July 26, 2019 Issue, Page 4 of 12

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Page 4 The Elk City News, Elk City, Oklahoma Friday, July 26, 2019 TERMINATOR 3 Opinion Page “ElkCituNews Serving Western Oklahoma since 1901 THE HEARINGS New law seeks Yow i THE GH! ee to help students Dip You Miss YouR TARGET 7 — By Don Munsch, Editor Oregon public school students will return to classes comics.com EMAIL: [email protected] (E19 ANU REND AAR CEL this fall and be able to use a new excuse for an absence. Lawmakers in the Pacific Northwest state signed a law sibility for any fault of their Blame We've all met them — the that allows students to take “mental health days” as an person who can retell ev- own for not overcoming excused absence, which would be equal to an absence ery wrong done to them what happened? Or maybe for a physical illness. Oregeon Gov. Kate Brown signed Glynda Lomax is a Chris- by that certain person in it is the hope of taking re- the bill last month, and the law instructs schools to treat tian author and podcaster vivid detail, and sometimes venge that drives them? mental health and physical health the same, according to who resides in the Ozark forty years later. Then at And of course there are an Associated Press story. Mountains of Northern Ar- the end of regurgitating the those who do not feel alive Behind the bill were students themselves. kansas with her two very entire sequence of events, unless they are feeling an- “The students behind the measure say it’s meant to bossy dogs. She wrote they claim they have for- ger because they seem to change the stigma around mental health in a state that has her first About Life..col- given that person and have lost the ability to feel some of the United States’ highest suicide rates,” the AP umn in 2003 for a news- moved on with their lives. any other emotion. For sure story said. paper in Dallas. She is Really? If you’ve moved as long as we are blaming Glynda Lomax One of the bill’s creators said they devised the bill to planning her next book. on, how is it you can recount others, we are staying right ness. Blaming holds you respond to the mental health crisis in schools and en- every detail of every wrong where we are in our pain, for prisoner to your past, it courage students to get help if they are hurting. The bill “To accuse others for thing they ever did to you? others will not come to save does not help you move comes at a time when national suicide rates have spiked. one’s own misfortune is My memory is pretty good, us from ourselves, from forward. Instead of spend- Still, while helping youths with mental health problems a sign of want of educa- and I can recall events, but the past, from anything. ing your energy blaming should be a given for any community in any state, there tion. To accuse oneself notevery event that ever hap- Blaming leads to bitter- will be some opposition to mental health days, as detrac- shows that one’s educa- pened between me and any ness when those we blame someone else for your prob- tors will say students can just lie about their excuse or lems, wouldn’t it make more tion has begun. To accuse other person. The only way do not fix us or pay what we could use the new creation to call in sick over any reason. sense to spend that energy neither oneself nor others I can remember that much think they owe us for what Others will criticizes the new law by exhibiting a lack of sympathy for kids going through rough days, explain- shows that one’s education other detail is ifI constant- they have done to us. And working to overcome them? ing they never had the option of these mental health is complete.” - Epictetus ly remind myself of what bitterness, once it has taken happened, in detail, along root, spreads like a venom- “At the end ofthe day, you days when they were young and they just toughed it out through difficult challenges, situations or experiences. No one that has lived very with how much it hurt and ous weed, pouring its poison are solely responsible for And I wasn’t surprised in finding comments online to long has escaped having an how it crippled me for life. into every crack and crevice your success and your fail- one news organization’s FB page in which some people injustice or two perpetrated Could it be these victims of your life until it finally ure. And the sooner you real- called into question the creation of mental health days, on them, whether intentional are holding on to past events overshadows and obliter- ize that, you accept that, and with folks saying students were being raised to be snow- to garner pity by the con- ates any joy you might have or unintentional. We can all integrate that into your work flakes or, from one person’s perspective, “wusses.” recall times when someone stant retelling of their story? found in today with the dark- ethic, you will start being did something that was just Or to get attention? Could ness and pain of yesterday. Who you can blame does successful. As long as you Part of the reason for the creation of the new absence excuse is to help schools know which students are strug- wrong to us or against us. it be they enjoy retelling all gling with mental health issues. Another goal was to Most deal with the situa- the sordid details of those not change where you are. blame others for the reason erase the stigma of mental