Way back in January, just prior to the state of the 2008 Legislative session, legislators across the state issued press release after press release telling us what they planned to do this year.

It was supposed to be a banner year for conservative ideas and policies.

Locally, state Rep. Randy Terrill informed area voters he planned to run the “son of” House Bill 1804, his tough immigration reform act.

Additionally, other lawmakers said they would work to lower taxes — again — and make sure English became the state’s official language.

Former Speaker of the House Lance Cargill said he would “reform” the state’s education system with a teacher merit pay proposal, and state Senator J. Paul Gumm wanted desperately to remove the sales tax on groceries.

Few of those things happened.

Terrill’s second attempt at immigration “reform” ran aground, as did proposals to cut state taxes and a call for a public vote to make English the “official” language of the state.

Likewise for most of Cargill’s education plan and Gumm’s idea for eliminating the grocery sales tax.

And, ironically, all those ideas hit the dumpster during an election year.

Go figure.

Perhaps those pieces of legislation died because cooler heads prevailed.

Perhaps many saw through the rhetoric and instead listened to reason.

Rep. Terrill’s proposals to “strengthen” an already inquisitorial immigration law met with resistance he didn’t expect. Members of the business community and many conservatives across the state — a good portion of Terrill’s base — came out against his second plan.

In fact, many members of Terrill’s own party lobbied against his immigration idea and Terrill’s bill was criticized in newspapers across Oklahoma — including Cleveland County.

Cargill’s merit pay idea fell hard, as did the Speaker’s legislative career.