Articles
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Education
Chicken Little rhetoric from education special interests was wrong (again)
It never made sense to pay schools for educating “ghost students” who weren’t there. Oklahoma state lawmakers were right to ignore the lobbyists and do what’s best for taxpayers.Jonathan Small | July 29, 2024
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Health Care
Health agency collects Oklahomans’ data, balks at transparency
The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) has acknowledged that it collects Oklahomans’ personal medical information. But when an open-records request asked if the OSDH sells that data to third parties, the agency’s tune changed.Ray Carter | July 25, 2024
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Criminal Justice
Cherokee Nation entity linked to child trafficking
Unaccompanied minors who illegally enter the United States are being released to child traffickers by the U.S. government—and a business arm of the Cherokee Nation is facilitating this “taxpayer-funded child slavery,” according to whistleblower testimony provided to members of the U.S. Senate.Ray Carter | July 24, 2024
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Law & Principles
Despite its precedent, Oklahoma Supreme Court allows minimum-wage initiative to proceed
Once again, it seems that the Oklahoma Supreme Court ignored its own precedent in order to reach a policy conclusion it preferred—without giving the public a good explanation of why. Are you seeing a pattern yet?Ryan Haynie | July 24, 2024
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Economy
People moving to Oklahoma bring $1 billion with them
Since 2019, people moving to Oklahoma have increased Oklahoma’s net adjusted gross income by more than $1 billion, based on Internal Revenue Service data.Ray Carter & Curtis Shelton | July 23, 2024
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Law & Principles
Lankford leads effort opposing federal marijuana change
U.S. Sen. James Lankford is leading Senate opposition to a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) proposed rule to move marijuana from the list of federal Schedule I drugs to the less-restrictive Schedule III.Ray Carter | July 22, 2024
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Culture & the Family
‘Conservative’ group attacks OCPA, conservative lawmakers
It appears that a group called OK Conservative Renewal, LLC—which targeted conservative Republicans in Oklahoma’s June primary elections election cycle—has also targeted the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA).Ray Carter | July 22, 2024
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Good Government
Convention delegates to pick the candidate
On Sunday, the delegates to the Democratic National Convention went from obscurity to some of the most powerful people in the country. Political scientist Dr. Rick Farmer, dean of OCPA’s J. Rufus Fears Fellowship program, reviews the process for selecting Oklahoma’s delegates.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | July 22, 2024
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Judicial Reform
Oklahoma Supreme Court errs on religious school decision
For too long, activist judges have falsely claimed a ban on state favoritism of religion requires active state opposition to religious entities. Sadly, it appears a majority of Oklahoma Supreme Court justices have adopted that stance.Jonathan Small | July 22, 2024
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Judicial Reform
Tort-reform case shows how Oklahoma Supreme Court acts like a super-legislature
Setting policy is not the job of the judicial branch. And yet the Oklahoma Supreme Court continues to inject itself into the policymaking process.Ryan Haynie | July 19, 2024