 | The editor of Sooner Politics joins Congressman Jim Bridenstine in endorsement of Joe Newhouse and Amanda Teegarden. Joe is an attentive and diligent person to represent his district in the state senate. He brings a perspective not especially present in the senate chamber. Last winter Commander Newhouse wrote an excellent explanation for Sooner Politics, of the European refugee crisis, because he's been representing the US commitment to NATO. Amanda has been unmatched in her research of issues facing Oklahoma. She led the successful effort to stop an international corridor highway from splitting Oklahoma into 2 separate bodies. She also provided solid research of the problems of Common Core. - David Van Risseghem We'll let the congressman tell you his reasons why: |
The great voice of congress, Tom Coburn, said it this way;
 For decades, politicians competed in the state legislature, for the claim of 'who's tougher on crime'. It was a devastatingly expensive contest. Not for politicians, but for those of us who pay the bills and write the checks to cover their campaign promises. Criminal justice is a very expensive part of the state's budget, It got way too expensive in recent years. High energy sector taxes hid the problem, but now we face it for what it really is. Public safety is a core function of government, but what is the best definition of 'safe'? Why do we lock up felons?
You can't change a person who does not want to change. In the 70s, we renamed the agencies to "Department of Corrections". But very little correcting really happens in a prison environment. In fact, first-time offenders usually become highly trained in the arts of crime when they spend years living with the rest of them.
Where did the firefighters get the $50,000 that was spent? And more importantly, why would these municipal employees of the OKC Fire Dept. spend such precious funds on this distant senate seat?
The Oklahoma Watch article lists Milton Blackburn & John Craig as among the principals involved in the "Conservatives For Common Sense" PAC. If the PAC is promoting conservatism, they would hardly choose the senate's most conservative member to be the target of concentrated hits. But the campaign laws do not have a litmus test for who uses the label 'conservative'. OKC's firefighters are largely labor union members.
But we must wait another day to find out if all the hoops have been jumped through, to get a proposed constitutional amendment sent to the voters for the next general election. Red Dirt Report has this update:
 In 1992, a younger and far more reformist congressman, Jim Inhofe; pushed through the last great reform of the House of representatives. His Discharge Petition measure made it harder for congressmen to lie to their constituents. Candidate Ross Perot lauded it in his 1992 presidential run. The OSTA( "One Subject at a Time Act") was been introduced by Senator Rand Paul in the Senate (S. 1572) and by Representative Mia Love in the House ( H.R. 4335). OSTA currently has nearly a dozen co-sponsors in the House. This is also co-sponsored by Oklahoma Congressman Jim Bridenstine.
 This morning, Eddie Huff announced his completion of service as a cohost on the Pat Campbell Show on Tulsa's Conservative Talk Radio flagship. He presented a very gracious and amicable announcement on social media. Eddie was the principal substitute for Pat whenever he was away.
Eddie was recently a national radio fillin on the Todd Schnitt Show. His career resume' is as unique as his political message sometimes reveals. Born on a military base in West Germany, he grew up far away from the social unrest of America in the 60s & 70s. He became a missionary and Christian evangelism specialist. In recent years Eddie has been a fixture in Tulsa's business community. His insurance company has been the focus of the past several years.
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