USA Today: Oklahoma City defies recession

[BDP]

Oklahoma City defies recession - USATODAY.com

Cornett says taxpayer-financed improvements started after United Airlines rejected the city as a maintenance hub. The airline told city officials that Indianapolis won because of superior quality of life.

Just another reminder that many companies do not pick locations based on costs alone. They know they need to be somewhere that people want to live in order to attract the best workforce they can.

[soonerguru]

Wow. Some of those comments after the article are terrible. People like Sally Kern still influence how our city is viewed by outsiders, unfortunately.

[BDP]

People like Sally Kern still influence how our city is viewed by outsiders, unfortunately.

Well, Sally Kern is a representative of our community, so you can't really say it's not deserved. IMO, the real problem is that we don't have much opposition to it, at least not on any significant or visible level. If the perception fostered by these groups and leaders of being a culturally and religiously intolerant community was somehow shown to be isolated or, at least, balanced by an equally vocal and powerful contingent that respected individuals rights to the point of wanting to protect them, then it could be shown that Oklahoma is at least as dynamic as most American communities. As it is now, however, sentiments by Kern or similar leaders meet little public or legislative resistance.

The real question is whether that is an unstated quality factored into the "lack of quality of life" reason given by companies who pass on opportunities to move here. It certainly is a reason I have heard some individuals give for not locating here and for leaving.

[metro]

I think we're going to hear MAPS in every OKC press release for the rest of my lifetime....

[Doug Loudenback]

Wow. Some of those comments after the article are terrible. People like Sally Kern still influence how our city is viewed by outsiders, unfortunately.

Gladly, the article makes no mention of Sally. As for terrible comments, there are plenty that are good, too. It's a heck of a nice article, very good press.

[OKCTalker]

NOT winning the United Airlines maintenance hub was a great thing. Those of us who were here at the time may recall that United was doing a terrific job pitting each city against the other, with frantic, last-minute concessions and inducements being offered right up to the very end. I don't recall the final tally, but Indianapolis paid a huge amount, and the cost per job was nothing less than stunning. And only to have United close the plan just a few years later.

[mugofbeer]

I wonder if people outside of OKC really have any clue who Sally Kern is? I am starting to think its kind of all in our own heads.

[BDP]

I wonder if people outside of OKC really have any clue who Sally Kern is? I am starting to think its kind of all in our own heads.

Most do not remember the names of people who promote policy and rhetoric that lends reputations to communities and creates their image. However, those reputations remain. Before last year's movie, I'm sure many in Oklahoma who couldn't tell you who Harvey Milk was would be quick to tell you their impressions of San Francisco and the influence of its gay community, whether they had ever been there or not.

The reality is that it may be all in our heads, but it is also in the heads of outsiders and, really, it is not unfounded. People don't need to mention Sally Kern or know who she is to have the impression that Oklahoma is less accepting of certain lifestyles and cultures than many communities in America today. They don't need to know who she is to make a decision of whether to come here or not based on that reputation. There are many who work hard to foster that reputation and, yes, some count it as a positive and as a reason to live here.

I don't think we should make our decisions or elect our representatives based on what outsiders think, but I think it's a mistake to think it doesn't matter or have an effect.

Sorry, I didn't mean this to be a political thread when I posted the article, but, obviously, politics and perception (along with, as Cornett points out, luck) do matter in the business of economic growth and relative performance. Even a simple, straight forward article about our community's economic stability garnered some negative reactions based on the reputation of the city's culture alone. I don't think we need to go out of our way to try and deprogram the stereotype, as much as I personally wish we could do more to stop reinforcing it in a very real way.

[mugofbeer]

Most do not remember the names of people who promote policy and rhetoric that lends reputations to communities and creates their image. However, those reputations remain. Before last year's movie, I'm sure many in Oklahoma who couldn't tell you who Harvey Milk was would be quick to tell you their impressions of San Francisco and the influence of its gay community, whether they had ever been there or not.

The reality is that it may be all in our heads, but it is also in the heads of outsiders and, really, it is not unfounded. People don't need to mention Sally Kern or know who she is to have the impression that Oklahoma is less accepting of certain lifestyles and cultures than many communities in America today. They don't need to know who she is to make a decision of whether to come here or not based on that reputation. There are many who work hard to foster that reputation and, yes, some count it as a positive and as a reason to live here.

I don't think we should make our decisions or elect our representatives based on what outsiders think, but I think it's a mistake to think it doesn't matter or have an effect.

