Okie Funk

(This week, I’m posting excerpts from 2011 Okie Funk blogs. Click on the headline to read the entire post. Thanks for reading Okie Funk. —Kurt Hochenauer)

Okie Funk’s First Take On OPUBCO Sale, Sept. 18. 2011

I have long been a critic of The Oklahoman in this space and elsewhere primarily for the extreme right-wing views on its editorial page.

I have also consistently pointed out right-wing biases in its news coverage, from the GOP, public-relations style of reporting that emanates from the newspaper’s Washington bureau to the way it frames the local news to what it even determines is news.

My posts and articles about the newspaper over the last ten years or so could easily fill a book.

Along the way, I have been critical of the newspaper’s principal ownership, the Gaylord family, for being a major player in a corporate power structure here in the Oklahoma City area that seems more interested in reaping its own financial rewards than working for a common good.

So I was somewhat surprised that when I learned that the Oklahoma Publishing Company (OPUBCO), which includes The Oklahoman, was being sold to Denver billionaire and right-winger Phil Anschutz I was filled with a moment of sadness. The Gaylords have been a bedrock of the culture here, its very own, right-wingers for the left to traditionally criticize and rail against and major members of the eclectic and weird, dysfunctional family called Oklahoma.

Student Bailout: Forgive College Loan Debt, Oct. 18, 2011

Occupy OKC and the overall “occupy movement” has the attention of the local corporate power structure here judging from the sustained, mocking criticism by its public relations branch, The Oklahoman editorial page.

Last Wednesday, the newspaper’s editorial page called the movement’s protesters “idiots.” On Monday, it referred to t-shirt slogans superficially connected to the movement as “garden-variety anarchy.” At least three editorial cartoons making fun of the demonstrators have been published (at least on NewsOK.com, the newspaper’s internet site) in the last week or so. Is it simple conservative media overkill or real paranoia creeping in?

What the movement will become is anyone’s guess, and by its nature the movement will not follow a rigid hierarchy, but it’s safe to say the wealthiest among us—those called the 1 percent—are at least paying attention if not becoming deeply concerned about where all this might lead. Oklahoma City obviously seems like an unlikely place for a sustained, progressive-like protest, but the tents were still up in Kerr Park Monday afternoon.

Does Fracking Cause Earthquakes?, Nov. 8 2011

Is fracking related to the recent earthquakes in Oklahoma?

Well, it’s worth an extended discussion, but don’t count on the conservative corporate media here to go out of its way to cover the story just like it declines to discuss at any length whether climate change is responsible for the recent drought. In Oklahoma, as we all know, energy companies can do no wrong and there’s no such thing as global warming.

Last Saturday, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 literally rocked Oklahoma and even surrounding states. Located near Sparks, in central Oklahoma, it was the biggest earthquake ever recorded in the state. This was followed by approximately 22 aftershocks. On Monday evening, the earth moved again, this time with a magnitude of 4.6. Homes shook, people tried to find their footing and there was damage.

Is this the new “normal” in Oklahoma? Will the coming earthquakes get even stronger. If so, why?

Some geological experts point to the Wizetta Fault, also called the Seminole Uplift, just east of Oklahoma City, which has experienced an uptick in seismic activity recently for supposedly unknown reasons. Others question whether the relatively new technology of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, might be responsible for an increase in earthquakes here and in Arkansas.

Fallin’s Choice, Dec. 22, 2011

Whatever people might think about the specific decision by state officials to remove birth as a qualifying event for health insurance, it should serve as a reminder that our medical system remains relentlessly ruthless.

Gov. Mary Fallin, according to a media report, recently signed the rule as requested by the office of State Insurance Commissioner John Doak. Fallin’s office said the reason was to entice health insurance companies who offer policies for children to come back to do business in Oklahoma. The companies stopped offering child policies in Oklahoma because of the “president’s health plan,” according to Fallin’s office.

Fallin spokesperson Alex Wentz was quoted this way about the issue: “We think it will get more kids covered. It's not perfect, but honestly, we view it as cleaning up a mess made by the Obama administration."

So in other words some of the youngest and sickest children will go uncovered, but other, presumably healthier children will get insurance coverage. It resembles the plot of the movie Sophie’s Choice in its calculation: choose one child over another child.

(This week, I’m posting excerpts from 2011 Okie Funk blogs. Click on the headline to read the entire post. Thanks for reading Okie Funk. —Kurt Hochenauer)

So Far Inhofe Quiet On New Arctic Ice Melting Report, May 8, 2011

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe—and by extension the fossil fuel industry in Oklahoma—has been remarkably quiet about a new scientific report showing the acceleration of arctic ice melting.

