Letters on the Republican Party, income tax cuts, grocery tax cuts, learning from Stillwater

Where is real Republican Party?

In 2016 I relinquished my lifelong Republican Party voter card and switched to a new card showing DEM as my political affiliation. From time to time I had voted for various Democratic candidates when I felt that person better reflected my views and hopes, but generally I had felt comfortable identifying with the party of my parents.

Why switch then? Yes, it was because of my distaste for Mr. Trump’s ego-driven claims that seemed so rude, so ill-tempered, so vile that I couldn’t support his candidacy or the candidacy of others who felt he was capable of leading the country forward. Witnessing his disagreeable behavior continue and worsen during his presidency only solidified that opinion. And here we are eight years later seeing him proclaim that he will abandon our NATO allies and encouraging Mr. Putin to do whatever he wants (see Ukraine, Navalny, etc.), proclaiming he is immune from following the law everyone else adheres to, proclaiming worthless the border agreement our Sen. James Lankford helped craft with the very ingredients Mr. Trump wanted only months before, disrespecting other potential nominees of his party during the primary campaign ...

The list only grows more nauseating with each passing day, all with the backdrop of legal challenges that once made people reconsider their options. What is even more dispiriting is the trail of other Republicans he leaves in his wake who don’t have the fortitude to say the king has no clothes.

Where is the real Republican Party that can put the king of chaos in the rearview mirror and reclaim its rightful place at the table of civil discourse? Republicans and Democrats once counterbalanced each other, providing checks and balances that kept our pendulum from swinging too wildly. Now, we seem to be in what Albert Einstein once called a state of “psychic distemper.”

— Jim Moses, Oklahoma City

More: Letters on 'Patriotism Not Pride' bill, Sen. Lankford, tag proposal, commutation

Income tax cut smaller, less risky

Polling appears to show that eliminating the state portion of the grocery tax is more popular than a quarter of a percent state income tax reduction. Politicians at the Capitol are wafting along with that breeze. But before the Legislature decides what to send to Gov. Stitt, they ought to really think about what they’re doing, and that applies no less to this issue than it does to so many other proposals upon which they vote.

They can’t eliminate the local portion of grocery sales tax without annihilating municipal budgets. Sales taxes are perhaps the most egalitarian method of taxation. And the proposed income tax cut is smaller, simpler and less risky.

Elimination of the state portion of grocery sales tax would mean about $400 million less for the Legislature to spend on state services. Many of those who voice a preference for grocery rather than income tax cuts are really opposed to both, out of concern that it might lead to state budget tightening during a future economic downturn. That’s a legitimate concern and a reason to support the smaller cut, to the income tax. It will also no doubt be easier to surmount the supermajority requirement for tax increases for a quarter point on the income tax as opposed to 4.5% sales tax on groceries, should the need arise.

Reduction of the state income tax is a step to decrease the ability of the Legislature to manipulate us through the tax code. Such exercise of control through exemptions, credits and loopholes is far more difficult through sales taxes. If you like politicians trying to run your life, opposing cuts to the income tax helps them continue doing that. On the other hand, sales taxes apply to nearly everyone including many with nontaxable income and all who don’t follow the law in obtaining or reporting their income.

The only taxation for general operations that cities in Oklahoma recieve is sales tax. Every other state allows municipal governments to access other tax revenue for operational expenses. Eliminating the state portion of grocery taxes would not do away with sales taxes on groceries altogether, although if passed it would encourage proposals to do just that, which would wreck the budget of every city in the state, not to mention confusing and angering multitudes of consumers who will expect no sales tax at the grocery store. We can also expect endless headaches for retailers as they try to keep track of what qualifies as groceries and what doesn’t.

An income tax cut is more simple to implement, less of a disruption to the state budget, easier to reverse if needed, reduces the power of politicians, and doesn’t put cities at risk. A grocery sales tax cut is a can of worms. The Legislature should break its usual pattern and do the smarter thing instead of the more politically popular thing.

― Chris Powell, Bethany, current chair of the Oklahoma Libertarian Party

Engineering not just gadgets, gizmos

Engineers Week took place this past week, Feb. 18-24, with the theme “Welcome to the Future.” It is crucial to recognize the pivotal role engineers play in our lives now. Engineering isn't just about gadgets and gizmos; it is the force propelling us forward, shaping our present and future.

In recent years, we have witnessed remarkable advancements: targeted therapies combating cancer, clean water solutions by civil engineers and sustainable energy sources like hydrogen derived from natural gas. These achievements are not just dreams but tangible realities enhancing our quality of life.

Moreover, engineering safeguards our national security with advanced radar systems while revolutionizing manufacturing through on-demand technologies, bolstering economic stability.

In Oklahoma, the demand for skilled engineers, especially in aerospace, underscores the need for investment in engineering education. Institutions, including the University of Oklahoma’s Gallogly College of Engineering, are leading the charge, fostering the next generation of innovators.

Looking ahead, engineering will continue to shape our state, nation and world. With support and commitment, Oklahoma is primed to lead in discovery and innovation, driving prosperity for generations.

