The McCarville Report Online

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 10:50:00 +0000

Your Goat

Is In

My Seat

A Book By Mike McCarville

Chapter One

Guatemala City's airport baked in the morning sun as we clamored aboard a doorless, ancient, twin-engined airplane for a flight to Tikal, in the northern rain forest not far from Belize.

Natives of all kinds also got aboard, some of them carrying chickens in flimsy crates, others leading small goats by ropes tied around their necks.

The six of us in our group of journalists tried to find seats together. Father Elmo Romagoso of New Orleans, one of two Catholic priests in the group, motioned me to a seat and I sat down on it; notice I wrote sat down on it, not sat in it. That's because there wasn't much to the seat. Just a flimsy, well-worn place to park my butt for the flight. After I sat, I noticed a woman struggling to get aboard. I got up and went over to help her. When I returned to "my" seat, there was a goat in it, his owned seated next to it.

"Uh, your goat is in my seat," I said.

I got a blank look and a shrug from the goat's owner.

I found another seat.

NEW SITE

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:04:00 +0000

The McCarville Report has moved; the new address is www.mccarvillereport.com.

New TMR Site Coming January 1st

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:30:00 +0000

The McCarville Report's new Internet site, designed to be more user-friendly, debuts on January 1st at www.mccarvillereport.com.

Mike McCarville said he understands the new site "may take a bit of getting-used-to; on this site, readers have had to scroll down, down, down, to read the stories. The new site spreads stories across the page and categorizes them. For example, if you just want to read stories about Social Mores, you'd just scroll down to that category and click on the headline; all of our stories in that category will appear. If you're interested in state finance and the tax structure, no need to scroll much at all; the category State Spending is just below the animated photos.

"You will find some stories appear under General news at top right, and also under specific categories down the page; they are the same stories, categorized as they are for archive purposes once they are topped by other stories.

"And speaking of archives: At the bottom of the page, you'll find an Archive Search section.

"If you want to see a list of all current stories, just scroll a wee bit and look on the left; you'll see Top Of Our News.

"Note also the reinstatement of a Comments section under each story. So long as the comments do not use indelicate language, make an unfounded allegation or cast a personal aspersion, they will be used; if they stray, they won't be."

Drug Cartels Target Young People

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:28:00 +0000

Mexican drug cartels, in a disturbing new trend, are luring young people from Southern California to smuggle drugs across the border and carry out other illicit work for the criminal enterprises, according to law enforcement officials and youth activists.

The result: More than 5,000 young people, most of them Latinos, have been held in San Diego County jails over the last two years, according to KPBS San Diego.

Many of the young people were involved in street gangs, making them easier to recruit, and the crimes that landed them behind bars included assaults, robbery, drug trafficking or consumption. Their proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border made it easier for them to fall prey to the advances of the Mexican drug cartels.

Many times, children as young as 11 years old, who are referred to as the "The expendables," according to The National Post, are recruited to smuggle drugs across the border because it is believed they'll attract less law enforcement attention than adults.

Children can earn up to $400 per trip smuggling drugs across the border, according to Pedro Ríos, an activist with the San Diego office of the American Friends Service Committee. He added that young people also are recruited by human traffickers to escort undocumented immigrants from the border to safe houses.

A report by the The Children's Rights Network in Mexico estimates that 30,000 Mexicans under the age of 18 are in the employ of Mexico's numerous drug cartels.

Magic: Thunder Wins No. 4

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:49:00 +0000

Thunder downs Dallas on Kevin Durant's buzzer-beater 3-point shot.

Romney? Paul? Santorum? Iowa Caucus Results Likely To Propel Someone To GOP Nomination

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:26:00 +0000

Twenty-five percent of people questioned say if the Iowa caucuses were held today, they'd most likely back Mitt Romney, with 22% saying they'd support Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. Romney's three point margin is within the poll's sampling error.

The poll's Wednesday release comes six days before Iowa's January 3 caucuses, which kickoff the presidential primary and caucus calendar. The Iowa caucuses are followed one week later by the New Hampshire primary.

A new CNN/Time/ORC poll of likely primary voters in New Hampshire indicates that Romney, the former governor of neighboring Massachusetts, remains the front-runner, far ahead of his rivals for the GOP nomination.

