In June, all seven members of Oklahoma's congressional delegation voted to cut federal funding for public media, even though the state's educational television network, OETA, is popular with the people.

A survey in The Oklahoman indicated strong support — 87% to 13% — for retaining federal appropriations for public broadcasting, but that apparently made no difference.

Gone are the days, it seems, when members of Congress went to Washington, DC, to fight for what would be good for the voters back home. Now their loyalty is to their political party, and both Democrats and Republicans, almost without exception, toe the party line regardless of the consequences.

That's why we're in the fix we're in today. Congress is deadlocked over the budget, the government is mostly shut down, except f

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