Saturday, June 30, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
The Wit & Wisdom of Republican Leader Mitch McConnell
As gas prices continue to fall in Tulsa and around the nation, it's interesting to recall the way the Republicans attacked President Obama for his supposed role in raising gas prices.
Here, for instance, is the brilliant political/economic analysis of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the sage of Kentucky, speaking in February of this year:
Here, for instance, is the brilliant political/economic analysis of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the sage of Kentucky, speaking in February of this year:
This President will go to any length to drive up gas prices and pave the way for his ideological agenda.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Oklahoma's Shame: A Grandstanding Legislature (oh, and Governor, too)
AltTulsa has been out of touch lately—don't ask—but even with one eye open we've noticed that the Republican leadership 'round these parts has been, well, dumb.
That's the conclusion of one of our favorite observers of the state scene is Arnold Hamilton, editor of The Oklahoma Observer and a columnist for Urban Tulsa Weekly.
In a recent review of the legislative session, Hamilton noted that our elected official are remarkably good at "offering solutions in search of problems."
As an example, Hamilton cites a GOP favorite, the "open carry law," which allows folks with concealed carry permits to strap on a six-shooter for all the world to see.
Hee-Haw! It's gun-totin' time in SoonerLand!
Hamilton's comment: "My goodness—is that really the message we want to send to the rest of the country? You think the brightest minds and best companies will be pining to relocate to a state that thinks it's still ensconced in the wild, wild west?"
Or what about the new law that mandates drug tests for welfare recipients? The Republicans love this idea, since we all know there are thousands of free-loadin' druggies on the dole.
Except, as Hamilton notes, they aren't. "This law does not do anything of significance that DHS wasn't already doing," Hamilton notes.
He continues:
The state's leaders pose and bluster, all the better to polish their far-right credentials. As for tacking the state's real problems—well, those are hard. They can't be bothered with that stuff.
As Hamilton notes, "real leadership is in short supply at the state Capitol these days."
That's the conclusion of one of our favorite observers of the state scene is Arnold Hamilton, editor of The Oklahoma Observer and a columnist for Urban Tulsa Weekly.
In a recent review of the legislative session, Hamilton noted that our elected official are remarkably good at "offering solutions in search of problems."
As an example, Hamilton cites a GOP favorite, the "open carry law," which allows folks with concealed carry permits to strap on a six-shooter for all the world to see.
Hee-Haw! It's gun-totin' time in SoonerLand!
Hamilton's comment: "My goodness—is that really the message we want to send to the rest of the country? You think the brightest minds and best companies will be pining to relocate to a state that thinks it's still ensconced in the wild, wild west?"
Or what about the new law that mandates drug tests for welfare recipients? The Republicans love this idea, since we all know there are thousands of free-loadin' druggies on the dole.
Except, as Hamilton notes, they aren't. "This law does not do anything of significance that DHS wasn't already doing," Hamilton notes.
He continues:
This was Grandstanding 101—yet another triumph of style over substance, giving [Gov. Mary] Fallin and Co. a platform to hoodwink rabid rednecks into believing the state's Powers-That-Be are pokin' a stick in the eyes of those who dare get sumthin' for nuthin'.Well put, Arnold.
The state's leaders pose and bluster, all the better to polish their far-right credentials. As for tacking the state's real problems—well, those are hard. They can't be bothered with that stuff.
As Hamilton notes, "real leadership is in short supply at the state Capitol these days."
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Oklahoma Is Beer Country—Really
True, the Sooner state is not known as a beer-maker's paradise, but there are some interesting (and tasty!) developments in Oklahoma brewing.
We would note, for instance, recent releases from Tulsa's Marshall Brewing Company. For summer sipping, Marshall recently released its Arrowhead Pale Ale. The brew has been described as "an American pale ale crafted as a lighter, more quaffable ale that is complemented by a unique aromatic citrus notes from its hops."
Quoted in the Tulsa World, brew master Eric Marshall said Arrowhead was very popular last summer, which promoted the brewery to release this year's batch earlier in the season.
A link to Marshall Brewing is here.
Meanwhile, the historic Choc Beer Company in tiny Krebs, Oklahoma, just won a silver medal for its Choc 1919 beer at the 2012 Brewers Association World Beer Cup. The 1919 beer is an American-Style Wheat Beer.
