TAHLEQUAH, Okla. —
In a republic, it is in our best interest to elect representatives who are willing to study issues and support policies that improve our lives.
The only requirement for being a state senator is to be 25 years old. Condemned convicts must pass an IQ threshold to be executed, but there is no IQ test to be a senator. There is no requirement to study the issues or be knowledgeable. Although I’ve tried for years to make lying in a campaign against the law, it is not unlawful. Anti-intellectualism is not a better platform. It makes no sense for a candidate to say he respects life while proposing budget cuts for pre-natal care.
To run for office, a candidate does not have to understand:
• When selecting a new site, companies look for first-class education, transportation, health care, public safety and recreational opportunities;
• Companies tell us personal income tax rates have no effect on site selection;
• Oklahoma cannot attract jobs or broaden the tax base without responsibly addressing public functions;
• There is not enough waste to pay for the current budget cuts; and
• Tax loopholes are created by powerful special interests, which is why they won’t be closed.
The following are examples of inflation-adjusted appropriation decreases over the past five years:
• Common education, 16.25 percent.
• Higher education, 16.16 percent.
• Department of Tourism, 29.4 percent.
• State Health Department, 24.56 percent.
• Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, 35.26 percent.
• Public safety, 17.12 percent.
I’ve known Senate District 3 candidate Jim Bynum for 15 years. He’s intelligent, analytical and has the experience to argue for and the independence to vote for policies helpful to Northeastern Oklahoma.
Sen. Jim Wilson
State Senate District 3
Tahlequah, Okla.
Opinion
Your View: Endorsing Jim Bynum
- Opinion
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Our View: Finding the way forward
Communication failures and the lack of a clear mission have given rise to turmoil and discord at Missouri Southern State University. The antidote to this is openness, frankness and the articulation of a well-defined purpose as the school moves forward.
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Your View: Finding audience for Bard
It was interesting to see Globe columnist Mike Pound’s recollection of college studies of the Bard of Avon in association with the upcoming production of “Macbeth.”
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Your View: Shifting opinions
I have a suggestion for a Joplin Globe feature. Reprint all the letters and columns from years past that were in favor of the Patriot Act and how people who showed any concern over it “wanted the terrorists to win.”
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James Whitford, guest columnist: New definition needed
I remember meeting a man on the main road through Fond Parisien, a small community on the eastern side of Haiti.
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Our View: Connecting the town
Well before the 2011 tornado, Joplin had a problem with “connectivity.” That’s right. The flow of traffic — whether it be cars, pedestrians or bicyclists — has been a sore spot with us for years.
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Your View: Bold leadership needed
Dear City Council Members, Let me first thank you for your service to our community.
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Other Views: Debt of honor
In Afghanistan, the Taliban have promised to kill Afghans who worked for the Americans and their families. In Iraq, similar threats were made by radical Islamic insurgents.
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Herb Van Fleet, guest columnist: Big Brother is always watching and listening
Sen. Church made that statement 38 years ago. He chaired a committee that was formed to develop legislation to rein in the CIA, FBI, NSA and other intelligence agencies, which had been operating outside the bounds of the law, including the Constitution.
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Geoff Caldwell, guest columnist: Jury still out on whistle-blower’s actions
Whether you see Edward Snowden as a hero, a traitor or something in between, there is no denying that the admitted “leaker” has opened up an industrial-size can of National Security Agency worms.
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Trish Patton, guest columnist: Downtown group needs stakeholders' support
On Tuesday the Downtown Joplin Alliance (DJA) tabled the Community Improvement District (CID) initiative.
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