Known for her 2008 speech calling homosexuality a bigger threat to America than terrorism, Sally Kern defends her words on August 7, 2010 at “Wake Up, America!” conference. Watch the clip to hear her very interesting remarks defending that speech.

After you’ve watched the clip, help Brittany fight to build a brighter future for Oklahoma by focusing on jobs, education, and transportation rather than the same old Kernservative playbook of outrageous, divisive rhetoric by contributing to the campaign today!

Dear Rep. Kern:

One of my supporters forwarded me a speaking schedule for a conference that took place this past weekend called “Wake Up, America!” According to the speaker schedule, on Saturday you were to present on the topic of “Taking a Stand Against Liberals.”

This led me to ponder a question. What exactly do you see as your job as a state legislator? Is this just a game to you? Oklahoma is facing real issues that will affect the everyday lives of teachers, police officers, firefighters, construction workers, small business owners, and most important of all, our children.

Instead of spending your weekends and your time in the legislature “taking a stand against liberals,” why aren’t you finding solutions to our budget dilemma that will keep teachers in the classroom, police officers and firefighters on the street, construction workers improving our roads and bridges, and small businesses afloat?

Legislating should not be a political game. Real lives are affected by what goes on in the legislature. But if you’re too busy “taking a stand against liberals” (of which there are maybe 5 in the 101 seats of the state legislature) to find real funding solutions, then apparently you believe that legislating is just a game. As long as you’re taking a brave stand against “liberals,” then people shouldn’t worry about the fact that Putnam City Schools just laid of 40 teachers.

After examining your legislative record of the past six years, it appears that your main goal has been to institute a big brother government that looks into the private bedrooms and physician exam rooms of Oklahomans, while doing nothing to address the issues facing Oklahoma’s public schools (which you have stated are “failing our children”) or our crumbling infrastructure. Targeted tax incentives are great for economic development; across the board tax cuts that bankrupt our public schools and deplete resources that go to public health and safety will not make Oklahoma a more attractive place to do business.

The Journal Record has already taken you to task for “damaging [Oklahoma’s] credibility and inhibiting our state’s ability to conduct business.”

This is OUR future that you’re playing with. I’m not willing to just stand by and let your crusade against liberals ruin the future of my home, Oklahoma. That’s why I decided to challenge you, because Oklahomans deserve legislators that are going to work in the Capitol to try and solve our budget crisis. Oklahomans deserve legislators looking for ways to help our small businesses create jobs. Oklahomans deserve legislators looking for innovative education solutions to ensure that all children have the tools they need to succeed. Oklahomans deserve legislators that understand that economic development requires investment in our transportation infrastructure.

In order to solve these problems, I’m willing to work with all of my fellow legislators and fellow Oklahomans. I’ll work with conservatives and liberals, Democrats and Republicans to find solutions that will help us create a brighter future for all Oklahomans. It’s OUR future, let’s stop the divisiveness and start building something better.

Sincerely,

Brittany M. Novotny

Howdy folks!

Well, the primary elections for 2010 are finally here. To those of you in House District 84, remember that I am not on the ballot tomorrow (July 27), because I did not draw an opponent for the Democratic nomination. However, that does not mean that you get to skip out on voting! If you are registered Republican or Democratic, then you can vote in tomorrow’s primary races and have a hand in choosing your party’s nominees for the general election in races ranging from Governor to Superintendent, as well as U.S. Congress.

For those of you who are registered Independent, you won’t get to choose any party’s nominees–both parties in Oklahoma have opted to keep their primaries closed to only those registered with their parties. However, you will get to vote in the non-partisan judicial elections, and there are many candidates running for Judge in Oklahoma County that could use your support.

So, to recap, I’m not on the ballot tomorrow, but YOU still should go out and VOTE! There are many important races from Governor to Judge, and YOUR VOICE is important. If there is anything I’ve learned in my campaign for public office, it is just how important your involvement is on election day.

For those of you who are registered Independent or Democratic, I’d love for you to vote in the following poll. Should the Oklahoma Democratic Party open up its primary elections to Independent voters?

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On July 4, 1776, representatives of the thirteen American colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence—declaring full political independence from Great Britain, and laying the groundwork for a new political system deriving its power from the people rather than a monarch.

The Declaration of Independence not only proposed that the colonies were to be independent of Great Britain, but set out what many of us believe to be the moral standard of America:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

The reason so many people and families from so many nations have trekked to make their home in the United States is precisely because of this moral standard set out in the Declaration—the idea that America represents the hopes and dreams of human kind for equality of opportunity.

Throughout our shared American history, our institutions have strived to achieve that moral standard of equality under the law. Though our institutions have many times failed to live up to that standard, the arc of history has continued to bend toward a deeper embrace of equality and liberty for all individuals.

So on this holiday, Independence Day, let us remember that we are all Americans, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, creed, or color. Let us celebrate the words in the Declaration that all of us are created equal and endowed with the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. For these rights are truly worthy of our celebration and commemoration.

Finally, let us continue to strive to ensure that the arc of history will continue to bend toward a deeper embrace of equality and liberty for all.

Happy Independence Day!

Sincerely,
Brittany M. Novotny

Title: Bethany Centennial Freedom Festival
Location: Downtown Bethany (NW 39th)
Description: The Bethany Centennial Freedom Festival is an event for all. For 50 years this festival has entertained thousands. Beginning with a donkey softball game the festival has grown to incorporate great rides, food, shows, fireworks, and more.