In Iowa, both Romney and Paul are each up five points among likely caucus goers from a CNN/Time/ORC poll conducted at the start of December. The new survey indicates that Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania, is at 16% support, up 11 points from the beginning of the month, with Gingrich at 14%, down from 33% in the previous poll. Since Gingrich's rise late last month and early this month in both national and early voting state surveys, he's come under attack by many of the rival campaigns.

According to the survey, 11% are backing Texas Gov. Rick Perry, 9% are supporting Rep Michele Bachmann, and 1% are backing former Utah Gov. and former ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, who's spending nearly all his time campaigning in New Hampshire.

TMR Redesign Debuts On January 1st

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:13:00 +0000

On January 1st, the "new" design of The McCarville Report makes its debut.

The new design allows more news, categorized by interest, and allows much easier reading. The site eliminates the need to constantly scroll to read stories. It does require some scrolling, but not near as much,

We've dropped the "Online" portion of the title; almost six years ago, we used it to let readers know we had made the switch from print to electronic. By now, that's obvious.

The new site is light years ahead of this version in the use of graphics.

Like many readers, I am sure, I'm not a big fan of changing what I'm used to, so we've tried to make the new site as reader-friendly as possible. I hope you find it worthy of continued reading. - Mike McCarville

Oklahoma's Top Political Stories Of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:20:00 +0000

On January 1st, we'll present Oklahoma's top stories of 2011 from some of Oklahoma's premier consultants and pundits.

Some of the suggestions may surprise you and others will be obvious. Regardless, the lists make for interesting reading.

Congress' Approval At Dismal 11 Percent

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 08:05:00 +0000

The Oklahoman's Chris Casteel reports from Washington that, “Every minute we debate, our poll numbers drop,” U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver told his colleagues on the House floor during the recent debate over the payroll tax.

“It's probably at a point now where they can't drop any further.”

They still can drop a little further. But not much.

A Gallup poll released on Dec. 19 shows Congress' approval rate at 11 percent, the lowest rating since Gallup began asking the question in 1974. For 2011, Congress' approval averaged 17 percent, the lowest annual rating in Gallup history.

“This month's record-low congressional job approval rating is one of a number of measures of Congress that have reached historical low points this year,” Frank Newport, of Gallup, said in a release accompanying the latest poll.

“This suggests that 2011 will be remembered as the year in which the American public lost much of any remaining faith in the men and women they elect and send off to Washington to represent them.”
Cleaver, a Missouri Democrat, gained fleeting fame in July for coining the term “Satan sandwich” to describe a budget-cutting deal. That deal was reached after a partisan stand off over the debt ceiling that took the country to the brink of default in the summer.

Before that crisis, there was the near government shutdown in April. Between the big battles, there were multiple skirmishes, not to mention the failure of the so-called “supercommittee” to meet its goal of developing $1.5 trillion in budget cuts.

Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, said the public disgust with Congress “is a reflection of where Congress is as an institution, and it's a reflection of how dysfunctional it is.

“People want us to come to some kind of agreement and compromise.

“Unfortunately, I think it's going to get worse before it gets better, and we're in for years of the same. Something will have to happen to shake up the system.”

Read more: http://newsok.com/congress-is-at-low-point-in-public-approval-polls-show/article/3635217#ixzz1higv0hRc.

Coming Soon...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 07:48:00 +0000

...The McCarville Report's new look, our first visual upgrade since 2006. More news, easier to use.

Ron Paul: 'Descent into totalitarianism'

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 07:31:00 +0000

GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul warned that the National Defense Authorization Act, which was passed by Congress this month, will accelerate the country’s “slip into tyranny” and virtually assures “our descent into totalitarianism.”

“The founders wanted to set a high bar for the government to overcome in order to deprive an individual of life or liberty,” Paul, the libertarian congressman, said Monday in a weekly phone message to supporters. “To lower that bar is to endanger everyone. When the bar is low enough to include political enemies, our descent into totalitarianism is virtually assured. The Patriot Act, as bad as its violations against the Fourth Amendment was, was just one step down the slippery slope. The recently passed National Defense Authorization Act continues that slip into tyranny, and in fact, accelerates it significantly.”

