Tulsa World
Say what?: Democrats were not the only members of the Oklahoma Legislature taken aback by the assertion of Gov. Mary Fallin’s chief counsel that understaffing and low pay have not compromised safety in the Department of Corrections.
Rep. Mike Christian, R-Oklahoma City, called Steve Mullins’ remarks “shocking” and “unconscionable.”
“Current staffing levels have created a ticking time bomb that will have disastrous consequences if we don’t take immediate action to attract and retain correctional officers,” Christian said.
“To state that (corrections officers) should expect to work ongoing mandatory overtime and double shifts is irresponsible and disrespectful to these hard-working Oklahomans,” he said.
Legislative Democrats accused Mullins of trying to cover for bad policy decisions. House Minority Leader Scott Inman pointed out that the Legislature will have $170 million less to appropriate this year than last, yet some Republicans continue to press for an income tax reduction.
“The governor’s blatant disregard for the reality of the precarious situation of Oklahoma’s public safety officers should be alarming to all citizens of our state,” Inman said. “It shouldn’t be surprising, though. She has a long record in her short time in office of undercutting public safety in order to further a foolish fiscal policy of tax cuts at the cost of the safety of everyday Oklahomans.”
We could take all those raises for agency heads and increase DOC salaries with them.
We could cut the Department of Tourism, and split the proceeds – half to income tax reduction, half to DOC.
There are a lot of places to cut if you are willing to limit government and fire some people. That doesn’t mean those people are doing a bad job – it means the job they are doing should perhaps not be done at all by government.