Sorry, I didn't mean this to be a political thread when I posted the article, but, obviously, politics and perception (along with, as Cornett points out, luck) do matter in the business of economic growth and relative performance. Even a simple, straight forward article about our community's economic stability garnered some negative reactions based on the reputation of the city's culture alone. I don't think we need to go out of our way to try and deprogram the stereotype, as much as I personally wish we could do more to stop reinforcing it in a very real way.

I agree

[okcpulse]

Most do not remember the names of people who promote policy and rhetoric that lends reputations to communities and creates their image. However, those reputations remain. Before last year's movie, I'm sure many in Oklahoma who couldn't tell you who Harvey Milk was would be quick to tell you their impressions of San Francisco and the influence of its gay community, whether they had ever been there or not.

The reality is that it may be all in our heads, but it is also in the heads of outsiders and, really, it is not unfounded. People don't need to mention Sally Kern or know who she is to have the impression that Oklahoma is less accepting of certain lifestyles and cultures than many communities in America today. They don't need to know who she is to make a decision of whether to come here or not based on that reputation. There are many who work hard to foster that reputation and, yes, some count it as a positive and as a reason to live here.

I don't think we should make our decisions or elect our representatives based on what outsiders think, but I think it's a mistake to think it doesn't matter or have an effect.

Sorry, I didn't mean this to be a political thread when I posted the article, but, obviously, politics and perception (along with, as Cornett points out, luck) do matter in the business of economic growth and relative performance. Even a simple, straight forward article about our community's economic stability garnered some negative reactions based on the reputation of the city's culture alone. I don't think we need to go out of our way to try and deprogram the stereotype, as much as I personally wish we could do more to stop reinforcing it in a very real way.

I asked five people here in Houston if they knew about Sally Kern. All of them drew a complete blank.

Once again, Oklahoma City's hard work is bastardized because of a government temp. It goes to show how washed America's mentality is. Sally Kern does not represent the city's culture. In fact, much of America knows d*ck about Oklahoma City's culture. Our city is under-appreciated time and time and time again.

What about the religious cults of Texas and one cult in particular that moved to Garland and told the national media that GOd was going to show up on TV for a major announcement back in 1997? And how many companies and people have moved to Texas since? Damn, people. Damn.

These message boards certainly don't help.

[Doug Loudenback]

Point taken, okcpulse. Spot on.

[sethsrott]

Well you wouldn't know it by the Tweets that NewsOK.com is putting out on their Twitter...maybe Steve could do something about that...

[soonerguru]

I asked five people here in Houston if they knew about Sally Kern. All of them drew a complete blank.

Once again, Oklahoma City's hard work is bastardized because of a government temp. It goes to show how washed America's mentality is. Sally Kern does not represent the city's culture. In fact, much of America knows d*ck about Oklahoma City's culture. Our city is under-appreciated time and time and time again.

What about the religious cults of Texas and one cult in particular that moved to Garland and told the national media that GOd was going to show up on TV for a major announcement back in 1997? And how many companies and people have moved to Texas since? Damn, people. Damn.

These message boards certainly don't help.

OKCPulse,

Did you read any of the comments after the article? For what it's worth, Kern made national news on multiple occasions about her commentary. Another poster in the thread made the strong point that people may not know her by name, but it seems things said by Kern, Inhofe and others are the only time our state leaders are ever in the national news.

Do they represent our views? Probably not the folks on this forum, but they were all reelected and continue to make similar comments.

Coburn wanted to ban Schindler's List and talked about rampant gangs of lesbians in school bathrooms in Southeast Oklahoma. That, too, made national news.

Question: how often do you see any Oklahoman on national news that is unafilliated with sports or politics? I don't see our scientists on there. I just see people talking about banning stem-cell research.

We don't live in a vacuum. The comments made by our leaders -- elected or otherwise -- that appear on national news programming do influence how people view our state.

[soonerguru]

And another thing. Ask your five pals in Houston if they think Oklahoma City is a progressive, culturally sophisticated place to live. Ask them if they would like to relocate from Houston here.

[dismayed]

Thanks for posting this link.

[jbrown84]

Another poster in the thread made the strong point that people may not know her by name, but it seems things said by Kern, Inhofe and others are the only time our state leaders are ever in the national news.

If we could just get Andrew Rice elected to a bigger office. He could really be an anti-Coburn represtation for the state. He could be the next Obama.

