Broken records are annoying, so please forgive me for not writing about last week's failure of the Oklahoma legislature to, once again, do their jobs and address the perpetual Oklahoma budget crisis. I feel like I'm running out of words to describe the thing.
In case you missed it, a band of soulless GOP political minions – along with a few noble Democrats who had the nerve to stand for what is right – voted against "A Grand Bargain" budget package created by the Oklahoma political establishment, ensuring more draconian cuts to state services, teachers not getting pay raises, and Oklahoma making more clickbait "10 Worst States To Live" lists.
Naturally, the greedy Oil Overlords who have infiltrated all levels of the Oklahoma private and public sector were very pleased with the bill's failure. They celebrated the accomplishment by running newspaper ads thanking the saboteur GOP legislators who made sure oil companies (and their out-of-state shareholders) keep more profits while Oklahoma slides further into a wastewater injection shit hole.
Check it out:
I know deception and propaganda are key components of both politics and advertising, but this takes things too far. Thank God they booked the ads in newspapers where nobody would see it!
Seriously, though, this reeks of poor sportsmanship. We get it. You won. Do they really have to rub it in with newspaper ads? It would be like Lincoln Riley taking out an ad in the Stillwater News Press thanking the OSU defensive backs for doing such a great job in Bedlam. Why can't they just celebrate by drinking wine out of boots with bought and paid for legislators at Junior's like they did in the good old days?
Also, couldn't the Oil Overlords find a photo that better represents Oklahoma workers? Where's the big rig driver, oil field ruffneck, panhandling teacher, Walmart cashier, undocumented worker, man-made earthquake researcher, and confused Braum's employee? They make up a larger share of the workforce than European stock photography models. What the hell is this guy supposed to be?
According to The Tulsa World, the ads were purchased by Energy Engaged, "a pass-through nonprofit whose address is the same as Oklahoma City law firm DeBee Gilchrist." That law firm is apparently linked to the Oklahoma Oil and Gas Association and the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs – the wacko conservative group that pulls Speaker McCall's strings and seems hellbent on keeping Oklahoma on track to surpass Kansas in the category of conservative political experiments gone awry.
Anyway, because I'm honest and like photoshop, I decided to make my own newspaper ad. If any rich person in there wants to back us, we should try to run it in a local newspaper:
We might have to edit some the language, but it's a start.
