Published: July 07, 2009 08:10 pm      

Kern needs leadership lesson

EDMOND — Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, seems to have fallen down the proverbial rabbit hole, but unlike Alice, she hasn’t found a Wonderland. Instead, Kern’s world seems populated by negativity, concerns of depravity and fear.

Kern unleashed a proclamation for morality at the state Capitol last week. According to the Associated Press, her proclamation says the nation has become a world leader in promoting abortion, pornography, same-sex marriage, sex trafficking, divorce, illegitimate births, child abuse “and many other forms of debauchery.”

Perhaps Kern could find her way into seeing the world’s glass as half full instead of half empty. Her proclamation focuses solely on the negative while ignoring all of the wonderful things and people that can be found in both our great state and nation.

It’s no secret that Oklahoma’s social statistics are not the greatest, particularly in the areas of child abuse and neglect, drug use, divorce and our health habits. These are problems that our state and its residents still must address collectively. But Kern’s ham-fisted approach gets her nor the state anywhere.

She fails to find hope in the facts that Oklahoma is a leader in early childhood education, that Oklahoma is being applauded for new health insurance coverage plans like Insure Oklahoma, that we’re known for our charitable nature and that Oklahomans know how to respond and pull through tragedy unlike any other state in the nation, creating what’s now known as the “Oklahoma standard” in emergency management.

Our residents are thirsty for real solutions to our state’s problems, not grandstanding. A little bit of honey always has proven to lure followers more than the bitter pill of hatred and fear-mongering. We urge Kern to keep her proclamations to herself and instead put her time and effort into working with other legislators to be a true servant leader in our great state.