Here He Goes Again

Randy Terrill, R-Moore, who once falsely claimed on his website that he "paved the way" for the National Weather Center in Norman, has proven again that he doesn't let facts and reality get in the way of his "pomp and circumstance" and political grandstanding.

In a press release from Terrill yesterday, the over-eager state representative crows that a new version of the law related to OHLAP funding would prohibit students and their families who "win the lottery" from participating in OHLAP. "If a student's family wins the lottery, they don't need state assistance and won't get it under this bill," Terrill said. This, even if the student and the student's family meet all the other criteria for participation. (What if a student is one of four children in the same family enrolled in a state university and the family's combined income is $101,000? That won't go very far with a family of five or six. Perhaps there should be a sliding scale provision for the number of students from a family attending college and utilizing OHLAP.)

I've often applauded Oklahoma's Promise, OHLAP, and see it as a very good investment in creating more college graduates for Oklahoma -- going well beyond "state assistance." I applaud the House for its overwhelming approval of SB 820, yesterday to fund OHLAP first and to strengthen the student accountability to the program. And further I agree with Rep. Jerry McPeak, who said yesterday that Terrill's actions "tell the average Oklahoman that we don't want them to go to college."