Parent Empowerment Act

 

Senator David Holt (R – Oklahoma City) and Senator Jabar Shumate (D – Tulsa) have introduced the “Parent Empowerment Act”, Senate Bill 1001, which will give Oklahoma parents the power to force a dramatic change in their students’ underperforming schools.
The Parent Empowerment Act would create a process where if a majority of parents in an underperforming school sign a petition, they may transition the school to a charter school, or they may ask for the administrators of the school to be terminated. An underperforming school is defined as a school that has received a ‘D’ or an ‘F’ for at least the last two years under Oklahoma’s new grading system, or a ‘D’ or an ‘F’ for two of the last three years, as long as the most recent grade was a ‘D’ or an ‘F’. If the parents choose the charter school option, the charter school will first serve all students in the previous attendance boundaries of the school.

Sen. Holt explained that charter schools provide more flexibility, and the goal of chartering an underperforming school under the Parent Empowerment Act would be to provide the flexibility needed to improve student performance at the school in a manner led jointly by motivated parents and school district leaders. The process of creating a charter school outlined in the Parent Empowerment Act is designed to create a collaborative relationship between the parents and the school district, rather than an adversarial one.
“I think everyone involved in education wants the best for our kids, but sometimes schools underperform, and sometimes we all get stuck in a pattern we can’t seem to break,” said Holt. “The Parent Empowerment Act creates a path where parents can work hand-in-hand with school district leaders to break that pattern and set a new tone for their school. I believe this concept has the potential to dramatically improve the education being delivered to students in some of our most challenged schools.”
“I have consistently been inspired by the parents in my district who have fought for a better education for their kids,” said Shumate. “Oftentimes, this has led them to stand up for more choices and more tools, and I have stood with them. The Parent Empowerment Act gives the parents in my district a new tool, and that’s a good thing for our kids. I don’t think that the education of the kids in my district is a partisan issue.”
The power given to parents in the Parent Empowerment Act is often referred to as a “parent trigger” and versions of it have been enacted in several other states, most notably California, where the first "parent trigger" school is now beginning its transition to a charter school. Senator Holt had previously announced in September his desire to give Oklahoma parents this power through 2013 legislation. Oklahoma State Superintendent Janet Barresi has endorsed a “parent trigger” law for Oklahoma, and noted education reformer Michelle Rhee’s education think tank recently did the same. SB 1001 will be considered in the 2013 legislative session that begins February 4th.

Senator Holt Introduces Legislation to Make "Black Friday" Sales Legal in Oklahoma

 

Senator David Holt, R-Oklahoma City, has introduced legislation to make "Black Friday" sales and other low-price retail sales legal in Oklahoma. Under current law, which was originally enacted in 1941, retailers must sell products for at least six percent more than they paid for it. A December 2011 opinion from the Oklahoma Attorney General confirmed that state law bars all “Black Friday” and other low-price sales, even if they are only temporary. As a result, many retailers, including the largest retailer in the state, are shutting down their "Black Friday" and other low-price sales until Oklahoma's laws are modernized. Senate Bill 550 would change that for all products, except for fuel and prescription drugs.

"Oklahomans are well aware of the 'Black Friday' phenomenon that most Americans enjoy, and I think our consumers should be allowed to be a part of it," Holt said. "If a retailer wants to sell a 70-inch television for $50 on 'Black Friday', that's good for consumers, it's good for our economy, and it reflects a free market decision that retailers should be allowed to make."

Holt said the outdated law puts Oklahomans at a competitive disadvantage with neighboring states where retailers can legally offer significant bargains for "Back-to-School" and holiday sales, including "Black Friday", the biggest shopping day of the year. By forcing Oklahomans to leave the state to shop, retailers, consumers, and core government services are all negatively impacted.

The existing law impacts deals on everything from Thanksgiving turkeys to televisions to clothing, and all products in-between. The existing law doesn’t just apply to low-cost prices that may occur during special sales, but all low prices that a retailer may charge any day of the year. It is believed that only two states have a law that bars these low prices – Oklahoma and Wisconsin.

The current law also puts Oklahoma retailers who don’t comply at great risk. Companies doing business in Oklahoma have been sued under the law for giving consumers a bargain on products. Retailers are also subject to arrest for giving consumers a bargain.

"Why should Oklahomans have to drive to Texas to enjoy lower prices at stores that we have in Oklahoma?" said Holt. "The profile of this existing law is rising just as 'Black Friday', 'Back-to-School', and other sales are taking on more prominence. No retailer wants to get arrested or sued for charging a low price. I have serious concerns that Oklahomans will never again enjoy any 'Black Friday' or other low-cost sales until this antiquated law is modernized."
Holt said his bill protects the fuel industry and prescription drugs from changes to the existing law, and would continue to safeguard consumers from predatory pricing that can lead to unfair competition. SB 550 will be considered in the 2013 legislative session that begins February 4th.

Predatory pricing is when retailers sell at prices below cost to drive competitors out of business or keep new competitors from starting in the business.

