Say what you want about Oklahoma Oil Overlords and their GOP allies, but you have to admire their resolve. During these tough, unprecedented times, with oil prices reaching record lows and the world gripped by a pandemic, they’re still working as hard as they can to sabotage Oklahoma government, and screw over the Oklahoma people.
Earlier this week, while he was out doing his part to infect his fellow Oklahomans with the Coronavirus, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin “Super Spreader” Stitt hammered through the appointment of Elliot Chambers – the CEO of a bankrupt oil company that still owes the Oklahoma Land Commission money – to lead the Oklahoma Land Commission. It’s the agency that oversees the state’s multi-billion-dollar land asset portfolio, and generates over $100-million a year to education through oil and gas royalties.
Here are details via The Oklahoman:
The Oklahoma Commissioners of the Land Office voted Tuesday to appoint former White Star Chief Executive Officer Elliot Chambers to head that state agency, despite Chambers’ oil and gas company having shorted the state agency on royalty payments.
The vote was 3-0 with Gov. Kevin Stitt, Lt. Gov Matt Pinnell and state Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur voting in favor of the appointment.
The other two commissioners, State Auditor Cindy Byrd and Schools Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, were conspicuous by their absence.
Yeah, this move isn’t surprising. Back in April, when we told you about Kevin Stitt’s plans to increase the spread of COVID-19 in Oklahoma – something he’s achieved masterfully – we warned that you that he was working with Oil Overlords closer than ever before. That’s why you should always pay attention – and support – our hard-hitting, masterful, non-award winning reporting.
Anyway, in all fairness to Stitt, I can see why he made the move.
1) Appointing white, unqualified, affluent white men to oversee state agencies has turned into one of the hallmarks of his governorship.
2) It’s difficult to find an oil company executive willing to work in state government who isn’t part of a corporate bankruptcy right now.
This is how Stitt justified it in a comment to The Oklahoman:
“We know he’s the right guy for this service,” Stitt said. “Unfortunately, sometimes politics get involved and people inside of the agency are pushing for one of their people and end up causing some controversy.”
Yeah, that’s it, Kev-O. It’s all politics. It has nothing to do with the corrupt absurdity of you choosing a guy who led a company that owes a debt to the Oklahoma Land Commission to lead the Oklahoma Land Commission. The people who actually have experience working for the agency – and who aren’t as motivated to rip off the Oklahoma people – were just pushing for someone who, we assume, didn’t just lead a company that still owes the agency money into bankruptcy. Seems totally believable.
Gov. SuperSpreader also made his millions off exploiting low-income buyers with subprime home loans, cashing in on high-interest rates and flipping homes after defaults. His total lack of responsibility about spreading this deadly virus also shows his true character. This is Christianity, he’ll tell you very loudly. Take heed.
Kevin Stitt and Donald Trump did the same thing. They both appoint conservative, white, Republican unqualified candidates in every form of government. Remember Scott Pruitt? Same deal with this. Appoint a crook to a government agency to dismantle what career public servant employees built. Shameful.
My guess? By the end of his first term Stitt’s CLO appointee will have schools paying oil companies to drill on state land.
Do you really believe that “hiring a government employee from within, would really be a step forward? I agree with not naming a person who happens to owe you money, to the position but a career government employee would be my last choice to run a business, charity or even a division within government.
What’s your problem with career government employees?
It’s definitely a step backward to hire people to manage government functions when you have strong suspicions that they will put their personal interests ahead of those of the people. As in this case.
But that’s the real “Oklahoma Standard,” isn’t it?
I’ll take people who are familiar with how government works to run government over people whose only experience over how government works is figuring out how to defraud it.
I dunno, man.
When I take my car to the shop, I kind of like having a career mechanic doing the work. When I go to the doctor, I like a career physician making the diagnosis and delivering the treatment. In the old days, when there were airplanes flying around, I liked having a career pilot at the controls. I also liked having career air traffic controllers (GUV’MINT EMPLOYEES!) overseeing the, uh, correct social distance between the planes. When it comes time to find and spank guys like Bin Laden, it’s kind of good to have career Special Ops guys (GUV’MINT EMPLOYEES!) doing the work. If I had kids, I’d want career educators (GUV’MINT EMPLOYEES!) teaching them.
Get my point?
I get your point….I like how your examples of our government employees are the top-notch Special Ops military personnel. Something tells me that those folks are not representative of the quality of our government employees. I think the majority falls in the category of ‘little old ladies in tennis shoes that have been sitting at their desk doing their one job for longer than I’ve been alive.’
How have things gone regarding folks receiving their stimulus checks? All I hear on this site is griping about how it’s not getting done.
How have your experiences at the DMV gone over the years? Fast, efficient, and accurate, I’m assuming? Do they get you in and out in under an hour to renew a license or get your child in for his/her driving test? Bring every single piece of paperwork you have…18 documents proving you live at your address, another six documents proving that your child is yours, another 3 documents confirming his/her age, two documents proving that he/she is eligible to take the test….then go to Station 1 and do one thing…go to Station 2 and do one thing….and on and on it goes. That’s our government…because our government employees can only do one thing. Then you have to go to the desk next door and do another thing.
