Quotes of the Day

“As time goes by, the attention span just dwindles. And the issue just goes away. There will be another tornado, and pray God nothing happens to anyone. But the chances are, we are going to have another EF5 tornado. And are we going to be prepared? The answer is no.”

-Rep. Richard Morrissette, D-Oklahoma City, speaking about the Legislature’s inaction on building storm shelter in Oklahoma schools (Source: http://nbcnews.to/1qRLKsY)

“Do I blame Larry Nichols for doing what he’s doing? No, it’s his job to negotiate as good a deal as he can. But it’s also Mary Fallin’s job and the Legislature’s job to represent our interests and negotiate as good a deal as we can… I’m urging the governor and I’m urging the Legislature, don’t blame Larry for doing his job, but you do your job, and you be as tough as he is.”

-Former Oklahoma City mayor Kirk Humphreys, speaking about negotiations between lawmakers and oil industry leaders about extending a tax break for horizontal drilling (Source: http://bit.ly/1qOZYuN)

“People with disabilities are already behind the eight ball. I don’t mean to play the disabilities card, but it is what it is. With cutbacks, that would put us even further behind the eight ball.”

Emeka Nnaka, a disabled Langston University student who works during the day. Proposed cuts to Tulsa Transit would mean he is no longer able to take night classes when school starts again in the fall (Source: http://bit.ly/1sVQRGf).

“Transience is so high that almost half of the students were new to the district this year, and some have already transferred out in the few weeks since the test was taken. Almost one-sixth of the 3rd grade class were homeless. Almost 5 percent were in court-ordered housing. Almost 5 percent have recently buried their mothers.”

-Education writer John Thompson, describing conditions at Crutcho public schools, which had the state’s highest failure rate on a third-grade reading test (Source: http://huff.to/1sRyT7R)

“We have things falling from the ceiling and things coming up from beneath the floor.”

-John Estus, spokesperson for the Oklahoma Department Management and Enterprise Services, speaking about the Oklahoma state Capitol where a chunk of concrete fell through the ceiling into a staffer’s office and raw sewage has been found soaking carpets (Source: http://bit.ly/1qCCxEJ)

“He was an Eagle Scout of all things. We were able to hire an Eagle Scout and then we worked him to death.”

-Oklahoma corrections officer Sgt. James Caskey speaking about 30-year-old corrections officer Ryan Peacock, who was in a fatal car crash. Multiple recent traffic accidents are suspected of being caused by officers falling asleep behind the wheel (Source: http://bit.ly/1sIlsqI).

“Everyone likes to talk about the success these programs have had in Florida, but nobody mentions how Florida funded their programs more than five times as much as we have in Oklahoma. That lack of vision and foresight is reflected in these scores.”

– Rep. Mike Shelton, speaking about the thousands of Oklahoma students who may be retained in the third grade after failing a high-stakes reading test (Source: http:/bit.ly/1nDIdtx).

“It’s a vicious cycle with some people. Many of them have alcohol or other problems, and they’ll go to jail for a couple days intentionally just to sober up. They end up with court costs they will never pay, and we end up having to arrest them again, when what they really need is help or mental health help.”

– Tulsa City Prosecutor Bob Garner, one of the creators of Tulsa’s first municipal “homeless court” (source: http://bit.ly/1nuA3Ur).

“The bottom line on expanded coverage: Does the cost to the state of expanding outweigh the cost of unpaid hospital bills shifted to those who pay for insurance? Is it worth the cost to expand coverage so that thousands of poor working families will not go without proper health care? Do we want to create a healthy Oklahoma, where the investment in prevention on the front end will likely reduce health care cost later in life? We have many policy decision makers, from the governor to our legislators, who care about their constituents and vulnerable Oklahomans. Can we come together for a discussion about how to close the gap and fund coverage for all Oklahomans?”

-Bruce Dart, director of the Tulsa Health Department (Source: http://bit.ly/1spM2Vk)

“That loan was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made. It made my credit even worse. I lost my bank account. I’m paying over 400 percent in interest plus fees. Trying to keep up with these loan payments means going deeper in the hole every payday. Also I pay higher fees for a prepaid debit card, money orders, wire transfers and other financial services. It’s an extra tax on poor people.”

-Oklahoma mother Sophia Foreman, who works 3 jobs but ended up taking out a high-interest payday loan to keep the heat turned on for herself and her 3 kids during the winter (Source: http://bit.ly/1sgwxz2)