Love Letters/Hate Mail

Weighing In

Good story above with very helpful time line ("To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?", Oct. 13-19 issue). Too bad the state is relying on the federal government for so much of its budget especially with such high taxes on producers. With acceptance of this money comes control and conditions from the federal agencies that all have an agenda.

Oklahoma is a poor state with a small tax base and over taxes its producers. With less tax on income, Oklahoma could attract more jobs and be more competitive. We have a great, well run state overall with lots of resources including water and people with a good work ethic but we need lower income tax rates to attract business and compete with the states around us that all have lower rates.

--Mike Clouser

Fiscal year 2011, 86 percent of income tax revenue went to the General Revenue Fund (GRF), 8 percent went to an education reform fund, 5 percent to a teachers' retirement fund and 1 percent to reimbursements for local governments [to] make up revenue lost to economic incentives ("To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?", Oct. 13-19 issue). The GRF needs to be specifically defined! That is where I would like to see what and where that money is being invested in. It makes no sense to have a general fund in which no income is being generated off of the principle, a portfolio would, with that big of a slice of pie, it would be categorized where your tax money is being funneled to. Fiscal transparency being the buzz word of our current democratic and economic leaders, our own local representation should be embracing these philosophies also. Stand up and be seen and heard. I applaud Occupy Tulsa/ Wall-Street.

--Christopher Bargas

I see this whole tax resistance fervor as nonsense driven by an unlikely (and unrecognized between them) alliance of the unwashed and the upper middle class (not the very rich)("To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?", Oct. 13-19 issue).

Connecticut citizens are the most highly taxed in the USA. Connecticut also has the highest per capita income in the USA.

We have crumby schools, health, parenting, roads and crumby almost everything else except football teams. The football teams are not crumby because lots of whomever's are willing to put up the funds needed to allow them to be successful.

Two winters ago we were driving around after dark in the snow on unplowed, unlighted freeways to save money. We were also firing cops and firefighters. It seems to me that an 'emergency' sales (or some other) tax could have fixed that mess.

Society gets what it pays for and we need to start paying for a much better society. As it is now, if Mississippi would just get out of the way we could be dead last in almost everything. Poor breeds poor.

--David Porter

Three Cheers

GAVIN ELLIOTT

Hip-hip-hooray for my longtime friend Judi ("Tulsa Through Rose-Colored Glasses," Oct. 20-26 issue). Turning Tulsa Pink has been the BEST IDEA EVER for a Cancer Awareness Campaign any City has ever had. So proud of the work and fun that she has created for my hometown and equally proud of everyone who has jumped onboard and become involved in it! What a great model she has produced for other cities in the U.S. and around the world to follow in the ongoing fight against Cancer!! :))

--Patti Unruh

Paint a Picture

Just wanted to let you know I loved your column on a Jobsian (for lack of a better term) approach to management at City Hall ("Channeling Steve Jobs," Oct. 13-19 issue). I had been thinking about correlations over the last week and your piece really connected the dots for me.

--G.T. Bynum

Happy to Help

As a new Tulsan, I have learned to turn to the Urban Tulsa Weekly for news and opportunities. Thank you for helping me learn about my community. You are my go to source every week!

--Karen Streeter

Hi, I moved to Tulsa area after my divorce in July of 2003. Someone told me about your magazine, and I love it! It has so many good places to go to listen to good music and meet some women with big ol' titties! Lol. I just dig it!

--Dale Millard