We Dodged a Bullet this Week
It was looking pretty grim as of last Sunday, Mary Fallin was threatening veto of any cost cutting or waste reduction bills and demanding new and increased taxes be placed upon Oklahomans. House leadership was parroting the same line as were the syphilitic bastards over in the Senate. The Senate had filed dozens of bills and the House piled nearly another 150 bills on top, just under 200 bills total, most were blank appropriation bills or tax increase bills, with a few cost cutting bills, all of which were filed by individuals not leadership in either chamber.
The vast majority were blank appropriations bills, filed by leadership so that they had a bill to ad a new tax to or to increase a tax. Then there were ones like SJR 1 filed by Senator Bice which allows ad valorem or property taxes to be used for payroll at schools. Once the teachers unions and tax hogs break that seal look for sky high property tax increases.
However, despite "mandatory" caucus meetings, House leadership found that they simply did not have the votes no matter how much they squeezed or threatened. The most votes any bill got on a secret caucus ballot was 47 votes with an absolute minimum of 51 votes needed from Republicans in order to go with the estimated Democrat votes to pass the super majority needed for passage. Some of the tax increases got as few as 16 votes from the caucus.
Over in the Senate things weren't as bleak as they stood ready with plenty of syphilitic bastards ready to sell out the citizens to meet the ¾ majority needed. Conspicuous was the absence of Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb who has the right to take over the Senate to torpedo tax increases or force votes on cost and waste cutting bills.
After a few days Republican leadership bowed to the reality and called a recess for the special session until a negotiated solution could be found. And finally we heard leadership grudgingly mentioning cost and waste cutting ideas where as at the start of the week they ridiculed any attempts to discuss or bring up the idea of cutting waste or shrinking government.
Several of the freshmen legislators stood out for their attempts to bully other freshmen legislators into supporting tax increases or new taxes. Republican House members Scot Fetgatter HD 16 and Marcus McEntire HD 50 became notorious for shilling for leadership but the coalition of about 20 House members stayed loyal to the Republican Party Platform and rejected the efforts.
The Democrats want an increase in Gross Production Tax, taking it up to 5 or 7%, a bargain compared to the nearby states or other oil states who have as high as 10% severance taxes but House leadership wants to couple the GPT increase with the $1.50 per pack cigarette tax which most Democrats reject. House leadership seemed to be counting on 54 House Republican votes while on 47 turned up in the caucus votes so they were planning on 22 Democrat votes to pass the tax increases and new taxes.
Democrat Minority Leader Scott Inman threw a hissy fit, blaming Republicans for not having a plan and for not sharing it with the Democrats if they did have a plan.
The Oklahoman ran a story on the debacle and one reader comment stood out for explaining exactly what was wrong:
"Charlie McCall is the ultimate harlot of a very few, large, greedy,oil companies, the ultimate bag man for the boys downtown. There is consensus among both democrats and republicans regarding raising the GPT. So why won't it be introduced? Charlie McCall and Herr Schultz have been told by their "owners" to block it. Why? Greed pure and simple. There is a race of sorts going on in Oklahoma. The deep well horizontal drilling fracking companies are trying to drill as many hole as fast they can so they can get in on the "free money", a 2% GPT that was passed several years ago. These new deep wells like most produce their most output in the first two years, so what better gift than giving it to the oil companies for almost free? After that the wells slow down, maybe then Harold Hamm will be willing to allow a GPT more attuned to the GPT of all other major oil states. So it is a race, rape as much oil as quickly as possible before the citizens sober up and realize the meat has been given away for near free to a few large companies while leaving the rest of us mere drippings from the pan. Charlie is looking after the interest of corporations and screwing every other person in the state- Corporate Welfare. He needs to step down and allow a real statesman to run the house, not a lapdog of the few."
Now STP is ambivalent about raising the GPT. Any tax increase is bad as it gives the government more money to waste but at the same time the 2% rate is a result of corporate welfare brought about by oil barons bribing... cough – cough- uh, giving campaign donations to House and Senate leadership. Now raising the GPT while cutting other taxes so as to be revenue neutral might get our support. But for now we don't support raising the GPT unless all other tax increases are off the table and the deduction and exemption freezes from the spring legislative session are repealed. Our point is don't raise tax on the poor, working class, and middle class until you put a fair GPT tax back in effect.
It is still a good idea to contact your state rep and senator and press them to slash the waste and size of government instead of raising taxes. They will listen if enough of you contact them. Next year is an election year you know.
