Rediscovering freedom in America

“Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.”

The continuing irresponsible actions of Congress are beyond shameful. The Washington politicians have inexplicably adopted the mantra of “government is the solution.”

I remember not too long ago, President Ronald Reagan declared that “government is not the solution, government is the problem.” His views have been proven to be right beyond any doubt over the last three decades. Reagan inspired a generation to readopt a previously practiced belief of Americanism. What I mean by that is he had a unique gift to help Americans understand what patriotism, citizenship, and charity are all about.

Pre-Reagan America had slumped into the doldrums of despair. Unprecedented double-digit inflation had stifled the economy. Interest rates reaching 17 percent all but eliminated the great American dream of home ownership. Income tax rates had reached upwards to 90 percent in the highest tax bracket while Iran thumbed its proverbial noses at the United States by holding American hostages for over a year.

President Reagan gave us a road map for success and all we had to do was follow it to continue upon the path of prosperity.

Rather than staying on the straight and narrow path of fiscal prudence, the politicians in Washington have led us back to the dark ages of big government.

The “dollar” was once recognized around the world as the gold standard and is now shunned. Today many countries would much rather trade in deutschmarks, francs and the euro.

The hidden tax of inflation has stripped the dollar of much of its worth. Fiat (play) money is printed almost daily, causing even more stress on the economy. The increasing debt burdening the American people has reached critical mass and must be paid off if we are to survive as a nation.

The most shocking realization is that Congress’ sophomoric answer to the financial problems we face is to “borrow” money to pay off the debt. That makes no sense at all! Implementing that strategy will increase our debt two fold.

In 1980, Ronald Reagan was elected president. This was the beginning of a radical transformation back to the founding values and principles of our Constitution.

The chains of government were loosened. Income tax rates were slashed to modest levels causing incredible expansion of the economy. Double-digit inflation dropped off to almost nothing, interest rates fell to all time lows and private investment in industry created jobs galore.

If Reagan did it – we can do it too. The answer to today’s problem is fairly simple to solve since there are only two pieces to the puzzle.

Number one, we need Constitutional conservative leadership like Reagan provided.

Number two; “We the people” must demand a moral and responsible government by electing dedicated public servants.

I still believe in America. I still have faith that values of our forefathers are just as relevant today as they were 230 years ago. I believe the vast majority of Oklahomans will support someone who will provide Constitutional leadership.

Our freedom is precious, and as Reagan said …It is our destiny and duty to preserve in sacred trust mankind’s aspirations of freedom for generations to come.

Please join me and let’s spread the cause of freedom. Brogdon

Senator Brogdon Files Concurrent Resolution to Keep Gitmo Terrorists Out of Oklahoma

Sen. Randy Brogdon has authored a measure to block any efforts to relocate prisoners from the terrorist prison at Guantanamo Bay to Oklahoma.

That’s after President Barack Obama signed an executive order to close the prison within a year. Brogdon said previous locations considered for inmates have included Fort Sill in southwestern Oklahoma. He said it is critical for the State Legislature to back efforts by Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation to stop that from happening.

“Oklahoma lives have already been lost as a result of terrorism with the 1995 bombing of the Murrah building. Bringing in these criminals who helped mastermind 9/11 could make us a target for future terrorist attacks,” said Brogdon, R-Owasso. “Under no circumstances should they be brought here.”

Brogdon’s measure, Senate Current Resolution 4, calls for Congress to block any efforts to bring Gitmo prisoners to Fort Sill or any other new or existing location within the State of Oklahoma.

“These are individuals who remain a threat to our nation and to the freedoms we enjoy. I am outraged that anyone would even consider bringing them to Oklahoma,” Brogdon said. “I will do everything in my power to make sure that never happens.”

Brogdon Appointed to Chairmanship

Click here to go to
Sen. Brogdon Website

With the 2009 session
only weeks away,
Senate committee assignments
have been announced.

Senate President Pro Tem Designate Glenn Coffee appointed Senator Randy Brogdon to chair Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and General Government. He was also selected serve as vice-chair of the Energy and Environment Committee.

"I'm honored to have been appointed to these two positions," said Brogdon. "I'm anxious to get to work on the legislation assigned to our committee. Both committees deal with some very important issues for our state and I'm proud to be able to play a role in helping move meaningful legislation through the process."

The Owasso Republican was one of only ten senators appointed to serve dual roles as both a chair and vice-chair.

Brogdon has served as co-chair of the Appropriation Subcommittee on Transportation and General Government for the past two years and has been a member of the Energy and Environment Committee since 2005.

Along with his leadership positions, Brogdon will also serve as a member of the Appropriations Committee, Business and Labor and Transportation.

Owasso council rejects Tulsa Bus line

The Owasso City Council rejected a proposal Tuesday night for a Tulsa Transit express route from Owasso to downtown Tulsa.

The move comes after a summer survey in which 75 percent of respondents said they would support the line, which could have started in March.

When the city surveyed residents three years ago, only 15 percent responded positively to the plan.

But Vice Mayor D.J. Gall pointed out that only 887 people — of 9,500 surveys solicited within the city’s fenceline — responded to the questionnaire this summer. He added that the constituents he spoke to were unaware of the cost of the service.

The proposed service, which Collinsville also was considering, would have been the Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority’s second express line, after one that serves Broken Arrow.

The cost of the new single-bus line, which would have made weekday round trips from the local community center, at 301 S. Cedar Street, to the Cherokee Industrial Park and downtown Tulsa, was projected to be $30,015 annually. The city, which was to use Community Development Block Grant funds to pay for the service, had included that amount in the 2009 fiscal year budget.

