over the target

• We all witness and experience the repercussions of our soft on crime policies, not only in Oklahoma but across the Country. The results of these spineless policies: a dramatic surge in personal property crimes and automotive theft. Most of these crimes go unsolved and as a result, unpunished. Our first obligation is to protect our citizens. Punish the crime instead of the victims.

• Retail theft has turned into glorified organized crime. The $1000 felony threshold has only emboldened criminals. In 2022, the state of Oklahoma reportedly lost nearly $900 million to retail shrink, costing the state a purported $38.1 million in lost sales tax revenue. Retail theft impacts all consumers. Increased cost on goods combined with the inflationary pricing we are already experiencing; make every increase that much more difficult on the average Oklahoma family. Across the country, this organized retail crime has caused many retail operations to cease business.

• Illicit fentanyl is killing 18-45yr olds faster than that of any other category. We are not deploying public education, law enforcement strategies and corresponding punishment that deters and prevents these heartbreaking tragedies.

• Addiction and mental illness have been largely ignored by the conservative party, as a result we have more citizens who are in desperate need of long-term, individualized services. The homeless line our city streets, many suffering from untreated mental illness and battling addiction. Without adequate treatment options available, this problem is only going to flourish.

• The healthcare industry is being decimated, in large part by the ACA, forced mandates and irrational quotas placed on providers by the insurance cabal. We have critical shortages in our physicians and nursing sector, the inability to match a specialty with those physicians needing to complete residency requirements and extreme professional burnout. Socialized healthcare is here! Patient satisfaction is no longer a barometer for which medical facilities strive to meet.

• Small business is the lifeblood of America, employing 60% of our workforce. We need to place a priority on supporting and incentivizing entrepreneurship in Oklahoma. Tax incentives, access to capital, support, resources and services to assist our citizens in their pursuit of self-investment. Oklahoma can easily lead the nation in small business longevity and success.

• Mass surveillance has been deployed in the city of Tulsa. The price of this line of defense under the guise of public safety is just too high. With the federal government cheering all municipalities that engage in this violation of our personal freedom, we need to be concerned with who has access and how easily can they get it. The IRS is reportedly using this very technology to spy on and target citizens. Law enforcement should have every tool at their disposal that makes them operate more effectively, efficiently and much more safely. This tool, in the hands of the fed and other agencies is extremely dangerous to our civil rights and freedoms.

• We are growing weary of those who misuse, abuse and embezzle our HARD-EARNED tax dollars. We are disgusted and sickened by every person who abuses their positions of power and authority to prey upon minor children. All too often our public schools are shielding the public from the vast majority of such criminal behavior that is taking place inside their walls. We, the taxpaying public, have right to know the extent of those actions, who inside the administration had knowledge and chose to protect the perpetrators instead of fighting for the victims. We need to stop the ability for public schools to have in-house investigative authority without the supervision of local law enforcement. All reports, related to criminal activity, must be conducted and filed by a local law enforcement division.

• Oklahoma is not unique in experiencing a major teacher shortage, it is all across the nation. How we deal with our shortage, that requires innovation and out-of-the box thinking. We can’t wait until college to start recruitment for this highly important career. A “contract for Oklahoma education” would incentivize high school students to pursue a degree in education. Those who commit to teach our next generations, committed to staying and teaching in Oklahoma would begin receiving reimbursement for their college tuition, commensurate with each year they teach in our great state.

• We must be innovative in preparing and educating young adults who will be ready to enter the workforce. With college not being on every student’s roadmap, a very limited number of spaces available at our tech schools; we could bridge the gap with mentorship programs beginning with their freshman year. Working in tandem with our incredibly diverse local small businesses, offering them tax incentives for partnering with local schools to mentor students. They would receive an invaluable education on the work required to become an entrepreneur, pair it with a comprehensive financial literacy course that would follow the student throughout the program. Graduating young adults with the tools necessary to live and thrive independently, be workforce ready and instill the desire for future self-investment and entrepreneurship.