By Richard Engle

It doesn't seem to matter which party is in control, state government is likely to be empowered to spend more of your money, and do more to restrict you. The premise of limited government is left at the doorstep with the old campaign sound bites from days before Republican rule of our fair state. Thus far, Republican politicians have done nothing to reduce the size of state government, and have instead spent more money and increased regulations on the citizenry.

It might be a fair argument that the situation would be even worse if the Democrats had remained in power. However, I wish the Republican leadership had found a single program to abolish, or one limitation on personal freedom that could be repealed. It seems that every program initiated by Democrats over the opposition of Republicans is now found to be reasonable and necessary by those same Republicans who are now leaders in the majority.

Not one program, agency, bureau, commission, or department has been disposed of. Every segment of state government has grown and spent more of our money than they did the previous year. Neither have excessive regulations on our personal freedom been repealed.

Indeed the state legislature has seen fit to increase regulations to the point of making us all into inadvertent criminals! An example, HB 1368, passed last year after being opposed by only ten Representatives and without any opposition in the Senate, though a few legislators were absent at the time of voting. HB 1368 seems innocent enough on the surface. It was designed to force drivers into the right lane unless passing or "preparing for a left turn at an intersection." Many people think of left lanes as "passing lanes" only. The intent and inspiration behind the law is to prevent a driver from using the left lane in the same way the right lane is used.

While the idea of lane enforcement has its virtues which will not be argued in this forum, the law actually prohibits driving in the left lane of any four lane roadway in the state "at less then the maximum posted speed." Our state legislature has set the maximum and minimum speed in the left lane at the same exact number! It is not feasible to drive an exact speed without variance. Every roadway may have a maximum safe speed and a minimum speed, but to insist on an exact speed is preposterous.

I have driven throughout much of Europe where lane enforcement on limited access highways is commonplace, but they don't have left hand exits there. This law applies to interstate highways as well as all roads of four lanes or more. It even states that the maximum speed be maintained in the left lane on roads from which one would turn left into a "private road or driveway."

There is a greater point than nit-picking one extreme and poorly written law. Indeed that law is merely symptomatic of a much greater problem. Legislators wishing to "feel' like they are doing their job must continue to come up with new laws and new programs of government. Doing so ultimately leads to an unsustainable situation. Eventually ever tightening laws box us into a corner that makes criminals of us all. Similarly, continuously adding new government programs will, in the long run, consume the entire economy.

At some point, one would presume that we would have enough laws on the books and enough programs to spend our money. Senator Randy Brogdon first entered the limelight in Oklahoma by proposing a "Taxpayer Bill of Rights" known as TABOR, which would have (if the state Supreme Court had allowed us to vote on it) limited the growth of state government to the growth of the state population plus inflation. Most state employees and advocates of government opposed TABOR.

Any honest observer would have to acknowledge that government can't grow faster than the economy forever. It's simply not sustainable. Eventually a government will become so big and overbearing that it will collapse. Similarly, we should all recognize the counter productive effect of constantly making more and more activities illegal. If it becomes impossible, or even just very difficult, to abide by all laws then all law is held in disrepute by the populace. When the public ceases to respect the law then all laws become unenforceable.

Oklahoma is in need of measurably smaller and less intrusive government. Oklahoma's Republican led legislature should take to heart the promises made when they ran for office and reduce state government.