Bobby Stem: OEA Proven Politically Ineffective, AOGC Urges ROAD Funds To Stay Intact
General contractor rep: Oklahoma’s roads, bridges must continue as a priority
BY BOBBY STEM
Oklahoma teacher unions are at the state Capitol all too often lobbying for measures that take away funding from the very roads and bridges that got them there in the first place.
These unions are undermining the significance of Oklahoma’s infrastructure by insisting that the funds that are paving the future of Oklahoma’s roads and bridges go instead to our broken public education system.
The results of the 2014 Oklahoma elections show that voters and the transportation industry are fed up with these demands.
While the Oklahoma Education Association was able to recruit 25,000 teachers to a rally at the Capitol last session, it was unsuccessful in rallying enough voters to elect Kevin Black, an OEA member, to the Legislature. This loss may seem like a mere election night casualty, but it should serve as a clear signal to legislators that they can lead without fear.
The OEA has proven this year to be a highly ineffective political motivator. Black’s loss also should convey to legislators that Oklahoma’s roads, bridges and highways are a higher priority among voters.