Governor Fallin's Facebook Town Hall

The Oklahoma Republican Party is kicking off a series of town hall meetings on Facebook with a session with Governor Fallin. They are asking constituents to submit questions for the Governor on Facebook or through Twitter. I submitted some questions last week but for some reason they keep disappearing. I guess Facebook is being glitchy. Or maybe it's just my computer.

Anyway, the questions I attempted to post had to do with the growth of state government, Oklahoma's casket cartel, and ObamaCare. So far the question about ObamaCare is still up, but the question I really want Governor Fallin to answer is this one:

Governor: In your State of the State Address, you said: "the growth of government shouldn’t outpace growth in the private sector". Why do you think government should be allowed to continue to grow? Why not actually reduce the size of government?

The Governor's Town Hall starts at noon on Thursday, August 4th.

Close the agencies!

Editorial writers across Oklahoma are breathing a sigh of relief as news comes in of increased tax revenues, relieving them of the burden of facing the possibility that budget cuts might actually lead to the closing of some government agencies.

Well, good for them, I suppose. I think the Right has really dropped the ball and is wimping out on the issue of reducing government - as evidenced by Gov. Fallin's crack about "right-sizing" government in her State of the State address.

More tax revenue means more government. The government's power to restrict our freedom will not be reduced until the the size of the government is reduced. It is past time to face the fact that any genuinely structural reduction in government has to involve closing agencies. I keep getting asked: "Where would you start?" Meaning: which agencies would I close first?

Anything not directly involved in protecting the individual rights of Oklahomans to their lives, liberty, property and pursuit of happiness is fair game. This leaves just about everything outside of the legislature, courts and police.

Okay, here's my list:

ABLE Commission
ABLE Tech
Abstractors Board
Accountancy Board
Accrediting Agency, State
Aeronautics Commission
Alcohol and Drug Counselors Board
Anatomical Board
Architects Board
Arts Council
Athletic Commission, Oklahoma State
Center for Advancement of Science & Technology - OCAST
Chiropractic Examiners
Climatological Survey
Commerce Department
Commercial Pet Breeders, State Board
Commission on the Status of Women
Community Hospitals Authority
Conservation Commission
Construction Industries Board
Consumer Credit Department
Corporation Commission
Cosmetology Board
Dentistry Board
Development Finance Authority
EDGE Fund Policy Board
Energy Resources Board
Environment Secretary
Environmental Finance Authority
Faith-Based & Community Initiatives
Film and Music Office
Foresters, State Board of Registration for
Funeral Board
Geological Survey
Group Self-Insurance Association Guaranty Fund Board
Historical Society
Horse Racing Commission
Individual Self-Insured Guaranty Fund Board
Industrial Finance Authority
Interstate Oil Compact Commission
LP Gas Research, Marketing and Safety Commission
Licensed Social Workers Board
Liquefied Petroleum Gas Board
Literacy Initiatives Commission
Long Term Care Administrators Board
Lottery Commission
Marginal Well Commission
Medical Licensure and Supervision Board
Medical Technology and Research Authority of Oklahoma
Motor Vehicle Commission
Municipal Power Authority
Music Hall of Fame
Nursing, Oklahoma Board of
Oklahoma Forestry Services
Optometry Board
Osteopathic Examiners Board
Peanut Commission
Perfusionists Board of Examiners
Pharmacy Board
Physical Fitness and Sports, Governor's Council on
Physician Manpower Training Commission
Podiatric Medical Examiners Board
Private Vocational Schools Board
Professional Engineers & Land Surveyors Licensure Board
Psychologists Examiners Board
Real Estate Appraiser Board
Real Estate Commission
Santa Claus Commission
Scenic Rivers Commission
Secretary of Energy, Office of
Securities Commission
Sheep and Wool Commission
Sorghum Commission
Southern Growth Policies Board
Space Industry Development Authority
Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology Board
Wheat Commission

Mind you, this is just a first draft. In going through the complete list of state agencies at www.ok.gov I notice that the state does a LOT of licensing of professionals in various fields. Eliminating that licensing would go a long way to restoring the freedom of Oklahomans to do business in the state.

Notice also that I haven't even touched health & education, both of which should ultimately be on a completely free and open market with no government involvement whatsoever.

I am, of course, aware that there is more involved in eliminating an agency than just closing offices. Agencies are created by statutes and constitutional mandates. Closing agencies will require changing - and eliminating - a lot of unjust laws. Of course, one way to start this whole process is by defunding these agencies.

But at least it's a beginning: 77 agencies (unless I've miscounted).

Let the debate begin! What agencies do you think should be closed?