Articles

Since 2015, annual taxes and other revenue taken from Oklahomans has increased by $1.1 billion – Oklahomans’ personal income taxes are up at least $185 million annually just since 2016.

Since the first public revelations last fall that the Oklahoma State Department of Health had suddenly and surprisingly run out of money, some people inside and outside of the agency have claimed the reason was budget cuts. The true story is slightly different.

In 2015, House Bill 1748, authored by state Sen. Greg Treat (R-Oklahoma City) and state Rep. Tom Newell (R-Seminole), required Oklahoma state agencies to publicly report not only the amount of federal funding they receive but also the strings attached to that money. The measure passed overwhelmingly in both chambers but was vetoed by Gov. Mary Fallin.

This is Sunshine Week, an annual reminder that “consent of the governed” means informed consent. Why is government transparency important? Let’s start at the beginning.

Many often use the level of state revenues at the beginning of this current decade as the reference point to show just how much Oklahoma’s revenues have declined. It may seem odd to remember a time when many in the state of Oklahoma were struggling through the worst recession since 1929 as an enviable time, but it is true the state government revenues were reaching records highs.

More exercise, fewer fibs, a better diet, and abandoning what doesn’t work – individual Oklahomans have New Year’s resolutions, so why not state government? Here are four suggestions.

From its origins to our celebrations, Christmas is about relationships and communities. In the United States today, and here in Oklahoma, we face questions about both.

The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust is guilty of frivolous spending. TSET promotes smoke-free bars and nightclubs and buys billboard space for "water recipes."

Current state law provides “a cash rebate of 35-37% on qualifying Oklahoma expenditures to film and television productions filming in the state,” plus a sales tax exemption.

While Americans have different views about what’s to be done with those who have come to our country illegally, most are open to some form of leniency for those brought here as children.