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Tulsa Eagle Forum

NEWSLETTER

March 20 1997

Tulsa Eagle Forum
P O Box 470734
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74147-0734
918-252-4002

Calendar

April 1: Annual School Run-Off Election

Tulsa Co. Zone 3:

Dean Thomas vs. Michael Pierce Vo-Tech:

Jim Payne vs. Bill Boyd

Other counties: Check with your County Election Board

March - May: City Elections in many areas. None in City of Tulsa this year.

April 26: Republican State Convention, Myriad, OKC

Legislative Calendar

(See below)

March 27: Deadline to report bills and joint resolutions from committees in opposite house.

April 17: Third reading of bills in opposite house

April 30: Deadline to file conference committee reports

May 30: Legislature adjourns

Republican County Convention Special

Todayıs Debate ­ Republican Platform

There is a debate within the Republican Party between two groups: one which wishes to retain a platform which deals with principles and specific current issues being implemented in public policy. Platform planks are derived from resolutions submitted by the precinct caucuses.

The second group prefers a very concise statement of general principles, which were devised by a small group and did not originate at the precinct level.

Since 1980, the platform has spelled out the conservative viewpoint of the majority of members of the party on issues essential to the survival of our nation as we know it. It was this platform, which originated from planks submitted at the precinct level, and candidates who ran on it, that caused many Democrats to change their registrations, making the Republican Party the majority party in many counties across the state and nation for the first time. It is difficult to argue with success, but some are doing just that, in several counties, including Tulsa. This year these self-styled moderates have employed the age-old tactic -- divide and conquer, pitting less experienced conservatives against more seasoned ones in a floor fight as to the format and content of the platform.

They argue, and have convinced some of the newer members and candidates of the party, that the platform is too long and detailed for candidates to defend. They say that it gives their opponents ammunition for ads claiming that the Republicans are right-wing fanatics, and try to blame it for the defeat of some candidates.

Those who would retain the longer version of the platform can attribute the unprecedented growth of the party to the principles set forth in this document. They believe that candidates should read and understand the platform and learn to better debate the issues, rather than concede them; that Republican officials should be bound to a reasonable degree by the principles set forth; and that Dole contributed to his defeat by statements such as, "I have not read the platform, and am not bound by it."

Yet another platform battle, for the state convention, is brewing. A review of a draft of a drastically diminished platform that is being heavily promoted found many deficiencies, which have been pointed out to its proponents. It is too early to know whether these will be remedied. Having a few individuals dictate the platform violates the longstanding principle of grassroots involvement.

It is true that a lengthy platform requires a lot of work to iron out duplications, and costs more to print. One remedy would be for the party to go through the entire procedure only once every four years, and on off years to vote only on new issues, that would become addenda.

School-to-Work (STW)

The following is excerpted from "Oklahomaıs Great Deception," by Joe Esposito, who compiled the booklet Tangled Web which discusses the labyrinth of laws passed by Congress and various states which are about to make radical changes in the structure of society. This booklet has been in such demand that it is now in its second printing. We are back-ordered, and expect to receive our new supply within a few weeks. You may order copies at our table today.

"....STW appears to be a total restructuring of education as well as of the workforce in America by Vocational-Technical Educators. Their purpose is to bring the United States into line with the European system of government control. This transformation is being accomplished through the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) from the Depıt. of Labor. SCANS incorporates Total Quality Management (TQM), a concept defined, and process designed, by (behaviorists). TQM is a program which intentionally changes personal values to conform to those of the customers ­ management or government. (Parents and students are no longer considered to be the customers.) TQM is a concept from Americaıs Choice: High Skills or Low Wages, by the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) (Marc Tucker, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Ira Magaziner, et al.)."

Please write to Gov. Frank Keating, your State Senator and Representative, and your Congressmen. Ask them to repeal and to defund STW laws. We do not need federal or state STW programs which are designed to restructure education and the workforce. Our children should be given the sound academic education of earlier generations which produced capable, independent men and women who made our great nation the envy of the world.

Wrong Focus on National Front

Our national security was being compromised with such events as a former major naval base in Long Beach, CA, encompassing prime port space, being given to a Chinese shipping company in direct competition with U.S. shippers while media, Congress, and many well-meaning people were focused on the long and fruitless debate on the pseudo Balanced Budget Amendment.

The proposed BBA, which is now dead, would not have balanced the budget. Congress can and should take measures to balance the budget without the BBA and its accompanying hoopla which diverted attention away from major events that can jeopardize our national sovereignty, and freedoms such as: Clinton building a Trojan Horse for Moscow to ride into NATO; Ms. Albrightıs proposal to build on the experience of the U.S. - Russian cooperation in Bosnia to create a permanent joint U. S. - Russian brigade; her personal priority of changing Pentagon doctrine, training and planning to emphasize support to peacekeeping at the expense of traditional combat readiness; the unauthorized transfer of U.S. supercomputers to a former Soviet organization still engaged in designing nuclear weapons.

The wrong focus also diverted attention from the increased federal involvement in education and the workforce.

* * * * * * * * *

State Legislation

Legislators have too little time to consider fully the ramifications of the numerous bills on which they must vote. (We should work to return our state to its original design of having only one 4-6 month session in each 2-year legislative term, and perhaps also limit the number of bills that each party can file.) Many legislators are happy to receive your input. The following are a few of the bills about which we are concerned that are still ³alive² either in committee or on General Order (GO) in the opposite house (bills that have already passed the house of origin):

HB 1783, "Targeted Workforce Incentive Act" by Toure, D. Smith, Gilbert: While this is for disadvantaged pupils, it is a possible pilot progam for the development of the state School-to Work program. Now in Sen. Finance Comm.

HB 1657, relates to Early Childhood programs in public schools ­ assessment of underage children, by L. Boyd, Eddins: Passed House 55-45, and the title is struck (so they can completely change the content of the bill allowing for much mischief). Passed Sen. Comm.

HB 1904, Staggs: authorizes school districts to contract with outside providers to train school personnel. Could open the door for more training by proponents of various "reform" programs.)

HB 2017 Committee Substitute for the Oklahoma Advanced Placement Incentive, B.Boyd, Hager, Ferguson: Committee for Teacher Preparation must offer teachers training in teaching math and reading which "may include phonics" (but more likely would not, based on the authors' previous support for Whole Language). Wording indicates that it is geared to NAEP and PASS (OBE). Passed Sen. Committee this week.

HB 1943, "Coordination of Services for Children Act," Seikel: Passed Sen. Sub-Comm. on Human Services chaired by Cain. Our concern is that it would make schools "umbrella" providers giving the go-ahead to School-Based Clinics, etc.

Charter Schools

This effort is a puzzle. The concept of schools run by parents or "non-government educators" sounds good at first glance. The concern is the requirement to meet state and/or federal regulations such as OBE and Goals 2000, which means the schools will have outcome-based education and contain affective outcomes such as "emotional well-being." Also, a school that receives government dollars and is not accountable to any local agency leaves taxpayers without influence. Charter Schools are still government-controlled education and should be opposed by Republicans. Please stay in communication with your legislators, asking them to remember family and liberty when casting their votes.

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