Stitt, mayors ask Corps to expedite Tulsa levee feasibility study

GOVERNOR STITT AND MAYORS BYNUM, GUTHRIE AND LEE REQUEST CORPS EXPEDITE FEASIBILITY STUDY ON TULSA LEVEES

Oklahoma City, Okla. (July 8, 2019)— Governor Kevin Stitt, Mayor G.T. Bynum (Tulsa), Mayor Brian Guthrie (Bixby) and Mayor Robert Lee (Jenks) sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requesting the feasibility study on the Tulsa-West Tulsa Levee System be expedited and completed by December 2019.

The feasibility study is needed for further improvements and upgrades to be implemented to the levee system, which provided protection to tens and thousands of Oklahomans during the recent major flooding events in Oklahoma.

The letter is available here and copied below.


Assistant Secretary James and Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite,

Throughout the months of April and May, the state of Oklahoma underwent devastating severe weather and flooding events. As a result of these conditions, state government declared a state of emergency for all 77 counties in Oklahoma, and the Trump administration was quick to respond both in its FEMA approvals as well as on the ground support from the Corps and a visit from the Vice President of the United States. Oklahoma greatly appreciates this administration's pro-active and close coordination during the events and your ongoing support as residents undergo a long road to recovery.

We specifically want to draw your attention to the historic flooding experienced in Eastern Oklahoma. This area was fortunate that the Tulsa-West Tulsa Levee System held back water for weeks, compared to the last major flooding event in 1986 that lasted less than a day. If these 75-year-old levees had been breached, the damage would have been catastrophic to the communities of hard-working Oklahomans protected by the levee system.

The 2018 Water Resources Development Act instructed your agency to conduct a Feasibility Study on our nation's levees, for completion by September 2020. Oklahomans simply cannot wait that long. In 2008, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rated the Tulsa-West Tulsa Levees as "unacceptable". Based on your own assessment, it is clear you, too, recognize the urgency for modernization and upgrades.

We are writing to request the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite the Feasibility Study for completion in December 2019. This will allow for much needed upgrades to be addressed before the close of the 116th Congress. Any deadline past December runs the risk of delaying the rebuilding and recovery process several years for this vital infrastructure.

The Tulsa-West Tulsa Levees provided protection to tens of thousands of Oklahomans, spanning from as north as Skiatook to as far south as Muskogee and Webbers Falls. These levees also protected $2 billion in infrastructure and two major oil refineries, both of which provide gasoline to a large section of the mid-continental United States. The risks are too high for this not to be resolved soon, but there is a clear solution and path forward for expediting upgrades if the Corps will finalize this important report by the end of this year.

Sincerely,

J. Kevin Stitt, Governor of Oklahoma
G.T. Bynum, Mayor of Tulsa
Brian Guthrie, Mayor of Bixby
Robert Lee, Mayor of Jenks

from MuskogeePolitico.com

Neese touts $500k+ first fundraising quarter in CD5 primary

TERRY NEESE POSTS CAMPAIGN HAUL OF OVER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS IN FIRST FUNDRAISING QUARTER

Oklahoma City, OK – Terry Neese, conservative Republican candidate for Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District seat, has reported an impressive haul of over $500,000.00 during the campaign's first eight weeks of fundraising in 2019. With more than half of a million dollars on hand at the end of the second quarter, the Neese campaign is well-positioned to defeat liberal Kendra Horn in 2020.

“I am incredibly humbled by the support my campaign has received from men and women all across the 5th District who are ready to send proven conservative leadership back to Capitol Hill,” said Neese. “We deserve a Representative in Congress who will stand up to socialist Democrats and fight against tax hikes, open borders, and single-payer healthcare – but Kendra Horn has failed us. Voters recognize I am the only conservative in this race who has the leadership and experience needed to help President Trump deliver lower taxes, stronger borders, and more economic opportunities for all – and I will not let them down.”

For more information on Terry Neese or her campaign, visit NeeseForCongress.com.

from MuskogeePolitico.com

1889 Institute: CO study shows hospital prices rise with Medicaid expansion

COLORADO STUDY SHOWS HOSPITALS RAISE PRICES WITH MEDICAID EXPANSION

Medicaid expansion only enriches the richest sector in our economy

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (July 8, 2019) – The 1889 Institute, an Oklahoma state policy think tank, has published “Medicaid Expansion in Colorado: An Exercise in Futility.” The paper primarily interprets, in plain language, the conclusions of a study conducted by the Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise Board. Further context regarding the health care sector in the nation is provided. In short, the Colorado study showed that hospitals in Colorado became less efficient and raised their prices after Medicaid was expanded.

