By Robert Barron Staff Writer
Democratic House District 41 candidate Carol Ruth came to Enid Wednesday bringing a message of unification to voters.
Ruth said she did not go into the campaign with issues of her own but said a lot of people in the southern part of the district did not feel they had been represented. Since entering the race, she has discovered more issues, including common education, health care, roads and bridges, veterans, senior citizens and retired teachers.
District 41 encompasses parts of Garfield, Kingfisher, Canadian and Oklahoma counties.
Ruth said even though she lives in Yukon she would make sure Garfield County is represented if she is elected.
“The very thing Yukon and Piedmont are concerned about, I wouldn’t let that happen,” she said.
Ruth also is interested in alternate fuels and said she looked at investing in the Oklahoma Ethanol plant in Enid. Enid has potential, and Ruth said the district should not have an us-versus-them, but rather a “we” attitude.
Her job as representative would be partly to unify the district and bring people together.
“Any legislator should be willing to fight for anything in their district,” she said.
Ruth grew up on a farm near Wayne. She worked for the U.S. Postal Service for many years, worked in human resources and supervised postmasters in the state until she became ill with multiple sclerosis. She was bedridden for several months, then the disease went into remission, but she could not return to work, because she had retired.
That is a problem Ruth said she would like to fix. She believes there should be a way for people with diseases like hers to return to the work force when they recover or the disease is in remission.
“That way, they can be productive citizens and will be off Medicare and not a burden to the taxpayers,” she said.
On other issues:
• Ruth said health care is a major issue, with more than 14 percent of the population without insurance.
• Water problems also are a major issue in the district, Ruth said, especially in the Piedmont and Yukon areas.
“Canadian County is running out of water, and there is a aquifer near Sulphur we could get water from, but people fought against our getting it piped up there. We must look at how we can get water. If it isn’t used it will go to Texas,” she said.
• Oklahoma’s small towns are dying, and there are many people who struggle to get by while working 40 hours a week. She urged more work on economic development in rural areas of Oklahoma.
• Ruth opposes the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which supporters said would slow the growth of state government. She said Oklahoma has passed a state question limiting state spending, and a TABOR proposal similar to the one being considered in Oklahoma caused chaos in the Colorado budget.
“Oklahoma constitutionally requires balanced budgets, and I don’t see how TABOR can help. TABOR will starve county sheriffs and rural fire departments,” she said.
State spending has grown considerably in recent years, which caused some support for TABOR, she said. She wants to look at what is being funded, and she said there are many tax incentives for corporations. Every tax incentive should be available on the Internet so residents can examine them, she said.
“No one wants to pay taxes, I don’t either. But we have to be careful when we cut. Sometimes we don’t have any new taxes, but we do have user fees,” she said. “I agree with keeping government small, but there are some services we need, and some counties are losing their rural fire service.”
• Ruth proposes a tax holiday before any taxes are raised or lowered. She wants to use the time to closely examine what taxes are paying for. There have been good years and bad years in Oklahoma, she said, and the good years must help prepare for the bad ones.
• Ruth also thinks the state’s retired teachers should receive all the funding they are entitled to. Last year, she accused some members of the Legislature of making the issue a political game.
• Ruth would like to see the minimum wage increased. Many business already have increased their wages because they know it is nearly impossible to live on minimum wages, she said. However, some have not.
“How many businesses haven’t raised their prices since 1984?” she asked.
The minimum wage is for working adults, not youths or those in apprenticeship positions, she said.
