Yearly Archives: 2010

U.K. Forecaster proven correct

In addition to U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe, others worldwide have been standing strong in rebuke of environmental zealots claiming man causes global warming.  U.K. forecaster Piers Corbyn is an astrophysicist and meteorologist that was first mocked. 

When Corbyn proclaimed early this year that Europe would see the greatest
snow accumulation in 100 years and that America’s Eastern Seaboard would
endure a blizzard of extreme proportions, critics laughed. 

They are not laughing now. 

In a follow-up story, FOX News did an interview with Corbyn where he says, “The science of these so-called scientists (global warming advocates) that you refer to is failed science based on fraudulent data.

“We understand that the sun, solar particles and magnetic effects, control earth’s weather and climate which allow us to predict weather a long time ahead,” Corbyn added.

Click on the link to view the video interview posted on www.TheBlaze.com

Oilers fall to Mavericks 2-1

altTULSA, OK– It took everything they had, but the Missouri Mavericks proved why they are #1 in the Central Hockey League’s Turner Conference as they scored two late goals to down the Tulsa Oilers 2-1 in hockey action at the BOK Center Tuesday night.

Chad Costello scored the Oilers only goal, his 15th of the season, at 6:01 of the second period, but two late goals from Missouri…a power play goal from Nick Sirota at 14:13 of the 3rd and a deflection of a Cole Ruwe shot by Toby LaFrance just 17 seconds later sealed the victory for the Mavericks. 

Remarkably, prior to the two shots that went in Oilers goalie Ian Keserich turned aside some 42 Missouri shots in an outstanding effort. The loss brings Tulsa back to .500 again at 15-15-1, with 31 points and as a result of a 6-3 Texas loss to the Allen Americans, they are in sole possession of 3rd place in the CHL’s Berry Conference.

The Oilers will close out 2010 in Allen against the Americans on Friday night and will return to the BOK Center for a pair of weekend afternoon games. The first will be against the Texas Brahmas at 3:00pm. The game was originally scheduled for 7:35pm on Saturday but was moved as not to conflict with the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl between the Oklahoma Sooners and the U-Conn Huskies. Then, the first-place Allen Americans will visit on Sunday afternoon at 4:05pm to face the Oilers in a matinee.

Tickets for all Oilers games are available at the BOK Box Office, tickets.com, Tulsa area Reasor’s stores, and by calling 1-866-7BOK-CTR (866-725-5287). More information is available by calling the Oilers office at 918-632-PUCK (7825).

OK Policy’s David Blatt: For hard times, delay tax rate cut, consider other steps

 David Blatt of the Oklahoma Policy Institute, in online postings following last week’s meeting of the Oklahoma Board of Equalization, is encouraging what could be deemed a brand of austerity in analyzing the state’s emerging revenue and budget pictures.

Last week, in an email note to recipients of his online updates, Blatt reasoned:
“State revenue collections will continue to recover from their
precipitous drop during the economic downturn, but the recovery will
remain slow and incomplete. Next year’s General Revenue Fund collections
are projected to be up $500 million, or 10.9 percent, from the low
point of [Fiscal year 2010] but remain some $850 million, or 14 percent,
below the pre-downturn peak of FY ’08.”

He said slow revenue growth reflects, in part, “cautious assumptions
about the strength of the economic recovery over the coming months, but
also the impact of policy decisions regarding tax cuts and spending
obligations made by previous Legislatures.” Further, in Blatt’s view,
“The real size of the looming budget shortfall is already a matter of
some dispute, but many agencies will be hard-pressed to absorb any
additional cuts.”

Blatt continued, “We are in the midst of an extended situation where
state revenue collections, under current policies, are inadequate to
meet the cost of adequately funding state services. We must continue to
give serious consideration to a full range of options to bring the
budget into alignment.”

The BOE meeting
last week provided a preliminary revenue certification which thus
became the basis for an executive budget that incoming Governor Mary
Fallin will present at the start of the 2011 session of the Legislature.
The BOE will meet again in mid-February, with an entirely new cast of
characters (including Fallin, as chairmn), to approve final estimates
that will become binding on the Legislature.

