Report accuses state Democratic Party (Oklahoma)

NEWS9 ^ | 1/03/2005 | Kirsten McIntyre

[MizSterious]

Report accuses state Democratic Party

By Kirsten McIntyre
NEWS 9

The following is a script from a NEWS 9 broadcast

Now to our top story tonight -- after a five-month investigation, the state Labor Department is leveling serious allegations against the Oklahoma Democratic Party and its chairman. Kirsten McIntyre is following this investigation and joins us now live with more.

NEWS 9 report

The investigation began in July after a fatal car accident involving two teenage girls. The probe has resulted in this: a final report, hundreds of pages long. In it, Labor Commissioner Brenda Reneau accuses the party of breaking several laws, both federal and state, an investigation now detailed in this 335-page report.

It begins with the events of July 8th, 2004. Sixteen-year-old Jackalyn Pearson was critically injured when she crashed her car near Glenpool. Her passenger, Dallas Horn, who was also 16, died at the scene. Campaign material pulled from the car shows the girls were canvassing door-to-door for the Brad Carson campaign.

But a violation of federal child labor laws is not Brenda Reneau's only concern. She says her investigators interviewed several young people who had been hired as independent contractors by Democratic Party Chairman Jay Parmley. The problem is Reneau says the minors were actually working as employees. She calls it "an elaborate and disingenuous scheme" by Democrats to avoid paying taxes and workers' compensation insurance premiums. She also says getting the information was extremely difficult.

Steve Hickman hasn't seen the report yet. He says the Democratic Party wasn't given a copy. He denies a scheme to avoid state and federal employment laws.

Hickman admits he was surprised by the lengthy report, saying he was told the investigations by both the Oklahoma and U.S. Labor Departments were closed.

The report has been sent to several state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor and the Oklahoma Tax Commission. Those agencies will determine what action, if any, should be taken against the Democratic party.

Thanks, Kirsten. And regarding young people driving on the job, Reneau says she's working on legislation that would make Oklahoma law the same as federal law. She believes the change would allow her office to better educate employers about what's legal and what's not.

[MizSterious]

Link leads to a video of the report. Wish I could say this is going to go somewhere, but I suspect it won't.

[MizSterious]

Maybe you could ping the Oklahomans to this one?

[2Jedismom]

Oklahoma Ping!

If you want on
or off this list
Freepmail me.

(Please help a Marine! Check out my current thread too!)

[steplock]

Yeah - typical political overkill --- don't punish the GUILTY criminals -- punish the victims -- punish all the kids by banning them from learning the work ethic and making money legally!

It's for the children! cry the liberals? No, it is only for the lawyer/polician/judge scumbags who want to CONTROL you!

The federal law is a farce that deserves to be fought - and the people need to battle any state or local govt that attempts to further control you and your children by this feel-good manipulation against freedom.

The only thing they are doing correct here is they are at least starting with the guilty! If they go beyond that, they are guilty themselves.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!!

[Osage Orange]

What's really sad about this story...( if I remember correctly..) is that the parents were very uncooperative from the get-go...

I assumed a couple different things then...and nothing as come to light..that has changed my mind since. Either the family was and remains grief stricken....( understandable...) OR, they were "helped" into staying mute on the subject.

FWIW-

[WestTexasWend]

Thanks for the ping! I'm sure Hickman was surprised. If OK had a dem as Labor Commissioner there never would've been an investigation, must less a report, and the agency would've been actively recruiting kids to do their work.

[amigatec]

I believe Brad Carson was caught doing this before.

[OKSooner]

I'd like to be back on the Oklahoma ping list. Thanks.