The state has a slew of big problems facing it. The Department of Corrections has a double crisis of overcrowded prisons and too few guards too keep the inmates hemmed in. Teacher pay ranks at or near the bottom of the nation, the number of people with no health insurance continues to grow, grassfires have burned through emergency money, highway and bridges need lots of repair, we haven't appropriated enough money to put on a first-class birthday party when the state turns 100 next year, and the list goes on and on.
In addition to these broad issues, the session will have a number of narrower, but none the less important, matters to consider. Thursday's TIMES contained an article about a bill to allow certain school personnel to carry guns. The bill, authored by State Rep. Bud Smithson of Sallisaw, was filed at the request of Superintendent Lucky McCrary at Belfonte School north of Muldrow. McCrary and Smithson explain that many rural schools are in isolated areas that cannot be reached quickly by law enforcement people during an emergency.
Shootings and other violence in schools are becoming greater and greater problem. Oklahoma has suffered its share of them, and what to do to stop them is a matter of concern to everyone.
My first reaction to the idea was negative. But the more I thought about it, the more I began to understand the plight of those running isolated schools. The bill deserves full debate. Perhaps requiring that those school officials who are given guns permits must first complete appropriate police training might be a solution.
Last Tuesday, Gov. Brad Henry announced what he would like to see - devote lots of the increase in state revenue to education. He, and others, point out that Oklahoma produces some of the best teachers in the nations, but our pay scales are low. Many of those teachers we educated in our universities leave the state for more money elsewhere.
Henry also wants to devote some of the new money to roads and bridges.
The evening state news on OETA Tuesday had a good roundup of many of the proposals that are being talked up for consideration by the legislature.
In addition to the above, two perennial controversies may come up again. School consolidation and more lawsuit reform may provide some fireworks. The people pushing each of these ideas never seem satisfied, so here they come again. Sometimes I think the only way to finally put these two issues to rest is to turn the whole state into one school district and ban all civil lawsuits, no matter how terrible alleged offense.
Other ideas floating around include continuing education for workers so that people can hone their skills and adapt to new jobs, expand a tobacco-tax funded small-business health insurance program, and more centennial projects. On Wednesday, the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives announced a plan to use the money for tax cuts. Who knows what else may be out there?
I can't fault the governor's plan to spend several million of our additional money on education. Highly developed brain power is what fuels our present and future economy, and we can't continue to provide jobs in Oklahoma if we continue to have one of the most poorly funded educational systems in the nation.
However, it occurs to me that the first thing the legislature should fix is the prison problem. It is a disaster waiting to happen.
The Department of Corrections needs hundreds of new people immediately. We don't have enough trained guards and other personnel to properly run the prisons. It's as if we have forgotten that one of the worst prison riots in modern U.S. history happened at McAlester in 1973. Some of the causes of the riot, including poor pay that resulted in understaffing, are the same problems we have right now.
We ignore the prison mess at our peril. Both Democrats and Republicans have promised to do something about the problem, and it seems to me that they should get this out of the way first before they fall to fighting over other more divisive issues.
Each of us has our own thoughts on what the legislature should do. The members of that body serve two functions: To lead us in proper directions, and to do as we, the people, desire. They can't know what we desire unless we tell them. If you have thoughts on what you would like to see them do about the state's problems this year, sit down and write them a letter.
The best contact with a member of the legislature is, of course, face to face. But that isn't always possible. The next best way to let them know what you think is to sit down and write a letter. The keys to an effective letter are: keep it short, one page if at all possible; stick to the point you are trying to make; and present your thoughts in a dignified, courteous manner.
Sequoyah County is blessed with representation in the legislature by not one or two, but five people. Here are their names and addresses and district numbers:
State Senator Kenneth Corn
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 427
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
State Senator Richard Lerblance
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 511
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
State Senator Jim Wilson
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 417-B
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
State Representative Glen "Bud" Smithson
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 502
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
State Representative Ray Miller
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 539
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
