Inhofe, Washington Give Oklahoma Families Cold Shoulder

(Can Oklahoma meet the sustainability challenge it will face in coming years? Read DocHoc's commentary this week in Oklahoma City's finest alternative publication, the Oklahoma Gazette.)

"This report shows that more than 60 percent of U.S. corporations have been paying no corporate income tax from 1998 to 2005. Washington is giving million-dollar handshakes to big businesses, but they're giving working Oklahoma families the cold shoulder."—Andrew Rice

Under U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe’s watch, American corporations increasingly pay no income tax.

As energy companies report staggering profits and as the cost of living skyrockets for Oklahomans, the question becomes whether the Republican Inhofe, 73, has lost touch with the day-to-day economic struggles of the citizens he supposedly represents. The answer is obvious.

Inhofe, as the political saying goes, has absolutely “gone Washington,” which means he can no longer relate to hard-working people who are unable to afford basic medical care or college or groceries. He has lost empathy with regular families. This is not simple political hyperbole. Inhofe has bought into the ideology that corporations should come first, then regular citizens.

Unless they are ultra-rich, Oklahomans who vote for Inhofe are voting against themselves.

The General Accountability Office just released the report showing that more than 65% of foreign-owned U.S. corporations from 1998 to 2005 paid no income tax, with a high of 71.7% in 2001.

Andrew Rice, 35, the Oklahoma City Democrat running against Inhofe, was quick to point out after the report was released that the current Washington political establishment is failing Oklahoma families. This is a defining issue in the campaign, and voters should pay attention. The corporate media here will simply not report the truth or ignore it when it comes to Inhofe.

"This report shows that more than 60 percent of U.S. corporations have been paying no corporate income tax from 1998 to 2005,” Rice said. “Washington is giving million-dollar handshakes to big businesses, but they're giving working Oklahoma families the cold shoulder."

One of the major problems related to the issue, according to Rice, are U.S. tax laws that actually help companies that move overseas.

"Not only are most corporations not paying income tax, but multinational companies that relocate American jobs overseas don't have to pay taxes on the income that those foreign workers generate," Rice said. "Washington has to get its priorities straight. We should be granting tax breaks to companies that keep jobs right here on American soil."

Rice wants more accountability in Washington.

“There is clearly a lack of accountability in Washington, which is one of the main reasons I am running for the U.S. Senate," Rice said. "This is why we need a U.S. Senator who changes with the times and is not stuck in the partisan politics of the last 22 years."

Rice pointed out that Inhofe recently voted against the child tax credit for working families.

For years now, the Washington political establishment has ignored the basic interests of regular Americans and Oklahomans. Inhofe, a staunch supporter of energy and insurance companies, has turned his back on regular families. He continues to embarrass the state with his outrageous statements about global warming and cultural wedge issues.

The Oklahoma corporate media, especially The Oklahoman and its right-wing propagandist/reporter Christ Casteel, will not hold Inhofe accountable so many state residents have not tracked how our senior Senator has become a laughingstock on the world stage through the years.

What makes it worse is Inhofe’s actions show he cares nothing about the economic security of Oklahomans. As he embarrasses the state as an ambassador, he works against the interests of regular families here.