Dahm legislation to safeguard Second Amendment rights

 

Sen. Nathan Dahm has filed three proposals to protect the Second Amendment rights of Oklahomans to keep and bear arms. Dahm said the Constitution provides clear protections to gun owners, but if lawmakers are not diligent, those protections can easily come under attack by proponents of big government.
“Oklahomans understand that the right to keep and bear arms is intrinsic to our cultural identity,” said Dahm, R-Broken Arrow. “Our nation’s founders intended the Second Amendment to protect the right of individuals to own guns, and it is critical for lawmakers to be diligent in our protection of that right. This legislation furthers our efforts to protect Oklahomans from federal overreach.”
Dahm has filed Senate Bill 548, the Second Amendment Preservation Act, legislation that will protect the right of Oklahomans to keep and bear arms by opposing all unconstitutional laws, orders, or regulations imposed by the federal government that violate the individual right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed in the Second Amendment.
Also filed by Dahm, Senate Bill 401 states that licensed gun owners who have not been convicted of a felony will not be charged with a felony for possessing a weapon in a Gun-Free School Zone. The measure will close a loophole created by federal law, and protect law-abiding Oklahomans from wrongfully being charged with a felony.
Senate Bill 552 will allow any Oklahoman 21 years of age or older, and who is not a convicted felon, to keep a pistol in their vehicle for the purpose of self-defense.
“When we were sworn in, we took an oath to support and uphold the Constitution, and I intend to do just that,” Dahm said. “A broad majority of Oklahomans oppose gun restrictions, and expect their elected officials to defend their Second Amendment rights. With federal authorities currently considering gun restrictions, we must be diligent.”

OK Resolution to Prohibit Agenda 21 Funding

 

The United Nations Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of extreme environmentalism, social engineering, and global political control that was initiated at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. Since the United Nations Agenda 21 treaty in that it has never been ratified by the U.S. Senate neither the U.S. government nor any state or local government is legally bound by the treaty.

The United Nations Agenda 21 is being covertly pushed into local communities throughout the United States of America through the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), now calling itself "Local Governments for Sustainability," through local "sustainable development" policies, such as SmartGrowth, Wildlands Project, Resilient Cities, Regional Visioning Projects, and other "Green" or "Alternative" projects and this plan of radical so-called "sustainable development". The treaty views the American way of life of private property ownership, single-family homes, private car ownership and individual travel choices, and privately owned farms all as destructive to the environment.

According to the United Nations Agenda 21 policy, social justice is described as the right and opportunity of all people to benefit equally from the resources afforded by society and the environment which would be accomplished by a socialist/communist-style redistribution of wealth; and WHEREAS, according to the United Nations Agenda 21 policy,national sovereignty is deemed a social injustice.

Senate Joint Resolution 2 declares the State of Oklahoma and all political subdivisions are prohibited from implementing programs of, expending any sum of money for, being a member of, receiving funding from, contracting services from, or giving financial or other forms of aid to Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), or any other organization promoting the implementation of the United Nations Agenda 21, sustainable
development, or smart growth.

The members of the Oklahoma Legislature recognize the destructive and insidious nature of the United Nations Agenda 21, endorse rejection of its radical policies and of any grant monies attached to it, and recommend exposing to the public and public policymakers across the country the dangerous intent of the plan.

Merry Christmas

 

Here is the most amazing documentary. Please spend 90 minutes to watch it.

AGENDA:Grinding America Down-Tracing The Socialist Mentality Of Americans

This documentary walks us through the inception of socialism's roots on American soil, how it has functioned and flourished in American culture and how it has permeated, using various propaganda puppets, American society and our very belief system to the point that is is acceptable to be anti-Constitutional and the path leads right to the door of the White House!

Genetic Roulette - The Gamble of our Lives

 

Movie to see: Genetic Roulette - The Gamble of our Lives

When the US government ignored repeated warnings by its own scientists and allowed untested genetically modified (GM) crops into our environment and food supply, it was a gamble of unprecedented proportions. The health of all living things and all future generations were put at risk by an infant technology.

After two decades, physicians and scientists have uncovered a grave trend. The same serious health problems found in lab animals, livestock, and pets that have been fed GM foods are now on the rise in the US population. And when people and animals stop eating genetically modified organisms (GMOs), their health improves.

This seminal documentary provides compelling evidence to help explain the deteriorating health of Americans, especially among children, and offers a recipe for protecting ourselves and our future.

More information can be found at: http://geneticroulettemovie.com
and http://responsibletechnology.org

Order the DVD at: http://seedsofdeception.com/store/dvdcd?product_id=124

Donate to support the The Institute for Responsible Technology: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/donategr

Pro-Family Group Warns of Agenda Behind SPLC’s “Mix It Up” Day

Dave Bohon
The New American
October 19, 2012

The American Family Association (AFA) is warning parents about an upcoming “entry level” diversity program being promoted by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) under its “Teaching Tolerance” project. On October 30, at over 2,000 schools across the nation, the SPLC will activate its annual Mix It up at Lunch Day, which it describes as a campaign, established a decade ago, that “encourages students to identify, question and cross social boundaries.”

The SPLC explains that in its surveys, “students have identified the cafeteria as the place where divisions are most clearly drawn. So on one day — October 30 this school year — we ask students to move out of their comfort zones and connect with someone new over lunch. It’s a simple act with profound implications. Studies have shown that interactions across group lines can help reduce prejudice. When students interact with those who are different from them, biases and misperceptions can fall away.”

According to the SPLC, the goal of the Mix It up Day (MIU) is to get students to reach out and dialogue with others they feel uncomfortable with, such as students from other cultures, races, and ethnicities. But in a recent Action Alert, the AFA warned that the event is also a thinly disguised attempt to promote the homosexual lifestyle among elementary and junior high school students. “MIU is a project of the fanatical pro-homosexual group, Southern Poverty Law Center,” the AFA explained. “This is the same organization that launched hateful and malicious rhetoric toward the Family Research Council just prior to the August shooting of a security guard by an SPLC sympathizer.”

The AFA said the SPLC is using its MIU day “to bully-push its gay agenda, and at the same time intimidate and silence students who have a Biblical view of homosexuality.” In a follow-up alert the AFA said that “many school administrators were offended to learn that their school was listed as a ‘participating’ school on the SPLC website and ordered it removed immediately. In some cases, students or teachers independently signed the school up without approval, leaving principals and superintendents unprepared for phone calls from concerned parents.”

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