“This is exactly the opposite result of what we are told will happen if we expand Medicaid under Obamacare,” said Byron Schlomach, author of the report and Director of the 1889 Institute. “The Colorado study and another study out of Arizona make it clear that Medicaid expansion is mainly about enriching its principle advocates, the health care industry,” he said.

The study points out that health care spending from all sources takes up almost one-fifth of the U.S. economy, that 13 of the 15 highest-paying professions are in health care, and that with 90 percent of health care being paid for by someone other than patients, there is no true market in health care. Schlomach attributes the problems with high prices in health care to the lack of market forces brought on by federal policy.

Schlomach said that it does not bother him that people in health care professions make a lot of money. “What bothers me is when they claim they are in dire financial straits without more taxpayer funding when, in fact, health care is financially better off than anyone else,” he said. “These studies from Colorado and Arizona show the extent to which the health industry constantly raises prices, not out of necessity, but simply because they can get away with it due to their subterfuge and government policies,” said Schlomach.

About the 1889 Institute
The 1889 Institute is an Oklahoma think tank committed to independent, principled state policy fostering limited and responsible government, free enterprise and a robust civil society. The publication, “Medicaid Expansion in Colorado: An Exercise in Futility” and other reports on Medicaid health care can be found on the nonprofit’s website at https://1889institute.org/health-care.

from MuskogeePolitico.com

OCPA column: Road plans offers model for education success

Road plans offers model for education success

by Jonathan Small

I was intrigued when an attendee at a recent legislative town hall suggested Oklahoma should have an eight-year funding plan for education modeled after the state’s transportation funding plan.

I say go for it. The principles that guide the road plan—funding increases tied to measurable results with consequences for failure—can achieve the same results for education that they did for Oklahoma’s transportation system.

With the road plan, the bargain is simple: If taxpayers give transportation officials more money, they get measurable improvement in road-and-bridge conditions in return. The plan is specific and progress easily monitored.

Under a transportation-style plan, more education funding would be tied to improved academic outcomes. For too long, policymakers have acted as though spending, in and of itself, is an achievement, even if outcomes remain the same or decline.

Recent news highlights this sad reality. Over the past two years, lawmakers have increased K-12 funding by $638 million and increased teacher pay by a combined total average of $7,320 apiece. School appropriations have jumped 20 percent in two years.

Teacher pay raises were supposed to solve Oklahoma’s teacher shortage. Instead, the number of emergency certified Oklahoma teachers increased 54 percent in the 2018-2019 school year even after average $6,100 pay raises.

The reaction of the head of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association is instructive. He told the Tulsa World that Oklahoma continues to “have a teacher-shortage crisis,” but also said, “I don’t think anyone thought it would be solved in one year or two years or even five years.”

You never hear similar rationalizations from road-plan supporters.

It’s worth noting the Oklahoma Department of Transportation relies on private contractors, and contractors who do a poor job are barred from additional state work. What succeeds in road-building can also work for education. Why not let parents have a set amount of state funding and choose the school that best suits their children?

Finally, adopting an eight-year plan would require school officials to admit there’s a level of per-pupil spending sufficient to provide a quality education, something many prefer to ignore today. Recall that former Tahlequah Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Presley once declared, “There has never been enough revenue for public education, and there never will be.” Or recall how Mid-Del superintendent Rick Cobb once decried those who asked how much money was enough. “I don’t have a number,” Cobb said, and added, “Just keep adding, and we’ll tell you when you get there.”

But financial planning is not unreasonable. And demanding an unending siphoning of taxpayer resources, with no promise of improvement, is not a plan. After $638 million in new spending, Oklahomans taxpayers deserve a better progress report than “check back in five years.”

Jonathan Small serves as president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs.

from MuskogeePolitico.com

Oklahoma bridge ranking approaching top-10 nationally

Some interesting news from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Looks like Governor Stitt is nearing a new "top-10" accomplishment in his first term.

