Oklahoma tornado, one year later: 'Something good's gotta come out of this'

[Kirby Taylor]

This relates to our study for this class becuase it shows the benefits of having a state government outside the national government. Danni Legg has an opportunity to really have her voice heard in a big way thanks to the freedoms we enjoy in this country.

A year ago today a huge tornado hit Moore, Oklahoma. Several lives were taken from this horrific storm. One in particular is the focus of this article. Christopher Legg a 9-year-old boy was in school like any other day when the tornado hit his elementary school campus. He heroically shielding another student and saved her life, forfeitting his own. Since the incident Legg's mother Danni Legg has set out to find the silver lining from the whole situation. Ever since the incident she has been relentlessly pursuing greater safety for schools in Oklahoma from storms. She has been pushing the government to fund storm shelters in all the schools in state. She has hit many obstacles and still has yet to see this come to pass. In an effort to see change she has decided to no longer rely on the representatives to plead her case but to run for office herself. She hopes to help build these shelters and push for other measures of safety to be taken in these schools. 

I chose this article because it pulled me in with the heroic story of the boy saving his classmates life and then I continued reading once I saw the great example of a state government being utilized. It also shows that anyone in America can petition for an issue and see it to fruition if they have enough passion and willpower to see it through.

I would address this problem by pulling out more tax dollars to build the shelters in Oklahoma. I think that the public has enough passion for the issue to not mind building the shelters out of their own pockets. I think that we see the negative effects of the state government because they are taking forever to make any change happen because they are arguing about where to get the money and in turn not making anything happen.

[Moustapha Floyd]

I applaud Danni Legg's passion for this noble cause, but it is not surprising that the state government is dragging their feet because the government look at the whole picture rather than just one side. If they support her cause, just imagine how many other causes will start popping up and demanding investment. Danni Legg running for office is one alternative, however i fear her obligation to that office will most likely prioritize the building of shelters...especially if she plans to use tax dollars given how high the national debt is. In my opinion her best bet is start a fundraiser organization which sorely dedicated to building the shelters, and when she is elected into office she could use her connection to attract other representatives, because if there's one thing representatives love more, than the office and power, is people thinking their are doing their job (or doing something) and not just talking about doing their job.

[Justin Blair]

At some point emotion will run its course. I applaud her efforts to use the correct channels to try and implement change. I hope that once she is in office she will understand that nothing in our bureaucracy happens tomorrow. I know the events have changed the town of Moore and I hope that by updating the current structures and implementing new codes for future buildings will help give these people peace of mind. Unfortunately nature has a mind of its own and any given day anything can happen regardless of the safeguards in place. Hopefully all the effort and money going to fund this project can be like the car insurance you NEVER have to use.