Author Archives: Admin

Inhofe praises passage of Pilot’s ‘Bill of Rights’

Staff Report

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a member of the Senate General Aviation Caucus and certified flight instructor with more than 10,000 flight hours, yesterday hailed U.S. House passage of his bill, the Pilot’s Bill of Rights (S.1335). Inhofe has worked to pass the legislation for the past year.  In the Senate where the bill enjoyed co-sponsorship by 65 other Senators, the measure passed by unanimous consent in June.
 
Last October, the bill garnered the endorsement of pilot and actor Harrison Ford.  The next month, the bill crossed an important milestone gaining its 60thco-sponsor in the Senate.

House passage of the Pilot’s Bill of Rights means the measure now goes to the President’s desk to become law.
 
“This is the biggest news for General Aviation pilots in recent years,” said Inhofe.  “I am grateful that the House has seen the merits of the Pilot’s Bill of Rights.  Now that it has passed both the House and the Senate, I look forward to this becoming law with the President’s signature.  I am most appreciative of the House leadership and Rep. Sam Graves for their hard work in passing this in the House.
 
“Thanks to the efforts of so many pilots, and organizations like AOPA and EAA, we are just one step away from this becoming law.  Over the course of my years in Congress, I have helped an untold number of pilots facing the pressure of dealing with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This bill remedies many of the most serious deficiencies in the relationship between general aviation and the FAA, and ensures that pilots are, like everyone else, treated in a fair and equitable manner by the justice system.”
 
When the bill passed the Senate, Rod Hightower, Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) President/CEO said,“This is a very important win for GA and protecting aviators’ rights.  We especially appreciate the bipartisan support in the Senate for the measure and Sen. Inhofe’s dedicated efforts to move this bill forward.”
 
On Senate passage, Craig Fuller, Aircraft Owners Pilots Association (AOPA) President said, “A year ago, Sen. Inhofe made a bold decision to introduce legislation in support of pilots’ rights when general aviation seemed to be under attack in Washington, D.C. His willingness to take a stand on behalf of pilots, and his success in bringing this measure through the Senate at a time when so much legislation is at a standstill, are powerful testaments to his commitment to protecting the freedom to fly. We applaud Sen. Inhofe’s ongoing work on behalf of general aviation so it can continue to play an important role in fostering economic development, providing personal and business transportation, and delivering services to millions of Americans.” 
 
DETAILS ABOUT THE PILOT’S BILL OF RIGHTS

Makes FAA Enforcement Proceedings and NTSB Review Fair for Pilots

  •   Requires NTSB review of FAA enforcement actions to conform, to the extent practicable, with the Federal Rules of Evidence and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
  •   Requires the FAA to provide timely notice to a pilot who is the subject of an investigation, and that any response by the pilot can be used as evidence against him.
  •   Requires that in an FAA enforcement action against a pilot, the FAA must grant the pilot all relevant evidence 30 days prior to a decision to proceed with an enforcement action. This is currently not done and often leaves the pilot grossly uninformed of his violation and recourse.
  •   Makes contractor-run flight service station and contract tower communications available to airmen. Currently, if a request is made for flight service station information under FOIA, it is denied to the requestor because the contractor is not the government, per se. However, the contractor is performing an inherently governmental function and this information should be available to pilots who need it to defend themselves in an enforcement proceeding.
  •   Removes the special statutory deference as it relates to National Transportation Safety Board reviews of FAA actions. Too often the NTSB rubber stamps a decision of the FAA, giving wide latitude to the FAA and making the appeals process meaningless. This returns NTSB’s deference to the FAA to general administrative law principles, just like every other government agency.
  •   Allows for Federal district court review of appeals from the NTSB, at the election of the appellant. This is important because a review by the Federal district court is de novo, meaning the pilot gets a new trial with the ability to introduce evidence and a new review of the facts. 

 
NOTAM Improvement Program

  •   Requires that the FAA undertake a NOTAM Improvement Program, requiring simplification and archival of NOTAMs in a central location. The process by which Notices to Airmen are provided by the FAA has long needed revision. This will ensure that the most relevant information reaches the pilot. Currently, FAA makes pilots responsible for knowledge of pre-flight conditions. Non-profit general aviation groups will make up an advisory panel.