Inhofe is infamous throughout the world for denying the link between global warming, which leads to melting ice, and manmade produced carbon emissions. He once called the threat of global warming the “greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people,” and he has obsessively attacked but failed to refute the scientific evidence about climate change. But so far he’s remained mum on the most recent information. Maybe he’s had an epiphany. (Just kidding.)

Some might ask why a senator without a major scientific background and from a relatively small state that has its own specific problems relating to poverty, health and infrastructure would make global warming such an overriding issue. The answer to that is Inhofe has received copious amounts of campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry. According to OpenSecrets.org, from 2005 to 2010 Inhofe received $459,750 from oil and gas interests, and he has taken $1.2 million from oil and gas interests since 1989.

August 1958, June 12, 2011

Thirty-five Negro children sat quietly for more than six hours Friday in the John A. Brown Co. luncheonette, in the fourth day of their campaign to win food and drink service from downtown firms.—The Daily Oklahoman, Aug. 23, 1958

What can never be understated is the courageousness of civil rights icon Clara Luper and those children—at the time—who broke down segregation barriers in the 1950s by sit-ins at Oklahoma City lunch diners, diners which refused to serve them simply because they were black.

Luper, who was 88, died last week, and her death was noted locally and nationally. The issue of her courage and the courage of the children is what prevails after all these years and will continue to prevail. It’s difficult to find that type of courage today in political action.

Here’s some of the bleak reporting in The Daily Oklahoman about the sit-in at the John A. Brown Co. luncheonette in August, 1958:

Police ordered one white woman woman to leave after she sat down in the lap of a Negro girl who was sitting alone at a table.

One white man was ejected from the luncheonette after he loudly criticized Negroes.

Four white boys were also ejected and taken to the store manager’s office for a conference with police and store officials after they entered the luncheonette, displaying a “rebel flag.” Police confiscated the flag. A number of white customers left angrily when Negro youths sat beside them. Most, however, paid no attention.—The Daily Oklahoman, Aug. 24, 1958

Does Health Philosophy Determine Planning, July 12, 2011

A recent editorial in The Oklahoman shows just how intractable and narrow minded some city leaders are when it comes to significantly improving the quality of life here.

The headline says it all: “More bad news on obesity, but government isn't the solution.”

Published July 12, the editorial cites a national report that shows Oklahoma is ranked at seventh in the nation with an obesity rate of 31.4 percent. The editorial goes through the report, says “no thanks” to a recommendation that everyone get screened for obesity and diabetes as part of a preventative medical effort and then ends with this typical caveat:

Getting out of it will take another generation, or more. But it will result from individuals making better choices about diet and exercise, not from government fiat.

Individual responsibility over community. Survival of the fittest—literally—over advocating common sense planning choices.

The Oklahoman doesn’t speak for all leaders here, but I think it’s fair to argue this particular, hands-off philosophy when it comes to health issues has contributed to some dubious distinctions for the state. Just recently, for example, the Oklahoma City area was named the most unfit metropolitan area among the nation’s largest 50 cities.

Hot Summer Deserves More Scientific Inquiry, Discussion, Aug. 23, 2011

Here are two certain facts about the heat: Oklahoma is experiencing one of its hottest summers on record and the local media has failed to discuss it at any length in terms of climate change or the bellwether of an extended drought and hot period.

Just yesterday, Oklahoma City broke the record for its number of summer days with a temperature of 100 degrees or more. The city has now had 51 days at 100 degrees or more, and that number will likely go up. The city of Grandfield in southwestern Oklahoma has endured 87 days of 100 degrees or more, which is a state record.

Oklahoma recorded the hottest average monthly temperature in U.S. history in July.

Is the Oklahoma record heat tied to global warming? This question should be worthy of consideration. Another subject worthy of consideration is whether this summer’s weather pattern will become part of an extended period of drought and excessive heat in Oklahoma.

(This week, I’m posting excerpts from 2011 Okie Funk blogs. Click on the headline to read the entire post. Thanks for reading Okie Funk. —Kurt Hochenauer)

The Answer Is Always 'No' To Guns On Campus, Jan. 20, 2011

Those Oklahoma legislators who might be thinking about pushing a bill allowing students and faculty to carry concealed weapons on the state’s college campuses should pay attention to a recent gun incident at a Los Angeles high school.

