Coming Soon to A Community Center Near You!

In keeping with my promises of personal involvement with the people of Oklahoma’s 5th District, the campaign is soon to be hitting the road!  From Bethany to Wewoka, I’ll be making frequent visits and holding meetings!  I want to extend an invitation for you to join me.  I’ll be posting scheduled events on my Facebook page and Twitter account, @PM4Congress.  The first of these scheduled road trips will be take place in the next two or three weeks, and will be posted sometime in the next seven days.

I want to hear from you!  If you’d like me to come visit your town, or know of places that would be suitable to hold a gathering, let me know!  I can’t wait to get out there and talk with everyone in our district, and I’ll be glad to add any suggestions to the list!

I’ve already spoken with many Oklahomans, and many of their concerns seem to be shared.  Smaller federal government with more state responsibility, less federal spending, and employment rank among the top concerns.  Others include our energy dependence, national defense and immigration.  There are still many more.

Regardless of which concerns are brought up, there has always been a shared belief and understanding that it is the people’s responsibility to voice their concerns, and the government’s responsibility to listen and address those concerns.  We’ve established a government of the people and by the people, and that’s why I’m hitting the road.  We’ve got to bring the concerns of Oklahomans to the forefront of discussion, and take that message to Washington.

So contact me.  E-mail me, at martin4congress@gmail.com, or send a message through facebook.  A campaign phone line is soon to come, as well!  I hope you’ll voice your concerns, attend local meetings, and help me work for our state and our country.  I’m truly excited to begin this process with all of you.

It’s Your Government!

Some of the promises I have made to the people of Oklahoma’s 5th District deal with involving them in their government, and to make my every day in Washington an open book.  But while this site has a comment feature, I believe it requires you to set up an account with WordPress, first.  For this reason, I wanted to make it easier to follow and get involved with my campaign.

While I certainly welcome comments posted here on my weekly blogs, tonight I launched my official facebook page and I am very excited to have immediate support for my campaign with this latest addition.  You can visit my new campaign facebook page here!

I’ll be following my facebook page closely.  I’ll be making announcements for things like town hall meetings in many communities.  You will be able to track my efforts across this district.  You will be able to voice your concerns to me directly, as a candidate or your congressman, and know that you will receive a response.  You can share my campaign, easily, with others who see our need for responsible and efficient methodology in Washington.  You can see me keep these promises because you can come along for the journey.

There will be additional things to come.  An official campaign website, a twitter account, and more.  I hope you’ll stay involved and informed, and I can’t wait to start working.  Not only for you, but with you.  As your congressman, I promise to follow through.

If you are a new visitor to this blog, please check the archive for past posts like my letter to Oklahomans, and posts regarding the State of the Union Address.  I’m looking forward to hearing from you, too!

Thanks again, to all who have shown their support so far, and I’ll see you out there in the 5th District!

All Is Not Lost

I’ve been having some discussions with Oklahomans since I decided to run for office.  Not just from within our district, but from across our state.  They are just regular people I happen to meet in person or on the internet.  I’ve noticed some things that deserve to be mentioned, in the hopes we can approach today’s issues with clarity of mind and successful action.

The great majority of people I speak with are optimistic.  They believe it’s possible to make successful and meaningful change in the way our federal government conducts itself, while reducing size and reach and spending.  They believe this despite the feelings of frustration, betrayal, and even downright anger that they carry.

Unfortunately, I’ve also met a few people who have obviously become bitter and disillusioned with our country.  Sometimes it shows itself as apathy, and an attitude of ‘Why bother?’  Sometimes it shows itself as extreme ideology or proposals.  They don’t believe there’s any point in trying to change things, or they believe the situation is so desperate and extreme that the only successful solutions must be equally desperate and extreme.

