BY RUSSELL TURNER
A HOUSE DIVIDED
I have been involved in politics for many years, and I have observed that there are two types of individuals who become involved in politics. There are those who make their living off of the government, and there are those who are creating wealth and paying the taxes that keep our government operating. While a huge portion of our citizens don’t have a clue about how government works, those of us who have some skin in the game understand it all too well. Like many other blue collar people we have become involved in an effort to keep more of the money that we earn from our hard work and investment. We care enough for our country to devote our spare time and treasure to try to maintain the free enterprise economic system that our country was founded upon. Ever since the strike by the Oklahoma Education Association (OEA) there has been a constant call for an ever-increasing list of demands and concessions concerning education as a whole.
The most recent idea floated into the public domain is the proposal to close the school system on Election Day. Some schools have already adopted this idea, and I recently heard that Tulsa Public Schools is also seeking approval from the Board of Education. One of the claims is to make it easier for the teachers to go vote. While all of this may sound good to some people I do not agree with it. I have never worked anywhere where the business was closed on Election Day. For anyone who wants to vote, here in Oklahoma it is an easy thing to do. A person can vote absentee by mail or absentee in person before Election Day, and the polls are open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm on Election Day. If a person cares enough to go and vote there is ample time to do it. The only businesses that are closed on Election Day are the liquor stores. We live in a world that demands instant gratification; we would not even consider closing service businesses such as auto repair shops, plumbing shops, etc. We need to remember that what goes on in the state capital affects those trades just as much as anyone in the education field.
Another item is the practice of sending delegations of educators to the state capital to lobby the legislators instead of fulfilling their contract of teaching children. Several years ago there was an outcry from the taxpayers over the practice of government agencies taking part of their appropriated budget to hire lobbyists to clamor for more money from the legislature; there is not a whole lot of difference in what is happening now. I have made several trips to the state capital over the years to voice my opinion over some issue, but when I went I lost a day’s pay and had the expense of driving myself; can the same be said for these delegations? The whole idea of a representative form of government is to elect people who ask the people in their respective districts what is needed in that district. A good representative listens to ALL the people, not just the biased mainstream media and the mob. It seems so ironic that the people who do have some skin in the game are often minimized and looked down on for trying to keep more of the money they worked for. Too many of our lawmakers are completely terrified of the media and unions; until they grow a backbone and start listening to all sides we will live in a divided state. President Abraham Lincoln once made the point that a house divided will not stand.
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