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Perhaps spend a little time there before you just babble stereotypes that are greatly exaggerated. The 3 G's that is too funny. You are sort of mixing up Alabama and Moore with Oklahoma just because its also a red state. I am not a republican or democrat but I spent several months this year there and your characterization is a joke.
I live in OKC (unfortunately) and the stereotypes are for the most part accurate. They don't apply to everyone in Oklahoma but they are the majority. Oklahoma and Alabama are actually very similar states in terms of culture. Oklahoma also has numerous "blue laws" still on the books that have long been done away with in other states.
Oklahoma has it's own Roy Moore running for governor. He is a Baptist pastor and his platform is to defy SCOTUS and ban abortion and same-sex marriage in the state. He is also promising further tax cuts and further cuts to state services - in a state that is already one of the worst in the country to live in, arguably right down there with Mississippi. The state can't afford to pay its teachers or keep its mental health services, but it can sue Colorado for legalizing the "devil's lettuce" which is a huge threat to the "God-fearing Bible-believing people of Oklahoma."
Every session, the state consistently has the most anti-LGBT bills proposed in the country. If there is a true "buckle of the Bible Belt" it's Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma is probably the closest thing you can find to a theocracy in the western world.
I live in OKC (unfortunately) and the stereotypes are for the most part accurate. They don't apply to everyone in Oklahoma but they are the majority. Oklahoma and Alabama are actually very similar states in terms of culture. Oklahoma also has numerous "blue laws" still on the books that have long been done away with in other states.
Oklahoma has it's own Roy Moore running for governor. He is a Baptist pastor and his platform is to defy SCOTUS and ban abortion and same-sex marriage in the state. He is also promising further tax cuts and further cuts to state services - in a state that is already one of the worst in the country to live in, arguably right down there with Mississippi. The state can't afford to pay its teachers or keep its mental health services, but it can sue Colorado for legalizing the "devil's lettuce" which is a huge threat to the "God-fearing Bible-believing people of Oklahoma."
Every session, the state consistently has the most anti-LGBT bills proposed in the country. If there is a true "buckle of the Bible Belt" it's Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma is probably the closest thing you can find to a theocracy in the western world.
You need to get out more and check out other states.
I think in Oklahoma as well as Texas and Arizona the state legislatures are more conservative than the public at large. With the majority they can pass whatever they want. Just like the flip side in California.
When I got to Oklahoma in June I expected what you have said but I think its less conservative than the area I used to live in Texas near the gulf coast which still has dry towns. I went through dozens of towns and spent a good deal of time in OKC and Tulsa. OKC and Tulsa are well run clean cities with new subdivisions and well kept homes. I was impressed. You have your church people then you have the others. Pretty easy to tell the difference. The town I lived in was about 50-50 prim and proper Christian fundamentalist church people and the other half were the rowdy hard drinking hard living types. I am aware of gay folks who lived in my town and were treated fine. I was surprised by that.
I did travel to Arkansas from Ft. Smith towards Little Rock and that are was by far the most conservative area I have seen. Most of the counties are dry and churches all had little crosses on the lawns showing how many abortions happen. I did not see that anywhere I went in Oklahoma but I sure it was out there somewhere. Just not prevalent.
I think you are exaggerating all of this or you have little to compare Oklahoma to so you assume things that are not accurate.
Actually I have a home right in your town. Spent about half the summer there. A lot of the things you are saying could be applied to anywhere. As far as roads go. Going from Payne county to Tulsa there is nonstop road construction in sections where they are fixing the road. Almost to the point it was annoying because it adding 15 minutes to my drive. Same thing in other parts of the state.
Overall infrastructure is horrible all over the country. Its not a priority and one of those things that states and the feds push off until later.
Teaching for example. They lowered the standards in Arizona to hire less qualified teachers because the teaching profession cannot compete with private sector jobs. In Texas they are recruiting teachers from Mexico. Again that is problem everywhere and a symptom of a strong economy not a bad one.
As far as the people go. Cushing is a small town. There is limited jobs outside of the oil industry or the prisons. But again you can find that anywhere in the country not unique. The people I got to know have a pretty easy life. Cost of living is very low and someone could survive on near minimum wage jobs as many do there. Are they happy? Outwardly yes. But people complain everywhere I have ever lived. I have lived in very expensive places in California and simple Oklahoma towns. People are rarely happy and satisfied. That is life.
I moved here since my income is fixed, and insufficent for most places. Its true that the cost of living here is very very low, especially if there are no extras, and that because overall the cost of living here is far lower than even in the state, a lot of people who move here move for the cheaper cost. Nor are the state wide problems of schools especially different than the rest of the state, perhaps not as bad as fewer kids go to the schools. I came as a visitor, got a good vibe, and chose to come back. But the financial situation was a big part of it. That hasn't changed, but eventually will not be enough. By then, my son and family will be adding space for me, something already discussed. When he visited he wanted to have me move now.