The World Beer Cup, we understand, included 799 breweries from 54 countries and 45 U.S. states. Given the scope of the competition, we're pretty confident that Choc 1919 will be worth trying one of these hot summer afternoons.
For more information about Choc beer, click here.
ALSO: In case you missed it, Urban Tulsa Weekly published a "summer brew" cover story a few weeks back. You can read their beer reviews here.
We would note, for instance, recent releases from Tulsa's Marshall Brewing Company. For summer sipping, Marshall recently released its Arrowhead Pale Ale. The brew has been described as "an American pale ale crafted as a lighter, more quaffable ale that is complemented by a unique aromatic citrus notes from its hops."
Quoted in the Tulsa World, brew master Eric Marshall said Arrowhead was very popular last summer, which promoted the brewery to release this year's batch earlier in the season.
A link to Marshall Brewing is here.
Meanwhile, the historic Choc Beer Company in tiny Krebs, Oklahoma, just won a silver medal for its Choc 1919 beer at the 2012 Brewers Association World Beer Cup. The 1919 beer is an American-Style Wheat Beer.
The World Beer Cup, we understand, included 799 breweries from 54 countries and 45 U.S. states. Given the scope of the competition, we're pretty confident that Choc 1919 will be worth trying one of these hot summer afternoons.
For more information about Choc beer, click here.
ALSO: In case you missed it, Urban Tulsa Weekly published a "summer brew" cover story a few weeks back. You can read their beer reviews here.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Monday, June 4, 2012
Ron Paul Backers vs. Oklahoma GOP in 'Raucous' Oklahoma State Convention
This is old news, but it's worth a moment to recall the fun and games of last month's Republican state convention in Oklahoma City.
It was a "rollicking" good time, according to press reports, complete with some philosophical (and physical!) fights between Rep. Ron Paul's rabid believers and more mainstream Oklahoma Republicans.
Here are some of the lowlights, as reported by Michael McNutt of The Oklahoman:
The GOP hijinks remind us of the old Will Rogers quip: "I'm not a member of any organized political party. I'm a Democrat."
In the Sooner state today, that applies to the Republicans.
It was a "rollicking" good time, according to press reports, complete with some philosophical (and physical!) fights between Rep. Ron Paul's rabid believers and more mainstream Oklahoma Republicans.
Here are some of the lowlights, as reported by Michael McNutt of The Oklahoman:
• Paul backers booed Oklahoma Gov. Mary FallinWow! Thanks to Paul's zealots, Oklahoma Republicans were—and are—an unorganized mess. For those of us on the other side of the aisle, this is good news.
• Paul backers booed former Minnesota governor and presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty
• A Paul supporter reported being hit in the head by Romney supporter
• The convention got "slogged down" in fights over credentials, so much so that Gov. Pawlenty's luncheon speech had to be cancelled and luncheon money refunded
The GOP hijinks remind us of the old Will Rogers quip: "I'm not a member of any organized political party. I'm a Democrat."
In the Sooner state today, that applies to the Republicans.
Will Tulsa Rep. John Sullivan Go Down in Flames?
Rep. John Sullivan is nobody's idea of a heavyweight. If anything, the First District congressman is a ineffective right-wing cipher, a politician with no vision beyond getting himself reelected by thoroughly inattentive GOP voters.
But this election season, Sullivan may have met his match. His challenger this year, Jim Bridenstine, is more accomplished and smarter than Sullivan—that's a really low bar, of course—and even more Hard Right.
In Oklahoma, Republicans can never be too far right—we're the Reddest State in America, after all. So Bridenstine is going way out to the right, all the better to appeal to the talk radio crowd and oust Sullivan.
Bridenstine, by the way, graduated from Rice and has an MBA from Cornell. Oh, and he's a Navy pilot. Sullivan, who graduated from NSU, has no military experience. Sullivan does have experience at the Betty Ford Clinic, but this isn't really a great thing in politics.
AltTulsa's crystal ball is always a little murky, but we'd put our money on Bridenstine. Sullivan is a fabulous slice of right-wing baloney, but he's not much of a leader.
As for us, we're voting for John Olson, the Democratic candidate, Army veteran and Tulsa businessman. As far as we can tell, Olson is a reasonable human being and a thoughtful guy, which is more than you can say for most of the First District Republican voters.
