Friday, October 15, 2010

'The Truth' Isn't Found In Pro-SQ744 Commercial

The group backing State Question 744 is out with a commercial that, while claiming to "tell the truth," falls short of that goal itself.

A part of the commercial exclaims that legislators pay themselves huge sums, twice the sum paid Arkansas legislators, and reducing their pay could help fund education.

Point One: Oklahoma legislators cannot vote on their own pay; that's done by a citizen committee. The Oklahoma Constitution created the Board on Legislative Compensation. The Board is composed of five members appointed by the governor, two members are appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, and two members are appointed by the speaker of the House. The members appointed by the governor must be from religious organizations, communications media, nonstate-supported educational institutions, labor organizations, and retail business. The members appointed by the president pro tem of the Senate are from agricultural and civic organizations and the members appointed by the speaker of the House must be from manufacturing and from professional fields not otherwise specified.

Point Two: Wouldn't the $200,000-plus salaries for school superintendents be a better place to look for savings than the $38,400 paid legislators?

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