Have you ever been to court for anything? Divorce, criminal, child support, small claims, or other issues? Our court system is a shit show. Again, the opposite of timely, efficient, and well-run.
Also, to your point above – not all career educators are guv’mint employees. Private school educators are employees of the particular institution and not the city, county, state, etc. Ever wonder why the private schools in America are more highly regarded than public schools? Harvard, Yale, SMU, Duke and others come to mind. Please provide a public institution that is thought of as highly as the others that I mentioned. You may be able to provide one, but not multiple.
It takes you more than an hour to renew your license? Don’t they have tag agencies in Austin?
Going to the place everyone else has to go when you have an option to go to a more specialized place that doesn’t deal with everything else is lunacy.
Anyways, the little old ladies in tennis shoes aren’t the ones who determine what documents you need, or who make the legal system such a mess, they just have to deal with people who complain because the politicians make them so. I know several people who have worked in government. Some are great, some aren’t. There are certainly bad examples, but there are always going to be good employees within these departments who know how things work and are likely a better lead than some wealthy donor who has never stepped foot in any of the buildings they’re now being called to lead.
As far private universities vs. public universities, ranking colleges is always a crap shoot, in large part because they’re really quite meaningless and don’t really show how good an education you’re going to get. A school gets a high ranking because it’s prestigious, and a school is prestigious because it gets a high ranking. They look more at endowments and facilities than education, because there’s evidence that the quality of education isn’t actually that different between a top ranked school and a school 30 spots down. Rankings are highly prone to manipulation.
That said, there are plenty of highly regarded public universities in this country though. UCLA, Cal Berkeley, Michigan, Georgia Tech (a really, really good engineering school), etc. And it being private doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be better, just look at all of the for profit schools whose existence actually hurt their graduates more than it helps them. And that doesn’t really take lower levels into account, where private vs. public both run the gamut from awful to amazing.
And I do get the irony that tag agencies are privately owned. I do believe that public/private partnerships can be beneficial, but it’s way more that you shouldn’t go to the busiest place to do something that a less busy place can do. You don’t need to go to the emergency room to try to get a flu shot either.
Man these guys Stitt and Pinnell do not give a shit. Totally corrupt. Oklahoma is always one step forward (Medicaid expansion) and two steps back (this corruption and COVID).
The voters had a direct say in only one of those events.
Harold is rolling gleefully around in his oil-slicked Hamm wallows at this development.
Sounds like the normal Oklahoma Standard.
Stitt seems to have a problem reading the resumes of his cronies and putting them in a
government spot where they appear qualified. Case in point, Gary Cox, interim head of the state Health Department had to withdraw when it was discovered he didn’t meat the minimum qualifications for the position, so the Senate wouldn’t even consider him for the job.
His interim head of the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, you know the people that can’t seem to process unemployment claims was a copywriter, and PR representative for Governor Mary Fallin. I guess there are no minimum qualifications for that six figure salary job.
I can only assume the Governor figured anyone smart enough to get away for owing the state a good amount of money should be the head of the same agency. It’s not like he has the qualifications to get a similar paying position in the private sector.
This corruption has been going on for years, remember when David Walters gave his campaign makeup artist the job as the head of the Tourism Department. I’m surprised Stitt continued on this tradition, as he campaigned as an “outsider” who would fix the government, and stop these kinds of practices. He is looking more and more like a professional career politician, or is at least adopting more of their lucrative traits.
Have to wonder if the Legislature will attempt removal of Stitt when the court rules in their
favor on the Governor overstepping his authority in the Gaming Compact. Every day is a new chapter and adventure in the Misadventures of Governor Stitt, soon to be a new TV series.
Not sure why anyone would be surprised bullstitt is continuing the fine republican tradition of a campaign based on being an “outsider” then turns around & conducts business as usual in the form of graft, corruption & lining his cronies pockets. Also not sure why voters keep voting in crooked business people & expect them to behave in the people’s best interest.
But I am just being facetious. We all know graft, corruption & lining cronies pockets take a back seat to getting government out of our lives except when it comes to who we can love & marry, who should control a woman’s body or getting god back into the public domain. They are all over that.
Oklahoma has a long history of electing crooked and corrupt politicians. Many of them have been Democrats – you can look em up if you don’t believe me. I am not a fan of Stitt, but damn sure wasn’t a fan of his opponent. There must be some honest politicians in Oklahoma, but they are damn sure hard to find.
I’m damn sure his opponent would have taken steps to have measures in place to keep the virus in control in this state. Would like to see my Dad whom I haven’t seen since early March who’s in assisted living but looks like that ain’t gonna happen for a while if ever. Thanks Stitt & Co.
Maybe they could garnish his wages and get some of what he owes us.
His own attorney general (elected, thank goodness) has called him out on the deals he made with a couple of tribes to build more much needed casinos. Not sure how that’s going to turn out. Not sure he can sue the gov on behalf of the state. He’d prolly have a conflict of interest since technically, the AG’s office has to defend the governor when he gets sued in his official capacity.