TRANSPARENCY IS JUST CAMPAIGN TALK!

Hat Tip to Steve Fair






SUNDAY, JULY 4, 2010
Weekly Opinion/Editorial
TRANSPARENCY IS JUST CAMPAIGN TALK!
by Steve Fair

When Congress passed the $800 billion dollar federal stimulus package last year along Party lines, they required states to set up a web site where citizens could track the federal stimulus monies in their area. During his campaign President Obama said his administration would be the most transparent in history. On the White House website- http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/TransparencyandOpenGovernment/, it states, “My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.”
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But the President’s campaign rhetoric and statement do not square with reality. Back in March during ‘Sunshine Week,’ the Associated Press issued a review of the first year of the Obama administration. The A.P. found the Obama administration had substantially increased (+49%) the use of the so-called ‘exemption’ to disclosure under the Federal of Information Act from the last year of the Bush White House. It’s clear that transparency and Chicago politics do not go hand in hand. Transparency appears to be just for the campaign trail!
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The feds have a website to track federal stimulus monies- recovery.gov. A zip code can be entered and federal stimulus projects in that area can be viewed. But the federal site has been so inaccurate (inflating jobs/wrong information) and lags so far behind that it has become a joke. Several non-official sites, operated by a variety of organizations (liberal and conservative), are available on the web for tracking the stimulus monies, but their information may or may not be accurate.
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Oklahoma got 928 awards from the federal stimulus bill for a total of $2.42 billion dollars. Thus far, the state has received around 1 billion of the $2.42 billion dollars awarded. Most of the Sooner state’s awards went to infrastructure-roads/bridges/buildings. Oklahoma set up a hotline to report abuse of the federal stimulus monies, but in the year the hotline has been in existence, not much has been reported. "The calls haven't really been fast and furious, but, the money hasn't all been out there that long," said James Finch, FBI Special Agent In Charge. It could be taxpayers didn’t know the number existed. If you know about any stimulus fraud, waste or abuse, call the statewide hotline. That number is 1-877-259-7337.
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But waste and fraud may be a subjective term when you are talking about the federal stimulus monies. Citizens against Government Waste estimates that up to sixty percent of the $800 billion is not related to ‘stimulating’ the economy.
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Congress should never have passed this huge spending bill in the first place. Former Congressman Dick Armey was right when he said, “Taxing moves money and spending moves resources.” In other words, why on God’s green earth would anyone with a pulse believe taking money (taxes) from the most productive side of the economy (private sector), which uses resources efficiently thanks to the invisible hand of the market, and give it to the most unproductive side of the economy (government) who continually wastes finite resources (spending), thanks to the visible boot of the market? But the federal stimulus bill is did pass and become law and it’s our money that is being spent. The American taxpayer has a right to know where and how our money is being spent.
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State Senator Anthony Sykes, (R-Moore) authored SB #1759 which was signed into law by Governor Henry on June 11th. The bill carried an ‘emergency’ provision, meaning the law went into effect immediately. #1759 requires Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector Steve Burrage to set up a web site to keep Oklahoma taxpayers informed on where their tax dollars are being spent in regard to the federal stimulus monies. As of this date, the web site is not up and running.

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The job of the Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector is to make sure citizens have accountability and transparency from their local and state government. Burrage’s unwillingness or tardiness in getting this site up immediately- as required by law- reflects his lack of commitment to providing transparency for taxpayers. In a Sepember 2009 interview with KWTV Channel 9 Burrage said he was committed to making sure the federal stimulus dollars are “spent free of fraud, waste and abuse.” Until Burrage gets the website up, I guess the talk of transparency was just for the campaign trail!

CREATION OF NEW STATE AGENCY A MISTAKE

Hat Tip to Steve @ FAIR AND BIASED

Weekly Opinion/Editorial
CREATION OF NEW STATE AGENCY
A MISTAKE
By Steve Fair

Before the Oklahoma legislature adjorned last week, they passed Senate Bill #1865 which would create a state Office of Accountability and Innovation within the Legislative Service Bureau. It is intended to make government more efficient by creating an agency to conduct regular performance audits of state agencies. The Senate author is co-Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee, R, Oklahoma City. The House author is Speaker of the House Chris Benge, R, Tulsa.

After the Senate passed the measure 32 to 15 last week Coffee said “Republicans are strongly committed to making government more accountable, more effective and more innovative,” stated Coffee, R-Oklahoma City.

“The Office of Accountability and Innovation will give the Legislature the tools to help state government better serve the people of Oklahoma. One can look at success of the recent performance audit of the Department of Corrections as an example of the honest assessments and innovative recommendations we expect to receive from the legislative Office of Accountability and Innovation.”

