Articles
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Education
49th Is Not OK? Then Try This
49th in per-pupil spending may or may not be OK. But widespread school-produced illiteracy is most certainly not OK.Jonathan Small | January 13, 2015
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Good Government
5 traits to benefit all Oklahomans
Of course, politics can also be dishonest, dirty, and, to say the least, discouraging. State history (some very recent) is littered with examples. Will this year be any different? It can be. Here are five key leadership traits that, if embraced by state leaders, would benefit all Oklahomans.Trent England | January 12, 2015
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Law & Principles
State actions show it's time to repeal federal minimum wage
States are competent to enact their own wage policies. Indeed most states already set their own minimum wages above the federal level. Congress should repeal the federal wage floor and leave states entirely free to enact, and to learn from, different policy choices.Trent England | January 2, 2015
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Good Government
Why Utah’s federal lands fight matters in Oklahoma
Government, at any level, is a kind of monopoly and therefore prone to inefficiency. Yet the federal government, so massive and so distant, is especially unlikely to manage western lands well.Trent England | December 31, 2014
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Good Government
States can manage public lands
A division cuts across the continental United States. In the 11 western states, the federal government owns nearly half the land (47.3%). In the 37 states to their east, just 4% of the land is federal. In five states, including New York, the federal government owns less than 1% of the land.Trent England | December 30, 2014
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Good Government
The neo-colonialism of federal planners and urban elites
Most federal lands were originally open to use by local people and industries. Yet in classic colonial fashion, distant politicians and bureaucrats now routinely dictate restrictive policies that degrade or destroy local communities.Trent England | December 29, 2014
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Culture & the Family
Stay-at-home moms worthless: New York Times
According to Irwin and the Times, parents who work and get a paycheck are good and parents who work and do not collect a paycheck are worth, well, nothing. Actually, given that the Times would have government pay these parents not to stay at home, perhaps the real thesis is that they are worth less than nothing, causing some sort of undefined social harm.Trent England | December 24, 2014
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Good Government
The romance and reality of federal lands
Like Washington, many patriots saw America’s future in the West. One of the causes of the American Revolution was Britain’s insistence on stifling westward expansion.Trent England | December 23, 2014
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Good Government
It’s time for these states to grow up
“Failure To Launch”—it’s a title sometimes given to adults who haven’t quite grown up and are happy to keep living with mom and dad. A dozen U.S. states might also be labeled failures-to-launch.Trent England | December 19, 2014
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Agriculture
Who Should Decide What’s for Lunch?
“Mystery mush entrees, mystery mush desserts, and a solitary roll next to a mound of canned corn — teens are tweeting photos of these unappetizing school lunches under the hashtag #thanksmichelleobama,” USA Today reported last month.Jayson Lusk | December 17, 2014