Last week, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn made a point of exposing thehorrendous misuse of our gas tax dollars. Each time you buy gas, youpay about 18 cents per gallon which is remitted to the federalgovernment. This money is supposed to be used to build and repairroads. Coburn explained that a third of this money is being used foritems such as scenic beautification, bike paths, pedestrian walkways,transportation museums and environmental concerns.Coburn's testimony matches with what our local officials experience ona regular basis. You can only imagine how frustrating it is for localleaders who are fighting a desperate battle to repair roads to see howmoney is siphoned off for these superfluous purposes -- while theroads go unfunded.Not only are our federal tax dollars inappropriately spent, but thefunds that are allowed to come back to state and local government forpaving roads do so with horrible, bureaucratic, one-size-fits-allcontrols that handicap local leaders.An example of this is the upcoming re-pavement of Broadway Road. LoganCounty received funding for the road in part because it experiences anextremely heavy traffic count (6000 per day) which is wearing away theroad surface. However, federal red tape won't let the county use thismoney to pave the road where the heaviest traffic is located.A federal rule requires that a road this busy cannot be paved withfederal funds unless it is widened and shoulder space is added. Theamount of funding does not come close to allowing these types ofimprovements to occur. This means the road will be repaved farther tothe north where the widening is not necessary and the need for re-paving is not nearly as strong.Because of this federal rule, well-meaning though it may be, the worstpart of the road cannot be fixed while the part of the road that isnot so needy will receive a very nice repaving job. This means thecounty must scramble to find a way to fix the heavily traveled part ofthe road with other funding sources.Recently, county officials from the central Oklahoma region werecalled into a training session where they were coached on the rulesthey should abide by because they receive federal funds (money theytook from us through the federal gas tax). An example of one of theserules is a Title VI rule requiring local governments to producematerials in multiple languages. You can only image how infuriating itis for county officials who want to make improvements such as pavingroads to be told that instead of doing this, they have to spend moneyproducing their documents in foreign languages.Another point of contention between federal and county government isthe fact that county government is required to produce anenvironmental impact study for events as simple as the placement of aroad sign. What kind of world do we live in when taxpayers have to payfor an environmental study just to put up a stop sign?In my view, Oklahoma would be far better off by refusing toparticipate in this ridiculous system and stop remitting gas tax moneyto the federal government. Those funds would be used much moreefficiently if they were simply sent directly to ODOT and the localgovernments without the federal filter allowing the federal governmentto dictate their agenda.--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~

State Representative Jason MurpheyChairman Government Modernization CommitteeState Capitol Building - Room #400B2300 North Lincoln BlvdOklahoma City, OK 731051(405) 557-7350 (Office)1(405) 315-5064 (Cell)http://www.HouseDistrict31.com

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  • Representative Murphy, I called on former Senator Kevin Easley for Oklahoma to quit accepting federal money about 5 yrs ago. Kevin told me it would really be painful for us to do that. I am ready for that pain. We need to tell the Feds through our congressmen and senators and our state legislature to keep their money and go fly a kite. We can't be free until we take our government back. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take the fight to our state legislature and start refusing federal funding and to quit paying them taxes.

    Larry Wilson
  • As far as i'm concerned the feds can go to you know where with their pandering to illegal aliens. What's their purpose for all this garbage, to make our roads as lousy as mexico's? No thanks. We, as a soveriegn state should be able to have the final say on how OUR tax money is spent, not some bureacrat in rat central in d.c.
  • Amen Brother, And the very same dilema is now being experienced in ALL parts of the USA! God Bless You for standing up to this outragious mistake on the part of the Federalies now in power! Your state should in deed cease any and all further contribution to the Federal Gas Tax if in fact YOU as a State cannot utilize what you have paid! Another atrocity on the part of this administration, just one thing after another. When will the American people wake up and see the light?
  • If one thinks this is bureaucratic mess, then just wait until Obama's health care becomes law! Of course, only we shall be forced to accept government run so-called health care, assuming the bill shall pass, while the present and future US President and Congress shall still have their fine, separate program (fact) -- what makes them better than us!

    Hypocrites is the cleanest word I can write here for the said above government officials.
  • Larry,
    For years I've been advocating ALL the states go one step farther. Collect what WOULD be Federal taxes, but keep them for use in their respective states, for programs normally funded with federal money! It's a statistical fact that few states receive as much federal monies as are extorted from them. (the "overhead" taken out is what supports the luxurious salaries, seperate healthcare system and lifetime pensions of the corrupto-crats) This plan would result in the states actually having MORE funds and would "starve the Beast" in DC. The states should WELCOME the Feds threatening to cut off funds, if they refuse to obey some arbitrary federal mandate! They could then inform them of the above action! to wit: The Fed has just been cut out of the equation and the funds are going towards the programs they were originally slated for! OUR taxes would remain the same and more would be accomplished with them! We the People win!
    You hear the Feds caterwauling about the "obcene profits" of the oil companies and see them claim this as a reason to increase their tax burden. But the fact is: we pay $.04, on every dollar at the pumps, to oil companies, and $.18, on every dollar, to the government! The government deviously forgets to mention THEY cost you 4 1/2 times as much at the pumps!
    This story also illustrates that it's not just the corrupto-crats being the problem, it's the system itself! Grossly STUPID regulations and pandering to special interests (in this case, the enviro-nazis) are a large drain on our taxes and how they are "allowed" to be used!
    I think Ross Perot put it quite well: "If I ran ANY of my companies, like the government runs the "business" of the American People, the SEC would've put me in prison, YEARS ago!" (emphasis mine)
  • Stick it to 'em!
  • First order of business is to get rid of Henry and get a gov. that is aligned with Oklahoma on the sovereignty of the state. Next we vote English as our official language. There needs to be an alliance of the several states putting the feds on notice and we need to NOT accept fed money and on the same token not send them any either. It is time for the states to secede and form an American alliance. The time has come and is inevitable because we can not use our US Constitution to correct the Marxist gov. we have now. We need to rely on our state constitutions.
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