Coburn launching taxpayer revolt at 1pm today

With the passage of a $530+ million tax hike, taxpayers are outraged at the lack of transparency and openness in the Oklahoma Legislature, and their refusal to consider other methods besides raising taxes.

At 1pm today, former Sen. Tom Coburn will be announcing the formation of a new taxpayer advocacy group, Oklahoma Taxpayers Unite!, which will aim to transform how Oklahoma government operates.

From around the blogosphere...

Steve Fair has a great post titled HERE ON HTRAE. Here's a snippet:

The disappointing thing is once again the education lobby won because self-described fiscal conservatives in control of the legislature caved. Education didn’t have to agree to consolidate administrative services, school districts, or submit to comprehensive audits of school districts. They just threatened to walk-out and lawmakers caved. No Oklahoman disputes teachers in Oklahoma deserve a raise, but so do the butchers, bakers and candlestick makers. Unfortunately, those people can’t afford to stage a walk-out because they can’t afford to take the day off. They have to work to pay their taxes.

Republicans traditionally have been known for smaller government and fought for citizens to keep more of their hard earned money, but here on planet Htrae, Republicans perform exactly the opposite of what you expect. On this cube-shaped planet we now live on, you can expect elected officials to contradict logic and adhere to the Bizarro Code. Voting doesn’t match their campaigning. Press releases and public speeches contradict their actions. It is no wonder the average citizen thinks politics and politicians are crooked, dirty and unethical- after all, we’re on Htrae.

Michael Bates discusses the passage of tax-increase bill HB1010XX here, which includes a tax on church camps like Falls Creek -- widely known for hosting the world’s largest youth encampment of its kind each summer.