We might think that we are fighting particular bills in the legislature. Instead what we’re really fighting is an overarching, well-organized, deeply funded agenda.
Briefly, here it is with examples of ideas that keep coming up year in and year out in the Oklahoma Legislature:
Make people of modest means pay for benefits for the wealthiest 1%.
Examples:
–Force low and middle-income taxpayers to pay disproportionately higher taxes than the wealthiest.
–Give tax breaks for the wealthy that don’t significantly apply to lower and middle-income taxpayers.
–Make lower and middle-income taxpayers pay taxes so that the higher income and wealthiest can send their children to private schools that won’t accept children of “those people”.
Use socially divisive methods to keep ordinary people from organizing against the 1%.
Examples:
–Lead in campaigns for office with socially divisive issues like anti-abortion, anti-gay promises, then sneak in 3 times more legislation that help the rich.
–Use constant campaign rhetoric that tells lower-income working people to resent unionized workers who have better wages and benefits in order to silence unions that are the political voice of workers.
–Use thinly veiled racial fear comments that increase paranoia and fear of people who are different that you are.
Control the flow of information through mass media ownership.
Examples:
–Purchase big media corporations to control what gets criticized and investigated.
–Use those big media outlets to attack smaller alternative publications that won’t comply with the world view of the wealthiest 1%.
Consolidate control of government in a smaller, centralized group who are efficiently controlled from the shadows.
Examples:
–Pass legislation that consolidates more control of government in the hands of the governor. Buy the governor, buy a government.
–Reduce democracy by passing legislation that takes away the power of elected, local government like town and city councils, and school boards.
SB609 is not defeated, just delayed
Today we just learned that the voucher bill, or “Educational Savings Account” Senate Bill 609 has been withdrawn until next year by its author, Edmond suburban state Senator Clark Jolley.
Take note that he believes that there just isn’t enough correct information out there and wants to give the issue more time.
What that means is that they need more time to find better ways to propagandize the issue to turn the population more toward their way of thinking.
It was a temporary retreat to regroup and come back at the issue again.
This issue will not die because there is big money in it for everyone: Jolley, who wants to keep running for Congress, education corporations, investors, testing and curriculum corporations, and many more.
The agenda requires persistence of our own agenda
I have read many people complaining that it seems that these things just keep on coming. Yes, they do.
It’s because it is an agenda instead of just a few random efforts at bills. Kill one bill? They will just find new wording and new propaganda.
The answer is a counter agenda that empowers all people in Oklahoma, not just the wealthy few.
- All citizens matter.
- Every elected town council matters.
- Every elected city council matters.
- Every elected county government matters.
- Every elected school board matters.
- Democracy matters.
If we persist as we have so far, the agenda will be broken.
Persistence matters.