According to the Fiscal Year 2012 estimates developed by the staff of
the Tax Commission and the Office of State Finance and approved by the
Board, FY 2012 General Revenue (GR) revenue projections are $5.103
billion. Blatt comments: “Next year’s collections will remain
considerably below levels of six years ago, even as the cost of
providing services rises due to inflation, population growth, and
increased caseloads.”

Blatt continued on his blog,
“Next year’s estimated GR is a mere $53 million, or 1.1 percent, above
projected collections for the current fiscal year. The slow growth rate
reflects, in part, conservative assumptions about the strength of the
economic recovery over the coming months, but also the impact of policy
decisions made by previous Legislatures.

“In particular, [Fiscal Year 2012] revenue growth is expected to be
sufficient to trigger a cut in the top income tax rate from 5.5 percent
to 5.25 percent effective January 1, 2012. This tax cut is expected to
have a revenue impact of $61.5 million in FY ’12 and a total impact of
$120 – $150 million when fully phased in by [Fiscal Year 2013].  Also,
the statutory allocation to the ROADS Fund for transportation projects
will increase by $37.5 million in FY ’12, while the allocation for OHLAP
college scholarships will increase by $6.5 million. The FY ’12
projections also reflect a loss of $67.5 million in GR as a result of
federal tax changes recently adopted by Congress.”

The higher-than-anticipated revenue projections for the upcoming fiscal
year have, in some respects, masked the continuing spending challenges
for the state. Blatt commented, concerning 2012 expenditure authority,
“The initial Expenditure Authority of $6.104 billion for FY ’12 is some
$600 million less than the actual FY ’11 budget of $6.7 billion, which
included substantial amounts of revenue from the Rainy Day Fund and
federal stimulus dollars.”

As Blatt observes, the state Treasurer is projecting a financing
“shortfall” of about $226 million that includes $105 million in
“leftover federal stimulus money in the form of an enhanced Medicaid
matching rate and some $250 million in ‘5 percent money’ – the money
that is expected to accumulate at the end of this year if, as expected,
GR collections hit 100 percent of the certified estimate.” Actually
spending the 5 percent money, or not, is “one of the big choices facing
the Legislature and Governor in crafting next year’s budget.”

Blatt made the case that some state agencies, including the Corrections
Department and the Health Care Authority, “will require significant
funding increases just to maintain basic operations. Many agencies need
additional funding to restore cuts to core services and to address the
cumulative impact of several years of rising costs.”

The OK Policy review of fiscal challenges was in keeping with recent analyses from Blatt and his colleague, Paul Shinn.

In last week’s blog posting, Blatt concluded, “We must continue to give
serious consideration to a full range of options to bring the budget
into alignment, including making smarter expenditure decisions and
accepting such sensible revenue options as suspending tax cuts
at least until the tax collections have recovered to pre-downturn
levels, doing away with unnecessary and inefficient tax breaks,
implementing a hospital provider assessment, and broadening the sales
tax base. Otherwise, the extreme underfunding of state services, which
threatens to leave us even further from our goals of a prosperous,
healthy and secure state, will only get worse.”

For further study, all of OK Policy resources focused on state budget planning can be accessed at http://okpolicy.org/current-budget-information.

Tulsa World apology demanded

On Christmas Day the Tulsa World newspaper published a primary positioned unsigned editorial with the greeting titled, “Merry Christmas,” that then goes on blame “the forces of capitalism” as the “transforming” force for the “disappearance of Christmas from Christmas.”  They owe this community, America and God an apology.

How dare they use the celebration of the birth of Christ to preach Communism?

Think about it.  What system would they suggest to replace free enterprise?  Controlled markets?  That’s communism.  How about state ownership of all resources, means of production, transportation, and distribution?  Again, that’s communism.

Are they crazy or just showing a socialist and communist ideological foundation and a spiritual void they think we would not notice?  Was the writer senile, stupid or just young and foolish?

In fact, God wants each of his people to prosper and accumulate private property which they are invited to share personally in charity.  Nowhere in the Scriptures does it quote Jesus telling followers to give more money or time to the government in Rome or elsewhere to help the poor.

Christianity is about individual salvation, individual responsibility and individual charity.  Of course, God could command, but He loves us enough to allow each of us to decide our own path – in faith or without.  God supports personal freedom.

