Quotes of the Day

“The roads between our house and the school are paved and lit. When the snow hit last week, they were plowed, salted and sanded for me. When the snow melted, it disappeared down a drain someone put in for my use. It was pretty safe, because my security team – the Edmond Police Department and Oklahoma Department of Public Safety – keeps the poor drivers in check and the dangerous people behind bars. If I have a heart attack, someone will answer the phone and get an ambulance rolling to my address.”

-Journal Record Editor Ted Streuli, who said that what he got for his state and local taxes was a bargain even before Oklahoma’s scheduled income tax cuts (Source)

“Many people probably aren’t aware that they receive a major tax subsidy from the federal government related to their health insurance. But they’d sure know if it were ever taken away. That’s because they would suddenly have thousands of dollars in additional income subject to the federal income tax and the payroll taxes.”

-Oklahoman reporter Chris Casteel, pointing out that the federal government provides a tax subsidy for all Americans who get insurance through their employer (Source)

“We will not mince words. [If the subsidies are struck down, it will be] a disaster for millions of lower- and middle-income Americans. The ACA’s subsidies have made it possible for more than 9 million men, women, and children to have health care coverage — some for the first time in years; some, no doubt, for the first time in their lives. [If the subsidies are struck down,] the ranks of the uninsured will swell again, with all that portends in the way of untreated illness and overwhelming debt.”

-The American Hospital Association, in a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court for the King v. Burwell case challenging subsidies that have been used by nearly 100,000 Oklahomans to purchase health insurance on healthcare.gov. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case Wednesday. (Source)

“Newsflash, folks: Oklahoma’s prisons are overcrowded. So, we need to reserve expensive prison beds for those we’re afraid of, not just those that we’re mad at.”

-Rep. Pam Peterson, R-Tulsa, speaking about her bill that would give judges the authority to hand down shorter sentences, even for crimes that require a minimum amount of prison time, if they feel the sentence would be unjust or if the offender does not present a risk to public safety (Source)

“It’s an absolute shame that we let [the Medical Examiner’s office] get in that condition. That is emblematic of what we’ve done in state government since statehood. We have built things. We have not maintained them, and we have just waited until a crisis.”

– State Sen. Greg Treat, R-OKC, speaking about the state’s Office of Medical Examiner, which has not been accredited since 2009 and has inadequate staff and obsolete equipment due to lack of funding (Source)

“The tobacco tax in Oklahoma was last raised in 2005. Our rate is the 37th in the nation, meaning 36 states have a higher tobacco tax rate. Since the last increase, sales have gone down by 30 percent, but tax collections have increased 330 percent per the Oklahoma Tax Commission. Basically, the increased cost outweighs the drop in sales, creating more tax revenue.”

-Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove, arguing that Oklahoma should increase the tobacco tax and use the revenue to boost education funding (Source)

“The greatest threat to public education in our state today isn’t poverty. And it’s most certainly not the federal government. The greatest threat to Oklahoma public education is the people elected to represent Oklahomans and Oklahoma’s children. They have opted for feel-good rhetoric over hard work. They’ve opted to pick winners and losers among our children instead of providing hope and support for all. They’ve taken the path of least political resistance instead of charging headstrong toward the right and noble goal of great schools for every child. Oklahomans should not stand for it.”

-Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Rob Neu, urging legislators to better prioritize state support for public education (Source)

“Our lawsuit will make affordable health care go away if we win.”

-State Attorney General Scott Pruitt, speaking about his lawsuit over the Affordable Care Act’s subsidies for purchasing health insurance. If successful, Pruitt’s suit would undo the subsidies going to 4 in 5 Oklahomans who purchased health insurance on Healthcare.gov. On average, the subsidies lower monthly premiums from $302 to $95 (Source).

“In just three to four years, someone who starts out at minimum [at Chipotle] could be at apprentice level and I was stunned to learn they would make more than a teacher with a Ph.D and 25 years of experience.”

– State superintendent of schools Joy Hofmeister, discussing the state’s education funding crisis (Source)

“The gap more than doubled. We were prepared to climb the hill we faced before and we’re prepared to climb the mountain we face now. It will be difficult, but all options are on the table and the state will meet the challenge.”

-State Secretary of Finance Preston Doerflinger, speaking about Oklahoma’s $611 million budget shortfall for next year. Doerflinger and other state leaders said “all options” does not include canceling a scheduled cut to the top income tax rate, which adds $50 million to the budget shortfall (Source)