U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin worked on her gubernatorial stump speech Friday afternoon at a legislative luncheon in Shawnee and touched on a broad range of issues including Oklahoma’s economic future and what she considers to be unwise spending by the Obama administration.
Fallin stressed the importance of capitalizing on the availability of stimulus funds and said that projects must be ready when the time comes.
“If you don’t have your shovel-ready projects ready to go, then that money will go to another state,” she said.
As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the House, Fallin talked at length about the importance of improving the state’s infrastructure to foster a healthy, growing business climate.
“Oklahoma is in a prime position to be a hub for business in this nation,” she said. “Our cost of living is low, we’re in the middle of the country...there’s some great opportunities coming here to Oklahoma.”
Fallin said improvement of the state’s roads, rail lines, ports, airports and other transportation infrastructure will be a key to this growth and that she worked hard while on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to see that Oklahoma wasn’t left out.
Fallin, who grew up in Tecumseh, said she’s not exactly comfortable with all the money the current administration is spending and told the crowd at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center the federal government has already shelled out around $500 billion since Obama took office.
She also said as of late April the federal government is now operating on borrowed money and that the stimulus package, which she said she voted against, is also a questionable move.
“My children, who are 18 and 22 years old, are going to have mountains of debt when they get into their senior years because of this spending,” Fallin said.
Fallin said the Obama administration is also considering raising taxes on small businesses and possibly re-establishing the “death tax.”
“I personally will not support any new taxes. Period,” Fallin said. “Especially not during a recession. It doesn’t make sense.”
She said Obama’s cap and trade policies, which the congresswoman described as “ basically a tax on carbon emissions,” will hurt Oklahoma’s oil and gas industries.
“I’m all for protecting the environment and all of that, but not at the expense of jobs,” Fallin said.
Locally, Fallin said she recently met with railroad authorities to discuss improving the antiquated rail lines used by many Shawnee-area businesses reliant on the tracks to ship goods.
“From what I’ve learned, those rail lines are old and slow,” she said. “They need tremendous help.”
She also said that some infrastructure projects are in the works for Gordon Cooper Drive and SH 9.
As of Friday, Fallin is the leading republican candidate for the 2010 governor’s race, according to the results of an independent poll conducted by SoonerPoll. J.C. Watts, a former U.S. Representative in District 4, is Fallin’s nearest rival but he has yet to make his mind up on whether to run in 2010. State Sen. Randy Brogdon, the third republican in the mix at this point, would fetch around five percent of GOP votes, according to the SoonerPoll findings.
State Sen. Charlie Laster and Rep. Shane Jett were also in attendance but didn’t speak at the luncheon.
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Andrew Knittle may be reached at 214-3926.
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U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin worked on her gubernatorial stump speech Friday afternoon at a legislative luncheon in Shawnee and touched on a broad range of issues including Oklahoma’s economic future and what she considers to be unwise spending by the Obama administration.
Fallin stressed the importance of capitalizing on the availability of stimulus funds and said that projects must be ready when the time comes.
“If you don’t have your shovel-ready projects ready to go, then that money will go to another state,” she said.
As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the House, Fallin talked at length about the importance of improving the state’s infrastructure to foster a healthy, growing business climate.
“Oklahoma is in a prime position to be a hub for business in this nation,” she said. “Our cost of living is low, we’re in the middle of the country...there’s some great opportunities coming here to Oklahoma.”
Fallin said improvement of the state’s roads, rail lines, ports, airports and other transportation infrastructure will be a key to this growth and that she worked hard while on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to see that Oklahoma wasn’t left out.
Fallin, who grew up in Tecumseh, said she’s not exactly comfortable with all the money the current administration is spending and told the crowd at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center the federal government has already shelled out around $500 billion since Obama took office.
She also said as of late April the federal government is now operating on borrowed money and that the stimulus package, which she said she voted against, is also a questionable move.
“My children, who are 18 and 22 years old, are going to have mountains of debt when they get into their senior years because of this spending,” Fallin said.
Fallin said the Obama administration is also considering raising taxes on small businesses and possibly re-establishing the “death tax.”
“I personally will not support any new taxes. Period,” Fallin said. “Especially not during a recession. It doesn’t make sense.”
She said Obama’s cap and trade policies, which the congresswoman described as “ basically a tax on carbon emissions,” will hurt Oklahoma’s oil and gas industries.
“I’m all for protecting the environment and all of that, but not at the expense of jobs,” Fallin said.
Locally, Fallin said she recently met with railroad authorities to discuss improving the antiquated rail lines used by many Shawnee-area businesses reliant on the tracks to ship goods.
“From what I’ve learned, those rail lines are old and slow,” she said. “They need tremendous help.”
She also said that some infrastructure projects are in the works for Gordon Cooper Drive and SH 9.
As of Friday, Fallin is the leading republican candidate for the 2010 governor’s race, according to the results of an independent poll conducted by SoonerPoll. J.C. Watts, a former U.S. Representative in District 4, is Fallin’s nearest rival but he has yet to make his mind up on whether to run in 2010. State Sen. Randy Brogdon, the third republican in the mix at this point, would fetch around five percent of GOP votes, according to the SoonerPoll findings.
State Sen. Charlie Laster and Rep. Shane Jett were also in attendance but didn’t speak at the luncheon.
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Andrew Knittle may be reached at 214-3926.
