Don’t subscribe to the newspaper just yet.
Last week, we told you about HB 2389. Introduced by State Rep. Ben Sherrer and dubbed “The Paper-Informed Public Act,” it would require Oklahoma adults to subscribe to local newspapers like The Oklahoman, Duncan Banner or Valley Brook Pasty in order to stay more informed about local issues.
Since our original story published, the bill was ridiculed and mocked by just about everyone. As a result, Rep. Sherrer has now stepped forward and claimed the whole thing was simply one big inside joke designed to humor his local newspaper publisher, and in the process, probably get some free classified ads. What a funny thing to do, huh?
Here’s a comment Sherrer probably left on our website last week:
Just wanted to let you know this isn’t serious. Since being elected in 2004 one of my local publishers always joked with me about mandating newspaper subscriptions because we mandate auto insurance. He’d say – “a well-read public is surely safer than an insured public.” Over the years he’d gig me about how I was coming along. I decided I’d file the bill my last session – and I did enjoy laying it on his desk.
I never actually thought anyone would take it seriously and apologize for causing angst among my fellow Oklahomans.
But thanks to The Lost Ogle for always giving me a good laugh.
Yeah, he wasn’t being serious at all. He was just joking around… kind of like guy asking a girl he’s just friends with if she wants to make out.
“I’m bored. What should we do?”
“Want to make out?”
“What?! Gross?! No!!!”
“Ha ha. I know. I’m just kidding.”
Seriously, old Ben is a laugh riot and prankster. Maybe next week he’ll go pull the fire alarm in a movie theatre, or better yet, introduce a joke bill that will give State Rep’s who waste the public’s time a raise. Everyone will get a laugh out of that!
Sherrer’s statement is very similar to what he told KOKH Channel 25’s investigative reporter / lead storm chaser Phil Cross:
The bill requiring Oklahomans to subscribe to a newspaper is a joke bill. The rep. who filed it just called me to explain.
— Phil Cross (@philsnews) January 21, 2016
Rep. Sherrer says he's never filed frivolous bills and is term limited so he wanted to present it to the newspaper owner.
— Phil Cross (@philsnews) January 21, 2016
Rep. Sherrer said he knew when he filed it he would be " @TheLostOgle'd" and apologized for anyone who had to run it down.
— Phil Cross (@philsnews) January 21, 2016
Yep, it’s official. We’ve become a verb in the Oklahoma lexicon. That’s big time. It makes me want to go Pioneer Woman a cake and celebrate.
Anyway, I guess we should give Sherrer props for punking all of us. Maybe the next time he does something like this it will actually be funny and he’ll use irony to expose the hypocrisy of politics, not just humor a friend. I’d suggest he contact Connie Johnson for tips.
I went from “who is the dipshit trying to make me read?” To “hey that dude is alright”
I think it was pretty funny and ironic to expose the lack of depth of follow up by most “journalists”. When TLO is exposed for being punk’d with the rest of the media, I have to remind myself, its not serious journalism, (or really any journalism, its just entertainment. Thanks for the laughs.
House rules allow Representatives to introduce eight bills a year. Any bill over the allowed (8 bill) limit goes directly to the Rules Committee where it dies.
Representative Sherrer introduced nine bills this session and if HB2389 had been number 9 then his whole, “That was a joke” thing would make some sort of sense. But it was his first bill of the year. Which means it will go to a real committee and have an actual vote therein and waste a lot of people’s time and money.
If this was in fact a joke it would have been a lot funnier as an “Over 8” bill.
Oh and PS… he even put the ‘Emergency Clause” on it.
A total of 1,725 new House and Senate bills and resolutions were filed by Thursday’s deadline, plus another 1,700 measures left over from 2015 could be considered.
Do you think it would really make any difference if it was only 1724?
If you threw out all the stupid crap how many would you have?
One piece of legislation out of 3,400 seems inconsequential on the surface.
What does each piece of legislation cost from birth to death/acceptance though?
How much time has been or will be wasted on this piece?
How many other pieces, wasting equal amounts of time and money, are almost, just as or more asinine than this one?
If an average person does something that wastes the time, money or resources of their employer they are generally reprimanded in some fashion. Should everyone just sit back and have a chuckle since this was just a joke?
I’m certainly not chuckling. I think it’s bullshit.
I am just wondering if it was REALLY meant to be a joke or if he punted to that position when TLO started making fun of it?
There are a lot of things he should have done differently if he was only kidding.
First off he didn’t have to actually introduce it at all. He could have just made a document that looked like a Bill and dropped it on his newspaper buddy’s desk. No harm, no foul there.
He could have introduced it as an resolution instead of a bill. Which is the kinda thing they do to honor the Eagle Scouts from Tahlequah or whatever.
He certainly didn’t need to add the emergency to it if he was just joking.
Lastly he could have introduced it last instead of first and it would have just gone to the Rules committee wasteland with all the other BS stuff people introduce to keep constituents happy or score some ink.
But then no one would be offended. And what good is that?
Pioneer Woman (v.)- To create a dish using pre-mixed ingredients, prepare in faux-designer cookware and serve in a mansion passed off as a rustic ranch cabin.
Lmao
He never filed a frivolous bill so he thought he would file a frivolous bill before he left office? They do have a contest to see who can make the biggest asses of us.
I wish I could waste time like that at work and then say “Oh, that? That was me just being funny. Don’t take it seriously.” and still keep my job.
and still get Paid !
Our legislators are so cute… I can picture them sitting around giggling with each other while launching spitballs at the speaker. And we wonder why our state is having so many problems.
Glad to see them filing bills that address the problems facing this state… like endless earthquakes and tainted drinking water. But hey, at least they’re having fun though, right?
At the same time he is doing that, Fallen & Croneys are slapping down the sweetheart oil tax bill on the desks of O&G CEOs, and then slapping down the home solar panel fee bill on the desk of OG&E’s CFO, laughing all the way. Elsewhere, teachers sob as budgets are slashed.
I wonder how many people in that pic were around for the Oklahomans first issue.