According to media reports, a 17-year-old student at Gardena High School was recently arrested when a gun he was carrying in a backpack accidentally misfired in a classroom and hit two 15-year-old students. One of the students, struck in the head, remains in critical condition.

Two of the most operative terms in the incident for anyone who teaches college in this state right now are “student” and “backpack.” As I can personally attest, and this is more than anecdotal evidence, there are thousands of students who carry backpacks on college campuses in this state.

So if we get “carry on campus” here, how many backpacks will be filled with guns? How many guns will misfire? How many guns will be used directly to shoot someone?

In the past, state Rep. Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie) has tried to pass legislation that will allow students and faculty to carry concealed guns on campus in Oklahoma, arguing it’s a protection issue. Murphey has said he won’t introduce such legislation this year, but that he does expect someone in the Senate to sponsor a bill, according to a media report.
Even if you allow that Murphey’s main concern is protecting students and faculty from shooters like the one who killed 32 people at Virginia Tech in 2007, there is still much wrong with the idea of arming our campuses here or elsewhere.

No Surprise: Oklahoma Ranks High In Disaster Declarations, Feb. 3, 2011

Here’s some information the state’s chamber of commerce officials won’t be touting anytime soon: Oklahoma ranks third in the number of declared disasters by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The state has received 66 disaster declarations, which means it ranks behind the large states of California, 84, and Texas, 77. Oklahoma has a population of 3.7 million and ranks 20th in terms of land size. By comparison, California, the most populated state, has 37.2 million people and is the third largest state in terms of land size. Texas, the second largest state in terms of size, has a population of 25.1 million.

What this means on a practical level—as if longtime state residents don’t know—is that Oklahoma has some of the worst and catastrophic weather in the entire nation. Tornadoes, blizzards, hail, ice storms, flooding and fires wreak havoc here on a regular basis, and our per capita FEMA disaster ratio is astronomical.

This doesn’t mean the state is without periods of good weather, but it does mean that people who live here—and especially new residents—should be reminded about how turbulent and life threatening the weather can be. The state’s geographical location makes it an epicenter of nasty weather. It’s part of the reality and culture here, and it should be openly noted for basic safety reasons.

Retirement Plans Under Scrutiny, March 8, 2011

Back in November, I wrote about how the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, the state’s largest conservative think tank, was pushing for fundamental changes in the state’s retirement plans
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I was critical of an article published by an OCPA fellow, Steve Anderson. The article argued that the Oklahoma Teachers Retirement System (OTRS) and the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) should gradually switch to a defined-contribution plan from its current defined-benefit plan. That argument, which deserves a public discussion, didn’t bother me as much as the political language in the article.

For example, Anderson writes:

The conversion to the defined-contribution plan also would allow Oklahoma to stop pouring tax dollars directly into OTRS. This change would free up nearly $260 million in dedicated funding and another $40 million in reduced benefit costs in the first year of plan inception. OCPA believes this funding source should be eliminated immediately and the savings used as a funding source for eliminating the individual income tax.

The right-wing frame is clear here. The teachers’ retirement plan here is just one more state-worker benefit preventing the state from “eliminating the individual income tax.” This is a dubious claim.

Historical Dependence: Oklahoma and the Federal Government, April 12, 2011

Michael A. Fletcher’s recent article in The Washington Post showing how much Oklahoma benefits from federal spending is an insightful piece, but the incongruity between massive government spending and the anti-government vitriol here remains a historic tale.

Fletcher’s article, “In Okla., a beneficiary sours on federal spending,” (April 10, 2011), rehashes old information—in the past, at least, the state has received more back in federal taxes than it pays in—and brings up the money poured into Tinker Air Force Base and the Federal Aviation Administration’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, which together employ some 21,000 civilians. Fletcher, focusing on Oklahoma City, goes on to point out: “About 7 percent of the area’s workers are federal employees, more than double the U.S. average . . .”

Meanwhile, as Fletcher points out, a “jaundiced view of the federal government is common here, local leaders say, even though the region’s surging economy is built to a large degree on a foundation of federal spending.”

“Jaundiced view” is an understatement. I would describe it as a raging hostility among many Oklahomans against the federal government. The corporate power structure and some Republicans here have methodically fanned the hostility for more than 30 years. But the incongruity between the hostility and the state’s sweet deal with the feds has been pointed out for years by writers such as Frosty Troy, with The Oklahoma Observer, and, well, by myself, too.