Here are excerpts from recent editorials in Oklahoma newspapers:
Enid News & Eagle, April 29, 2016
Give us the weather facts, not the hype
For days leading up to Tuesday we heard dire predictions of severe weather, including the chance for long-track, violent tornadoes.
We all know what happened was far less than that. There were some reports of tornadoes, but mostly what we saw was large hail in some places and strong wind gusts. The tornadoes that did form were short-lived and not in the violent category. Now, a lot of people are playing the blame game, trying to point a finger at who is at fault for hyping up what some say was a bust of a storm system.
One term many had not heard before was thrown out Tuesday to the public - “particularly dangerous situation.” That warning came from the people at National Weather Service and the Storm Prediction Center and then was spread by television meteorologists and others.
But, exactly what was the “particularly dangerous situation”? Was it for tornadoes? Was it for hail? Was it for strong wind gusts?
Communications got muddled by the time word came to the public. On Tuesday the Storm Prediction Center predicted the central United States had a “moderate risk” of severe weather based on a 45 percent chance of 1-inch hail, with at least a 10 percent chance of 2-inch hail. The center said there was a lesser risk of tornadoes.
Unfortunately, some people seemed to lock onto the word tornadoes. Kim Klockow, a visiting scientist at National Weather Service who studies meteorology and human behavior, told The Associated Press some broadcasters talked up tornadoes as though they were certain to develop.
The situation led the Mid-Del school district in the Oklahoma City metro area to announce Monday schools would be closed Tuesday.
Many other organizations around the state, including in Enid, canceled events Tuesday because of the threat of severe weather.
Given that the storms weren’t as bad as many people expected, we would hate to see people look at what happened and decide to start ignoring warnings in the future. That has potential to cause a tragedy.
What we need is for everyone involved in storm forecasting, from NWS and the Storm Prediction Center on down to television meteorologists to local emergency management officials, to be on the same page.
While it’s wise to remain safe and weather aware, the public needs honest, factual information and not hype.
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The Journal Record, May 2, 2016
End highway robbery
Kyle Loveless had the right idea. And it went nowhere.
The Republican state senator was the author of Senate Bill 838, which suffered a quiet death in the Judiciary Committee under the guidance of the committee’s chairman, Anthony Sykes, R-Moore. SB 838 would have changed the state’s asset forfeiture law in two important ways. It would have limited police agencies’ ability to seize assets to cases where someone was convicted of a crime, and it would have sent the money to the general revenue fund instead of directly into law enforcement coffers.
If there was any remaining doubt that some police agencies play fast and loose with asset forfeiture to pad their budgets, the recent boondoggle in Muskogee County should eliminate any lingering doubt. There, the sheriff’s department pulled over Dallas resident Eh Wah for a broken brake light, detained him for six hours and confiscated more than $53,000 in cash. There was no evidence of drugs; none was found on Wah or in his car. The cash was money raised by a Christian rock band to benefit an orphanage; Wah is the band’s volunteer tour manager.
The county returned the money after intense media scrutiny. But the way it works for most people is that the policing agency keeps the money unless the person can afford to go to court and prove it’s theirs. In this case, Wah would have had to return to Muskogee County from his home in Dallas.
There is nothing illegal about carrying cash, even if it’s destined for somewhere less altruistic than an overseas orphanage. It doesn’t matter if it’s $5, $50,000, or $500,000 - carrying cash is perfectly legal. Using a badge to steal the money for your department should not be.
Last week, the governor signed a bill that would allow people like Wah to recover their attorney’s fees if they have to go to court to get their money back. That might make a few more lawyers interested in taking asset forfeiture cases.
But it’s a weak step compared to Loveless’ proposal, which would have taken away the incentive for law enforcement to steal from the people they’re supposed to protect.
We implore the Legislature to find a way to curtail this system of highway robbery. Sykes should admit his mistake of refusing to hear the bill and find a way to reform a broken system.
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The Oklahoman, May 2, 2016
Oklahoma lawmakers should learn from incentive problems
Lawmakers seeking funds to fill a massive budget shortfall are looking at potential changes to some of Oklahoma’s numerous tax incentive programs. That’s sensible - with a $1.3 billion deficit looming for the fiscal year that begins July 1, a host of options should be discussed.
Yet as they go forward, not just in this trying budget year but in years ahead, policymakers should glean a few lessons related to tax breaks and incentives.
One is that all credits should be reviewed occasionally, to see if they’re doing what they were expected to do. The Legislature wisely took a step in this direction a year ago when it approved formation of a panel whose job is to evaluate incentives and provide lawmakers with a scorecard. The panel’s first report is expected to be handed over to the Legislature this month.
As they consider future credits, lawmakers need to obtain thorough data on the state’s potential return on investment. We’re not sure ROI research has been central to this process through the years.
Lawmakers also ought to consider placing caps on incentive programs when they’re launched. This was among the recommendations included in a report last year by the Pew Charitable Trusts, which noted problems Oklahoma and other states have experienced.
Pew also recommended that recipients be barred from redeeming more money in tax credits than they owe in taxes, and that businesses be required to provide advance notice of program participation. Oklahoma has been impacted in particular by the latter problem, Pew noted.
One program makes manufacturers entitled to exemptions on local property taxes for five years when they build or expand, with the state reimbursing local governments for the lost tax revenue. Yet Oklahoma “does not have a role in the program until after localities request reimbursements,” Pew said. That’s a problem.
Lawmakers should learn from programs that have worked well. One of those is the Oklahoma Quality Jobs Act, which provides tax credits for manufacturers to create jobs in the state. No money is provided up front. Instead, companies can apply for credits only after they certify that they have hired workers at specified wages.
This program, which has been modified a few times, isn’t perfect - does any incentive program meet that standard? - but it is largely performance-based, which is laudable. And, it has been tremendously successful since its creation in 1994, with participants such as Dell Inc., the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, Hertz Corp. and Boeing Co.
Boeing offers an example of an incentive program that has worked as intended. In 2008, the Legislature approved a plan that gives new engineers state income tax credits for up to five years if they choose to work for an Oklahoma aerospace company. The companies also get limited income tax credits. Boeing has been growing like gangbusters in Oklahoma, bringing on 500 new hires in the past year with plans to hire another 600 by the end of 2016.
Vic Bird, head of the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, says the aerospace credit is the only one of its kind in the United States and has helped not only
Boeing, but other aerospace companies in the state. The credits cost the state $3.5 million in 2009, Bird says, but produced 340 engineering jobs that translated into an economic impact estimated at $270 million. By any measure, that’s a winning formula.
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