Members and friends of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC)

The speaker for OCPAC's noon luncheon at the Edmond Golden Corral will be Republican candidate for Governor, Bob Sullivan from Tulsa. Mr. Sullivan is the CEO of a family owned oil company and served at the Secretary of Energy under Governor Keating. At Governor Henry's request he stayed on for 11 months while the Governor looked for someone else to fill that position. During that time he never had a meeting with the Governor. He is also President of the Notre Dame Alumni Association. The most recent finance report had him having almost twice the money that Congressman Istook has and more than four time what Williamson has on hand, so he should be considered a serious candidate for Governor. We had a lively meeting last week with Senator Williamson, expect to have the same this week and also next week with Congressman Istook. Don't miss these meeting if you can help it as it is important to determine the best for Governor.

Thanks to all who called Speaker Hiett's office last week as he has promised to allow HB 3119, the comprehensive bill dealing with the illegal alien problem, to be heard on the floor. You might call his office (405 521-2711 or 1 800 522-8502, ask for Hiett's office) to thank him. While you are at it you might ask that Representative Calvey's bill, also dealing with illegal aliens, get a hearing this week.

Oklahoma's only state wide Newspaper the Oklahoman, has come out urging lawmakers to defeat Representative Kern's bill which would withhold STATE funding from local libraries if they refuse to shelve books with homosexual themes out of the reach of young children.

In the Oklahoman's editorial on March 10th titled, HANDS OFF - Don't legislate library book access, I found the following statement interesting: "While we appreciate attempts to shield children from subjects they may not understand or be ready for, that's a parent's job. For lawmakers to usurp that role is bad public policy." As a conservative Christian I strongly disagree. Prior to our recent cultural revolution toward debauchery and the perversion of homosexuality, which is now in our faces, we used to have a fair amount of trust in our institutions such as schools and libraries. We could trust those institutions to assist parents in raising our children with Western Culture values, but not today. The job of parenting today is more than difficult and parents don't need Libraries and schools undermining their efforts.

Today, Christians who want to promote decency and Christian values and especially inculcate those values into their children, need to be wary of institutions which may have fallen into the control of the Humanists, Secularists, Homosexuals, Globalists and New Age advocates. Parents need our institutions to uphold and support their efforts, not undermine them. I am of the opinion that all Oklahomans need to be wary of the editorial page of the Oklahoman which used to have the reputation of being conservative but now seems to be liberal.

OCPAC requires all candidates appearing before us to fill out a 10 question survey, with the questions being philosophical in nature, designed to determine their level of understanding and core values toward the basic tenants of limited government and conservatism. In addition, for the last couple of years we ask all of candidates who attend the following question: If you could eliminate or reduce only one of the three following taxes, corporate income taxes, sales taxes on groceries, or personal income taxes, which would be the most beneficial to stimulate economic growth? They almost all get it right by picking either corporate income taxes or personal income taxes. Reducing or eliminating either of those will make products and services produced in Oklahoma more competitive than those produced in other states or outside our nation.

Eliminating sales taxes on groceries will have NO EFFECT, let me repeat ZILCH EFFECT on the economy, but it is a great way to get re-elected as eliminating sales taxes on groceries is a "sexy" tax cut, popular with the people. Unfortunately too many people lack economic savvy or they fail to think through the issue as cutting sales taxes on groceries before you cut the important taxes is not good public policy. The bill by our friend Thad Balkman (R-Norman) to eliminate sales taxes on groceries will probably get through the House, we can only hope the Senate Democrats will bury it in a committee.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for cutting taxes and hopefully putting our big fat satiated government on a diet, but I want to cut the right kind of taxes, those which will stimulate our economy, which will in turn improve salaries, lower prices, and reduce income taxes which will benefit all Oklahomans more than the few dollars they will save on grocery taxes.

There are three key elements to making Oklahoma a state with an atmosphere for a vibrant economy. Right to Work which has been accomplished, Tort and Workers Compensation reform and reforming our tax system. Governor Keating tried to rework our tax system but ran into a buzz say when he wanted to put a sales tax on services in exchange for the elimination of corporate and personal income taxes. Truth is, we don't have to expand sales taxes to services if we would streamline government, especially education and then stop spending the horrific sums on pork projects, and business subsidies, all in the name of "economic development."

Sales taxes are a tax on consumption which is the best place for government to obtain its necessary revenues. If you tax the production side of the economy you put a damper on your economy. That is why exempting tickets to sporting events like the Hornets, Redhawks, Blazers and etc. is a bad move. Increasing revenues from the consumption side of the economy will make it easier to reduce the important taxes. Reducing consumption taxes will make it more difficult to eliminate the important taxes like estate taxes, capitol gains taxes as well as corporate and personal income taxes.

Does anyone really think a rabid Hornets fan would refuse to buy a $10 ticket because they would have to pay another 80 cents in taxes? Do you think a fan who would pay $100 for a ticket would not do so because they would have to pay another $8.00 in sales taxes? In my opinion the deal to exempt sales taxes from tickets was done to benefit the local corporations who were spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for tickets.

This week's nomination for the Liberal Republican Lunacy Award goes to Representative Lance Cargill (R - Harrah) for HB 2072 which would take taxpayer dollars away from hard working Oklahomans to give to college graduates if they stay in Oklahoma to repay their student LOANS. According to the press release it would offer "eligible students up to $5,000 per year in TAX CREDITS against their loan payments." The bill has been titled the "Retain Brain Act" but it should be re-titled as the "We'll Bribe You To Stay Scheme." Of course the "bribe" money will come from everyone in Oklahoma who hasn't graduated in the last four years.

About six years ago I counseled a high school graduate on their way to college to work hard and by all means DON'T take out student loans. Because of high academic performance in high school, scholarships were a big help, but the individual worked hard during the summers, and a little during school. That person also scrimped by, not spending the huge sums on parties, beer, pizza and designer coffees. The result, a degree without any debt. Representative Cargill's bill will become incentive for students to make sure they borrow at least up to the amount that the taxpayer's will pay back and it may become a dis-incentive to work summer jobs.

Cargill suggested our graduates were having to leave the state to take higher paying jobs to pay off their student loans. Balderdash, this is flawed logic. It is true many jobs in other states do pay more but the cost of living is significantly more than that of a low cost state like Oklahoma. Therefore, after a graduate pays the higher cost of living expenses with their higher salaries they still have the same amount of money to pay back their college loans. If that is their reason for moving out of state they are penny weight wise and a pound foolish.

No taxpayer likes to pay the enormous expenses associated with getting a student through primary and secondary school then through college only to see them leave the state to become a productive taxpayer somewhere else. However that is the risk one takes in a free society, that is unless you are willing to require the families and charitable donations to pay for all education rather than the general population taxpayers.

Truth is, some people growing up in Oklahoma simply want to live at or experience some place else. It has also been suggested we are training about 1200 teachers a year more in Oklahoma than we have openings for. If true, then a certain number of teachers must leave Oklahoma each year if they want to work in their field. Texas beats us again, we pay to train the teachers and then Texas hires them and avoids the tax costs needed to train them. No wonder the per-capita tax burden is less in Texas than in Oklahoma.

I will send out an extra e-mail Tuesday morning detailing the results of our membership drive. I look forward to seeing everyone Wednesday.

Charlie Meadows

For more information about OCPAC, email Charlie at charliemeadows@peoplepc.com

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