Back From A Break

Bush/Palin 2012 for President?
Right Wing Randy is back from a study break.
A lot has happened since my research sabbatical.
There's been many leaves falling from the GOP tree, Tim Pawlenty Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Michelle Bachmann and Jon Huntsman.
Who will be next?
Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, even Mitt Romney?
Romney was on a roll until Santorum clicked off three wins. Romney came back with a win in Maine.
The latest work is Romney's second home state, Michigan, has been pushing back on him.
Underlying talk is a "brokered" convention in Tampa, leaving everyone who is in the race on the outside.
Could the 2012 GOP ticket be Jeb and Sarah?  Bush/Palin 2012 would shake things up, wouldn't it?
If you follow The Drudge Report on Twitter, news of having Jeb Bush, former Florida governor and heir to the Bush presidential dynasty, at the top of the ticket was big news this weekend after the annual CPAC meetings.
Throw in our favorite Alaskan hunter Palin and President Obama and his operatives might be quaking a bit more.
What do you think?
Bush/Palin 2012 for President?

Debates or jousting?

Tuesday evening GOP Presidential candidates squared off in Las Vegas as they continue their tour of the country in an effort to tear each other down one comment at a time.

The debates, or we might as well call them jousts, pitted Herman Cain against he fellow candidates and Mitt Romney and Rick Perry against each other.

Everyone whittled away at Cain’s 9-9-9 plan.

There is not enough information. More people will have their taxes go up. On and on the attacks on Cain’s plan flew. This is despite any of the other candidates coming up with a new idea to address the nation’s economic faltering.

While that circus ring swirled, Perry got started on Romney going after his employing illegal aliens to keep his yard trimmed. At one point Perry kept talking and talking, not allowing Romney to respond.

When Romney placed his hand on Perry’s left shoulder, it looked like maybe the two would just throw down before CNN’s cameras.

Now that would have been a sight, seeing GOP presidential hopefuls in a real donnybrook.

Can any of them survive the debate drudgery? And when they do, will they have provided the Obama camp enough ammo for the General Election next November?

It might be easier to have the GOP candidates saddle up on horses and enter a real live joust.

Winner takes all and gets to face Obama. That kind of event would capture everyone’s attention.

Saddle up….

Investments, Drug Testing and Obama's plan

Welfare and Drug Testing

Look for Oklahoma legislators to take up the issue of requiring welfare recipients to take a drug test.

During the most recent legislative session, Rep. John Bennett (R-Sallisaw) introduced a bill that went no where. He plans to reintroduce the bill.

HB 1083 would require anyone applying for state-assistance to undergo a urine screening as part of their eligibility AND every six months afterwards.

Any applicant who might fail or refuse the test would have to forfeit eligibility for the next 90 days.

Oh, the cost of the drug screening would be deducted from the applicant’s first payment.

If someone receiving assistance fails a drug test they would be ineligible for the next year.

Looking at how Florida legislators took the same approach, Bennett says that sate saved nearly $1 million the first month it was implemented, with an anticipated $9.1 million savings annually.

A recent SoonerPoll indicates 88.3 percent of likely Oklahoma voters would support a law to require welfare applicants to undergo drug screening.

How much could Oklahoma save from the drug screening? No one really knows yet, but it looks like legislators are willing to try it.

POLL: Return on education investment not seen

Taxpayers spend on average $8,400 per student for education in Oklahoma.

The return on that investment is not being seen by taxpayers, according to SoonerPoll.

Of those polled, 62.4 percent said taxpayers are not getting a good return on their investment. Only 22.9 percent showed a favorable response.

Democrats in the poll showed a negative

“It’s a pretty sobering indictment of the status quo,” said Brandon Cutcher, vice president for policy at the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), “and this is using the government’s own spending data. If voters knew the real cost of education—which, as OCPA  has demonstrated, is north of $10,000 per student—I suspect the return-on-investment results would be even lower.”

SoonerPoll, Oklahoma’s public opinion pollster, was commissioned for this poll by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs. SoonerPoll.com conducted the scientific poll July 25-Aug. 11. Likely Oklahoma voters were selected at random and given the opportunity to participate in the poll by phone or online. Of the 587 respondents who participated, 17 took the survey online and 570 responded via telephone interview. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.04 percentage points.

