The Oklahoman, May 9, 2012.
Oklahoma finally paying overdue storm bills
Oklahoma turned 100 years old on Nov. 16, 2007. About a month later, an ice storm of historic proportions hit much of the state. To take this history lesson forward, it took another four-plus years for local governments to be repaid for their part in coping with the calamity.
And to take this into the future, the state needs a better plan for dealing with natural disasters, of which Oklahoma history is unfortunately full.
A $34.1 million supplemental appropriation will help catch up with a backlog of bills due to local governments for disaster relief. The most overdue of these bills dates to February 2007.
The appropriation is designed to reimburse cities, counties, utilities and other jurisdictions. Most disaster assistance is paid by the federal government, but the portion the state was supposed to cover has been going unpaid.
Here's some more history: For nearly 60 years, Oklahoma has had more officially declared disasters than any state other than Texas and California, each of which covers far more territory. Since 2007, Oklahoma has been the national leader in declared disasters.
Yet the state has an inadequate plan for dealing with future disasters. Bixby City Manager Doug Enevoldsen, who's also worked in state government, told the Tulsa World's Wayne Greene that it's time to do better. He suggests a dedicated revenue source for an emergency fund with an annual appropriation of $4 million.
"Logic suggests and experience suggests that there's going to be additional disasters in the future," Enevoldsen said, "and wouldn't it be prudent to prepare for that in advance by beginning to provide for some additional dollars?"
Indeed it would. Not only logic but a century's worth of history suggests that the state will be paying for disaster assistance one way or another. It should at least be paying for it when the bill comes due — not five years later.
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Tulsa World, May 10, 2012.
Puppy-mill legislation may eliminate standards
It's bad enough that lawmakers don't come up with satisfactory measures to address problems they should be tackling. It's even worse when, for questionable reasons, they undo the decent work that they have accomplished.
That's what appears to be in the making with House Bill 2921, which in effect guts legislation passed several years ago that would have placed some minimal standards on pet breeders.
The legislation passed back then was in response to regular reports about so-called "puppy mills," where animals sometimes face inhumane and even horrific conditions. For years, Oklahoma has been known as one of the nation's top puppy producers, in part because of the lax standards here for breeding operations.
Thanks to ongoing publicity and growing public support, lawmakers finally passed a measure that established a commercial pet breeders board and some standards of care for pet breeding facilities.
But some breeders fought back and apparently have won the support of some lawmakers.
The latest version of HB 2921 calls for the state Department of Agriculture to "establish standards for care" for commercial breeders. It would eliminate rules that had been drafted by the pet breeders board and also would do away with that board.
The newest version also does not require that any new standards at least meet federal minimum standards for care.
"We thought that we ought to let the Department of Ag decide what standards of care should be adopted," Rep. Phil Richardson, R-Minco, told House conferees. "Things kind of change within any industry, and as they change, it would allow them some more discretion to establish what good care should be."
In other words, if this bill becomes law, there will be no state standards for breeding operations until the state Agriculture Department comes up with some. Given the way this issue is playing out, it does not seem likely a state regulatory agency is going to get tough with problem breeders.
One of the lawmakers behind the changes said as much. "We thought that we ought to let the Department of Ag decide what standards of care should be adopted," Rep. Phil Richardson, R-Minco, told House conferees. "Things kind of change within any industry, and as they change, it would allow them some more discretion to establish what good care should be."
Things change all right, but basics such as veterinary care, feeding, watering, shelter, exercise and socialization are well-established. Why not require some basic standards for creatures that are totally dependent on us? Unfortunately, we all know the answer.
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The Enid News and Eagle, May 13, 2012.
Difficult decisions ahead on future of death penalty
And then there was one.
After the May 1 execution of Michael B. Selsor, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections spokesman said a single vial of the anesthetic pentobarbital remained.
Oklahoma administers executions using a three-drug cocktail of an anesthetic, along with paralyzing vecuronium bromide and heart-stopping potassium chloride.
In 2011, pentobarbital's Danish manufacturer blocked sales of the drug to prison systems conducting executions. The sedative is commonly used in animal euthanasia, but Oklahoma is one of two states using it in executions as the supply of another anesthetic, sodium thiopental, dwindled as its U.S. manufacturer reportedly halted production.
Now Oklahoma must decide how to proceed.
State Rep. Don Armes, R-Faxon, urged legislators Wednesday to help the DOC continue to execute death row inmates despite the shortage.
Armes stressed time is of the essence to pursue feasible options and prevent delaying any future executions.
DOC spokesman Jerry Massie told Reuters Oklahoma could try another anesthetic, track down existing supplies of pentobarbital or even return to sodium thiopental.
"It's available, but you run into the same kind of problem," Massie told Reuters. "Companies don't want to use it for executions."
Per capita, Oklahoma ranked No. 1 in state execution rates in 2010, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
Despite the frequency of state executions, the Rev. Edward Weisenburger of Oklahoma City's Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help has said spiritual leaders have a moral responsibility to speak out against capital punishment. According to the Oklahoma Innocence Clinic, our state ranks in the top 10 nationally in the number of known wrongful convictions of innocent people.
At our nonscientific online poll at enidnews.com, we asked readers to suggest our state's next move regarding capital punishment.
A majority of readers, 53.41 percent, said Oklahoma should go back to the electric chair or firing squad. However, 26.14 percent suggested implementing a death penalty moratorium. Only 20.45 percent opted to continue executions with pentobarbital or switch back to sodium thiopental.
Several readers commented via our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/enidnews(hash)!/enidnews. Michelle Garnett lobbied for bringing back public hangings, while Kathy Lohse King suggested scarlet letters.
We have lots of suggestions, but no easy answers. Massie said Oklahoma has 60 death row inmates, but, fortunately, no more executions are scheduled this year. That gives us some time to make a wise decision.