Morning Coffee Rant

Yesterday all eight GOP members of the Senate Appropriations Committee voted against Oklahoma's families and three-year olds specifically when they killed a measure to consider a pilot program that was to be a public private partnership promoted by Gov. Brad Henry and many early childhood advocates in Oklahoma. All eight Democrats voted for the measure in keeping with our priorities to expand education opportunities and develop strong public private partnerships for the benefit of the public.

Sen. Glenn Coffee quickly sent out a press release indicating that his senators have nothing against 3-year olds but believed it was a program that was just too expensive; thus his senators killed the measure for the remainder of the 51st Legislature and for all 3-year olds.

He further said that the votes should not be considered an end to bi-partisanship in the State Senate. (He got that right, something has to begin before it can end and from all appearances neither the Greedy Old Party, nor Senator Coffee, have dealt in good faith with the Senate Democrats or the citizens of Oklahoma --- bipartisanship has yet to begin. Anyone who thinks that this 24-24 situation is a path to bipartisan common ground is wrong. And by the way, shouldn't it really be a 25-24 thing with the real President of the Senate being a Democrat? Let's get the issues on the floor of the Senate and debate the merits of the bills then vote on them there.)

Read more about it at www.okinsider.com by clicking here and another version at the OK here.