Let’s address the first.  It’s the most common of the two, from what I’ve noticed.  Some people have seen over and over again the way politicians say one thing and do another, or the overcomplexity and encroaching nature of government programs and agencies, and they think there’s simply nothing to be done.  One reason they feel this way is because their choice in candidates is often limited to people who tow a party line, and who often times say things and make promises that they won’t deliver.  They also think that since these politicians are making the rules, there is no way to change business as usual in Washington.

This is a democracy.  If the two-party system frustrates us, we must vote for an outside option.  But we cannot do that unless we have the option on a ballot.  This is one of the fundamentals of my congressional campaign.  Regular Americans used to run for office and lead this country, but the two-party system and a lack of term limits quickly facilitated career politicians.  Those who are dissatisfied must stand up and take action if this is to change.  Some who are frustrated can run for office, and stand apart from Washington’s ‘typical’ behavior.  Others who are frustrated can cast their votes to support such candidates.  It is only the apathy that dooms us to failure.

A few people I’ve talked to approach their frustrations with a more hostile attitude.  They have become so frustrated with a government that increases its spending, debt, and control that they believe the only way to resolve the issue is to ‘cut the snake’s head off’.  It’s been suggested to me that the best solutions are to do such things as remove all accreditation and federal regulation of the medical industry, or to completely remove federal regulation of education, or to completely remove the federal government altogether.  I’ve even heard our political process described as ‘destructive’.

Frankly, this worries me.  Not because these are widely held beliefs, (it’s actually quite the opposite) but because it’s such an extremist response.  Their logic is that if the laws and regulations imposed by the government are failing, then we must simply remove it all.  Reality is rarely so simple.

Allowing just anyone to open a medical practice without the proper training is not an acceptable way to drive down the cost of health care.  A fifty dollar appendectomy from Bob the “Doctor” is hardly a solution.  Removing all federal education standards, and replacing them with the whim of every individual school district, is not an acceptable way to ensure quality education for our young people.  Such wide variation in standards mean a smaller radius in which a diploma will be accepted.  Removing the federal government altogether leaves us a loose collection of nation-states, weaker when divided.  It is vital to remember that, despite frustration or anger or adversity, we must never succumb to such desperate or drastic a response.  Troublesome times are not an excuse to abandon responsible discourse and action.  Rather, it demands those things all the more.

As your congressman, I will keep a level head on my shoulders.  I won’t allow high emotions or panic to guide my actions in Washington.  I’ll call for precision action to address key concerns, rather than simply lay waste to our federal government.  Smaller, more responsible, and effective government demands a scalpel, not a club.

Thank You

I just wanted to take a moment to personally thank everyone who has visited this site in the last week.  I did not expect to see such levels of activity so soon after launching this project.  Please, bookmark this blog and check with us throughout the weeks to come for additional posts and more information on the campaign.

We can change Washington and America for the better with the hard work and support of regular Americans like you.  We all have an equal stake in our success.

The Tea Party Response

When the Tea Party first showed up, I was optimistic.  I was being presented with a new group of politically active people who stood up and stood apart from the Republicans and the Democrats.  I eagerly listened to what they had to say, but grew confused when it sounded very much like traditional Republican ideals.  The Tea Party leadership has consistently maintained they are not a wing of the Republican Party, but I couldn’t help but notice that all the elected Tea Party representatives seem to be tagged with an “(R)” to the right of their names.

Representative Michele Bachmann was no different.  Tagged as a Republican, she began her speech for this organization that stands apart from Republicans.  She even began by stating that her remarks were not meant to compete with the official GOP response.

The first thing I noticed was that there was no talk of working together, reaching across the aisle, or cooperation of any sort.  Almost immediately, she begins pointing out all the mistakes the democrats have made.

She did have something that Paul Ryan of the GOP didn’t have, a huge bar graph that showed unemployment percentages dating back to 2001.  I think it would have been helpful to show government spending rates as well, and go back perhaps as far as 1990 to get a good look at the trends, but I appreciated the effort to at least present hard numbers and facts.

