I live in the stupidest state in the USA

[#1]

I am sure that many people think that, but I live in a state that is the only state the since 2004 has not had a single county go for the democratic nominee for President. Which means that they have been driving the budget and making all of the financial as well as legal issue laws. So they have had 12 years to implement their conservative fixes for everything. What have they accomplished.
We have a budget shortfall of 1.3 million dollars.

This was a news report explaining the problem well over a year ago. ( it's video and short but informative)
http://kfor.com/2015/05/15/are-oklahoma-taxpayer-dollars-getting-wasted-on-controversial-bills/

Since then, did our legislators listen and stop doing stupid shit that they KNEW was going to be overturned?? Hell no they went even further. The voted to "deregulate" our schools. Great unlicensed teachers paid minimum wage that is the future of OK schools.

Our legislators decided that the 10 commandments was not a religious representation and put a 6 foot tall granite statue in front of the state capitol. They knew full well it was illegal, they knew that SOMEONE would have to pay for the lawyers to defend this action in federal court and guess what it was illegal and it was removed.... guess who that someone was the taxpayers of Oklahoma who still have a shortfall in our GOP controlled budget of 1.3 BILLION dollars.

Today, just like our legislators trying to deny same sex Nat guard spouses benefits that straight ones get, which was overturned, just like when Oklahoma tried to sue Colorado for legalizing marijuana and were told no you cannot sue Colorado, main your own freaking biz, ( that costs lawyers fees in the hundreds of dollars an hour rate ) Today they have pulled the biggest most boneheaded legislation in the US.

TODAY OUR LEGISLATORS PASSED A BILL THAT MADE ABORTION ILLEGAL BY PROSECUTING ANY DOCTOR OR PATIENT THAT PROVIDES OR SEEKS AN ABORTION.
Oh gee , I guess they forgot that there was a federal law preventing laws like this. I do not care what side of the abortion issue you are on these stupid legislators are only passing laws like this so the can have it on their campaign commercials when the general election rolls around and I and all of my fellow oklahomans have to pay for the legal fees the bill is surely going to generate and knowing my stupid governor as I do she will push it all the way to the supreme court just for the attention.

I am sick to death of the GOP's idea of smaller government in Oklahoma it is bleeding my state dry and racking up bills that kids and grandkids will have to pay. They may think it is a "free" way to have a great buzzword for their campaign so they can run around saying 'I tried to protect the unborn for you" but it is not free and I am paying for all of these stupid bills that are clearly violations of federal laws..
Whether you are anti-choice or pro-choice... it is the law of the land get over it , stop making the citizens pay so politicians can have hot buzz words in November. ARRRRGGGGG

[PrincessCanopyShop]

Maybe you get your facts from the coal industry itself or from the many websites funded by it to spread this misinformation. Here is the real truth
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-fleischli/clean-coal-is-a-dirty-lie_b_169384.html
Just ask ANYONE who lives in China how clear their air was 80 years ago compared to today.

[PrincessCanopyShop]

Or 70 years ago today , or 60 years ago today or 50 years ago today or 40 years ago today or 30 years ago today. They have no standards and are the biggest pollutants on the planet and it is a continent on the planet Earth

[FAIRLYGHOULISH]

Well Dee, I guess I was thinking of Birmingham Alabama and steel mills and the smog in the air that gave my grandfather lung cancer. No, I don't get my facts from the coal industry and yes, I guess I was wrong.
I also don't get my facts from Huffington Post------very liberal view.

Looked a lot like this--this is a Pittsbugh steel mill in 1906.

http://explorepahistory.com/displayimage.php?imgId=1-2-444

I also remember when LA had so much smog you couldn't see the city.

Did you know that by cleaning the air of pollutants we have caused global warming? Just one large volcano eruption can drop the temperature of the earth for 2 or 3 years.


What has Christianity got to do with anything?

[ChatsworthLady]

MaryJ, I think Dee was referring to the Bible-based claims that the earth is less than 10,000 years old and that the carbon dating of fossils and early humans is fallacious (in other words humans and dinosaurs must have existed at the same time, when the fossil record proves that they don't.)

[PrincessCanopyShop]

I was making a comparison as to the ridiculousness of the statement.

Let me bring this down to a local example of the pollution of the last 100 years of just America. I live in Oklahoma, In 1918 a town called Picher Ok did not exist. It was discovered that the area had zinc and lead. So the mining companies came in and a town was born, at the height of this town's population there were 15,000 residents and then the mining companies realized that here was little ore left to mine AND a whole lot of ground and water contamination in the area that THEY had caused. The residents did not know that but the companies did.

So the companies left town filed bankruptcy after transferring their money to their companies elsewhere. Then the people started getting sick and by the 70's the town was "inhabitable".

So how do you say to the people of Picher or Chernoble or Fukushima that the earth is cleaner today than it was 100 years ago?

[Former_Member]

Then there is Centralia, PA
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/01/pictures/130108-centralia-mine-fire/

[FAIRLYGHOULISH]

Chats---I know what she was referring to, just didn't see the relevance here. :)

[ChatsworthLady]

Ah, I see, MaryJ; no problem. :-)

[Former_Member]

Relevance is in the eye of the beholder ;p

[FAIRLYGHOULISH]

Possibly----------------but it's a tried and true liberal attack that gets a little old.

I never stated whether I was a Christian or not.

[Former_Member]

I think the difficult task is to address comments as they are and not assign a history or category them. Online often I will be dismissed out of hand based upon a belief that I am 'liberal' and (insert stereotypes here) rather than address the comment as it is.

I would hope that we can avoid that standard of behavior here and listen, respond and react to the actual comment, not what we might perceive to be the motive, basis of belief, etc.

[FAIRLYGHOULISH]

'''''''I would hope that we can avoid that standard of behavior here and listen, respond and react to the actual comment, not what we might perceive to be the motive, basis of belief, etc.'''''''Crazy


That would be refreshing...................and I thought you were a rabid liberal!
LOL

[Former_Member]

As someone who loves to debate, I do my best to ignore the stereotypes and respond and react to what someone specifically says.

Liberal - by all definitions guilty.

Logical - need for it to be truthful, logical and reasonable.

So, I guess my official stereotype is 'logical liberal'.

[ChatsworthLady]

I'm not entirely sure where I fall, in the "political philosophy" spectrum, to be honest.

I'm fiscally conservative, socially moderate, and environmentally liberal.

I guess I'm just a Political Mutt, LOL

[LocoBead]

So glad I missed the ruckus.

[LocoBead]

Chat, most of us are mutts to a degree.

[FAIRLYGHOULISH]

Mutt here! I guess I would be Conservative on the constitution, Libertarian on government, Liberal on gay marriage, and I-Don't-Know on a lot of other things.

[theferriswheels]

I'm pretty much with you, Mary J. But honestly, if we would stick to the constitution, the fed gov wouldn't need to rule on all these social issues. They really do not have the authority. It's ridiculous that they have anything to do with anyone's marriage, gay or straight (and so very many other things).

[FAIRLYGHOULISH]

That is completely true, Ferris. That's why I lean Libertarian on government issues. Stay out of my check, my school and my bedroom.

[DaltonWorkshop]

Just a quick message for anti trump people, and someone please tell me if this isn't allowed in teams, but I have a funny anti trump magnet at
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DaltonWorkshop?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Just doing my best to get the word out

[FAIRLYGHOULISH]

Just wanted to get rid of the Trump face.