Wow - I did something that I never considered yesterday before in my life - I paid the state of Oklahoma $200 for the privilege of running against Mark McCollough in District 30 in Sapulpa/Kiefer/Mounds/Glenpool yesterday.
Today we raked up our pile of old wood to take to the dump - what a way to start a campaign.
The Republican was running unopposed - seemed just wrong to let him have the job. Shame is that someone asked me if I had to know law to do this - the requirements - be 21 yrs old, registered in the party of choice and resident for 6 months. How many of you are under or unemployed? If you fit that criteria and had an extra bit of cash you could have run for these offices or spend a bit more for senator or governor - what does it pay - I've heard $38,000. That's less than I was making 10 yrs ago when I went to work for Williams Communications - so that's not a lot of incentive. Do I want the job - only if I can really make a difference - cuz I am not happy with how either party is running it today. I am reluctant - oh man I am not into politics - these guys - and they are mostly guys - where is the logic? I am paying taxes on seeds with a Farm Exemption card in my purse but let me buy bags of dog food and those same taxes are exempt - this was the number one reason that set me off this year for being angry over our state laws.
Beekeepers can't extract and bottle honey for public sales without jumping thru hoops, cost $350 dollars this year for a meat producer to use a trailer and sell their beef at the market - it is already USDA inspected - this isn't to look at the meat - it's to look at the trailer. This is outragious but it is the law - rule of health dept - code - whatever - it is too much. Egg license is $50 for small producers - that can mean many dozen eggs to break even.
Familes are hungry, programs are being cut, teachers laid off, we passed tax cuts for the weathiest a few years back - ain't that a hoot. And our healthcare is in the toilet. Our roads - oh man - I drove from the airport to Casa Bonita to eat while waiting on my husband and went down Memorial and over on 21st St - man Tulsa looks bad - worse than Sapulpa. I guess most of you know that Sapulpa's income is a lot lower than say Jenks - overall - been doing a lot less with a lot less so actually Sapulpa looks better than Tulsa. But businesses come and go. The last candidate was the just retired Superintendent of Sapulpa School District - said he was asking Mark for votes on bills for the schools and that Mark voted against them - I have to check the records on this stuff - this is heresay - and inadmissable in court - he's an attorney. And his father was a teacher - and he went to college himself - why vote against education when you have one???
But I am a concerned citizen. I run a mom and pop greenhouse/market garden and have been in business for 17 yrs. I worked the first 10 fulltime and completed college at Bartlesville Weslyan cum laud - I run two farmers markets and draw no salary at this time. One of these was just tied to the Jenks School District and we pay them for that privilege adding 5% of our profit to their coffers for the kids.
My lower garden is drowning for the 4th year in a row. The weather is changing and it isn't for the better. The environmental issues concern me, a year ago I even got my act together to change my health issues and that's another concern. And I did it with more help from taking vitamins and educating myself than I did with traditional medicine but doesn't that just mean we need to educate our doctors better on nutrition. Heaven help us we need to leave this planet cleaner - I have a grandson who's 10 years old.
I am not a politician - I am just a ordinary citizen.
I have worked for a trucking firm, manufacturing, engineering, and healthcare. I spent most of my time in education at the votech, at the electric company in Tulsa and my first job out of high school I worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington DC -back in the 70s - maybe that makes me a Washington insider - NOT!!! I was a file clerk and I met my husband who was in the US Navy back then. I am an Air Force brat and I produced an Air Force veteran and SHE used to load bombs on F16s. I've traveled outside of the US twice - I lived in Great Britain for 3 years as a child - and went to see my Military daughter and son-in-law in Japan about 10 years ago. But I was born at Tinker Air Force base a long time ago - and I graduated in Bristow after Dad's retirement. So I served in the military as dependent for 16 years.
Hope I can count on some help - cuz I am sure running out of time.
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