Breaking the Cycle

Most of my career has been spent working in the mental health field, which isn't exactly known for being lucrative. (For reference, it's likely that NASA will put a man on Mars before I will pay off my student loans.)  But, it's good, honest work and I have always appreciated the opportunity to serve a group of people who have complex, sometimes painfully difficult needs. It is truly a privilege to be bear witness to the depth and darkness of a person's life, to hear their secrets and their fears, and to be a living testament to the struggles and suffering they have endured. 

Most of the counselors I know make in the low to mid $30,000s, and they do this work because it is important, it is rewarding, and it is absolutely necessary. Same with many teachers, social workers, police officers, custodians, bus drivers, and a bajillion other jobs that allow our society to function with civility and help people support their families and pay their bills.

Except for when they can't.

Sadly, most Oklahomans live paycheck-to-paycheck. We get by so long as our paycheck is deposited on time and nothing unexpected pops up. You can pay most of your bills, but you dont' really get to save much. And then sometimes it's a cold winter and your gas bill is really high, or it's a really hot summer and your electricity bill skyrockets. Suddenly, living paycheck-to-paycheck really sucks, and you don't have quite enough to pay all the bills. If you're fortunate enough to have some money tucked away into a savings account, you might dip into it to make ends meet and hope to replace it later on down the road. 

Until it's all gone. Then what?

That's where Oklahoma is right now. The state has been living paycheck to paycheck, and it simply doesn't have enough money coming in each month to pay all the bills. In fact, it was announced earlier this week that the state's Rainy Day Fund had been depleted. We had to use the last $240 million in our savings account to make it through the month...and there's still three months left in the fiscal year. The folks at the Capitol think there will be enough revenue in April to put that $240 million back in savings...but what if we they're wrong? What if we don't even have enough revenue to pay bills next month? 

I'll tell you what would happen: Agencies will get cut, schools will end the year a few days short, and ultimately Oklahomans will lose their jobs. That's right. It won't be pretty. Just for reference, ending the school year early means that tens of thousands of people get paid less, plus tens of thousands of Oklahoma parents have to scramble to find childcare for a day when their kids should be in school. So, they have to take off of work (if they can), which costs Oklahoma businesses tens of millions of dollars in lost productivity. People will lose wages (or even their actual jobs), and then they'll need to state assistance so that their family doesn't starve. Tell me: How does that help the state move forward? 

It doesn't have to be that way. We don't have to keep cutting and cutting and cutting until we're just a poor, demoralized, shell of a state. There's another, better option. 

We need to bring in more money.

As I said earlier, the I didn't go into the most lucrative career field, and I've faced my share of personal "budget shortfalls." When things have been tight for me, I immediately reduced my expenses as much as I could. I turned off my cable, I stopped going to the movies, I started taking my lunch. When that wasn't enough, I got a second job...and sometimes a third and a forth. Shortly after grad school I worked as an adjunct professor three days a week, mowed lawns two days a week, and saw counseling clients at my office in the evenings...and I still picked up occasional odd jobs, like painting houses, whenever I could. In order to make ends meet after my son was born, I did contract work for a mental health agency in the evenings and did roofing on weekends in addition to working full-time. The point is, we've cut all we can cut, and now we need to look at ways to increase income. If we want things to improve, we must increase how much money the state takes in. If I can do it, the state can do it.

The state only gets money one way: we pay taxes. Now, nobody wants to pay any more taxes than they absolutely have to, but there's a trade-off. You pay taxes, and in return you [should] get a robust public school system that feeds the minds of our children so they can grow up and be productive members of society, roads and bridges that are safe and don't rattle your car to pieces, clean air and water that is safe to consume, laws and policies that give structure to our society so that individuals are protected and businesses thrive and grow, state parks and museums and cultural events to enjoy.

You get what you pay for.

You know it's true. Pretty much anything worthwhile costs money, and nice stuff costs extra. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of Oklahoma being among the worst at everything. Seriously, we're in the top 10 worst for: Obesity. Education. Children in poverty. No health insurance. Cardiovascular deaths, cancer deaths, drug deaths, premature deaths, Deaths at work. Infant deaths. Suicide. Diabetes. Chlamydia. Frequent mental distress, frequent physical distress. Smoking. Median household income. And, you know, just Overall.

Ugh. Let's stop doing that. Instead, let's fix this.

Running a state isn't cheap, but it is a team effort, and we need all hands on deck for this. We need you to understand that you get what you pay for, which means we're all going to need to pay a little bit more in taxes so we can pay for something better.

We need the richest 3 percent of the population to be willing to be a teensy bit less rich so that their fellow Oklahomans who are incredibly poor can not die.

We need big businesses who are making fat profits to do more to prioritize people over profits, otherwise they won't have any employees or customers.

We need legislators of both parties to stop worrying about being one of the popular kids in that big marble high school, to put people over politics, and to vote for increased revenue. 

Together, we can do this. We can fix this. 

You Must Get Involved

A lot of people started this legislative session feeling fairly optimistic - we believed the new leadership in the Oklahoma House & Senate were going to be thoughtful, reasonable, and empowering to the people of Oklahoma. We were prepared for the news of yet another revenue failure and an $878 million budget shortfall, but with so many people at the Capitol agreeing that the state isn't bringing in enough recenue to cover its expenses, we thought that we'd see multiple revenue measures pass through both chambers relatively quickly.

