Teens not handling phones properly

EDITOR:

In reference to the article in the March 16 issue concerning Paycom’s enhancement of $1.25 million being provided by the Edmond School Foundation for mental health of kids, why do we see this as cause for celebration? Seems to me this mainly attempts to put on band-aids instead of addressing the root cause of most youngsters' mental health issues today – unrestricted access to cell phones, social media and the Internet, and the resulting lack of social interaction. Parents have become enablers, unwittingly contributing to this crisis, and are in the best position to stop it, not our school system. Would any parent give their child a box of rat poison just because their friends eat it and TikTokers say it is OK; and then feel like a great parent because they limit consumption to one pellet a day? That would be insane and grounds for child abuse. Providing an immature youngster a cell phone is basically the same thing – a source of poison for the developing mind at its most vulnerable, even in small doses. So why be surprised when they get sick, think suicidal thoughts or even die from the experience!

To me, the best use of PayCom’s $50,000 donation is to buy each family a hammer they can use to smash the cell phone of their kids under age 16. Then, put your own phone in the drawer each evening and all weekend, and help them use their rediscovered “kid time” to read or do homework,

Letter to the Editor enjoy the outdoors, play games, go to concerts and museums, interact in person with friends, help a neighbor, or treat them to memorable experiences that may actually restore their happiness, and will certainly make them smarter and better-adjusted human beings. Parents must regain control over their kids and what they are exposed to, instead of ceding such control to social media abusers, school counselors or therapists!

When a kid turns 16, if they have abided by your rules and are mature enough to withstand peer pressure and the propaganda and disinformation spouted on social media, perhaps they will have earned the privilege of having a phone. If not, try again at age 18. When they reach maturity, having a phone is their own business and should be at their own expense.

The mental health problems of our young people deserve far more than costly but simplistic band-aids (cuddly animals and safe spaces) offered by school administrators and big nanny government. Real solutions lie mostly in the hands of loving, caring, hammer-wielding parents willing to make hard decisions, set and enforce the rules and devote the time and resources necessary to raise their kids as happy, healthy, educated, well-adjusted and productive members of society.

Senator James Lankford (R-OK) last week introduced the bipartisan Security and Oversight of International Landholdings (SOIL) Act, along with Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Michael Bennet (D-CO), in order to provide oversight and transparency of purchases of US agricultural land that threaten national security. On the heels of a successful rejection of allowing more marijuana growth in the state, Lankford continues to respond to concerns from Oklahomans about the multiple recent purchases of Oklahoma agricultural land by foreign entities.

“Our state overwhelming rejected ‘legalizing’ recreational marijuana earlier this month because we have seen firsthand how foreign criminal organizations exploit vulnerabilities in our law to destroy our families and communities for their profit,” said Lankford. “Every region of Oklahoma is concerned about foreign nationals buying up farmland. Our loose oversight has allowed transnational criminal organizations to partner with Chinese nationals to buy land and businesses throughout Oklahoma.

Oklahoma has over 7,000 licensed marijuana grows. The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN) believes that 2,000 of those farms have a Chinese connection. T he marijuana market in Oklahoma has ushered in other serious crimes like human trafficking, forced labor, and money laundering.

“While there’s no question America has some of the best farmland in the world, it’s doubtful China is buying it up to plant more wheat and potatoes,” said Risch. “The SOIL Act will introduce stricter measures and oversight to prevent bad actors, like China and Russia, from purchasing our agricultural land—particularly land near US military installations.”

“Food security is national security, and it’s alarming how the Chinese Communist Party has been buying up American farmland as fast as they can,” said Tillis. “This commonsense legislation increases transparency and oversight on these purchases so we can protect both North Carolina farmers and the world’s most abundant food supply from our adversaries.”

“For too long, Washington has allowed foreign adversaries like China and Russia to buy up American farmland and its precious water resources while our family farmers and our economies became collateral damage. For the sake of American growers, farmers, and ranchers, we need to modernize and strengthen our tools to evaluate the risk of these foreign purchases on our supply chains and our national security,” said Bennet.

Background

The SOIL Act deters criminal investment in US agriculture by:

1 Requiring Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) review of agriculture real estate purchases by certain foreign entities

2 Banning federal assistance for certain foreign-held real estate holdings

3 Broadening disclosure requirements for land purchases made by foreign entities

Oklahoma State House censures Rep. Dean Davis of Broken Arrow

The Oklahoma House of Representatives last week censured Rep. Dean Davis, R-Broken Arrow, for conduct unbecoming a member. Davis was arrested in March in Oklahoma City for public intoxication.

Speaker of the House Charles McCall, R-Atoka, issued the following statement:

"As a body, the House of Representatives and its members must hold ourselves to a high standard, and Rep. Davis' conduct did not live up to that standard. The deci- sion to censure a member of the House is not one that is made easily or carelessly, but is made when it is necessary to maintain the integrity of the House of Representatives and the trust of the great people of the state of Oklahoma in their government. The House of Representatives has nothing but the utmost respect for the members of our law enforcement community, and we expect the members of our body to exemplify that in their dealings with law enforcement."

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