State GOP Chairman Comments on Cargill Resignation.

Republican State Chairman Gary Jones said this afternoon the resignation of Republican House Speaker Lance Cargill was "the right thing to do."
Jones' comments came on Mark Shannon's show on Oklahoma City radio station KTOK.

Jones said there should be no comparison to Cargill's recent publicized shortcomings and the case of Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan, Democrat, facing a federal indictment alleging corruption and campaign finance violations. Jones was McMahan's opponent in 2002 and 2006.

Jones said Cargill did "the honorable thing" in stepping aside. He said doing so removes Democrat criticism of Cargill as a roadblock to GOP legislative goals.

Speaker Cargill Resigns!

House Speaker Lance Cargill resigned that post today just a week before the 2008 Legislature convenes. Cargill, at 36 the youngest House speaker in the nation, took the action following another embarrassing revelation, this one that he failed to pay taxes on his Harrah law firm in timely fashion. That followed an earlier revelation that he had failed to file his personal income taxes in timely fashion.

House Speaker Pro Tem Gus Blackwell of Goodwell will take over until a new election for speaker is held, sources said. A leading candidate, they added, is Rep. Susan Winchester of Chickasha.

For more and the complete text of Cargills statement:
< http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/>

McMAHAN to RESIGN?

After appearing in federal court on Friday morning, Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan announced Friday afternoon that he will turn over the day-to-day operations of the office to Assistant Auditor Michelle Day. McMahan and his wife, Lori, entered pleas of "not guilty" to accusations contained in a 9-count federal grand jury indictment.

And later this afternoon [Friday] Tony Thornton of the Oklahoman is reporting that McMahan is considering resigning in the wake of a federal indictment accusing him of corruption, his attorney said Friday. “We expect to make an announcement in the near future,” defense attorney Rand C. Eddy said.

Thornton also reports that Republican State Chairman Gary Jones, twice defeated by McMahan, sat in the back of the courtroom at today's proceeding.
-McCarville

Considerable pressure to resign or step aside has been brought to bear on McMahan from the Governor, the AG, and now the Legislature looking at impeachment legislation.

"Day of Reckoning".......

Book review by Dennie Hall:

Patrick J. Buchanan, often termed America’s leading populist conservative, has never been know for his optimism.

However, his latest book, “Day of Reckoning: How Hubris, Ideology, and Greed are Tearing America Apart”, spews warnings that are especially chilling.

Buchanan ran for the Republican Presidential nomination in 1992 and 1996 and was the Reform Party’s candidate in 2000. The author of several books, he is perhaps best known for “The Death of the West: Where the Right Went Wrong.”

Here’s the gist of Buchanan’s new book: US foreign policy is bankrupt. Armed forces are too small to meet the nation’s commitments. We’ve run five record trade deficits. US manufacturing is going abroad. The dollar is sinking to record lows. Aliens threaten to swamp the ethno-cultural core of the nation. A fiscal crisis looms because of the unfounded liabilities of Social Security and Medicare.

Buchanan writes that President Bush’s Iraq invasion was “the greatest strategic blunder in US history…a product of messianic ideology.”

It is no surprise that he attacks Bush; he did the same to his father. He tried to wrest the Republican nomination from George HW Bush in 1992 when Bush was seeking a second term as President.

Of free trade, Buchanan said it “is hollowing out US industry, shipping American jobs, factories, and technology to China, driving the dollar down to record lows, and plunging the United States into permanent dependency an un-payable debt.”

Offering some suggestions for strengthening the country, Buchanan would have us bring the soldiers home, impose some tariffs, police our borders, quit trying to impose our will on other countries, balance the budget, and, we might say tongue-in-cheek, elect him President.

Before being too critical of Buchanan, I must stop to think that his dire warnings remind me of Winston Churchill’s harping throughout the 1930’s that Adolph Hitler had designs on the world. It turned out that Churchill was right all along and his warnings should have been heeded.
Buchanan thinks the sky is falling. Could it be?

Excerpt from review by Dennie Hall. “Day of Reckoning” available through Thomas Dunne, $25.95
(emphasis added)

The Need for Change - Reform is Obvious!

The law assumes innocence until proven guilty. In the case of the indicted State Auditor Jeff McMahan & his wife, lets assume the feds have their facts and figures right!

This latest mess involving an elected official is the 'poster child' for change and reform in several areas of our state system/laws:

1) Prime example of need to expand term limits to ALL elected officials.

2) Prime example of need to revamp top to bottom the lucrative taxpayer funded retirement and benefit 'system' for elected officials, including Legislators.

