EDMOND —
Some may have made fun of the nickname — the Doomsday deal — but the thought behind new Speaker of the House T.W. Shannon’s move to name a House committee specifically to monitor federal dollars coming into Oklahoma was right on target.
We applaud the House speaker for doing what so many in the past have failed to even acknowledge — that there’s a lot more money coming into Oklahoma than the stated $6 billion budget spent by the state. When one adds in all federal programming dollars, the figure is more like $13.5 billion being spent on Oklahoma programs and needs.
Speaker Shannon’s reasoning for examining these additional dollars more closely is to consider how state programming would continue if federal dollars suddenly dried up or were significantly cut back. Many of these funds go to support programs for some of Oklahoma’s neediest citizens.
What should go hand in hand with this more balanced approach to fiscal review is a return to line-item budgeting by the state. Many people expected last year that the Legislature would have cut spending now that most of state government is in the hands of Republicans, but that turned out to not be the case. We suggest that part of that problem is related to the fact that no one really knows how much is being spent and where it is going in spite of tremendous cost-saving efforts being made by certain state committees.
If the state Legislature continues to pass shell appropriation bills and just hand state agencies a bushel full of money to spend however they like, Oklahoma probably will never achieve any significant fiscal changes. This process pushes all of the really hard decisions outside of the Capitol and into the agencies that are all fighting for every dollar they can get their hands on.
Line-item budgeting could solve numerous problems and give the public a lot more transparency as to how their tax dollars are being spent. Then we’d know a lot earlier in the process for example whether $2 million is going to be spent in support of a Youth Expo, which proved to be so controversial during last year’s session. We might also realize where dollars are not being spent but perhaps should be in place such as an annual amount for replacing cars and equipment for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Unbelievably, that part of OHP’s budget had been stripped in previous years. Thanks to efforts by Commissioner Mike Thompson, that issue is being corrected.
Gov. Mary Fallin is effectively our state’s CEO and she should have the ability to look at a line-item budget and give her input and direction and maybe even veto spending that is not in line with her stated objectives of improving government efficiency and eliminating waste.
Oklahoma has had processes in place in the past such as line-item budgeting and even a legislative office dedicated to finding wrongdoing and pinpointing cost savings statewide.
Those processes were eliminated for political reasons. It’s time to return those types of tools to state government to truly achieve what Republicans keep telling us they want to accomplish.
Opinion
OUR VIEW: Line-item budgets should return
- Opinion
-
-
Americans deserve the truth on Benghazi
Lately, the media has been consumed by the controversies surrounding the White House. Among these controversies is the horrific terrorist attack on the United States’ diplomatic compound in Benghazi that took place Sept. 11, 2012. As more people come forward with additional information regarding the attack on the consulate, many Americans, including myself, are still asking for the truth.
The Obama Administration and the State Department have been less than forthcoming with key information on Benghazi and recent information points toward a major cover-up. -
Seizure of AP phone records insult to independent press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
-
HEY HINK: Some people just are not cut out for command
Recent headlines cause me to remember an incident that occurred on an army base some years ago. Warning here: I’m taking some liberties with names and details, but the basic outline of events is accurate.
A certain company commander, let’s call him Captain Duntz, had command of a motor pool on a large army base in the continental U.S. -
We’ve become our own worst enemies
The past couple months have been marked by a seeming unprecedented number of man-made tragedies, as distinct from those caused by violent outbursts of the natural world, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis.
You don’t want to dwell too long on the negative, but we do have to take notice of horrific human events and we owe it to ourselves to respond to them in some way. We don’t always agree on those responses, however, and that usually exacerbates the problem. -
Let’s reimburse higher ed for remediation costs
The good news: Oklahoma schools are teaching phonics. The bad news: It’s in college.
Students at Tulsa Community College, for example, can take a college English course called “Spelling and Phonics,” which “helps students master basic spelling literacy, principles of phonics and decoding skills.”
This sort of higher education brings to mind former Boston University president John Silber’s quip: “Higher than what?” -
AGAINST THE GRAIN: Department of Commerce highlights Main Street successes
The 24th annual Oklahoma Main Street Awards Banquet was at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum last week. Oklahoma Department of Commerce Secretary Dave Lopez addressed the gathering, and spoke of how the Commerce Department works with Main Street organizations throughout the state that are working to improve their downtown areas. Lopez pointed out that the partnership between his department and those local organizations has brought new life to those communities and that the attendees would see some of that revitalization in a video presentation. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin also addressed the gathering, and said the Main Street program has resulted in more than $1 billion in investments in the state and more than 1 million volunteer hours in its 24 years of operation.
-
OUR VIEW: Be Edmond needs your help
BMX star and local legend Mat Hoffman knows what’s it like to fall from great heights and find yourself at one of the worst low points in life. He also knows how to climb back up and tackle life’s problems head on.
-
No Americans forgotten in Benghazi
More than eight months ago on Sept. 11, the nation was shaken by the attack on our consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Claiming the lives of four innocent Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, that horrific night still demands further investigation before it can be laid to rest. Due to an uncooperative administration and State Department who attempted to downplay the terrorist attack just eight weeks before the presidential election, we still don’t know the truth.
-
Saying goodbye to the earmark
When a new legislator, I worked to learn some of the more hidden and less-than-transparent aspects in the way Oklahoma politicians spent our taxpayer dollars. This wasn’t easy as even some legislators are left in the dark regarding the mechanics of how the legislative budget process is abused to the benefit of the most powerful of politicians.
-
HEY HINK: Think like a gaur before deciding on gun debate
Have you ever heard of a gaur? It’s the largest living member of the bovine family. A large gaur bull can weigh more than a ton and a half. His body may be nearly 11 feet long and he may be more than 7 feet tall at the shoulder. This is a huge, enormously powerful animal that could, no doubt, do a terrific amount of work if it would ever allow itself to be hitched to a plow. But it won’t. Man has never been able to offer the gaur a deal that would persuade it to become domesticated.
- More Opinion Headlines
-
Americans deserve the truth on Benghazi
