My conversation with Michael Clingman

In 2006 I had a conversation with Michael Clingman, Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary, about the current state of our voting system and what plans, if any, there were to replace that system. Recently I called Secretary Clingman, to get an update on the process of replacing our current system.

Clingman reiterated that with regard to the actual voting machines that we use, he was very happy with the system. Even though these machines were purchased in 1990 and were only to designed last 10 years, he said that we were very fortunate that our equipment was designed and built very well by the manufacturer. He referred to them as "little tanks".

So why replace them if they are so great? Clingman said that as other states abandon the systems that we currently use, we have been purchasing their old systems and using them for spare parts. This is one of the ways that we have been keeping a system designed for a 10 year life cycle afloat for 18 years. But it is not even the old machines that are really the problem. It is the old DEC Mainframe that lies at the heart of our state-wide voting system. This old machine is probably less powerful than an iPhone; and certainly your PC (or mac) that you are using to reading this, is more powerful. It has reached the point where it can not be upgraded. So as time goes on it becomes more difficult to manage state wide elections using this old system. Clingman said that both of these factors make it important to replace these machines as soon as possible.

One of the things that is apparent to me when I talk with my fellow Oklahomans, is that we really like the system that we have. So what will we replace it with? The makers of voting machines don't like our old system because each precinct only needs one machine. Electronic touch screens are better for their bottom line because each polling place would need multiple machines. So they have been pushing touch screen, electronic based systems. But these systems are not so good for the voter because these machines have proven to be fundamentally flawed.

The beauty of our system is that there is a paper trail from the ballot box all the the way through to the final tally. In 2006 Clingman was ardent supporter of a system which, at it's heart, used paper ballots with optical scanners and maintained a paper trail. Two years later, nothing has changed. He told me that whatever system we use, it must meet the following requirements.

1. It must be a system based on an optical scanner.
2. It must take paper ballots, and maintain a paper trail.
3. It must have a provision for the disabled built in that will allow them to vote without a paper ballot.
4. The system for the disabled must create a paper ballot that can then be placed in the optical scanner (to keep the paper trail alive).
5. It must be contained in one system so that we aren't left with one machine for people with paper ballots and another for the disabled.

Apparently no such system yet exists, but Clingman told me that he has two different companies working on creating such a system.

Another interesting side conversation we had dealt with Oklahoma as an anomaly among the other states. In most states the State Election Board Secretary doesn't run a uniform state wide voting system. In most states the secretary sets up standards and mandates that each county adhere to those standards. So instead of one statewide system you end up with several different voting systems all over the state. Also, what ends up happening is that a third party (usually the company that sold the equipment) manages the system that is in use.

The makers of these voting machines see their systems a continual stream of revenue. They don't hope to just sell equipment, they see the management and maintenance of the machines as a service. As such, they tend to see the software patches and updates as proprietary and closed. Since we are used to running and managing our own system, Clingman told me that another requirement that he will attempt to enforce any new system is that it be Open Source.

When does he hope to have all this in place? Well it depends, any new system must also be accredited by the Election Assistance Commission, and apparently no new system has been able to pass their standards. He is hoping that at least by 2010 we will have a new system.

After speaking with Michael Clingman again, I'm confident that Oklahoma will not bend it's standards, and that we are in good hands. Any new system will meet or exceed the standards that we are used to.

Technorati Tags: Oklahoma
electronic voting
Michael Clingman
voting machines

John Sullivan Ad Fact Check

Recently I saw an ad for John Sullivan that says that Democrat Georgianna Oliver recently moved to Tulsa and only very recently registered to vote. So I thought I'd check those claims.

I accessed the voter registration records and found that the she registered to vote on Jan 8, 2008, and has only voted once (on Feb 5th, 2008). Sullivan's voter registration claim is correct.

As to when she moved here; I took the address from her voter registration and ran that through Zillow. According to Zillow her house was last sold on 08/02/2007, I confirmed this with the land records office at Tulsa County. So this claim seems to be correct as well.