That's not what happened.

Instead, the Oklahoma legislature passed bills to make it harder for poor people to get food and healthcare, refused to even hear a bill to ensure women and men are paid equally, were found guilty of improperly using lottery money to supplant actual education funding, and, just this week, a state senator was arrested & charged with soliciting sex from an underage male prostitute. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Yesterday I sat in a meeting with leaders from organizations who advocate for the rights of women, children, education, churches, social workers, healthcare, the arts, criminal justice, and budget/tax policy (basically, all the key parts of society besides Big Corporate), and as we discussed what was actually happening at the Capitol and the potential ramifications of the legislature's inaction, the consensus was clear: 

This is going to be really bad.

Sure, we've budget shortfalls the past couple of years, but the legislature had people who knew where to find money to help minimize the sting of the budget cuts. This year, that's not the case. We've used up most of the one-time monies, and thus far our current leadership has been either too timid or simply unwilling to do what really needs to be done to fix things. That's not just annoying and offensive; it's literally going to cost people their lives. To quote the Governor's own Finance Secretary, Preston Doerflinger: "Our situation is dire. I beg you to have an appreciation for the situation we have before us."

Mark my words, if the legislature doesn't do something to raise revenue (and a lot of it), it's going to get ugly. State agencies are already being asked to outline will happen if they get cut an another 15% next year. Cuts to education will be catastrophic for Oklahoma's education system; schools will close, students will drop out. Cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other safety net programs will have devastating effects for millions of Oklahomans. Oklahoma's roads and bridges are already some of the worst in the country, and failing to fund repairs will bring more potholes, more vehicle damage, and more bridge collapses. 

Clearly the Oklahoma legislature doesn't get it, because we keep finding ourselves in this same position year after year after year. They've tried to "cut our way to prosperity;" that method hasn't worked. In fact, it's made things way worse. So, it's time for a different approach. 

And that's why you must get involved.

I'm not being dramatic here. I'm trying to get you and all the other regular folks out there across the state to understand the gravity of the situation we're in. I need you to understand how serious this is so that you'll do something about it. And that something is to speak up, to communicate with your legislators however you can. Phone calls and emails are a great start, and they should be part of every citizen's efforts. But if you really want to make a difference, show up at your legislators' offices. Show up, meet with them face-to-face, and ask them what they're going to fix things. What solutions have they proposed? What solutions do they face? Stand there until they give you an answer. Tell them what ideas you support.

If you're not sure what revenue-boosting options the state has at their disposal, here's a great list. There's also a decent chance that your state legislators don't really know what options we have...which, again, is why we need to talk to them.

Saving the budget is not a partisan issue. 

A sound and solid budget is required for the healthy functioning of our state, and there are TONS of things that pretty much everyone on both sides of the aisle agree on. Just off the top of my head, a quick list of some of those things that have broad, bipartisan support:

• Good public schools that are free for everyone
• Appropriate teacher pay
• Improving treatment for substance abuse and mental illness
• Healthcare and food assistance for the poor
• Reducing prison overcrowding
• Protecting consumers from skeezy business practices
• Clean air to breathe and water that is safe to drink
• Fixing bad roads and unsafe bridges
• Protecting children from being abused and neglected
• Making college more affordable
• Assessing taxes in a manner that is fair, equitable, and not overly burdensome
• Protecting the civil rights of all Oklahomans

I want those things, don't you? Doesn't everyone? I don't fully understand why the budget has become such a partisan issue, but I suspect it may have something to do with priorities. Not everyone at the state Capitol has the same priorities...and I suspect some legislators are prioritizing outside interests in order to protect their careers. I suspect that there are decisions being made to appease the voices at the Capitol who are the loudest, and sadly, it's not the voice of the people. Which brings me back to...

You. must. get. involved.

This is not optional. Seriously, you must get involved. I know a lot of people don't want to "be political." This isn't about being political; this is about being a good citizen. Heck, this is about being a good person. This is about caring for your neighbor who has cancer, this is about wanting your children or your grandchildren to be able to get a decent education, this is about helping the poor, the elderly, and the disabled. This is about living up to the Oklahoma Standard in our daily life, not just when there's an crisis. (Also, this is a crisis.)

Ok, ok, I get it. I'll get involved. But...how?

1. Find out who your state legislators are. (Go here.)
2. Decide what you want to say to them. (Use this.)
3. Call or send them an email right now. (Here's a contact list.) 
4. Join us this Wednesday, March 22nd for our next Capitol Day. 
5. Can't make it this week? Plan ahead for April and May.
6. Can't take off work? Come for a Capitol Crawl.
7. Follow us on Twitter & Facebook for last-minute announcements and live coverage of our events.
8. Vote in every single election you can. Sign up for TurboVote and/or register to vote by mail so you never miss another election.

Here's the thing: Whether or not you get involved, decisions about the budget will be made. And as we all know, decisions are made by those who show up. So if you want to have a say in them, you must get involved. I'm in this. I'm doing this, and so should you. Invite your BFF and come to our Capitol Day. I promise it'll be worthwhile.

See you then,

Andy