Articles
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Higher Education
In higher education, tuition often does more than replace lost appropriations
No one disputes that the sticker price of college—what schools charge, not necessarily what students end up paying—has for decades been rising at a very fast clip. What analysts disagree about is why.Neal McCluskey | May 18, 2017
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Budget & Tax, Education
Will the IRS give us educational freedom?
As more people in Washington, D.C. have come to see that there are good reasons not to enact a national school voucher program, attention is turning to another proposal for federal school choice.Greg Forster, Ph.D. | May 15, 2017
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Education
Oklahoma politicians shouldn’t penalize parents
Parents, not government officials, have the moral right to raise their children according to their consciences. That, in a nutshell, is why school choice is so important.Brandon Dutcher | May 15, 2017
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Budget & Tax
Three cheers for 'cost avoidance'
Most Oklahomans know there are really only two ways to deal with the state’s budget shortfall. We can either trim expenses—especially those that can be reduced by some real reforms—or raise taxes.Jonathan Small | May 15, 2017
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Agriculture
What EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt will mean for farmers
The appointment of former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was met with predictable cheers from energy entrepreneurs and jeers from some environmental advocacy groups.Jayson Lusk | May 15, 2017
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Budget & Tax
The bogus budget: Career Tech
Oklahoma spends over half a billion dollars every year through the State Department of Career and Technology Education, or Career Tech.Trent England | May 15, 2017
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Budget & Tax, Education
Stroud Public Schools not waiting for legislature to raise teacher pay
Teacher pay raises have been a hotly debated issue for several years at the Oklahoma state Capitol, with multiple legislators proposing various methods for funding the increase.Jay Chilton | May 15, 2017
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Budget & Tax
Updated statement from OCPA Chairman and OCPA President on attempts to cap personal itemized deductions
This week, House and Senate committees at the Oklahoma Legislature have passed multiple bills, including House Bill 2347 and House Bill 2403, that cap personal itemized deductions effective January 1, 2017. OCPA Chairman Larry Parman and OCPA President Jonathan Small issued the following, updated statement regarding efforts to have one of these bills approved by the entire Legislature and sent to the Governor for approval.Jonathan Small & Larry Parman | May 12, 2017
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Budget & Tax
Updated statement from Dr. Tom Coburn, former U.S. Senator, on efforts to increase personal income taxes in Oklahoma
This week, House and Senate committees at the Oklahoma Legislature have passed multiple bills, including House Bill 2347 and House Bill 2403, which cap personal itemized deductions effective January 1, 2017. Dr. Tom Coburn has issued the following, updated statement regarding efforts to have one of these bills approved by the entire Legislature and sent to the Governor for approval.Tom Coburn | May 12, 2017
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Budget & Tax
How to read a state budget bill
As the legislature nears the end of session and the passage of a new budget, it is a good time to think about what that bill will look like and how to understand it.Curtis Shelton | May 12, 2017