As for Oklahoma, its a poor state, despite all the oil money which doesn't go far out into the populace. Every time more taxes from the companies who drill it is discussed its stopped since the locals are afraid they'll end up with less. And especially with the quakes, infastructure here in this state is considered one of the worse, unless you're part of the oil territory. The big problem is schools and roads and bridges and other things that must remain fixed were allowed to get so bad that now you have to fix them. But as an ongoing task, the problems grow faster than the work. Maintaince got ignored until it had to be done, and then it became a priority but took too long and not its a game of catch up. There are serious worries about roads all over the state and not enough crews to fix them.
As for schools, if I had kids in one here, I'd be moving out asap. Back in the late 50's we lived in the San Fernando Valley (also just called 'the valley') in socal. The population had soared, and schools were behind in space for them. And they'd changed from phonics to 'look and see' in teaching reading. My parents took me out of public school for two years which gave me time to learn reading by learning phonics. One of the reasons they'd changed was it took more time and teachers for phonics.
If my son was in school now, and I lived here, I'd find a way for my kid to get a good early education and not the cheapest they could buy. Mid third grade I went back to public school, and was horrible in math then and still am, but I remember we got our reading books second have of the third, on a Friday. Monday I asked the teacher if we had another book. I already finished that one. She put me and a few others in a special reading program.
If I was considering moving here, even for a job, and with school age kids, I'd think long and hard before moving to this state with the state of the schools being so dismal. The money would have to be sufficent to pay for a sufficently good private school.
Point is, if these states decide they can get by without doing anything without losing out, they are so very wrong. If someone asked me if they should move to OK now, I'd say if you have health concerns, mental health problems with self or household, kids of school age or a few other things, RUN away.
Some of those who grumble are just putting up with things, but in the last year, Cushing has lost almost a thousand residents and while some would be working for some oil company, not the mass of them. And in nearly ten years this is the FIRST drop in population.
Though I am not as satisfied by things as I was, I can't just pack up and leave. I still need a reliable place to live, and have one, and can afford food, and own my house, and live in a reasonable peaceful place, but have also begun coming up with viable ideas about a way out too. And as plans exist for a few years to come, I've got something to work toward. My son wants me closer. We'll wait until he's more settled in his own ambitions, but have talked about adding me to their already multigenerational home.
If it wasn't that financially I couldn't make it, I'd go back to somewhere in California, but even with a revised check for the cost of living would never be able do anything but stay home, and here its MY home.
Last edited by nightbird47; 12-03-2017 at 04:47 PM..
The massive point swings in recent special elections, what happened in Virginia, and a Democrat has a good chance of winning a senate seat in Alabama. If you can’t see the Democratic wave coming, your head is in the sand.
In the last four months, voters have repudiated those Republicans running Oklahoma at the polls. Democrats have captured four state legislative seats held by the GOP, two in special elections for the House and two for the Senate. The most recent—and perhaps the most surprising—win occurred last week, when a 26-year-old lesbian Democrat named Allison Ikley-Freeman edged out the Republican candidate by 31 votes in a conservative state House district near Tulsa that went heavily for Trump in 2016.
I think there will be even more R's changing their support as the new tax bill becomes aware to them of just who got screwed, what a scam the GOP pulled on the voters. Okla & Kan are both deep red but not for much longer. Those living in the states will find less and less government help when they need it.
LGBT seem to be racking up impressive gains, at least in local elections against conservatives in places one wouldn't expect. Wonder if this is the start of a trend?
As for schools, if I had kids in one here, I'd be moving out asap. Back in the late 50's we lived in the San Fernando Valley (also just called 'the valley') in socal. The population had soared, and schools were behind in space for them. And they'd changed from phonics to 'look and see' in teaching reading. My parents took me out of public school for two years which gave me time to learn reading by learning phonics. One of the reasons they'd changed was it took more time and teachers for phonics.
If my son was in school now, and I lived here, I'd find a way for my kid to get a good early education and not the cheapest they could buy. Mid third grade I went back to public school, and was horrible in math then and still am, but I remember we got our reading books second have of the third, on a Friday. Monday I asked the teacher if we had another book. I already finished that one. She put me and a few others in a special reading program.
If I was considering moving here, even for a job, and with school age kids, I'd think long and hard before moving to this state with the state of the schools being so dismal. The money would have to be sufficent to pay for a sufficently good private school.
Point is, if these states decide they can get by without doing anything without losing out, they are so very wrong. If someone asked me if they should move to OK now, I'd say if you have health concerns, mental health problems with self or household, kids of school age or a few other things, RUN away.
