Oklahoma Politics

Unless there’s another energy boom soon in Oklahoma, the state will continue to experience slow population growth because of its current political milieu and anti-education bias.

For some Oklahomans, that might be fine, but for those interested in ensuring the state remains viable, slow or no population growth will mean a stagnant tax base and a stagnant business climate. This will only lead to less population growth, and the problem will only become larger.

These ideas should be placed into public discussion because the U.S. Census has released preliminary population estimates for 2009. As of July 1, 2009, the state had a population of 3,687,050, which is only 236,396 larger than 2000. At that growth rate, the state will only top 4 million around 2020. That’s not dynamic growth to say the least.

In a video discussing the recent numbers, The Oklahoman editor Ed Kelley argued population growth here needs to be greater and that the state could ultimately lose another Congressional seat in the House. He also argued that entrepreneurs want to work and live in places that are “growing.” They also want a “smart, educated workforce,” Kelley said.

All that is true, but Kelley ignores the elephant in the room: Oklahoma’s national image continues to suffer because of politicians here pushing their religious and social agendas and because the state funds education at some of the lowest rates in the nation.

Let’s take state Rep. Sally Kern (R-Oklahma City). She has infamously said homosexuality is a greater threat to the nation than terrorism. This comment drew national attention at a time when cultural attitudes about gay rights are becoming more accepting and tolerant. Her remarks and other political antics depict the state as an intolerant haven for misfit ideologues.

What about state Rep. Randy Terrill (R-Moore), who is part of a political corruption investigation? He brought us the recent draconian illegal immigration bill. His bill and his subsequent comments about it drew national attention and a lot of negative reaction. Why in the world would Oklahoma of all places lead the fight against illegal immigration? In the end, the bill makes the state seem unwelcoming of people from different countries.

Let’s not forget the recent abortion legislation that required women seeking the procedure to undergo an ultra sound of the fetus or the proposal to allow people to openly carry weapons.

All this political maneuvering has national implications. Sure, Arizona now has a stricter illegal-immigration law, but let’s face it: Oklahoma is no Arizona, and it doesn’t border Mexico. Oklahoma needs to present itself as a place that is tolerant, dynamic and welcoming to young people who want to start businesses or their careers here. The state, given the current population growth rate, can ill afford to alienate groups of people.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma ranks 49th in the nation on per-pupil spending in public schools, according to a recent report. It has the lowest per-pupil rate in the region. The state’s low funding rates are systemic and well known throughout the nation. Its college graduation rate continues to be below the national average. Everyone knows that. Recent budget cuts have increased the problem.

Oklahoma’s national image is in decline among the very people the state needs to attract, but don’t count on anything happening soon given the political extremism and anti-education bias here.

Former Gov. Henry Bellmon served Oklahoma with great distinction, and his death reminds us of a somewhat softer era in politics when it seemed almost natural that conservative and liberal politicians would work for bipartisan policies and programs to move the state forward.

Bellmon, a Republican who served two terms as governor and two terms as a U.S. Senator, died Tuesday at an Enid hospital. He was 88.

It makes sense that Gov. Brad Henry has called Bellmon his mentor, according to NewsOK.com. Henry has the same bipartisan political qualities that Bellmon possessed, the same independent streak. Henry rightly calls Bellmon “iconic” in Oklahoma’s history.

State media pundits and politicians have celebrated Bellmon and his career over the last two days. The late governor served as a model of political integrity. It’s difficult to overstate Bellmon’s importance to the state. He led the state through some extremely tough financial times in the 1980s, and he even served once as the director of the state’s Department of Human Services under former Gov. George Nigh, a Democrat. One could argue he was the driving force behind the GOP’s new ascendency in state politics.

When duty called, Bellmon was there. If anyone can represent so-called “Oklahoma values,” it was Bellmon, who was elected as the state’s first Republican governor in 1962. He was a man who avoided the limelight and pageantry of political power, a man with a strong work ethic, just as comfortable in casual clothes than a suit, a successful farmer as well as one of the state’s great leaders.

