What Is Your Representative Doing?



On Wednesday Representative Mike Reynolds sent out a letter to his constituents. Below is a copy of the letter in it's entirety.

Dear Constituent

Since my last letter there have been many important developments at the Capitol. With the Legislature reconvening the first week of February I felt it is important to update you on some of the most significant issues.

Hopefully, by the time you receive this letter, Obamacare has failed at the Federal level. This massive step toward socialism would be very difficult to undo by future elected officials. I pray that the Republicans in the U.S. Senate, led by Dr. Tom Coburn in conjunction with a few rational Democrats, will be able to stop this shredding of our Constitution and the principles it was founded on.

The failed policies of the Democrat congress at the Federal level are having a massive impact in every state in the Union. Trillions of dollars of new debt are leading to a collapse of the economy nationwide. No person or county can spend their way out of debt. Unfortunately, the failed policies at the national level have infected not only the Oklahoma economy, but also the mindset of many Oklahoma legislators. While individuals claim they are for limited Government, not one board agency has been defunded during the 5 years that Republicans have been in control of the House. In order to fund pet pork projects, leaders in both parties apparently make deals with the Governor so he and they can fund their pet projects. Worst of all, these same people allow tax credits worth hundreds of millions of dollars to be given secretly to wealthy individuals and corporations in the name of “economic development,” the Oklahoma version of Obama’s stimulus package.

Undoubtedly the most important issue at this time is the state budget. If your income decreased by 30% and you only dropped your expenses by 5% or 10%, you would have to go into debt or take money out of savings. The Oklahoma Constitution prevents this type of debt, so the State Treasurer is spending money from other areas like the “unclaimed property fund” and college scholarship programs.

I have learned one method that is being proposed to solve this financial dilemma is electronic surveillance and issuing of tickets. Now suppose that someone steals your car tag. Maybe they even put another tag on your car so you won’t notice. A week or so later you get a citation and are required to appear in court. You plead your case and are successful. It only costs you a day of your time and the stress of waiting until the issue is resolved. If, on the other hand, an officer stopped you for a violation, with the new statewide insurance database that the Legislature forced the Department

of Safety to adopt last year, he could verify your insurance immediately over the Internet, tell you that you need to get a replacement tag and let you go on your way. Maybe this is why the U.S. Constitution requires that we be able to face our accusers, not a camera. A very powerful company from California has hired several lobbyists and sent representatives to Oklahoma to pitch this idea. Apparently, they may receive up to 35% of the proceeds collected on this type of system. So, they have offered to install it for free. Representatives from Atlanta, San Diego and Chica

go were brought to my office during the last session by an ex-legislator to encourage me to withdraw my resistance to this idea. I value freedom too much and after a few minutes of discussion they left. I understand Barry Switzer, outspoken supporter of Brad Henry, has been aggressively promoting this program. That probably is all that needs to be said about the Governor’s position on this issue.

What we must do to solve the uninsured motorist problem is require extreme punishment for the offender. We don’t let drunk drivers leave in their cars when stopped and we shouldn’t allow uninsured motorists either. Their car should be towed away, and if involved in an accident, sold to satisfy any judgment against them. We probably should allow an officer to drive them to the nearest phone booth if they don’t have a cell phone. Another great solution might be to make Oklahoma a no-fault insurance state.

The last item I am working on at this time is the removal of judges. It has been suggested, primarily by lawyers and the “anonymous” editor of the Oklahoman, that this is a silly idea. What is silly is to not pay attention to the public outcry over judges abusing their authority. A three-time convicted felon that rapes children was recently given a sentence of 1 year in the county jail. The killer of a 19 month old child was sentenced to life in prison by a jury, but a judge changed the sentence to just 12 years.

The Legislature may not be the best place for judicial review to occur, but a bunch of attorneys meeting in secret sure isn’t getting the job done. If charges are brought concerning a judge, the public ought to have the right to be present at the deliberations and offer input if they have relevant facts to contribute.

Almost every issue is about openness in government, whether it is budget negotiations, tax credits or judicial behavior. Government is one of the institutions ordained by God in the Bible, and it is here to serve the people, not for the people to serve it.

God Bless,

Representative Mike Reynolds

So, I ask you: What is your Representative doing during the interum time? I have seen Representative Mike Reynolds up at the capitol, every day, all day. He is working and earning every penny that the State of Oklahoma and the taxpayers of Oklahoma pay him in salary. I encourage you to find out what your Representative is doing... I know what mine is and I'm pretty dang proud.

Keep up the good work, Mike.

0 comments:

Post a Comment