'No' to SQ 723 in Oklahoma

There are three state questions pending before voters in Oklahoma, one of them SQ 723, to be voted on in less than a week.

One statewide poll we've seen concludes that the vast majority of Sooners are against SQ 723, which is gratifying because supporters have spent a lot of money on local TV and radio, and apparently the big ad buys aren't fooling anyone. Not that they haven't tried.

The SQ 723 ads claim to be doing you, the Oklahoma citizen, a huge favor by finally stopping the Oklahoma Legislature from misappropriating millions of dollars of gasoline and diesel taxes that are supposed to go for road repairs. Only, that is, if you vote Yes on SQ 723.

This is a case of a half truth leading to a Big Lie.

It is true that over the decades the Oklahoma Legislature has taken monies originally designed for highway construction and road repair and reallocated them to other uses. This part of the commercials is true.

The Big Lie is that SQ 723 will change anything related to EXISTING fuel tax allocations. It will do no such thing.

Only by raising existing fuel taxes by another 5 cents per gallon for gasoline (and 8 cents per gallon of diesel) will SQ 723 create a "trust fund" -- some ad agency idiot decided to actually call it a "lockbox" in the commercials -- with a stipulation that none of the new money can be used for anything but roads and transportation needs.

Bottom Line: Somebody wants to trick you into voting to raise gasoline taxes.

The measure has one other troubling codicil: It would amend the state constitution to forbid the Legislature from ever reducing transportation funding levels below current spending.

This would be folly. We can conceive of at least a half dozen scenarios where this little sentence alone would come back to haunt the state. It makes no allowance for advances in technology, changes in the monetary system (such as a major deflationary period that resets the value of money), or just plain ol' depressionary cycles where state coffers might fall so low that the continuation of funding for transportation would jeopardize all other state departments.

Worse than folly. It could be dangerous. It deserves a serious "No" vote.

Backers of SQ 723 have taken the unique position that a) voters are too dumb to be trusted with the truth, and b) the legislature (the elected representatives of the people) is not be trusted with any say so over transportation spending. Guess they don't think too much of their fellow Okies.

There are major transportation (mostly infrastructure) needs that require attention from the Legislature. It's even possible that a temporary tax might be necessary.

If so, let's be upfront with the voters.