EDMOND —
My son, Tyler, attends Chisholm Elementary School in Edmond. This week, the Chisholm fifth-graders present their “living history museum,” where each student has been assigned a historical figure to study. Tyler is studying Nathanael Greene, and our family has been spending evenings together learning more about this incredibly interesting man.
Aside from being called a trusted friend of Gen. George Washington (a feat unto itself), Greene led a fascinating life as an early American hero. A true life-long learner, Greene was known for saving money to add to his library, and he was particularly interested in military strategy. Knowing that war with Great Britain would come soon enough, he organized a militia while in his early 30s. His love of books served him well as his pronounced limp caused some in the militia to challenge his participation. However, no one could deny his keen military mind, and he remained very involved.
I was struck by Greene’s unconquerable spirit. Unwilling to be held back by physical limitations but willing to fight for good regardless of the consequences, he was a dedicated patriot. As I beamed with pride, Tyler then pointed out a statement Greene made after experiencing setbacks during the Revolutionary War: “We fight, get beat, rise and fight again.” Tyler said it summed up Greene’s life and that it was a motto by which he wanted to live also.
The Marquis de LaFayette would later say that in Greene’s very name “are remembered all the virtues and talents which can illustrate the patriot, the statesman, and the military leader....” Undoubtedly, that sort of spirit was a necessity in those times, and thankfully that strength of character that was common in our nation’s early leaders. That same spirit continues to show up in America when it is needed the most, and now is one of those times when we desperately need it.
For many of us, life is pretty good, but some of our friends and neighbors are struggling. Some need better-paying jobs, and some would just be happy with any job. Others are discouraged by schools that are not meeting their needs, and still others are trying to run a business in a climate that sometimes seems to produce more failure than flourishing. So, how can we actually help them without simply perpetuating the problems or irresponsibly spending money we don’t have?
In Oklahoma, the answer is simple:
• Replace our costly, broken, adversarial workers compensation system with an administrative system that will justly compensate workers for their injuries while allowing employers to save money, expand their businesses and better provide for employees.
• Reform our tax code by lowering the rates, and let citizens keep more of their hard-earned money, even though it means we must cut spending.
• Reform our education system so we can stop limiting children and forcing them to attend certain schools, regardless of that school’s performance or quality.
These reforms are not easy. The fight to achieve them may even knock us down. But we are Oklahomans, and we know — just as Nathanael Greene knew — how to rise and fight again. Besides, our friends and neighbors, our children and our state are worth fighting for.
BRIAN BUSH, an Edmond resident, is executive vice president of Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs and a member of The Edmond Sun’s Community Editorial Board.
Opinion
You can learn a lot from a fifth-grader
- Opinion
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Oklahomans unite in tragedy; set example for country
Whenever we witness the type of devastation wrought by this week’s killer tornado, we naturally struggle with a host of emotions. Those of us in the neighborhood battle to control our anxieties as we gather the information we can about the storm’s strength, location and direction. We experience dismay when we hear the threat above us has touched down and become a real physical menace to our friends, neighbors and loved ones. When the “all clear” sounds, we are thankful that the nightmare is over. When we realize our loved ones are all safe and sound, we rejoice.
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Spirit of Oklahoma strong in tornadoes
Because we’ve been through so much, we are a people who get perturbed when those on our nation’s coasts look down their noses at us. We are a people who get irritated when others tell us how we should live, or what we should believe. We are a people who cringe when others see our waving wheat fields as only flyover country.
We know that we are not perfect, but we are good, we are compassionate and we are giving. It is this spirit which led the teachers at Briarwood and Plaza Towers Elementary this week to use their bodies to shield students from tornado debris. It was this spirit that enabled law enforcement officers to stand in the way of the oncoming tornado to divert traffic from the storm’s path. It was this spirit that compelled Oklahomans around the globe to rush to the aid of their friends and neighbors. -
Let kids start school on a normal schedule
Q: Our son’s fifth birthday is in August. He did just fine, socially and academically, in preschool, but the counselor at the school he’s slated to attend has recommended that we hold him back a year because of his late birthday. She says that kids with late birthdays, especially boys, do better if they’re given an extra year of maturation before starting school. What do you think?