Compare that with Sullivan.
I show that he last registered to vote on Jan 4th, 1988 and has voted 76 times. According to Zillow, he has owned his current home for over 10 years.

Another interesting comparison is to look at where their money is coming from. According to Opensecrets.org, not only does Oliver's out-of-state campaign contributions eclipse Sullivan's, but Oliver has received more money from outside Oklahoma than she has from within. What is really funny is the small section at the bottom of the graph in the above link explaining how understand the data.

As a general rule, incumbents get more out-of-state money than challengers, a reflection of their status as members of Congress and the wider circles in which they travel. Challengers and newcomers are rarely well known outside their state, so their ability to raise funds beyond their district is more limited.

So why does this election buck the general rule of out-of-state donations? Why did Oliver just move to Tulsa, and why did she just register to vote? Because Oliver is clearly a carpetbagger.

John Sullivan has served us well in Congress. I get weekly updates on his votes in congress through congress.org. With one or two possible exceptions, I've never been upset with his votes in congress; and certainly, on the really important issues, I've never been disappointed with his votes.

On November 4th, I'm voting for Sullivan.


Technorati Tags: carpetbagger
John Sullivan
Georgianna Oliver

A Guide to City Council Committee Meetings at The New City Hall

I happened to be at City Hall today on other business, when it occurred to me that the Council was in regular Tuesday Committee. I decided to try to figure out where these meetings occurred in the new building. It is slightly complicated so I thought I'd write a handy how-to-guide...So, here is how you do it.

1. Head down to the new Tulsa City Hall at 2nd and Cincinnati. City Hall is on the north-west corner, and visitor parking is on the south-east corner. Parking will cost you $1-$3.50, unless you park somewhere else. Remember that both 2nd and Cincinnati are one way streets, so depending on your approach it might be best to take 1st or Detroit to get close.


2. After you park you will cross the street and will see this entrance which faces 2nd. Enter here.


3. Go to the front desk and tell the security guard you want to attend the council committee meetings on the 4th floor. You will be required to sign in and present your drivers license. They will provide you a guest id, and send you to the elevators.


4. After you take the elevator to the 4th floor, turn North so that the large glass wall of the building is your your right. You will soon find a sign that looks like this. (I enlarged the sign a bit to make it easier to see in this shot)


5. Walk through the door, which hopefully will not be locked. Look for room 411 which will be on your left.


6. You made it! Good for you.


Technorati Tags: Tulsa
Tulsa City Hall
Tulsa City Council

Whose Shoes?

Hint, these shoes belong to someone at City Hall....
A City Councilor...
From a district with an odd number...
Less than 4, but greater than 2...

That's right! These are Councilor David Patrick's shoes.


Sorry Councilor Patrick, I had to poke fun. Your shoes are too awesome not to.

Technorati Tags: Tulsa
Tulsa City Council
David Patrick

Coffee Does Not Help Balding

Almost a year ago I read that German researchers had discovered that Coffee, or rather caffeine, can not only stop balding, but might even stimulate hair growth. Yeah, that is a bunch of crap! I drink a lot of coffee and I haven't seen any improvement in on my dome. Although to be honest, I've not yet reached the 60 cups a day that they say it would take for it to help.

Still though, it helps to externalize my frustration and place it squarely on the shoulders of some German guy somewhere who's research was was taken and placed into several pseudo-scientific articles that promised coffee would help baldness, even though there is no hope that coffee could really be an effective treatment.

However, before I give up all hope maybe I should try to find a drink with more caffeine. Perhaps Jolt Cola might work better. Can you still get Jolt?

[[[[UPDATE]]]] Tyson Wynn points out that I might be taking the wrong approach. He has ideas of his own which might help me with my problem.

And MadOkie has some ideas of his own...

Technorati Tags: caffeine
coffee
baldness

Is Obama a Marxist?

