The Edmond Sun

Local News

Discussion

September 19, 2009

Gubernatorial candidate wants liberties restored

James Coburn

EDMOND — EDITOR’S NOTE: This is one in an occasional series about candidates for the 2010 governor’s race.



State Sen. Randy Brogdon says he has a short but far-reaching agenda that will have profound effect on Oklahoma’s economy and taxpayers’ wallets.

“My agenda is very simple. It is to restore our constitutional liberties,” said Brogdon, R-Owasso. “All the problems we are experiencing today in our nation, whether it’s at the local level, the state or national level, it all revolves around our personal liberties, our constitutional liberties being stripped away from us.”

Brogdon is one of four announced candidates running for governor. Congress-woman Mary Fallin is the only other Republican currently in the race. Attorney General Drew Edmondson and Lt. Gov. Jari Askins will compete on the Democratic ticket.

Federal and state tax policies, education and health care are being undermined by an intrusive government, Brogdon said. As a result, people become lazy by relying on government to help them in almost all aspects of life, he said.

“That is a sad state of affairs. It is not what our founding fathers intended for sure,” he said.

Lawmakers who supported presidents Barack Obama’s and George W. Bush’s the federal bailout with the Troubled Asset Relief Program and stimulus package have burdened future generations with trillions of dollars of debt, he said.

“It has infected us with a sense of entitlement — a sense of greed,” Brogdon said. “… It has allowed the federal government to own and control private industry in this nation. Never in a million years would I have anticipated in my lifetime or anyone’s lifetime that the United States of America, and the federal government, and Oklahoma politicians would be involved in allowing the control and the ownership of the federal government into General Motors.”

Brogdon said he would use the constitutional power of the governor’s office to stop the federal government from dictating the state’s budget. A good dose of freedom can cure the ills caused by a tyrannical government, he said.

Efficient government, individual liberty, personal moral responsibility and allowing individual genius and creativity should be allowed to expand the free market, Brogdon said.

“Government can never grow the economy. Government grows debt and bureaucracies,” he said. Politicians writing policies in the state House and federal House of Representatives need to stop pretending they can grow the economy, Brogdon said.

“If they could, they would have been in private business like I’ve been for the past 30 years creating jobs and expanding, ” Brogdon said.

Brogdon has owned two air conditioning companies. When a Tulsa senior in high school, Brogdon loaned his father $500 and his 1963 Chevrolet so his dad could start a family air conditioning business. He worked in partnership with his dad for 17 years before his father died in 1989.

“I sold that company shortly after dad died. I just lost my love for that after dad left because he and I built it together,” Brogdon said. “But I went back in business for myself just shortly after that.”

Brogdon sold his wholesale distribution company three years ago to focus on his Senate responsibilities, and now the 2010 gubernatorial race. He and his wife Donna have been campaigning full-time since the legislative session ended.

The couple has been married for 37 years and has two adult sons.

Brogdon said he has had executive experience in business and knows how to manage people. Brogdon knows how to make tough decisions, something that is lacking in state leadership, he added.

“I know where my authority comes from. It comes from God,” Brogdon said. “It is my responsibility as a leader to share my vision of prosperity, empowerment of the people, and not empowerment of the politicians. That’s a big difference between myself and any other candidate.”



THE OFFICIAL filing period for candidates is June 7-9. The statewide primary will be July 27, with a runoff election on Aug. 24. The general statewide election will be Nov. 2, 2010. To learn more about state Sen. Randy Brogdon’s 2010 campaign for governor, go to www.randybrogdon.com.

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