She then brought up the health care law, or as she liked to call it, “Obamacare.”  This is a term that I’ve never really liked.  I think it’s probably because every time I hear it, it’s said negatively.  It lends itself to the idea that if you don’t like President Obama, you must not like the health care law.  In reality, most of our law makers haven’t read the more than two thousand pages, let alone regular Americans.  And with that many pages, there are bound to be bits that are salvageable.  It’s up to the government to ensure that excessive or damaging regulation is removed, not conduct a blind and expensive all-out repeal.

Then I was surprised to hear Representative Bachmann say “The President could agree to an energy policy that increases American energy production and reduces our dependence on foreign oil,” in speaking of positive steps that could be taken.  It’s common sense to realize that American energy production is the key to reducing dependency on foreign sources, and not to simply be abandoned in favor of research into new technology.

As your congressman, I intend to call for an end to blame passing.  I promise to help keep our government firmly looking at the present and the future, not the past.  I promise to help our government set real goals, and achieve them.  I promise not to waste time bickering over who is at fault for what, or what their secret agenda might be.  I promise to find and foster common ground in the House, such as the shared view of energy policy with Representative Bachmann.  I promise to get meaningful work done, efficiently and without delay.  It’s time for Washington to realize that it should wage war on its problems, not on itself.

The GOP Response

The GOP’s official rebuttal to the President’s speech was delivered by Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI), Chairman of the House Budget Committee.

Representative Ryan started off his response to the State of the Union speech with an assurance of a desire to work with the President in matters of spending restraint.  He warned of the dangers of our growing defecit, and explained why working across the aisle was necessary.  He acknowledged that the current debt crisis is a product of many presidents and many congresses over many years, and that no one person or party is responsible.  “There is no doubt that the President came into office facing a severe fiscal and economic situation…”

I was actually encouraged.  Then Congressman Ryan continued.  On the tail of refusing to assign blame, and respecting the tough job the President faces, Mr. Ryan proceeded to outline every past mistake President Obama has made, and exactly how it’s put us into the crisis in which we now find ourselves, squarely pointing the proverbial finger.  “What we already know about the President’s health care law is this:  Costs are going up, Premiums are rising, and millions of people will lose the coverage they currently have.”  Emotionally charged language, but no examples of how the law is responsible for these changes, what specific provisions of the law are at fault, or what can be done to address those provisions.

He did mention the waivers being requested and issued to businesses for which the law will not apply.  I have to agree here.  Any law that cannot apply itself fairly to the population must be re-examined.

He mentioned, with perhaps some pride, that the House voted for a full repeal of the health care law.  He failed to mention that bipartisan economists have already estimated a full repeal would cost the American people a quarter of a trillion dollars.  He pledges to replace the law with better legislation, but no proposals have been made.  I bring this up because Mr. Ryan insisted I do.  “Americans are skeptical of both political parties, and that skepticism is justified, especially when it comes to spending.  So hold us all accountable.”

As your congressman, I promise to do exactly that.  I won’t sit quietly while our government says one thing and does another.  I won’t sit quietly while fears are nurtured without any offered facts or real information to back it up.  It’s time Washington recognize we don’t have time for that.  We need facts and answers ,and we need them now.

President Obama’s Speech

Earlier this week, President Obama delivered his State of the Union Address.  As a candidate for the House of Representatives in 2012, I was excited.  I watched the speech a number of times, taking notes along the way.  I wanted to post some points here because the sharing and discussion of ideas is vital to our democracy.  I hope you’ll forgive a somewhat lengthy post, but there was quite a bit to cover.  By the way, if you haven’t seen it, you can catch it online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZdEmjtF6HE

President Obama spoke at length, in the beginning, about working together across the aisle, about American ability to overcome adversity, and about the government’s role throughout history in investing in education and research to create jobs.  The space race was a good analogy to what the President proposed: government investment in science and technology.  He told us that in order to create jobs and new industry, and to reduce our oil dependency, the government should invest in green energy solutions.

