Minority representation growing
SOME activists contend quotas are necessary to increase minority representation in government. Others argue merit should be the chief consideration for who advances and who doesn’t. In Oklahoma, citizens have mostly preferred the latter approach, and minority representation is still increasing, even if at a slower pace than some advocates would prefer.
When Michael Brooks, a Democrat, was elected to the south Oklahoma City-based Senate District 44 in a recent special election, he added to the small number of Hispanic lawmakers in the Legislature. The others are Reps. Ryan Martinez, R-Edmond, and Charles Ortega, R-Altus.
What stands out is that none of them was elected in a district where Hispanics are a majority. Oklahoma Watch reports just 28.5 percent of residents in Brooks’ district are Hispanic, citing Statistical Atlas, which analyzes Census data. Ortega was elected in a district where 19.5 percent of residents are Hispanic. And Martinez won election in a district where just 4.9 percent of residents share his racial background.
Neither Ortega nor Martinez has run race-centric campaigns, and have instead campaigned on bread-and-butter conservative issues. While Brooks emphasized his Hispanic background, he also stressed many pocketbook issues.
It’s also worth noting that more Hispanics have succeeded in Oklahoma as Republicans than as Democrats, at least to date. Other formerly underrepresented groups also have achieved greater political status through the Republican Party in Oklahoma. Put simply, successful politicians in Oklahoma don’t run from their heritage, but their message must include much more than racial appeals.
A sad reminder
“Tragedy occurs when you do dangerous jobs.” The reminder came Monday from Michael Thompson, head of the Department of Public Safety, in discussing an incident that left one of his Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers critically injured. Trooper D. Heath Meyer, 43, responded the evening of July 14 to a report of a chase and laid stop sticks on Interstate 35 near N 27 in Moore. Two troopers involved in the pursuit struck one another as they tried to avoid the stop sticks, and one of their vehicles struck Meyer. The man they were chasing, 28-year-old Dangelo Ladon Burgess, had been out on bail on a number of charges stemming from his effort to run from the OHP in June 2016. Burgess faces several new complaints now, including attempting to elude a police officer resulting in great bodily injury. Thompson said the agency’s heart goes out to Meyer and his family, but also “to the people that were involved in this who were almost inconsolable.” Here’s to a speedy recovery to all concerned.
One more time …
Earlier this month, a jury in Tulsa County deadlocked 6-6 on whether to convict a former Tulsa police officer in the shooting death of his daughter’s boyfriend in 2014. It was the third mistrial for Shannon Kepler — and prosecutors aren’t giving up. District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said this week that a fourth trial is planned. Kepler is white; the victim, 19-year-old Jeremy Lake, was black. Kepler told investigators he thought Lake was armed and that he acted in self-defense, but no weapon was found. Juries in the previous trials deadlocked 11-1 and 10-2 in favor of guilt. “The very nature of our criminal justice system is premised upon the finality of a verdict,” Kunzweiler said Monday in announcing his decision. Kepler’s attorney, meanwhile, says politics may be behind this push, and that it’s a waste of resources. Three strikes and you’re out? Not in this case.
An “A” for … what, exactly?
Does getting an “A” on a report card mean as much as it did a generation ago or longer? There’s good reason to believe the answer is no. USA Today reported this week on a recent study which found that in 2016, 47 percent of high school seniors graduated with an A average. In 1998, the figure was 38.9 percent. Meantime, the average SAT score for students in the class of 2016 fell to 1,002 last year (on a 1,600point scale), compared with 1,026 a generation ago. The research was conducted by Michael Hurwitz with the College Board (which produces the SAT) and Jason Lee, a doctoral student at the University of Georgia. They also found that the average grade point average during the 18-year span rose from 3.27 to 3.38. One other interesting nugget: Hurwitz and Lee found the rate of grade inflation was about three times higher in private schools than in public schools.
The real question
Former talk-show host Phil Donahue recently emerged from obscurity to offer his thoughts on politics. During an appearance on MSNBC’s “AM Joy” he attacked the Trump administration. “This is the darkest political moment in American history,” Donahue said. “Who’s going to argue that?” Actually, one would hope that almost anyone with a passing knowledge of history would be willing to argue that point. The Civil War certainly comes to mind, as does the Great Depression and World Wars I and II. The events of 9/11 certainly seemed a darker day both at the time and in hindsight. The list goes on. Donahue has long embraced liberal causes, so it’s not shocking he would offer an opinion so critical of this administration. The real question is why any outlet that wants to be taken serious as a news station would offer him a platform.
Now that’s a hog
Wade Seago, who lives near Samson, Alabama, recently discovered the local wildlife causing disruption at his 100-acre property was far more significant than a pack of raccoons running a midnight raid. Roused by his dog barking, Seago stepped outside to find a wild hog in his yard. Seago retrieved a .38-caliber revolver and killed the animal, which did not go down until it had been shot three times. The next day, he had the hog measured. It weighed 820 pounds and had six-inch tusks. Seago says he didn’t have any hesitation in shooting the beast. But it’s fair to say that a moment of hesitation would have been understandable. Texans like to say that everything is bigger in Texas. Looks like the feral hogs in Alabama may give the Texans a run for their money.
Taxing times in Seattle
A state law in Washington says simply, “A county, city, or city-county shall not levy a tax on net income.” Members of the Seattle City Council thumbed their noses at that law earlier this month when they unanimously approved a plan to impose a 2.25 percent income tax on residents who earn at least $250,000 per year. Among other things, revenue generated from this tax on “the wealthy” will go toward Seattle’s housing affordability agenda and its carbon reduction goals. Two council members who pushed for the tax said it was especially needed after the legislature approved a budget that increased property taxes to fully fund public schools. Backers say the tax will raise an additional $140 million per year. No word on whether the estimate factored in the number of people who will move outside Seattle’s city limits, which is as safe a bet as rainy weather in April.