Articles
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Health Care, Law & Principles
Noneconomic-damages fix must be constitutional, not statutory
Any serious effort to reform a state’s civil justice system must include, as one of its core components, a solution to the problem of excessive claims for noneconomic damages, commonly understood as damages awarded for the pain and suffering experienced by the injured person seeking compensation.Andrew C. Spiropoulos | March 31, 2020
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Higher Education
‘Social justice’ permeates Oklahoma higher education
Social justice education is taking over America’s colleges and universities.David Randall, Ph.D. | March 31, 2020
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Economy, Culture & the Family
COVID-19 not the only threat to Oklahomans’ health, lives
In ordering business closures and restricting citizen movement, government officials have primarily focused on the potential loss of life that could be caused by the COVID-19/coronavirus. Yet experts agree those anti-COVID efforts could also contribute to an increased death count in Oklahoma, highlighting the thin line policymakers are treading.Ray Carter | March 30, 2020
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Economy, Culture & the Family
How far should the government go to enforce an order?
Throwing people out of work, taking away people’s livelihoods, and making people poorer are not the purposes of these orders. And so if an innovative business is able to come up with ways that fully incorporate social distancing into their workplace and customer interactions—why would we shut those businesses down?Jonathan Small | March 30, 2020
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Economy
Some Oklahoma businesses adapt to fight coronavirus, others forced to shut down
Some Oklahoma businesses are innovating to aid with the coronavirus response. But many more are struggling to keep their doors open due to government closure mandates.Kaitlyn Finley | March 29, 2020
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Culture & the Family
OCPA comments on passing of Dr. Tom Coburn
Jonathan Small, president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, issued the following statement today in response to the passing of Dr. Tom Coburn.Staff | March 28, 2020
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Economy, Culture & the Family
For Oklahoma saddle maker, COVID response may be worse than broken neck
Clinton “Doc” Hole is no stranger to adversity. But he said the government-ordered closure of businesses across Oklahoma in response to COVID-19/coronavirus may do what a broken neck and tornadoes couldn’t.Ray Carter | March 27, 2020
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Budget & Tax
Senate leader: State budget was in trouble before virus
When the State Board of Equalization approved the revenue estimates used by lawmakers for budget writing, the state faced a shortfall of $85 million. Things have gotten much worse since that February meeting due to the COVID-19/coronavirus event, but Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat said the budget’s downward spiral preceded even the virus outbreak.Ray Carter | March 26, 2020
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Culture & the Family
States’ COVID-19 responses based on faulty data?
In Oklahoma and nationwide, government officials have often pointed to graphs showing the predicted impact of COVID-19/coronavirus, yet one source for many of those charts—the organization COVID Act Now—is now coming under fire for questionable methodology that critics say makes many dire predictions dubious.Ray Carter | March 26, 2020
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Culture & the Family, Good Government
Overreaching politicians and shared sacrifice
The COVID-19/coronavirus is a global crisis and a very dangerous illness. But that does not justify any and every response to try to stop it. We could have nuked Wuhan in early January—that might have put an end to it right there, but no moral person would do anything like that.Trent England | March 25, 2020