A: The practice of postponing Kindergarten for so-called “late birthday” children — generally defined as children having birthdays after May — got its start about 20 years ago and has generated the usual unintended consequences. Prime among those is the fact that by delaying the start of school for children having birthdays after May, schools only create a new crop of children with late birthdays — those occurring after January.
It’s true that during early elementary school, boys are less mature in several respects than girls. In general, their attention spans tend to be shorter. Therefore, they’re more impulsive and more easily distracted. It’s also true, however, that some children, boys as well as girls, experience developmental “spurts” during Kindergarten. The slightly immature, impulsive 5-year-old may be at the norm one year later. -
No one realizes how tough Okies really are — until this happens
Like many of you, I’m ending this tragic week emotionally drained. I was either glued to the weather report throughout the first part of the week or — when Su-the-dog and I weren’t settled down inside the storm shelter waiting for the all-clear to sound — I hovered with her about the shelter door leading down to it. Now as the week ends, I just might have changed my mind about a couple of things.
Many of us have been on our knees throughout this week praying that God will strengthen and comfort the state’s numerous tornado victims and their loved ones. Some have already contributed to organizations such as the Red Cross or the Salvation Army to aid this week’s victims of various tornadoes, and those who are able have either donated blood or else they will when the Bloodmobile makes its rounds. -
Seeing yourself as the world sees you
Ever try seeing yourself as others see you, or your piece of the world as others see your piece of the world?
You know, if you could get others to see you, or if you could get other parts of the world to see your part of it?
Narcissism and inferiority, both, can trap us in front of a mirror, admiring or lamenting, pleased or not pleased by the vision we presumably offer others.
Yet, what’s happened over the last three days, since yet another deadly tornado rolled through Moore, offers an entirely different perspective.
Through strength or weakness, we may take an interest in how we project. But when the “Today Show” is broadcast from the rubble and the network evening news has placed its anchor amidst the carnage; and when the news channels descend upon the destruction and every newspaper in the country is playing your and your neighbors’ plight bigger than its own hometown news, it turns surreal. -
ROCK DOC: Japanese find a new source of natural gas
The name “natural gas” might be a puzzle. After all, how could there be such a thing as unnatural gas? The reason we call natural gas what we do has to do with history. There was a day that people made burnable gas by heating coal. The gases that came off the coal were piped around cities where they did things like light street lamps and even power cook stoves in homes.
Coal gas had its down side. For one thing, it often contained carbon monoxide. And it took energy to make the gas, so it never could be truly cheap. -
Witnesses missing; Behenna case could be heard at Supreme Court
The film “Breaker Morant” was nominated for an Oscar for the best screenplay in 1980. It told the story of Harry “Breaker” Morant, an Australian who served in the British Army and was court-martialed for alleged war crimes during the Boer War in Southern Africa in the early years of the last century.
That conflict pitted the British Army against the descendants of the Dutch settlers who had migrated to what is now South Africa in the 17th and 18th centuries. The majority of them were farmers and in their language of Afrikaans were known as “Boers.” -
Don’t leave Oklahoma!
May is graduation season. As I have done every year as lieutenant governor, I have given multiple commencement speeches. Advice flows freely during this time and it usually runs the gamut. What to do, what not to do, how to do ‘x’, be sure not to do ‘y.’ Too often commencement speakers speak in big generalities. So general, the message is frequently lost or forgotten.
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Last-minute funding proposals not in state’s best interest
All indications point to this being the last week of this year’s legislative session. The Legislature will go home a week early. This is good news for Oklahomans as not only will there be cost savings but all Oklahomans should breathe a sigh of relief when the Legislature stops making new laws a week ahead of schedule.
As usual, the Legislature will take a number of important votes during the last week. Some will be forced due to attempts to introduce and pass far-reaching, new policies that should have been introduced much earlier in the year. -
BY THE NUMBERS: Oklahoma still needs to invest in its economy
After six months of stagnation, the Oklahoma economy finally appears to be expanding again albeit still weakly. Unfortunately, our leaders aren’t making the investments we need to give our economic prospects a boost.
Last week the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services reported that in April state General Revenue fund collections were 5.2 percent above the estimate and 14.7 percent higher than last year’s collections. Under normal circumstances, such a report would indicate that the Oklahoma economy was very strong. But this isn’t a normal circumstance, and April isn’t a normal month. - More Opinion Headlines
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Oklahomans unite in tragedy; set example for country
