Now that OKC voted Maps in, If you live in Oklahoma County...

Now that OKC has voted Maps 3 in,
and if you live in Oklahoma County
you are going to be hit up for another
1 penny sale taxs for another
massive $350 million taxpayer project,
A New County Jail!

LOL

Gwin Faulconer Lippert Show
Dec. 6, 2009
KTOK

Oklahoma County voters
to face decision on tax for jailhouse
by Brian Brus
The Journal Record
December 9, 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY – Right on the heels of Oklahoma City voters’ decision on the MAPS 3 $777 million penny sales tax Tuesday, many of those same metro area residents will soon have to decide another massive taxpayer project.

It’s a $350 million proposal that Oklahoma County commissioners are dreading.

“I’m certainly interested in knowing the outcome of MAPS 3 to get a reading on the sentiment of the voters and how they feel about taking up a countywide tax,” District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughn said earlier this week. “Part of the frustration is that we don’t really even know yet what proposal we’ll introduce for voters to consider.”

And District 1 Commissioner Willa Johnson said, “I personally think it’s going to be a challenge, but I think that our people are reasonable enough to know we’ve got to do something about the jail and we can’t continue to operate the way it is.”

Commissioners and an advisory committee have been discussing how to handle problems with the Oklahoma County Detention Center, which was opened in 1991 about a mile west of the downtown district. Design flaws have plagued the building and last year the U.S. Justice Department reported that inmates receive negligent medical care in overcrowded and often violent conditions, effectively violating their constitutional rights.

County officials reached an agreement with the Justice Department to immediately avoid costly sanctions, but that forgiveness is contingent on the county instituting major corrections or building a new prison altogether. In other words, the county can’t afford to not do something, Maughn said; federal officials will force the issue one way or another.

In 1997, the Oklahoma City Jail merged with the county detention center to share operations. The building is 268,000 square feet and has capacity for about 3,000 inmates. Estimates for a new jail have ranged from about $300 million to $400 million, with repairs not much cheaper.

Maughn said commissioners will meet with a bond lawyer Friday to discuss funding options, which could include some combination of general obligation bonds, sales taxes and property taxes.

“I’m stressing that we don’t know yet what direction we’ll take,” he said.

Johnson said commissioners are open to suggestions from their constituents. When asked if she had a preference about whether to replace or repair the jail, Johnson instead said she would like to see the current building put to a good use.

“That may not mean keeping the county jail there,” she said. “I’m not married to any idea. But I hate to see a building that new go down.’

“Ultimately, I think we’ll get it done,” she said. “But I think it’s going to be a big challenge for the voters to decide.”

VOTE NO on THIS MAPS

Hat Tip to Mark Shannon

Who Makes Money Off MAPS?

So, who benefits from MAPS 3?

Let's look...
Congressman Tom Cole - His company Cole Hargraves Snodgrass is being paid to do polling for MAPS. Cole didn't reveal that when he endorsed MAPS. He also receives campaign funds from many of the principles involved in shoving MAPS 3 down the throat of voters. It's Tom Cole's company that is behind the annoying "robocalls" and the caller "Laurie" is an employee of his company, though you're supposed to be so stupid that you think it's some "regular" housewife. I'm not even sure LAURIE lives in Oklahoma City. FAKE.

Former Mayor Kirk Humphrey on the Oklahoma River that is/has been improved by MAPS 3. He bought it three years ago, but it remains undeveloped. Why do you suppose he's waiting? Hmm.

MAYOR Mick Cornett is directly paid by Ackerman McQueen, who is a MAPS supporter and who has produced commercials and public relations for MAPS 3. Cornett's salary is also being paid by clients of A-M such as THE OKLAHOMAN, OGE, The State Fair Board, The OKC Chamber of Commerce, Baptist Integris, and Chesapeake, among others. All who are pushing MAPS. The Mayor is ON THE TAKE, legally or otherwise, by MAPS 3 supporters.

