Working Across Oklahoma Day Three: Babies and Big Trucks

The third day of our Working Across Oklahoma tour took me to Lawton where I worked as a sonographer in a medical office and as a bus driver for the Lawton Area Transit System.

Before helping with a sonogram, I spoke with the medical staff at the Bhargava and Bhargava clinic. As you can imagine, they had many thoughts about the Obama/Pelosi big-government health care plan. Though the so-called ObamaCare bill has passed, I am hopeful it will be struck down in court and as governor I promise you I will lead the charge in fighting back against job-killing, reckless-spending programs like this.

After that, I went into an exam room to assist with the ultrasound of a young pregnant couple. It was very exciting and touching to be in the room as Chris and Natasha saw their beautiful baby. Seeing the baby on the ultrasound was a great reminder of how precious life is and that it truly is a blessing from God!

After a nice lunch with friends and supporters at the lovely home of Faith Ofori, I went to my second job of the day. The staff was a little nervous when they learned I’d be driving the bus with them on board! But I showed them, as I smoothly piloted our vehicle around town and even made a stop to pick up a passenger!

Finally, I stopped by the radio studio of KLAW to visit with David Crawford and his son Gabe. I was very pleased to learn Gabe has started a student Facebook group supporting our campaign (check it out)!

This day again gave me the opportunity to visit with Oklahomans in real-life, work-day situations. I’ve learned so much in our three days (there are 12 more to go) and have gained me invaluable insight.

Our next governor needs to be someone who understands the concerns of working Oklahomans, who knows what they are going through and who is committed to making this state and its people more prosperous. And that’s why I’m out on the road for the Working Across Oklahoma tour.

By the way, you can view some of the pictures so far from the tour in our online picture gallery.

Tomorrow, I’m headed to Muskogee!

Tulsa World: Fallin gets to work on campaign

Putting on protective goggles, latex gloves and a plastic apron, U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin went to work Tuesday morning at a NORDAM assembly line in north Tulsa.

Saying they expected her to do it just long enough to have a picture taken, plant managers deliberately assigned her one of the most labor-intensive jobs — using hand-held power tools to put the final polish on newly manufactured aircraft windows.


Then the Republican gubernatorial hopeful kept at it for nearly 45 minutes, even starting over on a Boeing 747 window after it failed inspection. All without a photographer in sight.

"I wanted to work," Fallin said. "And this is hard work."

So is running for governor.

With Congress in recess, Fallin embarked this week on a 15-day tour that will take her to 21 counties across the state to experience a variety of "ordinary" jobs.

Click here to read the rest of the story in the Tulsa World.

Manufacturers Say Decreasing Costs of Business Key for next governor

The second day of our “Working Across Oklahoma” tour started off bright and early as we drove to Tulsa. The work definitely would be hands as I was going to work as an aerospace technician at Nordam and as a machinist at Webco in Sand Springs.

The aerospace industry has been important to me for a long time. As lieutenant governor, I organized our state’s first aerospace summit, which has grown into one of the premier industry events across the country. At Nordam, we met with the company executives and then headed to the factory to get to work! My job for the day was helping make windows for Boeing 747s. We used, for lack of a better word, a huge sander along with water and a cleaning agent to achieve a perfectly clear airplane window. I even got to take home one of the windows I worked on.

The technical skill of the fabricators was amazing! It just goes to show that as a state we must ensure we have a skilled and educated workforce so that companies like Nordam have the workers they need to succeed and so that other companies will want to relocate here to hire our citizens. A better educated workforce will get us better jobs, and that’s exactly what we’ll get when I’m governor.

In Sand Springs, I went to work with the machinists. Webco manufactures specialty tubing and other metal products, some of which are used in offshore oil drilling. On the factory floor, we used the heavy-duty machines to straighten some metal piping.

I got a chance to speak with Webco’s vice chairman, Dana Weber, and she told me workers’ compensation costs are very expensive for their company. Obviously, companies like Webco want to take care of their workers should they get injured on the job, but I don’t think they should be taken to the cleaners with excessive costs.

Making Oklahoma a more pro-business environment will be my main focus as governor. And a key component of that will be to ensure we reduce the costs from predatory lawsuits and reform our outdated workers’ compensation system.

Finally, I gave an official campaign kick-off speech at the Tulsa Press Club. Make sure to watch the Tulsa news tonight to see our stories!

The jobs I did today were tough and the people I worked with equally diligent and up to the task. I’ve always said the strength of our state lies within our people and today shows just how true that is. With a governor like me focused on removing the impediments standing in the way of our businesses and the hard work and determination of our people, Oklahoma can move forward to a more prosperous future!

Working Across Oklahoma Tour off to great start

Our “Working Across Oklahoma” tour is off to a tremendous success! Working various jobs around the state will give me hands-on experience in different industries and highlight the focus of our campaign for governor: jobs.

The first day began early in my hometown, Tecumseh. I visited with many old friends who were there years ago in the same meeting room when I announced my campaign for the state House and then again for lieutenant governor.

At the Oklahoma History Center, nearly 200 friends and supporters showed up for a campaign kick-off rally! I was very encouraged and uplifted by their support of my vision for a more prosperous Oklahoma. You can read some of the news stories about the rally in the News section of our Web site or on our Facebook page.

Finally, we wrapped up the day in Stillwater where I taught a government class at Oklahoma State (my alma mater)! I visited with some great kids and I had a wonderful time talking with them about how Congress works.

Higher education is so important to the future of our state, and as governor I will work to make sure our college students get the best education possible. But a great education, like the ones those kids at OSU are getting, won’t be enough if there are no jobs when you graduate.

Our next governor must focus on creating a pro-business environment in our state so new companies will want to relocate to Oklahoma and those companies already here can thrive and expand.

And that’s why I’m traveling across the state and working alongside Oklahomans in their offices, on the assembly lines and out in the fields. I’ll be able to talk with both employers and workers about what the next governor can do to build the strongest economy possible. And that will provide me invaluable experience if I get the honor of serving as Oklahoma’s next governor.

I’m excited about our next tour stop: Tulsa. I’ll be giving another campaign speech, and will be working as an aerospace technician and machinist!

Campaign Kick-off: Fallin's "Working Across Oklahoma" Tour Begins on Monday

It’s been nearly a year since I announced my intention to run for governor of Oklahoma and in that time it’s become more apparent to me we need an experienced, conservative leader to clear the way for greater economic prosperity and to lead the charge in preserving our freedoms.

I am that leader.  For 20 years, I have dedicated myself to the service of our great state and no other candidate has the combination of legislative, executive and private sector experience that I do.

Next week, we’ll be officially kicking off our campaign for governor with a 15-day, 19-county “Working Across Oklahoma” jobs tour.  Our campaign has always focused like a laser on job creation and economic growth, and that's why I'm rolling up my sleeves, joining Oklahomans at their workplaces and actually doing their jobs with them each day while I'm on the road.  I'm looking forward to not only meeting workers and business leaders across the state, but to putting my nose to the grindstone with them on their assembly lines, in their offices and out in the field.

Click here to read the rest of this message.