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Death of a Thousand Cuts3.3.2011
I recently attended the tenth Annual State Agriculture Rural Legislature Summit with rural legislators from 46 states and seven Canadian provinces. This year’s theme was taken from the title of a popular business book by Jarol Manheim called Death of a Thousand Cuts. It refers to an ancient form of execution in medieval China whereby a prisoner was executed over time by a series of small cuts. The author compares this application to many businesses and industries, which seldom suffer one dramatic episode that does them in, but instead are brought down by a series of small cuts.
The current administration in Washington, especially the overreaching Environmental Protective Agency (EPA), has put in place numerous burdensome and ineffective regulations on agriculture. For instance, the EPA is making a backdoor attempt to initiate a “cap and trade tax” that would make fuel, fertilizer and electricity much more expensive. Agriculture is a huge consumer of these items and would be heavily impacted.
As part of the Clean Water Act, the EPA is currently undertaking “total maximum daily load” (TMDL) requirements on several watersheds throughout the country. Total maximum daily load is the amount of particulate matter such as nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment which through runoff enters the water of a stream or basin. These TMDL requirements now make farm stream runoff an EPA target.
Probably the most egregious part of these regulations is the science behind their methods of determining these nutrient runoffs. Basically, most of their “scientific data” is over 40 years old and from entirely different farming methods. Because of this outdated data, they have branded agriculture as a major polluter and therefore detrimental to the environment.
The fact of the matter is that, working with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and various agricultural programs for over a decade, Oklahoma landowners who reside in the Illinois River watershed have actually lowered TMDLs up to 70 percent in parts of the watershed.
Nationally, this same sort of regulatory activity by EPA threatens the Chesapeake Bay by taking over 600,000 acres of prime farm land out of crop production. Plans call for extension into Florida and then the Mississippi River Basin which would bring regulations to the major crop producing region of the U.S.
There is a massive disconnect in this country between agriculture and food on the table. By the year 2050 it is said that we will have to double food production worldwide. A lot of the political unrest seen around the world today is connected to food shortages.
The recent snow events in Oklahoma interrupted supply lines, causing empty shelves in grocery stores. While I don’t believe agriculture will suffer a death, if the continuing regulatory attacks on our food production systems are not brought under control, our ability to produce the safest and cheapest food supply in the world will be severely compromised. The Oklahoma attorney general has brought suit against the federal government’s health care takeover. Perhaps it is time to bring suit against these overreaching EPA regulations.
As always, I would love to hear from you. I can be reached at the Capitol at (405) 557-7401 or by email at philrichardson@okhouse.gov. If you would like to receive e-mail updates about legislative issues, please send your email address to philrichardson@okhouse.gov with “Email Update” in the subject line. You may also visit my web site at www.philrichardson.us.Budget Agreement to Relieve Schools
2.26.2010
The Legislature and Governor Brad Henry have taken the first step in addressing declining revenue by agreeing to a plan to fix the budget for fiscal year 2010.
To the relief of our local K-12 school and college administrators, the agreement provides an $80 million supplemental appropriation to education. It also stabilizes the Department of Corrections funding with a $7.2 million supplemental that will prevent furloughs and address inmate growth.
There is no doubt that this fiscal year ending in June has been a tough one for our school districts. I am aware that some have been able to use cash reserves, but I am also aware that those reserves won’t last. That means that next year could be even tougher.
However, there is good news, too. The current plan is to spend only three-eighths of the Rainy Day fund to help plug the hole for fiscal year 2010. This means that there will be Rainy Day money available for fiscal year 2011. Secondly, we have finally received good news regarding revenue; it actually improved a little in January. Lastly, lawmakers will budget for a tough year by cutting programs that compete for tax dollars but are less essential than education.
Education will remain a priority in the budget. Other agencies including the Legislature will receive far deeper cuts. We have discussed different ideas to free up education and public safety dollars. One suggestion was to place state-funded museums under the authority of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The Oklahoma Historical Society, J.D. McCarthy Center, Will Rogers Memorial and the Davis Memorial Commission take up $18 million of the governor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2011. If these facilities are combined administratively, some of that money could be rerouted.
As always, I would love to hear from you. I can be reached at the Capitol at (405) 557-7401 or by e-mail at philrichardson@okhouse.gov. If you would like to receive e-mail updates about legislative issues, please send your e-mail address to philrichardson@okhouse.gov with “E-mail Update” in the subject line. Legislative Update #2
3.26.09
In my last column, I spoke about some of the House bills I authored and passed through the House before the March 12 deadline. I also spoke about the Senate bills that I would be moving through the House Wildlife Committee, which I chair.
Now I would like to tell you about the Senate bills I will be reviewing in the House General Government Committee.
One bill is aimed at helping voters understand what they are voting for or against. This legislation targets county questions which are often submitted in legalese and get less media coverage. Many involve increasing property or sales taxes to fund development. The bill would require the county to submit to the district attorney’s office a document with a simple explanation of the question. This document would be approved by the district attorney and then included as information for voters during the election. The idea is to prevent voters who do not clearly understand the question from approving an unwanted tax or shutting the door on an important economic opportunity.