health disorders and afflic- tion and moye on, but oth- negative events to make the It does not relieve you of you aren’t where you want tions, so honest conversation can happen between adults ers seem to hang on to these other person look bad to oth- the responsibility you have to be, you will always be a and youths. incidents virtually forever. ers? Is it to deflect respon- to find your own happi- failure.” - Erin Cummings But society continues to struggle to make much ground County Improvement here, especially when diseases of the brain are not con- sidered “real” or are downplayed or essentially consid- ered character issues. You’d think by 2019 the brain would be treated the same as the heart, kidneys, liver or for Roads and Bridges any other vital organ, but attitudes are slow to change. Oklahomans should care about mental health because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has data showing the Sooner State has one of the highest suicide rates in the country, according to 2017 data. Mountain By Rep. Todd Russ tion and reconstruction of are prioritized by safety and as possible. I was co-author states generally have the highest rates. CDC statistics I hear often from con- county roads and bridges on mobility benefits to the trav- on the bill that gave $30 mil- from 2015 show suicide was the second-leading cause of stituents about the condi- the county highway system. eling public and for com- lion additional dollars back death in Oklahoma for the age group 10-34. tion of our local roadways The law requires state fund- merce and to the extent that Should Oklahoma lawmakers adopt a new law similar to the counties this year and and bridges. As chairman ing to be distributed equally the projects will enhance to Oregon’s? They should at least study the issue of men- tal health and have an open mind. That’s all I would ask. of the House Appropria- among the eight different the overall level of service hope to get more next year. tions and Budget Subcom- Transportation Commission and longevity of the coun- It is important to lawmak- Ican remember a few people from my high school days who committed suicide. In those days, the televi- mittee on Transportation, districts in the state, These ty transportation system. ers to keep the Oklahoman I thought it would be a are different than our eight For Fiscal Years 2019- Department of Transporta- sion news stations covered their stories, or at least their good time to give a short Circuit Engineering Dis- 2023, the CIRB fund has deaths. They happened in public, with one of the deaths tion’s eight-year construc- overview of our County tricts (CEDs), which each $686.5 million. When com- being particularly awful because of how it was staged. Improvements for Roads have one commissioner bined with federal, state tion plan on track for the Could my schoolmates have been helped before they state and certainly the five- and Bridges program that on the Circuit Engineer- and other dollars, the to- took their lives? I still wonder. helps fund the counties Cir- ing District (CED) Board. tal is $877.2 million. The year CIRB construction plan With all the knowledge we have now about mental cuit Engineering Districts. The CEDs utilize CIRB CIRB five-year plan in- on track for the counties. health, I hope educators make all meaningful efforts to Most of the funding for funds for construction man- cludes replacement or re- help today’s youths. I hope this helps give counties comes directly agement inspections, costs habilitation of 344 county you a brief understand- from each county, but some related to development of bridges statewide. Approxi- Have something funding comes from the the five-year CIRB plan, mately 833 miles of county ing of how local roads and state through apportion- and design and engineering. roads will be improved. bridges are maintained. ments from the Motor Ve- Under the law, counties The totals for Commission As always, I serve you — to share? hicle tax, with a cap at $120 may million. County CIRB funds accumulate annual funding for a period of up District 5 (CED 7) are al- my constituents of District most $62.4 million in CIRB 55 - first. Next in line is also are invested by the to five years for a specific and $78.2 million total. Our Send your state treasurer in order to earn interest until it is spent. project. County commis- 5-year plan includes re- our great state. Thank you placement or rehabilitation for giving me the oppor- sioners work with their re- editorial to CIRB was created in 2006 spective circuit engineer- of 38 county bridges and tunity to represent you at with the passage and signing ing districts, in conjunction approximately 71 miles of the Capitol. God bless you into law of House Bill 1176. with the state Transporta- county roads to be improved. and God bless Oklahoma. editor@ecdaily- The measure created a continuing revolving fund tion Commission, to deter- mine the highest priority for At times, the Legisla- ture has borrowed from the State Rep. Todd Russ can be contacted by e-mail at- from appropriations and roads and bridges projects CIRB revolving fund, and news.com transfers by the Legislature to be used for construc- to be placed on a five-year I have worked diligently to construction plan. Projects replace those dollars as soon Todd.Russ@ okhouse.gov or by phone at (405) 557-7312.