But this election season, Sullivan may have met his match. His challenger this year, Jim Bridenstine, is more accomplished and smarter than Sullivan—that's a really low bar, of course—and even more Hard Right.
In Oklahoma, Republicans can never be too far right—we're the Reddest State in America, after all. So Bridenstine is going way out to the right, all the better to appeal to the talk radio crowd and oust Sullivan.
Bridenstine, by the way, graduated from Rice and has an MBA from Cornell. Oh, and he's a Navy pilot. Sullivan, who graduated from NSU, has no military experience. Sullivan does have experience at the Betty Ford Clinic, but this isn't really a great thing in politics.
AltTulsa's crystal ball is always a little murky, but we'd put our money on Bridenstine. Sullivan is a fabulous slice of right-wing baloney, but he's not much of a leader.
As for us, we're voting for John Olson, the Democratic candidate, Army veteran and Tulsa businessman. As far as we can tell, Olson is a reasonable human being and a thoughtful guy, which is more than you can say for most of the First District Republican voters.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Update: Oklahoma City Worries about Chesapeake's Woes
As noted in this space last week (see below, Chesapeake Energy is—or has been—a high flyer in the Oklahoma City economy in recent years.
But the company has taken a hit recently, both by low natural gas prices and by questions about its CEO and his financial arrangements.
This is potentially bad news at the other end of the Turner Turnpike, which was the subject of report this morning on NPR's "Morning Edition."
Listen to the report here.
But the company has taken a hit recently, both by low natural gas prices and by questions about its CEO and his financial arrangements.
This is potentially bad news at the other end of the Turner Turnpike, which was the subject of report this morning on NPR's "Morning Edition."
Listen to the report here.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Bad News for Oklahoma's High-Flying Chesapeake Energy
In case you missed it, it hasn't been a good week for Oklahoma City's Chesapeake Energy. More accurately, it hasn't been a good year for the company.
The company's stock has fallen 45 percent since the beginning of 2011, according to press reports, and the company's CEO, Aubrey McClendon, has racked up "more than $846 million in debt from companies and banks also doing business with Chesapeake…."
This was from Bloomberg News, which knows a little bit about high finance. And this was headline on the Bloomberg story in the Tulsa World Tuesday: "Chesapeake's directors enjoyed cozy deals."
And who are these directors? None other than former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating and current OSU President Burns Hargis, among others. According to one critic quoted by Bloomberg, the company's directors "repeatedly failed to exercise independent oversight."
What's more, the directors were well paid, taking home more than directors at similarly sized energy companies. Then there's the cozy deal allegations, which involve the employment of directors' relatives (Keating's son and daughter-in-law) and numerous gifts to a university run by a director (OSU).
We don't claim any expertise in financial matters of this sort, but this can't be good publicity for Oklahoma or its energy industry.
Indeed, it looks a like what some wags call crony capitalism. It's not a good thing.
The company's stock has fallen 45 percent since the beginning of 2011, according to press reports, and the company's CEO, Aubrey McClendon, has racked up "more than $846 million in debt from companies and banks also doing business with Chesapeake…."
This was from Bloomberg News, which knows a little bit about high finance. And this was headline on the Bloomberg story in the Tulsa World Tuesday: "Chesapeake's directors enjoyed cozy deals."
And who are these directors? None other than former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating and current OSU President Burns Hargis, among others. According to one critic quoted by Bloomberg, the company's directors "repeatedly failed to exercise independent oversight."
What's more, the directors were well paid, taking home more than directors at similarly sized energy companies. Then there's the cozy deal allegations, which involve the employment of directors' relatives (Keating's son and daughter-in-law) and numerous gifts to a university run by a director (OSU).
We don't claim any expertise in financial matters of this sort, but this can't be good publicity for Oklahoma or its energy industry.
Indeed, it looks a like what some wags call crony capitalism. It's not a good thing.
Eat Local: It's Farmers Market Time in Tulsa
The AltTulsa gang has been distracted lately, so we've missed our annual shout out to Tulsa-area farmers markets.
Let's remedy that now by mentioning our favorite, the Cherry Street Farmers Market, which runs every Saturday morning on Cherry Street (aka 15ht Street), just east of Peoria, in midtown Tulsa.
There's also a Brookside offshoot of the Cherry Street market, the aptly named Brookside Farmers Market, which is running Wednesday mornings from 8 to noon in the Food Pyramid parking lot near 41st Street and Peoria.