Some of those who grumble are just putting up with things, but in the last year, Cushing has lost almost a thousand residents and while some would be working for some oil company, not the mass of them. And in nearly ten years this is the FIRST drop in population.
Though I am not as satisfied by things as I was, I can't just pack up and leave. I still need a reliable place to live, and have one, and can afford food, and own my house, and live in a reasonable peaceful place, but have also begun coming up with viable ideas about a way out too. And as plans exist for a few years to come, I've got something to work toward. My son wants me closer. We'll wait until he's more settled in his own ambitions, but have talked about adding me to their already multigenerational home.
If it wasn't that financially I couldn't make it, I'd go back to somewhere in California, but even with a revised check for the cost of living would never be able do anything but stay home, and here its MY home.
Interesting.
I also grew up in the San Fernando Valley (The Valley). Spend my first 30 years there. Birmingham High School, (CSUN) Cal St. Northridge. LA public schools who at the time were considered very bad. I think with education its parental support that makes the difference more than the schools. Unfortunately many kids today don't have that support and with a lousy school that leads to problems.
I don't know much about Oklahoma schools. It seems like the city of Cushing is on top of things. They have the senior bus that you see around and crime overall is low. They do get on people who don't mow the grass more than surrounding cities. The house I bought had a bunch of fines for not mowing that was part of the deal when I bought it. Most people in Cushing don't seem real motivated in life. The do what they have to to get by but that's about it. That part I don't like.
Yes there are places I would want to live in California but the cost of living is way too much of a sacrifice for me. I would rather live well somewhere else than pay out all my disposable income just to get by in Cali.
Have you actually been to Oklahoma or Kansas? I have rental properties in Oklahoma spent most of the summer there. Expanding to Kansas next year where I also spent a great deal of time.
I am a libertarian not a GOP or Dem but things are fine there. No revolt. Most are staunchly conservative and would laugh at your silly link. The economy is booming in the part of Oklahoma where I am investing.
The economy has not been booming in my Oklahoma town still trying to come back from the oil downturn. For the last year, stores have been closing in the major strip malls led by JCPenney. Over a year ago there were no store vacancies in those malls. City manager complains of lower sale tax revenue, due to so few taxes being collected from online sales becoming more popular. Of course, you'd surely say the very same thing has been happening in cities big and small across America. There are some more college students here, but they have little spending power to help the economy.
I have a couple of rental properties and still waiting for the rent due on the 1st. Much of Oklahoma, especially outside the metro areas, is simply not booming and is stagnant at best. The state's refusal to invest in education and health care isn't going to help matters at all.
Last edited by StillwaterTownie; 12-03-2017 at 07:50 PM..
Isn't this Democrats fawning over chances of winning a local dog catcher position.
Doesn't sound like much of a comeback to me.
In 2015 it was also like the article said. Democrats were winning the majority of the several special elections for state legislator seats. But after the Nov. 2016 elections were over most incumbent Republicans won and welcomed 6 new Republican legislators to the State Capitol. It's a symptom that the Democrat Party in Oklahoma is next to dead. I think once again Republican incumbents will greatly win in 2018, though probably not as much as in 2016. Some won't even get any Democrat opponents. If so, Republican legislators will think they must have been governing Oklahoma just fine, after all, and resume gutting state government by more income tax cuts in response to increased tax revenues. My Republican state senator was quoted in the local paper as saying, "We need to ensure Oklahoma's economy has stabilized before additional revenue reductions are enacted." If only a Democrat could have been found to run against him in 2016. But like I said the Oklahoma Democrat Party is nearly dead.
Like someone else said, if you need help from the state getting along with your life or have school children, it's best you don't move here. Otherwise, and if you have a decent paying job, it's not such a terribly bad place to live. But don't forget Oklahoma is one of the most poorly run states in the union. As a reflection of that, you will be rudely surprised to have to pay sales tax on food. Most states don't do that.
A) Your party is at its lowest ebb since the Civil War.
B) You will not win the Senate back next time due to a massive structural advantage to the GOP.
C) There is as yet no real evidence that you are competitive for the House, as you have held it for two of the last 27 years.
D) Trump will almost certainly be re-elected, as you are doing NOTHING to win back the midwest.
E) You illegal adantage is drying up, as far more are going home than coming.
F) You continue to find ways to implode. Moore lookes safe in Alabama, while Conyers is fighting for his spot and Frankin will probably not seek re-election.
But keep believing your fantasies. You are doing so poorly that there has to be SOME return to a normal bi-partisan system. I assume you will find some dead-cat effect somehwere, and when that cat bounces and inch off the ground, go ahead and pretend that you are flying.
They really don't have a grasp of reality, do they?
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