Updated: 1:52 pm, Wed Oct 6, 2010.
By Brent Watson Broken Arrow | BALedger.com
Nationwide, many folks are passionate about the upcoming election. In Oklahoma, much of this passion is muted. But we should be passionate to vote because of an extremely important state question – SQ744.
SQ744 would require Oklahoma to spend as much as the regional average on education, a lofty sounding goal. However, if passed, this law would have devastating effects either as (1) huge tax increases, or (2) huge cuts in all other state government – at a time we cannot afford either.
Required tax rate increases would equate to 34 percent for income tax or 38 percent for sales tax.
Such increases would severely strain families, many of whom already face financial distress.
The alternative is to cut the remainder of state government, already cut by short budgets, by 20 percent. A few examples of what such a cut would mean to agencies includes:
•Department of Corrections - 8,400 criminals (including medium-security felons) released from prisons with 8 or 9 facilities being shut down.
•Department of Transportation - would be more than a loss of just state dollars because of federal matching funds. ODOT would lose $395-million from its 8-year plan - enough money to pay for 200 bridges that are desperately needed.
FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Wed, October 6, 2010
by Crystal Drwenski