The County's fixed already
This week in Urban Tulsa Weekly, an up-close look at next Tuesday's Tulsa County sales tax election. (You can find an earlier column about this tax proposal here, and here's a column about Tulsa County Commissioners' aversion to competitive bidding.
G. W. Schulz has a lengthy profile of Ray and Robin Siegfried, the company they built, their lavish lifestyles, and the legal dispute that divides the two brothers even after Ray's death earlier this year. And he's got a story about Oklahoma's TABOR initiative.
All that and much more, in the latest issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly.
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Tomorrow is Election Day in Tulsa County. Voters will go to the polls to decide whether or not to extend the so-called “Four-to-Fix the County” sales tax. Michael Bates has the primer: Next Tuesday, Dec, 13, Tulsa County voters will... Read More
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As I write this, there isn’t even an official website with a list of projects.
uh...
mr. bates?
http://www.4tofix.info/ has been up for like a month.
Mayor Bill LaFortune and Tulsa County Commissioner Bob Dick are two REPUBLICANS who never met a TAX they didn't like.
Why hasn't the Tulsa County Republican Party ex-communicated these two Apostates?
Two of the alleged Pillars of the GOP is: Smaller Government, and Lower Taxes through Less Government spending.
Any GOP'ers remember those Pillars, the very foundation of their party platform?
Harrumph, trumpetted the GOP Elephant: It's really bizness-friendly "Economic Development" money......
Carlos, the site may have been up, but it hasn't had any substance. When I first found that site, a week or so ago, the only specific content referred to projects for the current 4-to-Fix tax which was passed in 2000, an executive summary, listing the status of projects from the 2000 package.
Over this last weekend, not long before I submitted my column to the publisher, I checked the site again and noticed that links to the four ballot resolutions were added, but (unlike Vision 2025) those resolutions don't provide a detailed listing of projects, just broad categories. For example the ballot resolution on roads just says the money will be split evenly between the three commission districts -- no mention of specific road projects.
I just now saw your comment and checked the site again, and I see that there is now a link to a PDF of a map, showing the location of the projects on the detailed list for the package on next Tuesday's ballot. The map shows the total amount for each of the four ballot items, but there still isn't anything on that site breaking down the cost of the individual projects. For that information, you have to go to dotheriverfirst.com.
Bob, you seem to have the Republican Party confused with the Roman Catholic Church. The Tulsa County Republican Party doesn't have the power of excommunication. Anyone who wants to register to vote as a Republican can, and anyone who wants to run for office as a Republican can do so. (I wrote a column about this last month.)
The only way to discipline a RINO is to withhold votes or money from him, and those goods are controlled by voters and donors respectively. If you don't think a public official is a good Republican, find someone to challenge him in the next primary, then make sure you're registered to vote as a Republican, so that you can vote for your preferred candidate. Better yet, contribute money and volunteer your time to support a primary challenger. LaFortune and Dick are both up for re-election next year, so there's your chance to make a difference.
True Believers in political parties or political causes often exhibit the fervor of Religious epiphany. Alas, their faith is too soon shattered by the well-oiled political axle: [Money-to-get-Power + Power-to-Protect-the-Money].
As to Billy-Bob LaFortunate and Dirty Dick, I intend to vote early and often next year, against BOTH.
After seeing that map it has made my mind up. I am NOT voting for any of these propositions. This is just spending money to be spending money and its ridiculous. Widen Garnett from 81st to 101st? Try one block over! Mingo from 81st to 91st needs it MUCH worse. I would rather have easy traffic flow to the hospital than Grace church complex!
And a Golf barn? Someone needs to get this on TV and say "how many of you play golf?"
Do as Michael says, vote this junk down so cities can impose their own tax for projects that are public and accountable!
A new GOLF CART barn as critical infrastructure for the County?
Million$ for a new canteen at the 19th Hole LaFortunate Golf Course, another critical infrastructure need?
A new .50 monthly tax FOREVER, so Big Brother can keep track of your cell phone location 24x7 to within 15 feet of your actual location?
All tops in the DUMB IDEAS department.
This tax renewal is only about keeping the TAX DOLLARS flowing to Dirty Bob Dick and his connected benefactors of the Tulsa County Crony Ring: Alter/Matrix, Bob Parmele, John Piercey, Big Jim Orbison et al, Plus the Ringleader of the new .50 cell phone tax promotion: SBC.