According to Coffee, the new agency will conduct regular performance audits of agencies, recommend best procedures to improve government efficiency, review tax policy and suggest new ways to make government more accountable and effective.

The legislation creates a Joint Committee on Accountability and Innovation that will consist of five House members and five Senate members. The committee will appoint a director of the office of accountability to serve a four-year term.

The bill is on the way to the governor's desk where Governor Henry is expected to sign it. While accountability is a good thing, creating another state agency is not.

If the description of the duties and responsibilitites for this new agency seem familiar, it’s because they are very similar to the job description for the Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector.

In Article VI, Section 19 of the Oklahoma Constitution the Auditor and Inspector is charged with examining the state and all county treasurers’ books, accounts and cash on hand or in bank at least twice each year. The Auditor and Inspector is to provide checks and balances within the Executive Department of Oklahoma State government.

The State Auditor and Inspector has access to all books, accounts, reports, vouchers and other records of information in any department, institution or agency. Pursuant to various statutes the State Auditor and Inspector establishes accounting procedures, and forms, and provides assistance to counties and other forms of local government. The State Auditor and Inspector also performs special investigative audits upon request by certain state officials and upon petition by citizens.

Why do we need an additional oversight agency controlled by ten state legislators when we already have an elective office created by the Oklahoma Constitution charged with doing much of what the new agency will be doing? I fail to see how creating a new agency will make Oklahoma government more efficient.

Proponents of the new agency point out the new agency will do performance audits. What are performance audits? A performance audit refers to an examination of a program, function, managment of or the procedures of a state agency. Most “performance audits” are carried out by exernal auditors, but in most states they are done by elected officials like the State Auditor. Performance audits are objective and systematic, generally using structured and professionally adopted crititerium. But in reality, the State Auditor’s office has the constitutional authority to do “performance audits” now.

The creation of this new agency is partially in reaction to current State Auditor Jeff McMahon being indicted in January on conspiracy, fraud and racketeering charges. It’s clear by the bi-partisan vote on SB 1865 the legislature doesn’t have any confidence in the State Auditor’s office to do performance audits.

Another factor is that Republicans want an agency to conduct ongoing studies on improving Oklahoma’s taxation system. By doing so, perhaps we could make the state more attractive to business looking to expand or relocate. But creating a state agency because an elected official fails to do their job is not a good reason to create another layer of bureaucracy.

Growing government is not an innovation.

That’s the problem with government- it’s too big now.

We didn’t need another state agency to watch the other state agency who is watching the other state agencies.

GOP Update: 4th annual Stephens County GOP Fish Fry

At the 4th annual Stephens County GOP Fish Fry. The Stephens County GOP Fish Fry is the SCGOP's primary fundraiser for the year. SCGOP use the money to provide a HQ for the party. With three legislative races and a county race, SCGOP need a spacious facility for three months that they can use for volunteer activity.

The Sykes Update for May 10, 2008

This week from Duncan, Oklahoma. At the 4th annual Stephens County GOP Fish Fry. The Stephens County GOP Fish Fry is the SCGOP's primary fundraiser for the year. SCGOP use the money to provide a HQ for the party. With three legislative races and a county race, SCGOP need a spacious facility for three months that they can use for volunteer activity.

“TURN” COATES & WILSON

Hat Tip to Steve Fair @ http://stevefair.blogspot.com

Weekly Opinion/Editorial

“TURN” COATES & WILSON
by Steve Fair

Last week, two common sense bills passed the State House overwhelmingly but were killed in the Senate. One bill would have made English the official language of Oklahoma. Aided by Senator Harry “Turn” Coates, R-Seminole, the Senate Democrats were successful in sending SB 163 to conference by a vote of 25 to 23. That action will likely kill the bill this session. State Representative Randy Terrill, R-Moore, was the House author of the bill, which would have prevented state government from being compelled to deliver any services in languages other than English. Evidently, it got pretty heated at the Capital last week. Allegedly, Terrill and State Senator Patrick Anderson, R- Enid, had a heated exchange in which radio personality R.D. Mercer’s terminology was invoked by Terrill toward Anderson. Cooler heads have prevailed and the two Republicans have patched things up.