As a journalist, I interviewed Bellmon about his second race for governor in 1986. I found him to be a straight-forward person with no vested personal interests in the race, a man who didn’t mince words or use a lot of nuance. He wasn’t after power. He was running for governor because he felt the state needed him, and he was right, and the state’s residents were served well by his leadership.

One of Bellmon’s most important accomplishments, and one that seems so bipartisan in today’s political world, was his ability to help pass House Bill 1017 in 1990. The education bill improved school funding, reduced class sizes and increased teacher’s salaries. Bellmon pushed for the bill even as some politicians in his own party opposed him.

Bellmon’s political style was the antithesis of the constant bickering and extremism in today’s partisan politics. We need more leaders like him in Oklahoma these days.

In case you missed it from the corporate media over the weekend, here is the recap on the presidential race and its candidates:

Hillary Clinton’s political career is, well, over.

Barack Obama cannot win the presidency if he becomes the Democratic Party nominee because of the mean way he has treated Clinton.

John McCain’s campaign is in such disrepair that no one can expect the GOP candidate to win in November.

So it’s all over, folks, before it even really began, according to The New York Times. No new person will actually be elected president in November because the pundits and infotainers have decreed it. I guess we’re stuck with Bush for another eight years.

Meanwhile, take a deep breath, and read these recent excerpts from Okie Funk posts. I’ll be back tomorrow.

“Now that John McCain has repudiated the Rev. John Hagee and Barack Obama has repudiated the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, maybe we can repudiate all the country’s leading religious freaks and irrationality in general.”—Irrationals Warp Political Process, May 23, 2008.

“My description here of the interview makes it seem somewhat linear. Inhofe often rambles off topic, sounds egotistical, and seems like a fool who believes in vast political conspiracies. Of course, environmental groups are going to come after Inhofe, who is the unspoken GOP leader on denying the dire effects of global warming, but is it, really, a conspiracy, whose members, as he puts it, include George Soros, Michael Moore and Barbara Streisand, or just concerned citizens exercising their rights in a democracy? McCain’s recognition of credible science and his recent proposals, of course, are just one more mark against Inhofe, who seems increasingly incoherent and pathetic.”—Inhofe’s Fantasy World, May 21, 2008.

“Coburn’s stunts do nothing to help those state voters who elected him. It may be great on a short-term visceral level to some voters here, for example, that George Will has become a Coburn sycophant, but for every adoring pundit like Will there is another pundit or another organization that vehemently opposes the Senator and considers him a cruel egomaniac. The bad publicity outweighs the good. Coburn’s controversial stances continue to harm the state’s image.”—Coburn 7 Stops World AIDS Relief, May 16, 2008.

“But, then, who else besides a prominent Oklahoman Republican, backed by the state’s ultra-conservative, GOP-adoring corporate media and energy companies, could get a free media pass when defending on a de facto basis the botched Iraq occupation, the torturing of foreign prisoners by the U.S. government, the continuing war on basic civil rights in this country and the tanking economy? Who else would even do it? Maybe someone from Utah or Mississippi? Maybe.”—Cole’s Sinking Ship Brings Bad PR Vibes To State, May 12, 2008.

“Conservative pundits, from Rush Limbaugh to Robert Novak to George Will to Charles Krauthammer, dish out the witty vitriol and clever snark about Democratic Party candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but the real story is these commentators—blustering, pontificating cartoon figures—are as intellectually bankrupt as the Republican Party they so adore. The corporate media feeds these narcissistic, loony right-wing ideologues with petty guilt-by-association plots and Clinton-family obsession. What did the Rev. Jeremiah Wright say today? Did Chelsea look sad the other night? Is she out of touch with her generation? Limbaugh, Novak, Will and Krauthammer (and so many, many others in the mainstream media) crowd around the pig trough.”—Dead GOP Ideologies, May 9, 2008.