Noted Quote: 'We'll clean up the tax code'

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 10:20:00 +0000

Steele

“What’s happened over the course of time is that Legislature has implemented various tax incentives and tax credits and things of that nature, many of which were set to expire at a date certain.

“I think it was Ronald Reagan who said that the closest thing to eternal life is a government program. I think he was probably onto something there, because none of these tax credits have gone away.

“We suspect many of them have lived their life, expired their usefulness, they’ve served their purpose, or they may even have been misused or abused.

“Chairman [David] Dank and his committee have diligently worked to establish some objective criteria based on our state’s Constitution, that each and every tax credit will have to meet, in order to stay on the books.

“Certainly, we want Oklahoma to be competitive with … other states, but also want to be extremely responsible with the resources, the taxpayers’ money, that we have been entrusted with.

“So, we will take a close look at our state’s tax codes. I suspect we will begin to clean up and probably eliminate some of the tax credits either have lived their life and served their purpose, or which need to expire." ~ House Speaker Kris Steele, as quoted by Pat McGuigan/CapitolBeatOk.com.

Fallin: Gradually Reduce Income Tax

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Governor Fallin, completing her first year in office, wants to gradually reduce Oklahoman's personal income tax until it is eliminated, but she said she won't let that goal trump properly funding core state services.

Read more: http://newsok.com#ixzz1hdKHrL9Z.

Read more here...

Presidential Election Year Key Dates

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 09:49:00 +0000

Jan. 3 —Iowa holds the first-in-the-nation caucuses
Jan. 10 — New Hampshire holds the first-in-the-nation primary
Jan. 21 — South Carolina holds its Republican presidential primary
Jan. 31 — Florida's holds its presidential primary
Feb. 4 — Nevada holds its Republican caucuses
Feb. 9-11 — Conservative Political Action Conference takes place in Washington
Feb. 22 — GOP presidential candidates debate in Arizona
Feb. 28 — Arizona and Michigan hold their presidential primaries
March 1 — The GOP presidential candidates debate in Georgia
March 6 — Super Tuesday: The first day that states not designated as early states by the national parties are allowed to hold their primary contests without penalty. Georgia, Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ohio and Texas will hold primaries, and North Dakota, Colorado and Idaho will hold Republican caucuses

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 08:53:00 +0000

Lankford Wins Praises From Colleagues, Politico

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 18:37:00 +0000

Congressman James Lankford's first year in Congress is ending with superlatives from his colleagues and the influential publication Politico.

Of Lankford, Politico wrote: "James Lankford - This Oklahoma freshman looks like an adolescent, sounds like Barry White, and has the unlikeliest of résumés for success in politics. But the former Christian camp counselor has proven to be a quiet, disciplined and effective voice for his colleagues, earning respect on the Budget Committee. He also holds a safe Republican seat in his state, meaning that if he can keep the conservatives in his district happy, the freshman lawmaker should have a long career in Washington."

James Lankford: 'Merry Christmas'

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:27:00 +0000

“Let me just start by saying this to anyone who’s watching, Merry Christmas to you as we look forward to the year but it was a frustrating thing to me to get a message from the Franking Office here in the House that just said, here’s the things that you should say. … From our e-newsletter that’s going out, we have a lot of things that we send out every time, it’s the Christmas week, we’re going to mention Merry Christmas on it.” ~ Congressman James Lankford in The Daily Caller.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/12/23/congressmen-say-merry-christmas-rejecting-political-correctness-video/#ixzz1hST6xgeU

Fallin Announces Year-End Appointments

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 21:47:00 +0000

Governor Mary Fallin today announced appointments to the State Board of Career and Technology Education, Board of Regents for the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges, Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees and the Board of Regents of the Tulsa Community College.

State Board of Career and Technology Education

Marilyn Harrel of Weatherford is on the board of directors at the Bank of Western Oklahoma. She has taught at Putnam City and Leedey Schools. Harrel received a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University. She is being reappointed and will represent the third Congressional District. Senate confirmation is required for her appointment.

Board of Regents for the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges

Lou Watkins of Stillwater is a former college professor and department chair. She currently serves on the board of regents for OSU A&M colleges. Watkins received a bachelor’s degree and a masters in secondary education from OSU. She is being reappointed and is representing Congressional District 3. Senate confirmation is required for her appointment.

Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees

Bill Peacher of Tulsa is a managing member at William Peacher, an investment banking and financial consulting firm. He received a bachelor’s from Oklahoma State University and masters in business administration from Harvard Business School. Peacher is replacing Richard Neptune.

Stew Meyers of Oklahoma City is the president of Meyers Life Agency. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma. Meyers is replacing Galeard Roper.

Board of Regents of the Tulsa Community College

Dan Keating of Tulsa is the president of Summit Consolidated Group, a national brokerage and insurance company. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tulsa and masters in business administration from OU. Keating currently serves on the board of directors for the Salvation Army, State Chamber of Commerce and Valley National Bank. He is replacing Robert Burton who resigned. Keating’s appointment requires Senate confirmation.

Icy Reception...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:43:00 +0000

Cortes To Seek HD88 Seat

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:34:00 +0000

Steve Cortes, former general counsel to Governor Brad Henry, has announced he'll seek the House District 88 seat held by Representative Al McAffrey, who is running for the Senate seat previously held by Andrew Rice.

Cortes is an attorney with Riggs Abney Neal Turpen Orbison & Lewis.

Rudy Analyzes Surging Superintendent Salaries

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 08:41:00 +0000

http://oklahomawatchdog.org.

All Hail Barack Obama!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:24:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qymIXlcO3JY.

Noted Quote: 'Why the hell did you come here?'

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:12:00 +0000

“Only in this town can being right be wrong. It’s the only place in the world where if you do the right thing you’re wrong. Are you kidding me? … If you can’t start doing what’s right for the American people then why the hell did you come here?” ~ Congressman Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, arguing against the Obama two-month tax proposal.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/70761.html#ixzz1hFymzs2n

CapitolBeatOK: Chamber Leaders Oppose Some Proposed Tax Credit Reforms

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:53:00 +0000

www.capitolbeatok.com.

Task Force Wants Transparency, Pre-Approval

noreply@blogger.com (Mike McCarville) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:42:00 +0000

Members of the Task Force on State Tax Credits and Economic Incentives voted today to require greater tax-credit transparency and mandatory pre-approval for those seeking tax credits.

Those recommendations, along with several other reforms endorsed at previous meetings, will now be presented to the governor and legislative leaders.

“There is a general consensus here that says tax incentives that create real, lasting jobs are worthy, while those that fail that basic test are not,” said state Rep. David Dank, an Oklahoma City Republican who chairs the task force.

In calling for greater transparency, Dank noted that it had become clear that until recently “few members of the Legislature had even the dimmest concept of how many tax credits we had on the books, how much they cost or even where they were going. The taxpayers certainly didn’t either.”

He endorsed a system of reporting that will ensure that “everyone involved sees and knows exactly what is going on and what is at stake, down to a dollar-by-dollar accounting of where these credits and incentives are going and what they are achieving.”

In calling for a pre-approval process, Dank noted that the current system for obtaining many tax credits seems “to be almost automatic” with no future cross-checking for re-approval process for recipients.

“If I go down to buy a car this afternoon, it doesn’t matter that I bought one ten or twenty years ago,” Dank said. “I’m going to have to be pre-approved before I drive that care off the lot. The same rules should apply to tax incentives.”

The task force voted to include both recommendations in their final report.

The group has previously endorsed elimination of transferable tax credits and called for mandatory fiscal impact reports on all tax credits, caps on tax credits, annual audits of tax credit programs, routine analysis of each credit’s effectiveness at permanent job creation, and expiration dates for all tax credit programs with the option for legislative re-authorization.

The group also endorsed a prohibition on hearing tax-credit bills during the final hectic days of the legislative session.

Although elimination or restriction of many tax credits programs will likely draw strong opposition from the groups that have benefited from them, Dank urged lawmakers to consider the bigger picture.

“Starting right now, remind yourself every day that the only lobbyist that counts is the people who elected us,” Dank said. “They may not hang around in the halls here at the Capitol, but they are here in spirit.”

The Task Force on State Tax Credits and Economic Incentives’ final report will be submitted to legislative leaders and Gov. Mary Fallin by Dec. 31. The report will be used to craft legislation for the 2012 legislative session.