Articles
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Budget & Tax
Inflation means tough decisions ahead
A dollar just doesn’t go as far as it used to.Curtis Shelton | November 1, 2021
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Law & Principles
Cherokee Nation supports federal role in many state crimes
In an amicus curiae brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, the Cherokee Nation has opposed efforts by the State of Oklahoma to have the court reconsider its ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma.Ray Carter | October 29, 2021
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Education
Teacher shortage persists despite massive pay raises
In 2018, Oklahoma lawmakers approved hundreds of millions of dollars in tax increases, which officials said were necessary to significantly increase teacher pay and reduce the state’s teacher shortage. New figures from the Oklahoma State Department of Education show that approach did not achieve the promised results.Ray Carter | October 29, 2021
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Higher Education
How do Oklahoma college degrees stack up on debt-earnings tests?
A common question among Oklahoma parents and policymakers is whether or not higher education is “affordable.” But in a new study, OCPA’s Curtis Shelton and the Cardinal Institute’s Adam Kissel explore what may be a more important question.Brandon Dutcher | October 29, 2021
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Education
COVID learning deficits to last for years, experts warn
Learning loss from the COVID shutdown of public schools will take years to overcome and many students may leave Oklahoma’s K-12 system without ever catching up, experts told lawmakers during a study that examined how federal bailout funds may be used to address the problem.Ray Carter | October 29, 2021
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Health Care
Hospital officials don’t want to pay for Medicaid expansion
Oklahoma hospitals were among the most prominent supporters of State Question 802, which expanded the state’s Medicaid program to include many able-bodied adults starting July 2021.Ray Carter | October 28, 2021
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Law & Principles
Experts say cross-deputization no solution for McGirt
When the U.S. Supreme Court held in McGirt v. Oklahoma that a major reservation was never disestablished in Oklahoma and that state law enforcement could not prosecute crimes involving American Indians on those lands, it created jurisdictional chaos that critics warn has fueled increased crime.Ray Carter | October 27, 2021
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Budget & Tax
Cherokee chief says no Oklahoma income tax for Indians
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr., said the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma significantly increases the number of American Indian citizens who may now be exempt from paying Oklahoma state income tax.Ray Carter | October 27, 2021
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Higher Education
Oklahoma higher ed is hiring (diversity statement required)
The Woke dominance of American higher education continues apace. In the name of diversity, the nation's colleges and universities are actually promoting a lack of diversity—namely, hiring teaching staff on the basis of modern liberal values rather than traditional liberal arts.J.E. McReynolds | October 27, 2021
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Education, Good Government
Oklahoma lawmakers call on OSSBA to act
Fifteen members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives have called on the Oklahoma State School Boards Association to publicly denounce the National School Boards Association’s recent request for federal law enforcement officials to investigate parent protesters under anti-terrorism and hate-crimes laws.Ray Carter | October 26, 2021