BY RUSSELL TURNER
BLUNT TALK
We have an old expression down on the farm about getting to the point of an issue; the expression is ‘stop beating around the bush.’ Most of my mentors adhered to that old adage, when they told you something you didn’t have to wonder what was on their mind. Years ago one of my mentors told me his views about taxes in blunt, and to the point manner. He said that taxes and government regulations are very similar to catching a social disease; he made the point that it is far easier to catch the disease than it is to cure it. The recent decision by the Oklahoma Supreme Court to invalidate the initiative petition to allow the citizens to have a say concerning the biggest tax increase in Oklahoma history is a case in point.
It seems ironic that the very people who organized an illegal strike were the ones who the court sided with. You can call the teacher strike whatever you want to, but it was a strike by individuals who were under a signed contract to provide their services for that school year. The Oklahoma Supreme Court must have played a lot of basketball when they were children; they were very good at running out the clock to prevent the taxpayer group from having enough time to mount another petition drive. In our system we are supposed to be able to voice our opinions for or against issues that affect our government; I have found that there is something about getting something off of your chest win or lose. All our black robed geniuses did was to widen the divide between the tax payers and the government class. At one time I had a lot of faith in our state government, but that faith has taken a huge hit over the past couple of years.
Oklahoma is considered to be the reddest of the red states in the union, but our elected leaders are proving that to be less than true. Our state has a Republican Majority; the republican platform is a conservative platform. We need to remember that the platform is voted on at the state conventions by true conservative activists, but many of our so-called conservative elected officials are not conservative. I have no faith in our Republican governor who experiences ecstasy any time a new tax or fee is levied upon the taxpayers of this state. I have no faith in our state legislature; there are some good legislators in the capitol, but as a whole they have proven themselves to not practice conservatism. Our ball playing, black robed geniuses’ recent actions have also removed my faith in them. In the last presidential campaign one of the big issues was the forgotten man, the taxpayers of this state are experiencing the same thing. Once a tax or fee is implemented, it is becoming more difficult to debate and use our constitutional rights to address the problem.
In the just-completed primary election there may be a ray of hope. Our state did legalize medical marijuana, and there is supposed to be pot of gold in new tax revenues because of it. Maybe we can get a prescription and smoke or take enough to get everyone completely stoned, then most people won’t care what the elite ruling class does or doesn’t do.
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