WFTV-Channel 9's Barbara West, out of Orlando, throws Senator Biden some hardball questions, and it's awesome. Check it out.


Technorati Tags: Barack Obama
Joe Biden
Barbara West
hardball

Clipo Causes Cognitive Itch

This Playskool commercial (requires flash 10) for Clipo, Clipo, Clipo...
Clipo, Clipo, Clipo...
Clipo, Cli...DAMN you Playskool!!!

Sorry. Anyway, that commercial for the toy that will not be named, will not get out of my head. It is cleverly designed to create a cognitive itch, and the only way to relieve it is to metaphorically scratch that itch by singing the song over and over again. And this obviously creates a vicious loop which I suppose is designed do get you to purchase said toy that will not be named.

Hey!!! Playskool. Yeah you. I will not succumb to your evil marketing. I will not buy my kids Clipo, Clipo, Clipo...Clipo, Clipo, Clipo....AHHHH!

I've got a headache. I'll just reach for my Head on, Apply directly to the forehead...
Head on, Apply directly to the forehead...
Head on, Apply directly to the forehead...
Head on, Apply directly to the forehead... AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!


Technorati Tags: cognitive itch
Playskool
Clipo

Celine Dion Endorses Karen Keith

****disclaimer below
Celine Dion is one of my absolute favorite singers. So I was extremely excited to get this letter and autographed picture from her.

Dear RoemermanOnRecord readers,

It has come to my attention that I'm partly responsible for the failure of one of your recent sales tax packages that would have developed your Arkansas River. If I had known that my presence would have helped it pass, I would have flown to Tulsa and personally endorsed the plan.

I can't sit by and let another important election go wrong, and that is why I'm endorsing Karen Keith for Tulsa County Commissioner in District 2. Also, I'm endorsing the River Tax and any other tax increase that Karen will submit to the voters of Tulsa County.
Near, far, where ever you are, Vote for Karen Keith.

xxx ooo Celine Dion

p.s If you can afford the tickets, come see my concert at the BOK center on November 13th

Wow what a stunning turn of events in this election season. There you have it folks Celine Dion endorses Karen Keith. If she had only been here during the River Tax vote, just think what we could have accomplished. Oh well Celine's involvement in Tulsa politics is better late than never.
**** See below

While we are on the topic of Celine, unfortunately I didn't get tickets to the concert. Fortunately there are several Celine videos on you tube. Really, really great songs like this one. I recommend playing this video while reading this blog post.



****DISCLAIMER****
If you are confused by this post, I'm poking fun at Karen Keith because she has suggested that if we had only known that Celine Dion was coming to town, we would have voted yes on the River Tax.


Technorati Tags: Celine Dion
Karen Keith
Tulsa County
sarcasm

Red Fork Rumble Report

...(this post has been updated and edited by my lovely wife)...
I attended, along with about 50 others, a debate between Sally Bell and Karen Keith at the Red Fork Church of God last night. It was set up by the Southwest Tulsa Ministers Alliance, to which my pastor is a member, and was moderated by KTUL’s Cindy Morrison.


I don’t have a fancy audio recorder like Michael Bates so I can’t offer you the audio of the debate, so my notes and observations will have to do. Let’s review the questions and answers of my favorite moments in the debate. (I’m going to leave several questions out. Some I thought were lame questions, or the answers were of no consequence, or they agreed and that’s boring)

------------------------------------------------------
First, and probably my favorite of the night dealt with the River Tax and why it failed.

Karen said that the tax package was developed over a short amount of time, and that it wasn’t inclusive. I think she hit the nail on the head with the remark about it not being inclusive. The other communities outside of Tulsa resoundingly said no as did North Tulsa who felt very left out. She probably should have stopped there but thankfully she didn’t.

