Senate Pay Raise Author Responds to Keating Flip-Flops

OKLAHOMA CITY -Statement from Senator Larry Dickerson, Senate Author of the state employee pay raise bill

"I want to congratulate our Governor on setting a new standard. Having mastered the art of double-talk, he's now employing triple-talk to try to explain his flip-flop on the state employee pay raise.

First, he said he was for pay raises, then he vetoed the funding for them, now he tells state employees not to worry because they'll get their money. He's done more flip-flops than Nadia Comenci and Bart Conner combined.

His comment that he 'fought' for state employee pay raises is so absurd it's laughable. We had to drag the Governor kicking and screaming to support the Legislature's pay raise program. We thought we finally had him on board when he signed the pay raise bill last month, but now he's trying to jump ship. In effect, he's trying to cram an unfunded mandate down the throats of Oklahomans, something we've been trying to stop on the federal level for years.

Governor Keating is trying to have it both ways. He wants to take credit for the pay raise, but he doesn't want to pay for it. For someone who's constantly pontificating about the state needing to pay its bills, it's pretty ironic that he's reneging on his promise to fund state employee pay hikes.

Our state employees deserve better leadership than Governor Keating is providing. They deserve a leader who will keep his promises. They deserve more than the now-you-see-it, now-you-don't pay raise tap dance performed by Governor Keating.

Frank Keating has demonstrated that he is one of the most resourceful individuals in Oklahoma politics. Last year, with his Washington DC experience, he brought gridlock politics to the Oklahoma State Capitol. This year, with his Washington experience, he brought us unfunded mandates on the state employee pay raise. We can only imagine what he has in store for us next year."