Don't Worry Trigger. We're NOT moving to Oklahoma!

Rep. Sky McNeal introduced legislation in the Oklahoma House of Representatives to remove restrictions for operations of horse slaughterhouses in the state.  A similar measure passed in the Oklahoma senate and both bills will go to a conference committee to craft a single bill.

Many Oklahomans have spoken out against legalizing horse slaughterhouses but the undaunted Republican dominated legislature is pressing on; to hell with the constituents! 

Did we mention that Rep. McNeil's family owns a animal auction facility in Creek County and that they auction horses every other Monday evening?

The Lost Decade of the Middle Class

How did ten years of "trickle-down" economic policy work out for you?

Read the report from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Another Unnecessary Medical Cost

In the Tulsa medical care area, 1 in 6 Medicare patients discharged from a hospital are re-admitted within 30 days.  These returns to the hospital are largely preventable.  Using the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, I calculate the cost to Medicare for these preventable admissions just in Oklahoma, is $200 million per year.  We all pay, one way or another.

Mu wife and I watched this video a few nights ago.  It talks about this problem on a national basis and I feel it would be worth your time investment to watch it, too.

"Frequent Fliers" on PBS's Need To Know TV program.

Oklahomans Don't Want Obamacare? They NEED It!

From the Oklahoma State Senate leader's recent press release:

Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman released the following statement Monday in response to Governor Mary Fallin’s announcement that Oklahoma will not engage in the formation of a state-based healthcare exchange or pursue an expansion of Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act:
“Oklahomans simply do not want anything to do with Obamacare, and Senate Republicans stand firmly with Governor Fallin in rejecting it,” said Bingman, R-Sapulpa. “We want real, conservative solutions to the rising cost of healthcare—we want to make care more accessible, more affordable, and easier to obtain. I continue to believe Obamacare will fall short of accomplishing these goals—but it will certainly accomplish one of President Obama’s goals: to grow government and redefine its size, scope, and reach into the lives of our fellow Oklahomans.

So, Oklahoma progressives, how do you/we respond to Sen. Bingman's statement?  Here's a good place to start finding answers, here and here at the Oklahoma Policy Institute.

Help Me Agree

Many of us have received and probably continue to get unsolicited forwarded email smearing and slandering President Obama.  Most charge him as a communist, a dictator, alien agent of the Taliban, bastard son of a prostitute and more, or all of the above.

What's worse, is a lot of these ugly messages come from friends and family.  In the past, with few exceptions, I'd just deleted the post and tried to move on.   Although I've downsized and restricted my inbox to the point where I only get a few emails a day, occasionally one of these bile spewing messages gets through.

Well, to paraphrase Howard Beal in the movie, "Network," "I'm not gonna take it anymore!" and I've written a response I plan to use and encourage you to copy and paste, if you choose.

Dear sender,

Thanks for the attached email you forwarded.  I really understand what you and the writer are saying.  Many friends are encouraging me to feel that way about President Obama, and believe me, I'm trying real hard! 

My problem is I can't make it about the color of his skin because of two reasons. 1) I have some friends who I really enjoy, whose skin color is different than mine, and 2) General Colin Powell and Rosa Parks are two among many dark skinned Americans that have my respect and admiration. 

So here I am, yearning to join you, please some friends and a family member or two, but cannot find a reason to hold such vitriolic feelings toward Barack Obama. 

You know that I'm a facts and figures kind of person so would you send me some information about our President that I can check out on my own?  Maybe it will ignite the flames of hate in my heart and then I can be just like all of you.

Terror in Broken Arrow!

The Broken Arrow, Oklahoma police department just issued assault rifles to all its squad cars because of the infestation of the city by highly armed criminals.

Broken Arrow a suburb of Tulsa with a population of just over 100,000 people, had 41 robberies in 2011; that's less than one a week.

The murder rate for Broken Arrow averages 2 per year!

 What's next?

Armed drones?

What Really Is A Small Business?

One of the most often cited mistreated groups in the country is "small business."  This phrase envokes one of the most idealized frames in our minds.  When some one says "small business," we automatically mentally picture the main street hardware store or the mom and pop grocery a block away.  In today's America, it's often a stand alone one owner, one location convenience store.

These entrepreneurs are portrayed as the frontier fighters of the free market and are punished by an onslaught of government regulation.  But are these the small businesses most politicians champion?

First, let's define a small business. Here are some of the Federal regulations from the SBA and approved by congress that define a small business:

• A manufacturer who employes up to 1,500 workers, depending on the type of product manufactured.
• A wholesaler who may employ as many as 500 workers, depending on the type of product provided.
• A service company whose revenue is less than $21.5 million, depending on the type of service offered.
• Retailers with up to $21 million in annual sales, depending on the product sold.
• An Agriculture enterprise with annual receipts of $9 million or less, depending on the agricultural product.

So, let's see what companies in Tulsa can be designated as a small business. Go to the Tulsa Metro Chamber of Commerce website and see how some of the city's largest businesses can be designated as "small businesses." 

You decide.