She went on to say if they were to do the tax package again it would be different and would pass. I worry that when she said “if they”, she really meant, “when we.” One of the overwhelming themes I went away with last night is that Karen Keith loves taxes, and she doesn't particularly think that our taxes are too high. I’ll touch more on this later, but again, she probably should have stopped there, but again, thankfully she didn’t.

She went on to say that, during the campaign for the River Tax, the Expo Square was all torn up and the BOK center was not complete. Her point being that we were spending a lot of tax money with not a lot to show for it. And this was absolutely my favorite part, she said that the BOK center wasn’t complete and it had not yet been announced that Celine Dion was coming to the BOK center. AHH HAA it was Celine Dion’s fault! If only Tulsa County citizens knew that she was coming to Tulsa, the river tax would have passed. Ohh the humanity! Well Karen, lesson learned. Next river tax package we should absolutely get Celine down here to sing a commercial or something. Priceless!

Sally got it right when she said the people were just fed up with taxes. She went on to say that with 2025 funding, plus state and federal funding the dams would get built and that development would happen on the river, but it would be private.
------------------------------------------------------
I tendered the following question: When should the South Tulsa bridge across the Arkansas be built? Should it be a toll bridge?

Karen said, “I would like to see it built.” She wasn’t sure what the best way to get it done if not via a toll bridge, and then apologized for not being as familiar with the topic as she should.

Again Sally was spot on, when she said the reason it was controversial was that it would have dumped on a two lane road, and would have been a safety issue, but even more concerning was that it was based on a 75 year no-bid-contract that would have given tons of money to a private enterprise. She said that she thought, that the bridge would eventually come but that it should not be built until the infrastructure on the Tulsa side was ready for it. Excellent.
------------------------------------------------------
Who do you hold responsible for the state of Tulsa Streets?

Karen said it was failed tax initiatives, so basically it’s your fault for voting no to streets.

Sally said, “We are the highest taxed county in the state.” She holds our elected officials responsible for not putting streets first.
------------------------------------------------------
What are your three biggest issues?
Sally: 1. Limited government and lower taxes including no re-up on Vision 2025 and 4 to fix.
2. Public Safety.
3. Infrastructure.

Karen: 1. The Juvenile Justice Center.
2. Roads and bridges.
3. The Health department. She said that the millage rates* are such that they could be adjusted to help the under-funded health department. *(property tax increase)
------------------------------------------------------
The last two segments of the night I’ll lump together with my paraphrased summation of what the candidates said: What is at stake in this election? And the five minute conclusion.

Sally: Everything I do is based on my belief in God. I’m a limited government, low tax person. I believe that entertainment should be a private enterprise. I have a business background which I want to bring to the office. Small businesses are the foundation of economic stability, and lower taxes encourage and attract small business. I don’t owe anyone anything. This election boils down to which direction we want Tulsa County to go. Do we want it to shrink and run more efficiently? Or do we want it grow?

I’d just like to say that there is a cloud over county government. The two other commissioners are working to try to change that. I was a tenet of the fair ground for 56 years; I’ve seen things in county government that need to change. I’d rather talk to you than the other leaders.

There is not enough money to pay for things by raising taxes. Government can not create prosperity. They can only take things. I want to work hard. I’ll go to work every day, and I’m going to frame my campaign promises and hang them on the wall. I won’t lie.

Karen: There is a dramatic difference between us. Look at what less regulation on the federal level has gotten us. Look the 700 billion dollar bail out. (She made a comment about HB1804 and how it affects the hiring of small business but I’m not sure what her point was or how to fit it in here but I figured it was worth at least pointing out) Let’s partner our tax dollars with other tax dollars and other sources of money. There are creative ways to fund the projects and it does not always require that it be done on the back of the tax payers. (It is interesting that she tries to link Bell’s small government stance with the economic turmoil we are currently experiencing)

One penny is what you pay for projects in Tulsa County. It has transformed Expo Square and downtown. The County millage is lower than Oklahoma City, and our sales tax in Tulsa County is lower than other Oklahoma counties. Are our taxes too high? Maybe, but what is too high is the federal taxes.

