Poor Man on an On-ramp
Last weekend I was getting on an onramp when my passenger asked me to pull over and pick up an elderly gentleman seated on a briefcase. He was thin, frail and dressed in a rumpled suit - in 100 degree weather. The old fellow hopped into my car with his briefcase in his lap and told us he needed to meet someone across town at a certain offramp. "A kid is supposed to meet me there and give me a ride to Illinois," he whimpered. On the ride he explained that his wife had died in Arizona and he was on his way to live with his daughter in a small town in Illinois. Having been burned so many times I was suspicious - but it seemed like this gentleman might really be in tough times. I volunteered to give him $20 to see him on his way to Illinois.
Today, I spotted the same man, at the same on-ramp, seated on the same briefcase - waiting for some chump to pick him up and take him across town.
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Stillwater Awash in Texans
I continue to get rumblings from Stillwater that new OSU President David Schmidley continues to move old Texas buddies in to replace Oklahomans in his administration. The dissatisfaction has moved from the faculty into the Regents, a couple of whom plan to challenge Schmidley to explain the magnitude of the Texas influx. One regent said it was normal for a chief executive to bring one or two old colleagues in with him/her but that Schmidley has gone far beyond what is normal. Whitehurst, the OSU building where the administration is housed, has become known around campus as Texas Central.
Latest talk around campus is that Schmidley plans to bring another Texan in to run a new community outreach program or project he is putting together. It wouldn't seem to make since to start a new outreach program to communities with an out-of-stater that lacks knowledge of the state. We really do have some smart people in Oklahoma Mr. Schmidley.
I continue to get rumblings from Stillwater that new OSU President David Schmidley continues to move old Texas buddies in to replace Oklahomans in his administration. The dissatisfaction has moved from the faculty into the Regents, a couple of whom plan to challenge Schmidley to explain the magnitude of the Texas influx. One regent said it was normal for a chief executive to bring one or two old colleagues in with him/her but that Schmidley has gone far beyond what is normal. Whitehurst, the OSU building where the administration is housed, has become known around campus as Texas Central.
Latest talk around campus is that Schmidley plans to bring another Texan in to run a new community outreach program or project he is putting together. It wouldn't seem to make since to start a new outreach program to communities with an out-of-stater that lacks knowledge of the state. We really do have some smart people in Oklahoma Mr. Schmidley.
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
Todd Huston's Game
I don't have anything against the "No" on Vision 2025 Campaign in Tulsa - they have a right to argue their case. I don't agree with them - but that's OK. But now the small group of people in Tulsa that oppose the Vision 2025 projects have tried to take the debate outside the realm of civic discussion and off to the courts. Their intent is obviously to stop the vote - and that is not OK.
The Tulsa NO campaign apparently got former Tulsa City Councilman Todd Huston to file a desperation lawsuit against the upcoming vote. The suit could prevent the people of Tulsa County from voting on the issue. The suit claims "logrolling", or putting several different issues in one vote. Todd Houston has reportedly enlisted the aid of Gary Richardson, the rich personal injury attorney that ran unsuccessfully for Governor last year, to help with the lawsuit.
I don't think this suit is about logrolling. If it was, the suit would have been filed weeks ago and not at the 11th hour - the language of the vote has been known for months. This is really an attempt to stop a vote because the opponents now believe they are going to lose the vote. This is an overused anti-democratic tactic that losers in our democratic system use to overturn a majority vote or to stop one from happening. We have seen this in the Oklahoma cockfighters attempts to reverse the peoples' vote to ban their cruel "sport" and we see it in California with a mid-term recall vote on the Governor. Now we see this sort of poor democratic sportsmanship in Tulsa by the anti-Vision group. This sort of gamesmanship is reprehensible and should not be used to stop the people from exercising their will.
This attempt to hijack the election not only endangers democracy but it has the very real potential of scaring Boeing off from investing in Tulsa. At the very least it makes recruiting Boeing that much more difficult. If , heaven forbid, this game did cost Tulsa thousands of high-paying aviation jobs I think Todd Houston and the group he fronts for should have to tell each and every person without a job just why they thought their actions were justified.
I hope the proponents of Vision 2025 will expose Huston's move for the political gamesmanship it is. The people won't like having their right to decide denied them.
Sidenote: There is nothing at all wrong with running for elected office and losing. I admire people who tilt against the wind even if it is for a seemingly hopeless cause. People who run for election and lose have more moral authority to speak out than those who don't run for elective office or don't vote. That said, I cannot help but notice that every single leader I can think of in the NO campaign in Tulsa has run for office recently and been defeated. I don't know if the issues they were defeated on relate directly to the Vision 2025 projects but they might want to reflect on that possibility.
I don't have anything against the "No" on Vision 2025 Campaign in Tulsa - they have a right to argue their case. I don't agree with them - but that's OK. But now the small group of people in Tulsa that oppose the Vision 2025 projects have tried to take the debate outside the realm of civic discussion and off to the courts. Their intent is obviously to stop the vote - and that is not OK.
The Tulsa NO campaign apparently got former Tulsa City Councilman Todd Huston to file a desperation lawsuit against the upcoming vote. The suit could prevent the people of Tulsa County from voting on the issue. The suit claims "logrolling", or putting several different issues in one vote. Todd Houston has reportedly enlisted the aid of Gary Richardson, the rich personal injury attorney that ran unsuccessfully for Governor last year, to help with the lawsuit.
I don't think this suit is about logrolling. If it was, the suit would have been filed weeks ago and not at the 11th hour - the language of the vote has been known for months. This is really an attempt to stop a vote because the opponents now believe they are going to lose the vote. This is an overused anti-democratic tactic that losers in our democratic system use to overturn a majority vote or to stop one from happening. We have seen this in the Oklahoma cockfighters attempts to reverse the peoples' vote to ban their cruel "sport" and we see it in California with a mid-term recall vote on the Governor. Now we see this sort of poor democratic sportsmanship in Tulsa by the anti-Vision group. This sort of gamesmanship is reprehensible and should not be used to stop the people from exercising their will.
This attempt to hijack the election not only endangers democracy but it has the very real potential of scaring Boeing off from investing in Tulsa. At the very least it makes recruiting Boeing that much more difficult. If , heaven forbid, this game did cost Tulsa thousands of high-paying aviation jobs I think Todd Houston and the group he fronts for should have to tell each and every person without a job just why they thought their actions were justified.
I hope the proponents of Vision 2025 will expose Huston's move for the political gamesmanship it is. The people won't like having their right to decide denied them.
Sidenote: There is nothing at all wrong with running for elected office and losing. I admire people who tilt against the wind even if it is for a seemingly hopeless cause. People who run for election and lose have more moral authority to speak out than those who don't run for elective office or don't vote. That said, I cannot help but notice that every single leader I can think of in the NO campaign in Tulsa has run for office recently and been defeated. I don't know if the issues they were defeated on relate directly to the Vision 2025 projects but they might want to reflect on that possibility.
Monday, August 25, 2003
The Tulsan Exclusive Reveals Brain-sucking Bush
As The Tulsan reports, shocking photos have surfaced showing President Bush sucking the brains out of donors.
As The Tulsan reports, shocking photos have surfaced showing President Bush sucking the brains out of donors.