, Hutchinson told the group many creationists claim anyone who supports the theory of evolution is automatically an atheist.
"These fundamentalist groups say, 'the removal of the theory of evolution will be salvation of western civilization,'" Hutchinson said. "They have said, 'this is not a debate about science but religion and philosophy.'"
Their group's goal, Hutchinson said, is to make the United States a theocracy.
"Religion and science don't need to conflict," he said. "And most of our country's mainstream church understand this. It's only in the far right that we have this problem."
In fact, Hutchinson said, the only other country with a greater fundamentalist movement seeking to inject religion in the classroom is Islamic Turkey.
"This is something that has happened before," he said "We saw this movement in the '20s, when the country moved toward fundamentalism, and we had a similar response in the '50s and in the '80s."
And now, Hutchinson said, "we're seeing the same movement again."
"Part of the problem is our fault," he said. "Education and science educators have failed to explain scientific education to the general public. The general public has no idea what science is and how research is done."
And because of that, Hutchinson said most people don't understand the difference between a theory -- that is, a guess -- and a scientific theory, which has been vetted, tested and reviewed.
"A scientific theory is as close as you can get. The scientific theory of evolution is just as valuable a theory as the theory of gravity or the theory of plate tectonics," he said. "But metaphysical concepts like faith and religion are different. The supernatural is not testable."
Hutchinson criticized some fundamentalist groups' reliance on polls to push for the teaching of intelligent design. "Polls don't determine science," he said.
The professor also had harsh words for some members of the Oklahoma Legislature.
"We've had to battle textbook disclaimers, bills for intelligent design and academic sunshine laws," he said. "This has become a partisan issue and it shouldn't have."
The only way to ensure that science is taught in the classroom is by continuing to fight the efforts of those who support intelligent design, he said.
"There is room for a discussion of intelligent design in the classroom," he said. "But not as a scientific theory. There are many places were it could be discussed, it's just not science."
And the problem, Hutchinson said, will "only get worse."
"Many science teachers are afraid to teach evolution because of the issues involved," he said. "And I had some tell me that when they do talk about it, students have asked to be excused. We are in the middle of a culture war and I don't think it will ever stop.
Victor H. Hutchinson, a former George Lynn Cross professor of zoology at OU, told members of the Cleveland County Democratic Party the intelligent design movement is part of an "ongoing culture war" being waged in America.
Hutchinson, now retired, spoke at the Democrats' weekly Tyner Cornbread and Beans luncheon.
"Evolution is not a faith and intelligent design is not a scientific theory," Hutchinson said. "Science can only ask 'how,' science cannot ask 'why?'"
Using a computerized slide presentation, Hutchinson told the group many creationists claim anyone who supports the theory of evolution is automatically an atheist.
"These fundamentalist groups say, 'the removal of the theory of evolution will be salvation of western civilization,'" Hutchinson said. "They have said, 'this is not a debate about science but religion and philosophy.'"
Their group's goal, Hutchinson said, is to make the United States a theocracy.
"Religion and science don't need to conflict," he said. "And most of our country's mainstream church understand this. It's only in the far right that we have this problem."
In fact, Hutchinson said, the only other country with a greater fundamentalist movement seeking to inject religion in the classroom is Islamic Turkey.
"This is something that has happened before," he said "We saw this movement in the '20s, when the country moved toward fundamentalism, and we had a similar response in the '50s and in the '80s."
And now, Hutchinson said, "we're seeing the same movement again."
"Part of the problem is our fault," he said. "Education and science educators have failed to explain scientific education to the general public. The general public has no idea what science is and how research is done."
And because of that, Hutchinson said most people don't understand the difference between a theory -- that is, a guess -- and a scientific theory, which has been vetted, tested and reviewed.
"A scientific theory is as close as you can get. The scientific theory of evolution is just as valuable a theory as the theory of gravity or the theory of plate tectonics," he said. "But metaphysical concepts like faith and religion are different. The supernatural is not testable."
Hutchinson criticized some fundamentalist groups' reliance on polls to push for the teaching of intelligent design. "Polls don't determine science," he said.
The professor also had harsh words for some members of the Oklahoma Legislature.
"We've had to battle textbook disclaimers, bills for intelligent design and academic sunshine laws," he said. "This has become a partisan issue and it shouldn't have."
The only way to ensure that science is taught in the classroom is by continuing to fight the efforts of those who support intelligent design, he said.
"There is room for a discussion of intelligent design in the classroom," he said. "But not as a scientific theory. There are many places were it could be discussed, it's just not science."
And the problem, Hutchinson said, will "only get worse."
"Many science teachers are afraid to teach evolution because of the issues involved," he said. "And I had some tell me that when they do talk about it, students have asked to be excused. We are in the middle of a culture war and I don't think it will ever stop.
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