We need efficient government; it’s easy to say that Tulsa County has the overall highest taxes, but it’s not exactly true. Tulsa County is not getting its fair share. 4.5 cents goes to the state and I will work to try to get some of that back. (She went on to talk about taxes and I kinda tuned out, all I heard was tax tax tax tax tax) Quality of life is more than just a few projects, it’s public safety and roads.
------------------------------------------------------
So what did I learn last night? Karen Keith thinks it’s Celine Dion’s fault the river tax didn’t pass. She doesn’t know enough about the South Tulsa bridge issue, it’s your fault the roads are in sad shape, and not only are our taxes not too high but Commissioner Keith will be ardently pro-tax and pro-misguided tax projects.

Sally Bell will work to clean up and shrink county government, lower taxes and attract small business. She understands the South Tulsa bridge issue, and believes that private enterprise should be on the hook for development and not tax payers.

Sally summed this race up perfectly with he following question, "Do we want it(county government) to shrink and run more efficiently? Or do we want it go grow?" I only wish I lived in District 2 so I could vote for Sally Bell.

Technorati Tags: Tulsa County
Sally Bell
Karen Keith
District 2
Southwest Tulsa Ministers Alliance
candidate forum

New Tulsa Parks site

I got this email from Danny Carlton about his new website devoted to Tulsa Parks. I'll let his email describe it.

Hey, Danny Carlton here.

I blog at http://JackLewis.net and have put the finishing touches on a fun new site at http://Tulsa-Parks.com. My wife and I have been enjoying visiting the Parks in Tulsa, and I decided to put together a site for other people who also enjoy them, to find out more as well as contribute to the shared knowledge regarding the parks. The site is based on the MediaWiki script that powers Wikipedia, but unlike Wikipedia it won't be a wild, unpredictable, free-for-all. Contributions will need to be approved before becoming part of the official version of the articles about each park. I've also tweaked the script some in my own magical way, so that each of the parks has a google map showing exactly where it is.

Your readers may enjoy this opportunity to share comments, photos or information about the various parks in Tulsa, or just find out where they are and what they offer. As we fill out more information the site can be a useful tool in locating parks based on specific features.

We've got photos and notes for several dozen parks already, but only a few uploaded (Clinton Park and Springdale Park). I've been enjoying uploading the photos in the evening while the family watches TV, so we'll have a lot more info each day, especially as other Tulsans join in and share their knowledge.

Don't just check it out, participate! Contribute, by uploading pictures and useful information. I'll be uploading a few of my photos, as well as adding a link on my blog.

Technorati Tags: Tulsa
Tulsa Parks
Danny Carlton

The West Side, Red Fork Rumble...TONIGHT!

Tonight the Southwest Tulsa Ministers Alliance is hosting a public forum for the citizens of Tulsa County District 2(and the rest of us who are interested in the race for Tulsa County County Commissioner district 2). The candidates are Republican Sally Bell and Democrat Karen Keith. If you have time at 7 o'clock tonight (Oct. 21) Drive over to Red Fork Church of God, 3319 W. 41st St.


Sorry for the crummy camera phone pic. I meant to scan this in but never got the chance...hey, it's better than nothin'

Technorati Tags: Tulsa County
Sally Bell
Karen Keith
District 2
Southwest Tulsa Ministers Alliance
candidate forum

Something’s wrong with Christian Education (at our church and home anyway)

