Interesting Article In The Washington Post Today About Oklahoma and Federal Money

[Cinaet]

That's the way a lot folks feel about SS and Medicare.

Including me.

 

[Crosstimbers Okie]

“On one hand, you have this fairly heavy concentration of federal employees and spending here,” said Cindy Rosenthal, a University of Oklahoma political scientist and mayor of nearby Norman. “On the other hand, there is a lot of sentiment that the federal government is too large, too intrusive and probably too wasteful.”

That's because there are so many people in Oklahoma who see the federal government in action from the inside out. They have first-hand experience.

 

[RickN]

That's the way a lot folks feel about SS and Medicare.

True but with us going broke, all will be cut in one form or another. Of course I still believe if they did away with the waste, fraud, duplication, and general government crapola first they would not need to cut nearly as much from other programs.

 

[SMS]

Interesting article. But what is lacking is the data. X amount of federal employees in the state does not equal the same amount of "federal money" coming into the state.

 

[1shot(bob)]

In Okla., a beneficiary sours on federal spending

“On one hand, you have this fairly heavy concentration of federal employees and spending here,” said Cindy Rosenthal, a University of Oklahoma political scientist and mayor of nearby Norman. “On the other hand, there is a lot of sentiment that the federal government is too large, too intrusive and probably too wasteful.”

Probably?

“There is no question that government jobs are great ones to have in a community,” Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said. “They are stable, people have benefits, and there is little turnover. Losing a lot of them would hurt.”

Yeah, amputating a gangrenous limb would hurt to, but if it's got to be done, it's got to be done. Might as well do it now rather than waiting for the disease to spread.

But analysts say it also is true that skepticism toward the federal government in Oklahoma - where Obama won no counties in 2008 - is deep.

Ya think?

He also said that business owners and others object to stifling regulators who look to punish violators rather than simply bringing them into compliance with complex federal rules. “They just have no mercy,” Lankford said.

Ding, ding, ding!

While many residents have a negative view about the federal government, Cornett said, voters here seem to be more supportive of state and local government.

Maybe because we feel we have more say when those decisions are made locally by people that actually live here, as opposed to dimwits from another culture that don't even 'speak our language'.

In recent years, voters in Oklahoma City have extended a sales tax surcharge that helped fund the Ford Center, the basketball arena where the city’s NBA team plays, and renovations of the city’s public schools. It also paid for other projects, including convention center improvements, a downtown library, new bike and walking trails and development of the Bricktown Canal, which links the city’s thriving nightlife district to downtown.

Again, maybe because we don't mind spending our money on us. We just don't want to spend our money on pet projects in other states.

 

[TerryMiller]

Wasn't it just last week that Fallin wanted federal disaster money for the little blizzard we had this winter? It's funny how she and others in this state are seen as soo conservative while getting right on the federal govt. teet anytime it snows or ices. Just wait, they will be applying for disaster aid for these wildfires soon. These events are not disasters, they are just life, our govt. needs to learn to deal with it.

So, did you say the exact same thing every time that Brad Henry put in for Federal disaster money? If you didn't, please apologize to the conservatives.

 

[TerryMiller]

People who want to reduce the size and power of the federal government are like Timothy McVeigh.

Well, let me see what you mean here. I think government is too big and has WAY too many regulations. I think the feds need to get out of the education aspect of things and let the states do the job. I think that the Energy department is an abject failure in their original mandate of getting the U.S. into a situation of less dependence on foreign oil, so lets close that agency as well. And the EPA....talk about a regulatory nightmare. Now they want to regulate what we exhale.

Now, having said all that, are you saying that I want to kill children in day care centers???? If that isn't what you are saying, how about an apology?

 

[TerryMiller]

It makes me chuckle when people get all worked up and say we can completely disband the federal government and nothing in their life would change. Even more laughable, somehow their life would just get so much better. In about 10 seconds China, Russia, Mexico, whoever would be here running the place. Don't like the idea of that myself.

Maybe if we weren't spending so much money on needless federal agencies, we could afford to have more and better weapons to keep out the invaders. After all, the constitution does call for the federal government to "provide for the common defense" but a lot of agency "functions" don't seem to be in the same document.

 

[BadgeBunny]

Well, let me see what you mean here. I think government is too big and has WAY too many regulations. I think the feds need to get out of the education aspect of things and let the states do the job. I think that the Energy department is an abject failure in their original mandate of getting the U.S. into a situation of less dependence on foreign oil, so lets close that agency as well. And the EPA....talk about a regulatory nightmare. Now they want to regulate what we exhale.

Now, having said all that, are you saying that I want to kill children in day care centers???? If that isn't what you are saying, how about an apology?

I don't think that is what he meant. I think he was referring to these two paragraphs ...



"In 1995, Oklahoma City became a target of the extreme antipathy some people feel toward the federal government, when domestic terrorists detonated a truck bomb that destroyed the downtown Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and killed 168 people. Residents here were horrified and came together to condemn that crime.

But analysts say it also is true that skepticism toward the federal government in Oklahoma - where Obama won no counties in 2008 - is deep."


Which make it SOUND like we are just like McVeigh ...

Gotta love it when some journalist gets ahold of some analyst's report ... Neither one of them taking into account the whole picture ... just the little snapshot that feeds the frenzy ...

 

[TerryMiller]

Crud! You are right, Badge Bunny.

Now I owe an apology to henschman for reading his post too fast and NOT putting it into context. Sorry.

They way things are going this morning, I could be wrong on the others too. I spend so much time on my job "analyzing" data that I sometimes tend to try to avoid analyzing at other times.

There is no excuse for that kind of slacking off.