Quotes of the Day

“Politicians like to talk about our low unemployment, but it’s clear that a huge number of families are working hard but not getting ahead. As long as Oklahoma continues to block minimum wage increases, underfund education and refuse billions in federal funds to expand health coverage, it’s not going to get any easier to move up the economic ladder.”

– Oklahoma Policy Institute Policy Director Gene Perry, speaking about new Census Bureau data showing 1 in 6 Oklahomans lived in poverty in 2013 (Source: http://bit.ly/1wNfVU9)

“Society will ultimately have to act against the scourge of extremism rooted in Islam and other faiths, but to achieve this, we will need the help of like-minded allies in those faith communities. Many Muslims abhor violence and have rejected certain militant aspects of the Quran, just as many Jews and Christians have set aside similar tenets in the Hebrew Old Testament. Politicians like Bennett are not doing anyone any favors; they’re only helping to advance the hatred and suspicion that leads one group of people to demonize and eventually attack another merely because of differing philosophies.”

-The Tahlequah Daily Press editorial board, responding to comments by state Rep. John Bennett (R-Sallisaw) that Christians “should be wary of Muslim-Americans” and that the Islamic faith “is a cancer in our nation that needs to be cut out” (Source: http://bit.ly/1mdfZtb)

“Later this month, you’ll have people who camp out at Apple stores across the country to try to get an iPhone 6 when it’s released. People will wait in line for hours and hours at a movie theater later this year when the new Hobbit movie comes out trying to get the best seat in the house. It all depends on one’s perspective, but when you talk about something as important as voting, I personally think it’s a right and responsibility of citizens and it’s worth investing a little bit of time in.”

-Oklahoma Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax, speaking about complaints of long lines at Oklahoma polling places in the 2012 general election. For voters seeking to avoid the lines, the Election Board is encouraging voting by mail (Source: http://bit.ly/1qY4Ufk)

“I don’t know what that looks like, but I think it’s a democratic crisis that we have to look at as policymakers to make it easier for people to understand what the process is and how they can participate in it.”

-State Sen. David Holt, R-Oklahoma City, who said lawmakers need to address Oklahoma’s very low voter turnout (Source: http://bit.ly/1BINXcd) 

“We’re not just talking about someone working part time. In my district you have teachers moonlighting at restaurants just to make ends meet. You have seniors who are going back to work to cover gaps in their retirement. It’s a big problem.”

-Rep. Mike Shelton, D-Oklahoma City, who is developing legislation to increase the tipped minimum wage in Oklahoma, currently $2.13/hour (Source: http://buff.ly/1tW0S5Y)

“Gov. Mary Fallin rejected Medicaid expansion funding under the Affordable Care Act in 2012. When she made that announcement, she cited fiscal reasons — the state couldn’t afford the potential costs. But two years later, we have to wonder how much longer the state can afford not to accept the money.”

– The Tulsa World’s Editorial Board, pointing out that as a result of Fallin’s decision to reject federal funds, the state will turn away $900 million in Medicaid funding in 2016 and $8.6 billion from 2013 to 2022 (Source:http://bit.ly/1urmQA1)

“It does stem from the legislature wanting the court to become self-sufficient so they don’t have to fund the courts. It’s a regressive tax—a tax against poor people.”

-Joe Robertson, executive director of the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System, speaking about Oklahoma’s moves to hike court fees while slashing the top income tax rate (Source: http://on.msnbc.com/1CTEosB)

“Our founders saw no role for the federal government in state and local police forces — none. We’re on dangerous ground of undermining the very principles that built the country.”

-Sen. Tom Coburn, speaking against a Defense Department program that is providing military equipment to local law enforcement (Source: http://bit.ly/1CRUKC5)

“Twenty years ago two-thirds of teenagers had a driver’s license by the age of 18; today only half do. Identity found in car ownership and the mobility it provides is being replaced by technology. Many millennials now see vehicle ownership as a burden. While they still seek mobility and access to the places they love, their mode of arrival is no longer one-dimensional.”

-James Wagner, principal transportation planner for the Indian Nations Council of Governments, writing that Oklahoma cities need better transit options and walkability to compete for the next generation (Source: http://bit.ly/1CNlByV)

“It’s a journey to get people who have never been a part of the workforce adept to the expectations of employers. We’re trying to impart those skills that employers are looking for. All too often they see a criminal conviction and exclude someone, and we know that without jobs they will keep going back to prison.”

-Kelly Doyle, state director of the Center for Employment Opportunities, which tries to help men and women who are coming out of prison obtain employment (Source: http://bit.ly/1tlUq82)