 
Medical Certification Review

  •   The FAA’s medical certification process has long been known to present a multitude of problems for pilots seeking an airman certificate. The bill requires a GAO review of the FAA’s medical certification process and forms, with the goal of demonstrating how the FAA can provide greater clarity in the questions and reduce the instances of misinterpretation that have, in the past, lead to allegations of intentional falsification against pilots. Non-profit general aviation groups will make up an advisory panel, which will give advice to the FAA on how the medical certification process can be improved. The FAA is required to take appropriate action on the GAO recommendations within one year.  

Harry Reid’s ‘Dog Catcher’ standard

Staff Report

The mainstream media has been repeating–without any criticism, context, or opposing view–Sen. Harry Reid’s claim that Mitt Romney could not be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve in the Cabinet–or even to serve as "dog catcher"–because he has only released his most recent tax returns, not his entire tax history. The story currently leads major news websites, including National Public Radio’s hourly news update. So it seems appropriate to do what the media will not: apply Reid’s "dog catcher" standard to Barack Obama.

Let us first take the question of whether Barack Obama would have been confirmed by the Senate for any position, Cabinet or otherwise. If his lack of experience was not a sufficient obstacle, his past history of serious drug use–which is even worse than the admissions in his memoir, Dreams from My Father–would have barred his nomination. So, too, would his radical past, including his associations with Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, Rashid Khalidi, Derrick Bell, and a host of extremists with whom he made common cause.
 
On the tax issue, it is worth reminding Sen. Reid (and the media) that several of President Obama’s nominees for the Cabinet did, in fact, have very serious tax problems–and were confirmed anyway (though at least one, with a sense of humility lacking in her colleagues, withdrew). The most notorious is "TurboTax" Tim Geithner, who outrageously blamed a computer program for his failure to pay self-employment taxes while he was working for the International Monetary Fund. He was confirmed anyway, under considerable pressure from the mainstream media (and after an inexcusable capitulation by Senate Republicans), which painted Geithner as the only person who could possibly be qualified to run the U.S. Treasury in crisis.
 
It is also worth noting that Sen. Reid’s best hope for maintaining his job is to see Elizabeth Warren unseat Republican Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts. But Warren’s candidacy is only possible because she could not receive confirmation from the U.S. Senate for the leadership of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to which Obama desperately wanted to appoint her–not just because Republicans oppose the agency’s powers, but because of her own radicalism. Now that she has been revealed to have lied, apparently about her Native American heritage, there is no possible way she could be confirmed for a Cabinet position, or any other requiring the approval of Congress. Yet Reid and Obama are counting on her.
 
So the "dog catcher" standard that Sen. Harry Reid has sought to apply to Romney–and which he has, with the mainstream media’s help, succeeded in applying to Romney–would have prevented Obama and his own nominees from taking office. But the media has not applied Reid’s standard to Obama, because the media almost always applies a double standard to Democrats and Republicans–especially so with Barack Obama. (Update: And would a man who confessed to eating dog meat be made dog catcher? I think not.)
 
To take only one of hundreds of examples of that double standard, in the 2000 campaign, Republican Sen. John McCain released thousands of pages of his medical records; he did so again (albeit only for a few hours) in 2008. But then-Senator Obama released a single page–the equivalent of an elementary school "doctor’s note"–and the media meekly accepted his release gratefully.
 
Case closed–and a man who had never held any position of serious responsibility in the public or private sector–neither dog catcher nor anything else–went on to win.

Click here for the original report from Breitbart.com. 

Documenting hail damage crucial after storms

Staff Report

Oklahoman’s know a lot about storm damage.  If you grew up in Oklahoma, you know how destructive Oklahoma storms can be.  And they can hit in a moment’s notice.  Storms can be devastating to a business.  And the financial loss as a result of that damage depends on how you respond immediately following the storm.

There are many factors to take into consideration when filing a storm damage claim with your insurance company.  There are no industry standards, and a lot depends on the roofing materials used and the severity of the storm/size of the hail.  And without proper documentation and a thorough damage analysis provided by a reliable commercial roofing company, most insurance companies overlook a lot of these factors.  

