“I have heard of multiple people that plan to put forth some kind of measure,” Sen. Jason Smalley, R-Stroud, told the Tulsa World’s Barbara Hoberock recently. The plan is to put it on the ballot next November, he said.

We hope so.

In 1992, voters approved SQ 640, a state constitutional amendment requiring a three-quarters majority approval in both chambers of the Oklahoma Legislature for any tax increases that aren’t approved by a vote of the people.

The measure was part of a taxpayer rebellion after the 1990 passage of House Bill 1017, the largest tax increase in state history and the most aggressive attempt to fund public schools adequately.

Twenty-five years later, we can say without doubt that SQ 640 was as effective as it was unwise.

The Oklahoma Legislature, once an example of representative government, has become an example of the tyranny of the extremes. No matter what the majority of the people or their elected representative want, a small number of hard-headed ideologues dedicated to no new taxes under any circumstances can hold our state hostage and push the state down a continuing spiral of failure.

During the recent special legislative session, lawmakers found themselves paralyzed by the super-majority requirement, despite the desperate condition of the state budget.

Lawmakers ultimately were unable to accomplish anything toward Gov. Mary Fallin’s agenda of sustainable, permanent revenue and a state-funded teacher pay raise and resorted to further budget cuts and revenue tricks, which Fallin wisely vetoed.

When lawmakers return to the second special session they’ll face the same problems.

The issue isn’t as simple as just passing proposed tax increases along to voters because legislators are constitutionally mandated to pass balanced budgets based on known revenue. They can’t fund the state budget on the assumption that voters will approved tax increases.

Some have suggested reducing the tax-raising majority to 60 percent, which might be a good level, but we’d suggest this also: Whatever super-majority is needed to raise taxes should also be required to reduce them.

It’s time to reconsider SQ 640. We think the state has grown up enough since 1992 to recognize that we can’t allow a zealous minority to dictate our state’s future.