Some of his clients do business with the city. Anyone see anything UNETHICAL about that? CORNETT'S CONFLICTS

Billionaire Aubrey McClendon/Chesapeake owns property along the OK River, which will directly benefit from MAPS 3.

OG&E reportedly might stand to gain "big time" depending on where the Convention Center is built. It has something to do with the "need" of a new power sub-station, though I'm unclear about the details.

State Fair Board, who receives money from the HOTEL MOTEL TAX, gets even more money. How much profit do they make? How much do they pay their members or employees? How much money does this so-called NON-PROFIT make off the State Fair and the shows there? Where does it go? Two members of Ackerman-McQueen are on their board, as is Clay Bennett and other YESMAPS money backers.

DEVON already received a special TIFF to subsidize the building of their 50 story office building. This TIFF draws off taxes that normally would go to the school district.

THE OKLAHOMAN has benefitted enormously from expensive FULL PAGE ads, already gets heavy money from the STATE FAIR, (to the point most people think the OKLAHOMAN owns the FAIR,) and the Oklahoman publisher is the head of the Chamber, and heading up the MAPS 3 tax increase.

The CITY GOVERNMENT will grow as a result of MAPS. That means more taxes, more salaries, more control. I guess Oklahomans only care about the size of government when it's Obama's government?

And, the only UNION that benefits is not the police or firefighters, but the UNION that represents State, City, and County municipal employees.

And that's just the connections I am aware of, without doing any serious digging. Too bad a certain newspaper, (which is in the MAPS TANKS) doesn't do some real journalism about the "corruption" in this city.

If You Vote - THIS MAPS is Over!

If I had any doubt about the numbers I've been receiving show THIS MAPS failing miserably, I no longer do.

The people of Oklahoma City have sent a loud and clear message to the pollsters, owned and operated by Congressman Tom Cole's CHS company, funded by a group of clients of Mick Cornett's employer, Ackerman-McQueen:

NOT THIS MAPS....NOT NOW....ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!

The evidence that confirms what I'm saying? The MAPS campaign has gone negative! (As predicted in this column earlier this week.)

Their most recent TV commercials now call our Police and Firefighters BULLIES!

These people are desperate.

To refer to these overstretched and understaffed members of public safety as BULLIES is not only complete "B.S." - it's just unbelievable!

AND...its' all a SMOKE SCREEN.

The police and firefighters aren't the issue. The bad timing of many bad projects that will only grow the burden already felt by Oklahoma City taxpayers is the issue.

Swimming pools for seniors that are not needed and who will compete with privately-owned athletic facilities, not to mention the YM and YWCA's.

A whitewater rafting "fantasy" that does will not make break even. (And if it could should be built by private investment, not government.)

A downtown park, which might look good, but which will further burden city government that can barely keep up with what we have already, and that the city cannot provide security for due to the undermanned and overworked OKC Police Dept. (And absolutely no one can fail to see that it will be a gathering place for the homeless and criminal element that already fills that area of the city, and who have already made the nearby Myriad Gardens their home.)

Voting NO will not undue any of the progress this city has made.

It won't stop the building of the DEVON TOWER, it won't send the NBA back to Seattle, it won't hurt Bricktown at all, (in fact many in Bricktown oppose MAPS 3 because it will draw retail away from the still lacking retail business in that part of the city.)

Oklahoma City (the Mayor tells us) is already a BIG LEAGUE CITY, and yet in the middle of the worst recession most of us can remember, at a time when unemployment continues to grow in the city and revenues to the city are down, these disgusting politicians and millionaires want the taxpayers of the city to spend another 777 million dollars for projects the city DOES NOT NEED and in many cases will continue to cost taxpayers long after the 777 million dollars is spent.

Mick Cornett and his clients at A-M and his fellow politicians should be ashamed of themselves, asking taxpayers for more when they don't even know if they'll have a job next week. Not to mention referring to the heroes of April 19, 1995 and the tornados that have torn across this community as "BULLIES."

When your priorities as Mayor appear to be your advertising clients and not the voters who put you where you are, there are consequences.

Especially at election time.

And the first chance to send that message is TUESDAY. VOTE NO.