The Brookside market will be bigger and better this year, according to the a report in the Tulsa World. Market manager Melanie Hunter told the paper that the Brookside market will include a wider selection of products as well as performances by various music acts.
For more information on the Cherry Street and Brookside markets, check out their website here.
Let's remedy that now by mentioning our favorite, the Cherry Street Farmers Market, which runs every Saturday morning on Cherry Street (aka 15ht Street), just east of Peoria, in midtown Tulsa.
There's also a Brookside offshoot of the Cherry Street market, the aptly named Brookside Farmers Market, which is running Wednesday mornings from 8 to noon in the Food Pyramid parking lot near 41st Street and Peoria.
The Brookside market will be bigger and better this year, according to the a report in the Tulsa World. Market manager Melanie Hunter told the paper that the Brookside market will include a wider selection of products as well as performances by various music acts.
For more information on the Cherry Street and Brookside markets, check out their website here.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Big Bucks: Oklahoma Congressional Delegation Rakes It In
Oklahoma's Republiocan senators and congressmen are doing just fine, thank you very much. In fact, some of them are—wait for it—millionaires.
Must be nice to be a humble servant of the people, like, say, Sen. Jim Inhofe. Financial disclosure forms just released show Inhofe's assets at $3.6 to $10.7 million.
Sen. Tom ("Dr. No") Coburn is no slouch in the income department either, with assets listed at $1.8 million to $5.1 million.
Meanwhile, the median household income in the Sooner state is an underwhelming $42,979. Yes, Sooner fans, it pays to be a politician round these parts.
Even a couple of Oklahoma's Republican congressmen are millionaires. Take Rep. Tom Cole—please! The new reports list his assets at $2 to 5.3 million. Oh, and Cole gets some nice trips out of the deal, including Puerto Rico and Spain.
Consider this: Cole's income from interest, dividends and capital gains was listed at $91,100 to $223,800. Even the lower figure here is more than twice the annual median income in Oklahoma.
But wait. One Oklahoma congressman is a relative pauper among the elite. Tulsa's own John Sullivan—formerly a patient at the Betty Ford Clinic—lists assets at only $15,000-$50,000. Rep. Sullivan lists no major holdings either—no mutual funds, no retirement accounts, no professional partnerships.
Sullivan didn't even list any cool junkets—nada, nothing. He does have a personal mortgage, however, to the tune of $250,000 to $500,000. So that's something.
Maybe Sullivan should take after Rep. James Lankford and take to the pulpit. Langford made a nice chuck of change as a guest preacher—$4,150.
Must be nice to be a humble servant of the people, like, say, Sen. Jim Inhofe. Financial disclosure forms just released show Inhofe's assets at $3.6 to $10.7 million.
Sen. Tom ("Dr. No") Coburn is no slouch in the income department either, with assets listed at $1.8 million to $5.1 million.
Meanwhile, the median household income in the Sooner state is an underwhelming $42,979. Yes, Sooner fans, it pays to be a politician round these parts.
Even a couple of Oklahoma's Republican congressmen are millionaires. Take Rep. Tom Cole—please! The new reports list his assets at $2 to 5.3 million. Oh, and Cole gets some nice trips out of the deal, including Puerto Rico and Spain.
Consider this: Cole's income from interest, dividends and capital gains was listed at $91,100 to $223,800. Even the lower figure here is more than twice the annual median income in Oklahoma.
But wait. One Oklahoma congressman is a relative pauper among the elite. Tulsa's own John Sullivan—formerly a patient at the Betty Ford Clinic—lists assets at only $15,000-$50,000. Rep. Sullivan lists no major holdings either—no mutual funds, no retirement accounts, no professional partnerships.
Sullivan didn't even list any cool junkets—nada, nothing. He does have a personal mortgage, however, to the tune of $250,000 to $500,000. So that's something.
Maybe Sullivan should take after Rep. James Lankford and take to the pulpit. Langford made a nice chuck of change as a guest preacher—$4,150.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Video Roundup: The GOP's Orgy of Politicizing Terrorism
The Republicans were sooooo offended this week when President Obama reminded the public of the anniversary of the death of Osama Bin Laden. It's so distasteful and cynical, they said. We would never do anything of the kind. Oh wait. As the video makes clear, they did it repeatedly and shamelessly, over and over and….
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