Local Issues
1. Oklahoma needs good roads. In fact, one of necessary function of governments is to provide good roads, because individuals cannot provide these for themselves. A modern and efficient transportation system is a major backbone of a prosperous society. All of our jobs depend on roads in some way.
All revenue generated by fuel taxes, vehicle licenses and tags, as well as tolls, must remain in the transportation budget. We must also ensure that the big cities do not keep a disproportionate share of highway funds, at the cost of rural areas. Our county commissioners need funds to clean, maintain, and improve our roads. I live on a rural road, and am reasonably pleased with what the county is able to do, given the resources they have. But safety improvements and upgrades are badly needed in some places.
An interesting study about Oklahoma roads can be seen here: http://www.tripnet.org/state/OK/OK_TRIP_Report_April_2011.pdf
2. We must keep Oklahoma water local. Failure to do so will give drastic results during droughts, as we can currently see. Contracts for water sales out of state may enable a customer to continue to demand water even though our lakes and rivers are disappearing because of weather conditions.
Is there a local issue that you think the Oklahoma Legislature should address? If so, please contact me. Thank you.