3) Re-vamp laws and criteria to make sure those proven guilty of any corruption in office will forfeit all taxpayer funded retirement & benefits immediately, including Legislators.

4) Elimination of the redundant and costly abstract system to transfer real property in Oklahoma. This archaic system is nothing more than a glorified copying service. Oklahoma is one of only 1-2 states that still hold to this outdated system while the others have gone on to a much less complicated and almost no cost system of conveying real estate.
Recent news stories clearly show why Oklahoma is still in the 'dark ages' in this area. Its been a ca$h cow for a select few. It's past time to move Oklahoma forward to a co$t friendly and more efficient system like other states enjoy.
-opinion, Grapevine

'THE PEOPLE' Have Every Right to Expect.....

The PEOPLE should have 'zero tolerance' for corruption of any kind from those whose salaries they pay (ie: elected officials.)
The PEOPLE have every right to demand that any corruption be dealt with swiftly and thoroughly and reflect those same feelings of 'zero tolerance' when they go to the ballot box!

The PEOPLE also have the right to expect free, honest, and fair elections! Again, the PEOPLE should demand prosecution of person or persons who violate those rights and are found guilty of manipulating or influencing - by any means - the election(s) and voting system for their own personal greed and gain!

The PEOPLE of Oklahoma should not be burdened with retirement or benefits for ANY elected official found guilty of any type corruption while in office. The PEOPLE need to demand that the Legislators - who work for US - make sure hard working Oklahomans don't have to pay twice for corruption!

APPOINT JONES AUDITOR!

......Sour Grapes......

The people of Oklahoma should demand that former candidate for the State Auditor & Inspector office, Gary Jones, be appointed to fill the position.
Jones lost by a mere handful of votes in 2002.

McMahan was the heir apparent, hand picked by former A & I Clifton Scott, when Scott 'retired'. Jones and others had information on the [now publicly alleged in federal indictments] corruption that was going on with McMahan. Various officials in elected positions, supposed to be protecting Oklahomans from this type activity, closed their eyes & turned a deaf ear in 2002 and years following. Straw donors and monies that were not reported (according to reports) allowed McMahan to pour tons of [illegal] money into this race. Be interesting to see what activity the feds turn up from the 2006 election cycle.

Jones is well qualified to be A & I, with a degree in accounting (licensed CPA) as well as a licensed fraud investigator. The only degree McMahan had is a degree in PE (physical ed). Guess that could come in handy now in the prison exercise yard!

This 'case' is far from over. Some 4 dozen blank subpoenas are in circulation with the closely related Stipegate!

RICO Rules! McMahan and Wife Indicted!

A federal grand jury indicted state Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan and his wife today, accusing them of accepting improper cash and gifts from a southeast Oklahoma businessman.

The nine-count indictment alleges Jeff and Lori McMahan received jewelry, trips and excessive contributions to Jeff McMahan's first campaign in 2002.

In return, the auditor granted special favors to former abstract company owner Steve Phipps, [a Stipe partner] according to the indictment. McMahan's office regulated the abstract industry until Jan. 1.
The Legislature last year created a separate agency for that purpose amid reports of McMahan's ties to Phipps.

The charges against both Jeff McMahan, 47, and Lori McMahan include racketeering, conspiracy and fraud.
Tony Thornton, Oklahoman.

Read all the article at http://newsok.com/article/3194419/1200680777.

Now......who will Henry appoint? 'They' have someone warming-up in the bullpen as 'they' have know for some time this indictment was inevitable.

MY Kind of Man!

“I need a man. A man who can say ‘No.’ A man who rejects Big Nanny government. A man who thinks being president doesn't mean playing Santa Claus. A man who won't panic in the face of economic pain. A man who won't succumb to media-driven sob stories.

A man who can look voters, the media and the Chicken Littles in Congress in the eye and say the three words no one wants to hear in Washington: Suck. It. Up.”

- Columnist Michelle Malkin

Oklahoma considered 'small potatos' - Candidates bypass State!

Tulsa World:

Oklahomans' growing interest in the state's Feb. 5 presidential primary is not likely to be matched by the candidates themselves, political insiders say.
"When you have 20-something states (voting) on one day, everybody is trying to figure out how to maximize their schedules," said state Republican Chairman Gary Jones.

State parties allocate their delegates to their respective national conventions through a series of primaries, caucuses and state conventions. Oklahoma is among 22 states with Democratic primaries or state caucuses and 19 with Republican voting on Feb. 5.