[mugofbeer]

[QUOTE=soonerguru;246279]OKCPulse,
Coburn wanted to ban Schindler's List and talked about rampant gangs of lesbians in school bathrooms in Southeast Oklahoma. That, too, made national news.QUOTE]

Come on now, guru. If you're going to report an action of a politician, report it in the proper context. You are making it out like Dr. Coburn somehow wanted Schindlers list banned like some of the nutty folks want Catcher in the Rye banned. He wanted the movie moved from prime time network TV because of the graphic violence, the nudity and the graphic language. He felt it was not the right forum where young children could see it without parental supervision.

With regard to the rampant gangs of lesbians, again, you are exaggerating what he said. Dr. Coburn was pointing out that there have been a number of attacks on girls in school bathrooms in SE OK that were homosexual in nature.

After seeing Schindlers list and feeling it is one of the most gripping, heart wrenching and intense movies ever made, I agree that for any child who doesn't have the maturity to understand it or to be able to handle the vividly graphic portrayals of the holocaust, they shouldn't see it.

[PennyQuilts]

A lot of people assume that the whole world knows about our dirty political laundry and have a real complex about it. Where I am living, all people know about Oklahoma comes from the Grapes of Wrath and the fact that it is in the bible belt and tornado alley. Some of them aren't even sure exactly where Oklahoma is and most couldn't tell you for sure without consulting a map. Many of those same people have driven through Oklahoma on I40, which doesn't give them much to savor, visually. They think - no mountains, no beaches, no forests. They are astonished when I describe the beauty and diversity of the land. It isn't the alleged backwards culture that bother them nearly as much as the alleged flat, dusty, tornado ravaged image they have of the state. And many don't think there are any Starbucks here, either. They think we all drink sun tea and use ice trays instead of ice makers.

[Doug Loudenback]

What's an ice maker?

[flintysooner]

Other than this forum I know hardly anyone who cares what others, inside and outside of Oklahoma, think about the state. And not everyone thinks it is a good thing to attract people to move here either.

[BPD]

Hey, wait just a dadgummed minute. What's wrong with sun tea? It's my favorite beverage.

[DelCamino]

A lot of people assume that the whole world knows about our dirty political laundry and have a real complex about it. Where I am living, all people know about Oklahoma comes from the Grapes of Wrath and the fact that it is in the bible belt and tornado alley. Some of them aren't even sure exactly where Oklahoma is and most couldn't tell you for sure without consulting a map. Many of those same people have driven through Oklahoma on I40, which doesn't give them much to savor, visually. They think - no mountains, no beaches, no forests. They are astonished when I describe the beauty and diversity of the land. It isn't the alleged backwards culture that bother them nearly as much as the alleged flat, dusty, tornado ravaged image they have of the state. And many don't think there are any Starbucks here, either. They think we all drink sun tea and use ice trays instead of ice makers.

While it may be true some people carry around this negative stereotype, it's more a statement of their own ignorance and lack of education than what it truly says of Oklahoma.

[OKCTalker]

What's an ice maker?

It's what hit my house December 2007. I had all the ice I could stand.

[soonerguru]

With regard to the rampant gangs of lesbians, again, you are exaggerating what he said. Dr. Coburn was pointing out that there have been a number of attacks on girls in school bathrooms in SE OK that were homosexual in nature.

Ummm. No. Here was his actual quote:

"You know, Josh Burkeen is our rep down here in the southeast area. He lives in Colgate and travels out of Atoka. He was telling me lesbianism is so rampant in some of the schools in southeast Oklahoma that they'll only let one girl go to the bathroom. Now think about it. Think about that issue. How is it that that's happened to us?"
Tom Coburn, 8/31/04

[hoya]

Ummm. No. Here was his actual quote:

"You know, Josh Burkeen is our rep down here in the southeast area. He lives in Colgate and travels out of Atoka. He was telling me lesbianism is so rampant in some of the schools in southeast Oklahoma that they'll only let one girl go to the bathroom. Now think about it. Think about that issue. How is it that that's happened to us?"
Tom Coburn, 8/31/04

Which, given the nature of public school administrators, probably meant they had a few girls ask to go to the bathroom, then went and fooled around. The school administrators make some over-reaction policy, and it gets back to Coburn. I don't think his quote is all that bad. One thing I will say, I think he's done a pretty good job as a public watchdog since he's been in Congress.