They call it the Sooner State because many of Oklahoma’s settlers didn’t wait for the government’s timeline to go get their land. This week we’re seeing some of that same spirit as Oklahomans hit by a deadly tornado have not been waiting for Uncle Sam to do all they can to help neighbors who have lost everything they had.
Quickly the focus will shift to Congress, where news reports suggest Tom Coburn — one of the state’s two Republican senators — will have to choose between his principles and the needs of his hard-hit state. The idea here is that Coburn, who fought hard against the pork in the federal aid bill for Hurricane Sandy, will not dare do the same for his own state. We don’t see the dilemma, and judging from a statement from his office, neither does the senator.
No one need tell Tom Coburn about the devastation his fellow Oklahomans have just suffered. And there’s no question the federal government ought to help where it can. But when the people’s representatives spend the people’s money — especially for relief — they have a fundamental responsibility to insist this relief goes to those in need and does not disappear down the little Beltway alleyways that lead to, say, Alaskan fisheries or Smithsonian rooftops.
We further applaud the senator’s instinct to offset aid with cuts. That’s part of setting priorities, something ordinary Americans do every day. As Oklahomans rebuild their lives and their state, we wouldn’t be surprised if they also give Congress a lesson about a better way to get relief in the hands of those Americans who need it most.