Quotes of the Day

“In addition to the fact that I think it has desperate consequences to the state, which is already suffering an inability to fund state services, I am absolutely confident that the rate of gross production or ad valorem in a state within a reasonable range of 0 to 12 percent has no bearing whatsoever in the economic activity in a state… The net effect of this tax reduction is a subsidy by the taxpayers of Oklahoma and the education system to predominately out-of-state shareholders of Oklahoma companies.”

– George Kaiser, owner of Kaiser-Francis Oil Co., responding to a proposal by Devon, Chesapeake, and Continental executives to make a large gross production tax break permanent (source: http://bit.ly/Rn1Tqk).

“I also would like see our income tax under five percent, but one must consider the timing of passing a $200 million per year income tax cut when the state is unable to balance its budget with the tax and spending structure it has today – even in an economic expansion – without using ever-increasing amounts of one-time sources of revenue.”

-State Treasurer Ken Miller (Source: http://bit.ly/1jtI8YL)

“There’s a huge gap because basically you’ve got what I would call working poor — they work, and so they don’t qualify for SoonerCare, but if the state of Oklahoma had expanded the Medicaid program, they would have fallen under those guidelines. Until we are able to cover that population, they’re going to continue to end up in the ER where they’re basically ‘treated and streeted,’ and (they’re) not under a chronic care plan, and a lot of these people have chronic conditions, and it’s going to continue to pull our health indicators down in our state.”

-Robyn Sunday-Allen, the CEO of the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic, describing the ‘coverage crater’ for Oklahomans unable to access affordable health insurance while Oklahoma refuses to accept federal funds to expand coverage (source: http://bit.ly/1rL7dz2).

“It makes me sick to my stomach. We must value and respect our teachers. My teacher shouldn’t have to be at Olive Garden when he should be home with his family.”

– Hawthorne Elementary School Principal Estella Bitson, describing running into one of her school’s teachers at an Olive Garden, where he worked a second job to make ends meet (Source: http://bit.ly/1pSrW8h).

“There is clearly a leadership problem here… Although the people in charge have changed and the buck now stops with the governor, children are not any better off.”

-Marcia Lowry, executive director of Children’s Rights, on a report showing Oklahoma is making lackluster progress on court-ordered improvements to its foster-care system (Source: http://bit.ly/1rO39Qj)

“What the people who support Head Start in Tulsa came to realize pretty quickly was what moves the kids’ success socially, emotionally, educationally over time and produces a lasting effect is when their parents are also making progress. For example, so if a mother increases her educational attainment while the kids are say 1-year-old, 2-year-old, 3-year-old, that produces not only a positive impact on the kids’ progress, but it’s one that endures through 3rd grade, let’s say. Same thing with income. If a parent’s income goes up by 2 or $3,000 when the kids are young, it has an effect on the kids’ progress and it really lasts.”

-University of Texas research scientist Christopher King, commenting on an innovative Tulsa antipoverty program called Career Advance. Career Advance works to support vulnerable mothers by providing preschool, access to job training in high-demand fields, life coaching, and financial incentives (source: http://bit.ly/1kgzr1H).

“Why is it getting harder? My gut tells me that the surrounding states have seen the need to put more money into education and teacher pay. Oklahoma has not taken that step yet.”

-Ken Calhoun, who leads recruiting for Tulsa Public Schools, on why Oklahoma school districts are facing growing teacher shortages and struggling to recruit candidates (Source: http://bit.ly/1pF1oY9)

“It’s true that Oklahoma in some respects has done well and has come back from the recession. We have low unemployment and we’ve had a growing economy. But we’ve also, at the same time, had the largest cuts to schools in the country and you see the effects from … repeated tax cuts and growing tax breaks. We have short-term prosperity due to this oil and gas boom. But by cutting all of these important services that are important for business and for the economy, as much as they are for the average citizens, then we’re hurting our economy in the long run.”

– OK Policy policy director Gene Perry, speaking about the source of Oklahoma’s budget crisis in the midst of an oil and gas boom (source: bit.ly/1ik0lCY).

“We don’t know how much they are, who has them, or when they are going to cash them in.”

Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector Gary Jones, speaking about Oklahoma’s lack of oversight over corporate tax credits. Increases in credits claimed by corporations have contributed to Oklahoma’s budget shortfall this year (Source: http://bit.ly/1ropyUn)

“The left hand has no idea what the right hand is doing in Oklahoma. It’s absolutely ludicrous. If I handled my business like they do out here, I’d be riding a bicycle to work.”

-State Rep. David Dank (R-Oklahoma City), speaking about the legislature’s pattern of approving new tax breaks without calculating the budget impact first (Source: http://abcn.ws/1rhHAr5)