A question for Faulk supporters
I've heard, by e-mail and on comments here, from a lot of people who are impressed with what Benford Faulk, Independent candidate for mayor, has to say on the issues. He's been called the only real conservative in the race, and there seem to be many Medlock voters who have decided to support Faulk in the general election.
The situation reminds me a lot of the 1992 presidential election, when many Republicans backed Ross Perot because George Bush Sr. had gone back on his "No New Taxes" pledge.
Here's my question: I've looked in vain for biographical info on Faulk's website. There's a lot about his positions and opinions, but there's no mention of family, where he grew up, where he went to college, work history, where he's from, how long he's lived in Tulsa, his religious or civic affiliations. Those are the basic resumé details an employer would expect from anyone seeking a job, along with references from those who have known him for a while.
This is as much as I could find, on a letter to the media from December:
I am a 59-year-old white male with a BS degree in business and 28 years experience in accounting and auditing.Oklahoma Teaching Certificate
I'm guessing that many of you who support Faulk have talked to him personally and have learned some of these details. Can you fill in the gaps? Feel free to post a comment below or e-mail me at blog at batesline dot com.
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I agree with you Mr. Bates. I do think a resume of some sort be available. I know nothing about the Man. I would like to know his history. If Mr. Faulk is not going to furnish it for public view, someone else will. It would be wise for him to put it up on his web site.
Don't you find it a little ironic that on the "mainstream" candidate websites they talk more about their credentials and where they have come from and little on their ideas, but then you have Ben Faulk who is straight forward on his ideas and just cant seem to provide enough background info to please everyone.
The guy is an accountant, which means he is more interested in counting beans than spending money like water. I think that right there puts him ahead of Mr and Mrs Rich and Richer. The guy also isn't waffling on his positions, which is more than Endorsin' Lafortune can say. I agree it would help to know what civic organizations Faulk is part of. But I could care less what religion he is. The last thing I want is someone running the city according to their religious beliefs.
just cant seem to provide enough background info to please everyone
What I quoted -- age, race, sex, profession, and the fact that he has a degree -- is all I could find. Is he married? Is there anyone who has known him for a while who could vouch for his leadership qualities or character?
The guy also isn't waffling on his positions
You'd have to know what his positions were over time -- at least over a couple of years -- to be able to make this statement.
You are not allowed to ask a person interviewing for a job if they are married or not and him being married or not doesnt have any bearing on doing his job as a mayor.
Time periods for knowing a persons issues and whether they waffle are pretty relative, as demonstrated recently. In the time I have known Faulk's positions, Misfortune has went from status quo to "cleaning house mode" let's not forget about the Great Plains debackle ...give me a break. Faulk is also free to admit issues he doesnt have knowledge on as demonstrated by the questions asked by meeciteewurkor. Unlike the other candidates who BS some generic position on everything.
I would like to know more about Mr. Faulk. The fact that he does hot have any yard signs tells me that maybe his heart is really not in it. It seems all he is pushing in immagration. Have not cked his web page today, so something new may have been added.
I just visited Mr. Faulk's website, and sure enough, there is no biographical information available. His main focus clearly is cracking down on those illegal "immigrates", whatever those are.
Dan, I respect you a great deal for the bold stance you take, particularly with respect to issues of faith in the public square; however, I don't think voting for a virtual unknown is really any better than voting for someone who has known flaws, but who has already been seen as malleable and able to be pushed around (perhaps it's our turn at the table).
I saw him at the TU Law debate and have reviewed his website... though I cannot provide further biographical information (because I simply don’t recall any) I can offer insight into the claim that he is the only true conservative.
That would be true if by conservative you mean a protectionist who doesn’t understand economics and has less than a fully formed agenda... then you are correct.
Economic Policy: If we manage to expel the 30-40K (his number) illegal immigrants from Tulsa and somehow stop outsourcing (I infer by legally prohibiting free trade), then everything will be rosy. Not entirely sure where the 10K or so jobs those immigrants hold will go, or be filled by. Also not sure where we are going to get the workforce to fill the jobs he alleges are lost to outsourcing (5% unemployment). I am also not so sure many of Tulsa’s companies would benefit from a moratorium on free trade, it’s a two way street and there are cost ramifications for all consumers.
As for his nostalgia for Ford and GM; if outsourcing is what is destroying the American industry, then why are Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, Honda and other foreign auto makers building and operating plants in these United States? They could just as easily build the plants in Mexico, but they build new plants here.
I'm fighting hard to avoid a free trade rant here so I better let his economics go.
Immigration: This is his key issue, everything from healthcare, to economics, to schools, to crime stems from illegal immigration. He is against it (shocker). I can see nothing in his policy that is a change from current policy. He wants statistics kept and the laws enforced. As far as I know, that is the current policy in Tulsa County. Of course, contacting “every Tulsa citizen that has lost their job or had their wages reduced due to illegal aliens” is not currently in place, but I fail to see what effect that would have on anything.
Without going over everything point by point, he tells us what he thinks and rants a little about what he thinks should be done. There is nothing on his page or in his speeches that I have perused that indicates, in anyway, that he has viable plans for Tulsa.
That said, I do admire his gusto to be involved, to express his opinions, and to try and influence the race. Clearly he is passionate about his views and did something about it. Some of his ideas have merit, but overall I find his platform lacking. Hopefully he will help encourage other candidates to more clearly express their views in the future.
I went to college with Ben Faulk at East Central Oklahoma State University in Ada. I also worked with him at Cities Service and Occidental Petroleum. I believe him to be just as he presents himself. I believe that he initially lived in the Sapulpa area and has since moved to Tulsa. If I still lived in Tulsa, I would have no problem supporting him in his bid for mayor.