Did you ever wonder why Socialists, Marxists, Leninists, and other transmutations in totalitarianism fight any display of the Ten Commandments?  “You shall not steal” and “You shall not bear false witness” said in the positive are: You have a right to personal property, an obligation to protect the property of others and you are required to tell the truth.  Government doesn’t do all that well in those areas historically and, in editorial offering, neither does the daily newspaper in Tulsa.  

As publisher of Tulsa Today (est. 1996 online) and at various times in print since 1985, I make the case that capitalism is God’s plan in action, freedom and liberty for all in the marketplace and the best hope for increasing civilization and basic civility worldwide.  Thus on Christmas Day live on AM 740 and FM 102.3 news, talk, KRMG on The David Arnett Show, I suggested that we should all carefully consider the Tulsa World’s words.

Contrary to the Tulsa World, I suggested that we should all give from our hearts what blessings from God we choose to give to whom, when and how we select.  From the over-whelming number of listener calls, many agreed.

During one break, a producer and talent from one of KRMG’s sister stations dropped by the studio, poked his head in and said, “You know you are the last Tulsan that reads that rag don’t you?”

Yes he was joking, but subscriptions and revenue for newspapers throughout the nation are declining.  I could fix that and reverse those trends in any newsroom, but only with the power to retrain or fire the entire staff.  

The problem is that Leftist, Progressives, Socialists, and Communists are religious zealots.  They don’t see it as a religion, but there is no historical proof that totalitarian managed-market economy works and it has been tried repeatedly in many nations over many years all with disastrous results.  

Thus, without proof these fools are operating emotionally on a religion of theft and, I suggest, in bitterness because they failed or believe they would fail to accomplish in freedom what they imagine the general prosperity should provide them personally.  They believe government should plunder from the people in order that life would be fair.  Life isn’t fair.  Life has consequences good and bad for individual decisions and actions or the lack thereof.  We fall so we can learn to stand.  We make mistakes so we may grow – it’s a life process.

Newsrooms nationwide should be searching for historically, constitutionally, and economically educated Conservatives.  Funny thing, such writers could produce more interesting news, grow circulation and actually accomplish their jobs with more success than Leftists ever dreamed possible … or maybe that is why Conservatives are not hired by major news services.  Hmmm.

News writers, editors, producers and pundits can reject false religions promoting the premise that all problems require collective governmental solutions.  In fact, government most often lies by omission and misdirection and it “wastes the labors of the people under the pretense of caring for them” as Thomas Jefferson said so many years ago.  It remains compelling news today – how officials keep getting away with wasting other people’s money.

On this topic I could and may soon write a book, but this editorial is specific to the Tulsa World.  They owe an explanation and apology to their readers (both of us) and to all of journalism which they have greatly shamed.

On Christmas Day in response to the Tulsa World editorial, I asked God to bless Capitalists, every one.  

Next Saturday on New Year’s Day we will talk more on The David Arnett Show from 4 pm to 6 pm on AM 740 and FM 102.3 news, talk KRMG.  We will talk about this subject then and again and again until the Tulsa World apologizes publicly.  Until then, they might as well be called OK Pravda, the Heartland Communist Manifesto. 

You are welcome to call to talk about these issues and others live on KRMG, comment below (free to register as a user) or send e-mail direct to editor@tulsatoday.com.  I would like to know your opinions. 

Tulsa World apology demanded

Updated:  On Christmas Day the Tulsa World newspaper published a primary positioned unsigned editorial with the greeting titled, “Merry Christmas,” that then goes on blame “the forces of capitalism” as the “transforming” force for the “disappearance of Christmas from Christmas.”  They owe this community, America and God an apology.

How dare they use the celebration of the birth of Christ to preach Communism?

Think about it.  What system would they suggest replace free enterprise?  Controlled markets?  That’s communism.  How about state ownership of all resources, means of production, transportation, and distribution?  Again, that’s communism.

Are they crazy or just showing a socialist and communist ideological foundation and a spiritual void they think we would not notice?  Was the writer senile, stupid or just young and foolish?

In fact, God wants each of his people to prosper and accumulate private property which they are invited to share personally in charity.  Nowhere in the Scriptures does it quote Jesus telling followers to give more money or time to the government in Rome or elsewhere to help the poor.

