Scissor Tales: Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008

The Oklahoman Editorial

Published: November 22, 2008

Health stats slow to change

In Huntington, W.Va., the residents don’t talk much about living in the fattest city in America. Most of them probably don’t even realize it, according to health officials. Most people, says the city’s overweight mayor, are much more worried about the economy. Businesses and even hospitals fought smoking bans.

We can’t help but see the parallels. Whether it’s looking at obesity, diabetes or heart disease, Oklahoma’s among the nation’s unhealthiest states.

There are a number of efforts to improve Oklahoma’s health statistics and the general health of Oklahomans. From smoking restrictions to school-based nutrition education to Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett’s citywide diet challenge, ideas abound for making us a healthier city and state. But an obstacle here and in West Virginia is one of culture that takes time — a lot of it — to change.

Southern food’s always been on the fatty side, with fried chicken and chicken fried steak longtime staples. Fast food is a mainstay with so many families struggling to pay the bills. By comparison, fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive.

Health officials here and in West Virginia aren’t giving up on the idea of improving health statistics. But it won’t happen quickly.

Down memory lanes

Michael Moore crisscrossed America to make "Bowling for Columbine.” Mike Walsh crisscrossed America to bowl. An Ohio native now living in Chicago (within walking distance of four bowling alleys, he says), Walsh quit his job to go bowling in every state of the union. The result is a travelogue titled "Bowling Across America: 50 States in Rented Shoes,” published recently by St. Martin’s Press. Walsh gives Oklahoma 5

pages — two more than Texas — with an obligatory paean to Route 66, a stop at an antique store in Chandler and, finally, knocking down pins at Sooner Bowl in Norman with a league team dubbed "The Old Guys,” whose oldest member is 92. The book was inspired by the author’s father, whose ambition to play handball in each of the 50 states was never realized. "Bowling Across America” is a throw down memory lane. Have a ball and read it sometime.

Help us please!

The Oklahoma Democratic Party is seeking a bailout from Barack Obama, but just in case, it’s asking the party faithful to cough up money for staff members. Plagued by debt in the past, the state party apparatus has been staffed by workers paid by the Democratic National Committee rather than local sources. The party seeks donations to keep the three employed until Obama is sworn in and will perhaps agree to continue subsidizing the salaries. Obama failed to win a single county here, the Democratic nominee for a U.S. Senate seat won only four and the Legislature went Republican for the first time in history. Given these results, the DNC hasn’t been getting much of a return on its investment.

Continuing a tradition

Gov. Brad Henry’s ascension to the chairmanship of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission continues a long tradition of the state’s leadership of this important organization. Every Oklahoma governor has served as an IOGCC chairman; the group was founded by 1935 by then-Gov. E.W. Marland. Henry’s appointment, to succeed Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, also puts him in a better position to influence President-elect Barack Obama on energy issues of concern to the state and its taxpayers. Henry supported Obama and might be well-suited to sway his opinion on the need to aggressively pursue domestic oil and gas exploration even as the administration builds a bridge to the future with alternative energy projects. The Democratic Congress will likely continue to demonize oil and gas (until the next wave of high gasoline prices results in constituent pressure). Henry and other state Democrats know there’s a place for all kinds of energy and that fossil fuels haven’t outlived their usefulness.

Devon’s shale game

The organization that Gov. Brad Henry now leads has given an Oklahoma City firm a high honor for its stewardship of the environment. The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, meeting recently in Santa Fe, N.M., said Devon Energy Corp. deserves recognition for its Barnett Shale water conservation initiatives. Devon won the IOGCC Chairman’s Stewardship Award in the large company category. Through water recycling programs used in exploration activities in the Barnett Shale formation in Texas, Devon "has reduced the environmental footprint” and created opportunities for business efficiency and increased employment, the commission said. Congratulations to Devon, an outstanding corporate citizen locally and a responsible member of an industry once considered "dirty” but one that has increasingly put the environment on equal footing with business opportunities.

Burying the hatchet

U.S. Senate Democrats have decided not to get even with Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut for breaking with his party to back John McCain for president. The Democratic caucus voted for a deal that lets Lieberman keep his chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, as well as leadership of an Armed Services subcommittee — though he will give up his position on the Environment and Public Works Committee. Some Democrats and liberal activists wanted Lieberman drummed out of the party for supporting McCain. But tactical considerations surely intervened. Democrats have 58 votes in the Senate (counting Lieberman and fellow independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who both vote with the party to organize the chamber), putting them close to the 60 votes that can prevent filibusters. It made little sense to alienate Lieberman, making legislative work that much harder. The truce should hold until the next big vote on Iraq or the war on terror — the key issues prompting Lieberman to back McCain over Obama.

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