Tax, tax, tax….Spend, spend, spend

 Today, President Barack Obama proposed $1.5 trillion in new taxes as part of his 10-year deficit reduction plan. The bulk of the taxes are on the wealthy. He also reduces spending on Medicaid and Medicare.

“This is not class warfare. It’s math,” Obama said. The HuffingtonPost outlines the areas Obama's plan would cut and add.

What else is it? It pits the rich against the no-so rich and the poor.

Initial reaction from Republican leaders is Obama’s plan is not a recipe for growth, according to Sen. Mitch McConnell.

No matter what McConnell or Obama say the real cuts will be recommended by the new super committee. We will have to wait and see who wins the war of taxes and spending.

Weekend Yada Yada: Behind the Scenes

Political Pals

Former state Rep. Wayne Pettigrew has been on a town-by-town journey announcing his candidacy for the Second District Congressional seat.

Pettigrew served in the Oklahoma Legislature from 1994 to 2004, representing District 39, a rural district northwest of Oklahoma City.

Lance Cargill

What was almost as interesting as Pettigrew’s visit in Claremore, was his advance man. ‑ none other than Lance Cargill.

Remember Lance? He was the youngest person to serve as the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2007-08. He was 35 at the time. His leadership reign was cut short when it was discovered he hadn’t paid his taxes on time.

Cargill was quite an up and comer within Republican circles. He has a bachelors of science from Oklahoma State University in political science and economics. He went on to Vanderbilt University School of Law, where he earned the juris doctorate.

This could be the remaking of Cargill’s future political career.

Ironically, one of Cargill’s partners in politics at the time was Fount Holland.

Holland is overseeing the campaign of another Second District candidate, Markwayne Mullin.

Stillwater Coup, Sort Of

PHOTO: Joint Project Manager Guardian

A military coup of sorts has been seized over in Stillwater.
The city's airport authority has entered into a lease with FLIR systems, who plans to tests it Combat Outpost Surveillance and Force Protection system, nicknamed "Kraken".
The testing is to prove the equipment' viability.
Last month the U.S. Army reported http://www.army.mil/media/218457/ it was evaluating the "Kraken" system at the White Plains Missile Range in New Mexico. Check out the Army's site for more information. Let's just say if the system works it can protect our Armed Forces from incoming attacks.
It is "a cutting-edge force-protection system which combines radar, surveillance cameras, unmanned sensors, gunshot detection and remote-controlled weapons," according to the Army.
It is designed as a quickly deployable unit that can monitor and triangulate and lock on to the location of a person firing a weapon.
Let's just say WOW! Just what our military forces need over in Afghanistan.

Carter on Mitt's Side?

Mitt Romney and President Jimmy Carter

Former President Jimmy Carter might have been heard endorsing Mitt Romney as the GOP's choice for president.
Wait a cotton-pickin' minute. Carter was speaking with Lefty Rachel Maddow on MSNBC about the GOP candidates. The one-term president said "I'm not taking a position, but I would be very pleased to see him win the Republican nomination."
Carter also said he hoped Mitt's religion would not stand in the way of his achieving the land's highest office.

RWR Prognostications

Football season has begun so here are Right-Wing Randy's selections:

College
Oklahoma Sooner vs Florida State
Oklahoma State Cowboys vs Tulsa
Arkansas Razorbacks vs Troy
Kansas State vs Kent State

NFL

Detroit
Buffalo
Green Bay
Houston
New York Giants

Have a great weekend!!!!

Carson, Intermodal-ness and No-Show Me Missouri

Top Army Counsel Carson?
Brad Carson, former Congressman, bronze star recipient and Claremore resident has been nominated to be general counsel to the U. S. Army by President Barack Obama.
He would be an excellent advocate for the Army.
Can he clear the hurdle of being a Democrat? Carson is an officer in the U. S. Navy Reserve. He served in Iraq in 2009 and 2010. But, his nomination must go before the Senate Armed Services Committee on which Sen. Jim Inhofe, a Republican, sits.
Inhofe's spokesman has said he will look at Carson's record on military issues and determine whether or not to support of oppose the nomination.
Despite party affiliation, Carson would be an excellent choice.