“Not only do you need to report damage in a timely manner, you also need to know what you are reporting,” said Denver Green, President of Saratoga Roofing & Construction.  Green said, “There are so many things to take into consideration, the age and condition of your roof, as well as the size and impact of the hail.  These are all things that can be identified and documented by a roofing company who specializes in commercial roofing systems.”

According to RICOWI, Inc. (Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues, Inc.), one thing to look for is hailstone size (and reluctant impact energy).  That is more critical than hailstone quantity in determining if a roof is damaged.  The effects of hail impact are normally distinguishable from normal weathering.  Impact-caused fractures in roofing materials will sometimes have appearances that are distinct from cracking or other indications of long-term weathering.  Through proper investigation, including in-depth damage analysis reports, a contractor can compile the necessary data needed to substantiate their findings and present it to your insurance company.

Times have changed.  It’s no longer the standard to file a storm damage claim on your business and expect to be reimbursed at fair market value for your loss.  You need a qualified commercial roofing expert to assist your insurance company in properly investigating and educating them on the various types of roofing systems and how different size hail and high winds impact those systems.

Green said, “My advice to all business owners, make sure you respond quickly and have a qualified local commercial roofing company, with significant experience in large scale commercial application, that you trust there to help investigate and document storm damage.  The better you know your roof (age, installation method, condition of your roof) the better chance you will have recovering any financial loss and getting your business back up and running.  Make sure that your contractor can and will provide a detailed written analysis.”

OK unemployment drops to 4.7 % in June

Staff Report

Gov. Mary Fallin commented Friday on the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) that showed Oklahoma’s unemployment rate has dropped yet again.  For June, the unemployment rate was 4.7 percent, 0.1 percentage points lower than May and 1.4 percentage points lower than June 2011.  Nationally, the unemployment rate is 8.2 percent.

Jobless rates were lower in 11 states (including Oklahoma), higher in 27 states, while 12 states saw no change, according to the BLS. 

Click here for more information from the BLS.

“Oklahoma’s low unemployment rate continues to outpace the national unemployment rate and is proof our pro-business policies are succeeding in creating a positive business environment for job creation and investment,” Fallin said. “Moving forward, we must maintain our commitment to policies such as ‘right sizing’ government, education reform, workforce development and tax reform that will allow us to continue our economic growth.”

Additionally, Oklahoma’s labor force grew by nearly 3,000 in June and is up more than 30,000 from the same period last year, according to the Oklahoma Commerce Department.  For the 12-month period ending in June, Oklahoma ranked third in the nation in job growth.

A 13-year-old’s act of heroism

Staff Report

In the horror of the Aurora, Colorado, shooting massacre, a tale of heroism: Thirteen-year-old Kaylan struggled to save the life of 6-year-old Veronica Moser-Sullivan – the youngest person to die. John Blackstone of CBS news covered her story..

Authorities said the gunman might have killed more if his assault rifle had not jammed. And he might have been mistaken for a SWAT officer by arriving police, had not one officer spotted something odd in his body armor.

But these details did not answer the searching questions of the first memorial events.

“Why did this senseless act of violence happen?” Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan asked, facing families of the dead and thousands of people standing behind them. “It may be impossible to arrive at an explanation that would make sense to us.”

Holmes, being held without bond at the Arapahoe County jail, is scheduled to appear in court for the first time Monday.

At the memorial service, an array of speakers struggled to explain what had caused the attack. A Catholic bishop used the word “evil” six times.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) did not even want to try. “I refuse to say his name,” he said, to the loudest applause of the night. He sought to turn the attention to victims instead, reading their names and asking the crowd to remember them. At some names, family members cheered. Others brought cries of grief.

The scope of the tragedy was brought home at the end of the night The crowd was supposed to sing “Amazing Grace” as families of the dead filed out. But the song ended, and the families were still walking.

“Let’s do the first verse again, ‘Amazing Grace,’ ” an emcee said. The crowd sang it again, then again. Then another time, just humming and repeating “praise God” until the last of the family members had left the plaza.

Click here to reach the CBS video.