Coates is the real story. The Senator has been on the wrong side of several issues this session- most dealing with immigration. Coates is a building contractor who has brought into the concept that America must have illegals to work or the country will not survive. The Senator’s situational ethics have him voting with the Democrats often. Coates doesn’t appear to grasp the concept of “illegal.” Clearly, there is a major illegal immigration problem in America. Granted Congress should be dealing with it, but at least our state legislature had the courage to pass legislation that denies illegals taxpayer funded benefits. Coates’ stand on the rule of law is a clear contradiction to the Republican parties’ stand on immigration.

The second bill the Democrats killed was the Voter ID bill. Senate Bill # 1150 died when Senate Pro-Tem Mike Morgan, D-Stillwater, would not cast a vote. The vote was 24-23 in favor of the bill with Morgan abstained. Because it takes 25 votes to pass the Senate, the bill died. If Morgan would have voted with the Dems, the vote would have been tied and Lt. Governor Jari Askins would have broken the tie. Morgan said, “If you disenfranchise poor, minority, and elderly voters, you can hurt Democrats. This is what this bill is all about.” The bill would have required a voter to present either their driver license, a passport, state id card, a copy of their utility bill, a bank statement, a government check, or a government document with their name on it before they were given a ballot. Surely there is not a person alive who votes that could not produce one of the above-mentioned documents. Maybe alive is the issue? Voter ID is not a partisan issue. If the Democrats want fair, principled elections- and surely they do- what’s the big deal? Their resistance to such a fundamental common sense bill should raise red flags with Oklahoma citizens. You can’t cash a check without an ID. You can’t fly on a plane without an ID. You can’t buy cigarettes or booze without an ID. We can’t get medical treatment without an ID, but in Oklahoma you can vote without an ID.

One of the most bizarre statements on the Voter ID issue came from Senator Jim Wilson, D-Tahlequah, who said, “Voter identification has always been a Republican thing. It gives them as much as a 3 percent advantage.” Where did Wilson get those numbers? His statement doesn’t seem plausible. How does requiring an ID to vote automatically help Republicans? Wilson’s statement reveals he has little respect for his party’s voters. Or perhaps the Senator meant three percent of the Democrats currently voting in Oklahoma couldn’t produce a valid ID to match the name they are voting for? Who knows what Wilson meant, but making Voter ID a partisan issue is a stretch and doesn’t speak well for an elected official. On the TV show, Tool Time, Tim’s neighbor was named Wilson, a guy whose face was obscured- usually by his fence- the entire series. You never saw his entire face. Wilson was never positively identified on the series. He seemed to want to hide his true identity. Could that Wilson now be in the Oklahoma State Senate?

Seriously, one of the reasons Oklahoma is a poor state is due to the lack of leadership in our state government the first one hundred years. Until 2004, the Democrats had complete control of the legislature, but in 2004, Oklahoma voters gave Republicans the State House and it’s likely in November the GOP will take the State Senate. Even with the recent trend of the Oklahoma state legislature going Republican, Senate Dems are not going gentle into that good night. That’s why when they kill good bills for no apparent reason, there is a reason and the motivation is not in the taxpayer’s best interest.

Fair drop out from GOP Committeeman Race

Hat Tip to Mike @ The McCarville Report Online

Fair Withdraws From
GOP Committeeman Race

Lawton businessman Steve Fair has announced he is withdrawing as a candidate for Republican State Committeeman.

In a posting on his blog, Fair And Biased, he wrote, "I am withdrawing from the National Committeeman race in Oklahoma. While my level of activism at the county and district level will not diminish, I believe the rigors of the National Committeeman office would take away from important areas in my life that I neglect already. The duties of the National Committeeman added to my already full schedule would take away time that I should properly be investing in my family."

STEVE FAIR TO SEEK OKLAHOMA GOP NATIONAL COMMITTEEMAN SLOT!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday December 21, 2007

After much prayer and counsel with family and friends, I have decided to seek the National Committeeman post for the Oklahoma State Republican Party. I would appreciate your prayers as I undertake this venture. Thanks to those of you who have encouraged me to run. I am humbled by your friendship and your confidence in me. The National Committeeman position is a very important one to our party. The person elected not only represents Oklahoma on the Republican National Committee but serves on every major board of the state party.

The National Committeeman must be a person that understands the party rules, has been a party official, and has effectively built the party from the grassroots up. I would humbled to have your support as I begin this race.

I would appreciate your continued prayers and please feel free to contact me if you have questions.
Sincerely,


Steve Fair
Chairman- Stephens County Republican Party
Chairman- 4th Congressional District
Rt. 1, Box 206E
Duncan, OK 73533
405.990.7449- cell
800.654.8355- work
580.252.6284- home
405.858.2219- fax
okgop@aol.com
sfair@clementsfoods.com