Oklahoma County sheriff candidates debate
by Jordann Lucero
Wednesday, August 23rd 2017
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Wednesday, the men hoping to be elected the Oklahoma County Sheriff, faced each other for a debate.
The "Tussle at the Tower," held at the Tower Theater in Okahoma City was organized in part by Let's Fix This. The non-profit organization helps regular people get involved in politics.
"So often we show up at the ballot booth and we have no idea who these candidates are for positions like sheriffs and judges so we really wanted to give an opportunity for regular folks to show up and hear directly from the candidates for a very important position," said Let's Fix This executive director Andy Moore.
There are three candidates for the sheriff position. Republican P.D. Taylor is the current interim sheriff. Democrat Mike Hanson is a sergeant in the sheriff's office. Ed Grimes, the independent, is the only candidate who has not worked for Oklahoma County, but he has experience with the Canadian County Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement.
The candidates talked mostly about the jail, which has several issues.
"Proper funding, I think we need to spend it on having more detention staff, well-trained detention staff at the jail... Whenever there is a situation we can overwhelm the inmates with people, staffing. I think that spending money anywhere else, at first, is just wrong," Hanson said.
"First thing I'd like to see, in Oklahoma County, especially the jail is to treat people like human beings. They're not animals, they're people," Grimes said.
"Funding is an issue, but I've taken the stand that I'm going to do the best job with what I've got.," Taylor said.
The election is September 12.
Source: http://okcfox.com/news/local/oklahoma-county-sheriff-candidates-debate
A local West Wing watch party and discussion hopes to spark political interest (OK Gazette)
By Ben Luschen
June 23, 2017
When Andy Moore met with Wheeler District director Ashley Terry about possibly screening an episode of The West Wing in her district as a way to promote civil engagement, he said the director was very receptive.
Some events just sound like they were meant to be.
“I had joked with her before about how I would love to do a watch party at the district,” Moore said, “because the alliteration in the name is great: West Wing watch party at the Wheeler Wheel.”
The phrasing, combined with a chance to use the popular late-1990s-to-early-2000s political television drama as a way to get people thinking about government, was enough to sell all parties on the special presentation.
The event, hosted by locally based nonpartisan nonprofit Let’s Fix This, runs 8-10:30 p.m. June 29 near Wheeler Ferris Wheel, 1701 S. Western Ave.
Inside look
Moore, executive director of Let’s Fix This, said he plans to project The West Wing season one episode “The Crackpots and These Women” on the side of the dining-area pavilion.
After the screening, a panel of former White House staffers, including current state senator and Oklahoma City mayoral candidate David Holt, will speak about how the show relates and differs to reality in Washington, D.C.
At press time, Moore was still finalizing panel participants, but he said he has contacted former staffers from administrations as far back as Ronald Reagan and wants representation from Democrats and Republicans.
“It’s just to give people some insight into what life is like in Washington,” Moore said.
The hope is that the show’s appeal — which has held up over time, if not expanded in the era of streaming and binge-watching — will be a fun way to engage the public and get them thinking about political policy.
“The big purpose of Let’s Fix This is just to get regular folks involved in government, specifically in our state government and even at the city level,” Moore said.
Long-term appeal
The West Wing’s final episode aired May 2006 on NBC, but the series outlives its initial run due to award-winning storytelling and its still-relevant themes.
For the uninitiated, The West Wing is a drama that follows the fictional presidential administrations of Josiah “Jed” Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and later Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits).
While the show’s events and characters are fictitious, they often bear some similarity to real-world issues and figures.
The show focuses on the White House’s inner workings through the actions of chief of staff Leo McGarry (John Spencer), deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), communications director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff) and his deputy Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe).
Moore is a big fan of the show. He wears West Wing T-shirts and regularly listens to the popular West Wing Weekly podcast co-hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway and Joshua Malina.
Malina portrayed speechwriter and communications staff member Will Bailey in the series.
Despite his current zeal for the show, Moore said he began watching the TV drama in early 2016 after several of his friends continually suggested it.
“I binged for as much as I could with seven seasons of hourlong episodes,” he said. “I watched it all and really fell in love with it.”
Moore said part of what draws him into the show is that some of its themes are still pertinent years later. He mentioned topics like North Korea and dilemmas about what is proportionate international recourse.
To Moore, it is a sign that more creative approaches to some of these issues are needed.
“It’s interesting to think the show aired almost 20 years ago and there’s stuff that’s still relevant to today,” he said.
Everyday voices
Moore said he would like the West Wing watch party to become a regular, recurring event but will gauge the success of the first one before making any long-term plans.
Let’s Fix This leadership is formulating its programming for the next year and hopes to blend some of its older, proven events with newer ideas. The group hosts regular events at the state capitol so concerned citizens can meet with lawmakers.