July Commission Wrap-Up: New public transit office at ODOT announced; Oklahoma’s bridge ranking continues to improve; $96 million in contracts awarded 

[link to full article]

Highlights of the Oklahoma Transportation Commission’s Monday, July 1 meeting include announcement of the creation of a new transit office at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, an update on the state’s improving bridge conditions, details of emergency repair plans for highways in Canadian and Sequoyah counties damaged by spring flooding, removal of a section of SH-3 in Oklahoma County from the highway system and approval of funding for upcoming centerline rumble strip installation. Contracts were awarded for a traffic signal on SH-74 in Oklahoma County, local government projects in Norman, Midwest City and Tulsa County, as well as I-40 improvements in McIntosh and Okfuskee counties.

[...]

Secretary of Transportation and ODOT Executive Director Tim Gatz informed the commission that Oklahoma’s bridge conditions continue to improve. The state’s bridges went from being ranked 17th best in the nation last year to 13th best this year according to updated federal data. The state is on track to have less than 1 percent of all ODOT-maintained bridges rated structurally deficient by the end of the decade, which will put Oklahoma in the Top 10 for highway bridges. Gatz noted that many national reports cause confusion by putting all bridges on the highway system and those on local roads together when ranking the states. While there has been some progress, local bridges maintained by cities and counties in Oklahoma remain near the bottom of the rankings. For perspective, ODOT has jurisdiction over 6,800 bridges on the highway system, while cities and counties are responsible for 16,000 bridges.

I-35 at Deep Fork Creek
The state’s national ranking for bridge conditions continues to improve thanks to a long focus on eliminating Oklahoma’s structurally deficient bridges. Members of the Oklahoma Transportation Commission learned at their Monday, July 1 meeting that only 132, or less than 2 percent, of all highway bridges under the jurisdiction of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation are rated structurally deficient, which puts Oklahoma at 13th best in the nation for highway bridges. Pictured here is the ongoing $31 million reconstruction of the I-35 bridges over Deep Fork Creek in northeast Oklahoma City that were structurally deficient.

Read the full press release at this link.

from MuskogeePolitico.com

Gov. Stitt issues new Executive Order Extending Restriction on Contract Lobbyists

GOVERNOR STITT FILES NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER EXTENDING RESTRICTION ON CONTRACT LOBBYISTS

Oklahoma City, Okla. (July 5, 2019) – Governor Kevin Stitt announced today a new executive order, EO 2019-29, making permanent the restriction on state agencies entering into contracts with external lobbyists.

“When taking office, I uncovered that several state agencies were collectively spending more than $1 million annually on contract lobbyists to advocate for their own special interests to the Legislature and the executive branch,” said Governor Kevin Stitt. “The agencies’ practice of hiring contract lobbyists skirts transparency laws and empowers agencies to ignore voters’ mandates. I quickly issued an executive order limiting agencies from entering into new contracts or extending current ones through the end of the 2019 fiscal year. My new executive order makes this restriction permanent during my administration. Oklahomans are united around a vision to make our great state Top Ten, and I will continue to pursue common-sense reforms, such as EO 2019-29, to ensure state agencies are in alignment.” 

A copy of EO 2019-29 is available by clicking here.

On January 24, Governor Stitt filed Executive Order 2019-2 to require all state agencies, boards and commissions to submit a list of every contract lobbyist hired and the amount of each contract dating back to 2015. The EO placed a freeze on agencies, boards and commissions from entering into new contracts while the information was being submitted. All entities came into compliance by April, which is linked in an excel format here.

from MuskogeePolitico.com

Music Monday: Medley of Sousa Marches

This week's Music Monday is a medley of eight marches by the great "March King" John Philip Sousa, performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra and conducted by John Williams. The eight marches are as follows:

• I. Semper Fidelis (1888) 00:00-02:45 
• II. The Thunderer (1889) 02:45-05:30 
• III. The Washington Post (1889) 05:30-08:05 
• IV. Liberty Bell (1893) 08:05-11:40 
• V. King Cotton (1895) 11:40-14:30 
• VI. El Capitan (1896) 14:30-17:00 
• VII. Stars and Stripes Forever (1896) 17:00-20:30 
• VIII. Hands across the Sea (1899) 20:30-23:35 

Enjoy!

See below for all previous Music Monday posts. Do you have a song you'd like to suggest for a future Music Monday? Email me at JamisonFaught@MuskogeePolitico.com.

