Rep. Paul Wesselhoft
Oklahoma’s governor wants, and the President Pro Temporary of the Senate has not taken off the table, a bond issue of 180 million to repair the capitol building.
The conservative House killed all bonds issues last session. The House is going to be more conservative this coming session. Again, we will kill all bonds issues. We are not going down the same road as our federal government with indebting our children and grandchildren. Oklahoma does not have a monetary printing press.
Here is what they want: A 25-year bond issue of 180 million with an annual debt service of 9.9 million. This amounts to 70 million dollars of interest! 70 million!
Reporters of “The Oklahoman” and “The Tulsa World” do not do their job. On these issues, they only interview the big three: Governor, Speaker of the House, and the Pro Temporary of the Senate. If you really want to know what will happen, call me, or several of my colleagues. We will give you the whole story.
Hear this: The Oklahoma House, just like last session, will not allow new bonds to further indebt future generations…period.
We propose to pony up and fund millions to repair, first those parts of the capitol building which pose a safety problem. Next session, we will fund additional millions to repair parts of the building, which pose a preservation problem. The next session, we will fund millions to complete the job. All without 70 million interest! The House will save the taxpayers 70 million dollars!
No Oklahoma bonds. We will pay as we go. The decades of bonds are over! I repeat: the decades of bonds are over!
Someone please tell this to our politicians and the two major newspapers because THEY JUST DON’T GET IT!
I predict MASSIVE support for Rep. Wesselhöft on this issue. No more bonds. Appropriate the money or pull it from the Rainy Day Fund – either are acceptable alternatives.
This will piss off the Chamber of Commerce they are the father of all Bonds in Oklahoma.