Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt spoke in Piedmont on Oct. 13 at a legislative breakfast. (Photo by Ben Felder)
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt paid a visit to Piedmont on Thursday morning and spoke to a group of citizens and civic leaders about his office’s fight against a growing regulatory environment in Washington D.C. that he said is hurting rural America.
Pruitt was a guest speaker at a legislative breakfast sponsored by the Piedmont Chamber of Commerce and Piedmont Public School District’s board of education. The quarterly event gives residents a chance to hear from state and federal government officials and was held at the Piedmont Municipal Building.
Pruitt, who was elected attorney general last year, said his office has filed two lawsuits against the federal government’s Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. However, Pruitt said he does not refer to the controversial health care legislation as Obamacare because the issue is not about politics for him.
“(Healthcare) is a substantial problem with how we administer it in this country but that’s not what the lawsuit is about,” Pruitt told the Piedmont audience. “I recognize that there is a need to have a more efficient way of administering healthcare but this is about one issue; the Constitution.
“If the U.S. government has the power to require you to pull money out of your pocket and require to you to buy something they want you to buy then where are the boundaries?,” Pruitt said. “If the U.S. government has the power to make you buy healthcare they have the power to make you buy a GM car. That’s what the lawsuit is about, that’s why we are battling on your behalf.”
Pruitt referred to the legislation’s mandate to purchase health insurance and said Oklahoma’s lawsuit was filed in an effort to prevent residents from being forced to purchase a product.
Pruitt also spoke about the Environmental Protection Agency and what he called a “regulatory environment” that is strangling local businesses.
“The EPA and other agencies are acting in a super legislative way and we are responding to it,” he said. “You need to be concerned about an attitude that emanates from Washington that says we know best.”
Several state and federal government officials were also in attendance, including Rep. Mike Inns who praised Pruitt’s efforts against the EPA.
“EPA has been high on (the state Legislature’s) list as far as the agriculture community is concerned,” Enns said. “I encourage you to keep fighting.”
Pruitt also spoke briefly about his concern over the federal government’s involvement in the banking industry, especially related to community banks. Pruitt said at one time there were as many as 12,000 community banks across the country but today that number was closer to 7,500. Piedmont is home to a community bank in F&M Bank.
“Sixty-eight percent of all money in this country is deposited into seven banks,” Pruitt said. “The regulatory environment is strangling the life out of community banks and I will tell you it’s intentional because the (federal government) can better manage an economy when you have all your money in just seven banks.”
The next legislative breakfast is scheduled for Jan. 12. The chamber is also holding its next luncheon on Nov. 3 and will feature Jeff Mills, executive director of the Oklahoma State School Board Association, who will discuss what it takes to run for elected office.