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In times of plenty, not much thought is given to how it got that way or even how to keep it going.

But in times of crisis, there always seems to be a lot of talk about how it got that way and how to make it better.  Today, a couple hundred people showed up at the State Capitol for a Tea Party event to express their outrage over bailouts and stimulus packages that cost hundreds of billions of dollars that we will have to borrow.

And here in Oklahoma, where we can’t just borrow in order to spend more, there will be a lot of talk about priorities.  For the governor, those are education, health care, transportation and public safety (and since those areas make up something like 80% of the state budget, I’m not exactly sure how those priorities can be held harmless while spending 600-million dollars less than last year).  For some lawmakers, more tax cuts are a priority.  For others it’s a pay raise for teachers or state workers.

OFRG’s priorities are fiscal responsibility, accountability and transparency in state government.  It’s not just cutting spending, it’s spending properly in the first place.  It’s not just releasing a budget plan, it’s opening up the books for the public to see.  Stay tuned as we try to get those priorities passed during this legislative session.

President Obama released his 2010 spending plan today.  He’s proposing that the country spend $3.55 trillion dollars next year.  Which is actually down from what is expected to be spent this year: $3.94 trillion.  That’s all well and good until you realize that the money we have to spend for the current year is about $2.19 trillion.  Which means the projected deficit for this year is $1.75 trillion dollars!

To put that in perspective, the entire National Debt in 1984 was $1.57 trillion dollars.  So the excess spending in the last year was more than the excess spending in the first 209 years of our country’s existence combined.

Sounds like it might be an argument for a balanced budget requirement for the federal government, much like Oklahoma has.  Because Oklahoma can’t spend 80% more money than it takes in like the federal government can.  Which means that State Question 744, the so-called HOPE Initiative doesn’t fit into a balanced budget.  It would require the state to spend another 850-billion dollars on education - 13% more than it currently takes in from taxes and fees.  So either taxes and fees are going to have to go up by 850-million dollars, or lawmakers would be forced to cut 850-million dollars from the non-education budget.

And that makes about as much sense as spending $1.75 trillion dollars you don’t have.

Today’s passage of House Bill 2246 in the House Rules Committee means that all bills in OFRG’s term limits and initiative reform agenda have been passed through committee now.  HB 2246 by Rep. Randy Terrill (R-Moore) opens up Oklahoma’s strict ballot access laws.

For starters, it increases the time you can collect signatures from 90-days to one year.  That means you don’t have to have a huge organization or a lot of money to pay signature gatherers.  The bill also requires that any challenges to the ballot’s title or gist statement happen early on in the process.  Challenging the gist statement after signatures have been gathered means a whole lot of work - and money - were wasted because of a technicality.  It’s a tactic often used by those who oppose ballot measures.  So by getting the challenges done early, fixes can be made before signatures have to be thrown out.

It feels good to be able to say that OFRG’s entire term limits and initiative reform agenda has passed committee, but that’s just the first step in a long process that still has three more months to go.  We’re going to continue working to make sure that the bills get a floor vote and pass and that they get through committees in the other chamber and another floor vote there.

In addition to HB 2246, the bills in question are:

SB 852 by Senator Randy Brogdon (R-Owasso) which mirrors Terrill’s initiative petition reform bill.

SJR 13, also by Brogdon, which would put to a vote of the people whether the calculation of the number of signatures needed for a ballot initiative should be tied to the number of votes cast in the last governor’s election instead of the governor’s election or the presidential election, which ever was most recent.

SJR 12, also by Brogdon, which puts to a vote of the people whether all statewide elected officials should be limited to two terms.

HJR 1022 by Representative Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie) mirrors Brogdon’s term limits for statewide elected officials.

On Wednesday afternoon, the House Rules committee will consider HJR 1022 by State Representative Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie) which will put all statewide officials under the same term limits as the governor.  Two terms, that’s it.

I was asked today why OFRG is in favor of limiting the ability of the people to choose who they want to govern them?  My two word answer was: Gene Stipe.  “That can’t happen again,” was the response.  The person I was speaking with then went on to say that by the time lawmakers learn all the tricks lobbyists have, there are only two years left of their 12-year term limits.

Well, I can’t think of a better argument for term limits than that!  Do we want out politicians “learning all the tricks” that lobbyists know?  Or do we want new ideas coming in every so often? 

Then there’s the question of fairness.  Why is the governor limited to eight years in office but Sandy Garrett gets to oversee the State Department of Education - the state’s largest single appropriation - since 1990 and by all counts will seek a sixth term in 2010?  Drew Edmondson has been the state’s top law enforcer since 1995 and might still be going except that term limits is opening up the governor’s seat and he wants that position.  If term limits are good enough for the governor and legislators, it’s good enough for all statewide offices.

Besides, it will be up to the people to decide if they want to “abridge” their right to vote for whomever they want.  And in the past, the people have said loud and clear that enough is enough: 67% of Oklahoma voters approved term limits in 1990.  Put term limits for statewide elected officials on the ballot and let the people have their say.

In his acceptance speech on Election Day, President Obama said he would listen to us, especially when we disagree with him.  Well, Friday is a day for people all across the country to tell him they disagree with the stimulus package, the continued bailouts, the spending of tax dollars that don’t exist for programs that won’t actually help the economy and put people to work.

The Tea Party theme got a lot of national attention when Rick Santelli appeared on CNBC and railed against the economic “stimulus” package because of what it will actually end up doing to the economy.

So if you’re of a like mind, check out what’s happening in Tulsa and other states and grab a bale and send it over the side!

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