This morning I was shocked by the conversation that I had with the 6 and 4-year-olds. Jr, the 20-month-old, calls juice jew. “I ount jewww,” he exclaimed. I replied, “You like Jews?” This is the following conversation.
…
6-y-o: He does not like Jews.
Me: Jesus was a Jew.
6-y-o: (with a look of dismay) Jesus was never a Jew!
4-y-o: Yeah, he was never a Jew!
Me: The Jews are God’s people. Moses, Abraham, King David, all the Apostles, they were all Jews…
(Both girls shake their heads.)
Me: So who do you think the Jews are then? (I'm guessing they think I'm calling Jesus a glass of orange juice)
6-y-o: They are mean people.
4-y-o: Yeah!
(I think to my self, “Ohh my gosh, I’m raising little anti-Semites.”)
Me: Where did you learn that!?!?!
4-y-o: Maybe at school?
6-y-o: We don’t talk about Jesus at school.
…
So I had to strongly defend the Jews as God’s chosen people, and all the great Bible characters were Jewish, they were not bad people, and that Jesus himself was, in fact, Jewish. My guess is that no one actually told them that Jews were bad people, but that they inferred it. At home and church they learn that Jesus and all the Bible heroes are good. No one has ever referred them as Jewish. They learned that the Jews are the ones who killed Jesus (which is a whole other discussion…for another day perhaps); therefore they are bad people just like the Philistines or the Babylonians.

I can’t believe that that was festering in my own house. All I can say is thank God for orange juice and my 20-month-olds mispronunciation. Without it we would not have had such an important theological discussion this morning.

Technorati Tags: parenting
antisemitism
Christian Education

Tulsa World Copies Medlock or Good Ideas Are Where You Find Them

If you listen to Chris Medlock on 1170 KFAQ from 2-4 pm you know that Chris ends his show with the following phrase, "I'll be back tomorrow. Why? Because the news keeps happening and politics don't go away."

So the other day I noticed the new ad on the Tulsa World vending machine that says, " Because the news happens all day long." Coincidence?


Technorati Tags: Tulsa World
Chris Medlock

Subprime Crisis Explained

In this video John Bird and John Fortune explain the current financial crises.



Technorati Tags: The Long Johns
John Bird
John Fortune

A Lobster Trap for the Kiddies

On the first Sunday of the month I "volunteer" in the nursery. Every month I watch as kids crawl in this thing but they can't figure out how to get back out....It's like a lobster trap for toddlers.



Technorati Tags: nursery
toddlers
lobster trap

Tulsa State Fair 2008

Alas, another year, another Tulsa State Fair. I boycotted the fair last year to show my support for Bells. This year however, I received some free tickets and free ride coupons so I decided to take the family. We had a really great time at the petting zoo, the kids center, in the Expo center, and on the Midway. I convinced the six-year-old and the four-year-old to ride the Ferris wheel, where I was able to get this great shot of the fair grounds.



The Republican booth was absolutely hoppin' this year, both when I volunteered earlier in the week, and this weekend when I stopped by with the family. The was a throng of folks, registering to vote and buying t-shirts, buttons, and bumper stickers. The booth organizer had a terrible time keeping it fully stocked with buttons and bumper stickers. I've worked the booth a few times over the years, and I've never seen anything like it. It was widely successful. It's worth noting that the Democrat booth was absolutely dead.

Another big attraction at the Republican booth were the McCain-Palin cut outs. I got my picture with John and Sarah, did you?


The highlight of this year's fair for our family was Dan Dunn's PaintJam. Did y'all catch this? It was awesome. This guy paints this huge canvas, that swivels 365 degrees, to music. As he spins, dances, and throws paint at the canvas it doesn't look like it's possible that he is doing anything other than making a mess. Then if by magic, it seems like his creations instantly turn in to something recognizable. If you didn't catch it, you really missed out. Go to paintjam.com to see what I'm talking about.


Finally, if you are really missing the Zingo, I managed to take a picture of it for you. Take a look at it *here, and see the rest of my Fair pictures here.

*You'll have to think 4th dimensionally...

Technorati Tags: Tulsa
Tulsa State Fair

Helmet Sticker

I don't have a bumper, so I had to imporvise.

As soon as I can get my hands on a McCain~Palin sticker, I'll add it to my "bumper."

Technorati Tags: motorcycle
Oklahoma
Jim Inhofe
helmet
bumper sticker