Almost half of both parties' national delegates will be in play on that day.
New York and California will hold their primaries on Feb. 5. So will Illinois, Georgia and New Jersey. Those five states account for about a quarter of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention and about 20 percent of Republican delegates.

Compared to them, Oklahoma doesn't amount to much. It's 47 Democratic delegates (out of a total of 4,049) and 41 Republican delegates (out of a total of 2,380) are only about 1% and just under 2% respectively of delegates at the two parties national conventions.

Just look at the map," said state Democratic Chairman Ivan Holmes. "North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma -- those are states you'd like to have, but they're not top tier in terms of delegates. It's hard to get (candidates) through here."

Jones said he expects Mike Huckabee, John McCain and possibly Fred Thompson to put some resources into Oklahoma. Democrat Barack Obama's campaign was expected to send two full-time staffers into the state Monday. The campaigns of Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, the top two Democrats in the state according to most polls, are also likely to step up their activities in the state.

But money, not votes, has been Oklahoma's main attraction for presidential candidates. All the front-runners in both parties have made fundraising stops in the state.

Personal appearances in the next month are considered unlikely -- but not entirely out of the question. Reports that Obama's wife, Michelle, might visit Tulsa next week were quickly quashed, but speculation continues that she or Obama himself might pass through the state before the primary.

Huckabee was the leading choice of Oklahoma Republicans in an Oklahoma Poll conducted in mid-December, with 29 percent of GOP voters favoring him. John McCain was second at 17 percent with 22 percent undecided.
Clinton had the support of 34 percent of Democrats, with Edwards at 25 percent. Twenty percent were undecided.

While neither Jones nor Holmes thought moving the state's primary up to early February has enhanced its national importance, they both said the campaign has stirred up interest among Oklahoma voters.

The state election board reports voter registrations increased by about 10,000 during the last two months of 2007. The Tulsa County Election Board received 1,600 voter registration forms, many of them changing independents to Republicans or Democrats to vote in the primary, in just three days last week.
Friday was the last day to register or change party affiliations for the Feb. 5 vote.

"We're finding the citizens very much engaged," Jones said. "But things are going to happen so fast and furious in the next few weeks, it's going to be hard for the average person to keep up."

"We've had quite a bit of interest in the last six months," Holmes said, adding that he hopes the Democratic nomination is not decided on Feb. 5.
"If the candidates would continue to battle it out for the next six months, it would be good for the party at the grass-roots level," he said.

Oklahoma goes to polls 'Super Tuesday', February 5. Sample ballots are now available at your local election board.

Tag Agency 'policy' a Rip-Off?

I just returned from the Noble Tag agency where I paid for my car tag renewals for our family car. I normally purchase my tag from LaNoy’s Tag agency or on occasions with Fuson Tag agency, in Norman.
However, today I was in Noble, so I decided to stop and get our tag. My mistake.

I had written my check for $82.50 for the tag renewal. The card from the Tax Commission states that the cost of a new tag was $83.50 which includes a $1 mailing fee. In all of my previous experiences with Fuson and LaNoy’s Tag Agency in Norman, they have always been $1.00 less than mailing it into the State. That should have been the case today.

The representative who was assisting said I owed $83.50 so I questioned her why it was not $82.50 she then showed me my copy from the State tag renewal that showed $83.50. I stated yes, it shows $83.50 but that includes mailing it back to me, since I am here it is not necessary to mail it so the actual cost is only $82.50. She replied “we don't do that" we mail you your copy. I told her that my Norman agency always process es my tag while I wait.
She replied that “we wait and process all the tags at once so you do not have to wait .” She then said, "Well, we are really backlogged and it would take a long time for you to wait to process your tag."

I've been to LaNoy’s and Fuson Tag Agency many times when it was much busier than the Noble agency was at 9:00am today and I've never had to wait more than a couple of minutes. The agent did go ahead and process my tag which took all of 30 seconds. I might also say she was very polite. It's only $1. However, it’s the principle of the matter that I find offensive.

After a few calls I have found that numerous tag agencies across Oklahoma are using this kind of tactic to increase their profits.
According to the Oklahoma Tax Commission, 2,801,369 non-commercial tags (automobile registrations) were issued between July 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007.

Basically, over a period of a year, this equates to over two million dollars that we the taxpayers of Oklahoma are being over charged. There are approximately 300 tag agencies in the state.

Respectfully,
Bobby Cleveland - Norman

Iowa Caucus Today!

Some 300,000 are expected as surverys show one in four has NOT made up their mind! The Nation waits with some interest for evening results!