Articles
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Education
Let teachers vote on unions
Helping teachers and students succeed is a goal we all share, a goal that matters most for Oklahoma’s most vulnerable young people. Getting public policy right in the area of education includes respecting teachers and freeing them from the shackles of old, outmoded systems.Jonathan Small | January 29, 2018
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Education
Expand parental choice in education
Oklahoma has two private-school choice programs which are benefiting students. In 2018, policymakers should expand them and enact new ones.Brandon Dutcher | January 29, 2018
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Education
Relax school regulations
In Oklahoma and across the nation, we’ve been trying to improve education by tightening regulations on schools. The irony is that better educational results actually come from giving more freedom and responsibility to schools, principals, and parents—which means relaxing central control.Greg Forster, Ph.D. | January 29, 2018
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Education
School serves children of incarcerated parents
What challenges do children with parents in prison face? Ask Robin Khoury, founder and director of Little Light Christian School in Oklahoma City:Mike Brake | January 29, 2018
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Criminal Justice
Enact criminal-justice reform
Oklahoma incarcerates women at double the rate of Thailand. Our female incarceration rate is not just the highest in the U.S., it’s the highest on the planet.Andrew Speno | January 29, 2018
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Health Care
To help needy Oklahomans, implement Medicaid audits
Annually, billions of dollars are lost—and stolen—from taxpayers and the truly needy through spending on ineligible Medicaid recipients. Some of the dollars are lost through outdated systems and auditing practices by the state, others through blatant fraudulent and criminal behavior.Tom Newell | January 29, 2018
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Law & Principles
Know the facts on SQ 640
Some Oklahoma lawmakers are looking to wage war against SQ 640, claiming it confines government by making any revenue-raising measures impossible to pass. But that’s not true.Jonathan Small | January 29, 2018
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Budget & Tax
Reform the budgeting process
Oklahoma needs greater transparency, an all-funds budget, and a streamlined revenue-estimation process.Byron Schlomach, Ph.D. | January 29, 2018
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Budget & Tax
Building a state
In 2018 much of the focus in the state Capitol building will be on building a budget. But in this issue of Perspective, we urge policymakers to remember the larger imperative: building a state.Jonathan Small & Larry Parman | January 29, 2018
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Budget & Tax
Foolish Hollywood handouts
Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein may face criminal charges from Los Angles to London. If he does, he can pay part of his legal bills with money from Oklahoma taxpayers.Jonathan Small | January 26, 2018