A Voice of Reason?

Oklahoma's tax revenues came in lower than expected, causing panic among those (including many among my colleagues and current employers) whose agendas can be sustained only by perpetually increasing tax revenues. 

So, what do cash-strapped legislators do when they don't have enough for all their pet projects?  Why, continue to burden future generations with debt, naturally!

In fairness, a bond issue to fund roads is a great idea; it lets major investments be paid out over time.  But once word got out that this could be a huge bond issue -- big enough to hide a few pet projects here and there -- the the sharks started circling the blood in the water. 

Let's hope that commonsense prevails and that the bond issue focuses on those things (roads) that are really important.  Fortunately, the Oklahoman makes roughly the same point -- although even they support adding other projects to the issue (albeit only debts that the state has unpaid from the past). 

Nonetheless, the timing for paying these old debts requires some questioning, as does the Oklahoman's claim that the state should contributed the the universities' (and, as it turns out, primarily OU's) endowed professorships on the grounds that these donors were promised the state would match their contributions.  This may be fair enough, but inquiring minds wonder: who promised the funds?  When?  Under what conditions?  A promise that wasn't made binding with some form of contract is no promise at all -- and certainly not one that can be enforced upon future Oklahoma taxpayers.