Rowynn Ricks
Woodward News
Woodward, Okla. —
“We don’t have a problem of not having enough taxes in this state, we have an overspending problem.”
That’s why Randy Brogdon, Republican candidate for Oklahoma governor, said one of his main goals for the office, if elected, would be to pare down the state government.
A “smaller, efficient, constitutional government” is the cornerstone to Brogdon’s platform and his overall political philosophy.
WASTEFUL SPENDING
“We spend money on things in this state we shouldn’t spend money on,” Brogdon said in an interview with The News on Friday.
For example, he discussed how “just a few years ago,” the legislature “realized we had like $160 million of new revenue that came in and was not appropriated, so there was a spending frenzy the last couple of days of the session.”
As part of this “spending frenzy,” he said the state government helped fund a jazz hall of fame in Muskogee, another music hall of fame in Tulsa, and a bat cave research program in Selman.
Just last year Brogdon said the state considered a $2.5 million supplemental appropriation for “a rap group from Chicago that was coming to tour the junior high schools in Oklahoma.”
“That’s hardly a high priority function of government,” he said.
“And the list just goes on and on,” Brogdon said, noting this includes the fact that “we have thousands and thousands of employees that do duplicate of services.”
“Government is too big and my goal is to shrink government, properly fund it, prioritize it and get rid of all the waste, the fraud, the corruption, the abuse that goes on with spending practices,” he said.
EXPELLING GOVERNMENT FROM SCHOOL
One way Brogdon plans on shrinking government, is by taking the state government out of areas where he doesn’t feel it should belong.
This includes common education.
“We have a monopolized, government ran education system in Oklahoma, and that’s not good,” Brogdon said.
“We need to get rid of the monopoly and we need to get the government out of trying to run and control our local schools,” he said. “So how do we do that? Well let’s have local schools.”
Since public schools are funded at the state level, Brogdon said they can’t really be considered local schools.
He said his goal would be to “get it (funding) out of the hands of politicians at 23rd and Lincoln ... (and) move funding to the local level.”
“That will put the moms and dad and the teachers in charge of their kids education,” he said.
The problem with this plan, though, is how to make it where municipalities can afford to fund the schools, especially in a time when many city governments throughout the state are struggling to fund their current programs such as police and fire departments.
However, Brogdon said he had a solution to this as well, by keeping more sales tax revenue at the local level.
“My goal is to set a prioritized budget at the state level and let municipalities and small towns keep that tax money in their communities,” he said. “It will encourage you to purchase things in your community because you now it’s going to your schools, it’s going to benefit your kids.”
ELIMINATING TAXES
Keeping more sales taxes local is just the tip of the iceberg in Brogdon’s tax reform plan, though.
“I’d love to eliminate sales tax on groceries,” Brogdon said.
“We’re one of the few states that actually do that, tax groceries,” he said. “It doesn’t make any sense to me, (because) we need to eat and to have the government tax something we have to have to sustain life, I don’t think is a very wise decision.
“And it’s not necessary on top of that,” he said, noting “there are many, many other things you can tax other than food.”
But beyond food, Brogdon said he doesn’t believe in taxing productivity, which he believes the state is doing by taxing income.
“The very cornerstone of my tax policy is to phase out the state income tax both personal and corporate,” he said.
He said his rationale is “when you tax productivity, that stifles productivity.”
So by eliminating income tax, Brogdon said he believes Oklahoma will be able to expand its economy.
He said this has already been proven by previous income tax reductions by 1/2 a percent per year over a 3-year period that resulted in a total of $360 million increased income tax revenues over the same period.
“That’s a clear indication that when your money is invested back in the economy then your money grows,” he said.
Eliminating the income tax will even help create more jobs, Brogdon said, noting “when we allow companies to keep their money and to reinvest, they’re going to hire more people, going to retool, going to improve their bottom line so jobs are going to be created.”
This in turn will “create more taxpayers,” he said, so the “state government will still get its fair share.”
GOVERNMENT HERE TO PROTECT OUR RIGHTS
However, Brogdon said the state’s share will “basically be through sales tax.”
This seems like it might be problematic since Brogdon also intends for more sales taxes to stay within communities. So how does the state really get the money it needs to fund its budget?
“I’m not interested in funding the state budget that we have today,” Brogdon said. “I’m interested in a much, much smaller, more efficient state government.”
When it comes to creating that smaller, efficient government, he said he looks to “our founding principles.”
“I get my understanding of what government is all about from our Declaration of Independence,” he said. “It describes that our government is here really for one reason and that is to protect our God-given rights of life, liberty, and property.”
Because of this, Brogdon said he believes that both state and federal government should limit their functions to protecting those rights.
“That’s why public safety is my number 1 priority,” he said, noting “We have to have a properly funded corrections, we have to have a properly funded DA’s office so they can prosecute so we can keep the bad guys.”
Besides public safety, Brogdon said, “the state of Oklahoma is also responsible for things like infrastructure, safe drinking water, highway systems and bridges.”
In addition, while he doesn’t feel the state should be involved in local schools, he does think the state does need to play a role in higher education.
In fact, he said “one of the things I’m deeply disturbed about is that about 4 years ago the legislature shirked their responsibility in funding higher education and gave the authority over to the board of regents.”
Since then he said the regents have been passing tuition increases which he said “are far surpassing the rate of inflation, and there is just no reason for that.”
Brogdon said the state legislature “needs to man up and bring that funding back under the authority of the state legislature” so there can be more control over tuition increases, which he said might “give them (students) a reason to go somewhere else.”
In addition, he said, “I think we need to revamp the system to where you can truly get a 4 year degree in 4 years.”
NO MORE GOVERNMENT HANDOUTS
But beyond the higher education system, “which constitutionally we have to have one,” and public safety and infrastructure, there isn’t much that Brogdon seems to think should fall within the domain of state government.
“Government should be so limited in our lives,” he said. “It should be so limited when it comes to our businesses; extremely limited on taxes and almost non-existent when it comes to government regulation of business and industry.”
In fact, he said, “the only time there should be regulation like that is a dire necessity to protect the health and safety of the citizens at large.”
Furthermore, Brogdon said he feels government should be limited in providing assistance as well.
When specifically asked about senior nutrition programs, which was a major issue not only in Woodward but across the state this past year with state funding cuts, Brogdon said, “I think the church should be the one to help in those instances.”
“It’s our responsibility to help our fellow man,” he said, noting “As a Christian and as a member of the human race, I feel responsible for the seniors, the widows, the children, the infirm.”
“But do we need a government program for all these things? No way,” he said.
However, he did not say that government should never provide assistance.
“When there is no one else to help and the safety net must be there, that’s when government maybe (should) get involved and help in that realm,” Brogdon said. “But man, that has got to be so limited in scope, never the first step.”