June 24th, 2019: Seventy-Six Trombones
June 17th, 2019: I Want To Be That Man
June 3rd, 2019: "Les Toreadors" from 'Carmen'
May 20th, 2019: Lonesome Road
May 13th, 2019: Mr. Mom
April 29th, 2019: Have Faith in God (Muskogee's hymn)
April 15th, 2019: The Government Can
March 25th, 2019: Transcendental Étude No. 4, "Mazeppa"
March 18th, 2019: St. Patrick's Day in the Morning
March 11th, 2019: What Wondrous Love is This
March 4th, 2019: Scandinavian Waltz
February 18th, 2019: Adagio for Strings
February 11th, 2019: 'Romance' from 'The Gadfly'
February 4th, 2019: Columbia, Gem of the Ocean
January 7th, 2019: Loch Lomond
December 31st, 2018: Auld Lang Syne
December 24th, 2018: Remember O, thou Man
December 17th, 2018: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
December 10th, 2018: Carol of the Bells (medley)
December 3rd, 2018: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
November 26th, 2018: Happy Birthday
November 19th, 2018: My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness
November 12th, 2018: Hymn to the Fallen
October 29th, 2018: A Mighty Fortress is Our God
October 22nd, 2018: Hymn to Red October
October 15th, 2018:  Indian Reservation ("Cherokee People")
October 8th, 2018: Wagner's 'Columbus Overture'
October 1st, 2018: Danny Boy
September 24th, 2018: Dvorak's 'From The New World' Symphony, 4th Movement
September 17th, 2018: Deep River
September 10th, 2018: Muleskinner Blues
September 3rd, 2018: Boomer Sooner
August 20th, 2018: Psalm 23
August 13th, 2018: Ashokan Farewell
August 6, 2018: How the West Was Won
July 23rd, 2018: I Just Can't Wait to Be King
July 16th, 2018: 'Jupiter' from 'The Planets'
July 9th, 2018: Hail to the Spirit of Liberty
July 2nd, 2018: Turn The Tide
June 25th, 2018: Good Guys Win
June 18th, 2018: Watching You
June 11th, 2018: Adoration
June 4th, 2018: March from 'A Moorside Suite'
May 28th, 2018: Taps
May 21st, 2018: Listz's La Campanella
May 14th, 2018: Handful of Weeds
May 7th, 2018: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
April 30th, 2018: Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53 ("Heroic")
April 23rd, 2018: Blow Ye The Trumpet
April 16th, 2018: Asturias (Leyenda)
April 9th, 2018: Old Mountain Dew
April 2nd, 2018: His Life For Mine
March 19th, 2018: See, the Conqu'ring Hero Comes!
March 12th, 2018: Choctaw Nation
March 5th, 2018: Hark, I Hear The Harps Eternal
February 19th, 2018: The Olympic Spirit
February 12th, 2018: Olympic Fanfare and Theme
January 29th, 2018: Hail to the Chief
January 23rd, 2018: Waltz in A-Flat Major, Op. 39 No. 15
January 15th, 2018: Bleed The Same
January 8th, 2018: Saint-Saëns' Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Maestoso)
December 25th, 2017: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
December 18th, 2017: I Saw Three Ships (The Piano Guys)
December 11th, 2017:Who Is He In Yonder Stall
December 4th, 2017: Carol of the Bells (Mannheim Steamroller)
November 27th, 2017: Joy to the World!
November 20th, 2017: We Gather Together
November 13th, 2017: Mansions of the Lord
November 6th, 2017: Träumerei
October 30th: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
October 23rd, 2017: In Christ Alone
October 16th, 2017: When I'm Knee Deep In Bluegrass
October 9th, 2017: I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb
October 2nd, 2017: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major (Brahms)
September 25th, 2017: Beethoven's Sonata No. 8 in C minor ('Pathétique')
September 11th, 2017: Have You Forgotten?
September 4th, 2017: Bach's Double Violin Concerto
August 28th, 2017: Noah Found Grace In The Eyes Of The Lord
August 21st, 2017: The Heavens Are Telling The Glory of God
August 14th, 2017: Beethoven's 5th Symphony
August 7th, 2017: 'Lift High The Name Of Jesus' medley
July 31st, 2017: Fanfare for the Common Man
July 24th, 2017: Variations on 'Happy Birthday'
July 10th, 2017: Summer (Presto) from Vivaldi's Four Seasons
July 3rd, 2017: Freelance Fireworks Hall of Fame
June 26th, 2017: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
June 19th, 2017: A Christian Home
