The House of Representatives in the Oklahoma legislature passed a bill to strip localities of their power during health emergencies, leaving that power to the governor, a Trumpermaniac.
Among the changes the bill makes is to strip local officials of the authority to separate ill or exposed people, issue vaccinations and take other steps to prevent, manage and contain health threats. Instead, it would give the governor the power to delegate local officials certain authorities.
The bill also would require the governor to notify the Legislature of specific powers he is seeking and for the governor or a designee to meet at least twice weekly with members of the House and Senate while the emergency is in effect.
Conflicts have arisen in Oklahoma during the coronavirus outbreak over local stay-at-home orders stricter than state guidelines. The state’s attorney general and a U.S. attorney both warned Norman Mayor Breea Clark last week to lift an order in Oklahoma’s third-largest city that prevented large gatherings inside places of worship after the governor had said churches could reopen.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Disgusting. The mob rules. Here’s another example of the contemptible behavior that seems to be ruling our nation today, watch all the videos if you have the stomach for it:
https://crooksandliars.com/2020/05/anti-lockdown-protesters-threaten-news
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Omg! 😱
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Speaking from certain religious assumptions, with the presence of the virus, it’s like God is taking his followers by the scruff of the neck and shaking the willful stupidity and overstepping arrogance out of them.
In more secular terms, I read an article earlier today (cannot relocate it) that referred to such rejection of reasonable oversight as an American pathology. CBK
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it is a pathology so directly connected to the age-old American willingness to bow down to a small segment of society hell bent upon carrying big guns and throwing poorly thought out ideas into the mix
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I think many Americans are rightly identified with our rights (from the First Amendment); but also too many of us forget the responsibilities of citizenship that are not written into the Constitution, but still go with the territory, so to speak, of living in a democracy, representative or not.
Populism is only a bad thing when “the people” are politically self-anesthetized. CBK
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Well, … in Marine Corps boot camp, we were taught that you will never be faster than a bullet so if someone has a firearm and you don’t, do not argue with them. Do what they say if you can’t walk away.
Standing up to some nutcase with a loaded firearm and your only weapon is your mouth and fists is super careless and can get you killed.
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USA 🇺🇸 the country that asks the question, how many people have to die before republicans start acting like decent human beings?
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NOTE
This only an exhortation,
It is not a competition.
Please! No Wagering!
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We have seen a number of top down autocratic governors mostly in red states try to remove any local authority either from mayors, school boards or other local jurisdictions. They have done this to expand gun laws and promote privatization of public schools. It is rule by fiat and a subtle erosion of democracy.
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A tyrannical crackpot is a danger to the people, whether in the state Capitol or the White House
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Subtle? You are too forgiving! 😉
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Insanity.
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Unless the courts overturn this legislation turning Oklahoma into a copy of Putin’s Russia or Kim’s North Korea, another U.S. state has fallen to the ALEC Autocratic Kleptocracy.
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Remember when Republicans were the party of “local control?”
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In rhetoric, but never in practice.
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It was never about States’ Rights or local control. It was always about racism and keeping governmental bodies small, divided, and weak enough that corporate entities could boss them around and “whipsaw” them against each other.
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You just explained why Trump wants to drain what he calls “the DC Swamp”. The real reason Trump wants to drain that “swamp” is to strip the federal government of the power to confront big corporations and pursue corporate crimes.
Today’s CEOs and billionaires probably all know what President Teddy Roosevelt (a Republican) did when he broke up the big oil companies and the other monopolies, and they don’t want that to happen again.
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Clark, Bynum, and others are keeping people fighting over the pandemic, so superintendents can destroy public schools in order to ensure BOTh parties can make sure NO person earns over $10. Remember: NO Teacher in Oklahoma will NEED a Bachelor’s Degree next year.
In a recent Tulsa World publication, “Tulsa children’s author and illustrator Betty Casey says her cartoon, Emergency Certified Parents, came to her as she was thinking about the idea that parents have suddenly been thrust into the role of teachers. She says it’s a misconception that just anyone can be a teacher, a lesson a lot of parents are learning these days.”
Hilarious, and true! There are a number of TPS’ Emergency Certified teachers who can’t handle the responsibilities of being an educator. Many of these teachers come to work unprofessionally dressed, half-drunk, and red-eyed. Many of them could not hack being in their former roles, and now are desiring to be a teacher. If you are not successful in the business, nonprofit, or healthcare world, you think you going to find success in the teaching world? Not!
Many of these emergency teachers lack the ability to understand dyslexia to advocate for a strong phonics program like Barton or Orton-Gillingham methods. Too many of these individuals are unable to write a complete logical thought, let alone a sentence. And, many of them are incapable of running a data analytics program heavy in statistics let alone teach first-grade math. Maybe that is why less than 50% of Emergency Certified teachers, pass the test – a test that is literally written at the 3rd-grade reading level. Many of these so-called teachers leave within two years, but some do stay around.
What happens when individuals don’t pass the test? TPS leaders made Tulsa World headlines when 16 people for being fired for not obtaining their certifications fast enough. Supposedly, TPS will fire you if you don’t fulfill certain obligations unless that is you are a friend of a friend, a daughter or a son of a TPS favored educator or a minority in a minority-majority school. If you are smart and savvy enough to pull data and look through databases, you will see many TPS so-called teachers, especially those who are black don’t have to oblige by these rules. One of many examples of this is Areonne O. Gordon, who has a bachelor’s degree in Business and Accounting from Langston University. Ms. Gordon, received her originally emergency certification in 7/1/2017, for which she taught for two years in TPS, and now teaches science since the state has granted her permission in 07/2019. Another example is Rickey Washington, a band teacher at Carver Middle School, who has taught in TPS since August 2016 according to his Facebook page. Mr. Washington received an emergency Vocal/General Music certificate in the summer of 2016, and when he could not complete his obligations by July 2018, Mr. Washington received an Instrumental/General Music certification, which is set to expire this summer. When an anonymous complaint was sent to the Oklahoma Attorney General, the Oklahoma Department of Education’s employees manipulated the database, taking pertinent emergency certification license information out of the database to hide the truth from the general public. Can we say, there is no lack of ethics or morals in either system?
Wonder if Mr. Washington can’t pass his certification obligations? He’ll keep on being a TPS teacher. A popular educator at North Central High School is Written Quincey, his real name is Jason Robertson. Interesting, as he has no teaching license, not even a certification, according to the Oklahoma State SDE database. Furthermore, a mystery is if he is able to even teach in Oklahoma, according to his LinkedIn account, he attended but didn’t graduate from the University of Cincinnati. Nate Goodman, who serves as the algebra teacher and assistant athletic director, Tulsa Central High School, has no license either not even an emergency certified teaching license, according to Oklahoma SDE information.
Wonder what happens to white teachers who don’t play by the rules? According to TPS’ Broad Grads, they are pushed out of the system. TPS has revealed that they have low expectations for blacks, because if you can’t pass a test or do your job – we will keep you! A lot of parents are finding out not everyone is cut to be a teacher, but that is misinformation to TPS. A lot of minority parents are finding out TPS has failed their kids for years, but this is misinformation to TPS, too.
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