Progress on state buildings
OKLAHOMA legislators are notorious for their failure to properly maintain government buildings. Their years-long refusal to approve bond financing to repair the century-old Capitol building, even as the building was literally crumbling around them and endangering visitors, is the most notable example. But there are now signs of progress, including the fact lawmakers finally funded Capitol repairs and work on several other buildings.
Officials at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation are fortunate they didn't have to rely on legislative appropriations to replace their facility, which opened in 1966 and then went “without any notable renovation for almost 50 years,” according to a recent department news release. The building suffered flood damage in 2013, which led to the current renovation. A public grand opening for the overhauled building is scheduled Jan. 14.
The wildlife department paid for the renovation with money generated by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, not legislative appropriations. Officials at the Office of the Medical Examiner must envy that fee revenue because they spent roughly a decade trying to get a new headquarters even though the agency's former building was so obsolete the office was threatened with the loss of accreditation.
Recent progress on state buildings is welcome, but lawmakers would be better served (and taxpayers’ costs would likely be reduced) if they funded ongoing upkeep on an annual basis rather than waiting for near-catastrophic failure before acting.
Helping homeless teens
Oklahoma City’s homeless population includes a sizable number of youths — it’s estimated the city’s school district has 3,000 students who are considered homeless. Dan Straughan, head of The Homeless Alliance in Oklahoma City, says such youth regularly say their goals are to finish school and find work. But, “You have to start with housing to enable them to achieve those goals,” Straughan says. The nonprofit Pivot: A Turning Point for Youth is doing just that. Pivot (formerly Youth Services of Oklahoma County) plans to build 85 small houses — consisting of a bed, bathroom and kitchen — to help homeless youth primarily 16 to 19 years old. The first three houses will be completed in March. “If they could build 800, we could fill them,” Straughan said. That’s a distressing assessment, but true. Pivot is in the market for partners to donate building materials or professional services for this good cause. More information is available by emailing contact@pivotok.org, or by calling (405) 235-7537.
Horn’s choice
After defeating incumbent 5th District Rep. Steve Russell in November, Democrat Kendra Horn wouldn’t say whether she would vote for Nancy Pelosi as U.S. House speaker. Horn also didn’t disclose her choice following a private caucus vote in December where Pelosi was rejected by 32 Democrats. On the House floor Thursday, Horn’s vote was public and she cast it for Pelosi, who as expected won back the job she had held from 2007 to 2011. The National Republican Congressional Committee, which works to elect GOP candidates to the House, said Horn “promptly bent the knee” for Pelosi after dodging the issue. The vote is likely to disappoint some constituents — Horn beat Russell by just 1.4 percentage points — but it shouldn’t be considered surprising. Few new members of Congress, regardless of party, opt to make enemies of their leadership on Day One on the job.
For the kids
A caricature of people in the political profession is one of corrupt self-dealers who manipulate others for personal advancement. The actions of the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators show why the stereotype persists. The group claims to support student scholarships with money raised from some of its events. Instead, the New York Post reports, federal tax filings for the 2015-16 fiscal year show the group raised more than $500,000 but provided no educational grants. However, the group did spend $128,000 on “food service,” $36,500 on music and $56,494 on “equipment rental.” No filing was made for the subsequent year, in defiance of the law. Politicians routinely claim their actions are “for the kids.” The story of the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators shows why so many nonpoliticians respond to that statement with a roll of the eyes.
Technological disruption
Viewers who watched the horror film “Bird Box” on Netflix got a good scare from the Sandra Bullock-led film. But others got a reminder of how new technology can upend old business models. Netflix announced that “Bird Box,” available only on the streaming service, was viewed by more than 45 million accounts in its first week, a record for a Netflix film. There are many questions and possible caveats about that 45 million figure, since Netflix is notoriously secretive about viewing figures, it’s not known how that total would translate into traditional box office sales, and the number likely reflects Netflix’s global audience, which includes 190 countries. Even so, there was a time when it was inconceivable that a film headed by a star with a track record of box office success would bypass theaters and still be considered a cultural phenomenon.
Political peril
People often complain about the tone of U.S. politics, but things could be worse. Consider Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca, where Alejandro Aparicio Santiago recently became mayor of Tlaxiaco. On his way to his first official meeting at city hall, Santiago was killed by gunmen. This occurred just a few days after another politician from the same political party as Santiago had been killed. Between September 2017 and August 2018, consulting firm Etellekt found, 175 politicians were murdered in Mexico. In some instances, they were killed after vowing to crack down on corruption and crime, at other times they were allied with the wrong drug cartel. In the United States, those who consider running for office face disruption to their private lives and, at times, attacks on their personal character. But elsewhere, those running for office can face far worse than heated rhetoric.
A little perspective
President Trump’s regular attacks on the U.S. media as the “enemy of the people” are disappointing, not to mention untrue. Yet recent reports from Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists underscore just how bad life can be for journalists elsewhere. There are 251 journalists in prison today, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Sixty-eight are in Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rules with an iron fist. Reporters Without Borders said 80 journalists were killed in 2018. Most were in combat zones, but nearly half were not. Jeffrey McCall, a media critic and professor of communications at DePauw University, says the media’s squabbles with Trump can be overblown. “Feigned martyrdom over tweets is unbecoming when put in perspective with the life and death challenges faced by fellow journalists trying to report in front of dictatorial regimes,” McCall writes.