― John Klier, dean of Gallogly College of Engineering, University of Oklahoma

More: Letters on mental health, tax reductions, antisemitism, dialysis, Bob Ravitz

We should learn from Stillwater

Stillwater officials were forced to halt the continuation of construction projects in late spring last year, including crucial updates to the city's heating and cooling system and water infrastructure, due to a 2022 law that made it more difficult for communities in Oklahoma to access critical financing at an affordable price. The city faced an unaffordable price difference when seeking an alternative lender, as the second most affordable option would still cost the town an additional $1.2 million.

Ultimately, Stillwater had to forego several of its proposed renovations, which will negatively impact their residents and families, now and for years to come. My fear is, without a reversal of these misguided, politically motivated policies that aim to punish financial institutions at the expense of taxpayers, the patients I care for daily at my practice, my family and my neighbors throughout Oklahoma could face a similar and completely preventable fate.

We should learn from this example and push our leaders to advocate for policies that prioritize taxpayers and the broader communities' best interests, and I am glad that current legislation in Senate Bill 1510 sponsored by Sen. Chuck Hall would exempt municipalities from this harmful policy. When projects are more expensive, our taxpayer dollars don't stretch as far and we, too, could have to forgo projects that benefit us all, or pay more for the same product. As Stillwater showed, the true cost of these policies is apparent.

— Dr. Cameron Clifford, on behalf of the Oklahoma Rural Association.

If Stitt must, cut grocery tax

I don't get it. We have a governor whose state is falling apart and he wants to cut taxes! If anything, remove sales tax from groceries which would benefit everyone including those who don't pay income taxes anyway. Duh!

― Derel Schrock, Edmond

Whose Christianity would rule?

Gov. Kevin Stitt claimed in 2022 that God and Jesus had given him “spiritual authority” to “claim every square inch” of Oklahoma for God “in the name of Jesus.” His recent State of the State address reiterated that theme and drew a just rebuke from 20 pastors, most of them Christian, who noted his taking Scriptures out of context.

Christians, beware. This talk of a Christian state may stir hearts, but there is a very good reason why the framers of our Constitution outlawed a national religion. They did that to protect citizens’ rights to practice any religion they chose, as long as they didn’t, in Jefferson’s words, “Pick my pocket or break my leg.”

The framers, in the 18th century, well knew that Christians had been slaughtering one another by the tens of thousands for centuries. Protestants against Catholics, Anglicans against Roman Catholics, Anglicans against Puritans, Puritans against Baptists. Yes, the Puritans and Pilgrims considered Baptists heretics. So did Jefferson’s Anglican Virginia, which branded my own Baptist preacher ancestors there heretics and were within their rights to hang them. You see why Jefferson opposed a state religion.

Recent schisms in the Baptist and Methodist denominations remind us that even Protestant Christians disagree about Biblical teachings. Our U.S. Constitution guarantees that these feuds can play out peacefully, without government intervention. But the instant Christianity becomes an enforced national (or state) religion, the framers’ wisdom will be out the window, and there will be violent conflicts about whose Christianity will rule our nation.

— Kris Lackey, Norman

Free thinking made America great

The time has come for all good men/women to come to the aid of their country. Ideological extremism has engulfed this country like a storm cloud just before a tornado. Those whose backs were stood on for generations in order to build this country are now rightfully demanding that they get to eat a piece of that apple pie that they have been cooking, and they also want a seat at the dining room table; not just the crumbs that fell from it.

Those who profess to be shepherds of a higher power have in too many instances surrendered themselves to the power and the glory of power and control over independent minds. Those who identify as intellectually enlightened too often underestimate the power of ideology.

There are no icons or phone apps that will allow intellectualism to override ingrained ideology. Free thinking individualism and multiculturalism is what built this country, and that is what has made America great.

Take our country back; back to where? It sounds to me like a lot of American voters both locally and nationally need to replace those 1950s calendars they are using. The lust for power is putting democracy itself in peril. A strong independent mind will not be beaten into submission.

― James Mitchell, Oklahoma City

How did we get here; coach ponders portal, gaps

In response to Kevin Skiver’s “Student Athlete NIL CEO Jason Belzer accuses Missouri of tampering with Cayden Green" published on Feb. 7:

How did we get here and where do we draw the line? Who draws the line at this point? The institutions, the state, the NCAA, Congress?

While it seems like there is plenty of evidence for concern of tampering in the case of Cayden Green turning his sights to Missouri, who is to say that every school losing athletes to the portal couldn’t make the same argument? It just doesn’t seem like anything that is going away anytime soon. Instead, it is turning into a never-ending search for loopholes and effort to not get caught.

It seems like one of the only viable solutions would be for Congress to pass federal law as an attempt to set a level playing field. When states are allowed to create advantages for their institutions through loose NIL laws that allow for more activity than other states, how can fairness be present?

It will be interesting to see where things go as the gap of competitive advantage continues to grow. Currently, Congress has proposed seven bills that would have major implications on the landscape of NIL in NCAA athletics moving forward.

— Grant Ledbetter, Oklahoma City, Southern Nazarene University head baseball coach

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Letters on the Republican Party, tax cuts, learning from Stillwater