Here are excerpts from recent editorials in Oklahoma newspapers:
Stillwater News Press. Jan. 14, 2018.
The War on Drugs will not be won in a hail of bullets. It certainly wasn’t won by knocking down the doors of crack dens in the 80s. But a battle could be won in the courtroom, and it could possibly create a chain-reaction that deals a major blow to the demand side of the supply-and-demand dynamic.
Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter successfully brought opioid manufacturers to trial, where he said he hopes to “hold them accountable” for an epidemic that has a death toll larger than our current wars in the Middle East.
Hunter filed the suit in June, a motion to dismiss was ruled against last December, and they are currently in the discover phase - in which lawyers work to gather information and evidence prior to trial. That trial date was set by Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman for May 2019.
Anything could happen between now and then, but Balkman told the News Press that this was not a “sue and settle” case. His goal is to get monetary damages for the state that could then be used to fund treatment and addiction. If the demand decreases, so will the supply.
Hunter and his team will have to prove drug manufacturers created addicts by misleading doctors and patients about the addictive nature of the drugs, or by trying to convince people to take drugs that they didn’t need in the first place.
Yes, there is a measure of personal responsibility, there are physicians running pill mills and pharmacies and distributers who have put profits over people, but why not start at the source? The tobacco industry now funds the anti-smoking campaign. The same could happen with the pharmaceutical industry. It won’t be easy, but it’s a worthy endeavor for this AG’s office and others around the country.
Congratulations to Hunter and his office for getting their day in court. Thanks to him for taking an approach that doesn’t look to penalize people for their addictions.
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The Oklahoman. Jan. 16, 2018.
For many residents of northeast Oklahoma City, going to the grocery store has been a trek for the past 20-plus years. No longer. The recent opening of a Save-A-Lot has brought food and a spark to the area.
The 18,000-square-foot store is located at the Northeast Town Center, in the 1100 block of NE 36. In the early 1960s, the same area was home to a Safeway grocery store, Cherry’s Cafeteria, a TG&Y and other retailers. By the 1990s, the site was mostly abandoned.
John Pettis, Ward 7 councilman, has helped lead efforts to revitalize the area. The Save-A-Lot is the first of what Pettis hopes will be several new businesses in the coming years.
“People are actually excited about this, and that means something,” Pettis told The Oklahoman’s David Dishman. “I’m just excited along with the community.”
Save-A-Lot would appear to be a perfect fit. By offering affordable produce and fresh meats, the store is putting a dent in a “food desert,” which the U.S. Department of Agriculture defines in urban areas as low-income areas where at least one-third of the population lives more than a mile from the nearest supermarket, supercenter or large grocery store.
In addition, the store’s owner, Honor Capital, comprises military veterans on a mission to reduce food deserts nationwide. The Oklahoma City store is Honor Capital’s ninth.
The organization originally set out to provide affordable housing to low-income areas, but soon recognized the need for fresh and affordable food. Marcus Scarborough, a Navy vet and co-owner of Honor Capital, said Save-A-Lot is a good fit for the firm because the stores fit well in smaller communities, and they carry fresh produce and meat.
“If we can go out there, attack it (food access) and continue to serve our country this way, then let’s do it,” Scarborough said. “Food access should be a basic human right.”
For too many in Oklahoma, that isn’t the case. Fifty-four of the state’s 77 counties have “food deserts.” (In rural areas, the designation applies to areas that are low income and located more than 10 miles from the nearest supermarket or good-sized grocery store).
The effort to revitalize northeast Oklahoma City has been underway for the past several years. Groundbreaking was held in 2016 on the shopping center that houses the new store. The project is being developed as part of a Northeast Renaissance tax increment finance district.
A Dollar Tree store is also open in the shopping center. Pettis said he believes the opening of the grocery store will spur other retail activity.
Scarborough recalls opening Honor Capital’s first Save-A-Lot, in his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, in what was considered a “rough part of town.”
“The one thing I learned is the people who live in these communities perceived as ’bad’ - they’re just like us and they need groceries,” he said. Amen.
We salute Honor Capital’s ranks for their military service, and for their ongoing commitment to serve the less fortunate.
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Tulsa World. Jan. 16, 2018
The second-ranking member of the state House of Representatives has introduced a measure to ease State Questions 640’s grip on Oklahoma’s future.
Speaker Pro Tempore Harold Wright, R-Weatherford, introduced House Joint Resolution 1032, a proposed constitutional amendment to lower the legislative majority needed to pass tax bills from 75 percent to 60 percent.
The idea and similar ones have been kicked around the state Capitol for years, but rarely have they gotten any momentum. Indeed, Rep. Monroe Nichols, D-Tulsa, proposed lowering the threshold to a simple majority last year, but his plan made no progress.
This summer’s struggles with the 75 percent mandate during the legislative special sessions and the endorsements of the 60 percent idea in the Oklahoma State Chamber’s OK2030 plan and the recent Step Up Oklahoma agenda for state government reform seem to have given the idea new impetus.
Good.
The 75 percent margin is unobtainable and undemocratic. There will always be a 25 percent minority in either the House or Senate dedicated to blocking any needed legislation, especially ideas that involve higher taxes. SQ 640 empowers ideological and partisan minorities and throttles the state’s future.
Whether they admit it or not, everyone from the governor to the freshest rookie in the Legislature knows Oklahoma’s budget problems are caused by a revenue problem, not a spending problem. We just don’t have enough money to do what must be done, and SQ 640 keeps it that way.
Philosophically, we prefer Nichols’ simple majority proposal, but, practically, we recognize that Wright’s 60 percent idea has a better chance, and therefore, we’re all for it.
If a top member of the state House leadership is ready to do battle for this essential reform, then may God bless him and speed his path to success.
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