Articles
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Budget & Tax
The Bogus Budget: Revolving funds and spinning politicians
Maybe they’re called “revolving funds” because they help politicians to spin?Trent England | May 10, 2017
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Budget & Tax, Education
The Bogus Budget: Money for schools
Can a government agency be so important that it must not be questioned or held to account? Of course, that would be absurd. It would guarantee waste, or worse.Trent England | May 9, 2017
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Budget & Tax
The Bogus Budget: DEM & OETA
The artificial focus on just the appropriated funds spent by state agencies is what allows politicians to act as if government has been cut.Trent England | May 3, 2017
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Budget & Tax, Higher Education
The Bogus Budget: This one cut could solve the shortfall
Total spending has increased so much in higher education that the legislature could zero out its appropriation altogether—saving more than $800 million, closing nearly all of the shortfall—and it would simply return this part of state government to slightly more than its 2013 spending level.Trent England | May 2, 2017
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Budget & Tax
Why government should pay sales tax
Should sales taxes be paid by everyone? Most people probably think so.Trent England | May 2, 2017
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Budget & Tax
The Bogus Budget: Space Cadets Edition
Yes, the appropriated amount of funds going to many state agencies has declined over the last year or two. Yet many of these same agencies are nevertheless spending more money than ever before.Trent England | May 1, 2017
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Budget & Tax, Law & Principles
Was it legal to drain Oklahoma’s rainy day fund?
Gov. Mary Fallin’s administration has drained Oklahoma’s Constitutional Reserve Fund, often called the Rainy Day Fund.Trent England | April 3, 2017
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Law & Principles
Senate bill could put Christians, conservatives at risk
Oklahoma legislators should not set a precedent that helps liberal mobs target Christians and conservatives, even if those most in danger today are in other, more liberal states.Trent England | March 31, 2017
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Higher Education
Higher education is a mission–not an excuse
The mission of public education is to create an educated public, a people capable of self-government. Really, this means two different kinds of education.Trent England | March 1, 2017
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Criminal Justice
Oklahoma’s prison crisis: Working towards a solution
Last month in these pages, we explored the enormous cost of Oklahoma’s state prison system and the extraordinary growth in new prisoners that will require adding more prisons in the next two years.Jonathan Small & Trent England | March 1, 2017