The toughest decisions I personally faced on election day were A) whether or not to vote for president, and B) which side to take on SQ 779.
For president, I joined approximately 1% of all Oklahomans and left my ballot blank. I vote for candidates. Not against them. And none of the presidential candidates on the Oklahoma ballot – from the megalomaniac con man to the Wall Street establishment lady to the dazy stoner – deserved my vote.
I ultimately voted "No" on SQ 779. I'm not going to lie, I kind of felt guilty doing it. I know education needs additional funding and teachers need a raise, but it was a bad plan. It raised taxes on an overtaxed revenue source, and would have disproportionately affected the same people it was supposed to help. I'm not going to rob from Peter to pay Peter.
Even though SQ 779 was voted down, teacher pay is still an issue that needs to be addressed. Oklahoma Watch talked to the backers to see what they have planned next:
Count them down but not out.
With the defeat of State Question 779, which proposed to raise the state sales tax by one cent for education, some supporters say their voices will be even louder at the Capitol next year.
State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister was among them.
“I will be back before state lawmakers this next legislative session, fighting for kids and a regionally competitive wage for teachers — one that reflects their work as highly trained professionals who change the lives of nearly 700,000 students every day,” Hofmeister said.