I returned from a two-week trip to Beijing, China, my ninth visit to that country since 1985. During that time they have made much progress. That “progress” has included exponential surveillance of visitors, from fingerprints, a retinal scan and photos to travel tracking by scanning passports at each hotel, currency exchange and innumerable cameras everywhere. What does this have to do with Oklahoma? On a recent visit to Bricktown to arrange an event at a local restaurant, I was surprised to find the new public parking meters require one to enter their license plate number to park. It seems we are on that slippery slope to continuous monitoring. It's none of Oklahoma City's business if I am there or not. Unlike China I can voice my displeasure. Next time in Bricktown I will first seek nontracking parking; if none is available, I will find another venue to spend my money.

After hearing and reading about all the financial issues and corruption with the Health Department, it would be wise to call for a top-to-bottom audit of the Department of Education. We must get a handle on this black hole, where we just dump more and more tax dollars into that gaping maw called education. Without knowing where our fraud, misspending and abuse is taking place, we can't possibly know how and where to begin reforming this cur of an education system that we have. I think we would be overwhelmed by the incompetence and outright corruption we would find.

Stephen R. Lynch, Oklahoma City

Marijuana legalization is coming

Opponents of State Question 788 have conjured a cornucopia of spurious objections to passage. The government might do so because a misdemeanor marijuana prosecution typically results in $960 “cost of prosecution” fees to the district attorney. The pharmaceutical industry might do so because medical marijuana will dramatically decrease reliance on opioids, and other drugs (Xanax/Valium) that generate billions in revenue. Law enforcement opposes medical marijuana because forfeiture laws allow them to seize multiple millions (cash, cars, etc.) by profiling out-of-state tags and stopping people on pre-textual traffic violations. If a marijuana seed is found, those agencies seize and sell anything found in “close proximity” thereto. The reason for any objection is simple: money!