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The sales tax is perceived as a “good tax” because it taxes consumption and therefore minimizes tax-induced distortions in the rest of the economy. For example, a do-it-yourself homeowner who goes to Home Depot to buy a hammer to hang a picture is doing so for personal use, i.e., consumption. Yet, that same hammer could have been bought by a local carpenter who will use it to build cabinets that will be installed in new homes. In this case, the hammer is a business investment.

School choice is the best-researched education issue, possibly the best-researched policy issue of any kind. And guess what? Choice is actually the best-proven method—by far—of improving public schools. If you’re serious about helping public schools, you should be serious about school choice.

Every four years, many Americans wind up on the losing side and thus disappointed by the presidential election. No matter how politically correct we get, not everyone can get a trophy on election day. These wins and losses too often color how we see our political institutions. This is certainly true of the often misunderstood Electoral College.

It was a free speech forum, of all places. This month at the University of Missouri, CNN commentator Sally Kohn declared herself “happy” if people she disagrees with feel “under assault” for expressing their beliefs. “If they feel like they can no longer speak … good.”

One portion of an Oklahoma law dealing with financial disclosure requires local school districts to publish credit card statements online. And though some districts have expressed a willingness to comply with the law, other districts refuse to post the information on their websites.

Stillwater, Okla. — There is much to like about small, local farms and their influence on what we eat. But if we are to sustainably deal with problems presented by population growth and climate change, we need to look to the farmers who grow a majority of the country’s food and fiber.

Should we add more able-bodied adults to the welfare rolls? Oklahoma lawmakers have wisely rejected the Obamacare Medicaid expansion. Unfortunately, this push to expand medical welfare will return in 2017. Thousands of kids and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are already stacked up in a very long line waiting for Medicaid services. Medicaid expansion would push them to the back of the line while creating a new entitlement for up to 628,000 able-bodied adults.

The White House Council of Economic Advisors recently released a report claiming the Dodd-Frank financial services law of 2010 is not harming community banks. Not so, say the bankers, the General Accountability Office, and the clear numbers.

A product of the populist era, the Oklahoma Constitution establishes processes for direct democracy. On the November 2016 general election ballot, Oklahoma voters will decide whether to adopt four constitutional amendments and three changes to state statutes. Some of these measures are as simple as restating current law. Others would make complex regulatory changes or change legal standards in future lawsuits. The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs does not support or oppose ballot measures. To help voters, we are providing accurate descriptions and analysis of what these ballot measures say and will do if adopted by voters.

University of Oklahoma president David Boren is leading the charge for a 22 percent increase in the state sales tax rate. But of course such a tax hike would have many harmful effects.