U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) released the following statement today after the Senate rejected, by a margin of 70 to 26, his attempt to pay for a bloated Flood Insurance Bill with spending cuts rather than borrowed money.  The bill was a $30 billion bailout of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which was created with the intent of helping homeowners recover from disasters that traditional insurance would not cover. 

“Today, Senators had a chance to do the responsible thing and pay for this bill with common sense fiscal restraint.  Unfortunately, politicians in both parties chose not to do the hard work of conducting oversight on a program that hasn’t worked and isn’t going to work.  Countless audits and studies have shown that the NFIP has turned into a boondoggle that subsidizes wealthy homeowners who don’t want to pay for the risks associated with living near the ocean or a flood plain.  Yet, instead of fixing the problems with the program, politicians who are running for re-election chose to charge $30 billion to the next generation,” Dr. Coburn said.

Celebrating Mother’s Day with cards and flowers and lunch at Luby’s is fine for sissies, but for a more exotic expression of maternal appreciation, the fifth annual Cancer Sucks “Handlebars and Hotrods Poker Run” may be the holiday weekend’s winning ticket – especially if the holder of said ticket rides into the sunset on a brand new Harley Davidson Electra Glide motorcycle. 

Participants are automatically entered in the Harley giveaway and will also be eligible for more than $30,000 in cash and prize giveaways during the event – everyone else can purchase $5 donation tickets for the Harley giveaway at Action Toys in Broken Arrow, Action Powersports in Tulsa, or through the Web site, www.cancersucks.com.  Ticketholders for the Harley giveaway need not be present to win.

Registration for the poker run – there is a requested donation of $25 per hand – begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, 2008 at the Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino in Tulsa.  All proceeds from the event will go toward cancer research.