E-lect-shun Day!

It’s your duty as a pure-blooded, half-bred, immigrant, American to vote. We’ve heard the mantra time and time again. We recognize the importance, and yet, some of us choose not to.

It’s certainly important for you to discover what the issues are, and where you stand on them. There’s a big battle in California over Prop 8, and there’s an even bigger battle for the White House. Take some time out of your "busy" schedule and vote.

I realize that your "one vote" probably doesn’t matter in the vast scheme of the Presidential election, but your one vote does matter on a local level. You’re never going to speak with the President of the United States about the things that affect your daily life, but you can easily speak to your city and state representatives, and encourage their action.

Finally, I don’t care who you vote for, as long as you tell our Oklahoma Senators and Congressmembers you’re dissatisfied with their handling of the $700 billion bailout package. Here’s how our delegation voted:

Senators
Jim Inhofe (R) – NO
Tom Coburn (R) – YES

Representatives
Tom Cole (R) – YES
Mary Fallin (R) – YES
John Sullivan (R) – YES
Dan Boren (D) – YES
Frank Lucas (R) – NO

If they voted yes, I’d recommend their opponent or writing in your best friend. I recognize the logistics and the importance of handling the bailout measure in a particular way. However, the crux of this measure is designed to line someone’s pockets, and hardly makes those accepting funds accountable for their actions (see also here, here, and here to educate yourself).

If you’re still not educated enough about the issues or people running, I’m sorry. There’s not much I can do, but to send you here, here and here for the Oklahoma information. One thing I wish we did better in Oklahoma, is to send out information to registered voters regarding the upcoming election.

 

School Bullying Outbreak – Infographic from USC

The University of Southern California has created a great graphic about school bullying for Bullying Awareness Week. One of the most surprising statistics to me was that 81% of bullying acts go unreported. I encourage you to work with school leaders to prevent bullying in your schools. Federal law protects students if a school dismisses,… Continue Reading

Credit Cards and Bailouts

I wish we were getting another stimulus check like last year. I've racked up a little consumer credit card debt, and I'd like to apply some of those funds to the balance. That's not going to happen though, and so I must resign myself to the fact that I'll be in the same position as… Continue Reading

PRESS RELEASE – PARENTS SUE OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR BULLYING

Parents Sue Oklahoma City Public Schools for Bullying FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oklahoma City – January 20, 2012 Henry and Carrie Holeman, the parents of a 14 year-old student at Oklahoma City Public Schools’ John Marshall Mid-High School filed an Amended Complaint on Tuesday in Federal Court in Oklahoma City. The Complaint alleges charges of bullying… Continue Reading

Significance of SOPA

Wikipedia has started a revolution against the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA (here’s the EFF’s take) (it’s Senate sister is PIPA), that is making it’s way through the United States Congress. In protest of the legislation, Wikipedia’s English site is “blacked out” for 24 hours today. This is significant, especially considering the impact of Wikipedia and its contributions… Continue Reading

This Never Happens

Today’s Dilbert comic strip just made me laugh. Unfortunately, these kind of settlements never happen. Even when the company is disgustingly wrong, they manage to fight.

“I Have The Pleasure to Present the Moral Leader of Our Nation”

Today is a monumental day that recognizes the achievements and contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I can’t help but think that the people who were assassinated over time weren’t accomplishing some good. I encourage you to take a minute and visit thekingcenter.org to learn about this Great American.

National Preparedness Month

I don't really think it matters where you live, there's always the possibility of some disaster or emergency that will require preparedness. September marks National Preparedness Month, which I think is probably as good of a time to "celebrate" the occasion as any. In conjunction with National Preparedness Month, the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security is… Continue Reading

OKC in Tip-Top Shape

The Milken Institute publishes a survey each year about a variety of economic factors for cities in the United States. This year’s survey shows that Oklahoma City took a significant leap in creating it’s own success. With it’s burgeoning metro, OKC jumped 50 places on Milken’s list to claim the number 50 spot. This is… Continue Reading

Don’t Fall for “The Buyoff”

Nothing can be worse following an auto accident than to not collect someone's insurance information. There's a common accident/insurance scam where a scammer will offer you a certain low-ball monetary sum to avoid having to give you insurance information. Usually the scam goes something like this: You're waiting in a parking lot or at a… Continue Reading