A Personal E-Mail From Paul Blair, Private Citizen

Friends,

On Tuesday, November 8, we have many decisions to make at the ballot box.

I have had a number of people ask me about the seven state questions. Below are my opinions along with my reasoning. Feel free to agree or disagree, but for those of you who are interested…

SQ 776 – Strengthens the Death Penalty.    Cruel and unusual punishment never meant that the death row inmate would not feel any pain. “Cruel” and “unusual” punishment meant that “drawing and quartering” or “crucifixion” and such means of execution were forbidden.

Although hanging, firing squads and the electric chair were meant to deliver a quick end to the convicted murderer, sometimes things went awry. The death penalty is already legal in Oklahoma and already used only in the rarest and deserving circumstances. This would strengthen Capital Punishment in Oklahoma against those challenging it.

From a Biblical Standpoint, Capital Punishment is right. Murder is forbidden in the scripture. Murder is the taking of any INNOCENT life. However, the idea of a convicted first degree murderer paying for his crime by forfeiting his own life is Biblical.   I will be voting YES on SQ 776.

SQ 777 – Right to Farm. Call me suspicious.   Oklahoma has been a state for 109 years and farmers have worked their land for that entire time. Why is it urgent to amend the Constitution with a “right” to farm? Please re-read the wording of this question carefully. If passed, the Constitution will incorporate language that says the Legislature “IF IT FINDS A COMPELLING STATE INTEREST”…can do whatever it wants regarding property rights, mineral rights, right of way and eminent domain. Who determines what a compelling state interest is? Some Judge. As Ronald Reagan said, whenever someone says “We’re from the government and we’re here to help” then be very afraid.

I may be wrong on this one, but I am just not comfortable with the “what for” and “why now” on this one. Vote your conscience, but think hard before you modify the Constitution to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. As of today I will be voting NO on SQ 777.

SQ 779 – 1% Sales Tax Increase for Education. Remember House Bill 1017? The huge tax increase in 1990 which was the once and for all Education fix? Well, it wasn’t. Remember, passing Liquor by the Drink to fund education? Remember, legalizing para-mutual horse racing to fund education? Remember, legalizing the casinos and the lottery to fund education? Once the money gets into the government coffers, IT NEVER GETS TO THE TEACHERS!

Good teachers will never be paid what they are worth as long as they work for a government run monopoly!   Teachers, please read this next paragraph.

In 1980, the minimum wage in the National Football League was $30,000 per year. In those days, the NFL was a monopoly and players were owned by the teams that drafted them. When your contract was up your only option was to negotiate with the team that owned your rights. You either played for what they were willing to pay you or you changed careers. In 1987, players went on strike and were granted free agency. From that point, when a player’s contract was expired, he was free to negotiate with any team in the NFL. Having a competitive market to offer their services drove up salaries. Great players signed incredible contracts and even average players saw huge pay increases because teams had to compete to pay for their services. This past year, the average salary in the NFL was $2.2 million.

Teachers will never be paid as long as they are working for a GOVERNMENT controlled monopoly. The government has no incentive to pay you. In fact, you are too valuable to use as an excuse every ten years for legalizing things like the lottery or raising taxes. You will think you’re getting a $5000 pay raise, but as you are receiving this money in a government “lock box” (when you stop laughing, read on), the Legislature will chop off funds in some other area (perhaps retirement contributions) to meet other state needs.

In addition, if SQ 779 passes, Oklahoma will have the highest sales tax of any state in the country. Raising taxes will be the final nail to kill our already depressed economy. If the tax rate doesn’t matter, then why do we have an annual “Back to School Tax Free Weekend”? Why don’t we have a “Double the Tax Weekend”? We know why. Lower taxes increase sales and higher taxes decrease sales.   As sales decline, the sales tax revenue will falter, as well.

Education is supposed to be focusing on the students. As such, we need to prioritize spending and make sure the classroom is funded first rather than last. Why is it we never have enough money to pay teachers, but we always have enough to pay the State School Superintendent and President Boren? I will vote NO on this Tax increase.

SQ 780 – Reducing Sentences for Non-Violent Crimes. This change will raise the bar for what is considered minor drug possession and for the amount of loss or theft that constitutes a felony instead of a misdemeanor. Considering inflation, it makes sense to raise the dollar level of what is considered a felony to $1000.   I will probably vote YES.

SQ 781 – Redirecting the Money Saved with SQ 780 and giving it to County Governments.   The government is not the answer for everything. Judges can use faith based and privately operated rehabilitation services for misdemeanor drug charges. Considering the monumental state deficit, the state needs to take advantage of every opportunity to reduce spending. I will vote NO.

SQ 790 – Repealing the Blaine Amendment. This is the section of the state constitution used by the State Supreme Court to justify the removal of the Ten Commandments Monument from the State Capitol. Voting YES will enable us to return the Ten Commandments Monument to the Capitol.

This WILL NOT open the door for all faith groups to put monuments on the State Capitol. The Ten Commandments is a memorial to remember the influence “The Law” had on the foundation of American jurisprudence. This is a historical fact and a historical marker. America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles.

The Pilgrims, the Puritans and America’s founding and framing was not based upon the tenants of Islam, Satanism or the “Spaghetti Monster” god. I will vote YES.

SQ 792 – Liberalizing the Liquor Laws. Alcohol is the number one abused drug in America and is responsible for 88,000 deaths annually. Currently, substances with higher alcohol content are restricted to stores with limited access by minors and cannot be sold by anyone under the age of 21. SQ 792 will change both. In Oklahoma, we have to see a pharmacist to buy cold medicine in an effort to keep it out of the hands of those that might abuse it. Our current laws provide the highest security for keeping alcohol out of the wrong hands. Changing that seems irresponsible and will most certainly cost lives. I will vote NO.

Regarding the State Supreme Court… Although Oklahoma professes to be a conservative state, we have a very liberal supreme court. Several of these justices are up for retention this year. This court routinely strikes down pro-life legislation and is responsible for removing the Ten Commandments from the Oklahoma Capitol – even though they are legally displayed on the US Supreme Court building and on the Texas State Capitol grounds. If we hope to renew our Protect Life and Marriage Effort, we need to remove these liberal, pro-abortion justices. I will be voting NO on retaining the Supreme Court.

Regarding the Presidential Election… I will be voting for Donald Trump. Trump was not my choice in the Republican Primary. However, Hillary Clinton is certain doom. Trump has vowed to abolish the Johnson Amendment, support Religious Liberty, end Obamacare (WHICH IS A DISASTER), stop the insanity of transplanting tens of thousands of un-vetted Syrian men to our country, restore some sanity to immigration, restore the prosecution of unindicted co-conspirators to terrorism (CAIR), stop bad trade deals like TPP and restore some common sense fiscal policies. In addition, Trump did publicly endorse our Protect Life and Marriage effort last year.   No, I don’t like his past. No, I don’t agree with Trump about everything, but I don’t agree with Hillary about ANYTHING. I have met a number of those who are in Trump’s inner circle. They are solid, Christian, pro-life, pro-natural marriage and fiscally conservative. With Trump, there is at least a glimmer of hope. With Hillary, we are finished.

These are only my opinions. I hope you find them helpful.

PaulBlairSignatureB