I've just returned from having attended the Dan Keating for State Treasurer party held at the IPE Building at the fairgrounds. While the turnout was a little sparse, no doubt due to the rain, the President speaking at the OSU Commencement, the Blues Festival and other events, the highlight of the event, as expected, was the speech by U.S. Senator Tom Coburn.
Coburn acknowledged that he does very few endorsements for other candidates. His primary qualification for such an endorsement is that the candidate must have a vision for what he wants to accomplish in the office. He will only support those that "want to do something, not to be somebody."
Dan Keating should be very honored that Sen. Coburn has such faith in him.
However, the highlight of the speech was a story he read from a source he didn't reveal. Given that the events were an unknown storyteller's recollection of a political speech he heard as a boy growing up in rural Georgia, most surmised that the writer must be former Georgia Senator Zell Miller.
My curiosity was such, as was the power of the very simple tale he shared, that the instant I got home, I "Googled" some of the key word I remembered and "lo and behold," there was the story, simply entitled, "Whose Bread I Eat -- His Song I Sing," by J. G. McDaniel, M.D.
I won't comment much on the story, because commentary would merely dilute the simple message. I would just encourage you to take five minutes, at the most, to read this story.
Click Here.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I thought Dan to be a fairly soft-spoken common sense guy when he spoke on KFAQ. Ya think, you and me might ever be able to get Dr. Tom's endorse? Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
"I can pen any animal on the face of the earth if I can jist get him to depend on me for a free handout."
Kinda sums up our current government leadership from the local version through the state and on to Washington...
I shared the Wild Hog story will a brother who is directly familiar with wild hogs and he told me there is no fury like a cornered
wild hog. I hope that applies to Americans when they realize they have been trapped by their Government and their Freedom is at stake.
The following is Senator Coburn's
response to questions I raised about his position on illegal immigration.
May 9, 2006
Mr. Ken Sellers
2400 S. Chestnut Avenue
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74012
Dear Mr. Sellers,
Thank you for taking the time to contact me to express your views on immigration reform. I believe legal immigration is a very important part of our heritage and economy, but illegal immigration is a threat to our nation's security and should not be tolerated.
There certainly is a great difference between legal and illegal immigration. We as a nation benefit from the hardworking dedication and innovations many immigrants contribute to our nation. In recent decades, however, too many immigrants have broken our country's immigration laws. As a result, the Department of Homeland Security estimates there are currently between 8 million and 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. The presence of so many illegal, undocumented immigrants in the United States places a burden on federal, state and local budgets, and displaces American workers and students. Tolerating illegal immigration also undermines the rule of law and allows terrorists to enter the country.
I welcome qualified, documented workers to our country to temporarily fill voids in our workforce and return to their homeland when their time expires. When a need is clearly demonstrable, I will support an increase in certain visas. I will not, however, support amnesty as a component to any immigration reform plan. I adamantly believe that granting amnesty to illegal immigrants is not the solution to America's illegal immigration problem. Amnesty rewards those who break our laws, encourages the further violation of our laws and perpetuates illegal immigration. The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, which provided amnesty to 2.8 million illegal immigrants, has not halted a stream of immigrants from entering our country without proper documentation. I have taken every opportunity to vote against granting amnesty to illegal immigrants living in America and I will continue to do so.
I firmly believe the most efficient way to address America's illegal immigration problem is to secure our borders, strictly enforce immigration laws and remove incentives to illegal immigration. I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of the Border Security and Interior Enforcement Improvement Act of 2005 (S. 2377), with Senators Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Jeff Sessions of Alabama.
As you may know, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a comprehensive immigration reform bill by Chairman Arlen Specter. I offered several amendments to increase the law-enforcement provisions in this legislation. One of the most important amendments I was able to insert in the bill will make it easier for the federal government to use the process of "expedited removal" on illegal immigrants who are currently in the United States, and will allow the federal government to remove illegal immigrants who are currently incarcerated in prisons. In Oklahoma alone, the cost of incarcerating illegal immigrants is more than $11 million. At nearly $26,000 per inmate, the total federal cost of illegal immigrant incarceration is more than $1.3 billion per year.
I ultimately voted against the legislation in the Judiciary Committee because it contained language creating a massive guest worker program and an opportunity for a sweeping amnesty. I am adamantly opposed to any effort to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants and I believe we must first act to secure our border before we consider a guest worker program.
For this same reason I voted against a motion to begin debate by the full Senate on legislation by Senators Hagel and Martinez. This proposal created a classification system based on the time that an illegal immigrant had been in the United States. The Hagel-Martinez legislation was yet another opportunity for sweeping amnesty, and ultimately failed to secure the necessary support for continued debate.
I am disappointed that the Senate was not able to agree on sensible immigration reform. It is my hope that the Senate will reconsider this important issue in the coming weeks. My position on this issue has not changed, and please be assured that I will remain vigilant in securing our borders and working for strong and sensible immigration law. The Constitution gives the federal government no greater responsibility than the defense and security of our nation.
Again, thank you for letting me know your views on this issue. Please stay in touch and let me know if I can be of assistance in any way.
Sincerely, A
Tom Coburn
United States Senator
TC: ef
Post a Comment