To quote, “We’re not just handing out money.  We’re issuing a challenge.  We’re telling America’s scientists and engineers that if they assemble teams of the best minds in their fields and focus on the hardest problems in clean energy, we’ll fund the Apollo projects of our time.”  This could, indeed, create new jobs and industry, and help solve America’s foreign oil problems.

But then the President proposed that lawmakers eliminate the “billions in tax-payer dollars we currently give to oil companies.”  He chuckled and then added “I don’t know if uh… I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they’re doing just fine on their own.”

With respect to the President, I believe he missed the point, entirely.  When speaking of these new green energies, he specifies that money be earned and not simply given away.  It’s called an ‘investment’ in those who can answer a ‘challenge”.  When speaking of oil companies, the President issued no challenges at all.  He simply indicated this was a waste of our money.  He failed to acknowledge the potential that American oil companies have to truly help this nation.

If our goal is to reduce our dependence on oil, then common sense tells us the first step is to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil.  Producing more oil in America is a common sense solution.  But like the President, I’m not proposing we give money away.  I’m talking about the best minds in the field, answering a challenge to focus on drilling more American oil in a clean, safe and responsible manner.

Oklahomans know very well how it should be done.  To date, more than ten thousand closed well sites have been restored to their former beauty, state wide (more than twenty-five hundred here in the fifth district.)  Thanks to the efforts of hard working Oklahomans, thousands of land owners can look out over a scene unspoiled by prior drilling.  It seems to me that we should not invest solely in any one solution when there are a multitude of improvements to be made.  The government can easily pay for responsible and wise investment if we can eliminate wastes in time and money that plague us elsewhere. And President Obama did have good ideas on doing just that.

Change needs to be made in organization.  There are twelve different agencies that deal with exports, five that deal with housing policy.  He mentioned that the Interior Department was in charge of salmon when they’re in fresh water, but the Commerce Department when in salt water.  These are only a few examples of red tape and inefficiency that run things, today.  Addressing these issues will certainly save tremendous amounts of money and time.  Simple government is effective government.

He also made a bold claim:  Any bills to come across his desk with earmarks would be vetoed.  However, with a history of waivers that exempt certain parties from legislation, I’m forced to ask if that will really happen.  Promises of progress are nice, but without hard facts or examples to back them up it’s all the same rhetoric, even if it is presented in a positive and upbeat manner.

I don’t disagree with investing in solutions to our problems.  I don’t disagree with simplifying and restructuring our government to function more efficiently.  I do, however, believe that one must come before the other.  Facing the debt crisis as we are, it is imperative we avoid new government spending until we’ve managed to halt its momentum.

President Obama acknowledged that the current situation of government spending is unsustainable.  If that is the case, new spending must come with real cuts that equal or exceed it.  To ‘help’ with cost is not enough, if the result is still a slip further into the red.

About a year ago, I needed a new computer.  I didn’t simply want it, my work demaned newer and better equipment than I possessed.  The slower speed and lack of capability meant longer hours, which meant I had to work harder, but it didn’t matter because I could not afford to increase my spending.  I knew that if I wanted to be successful and conduct my business more efficiently, I needed to cut my costs and save my money, first.

I didn’t print more money to stash in my bank account.  I didn’t write the computer shop an I.O.U.  I definitely didn’t just spend the money, anyway.  I figured out where I could cut costs, I adjusted my budget to allow for the new spending, and then I made my purchase.  This isn’t impressive, it’s the kind of thing regular Americans do every day.  It’s a foreign concept, though, in Washington.

As your congressman, I promise to bring real common sense to our government.  I promise to be a constant reminder to our legislators that Americans know how to be responsible.  I promise to remind them that, as our government, we demand it of them.  It’s time for Washington to get back in touch with the rest of the country.