BY SILAS ALLEN sallen@opubco.com

FROM STAFF REPORTS

BY DIANA BALDWIN dbaldwin@opubco.com

The elections that start tonight pose a bigger question than whether or not students are “for” or “against” the proposal. Instead the question at hand should be, “Why wasn’t I told about this sooner?”

Myself and the rest of The Vista staff were not informed until Friday. Meanwhile, the supporters of the bill had known for two weeks about the vote. To paraphrase the UCOSA Constitution, any bill which receives 300 student signatures is put to a vote of the entire student body two weeks later.

UCOSA President Matt Blubaugh should know this, especially given the fact that he is one of the bill’s co-authors, that he is the owner and administrator of CampusImprovementsAct.com. And did I mention he’s the president of UCOSA?

While Mr. Blubaugh was not elected by students to his position this year, he still has an obligation to keep them informed of legislation that affects them.

A walk around campus Monday afternoon found that many buildings were without posters telling students about the vote. By my and two Vista reporters’ count the Liberal Arts building only had a single biased poster, while there was more than adequate amounts of signage in the art building and the library. Howell Hall, Math and Computer Science, the Music building, Health and P.E., Wantland Hall, the Nursing building, Evans Hall and the Center for Transformative Learning were all bare. No posters. Not even biased ones. The biggest surprise was finding the Administation building covered in 10 posters. How many students spend time in there?

Students deserve better than this. Talking to students, even some of them opposed to SBR 11-201, you will hear that the bill’s opponents are not universally against increasing the student fee, but to do it in this fashion is just highway robbery.

That’s why I’m introducing my own bill: SBR 11-203, otherwise known as the Fair Elections Act. Under the Fair Elections Act, any election  put forward to the entire student body would need to be made apparent in the form of an email blast a minimum of seven days prior to any vote. No more surprise elections.

Also, any election put forward to the entire student body would need be made apparent by a notice printed in The Vista, at a minimum of one printed issue prior to the election. The way SBR 11-201 was held in secret kept The Vista from fulfilling our promise to the students. It is my hope that with this election reform it never happens again.

Additionally, under the Fair Elections Act,  the voting window for any election put forward to the student body shall be a minimum of 72  hours allowing a greater portion of students to voice their opinions. If we want the opinions of all 17,000-plus students, we need to give them a chance to be heard.

The bill concludes with a final plea. If any of the three preceding parts of the bill are not made for a given election, we push it back two weeks. Plain and simple, students deserve a chance to hear both sides of an argument before voting and with these new standards they stand an even greater chance of knowing the election is taking place.

I ask you to join me in getting the Fair Elections Act passed, but the first step is gathering 300 signatures. I will be out by Broncho Lake and in the Nigh gathering signatures on Tuesday until I reach my goal.

Regardless of how you feel on SBR 11-201, we can almost all agree that it was brought forth unfairly. Join me and let’s make a change we truly need.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin delivers her State of the State address on the floor of the Oklahoma House in Oklahoma City, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)

SEAN MURPHY
Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Gov. Mary Fallin outlined her plan on Monday to deeply slash Oklahoma’s personal income tax rate by eliminating dozens of tax exemptions, including many claimed by poor and working-class Oklahomans.

In her State of the State address, Fallin said she wants to cut the state’s highest income tax bracket from 5.25 percent to 3.5 percent beginning next January, and proposed that couples earning $30,000 or less would not pay income taxes. Her plan would shrink the number of income tax brackets from seven to three and impose a revenue-growth trigger that would further reduce the income tax by one-quarter of 1 percent each time state revenues grow by at least 5 percent.

The Republican governor said her plan will “immediately cut income taxes for Oklahomans in all tax brackets, it will simplify the tax code and will chart a course towards the gradual elimination of our income tax.

“It will give Oklahoma the lowest income tax rate in our region, besides Texas, making us a more competitive state for job creation and retention.”

While she didn’t offer specifics in her speech, her budget officials said the plan calls for making up the estimated $1 billion in lost revenue by eliminating nearly 40 different tax credits, including the child care and sales tax relief credits for low-income Oklahomans. It would also end personal exemptions claimed by about 1.5 million Oklahoma tax filers each year.

“Low-income families with children and low-income seniors will pay more in income tax. That’s a concern,” said David Blatt, director of the Oklahoma Policy Institute, a Tulsa-based think-tank. “It’s cut taxes first and then ask questions later.”

House and Senate leaders in the Republican-controlled Legislature did not immediately endorse Fallin’s plan, saying they needed more time to review it and a myriad of other tax-cutting measures that are being offered.

“At this point, I’m not going to endorse one plan over another,” said Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa. “I’m willing to look and see what’s best for Oklahoma, and certainly the governor has … some ambitious goals in her plan.”