Moore hopes to use the West Wing watch party as a lever to inspire the community to get involved and stimulate conversations about politics — not about any one issue, but just talking about how one even goes about talking about politics.
These conversations should not be partisan or fueled by animosity.
“That’s what Let’s Fix This is all about: helping everyday people get their voices and concerns heard and yet create opportunities for them to engage in their government in a meaningful way,” he said.
Moore hopes this event and others will help people walk away thinking their voice can really make a difference.
“The voices of everyday people do have an impact on those who make decisions on all levels of government,” he said. “We encourage everyone to speak up and reach out to form a relationship with their elected officials so that they can have their voice heard.”
Visit letsfixthisok.org.
Original story: http://okgazette.com/2017/06/23/a-local-west-wing-watch-party-and-discussion-hopes-to-spark-political-interest/
Save Our State Coalition announces Oklahoma budget wish list (NewsOK)
April 18, 2017
by Dale Denwalt
A coalition of 20 organizations on Tuesday presented its Oklahoma budget wish list, which includes familiar ideas to raise revenue.
The Save Our State Coalition proposed raising the tax rate on oil and gas production to 7 percent, up from the current 2 percent rate that lasts for the first three years. The group's “Blueprint for a Better Budget” also would create a new income tax rate of 6 percent for income above $200,000.
The group's first news conference was Tuesday, where several high-profile state Capitol advocates and other groups presented the plan. Leaders of the Save Our State Coalition include policy groups, grassroots organizations and groups representing teachers and state employees.
The plan resembles House Democrats' “Restoring Oklahoma” offering, but the two aren't identical. The Democrats are asking for a gross production tax rate of 5 percent and would implement a steeper tax curve, raising the top income tax rate to 7 percent.
Both plans would enact taxes on some services. Save Our State calculates that Oklahoma could net more than $90 million by adding a tax on repairs, digital downloads, landscaping, surveying and seven other services.
The Democrats want to raise more than $290 million by taxing services.
The coalition members worry that without clear ways to fill an $878 million shortfall in the budget starting July 1, important social services could be affected. Sterling Zearley, executive director for the Oklahoma Public Employees Association, said the state has lost more than 4,000 employees since 2008.
“We simply cannot afford any more agency reductions,” Zearley said. “A majority of those cuts come from agencies where we desperately need more workers, not fewer.”
Oklahoma Policy Institute Executive Director David Blatt noted that several of the ideas have been supported by Democrats and GOP leadership.
The coalition's plan includes both revenue and expenditures. There is $300,000 for a teacher pay raise and millions more for public education. It includes enough money to cover rising costs of Medicaid.
Blatt said, however, that some details were left out.
“We didn't feel like it was our responsibility or our role to say, ‘This is exactly how many dollars needs to go to each priority,'” Blatt said.
It's uncommon for third-party groups to present their own detailed, comprehensive budget suggestions. State Rep. John Montgomery, R-Lawton, said he's never seen an outside group do that during his time at the Capitol.
“Honestly, I think as lawmakers we owe it to our constituents to listen to them,” Montgomery said.
Original story: http://newsok.com/save-our-state-coalition-announces-oklahoma-budget-wish-list/article/5545996
Political State Podcast: Paycheck to Paycheck (NewsOK)
The Oklahoman's Ben Felder and Dale Denwalt host their ninth episode of "Political State," a weekly podcast that looks at the world of politics on a state, local and federal level. This week, they're joined by Andy Moore, executive director of Let's Fix This, and Effie Craven, board member of Let's Fix This.
Watching HB 1270 at the Capitol as an Average Joe (NonDoc)
March 23, 2017
By William W. Savage III
Wednesday night at the Oklahoma State Capitol, I learned a lot about my personal privilege.
As a proud member of the underpaid media, it was not until I had wandered to the people’s house with a Let’s Fix This pub crawl that I realized how much behavioral leeway I typically have that “regular people” apparently don’t.
For instance, did you know that citizens are not allowed to record smartphone video of their legislators from the House gallery? I had forgotten that rule because I’ve always been able to identify myself as a journalist and strike some compromise about where I can stand to capture footage of the People’s Business.
Wednesday night, however, a humble Sergeant At Arms gently asked me to stop recording Rep. John Bennett (R-Sallisaw) as he passionately pontificated on food-stamp beneficiaries buying steaks and Red Bull at a Sequoyah County Wal-Mart.
I intentionally avoided claiming media privilege with the gentleman. I also resisted the temptation to walk 10 feet to my right and stand at the permanent TV-camera mount. I was trying to blend in as an Average Joe, with his shirt untucked and a beer in his belly.
Meanwhile, I wondered if Bennett knew that funny little cars actually drive around to dispense free Red Bulls.
