By Patricia Watkins
Wednesday, October 14, U.S. Congressman Tom Cole stopped in Walters to visit the Cotton County Republican Party. Mr. Cole was welcomed by the County Chairman Karen Price and Vice-Chairman Patricia Watkins along with several county voters.
The Congressman gave updates on what is going on in Washington and explained the Big Beautiful Bill that was passed in July. Inside the bill was the no taxes on tips, no taxes on overtime, and not taxes on social security, which helps all Americans. “This puts more money in the pockets of Oklahomans which eventually makes its way back into the economy”, stated Mr. Cole.
Also in the Big Beautiful bill was 200 billion dollars for rural hospitals and clinics which will help a lot of Oklahomans in the rural areas. There was also 95 billion dollars to be allocated towards four things that were important to him which were: 1. Money for our troops-whether you agree with the war in Iran or not, our military needs to have the best equipment so they can complete their missions. 2. We need all of our national intelligence upgraded so we can continue to keep Americans safe from foreign or domestic criminals. 3. Voter security-we need to make sure all of our elections in this country are secure. 4 Money for farmers-We need to insure American farmers have access to the things they need so they can continue to feed us.
He was also proud to say that in Oklahoma, there have been no job cuts at Tinker Air Force Base, Altus Air Force Base or Fort Sill. There have also been no cuts to the National Weather Service in Norman, which all of this benefits Oklahomans. Drug trafficking is down, the crime rate is lower than it has been in 25 years, and almost half of the illegal aliens that have been in our country have either self-deported or have been captured and set back to their country. America is getting better and stronger.
The Congressman also wanted residents to know how fortunate they are to have an active Republican Party in such a rural county. An active party which also has a headquarters is almost unheard of. At these headquarters, Cotton County voters can go in and get information on candidates and voter information. “The people here are willing to answer any questions on an election and I know for a fact, that candidates like myself and others depend on the county party to help us get elected”, Cole stated. Whether it is a county, state or federal election, they are our boots on the ground, and we appreciate all of the hard work and dedication they put in on elections. I hope the people of Cotton County will continue to support their GOP.
Mr. Cole had one last thing to say, “As a voter, you cannot think that just because Oklahoma is already a red state, that you don’t have to vote in this midterm election. That is not the case. Bigger counties such as Oklahoma County, Cleveland County, and Tulsa County will probably go blue because there are more liberals in those urban counties. So, it is up to the rural counties such as Cotton County, to get out and vote this November 3rd so Oklahoma stays a conservative state. We are at a crossroads, we can go one way or the other, and we need to make sure we are voting for the right path.”
