With the Oklahoma 2006 Governors race almost upon us I have put in my support for the incumbant Governor Brad Henry. As you have read I am a staunch conservative and a die-hard Republican. This might seem out of character for me but I have held on to a belief that if the Democratic Party brought forth a candidate that has similar goals and beliefs as me that I would support him. In his first term, Governor Henry has had incredible support from the Oklahoma Repubilcan party through encourage bipartism efforts to better the The Great State Of Oklahoma. I have kept close eye on his administration and he has done some very promising things for my home state. Has enacted heavy bolstering our education system by the creation of a state lottery, strengthening education through comprehensive school accountability, increased teacher pay, initiative upgrading college campuses, and successfully fought for a statewide vote in which Oklahomans approved a tribal gaming regulation act that will pump millions of dollars into state classrooms while helping revive the beleaguered horserace industry. Thanks to his efforts, Oklahoma’s teachers have received an increase on average of $3,000 during his term in office.
Governor Henry also secured a state vote to fund several vital healthcare initiatives through an increase in the tobacco tax. Approved by voters in November of 2004, the measure included targeted tax cuts, particularly an elimination of the capital gains tax on all Oklahoma property held for five years or more. When Governor Henry took office, Oklahoma was in the midst of a the worst budget problems in its history. With overwhelming bipartism support worked through massive budget cuts, but was able to protect education and health care from those cuts.
Governor Henry enacted legislation and policies that have augmented Oklahoma’s early childhood education, medical malpractice tort reform, placed reforms on public smoking, followed zero-based budgeting, and introduced funding solution to retain the state's only level-one trauma center. A landmark anti-methamphetamine measure advanced by Governor Henry resulted in a dramatic decline of meth lab seizures in the state and has served as a model for the rest of the nation. And finally, Governor Henry is proposing legislation that targets pedophiles that prey on children over the Internet, placing tougher penalties for such offenders. Henry wants to establish a sex offender registry with better registration and community notification, provide for additional funding to hire new corrections officers and boost pay to assist retention, to hire 112 new investigators over two years to investigate child abuse cases.
Governor Henry will have my voted for Governor in 2006
