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?

Due Credit

Here's an interesting ad I noticed while perusing the website of Time Out Mumbai:

Take a tour through Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum. The tour introduces you to the enterprise of the slum dwellers. You will see the various small scale industries buzzing inside the slum: from leather tanneries, to pottery, plastic recycling, cloth dyeing, cleaning and recycling of oil drums, and machine-tool making. Reality Tours and Travels.

Some slum!

This certainly makes it appear that the poor in India have more initiative than I credited them with in my previous post - though without more information to establish a proper context I don't know just how effective this actually makes them at rising above their poverty. Obviously, some of them are trying.

Lessons from India

I've been fascinated for some time now with what's going on in India. Now there's a story in the New York Times that leads me to think that India is moving along even faster than I had dared hope:

In India, Dynamism Wrestles With Dysfunction

There is so much I could say about this article, I don't even know where to begin. Reading the article brought to mind so many points made in the writings of Ayn Rand and others about the role of government, the nature & application of rights, law and objectivity, the nature of Capitalism and so much more.

And how many of these lessons can be applied to Oklahoma?

I have posted some comments on Facebook but at this point I have more questions than answers.

The article makes it seem like the poor in Gurgaon are waiting for the government to do things for them. Why aren't they taking the intitiative to solve their own problems?

Gurgaon is depicted as being close to anarchy. What does this say about "anarcho-capitalism"? The rape of the Gurgaon woman in New Delhi - which New Delhi refused to do anything about - strikes me as proof that "competing governments" don't work. Why doesn't Gurgaon sue New Delhi?

There is so much in this article that speaks to Ayn Rand's writings on the role of government. Gurgaon's "municipal corporation" seems more interested in infrastructure than protecting individual rights. Where are the courts? How are property rights protected?

The story shows why a police force is a legitimate function of a government based on individual rights, NOT just an item on a laundry list of "essential services".

Gurgaon needs 3 things: objective laws that protect individual rights, including property rights. Courts to uphold those rights by settling disagreements. Police to protect the rights of the people of Gurgaon.

When Gurgaon takes over smaller cities, it is violating the rights of the residents of those cities. That needs to stop.

Whether you think Gurgaon is the most exciting social experiment on Earth right now or not, it certainly is fascinating and I hope I will be able to follow this story as it develops.

So what do you think? Post your comments here or join the discussion on Facebook!

There is also a reader discussion of this article going on at the NYTimes.

Catching up

I've been posting a lot more to Facebook than I have to this blog, lately. Yes, I've been lazy! So, if you really want to keep up, check out The Oklahoma Capitalist on Facebook! Don't forget to "Like" it while you're there!

Here are some of the links I've posted in the last few days:

Government Doesn't Create Jobs

Union war brews at WinStar casino

USDA fines Missouri family $90k for selling a few rabbits without a license

Holding Mrs. Warren Accountable

The Morality War: Dear Elizabeth Warren, get out of the way!

Bethany CEO becomes first woman to lead Oklahoma Bankers Association

Banking leader backs Oklahoma native Elizabeth Warren for consumer protection agency head

Making way for MAPS 3: OKC files eminent domain lawsuits

Also, my opinion of health insurance exchanges drew some comment when I posted it on the Facebook page of the OKC Tea Party.

Don't forget to follow The Oklahoma Capitalist on Twitter!

Getting government out of the way

Here's a story in the Tulsa World that makes me wonder just how much Oklahoma's economy is being held back by government intervention. At the same time it makes me think that pro-Capitalism efforts on the local level just might be able to make the most immediate impact.

Admiral Twin sets groundbreaking ceremony for rebuilding effort

Smith initially said he was aiming for a July 4 re-opening of the 60-year-old drive-in, where crews from Ark Wrecking were seen removing debris on Wednesday.

Everything from zoning issues and safety code concerns to replacing the burned-up electrical system and fabricating steel for the new tower have delayed the opening date to August.

"We tried to hit the ground running (after obtaining a Small Business Administration loan), but it hasn't happened that way," he said. "There's more red tape than the public realizes, more hoops to jump through."

As the owner of a seasonal business, no one wanted the drive-in to re-open sooner than Smith.

"Opening in August means that we've missed the best three months of the season for a drive-in," he said. "The drive-in is going to open this summer, but certainly not when I had hoped."

"Zoning issues"

"Safety code"

"Red tape"

What zoning issues should an existing business have to deal with? Why would there be any issue unless the original zoning had been changed? Why would the zoning be changed? If the zoning was changed, why wouldn't the change account for existing businesses?

These are just some of the things that everyone looking to start a business in Oklahoma has to deal with day in and day out. How many of them become discouraged by it and change their minds about opening or locating their business here?

Stories like this convince me that every effort made to reduce regulation in Oklahoma will have a positive effect on the state's economy.

You call this Independence?

If we're just going to do what Washington wants us to do anyway, how is that any kind of independence?

Today's The Oklahoman carries an op-ed by Tina Majors in support of FallinCare, Gov. Fallin's plan to create a health insurance exchange in Oklahoma. The timing is interesting considering the legislature ended its session last week.

A few excerpts:

"One of the great things about Oklahoma and Oklahomans is our fierce independence from the federal government. When we see a problem, we fix it ourselves. We don't wait for the big brother of the federal government to come in and over-regulate a problem. . . . "

"I support efforts to repeal Obamacare, but given the makeup of our federal judiciary and their penchant for liberal rulings, I have doubts about the lawsuit to stop it being entirely successful, regardless of its merits. I want Oklahoma to create every possible barrier to a federal takeover of our health care. And building our own network is another way to do this. . . . "

"Oklahoma isn't in the habit of letting the federal government keep us from doing what is right. Today, we can't let our anger at their attempted takeover of health care stop us from reforming our own system. The right solution is in creating and controlling our own Oklahoma-centric health care network."

Here's the comment I posted:

Romneycare.

Seriously, is Fallin still trying to push this on us? There is no difference between federal over-regulation and state over-regulation. A government run insurance exchange violates the rights of insurers, doctors and patients. We should reject a state-run exchange for the same reason we should reject the federal-run exchange. What difference is there between the state forcing people to buy health insurance and the federal government forcing people to buy health insurance? NONE.

And PLEASE stop with the scare tactics that do nothing but insult our intelligence: "Oh, we've got to do something or the feds will force it on us!" Well, of course they will if we don't STAND UP FOR OURSELVES! So why should we lay down just so you can run over us? Are you saying it's better if our own state government does it?

The ONLY way to address rising health care costs and lack of coverage is to get the government OUT OF THE WAY on EVERY level.

Set the health care industry free!