Brittany will have a booth to meet voters, and will also be marching in the parade. If you’re interested in marching with Brittany or helping out at the booth, please contact Jen Stringham at 405-420-8295.
Start Time: 10:00
Date: 2010-07-03
End Time: 22:00

Title: Freedom BBQ
Location: Home of Jim and Elda Davis, 7219 NW 32nd (near Rockwell)
Description: Join us to meet, Brittany Novotny, candidate for
State Representative for House District 84.
Brittany has the Values and Vision to bring
change to House District 84.
The Time is NOW! Brittany is already working
hard on a campaign that will bring Victory for
those who are presently left with no representation.
Home of Jim and Elda Davis
7219 N W 32 (W. off Rockwell)
Bethany, OK
Date: Monday, June 28, 2010
Time: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Contact person: Elda Davis
mrsdavis37@yahoo.com
405-789-8636
Start Time: 18:00
Date: 2010-06-28
End Time: 20:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 8, 2010

Oklahoma City, OK – Brittany Novotny, a resident of northwest Oklahoma City officially filed to run for State Representative in House District 84 on Tuesday. Novotny, an attorney who maintains her own law practice, said “the key to building a strong local economy is a legislature whose primary concern is helping small businesses create jobs, investing in our children’s education, and investing in our transportation infrastructure.”

Novotny is a graduate of the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and UC – Hastings College of the Law. She started her own law practice in Oklahoma City in 2008, and has been active in community organizations, including serving as National Committee Woman for YDO and on the Community Advisory Board for Supporting Kids in Independent Living, a program of Youth Services of Oklahoma County.

Novotny says she made the decision to challenge Rep. Kern for the seat because, “[Kern] has proven to be out of touch with mainstream Oklahomans, ineffective at solving problems, and bad for business.”

She also said, “I understand there are going to be some folks who try to make this election about the fact that my medical history includes a gender transition, but I’m running for office because I believe I’m the best candidate to fight for jobs, education, and transportation. I understand that state government runs best when it focuses on helping small businesses create jobs and guarantees all of our children can get a great public education.”

This is Novotny’s first time to run for public office. Her official campaign website can be found at www.brittany4hd84.com.

Contact:
Jennifer Stringham, Campaign Mgr.
Brittany Novotny for HD 84 in 2010
P.O. Box 374
Bethany, OK 73008
405-420-8295

One way lawmakers are dealing with a $1 billion budget shortfall this coming fiscal year is to cut the state’s education budget by 10%. Officials from the State Department of Education told members of a legislative subcommittee on Monday that the cut would lead to a $244 million loss for schools.

According to state schools Superintendent Sandy Garrett, 85 percent of the education budget goes to teacher salaries. Currently Oklahoma employs approximately 50,000 teachers in our 531 school districts. Therefore, districts will be required to lay off teachers and the quality of education will likely suffer. Loss of teachers will lead to larger class size and dramatically affect the quality of education in a state that already lags behind the nation in graduation rates and test scores.

In addition to the effect on the education of our youth, the layoffs would also increase the unemployment rate in Oklahoma that current stands at 6.6%.

Do you think education funding should be cut? Should lawmakers instead be searching for ways to increase revenue?

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On April 19, 1995, I was a 9th grade student at Brink Junior High in Oklahoma City. I remember an odd announcement coming over the intercom during class around 9:30 that morning. “If you have a parent who works in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, please come to the office,” said the voice on the intercom. We wondered aloud what might have happened to require such an announcement.

Many of us in Oklahoma City, and around the country, still recall that morning. How can we forget it? My mom spent the next week or so volunteering downtown, helping serve meals to the rescue and search teams. My step-dad, a retired Oklahoma City police officer, volunteered to work at security check points around downtown.

Oklahomans from all backgrounds came together and looked out for each other. In that moment, we were reminded that ultimately, we’re all in this together as Oklahomans. The focus was not on what separated us, but on what made us all the same—stories of heartache, loss, tragedy, love, kindness, and compassion; the stories that make us human.

Today we remember, and as the words inscribed at the Memorial state:

“We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.”

Since statehood, railroads have been a significant part of the Oklahoma’s transportation system. Since about the 1950′s, however, passenger rail options deteriorated for Oklahomans. Passenger rail has recently begun making a comeback, with a major interstate carrier, AMTRAK’s Heartland Flyer, providing service between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas. Freight transporters have continued to have many rail options, with short-line railroads, such as FarmRail and the Kiamichi Railroad, emerging to provide service to rural areas and small towns that larger companies ignored. By 2000, twenty-two railroad companies provided the Sooner State with interstate and intrastate rail service on about half of the mileage of track that had existed a century earlier, but do we need more?

Earlier this year, Oklahoma’s Department of Transportation was hoping to be a recipient of a portion of the $8 billion in stimulus grants for high-speed rail projects, but the majority of the money went to other states, including California, Florida and Illinois. ODOT had planned to use the money to provide high-speed rail service between downtown Oklahoma City and Tulsa along the I-44 Turner Turnpike corridor as well as updates to existing railroads in the state.

The advantages of rail in Oklahoma would include environmental and economic benefits in addition to providing Oklahomans more transportation choices. According to the Environmental Law and Policy Center, rail transport is three times as energy efficient as cars and six times as efficient as air travel. Rail travel reduces our reliance on foreign oil and is better for the environment. Rail travel could also spur the economy by providing jobs for Oklahomans and after completion would stimulate commerce, tourism and travel within the state.

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