‘Top-of-the-line stuff’
Bennett was debating in favor of HB 1270 (embedded below), a bill requiring the Oklahoma Health Care Authority and Oklahoma Department of Human Services to “verify” various pieces of information about the eligibility of Medicaid or food-stamp applicants. In Bennett’s eyes, the bill was a righteous attack on all the fake deadbeats and faux single moms out there. You know, freeloaders who are sucking that fat government teat of Medicaid and SNAP to their own affluence and the state’s budget-busting detriment.
Quoth Bennett:
So I’m standing in line at Wal-Mart the other day, and I notice that the people checking out in front of me are buying all of the top-of-the-line stuff. They were buying steaks, they had Red Bulls. They had all kinds of stuff in their cart, and it was overflowing. Which, you know, is not a surprise that people would enjoy higher-end stuff or high-quality stuff. That’s fine.
However, I was surprised when I saw those same people paid for those items with their welfare card. As I’m watching them put their costly items in their cart, I looked down at my own cart. My wife and I, we’ve got five kids, there’s seven of us we’ve got to feed, and we’ve got to set a budget for our groceries and our toiletries every single month. (…) I couldn’t help but think, something’s not right about that.
And then you walk out into the parking lot and, guess what, they get in a brand new Denali! Something ain’t right. So here I am buying the cheap items trying to stay within my budget while they’re buying all the best on my dime. How is that fair?
‘The lying liberal media’
While I had succeeded in feeling what it was like to visit the Capitol as an Average Joe with Let’s Fix This, Bennett’s reference to what is “fair” made me bothered by the chamber’s videography rules. Why should media have extra rights above those available to all?
Bennett, for one, dislikes media as much as he dislikes social-program leeches.
“Why should our money fund someone else’s lifestyle when they refuse to work?” Bennett asked in his debate. “Before you say it — and no doubt, the lying liberal media is going to say, ‘Well, he’s being unfair because he’s got a nice car or a nice house.’ Somehow, they’re going to say that somehow I don’t have a right to say anything about somebody who’s on welfare or talk about people who are poor. Well, let me tell you a little something about John Bennett. I grew up poor. Dirt poor. We were so poor we couldn’t even pay attention we were so poor.”
Ironically, Bennett seemed right about common people lacking the agency to “pay attention.” Aside from Let’s Fix This’s presence of about 15 people, the House gallery held only a half-dozen spectators for the conclusion of HB 1270’s two-hour consideration.
It was well after 9 p.m. Parents of young children were surely home. Bedtime stood on the horizon.
‘This is dumbfounding’
After Bennett and bill author Rep. Elise Hall (R-OKC) concluded debate in favor of HB 1270, House Minority Leader Scott Inman (D-Del City) offered a critique in opposition. He ran through his usual laundry list of state policies that benefit wealthy Oklahomans and large corporations, saying he had always thought those were the main drains on state finances.
“I could have sworn that’s what it was. But tonight, Mr. Speaker, I got an education. My eyes have been opened. The light has shone down upon us,” Inman said. “The reason our public school children are suffering; the reason the University of Oklahoma has five million fewer dollars this year than it did in 1999; the reason our public safety system is staffed at 65 percent and incarcerated at 110 percent; the reason isn’t because of all those other things I’ve seen with my own eyes in the last 11 years. No, it’s because there’s some poor guy driving around in a Denali!”
The chamber echoed with laughter.
“Holy cow,” Inman said. “Or it’s that poor family — apparently at the Wal-Mart in Sequoyah County — who, after they shopped for their $75 worth of groceries with a SNAP card, got on an airplane and flew to Hawaii. This is dumbfounding. It’s just dumbfounding.”
Inman continued his righteous indignation. He hammered home his message about what poor people really need, and it had all the passion and fire necessary for a great campaign spot until he awkwardly uttered the phrase “a set of Twinkies” as a punchline.
Still, the potential gubernatorial candidate impressed much of the Let’s Fix This crowd, leading one woman to ask a telling question: “Who is that guy?”
A ‘travesty’?
When debate concluded and the voting bell tolled, Let’s Fix This director Andy Moore and I walked around the gallery to watch the scoreboard. The bill passed 63-25 along mostly party lines. Rep. Carol Bush (R-Tulsa), Rep. Marcus McEntire (R-Duncan) and Rep. Katie Henke (R-Tulsa) voted no.
Moore, a therapist, shook his head and said any bill making it harder for the low-income clients he sees to obtain Medicaid coverage will directly hurt children and families.
A constituent of co-author Hall’s, he called the bill a “travesty” on Twitter, which Hall questioned. Moore fired back:
And therein lies the purpose and value of Let’s Fix This, I suppose: The people most likely to be connected with low-income or even “Average Joe” Oklahomans are the Average Joes themselves. They are not high-priced lobbyists, and they are not even members of the media like me who can be blind to our own privilege.
Instead, they are often made to feel like the government is too powerful, confusing and off-limits for them to make a difference.
But that’s wrong. Public dollars pave the Capitol’s parking spaces.
Go park your Denali in one.