Christianity is about individual salvation, individual responsibility and individual charity.  Of course, God could command, but He loves us enough to allow each of us to decide our own path – in faith or without.  God supports personal freedom.

Did you ever wonder why Socialists, Marxists, Leninists, and other transmutations in totalitarianism fight any display of the Ten Commandments?  “You shall not steal” and “You shall not bear false witness” said in the positive are: You have a right to personal property, an obligation to protect the property of others and you are required to tell the truth.  Government doesn’t do all that well in those areas historically and, in editorial offering, neither does the daily newspaper in Tulsa.  

As publisher of Tulsa Today (est. 1996 online) and at various times in print since 1985, I make the case that capitalism is God’s plan in action, freedom and liberty for all in the marketplace and the best hope for increasing civilization and basic civility worldwide.  Thus on Christmas Day live on AM 740 and FM 102.3 news, talk, KRMG on The David Arnett Show, I suggested that we should all carefully consider the Tulsa World’s words.

Contrary to the Tulsa World, I suggested that we should all give from our hearts what blessings from God we choose to give to whom, when and how we select.  From the over-whelming number of listener calls, many agreed.

During one break, a producer and talent from one of KRMG’s sister stations dropped by the studio, poked his head in and said, “You know you are the last Tulsan that reads that rag don’t you?”

Yes he was joking, but subscriptions and revenue for newspapers throughout the nation are declining.  I could fix that and reverse those trends in any newsroom, but only with the power to retrain or fire the entire staff.  

The problem is that Leftist, Progressives, Socialists, and Communists are religious zealots.  They don’t see it as a religion, but there is no historical proof that totalitarian managed-market economy works and it has been tried repeatedly in many nations over many years all with disastrous results.  

Thus, without proof these fools are operating emotionally on a religion of theft and, I suggest, in bitterness because they failed or believe they would fail to accomplish in freedom what they imagine the general prosperity should provide them personally.  They believe government should plunder from productive people in order that life would be "fair" to those who make no such effort. 

Life isn’t fair.  Life has consequences good and bad for individual decisions and actions or the lack thereof.  We fall so we can learn to stand.  We make mistakes so we may grow – it’s a life process.

Newsrooms nationwide should be searching for historically, constitutionally, and economically educated Conservatives.  Funny thing, such writers could produce more interesting news, grow circulation and actually accomplish their jobs with more success than Leftists ever dreamed possible … or maybe that is why Conservatives are not hired by major news services.  Hmmm.

News writers, editors, producers and pundits can reject false religions promoting the premise that all problems require collective governmental solutions.  In fact, government most often lies by omission and misdirection and it “wastes the labors of the people under the pretense of caring for them” as Thomas Jefferson said so many years ago.  It remains compelling news today – how officials keep getting away with wasting other people’s money.

On this topic I could and may soon write a book, but this editorial is specific to the Tulsa World.  They owe an explanation and apology to their readers (both of us) and to all of journalism which they have greatly shamed.

On Christmas Day in response to the Tulsa World editorial, I asked God to bless Capitalists, every one.  On New Year’s Day, listeners added to the conversation.  Letters to the editor published in the Tulsa World also continue to question the editorial. 

It is a valid public question; what wisdom from what ideology leads the paper’s newsroom and their editorial positions?   The masthead of the newspaper quotes the Bible, Jeremiah 50:2, "Publish and set up a standard; publish and conceal not."  Great.  What is the standard?  Is it more than greed in a "hands off" policy covering idiotic rantings by "editor’s gone wild?"  Is there a video of that lack of editorial propriety? 

The Tulsa World must apologize publicly or defend their rant against freedom.  Until then, they might as well be called OK Pravda, the Heartland Communist Manifesto.  Funny enough when they attack local bloggers for an insignificant insult to their circulation numbers, but this is hilarious.  Do they have enough pride in publication to defend or retract a vile insult to Christ?

You are welcome to call to talk about these issues and others live each Saturday between 4 and 6 pm on AM 740 and FM 102.3 news talk KRMG during The David Arnett Show or comment below (free to register as a user) or send e-mail direct to editor@tulsatoday.com.   Agree or disagree, your opinions are welcome.