Voting against the commuter service were Gall, Mayor Steve Cataudella and Councilor Doug Bonebrake. Councilors Wayne Guevara and Jon Sinex missed the meeting because of family and personal emergency medical issues, City Manager Rodney Ray said.

Speaking of the commuter line and citing the massive deficit of the federal government, Gall said he didn’t “think it is a wise use of taxpayer money.”

Respondents to Owasso’s mail and Internet survey had cited savings on gasoline and helping the environment as reasons for using mass transit.

Bus fare would have been $1.50 for a one-way trip, and commuters facing emergencies would have been covered under Tulsa Transit’s guaranteed ride-home program.

All three people who spoke during the council meeting’s public comment portion gave the proposal a thumbs-down.

D.J. Alexander said he was against subsidizing commuters and was for “keeping dollars in Owasso.”

Other residents fretted about possible low ridership and the city’s ability to keep up with costs that could increase.

Cataudella said the plan deserved a shot, adding that it is up to the council to provide opportunities for residents. He said the percentage of positive survey responses had sent the municipality a message and that gas prices likely will go back up.

However, he voted against the commuter line.

Although Bonebrake called the service a “noble” cause, he worried about rising costs over time and what he perceived as a lack of a mandate from city residents, given the low percentage who responded to the survey.

“There is a value to it, but how much can you invest?” he asked.

Op-Ed - Sen. Brogdon comments on bailout

Op-Ed
Sen. Brogdon
comments on bailout

Although I am not an economist, I can tell that the Congressional action taken on the bail out last week does not add up. Common sense will reveal that if over-borrowing caused a debt crisis, the last thing you do is borrow more money to correct the problem. As usual, Congress missed a great opportunity to protect our liberty and instead opted to do the political two-step.

One of the major problems created by the politicians was the formation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Both of these are government-sanctioned monopolies that are not susceptible to SEC regulations or audits. Many members of Congress receive millions of dollars in campaign contributions from executives of these institutions. It is easy to realize why Congress is AWOL at best, and proven to be greedy tyrants at worst, when protecting the taxpayers.

The $800 billion dollar bail out included hundreds of millions of dollars in special tax credits. The tax deals had nothing to do with reforming the credit crisis. As a matter of fact it only added fuel to the fire by increasing an additional $100 billion dollars of new debt. It is apparent that those tax credits enticed many members of Congress to vote for the bill. To keep the people off balance the political two-step is the dance of the day. Congress created a crisis and is now offering to save us.

I am appalled that many Congressmen who supported the bail out have stated they were not sure it would even work, but they believe that government had to do something. Instead of adhering to Constitutional limitations, eliminating agencies, and adopting "free market" solutions, politicians have pontificated utter nonsense of more debt generation to solve the problem. This has produced a much deeper financial abyss for all taxpayers to crawl out of.

We the people have been cheated out of a grand opportunity to reform the financial debacles created by Congress. Instead, the Potomac fever that plagues so many politicians in Washington has now infected all of America. The virus of greed and corruption has made our economy sick and has put savings and retirement accounts on life support for millions of Americans. Congress must be held accountable at the polls for creating unconstitutional agencies that have devastated our nation’s economy. Congress has “helped” enough! Now it’s time for us to return the favor. We can cool the fever by eliminating the members of Congress that continue to spread the virus.

I am afraid that we have taken a giant step towards socialism. I am also concerned that our leaders have shown little understanding of their Constitutional duties. This recent bail out has encumbered more of our freedom and our financial stability than most of us realize.

Sam Adams said, “We should humble ourselves to the Supreme Ruler and pray that the rod of tyrants may be broken into pieces and the oppressed made free.” The freedom of our nation is at stake. American Patriots must assume their place in history and reclaim the liberty handed to this generation. This is the hour to pray for our future, and pray that statesmen would rise and stand in the gap to protect our freedom. It’s obvious; this Congress has miserably failed to do so.

Dedicated to Liberty,

Randy Brogdon

Owasso, Ok

State Senate Dist. #34

IMMIGRATION ARREST - Honduran nationals taken into custody

OWASSO - Five Honduran nationals were arrested and taken into custody, Sunday at about 4:45 p.m. for immigration violations.

Immigrations and Customs Agent Van Stephens ordered the arrest.

No other information has been made available.

Oklahoma has the nation's toughest immigration laws. Lawmakers put in place HB 1804 last year.

While immigration enforcement has been the task of federal authorities, Tulsa County Sheriff's Department officers have received training on making arrests for being in the United States illegally.

HB 1804 also made it illegal for anyone to knowingly assist or provide help to someone who is in the country illegally.

Thank You Senator Randy Brogdon for the Oklahoma Taxpayer Transparency Act !

Oklahoma Opens Its Books -
Spending Transparency Website Goes Live

Great news for Oklahoma taxpayers!

The Oklahoma Office of State Finance today launched OpenBooks - the website created thanks to the passage of State Senator Randy Brogdon's Taxpayer Transparency Act earlier this year.



The website, which can be accessed at www.openbooks.ok.gov provides Oklahoma taxpayers with comprehensive information on how their tax dollars are spent.


“We are charged with being good stewards of the state’s resources,” said Sen. Brogdon, R-Owasso. “Making the appropriations process completely transparent and easily accessible to our citizens is simply the right thing to do, because in reality, every dollar the Legislature appropriates belongs to the citizens.”

Sen. Brogdon said the program was modeled on a new federal law by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn which will allow citizens to track the use of federal dollars.