Fallin also decried the state’s poor health rankings in her 49-minute speech and announced Monday that she had signed an executive order to prohibit tobacco use on all state property, beginning in July. She said she plans to close a smoking room at the state Capitol and convert it into a small fitness center.

House Speaker Kris Steele speaks on the floor of the Oklahoma House in Oklahoma City, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)

Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb hugs House Speaker Kris Steele before speaking on the floor of the Oklahoma House in Oklahoma City, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)

Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb speaks on the floor of the Oklahoma House in Oklahoma City, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)

A military honor guard marches in the United States and Oklahoma flag on the floor of the Oklahoma House in Oklahoma City, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin greets Supreme Court Justice, Noma Gurich, on the floor of the Oklahoma House in Oklahoma City, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin greets Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Steven Taylor, on the floor of the Oklahoma House in Oklahoma City, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin greets Supreme Court Justice, Yvonne Kauger, on the floor of the Oklahoma House in Oklahoma City, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin greets Rep. Weldon Watson, R-Tulsa, on the floor of the Oklahoma House in Oklahoma City, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin delivers her State of the State address on the floor of the Oklahoma House in Oklahoma City, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin delivers her State of the State address on the floor of the Oklahoma House in Oklahoma City, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)

People clap as Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin delivers her State of the State address on the floor of the Oklahoma House in Oklahoma City, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)

Kase Williams, 6, plays on a phone as his dad, Rep. Cory Williams of Stillwater, listens to Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin deliver her State of the State address on the floor of the Oklahoma House in Oklahoma City, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)

An Oklahoma state flag drapes an empty seat as Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin delivers her State of the State address on the floor of the Oklahoma House in Oklahoma City, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin delivers her State of the State address on the floor of the Oklahoma House in Oklahoma City, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)

BY MATT PATTERSON mpatterson@opubco.com

FROM STAFF REPORTS

BY DIANA BALDWIN dbaldwin@opubco.com

LONDON (AP) — Tributes poured in to Queen Elizabeth II on Monday as she marked 60 years on the throne with a message vowing to continue serving the British people.

Dressed in a Tiffany-blue hat and colorful overcoat against the winter cold, she was greeted by well-wishers in the snow-covered town of King’s Lynn at an event planned to mark Accession Day, the anniversary of the day she became queen in 1952.

“I love that the monarchy is above politics and feel that the queen represents that best of all,” said Laura Skrzynski, a longtime admirer of Elizabeth who joined the crowd of about 150 people applauding the queen’sarrival. “She stands for integrity and respect, and I am inspired by her faith. She has been a constant through all our lives.”

Accession Day is usually marked quietly because it also marks the anniversary of the death of Elizabeth’sfather, King George VI. But it drew extra attention Monday because this year marks the queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration. Only Queen Victoria had a longer reign.

Elizabeth said in a message to mark the occasion that she and her husband, Prince Philip, have been “deeply moved” to receive so many kind messages about her Diamond Jubilee.

“I am writing to thank you for the wonderful support and encouragement that you have given to me and Prince Philip over these years,” she wrote in a message to the nation.

“In this special year, as I dedicate myself anew to your service, I hope that we will all be reminded of the power of togetherness and the convening strength of family, friendship and good neighborliness, examples of which I have been fortunate to see throughout my reign.”

Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain praised the queen’s ”magnificent service,” thanking her for guiding the nation with “dignity and quiet authority.”

“Always dedicated, always resolute and always respected, she is a source of wisdom and continuity,” Cameron said. “All my life, and for the lives of most people in this country, she has always been there for us. Today, and this year, in the 60th anniversary of her reign, we have the chance to say thank you.”

Many praised the queen for her steadfastness and quiet sense of duty. She and Philip have persevered, refusing to cut back on their official duties until very recently, despite their advancing years, and they have avoided the marital dramas that have buffeted their children. Three of the couple’s four children had their first marriages end in divorce.

The queen’s popularity seemed to drop briefly in the tumultuous days following the 1997 death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris, but her strong bond with the British rebounded, as shown by the crowd of roughly 1 million who gathered outside Buckingham Palace to applaud her on her Golden Jubilee in 2002.

The queen’s Diamond Jubilee will be marked with a series of regional, national and international events throughout 2012.

Over the course of the year, members of the royal family — including Prince William and his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge — will fan out across the globe and travel to Commonwealth countries, including Canada, Jamaica and Belize.

The queen and Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, will stay closer to home, touring the U.K. from March to July. Philip, 90, was recently diagnosed with heart problems that may affect his future travel plans.

The 2012 Diamond Jubilee weekend will be held June 2-5, with the main highlight likely to be a huge pageant on the River Thames featuring a 1,000-strong flotilla. A gala concert is also planned.

Elizabeth expressed hope that the coming year will be a time to give thanks “for the great advances” since she took the throne and “look forward to the future with a clear head and warm heart.”