A second measure would allow county commissioner boards to employ private legal counsel and opt to use that counsel in place of the district attorney to defend the county in a lawsuit. The bill would simply give the counties more flexibility in representing themselves and more independence from the district attorney’s office.
I would also like to report that two important measures have now passed both the state Senate and state House. One would make all statewide positions subject to term limits and the other would ensure that both political parties have an equal say in the redistricting process.
It has been proven that the majority of Oklahomans support term limits for their officials. The movement for term limits gaining a foothold in the state is probably due to the corrupt actions of former state Sen. Gene Stipe. The recent conviction of state auditor Jeff McMahan may have been the fuel that led to the idea of term limits for statewide officials.
I will keep you updated on the activities of the Legislature through this column. As always, I would love to hear from you. I can be reached at the Capitol at (405) 557-7401 or e-mail philrichardson@okhouse.gov.
©Setting the Record Straight
March 3, 2009
I am sure that many of you have heard of Madeline Pickens’ gift of $5 million, which was “withdrawn” from the College of Veterinary Medicine recently. This was supposedly done because of alleged animal abuse. As a graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine, I consider this an absurd accusation.
Did you know that Mrs. Pickens is a member of the extremist animal rights organization Humane Society of United States (HSUS)? Further, did you know that HSUS is not an organization that is about taking in stray, neglected or abused animals? To my knowledge, the HSUS does not run spay or neutering programs. Contrary to the soulful pictures of dogs and cats on its brochures and publicity materials, the Human Society is most likely not affiliated with your local animal shelter.
Here are a few more facts of which you may be unaware: while most local animal shelters are under-funded, as of December, 2008, I’ve read that HSUS has accumulated $113 million in assets. That means they raise enough money to finance animal shelters in every single state – with money left over! But you know what? I’ve also read that the HSUS doesn’t operate a single animal shelter anywhere. It seems to me that someone who professes such a love for animals should provide for the care of at least a few….
To set the record straight, it’s fair to note that the alleged gift by Mrs. Pickens had never actually been made to the college. Rather, it was offered as a bribe to get the college to endorse Mrs. Pickens’ radical animal rights viewpoint. When the dean refused to restructure the school curriculum tailored to her specifications based on the money she was offering, Mrs. Pickens withdrew the offer.
Well, it’s her money and she gets to do with it what she pleases. But let’s just be honest here and follow the animal rights discussion to its logical conclusion.
Make no mistake about it: I believe that organizations such as these actually put animal rights ahead of people’s rights. If society were to follow these principles to the nth degree, people would starve. Food prices would be astronomical. And this is what is inconceivable to me. The organization’s stated purpose always seems lofty and noble and honorable on the face of it … and people always rally to the cause of their pets. But the practical application always seems to result in people’s rights being violated.
As a doctor of veterinary medicine, it should go without saying that I love animals. And I respect people’s love and devotion to their pets and to the more business aspect of livestock. I’m committed to the cause of that and do everything I can to further that cause.
I am, however, not an admirer of the Humane Society and their goals. I believe their ultimate goal is to actually restructure society into an atmosphere where people’s rights are limited severely so that perceived animal rights can triumph.
I love people more. I don’t think people should starve, nor do I think that food costs should double and triple because someone thinks that animals are more important.
State Representative Phil Richardson
House District 56The 52nd Legislative Session Begins Soon
01.05.09
With less than four weeks to go before the Legislature convenes for the 52nd Legislative Session, there’s quite a bit of excitement around the Capitol building right now.
House leadership recently reduced the number of standing committees and subcommittees from last session. Previously, the House operated with 10 standing committees and 26 subcommittees. We reduced that to 18 full standing committees and just seven budget subcommittees for the upcoming session.
I am pleased to announce that I was named Chairman of the House Wildlife Committee, a responsibility I am really looking forward to.
In an effort to make state government more efficient and effective, a new electronic bill-filing system was introduced that allows elected officials to spend less time dealing with extensive paperwork and more time working on effective policy.
Each member is allowed to file as many as eight separate bills. The deadline for filing our legislative ideas for those bills was December 12. Speaking of filing bills, the deadline for members to file their actual bills for the upcoming session is January 15.
On January 6, the House will hold “Organizational Day,” which is when the members will vote for various leadership positions, such as House Speaker and Speaker Pro-Tem. In addition, Governor Brad Henry will deliver the annual “State-of-the-State” Address, where he lays out our state’s current economic and social climate and his plan to move our state forward.
Our new web site, www.philrichardson.us is up and running. We’re still in the building stages, but in a few days we hope to post more articles and photos. The site will be frequently updated, so check back often.
As always, feel free to contact me any time. My office phone number is (405) 557-7401, or you may e-mail philrichardson@okhouse.gov. I would be glad to hear from you.
It is my pleasure to serve the citizens of District 56 and to do my part in making our state an even better place to live, work and raise a family.
Representative Phil Richardson
District 56