June 12th, 2017: Ol' Man River
June 5th, 2017: Choctaw Cowboy
May 29th, 2017: Armed Forces Salute
May 22nd, 2017: Double Bass Concerto No.2 in B minor
May 15th, 2017: Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D major
May 8th, 2017: The Army Goes Rolling Along
April 17th, 2017: He Is Alive
April 10th, 2017: Surely He Hath Borne/And With His Stripes/All We Like Sheep
April 3rd, 2017: Here Comes Carolina
March 27th, 2017: 'Spring' from Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons'
March 20th, 2017: Symphony No. 5 ("Reformation") Finale
March 13th, 2017: The Pigeon on the Gate
March 6th, 2017: Finlandia
February 27th, 2017: When I Can Read My Title Clear
February 20th, 2017: William Tell Overture - Finale
February 13th, 2017: 'Romance' from 'The Gadfly'
February 6th, 2017: White Winter Hymnal
January 30th, 2017: Hail, Columbia
January 23rd, 2017: Hail to the Chief
January 16th, 2017: Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy
January 2nd, 2017: Auld Lang Syne
December 26th, 2016: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
December 19th, 2016: I Wonder as I Wander
December 12th, 2016: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
December 5th, 2016: A Christmas Festival
November 28th, 2016: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
November 21st: Beethoven's 'Hymn of Thanksgiving'
November 14th: Hymn to the Fallen
November 7th: This World Is Not My Home
October 31st, 2016: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
October 24th, 2016: 'Mars', from 'The Planets'
October 17th, 2016: My Shepherd Will Supply My Need
October 10th, 2016: Spain
October 3rd, 2016: International Harvester
September 26th, 2016: 'The Imperial March' from Star Wars
September 19th, 2016: Awake the Trumpet's Lofty Sound
September 12th, 2016: Before the Throne of God Above
September 5th, 2016: The Hunt
August 29th, 2016: Liberty
August 22nd, 2016: Summon the Heroes
August 15th, 2016: Bugler's Dream
August 8th, 2016: Olympic Fanfare and Theme
August 1st, 2016: 'Prelude' and 'Parade of the Charioteers' from Ben-Hur
July 25th, 2016: How The West Was Won
July 18th, 2016: Six Studies in English Folk Song
July 11th, 2016: From Everlasting To Everlasting
July 4th, 2016: The Stars and Stripes Forever
June 27th, 2016: Rule, Britannia!
June 20st, 2016: Bugler's Holiday
June 13th, 2016: Ride of the Valkyries
June 6th, 2016: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54, Allegro Vivace
May 30th, 2016: Armed Forces Salute
May 23rd, 2016: Paid in Full (Through Jesus, Amen)
May 16th, 2016: Overture from 'Carmen'
May 9th, 2016: L'Arlesienne Suite No. 1 - Prelude
May 2nd, 2016: My God Is a Rock
April 25th, 2016: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
April 18th, 2016: Paganini's Caprice No. 24 in A Minor
April 11th, 2016: Fantasia on a 17th Century Tune
April 4th, 2016: Hark The Sound/I'm a Tarheel Born
March 28th, 2016: Rustle of Spring
March 21st, 2016: 'Ode to Joy' sung by a 10,000-voice choir
March 14th, 2016: Hard Times Come Again No More
March 7th, 2016: 'The Suite' from Downton Abbey
February 29th, 2016: Moonlight Sonata
February 22nd, 2016: Liebestraum No. 3
February 15th, 2016: Help Is On The Way
February 8th, 2016: God of Grace and God of Glory
February 1st, 2016: 'My Story'
January 25th, 2016: Israeli Concertino
January 18th, 2016: What Grace is Mine
January 11th, 2016: "Meditation" from Thaïs
January 4th, 2016: Praeludium and Allegro
December 28th, 2015: Appalachian Carol
December 21st, 2015: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
December 14th, 2015: O Holy Night
December 7th, 2015: Christmas Fantasy
November 23rd, 2015: Simple Gifts
November 16th, 2015: Preacher Tell Me Like It Is
November 9th, 2015: Armed Forces Salute
November 2nd, 2015: Amazing Grace
October 26th, 2015: The Harmonious Blacksmith
October 19th, 2015: Liberty Fanfare
October 12th, 2015: The Majesty and Glory of Your Name
October 5th, 2015: Elgar's 'Enigma' Finale
September 28th, 2015: Stayed on Jesus
September 21st, 2015: Great Gate of Kiev
September 14th, 2015: Nearer, My God, To Thee

from MuskogeePolitico.com