Articles
-
Budget & Tax
Making the best of a bad situation
Policymakers face an important decision in the last few weeks of the legislative session.Jonathan Small | May 12, 2014
-
Agriculture
Guiding principles for free-market agriculture policy
Earlier this year, the U.S. Congress passed a farm bill projected to cost almost a trillion dollars over the next 10 years. Most of the spending goes toward food and nutrition programs (like food stamps), but more than 15 percent of the total, or $14.6 billion per year, is allocated for farm commodity and crop insurance programs that subsidize farmers’ premiums, deductibles, or both.Jayson Lusk | May 9, 2014
-
Culture & the Family
Families, Not Government, Can Reduce Generational Poverty
I have previously written in these pages (“Black Leaders Say Personal Responsibility Key to Economic Opportunity,” July 2013) about the mayor of a great city, a prize-winning economist, and an award-winning actor who all speak about the need for stable families.Wendy Warcholik, Ph.D. | May 7, 2014
-
Budget & Tax
Considering both income and property taxes in ‘Oklahoma vs. Texas’ comparisons
In discussions about whether to reduce and eventually eliminate Oklahoma’s penalty on work — our state’s personal income tax — it’s often mentioned that Texas, our neighbor to the south, is an income-tax-free state.Jonathan Small | May 7, 2014
-
Good Government
Krauthammer Tells OCPA Audience American Hyper-Liberalism Cannot Go On and, Therefore, Will Not Go On
Speaking April 2 at the OCPA Citizenship Dinner, Krauthammer said Americans have historically favored freedom over the false promises of an overextended welfare state—and he’s confident they will again.Tina Korbe Dzurisin | May 7, 2014
-
Education
School Choice Saves Money for State, School District Budgets
The design of the Education Savings Account program ensures that state taxpayers will save substantial funding as some students access Education Savings Accounts.Benjamin Scafidi | May 7, 2014
-
Health Care
Medicaid Reforms Even Obama (or Republicans) Can Love
It may be hard to believe, but it was only four years ago that health care costs became the top cost driver in the Oklahoma state budget, surpassing the traditional “winner,” K-12 public education.Patrick B. McGuigan | May 7, 2014
-
Education
Oklahomans want educational choices
An honest reading of the public-opinion survey data over the past couple of years shows that Oklahomans favor educational choice.Brandon Dutcher | April 28, 2014
-
Budget & Tax
YOU GUEST IT: Lt. Gov. Lamb: Conservative policies work, tax hikes unwise
Over the past four years I’ve focused on Oklahoma’s economy by traveling each year to all 77 counties to visit with small businesses. I routinely ask business owners, “What are our greatest impediments to growth?” We’ve made significant strides, including but not limited to reform of our workers’ compensation system.Todd Lamb | April 22, 2014
-
Education
Can Oklahoma afford to fail 10,529 high-school students every year?
Schools, like students, need to learn to see a tough task through until it’s complete. And if they tell us they’re having too much trouble learning, reforms like school choice could help them get up to speed.Greg Forster, Ph.D. | April 10, 2014