Intermodal - New Word in Transportation
Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett delivered his State of the City address on Thursday.
At the top of his priorities is Intermodal Transportation.
Intermodal? You might ask. It is when freight is transported using more than one type of shipping, truck, train, plane or barge.
Bartlett says creating an intermodal transportation hub will be great for the Tulsa region.
He named a dozen types of parts related to the oil and gas industry that can be shipped from Tulsa International Airport or via the Port of Catoosa. From the airport to the port an intermodal transportation hub would greatly benefit businesses in Catoosa and Rogers County.
Bartlett noted a recent shipment of crude oil traveled through the Verdigris Channel down the Arkansas River connecting with the Mississippi and arriving at a refinery on the Gulf of Mexico. It was the first of its kind to take that route.
The Tulsa mayor said Oklahoma has energy resources that are cheaper than those overseas.
This should be good news for Rogers County and the Port of Catoosa.
Get on board the Intermodal Express.

Show Me State Falls Short
A bill that would give 500 Joplin businesses property tax relief has stalled in the Missouri Legislator. Those business were either destroyed or damaged during the devastating May 22 tornado.
The state's House of Representatives passed the measure 149-0. When it arrived in the Missouri Senate it hit a snag.
Missouri senators should be ashamed of their action.
The bill would have allowed Joplin's small businesses to have their property taxes pro-rated. Now they will have to pay about $600,000 in taxes, while not generating revenues as they rebuild and repair their businesses.
It is outrageous. Missouri law already has a provision that allows homeowners a similar tax break if their homes are damaged by a tornado, flood or other natural disaster.
Show Me the money is the mantra of those senators.

Left, Right or Straight Ahead

We begin this blogging journey with politics in mind. The hope is to provide commentary, insights and a bit of humor as we look at politics in here in Rogers County, Oklahoma, across the state of Oklahoma and around the nation.
It is political season, or so it seems.

Local-Loco
Claremore City councilors cannot decide if it really, really wants a new hotel. At its most recent  Monday  night session, the elected officials were divided on whether or not to give additional incentives to lure the developer of a Hampton Inn to come to town.
Councilors who have put the brakes on the incentives don't want to look like they are giving away the store. Those on the other side are tired of other sister communities, i.e. Catoosa and Owasso, from getting new business.
It's time for Claremore councilors to decided if they want new businesses or not. At this point in the city's history, giving away more incentives might be just what is needed to send a message to developers that Claremore wants new business.
This isn't being conservative, but in the long run Claremore will be able to catch up in the economic development race. Remember, it's sales taxes that make the world go around.

Too Early Risers

Last week Markwayne Mullin tossed his hat into the Congressional District 2 race. Only weeks before Dakota Woods made his political debut. Muskogee's George Faught is running for the seat.
On Monday, former state representative Wayne Pettigrew began a three-day journey across District 2.
 The 2nd Congressional District spans 26 counties from the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in northeast Oklahoma to the Red River border with Texas. It has been a stronghold for Democrats
Registered Dems have outnumbered Republicans 65 percent to 26 percent. Nearly 27 percent of the state's Democrats reside in the current district, which will change only slightly under the new district map approved by the Legislature earlier this year.
Not a single Democrat has had the nerve to jump in the race being vacated by Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) who announced earlier this year he will not seek re-election in 2012.
The election is 14 months away, so those in the race now are looking to raise campaign war chests.
With the unpopularity of President Obama, most Republicans believe they can regain District 2 and have a clean sweep of red for Oklahoma's national legislative office holders.

Ponzi Rick

The crowded field of presidential hopefuls for Republicans have allowed newcomer Texas Gov. Rick Perry steal all the oxygen in the room.
In his first debate, Perry called the Social Security program a "ponzi scheme" for which he received serious pressure in Monday night's Republican/Tea Party Debate.
Michelle Bachmann and Mitt Romney both bruised up Perry.
When asked about how he would reform Social Security, Perry said with lots of conversation.
Romney said that's what we are doing here at the debate.
Still no specifics on how Perry will change Social Security, if elected president.

Selling It

Obama is out selling ice to Eskimos this week. He revealed his $464 Billion jobs plan, which he says is totally paid for, but no one is really buying it.
It is just a makeover of another stimulus, which average Americans cannot afford, so they won't be buying it either.
When Congress takes up debate on the bill, it will be interesting to see if any piece of Obama's American Jobs Act will be approved.
For now, we'd say No Sale.