Analysis provides welcome news
CITIZENS often have reason to complain that Oklahoma appears at the top of national rankings of negative trends and the bottom of rankings for positive trends. While there’s still much room for improvement, a new ranking of states based on drug abuse defies that stereotype.
Analysts at finance website WalletHub examined “where drug abuse is most pronounced and which areas are most at risk.” The analysts reviewed 20 metrics, ranging from arrest and overdose rates to opioid prescriptions and meth lab incidents per capita. Oklahoma landed 35th nationally. For once, the state is far from a national leader in a problem area. Instead, the District of Columbia, Missouri, New Hampshire, Michigan and West Virginia comprised the five worst states.
It’s worth noting three states bordering Oklahoma — Missouri, New Mexico, and Colorado — were in the top 12 spots, while neighboring Arkansas ranked 19th. That suggests Oklahoma officials will have to fight hard against the trends harming regional counterparts.
But Oklahoma’s woes were less pronounced than other states’. In the subcategory of “drug use and addiction,” Oklahoma ranked 30th. Oklahoma was among the five states with the lowest percentage of teenagers offered, sold or given an illegal drug on school property, and was among the five states with the lowest percentage of adults with unmet drugtreatment needs.
There is certainly much work to do to address drug problems in Oklahoma. But it’s welcome to find Oklahoma, at least in the view of one entity, is not serving as a cautionary tale for other states.
Teacher ‘advocacy’ time
The Oklahoma City School Board voted unanimously this week to close schools on Nov. 6, Election Day, to allow teachers and staff the chance to “engage in continued advocacy.” Yukon Public Schools is doing the same thing, and no doubt other districts will as well. Apparently, taking advantage of absentee voting, or the early voting days available prior to Election Day (including, this year, Saturday Nov. 3), or getting to the polls on Election Day at 7 a.m., before the school day begins, or voting after school that day (polls are open until 7 p.m.) — as Oklahomans of all professions will do — is asking too much of school employees. Instead, boards are deciding it’s better to inconvenience parents on that day and extend the school calendar by a day so educators can “advocate.” It’s a head-scratching development.
An easy safety upgrade
Thirteen people have died this year in structure fires in Oklahoma City, putting the city on pace to far surpass the national average of 1.05 fire deaths per 100,000 residents. The victims include two boys, ages 2 and 3, killed in a house fire in April, and three people killed in January in a fire that destroyed a boardedup house. To help reverse this trend, fire officials are ramping up their program that has firefighters deliver and install smoke alarms free of charge. Oklahoma City residents who need one can call 316-BEEP (3162337) or go online to https://okc.gov/fire. Scott Van Horn, the firefighters’ local president, says it is “inexcusable in this day and age for people not to have a smoke detector.” He’s right. Folks should take advantage of this public safety initiative.
Law enforcement lifer
When Ricky Adams retired late last year as chief of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, after 32 years with the agency, we wished him well in his future endeavors. Adams didn’t stay retired for long. He joined the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation this year as deputy director, and this week was chosen to become head of the OSBI, effective July 1. Adams, 57, was a police officer for six years in his hometown of Elk City before joining the OHP, where he served at every level including four years as chief. Simply put, he’s a law enforcement lifer, so his desire to join the OSBI isn’t surprising. He’ll take over an agency whose previous director resigned in February amid employee complaints about his leadership. Based on Adams’ tenure at the OHP, we have every confidence he will turn the OSBI in a better direction. Congratulations.
An empty pursuit
Illinois hasn’t had capital punishment on the books since 2011, although that will change if Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner gets his way. Rauner said this week he wants to reinstate the death penalty for those convicted of mass murder or killing a police officer. Faulty prosecutions and a high-profile exoneration led to former Gov. George Ryan imposing a 10-year moratorium on the death penalty in 2000. That was followed by its abolishment. Rauner says under his plan, a higher standard would be used to determine guilt. “We are intent on avoiding wrongful convictions and the injustice of inconsistency,” he said. Reuters notes that even if lawmakers agree with Rauner’s plan, it would be challenging for Illinois to resume executions because of a shortage of the drugs used. That shortage won’t improve any time soon, as drug makers steer clear of their products being used in executions. Simply put, this effort is unlikely to lead anywhere.
Shady dealings
Last month, Republican U.S. House member Blake Farenthold of Texas resigned following a sexual harassment settlement. Farenthold’s former communications director had alleged Farenthold sexually harassed female staffers and fostered a hostile work environment. The $84,000 settlement was funded by taxpayers, and the congressman said in December he planned to repay it. In April, the House Ethics Committee reminded him of his pledge and called on him to make good on it, but to no avail. Farenthold told ABC News this week, “I have been advised by my attorneys not to repay that.” He didn’t elaborate, nor did he comment on his new job – as a government lobbyist. Farenthold has hired on as a “legislative liaison” at the Calhoun (Texas) Port Authority for a reported sixfigure salary. His story helps explain why politicians and lobbyists are held in low esteem.
‘New’ school names
Lee Elementary in Oklahoma City became problematic when some worried the school was named after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. After much research, officials concluded the school was (probably) named after the general, although that affiliation had been literally forgotten for decades. To right this wrong, the school board voted to rename the school Adelaide Lee Elementary in honor of an Oklahoma philanthropist. Tulsa’s school board similarly voted to rename that district’s Robert E. Lee Elementary as Lee Elementary in honor of no one in particular. Put another way, officials in both districts felt the name “Lee Elementary” was problematic in 2018, and the solution was to rename the schools … “Lee Elementary.” In this case, the efforts in both cities seem to have been little more than a waste of time pursuing empty social justice symbolism.