Articles
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Law & Principles
Chamber: Obama and Biden more 'pro-business' than DeMint
As Stephen Moore has pointed out before ('Liberalism's echo chambers'), "pro-business" is not synonymous with "pro-free-enterprise."Brandon Dutcher | April 7, 2009
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Budget & Tax
Enhanced Financial Reporting for State Government
At the state level, Oklahoma faces a major problem with the unfunded liabilities of its retirement systems. Meanwhile, it struggles with the same problems as other states to provide for the education, health care, transportation, and other needs of its citizens.Tom Daxon | April 3, 2009
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Good Government
Where's the Fief?
As we pointed out in these pages in December ("Overcrowding on the Government Gravy Train"), data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) indicate that Oklahoma's state and local government workforce is too big and is overpaid.J. Scott Moody & Wendy Warcholik, Ph.D. | April 1, 2009
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Budget & Tax
Stealth Taxation 'Nonappropriated' Agencies Quietly Take Your Money
In its first hundred years Oklahoma's state government has managed to develop bureaucracies that would make it the envy of many socialist countries.Steve Anderson | April 1, 2009
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Budget & Tax
A Billion Dollars of Unnoticed Taxation
Over the past two years, I have been taking note of state government's hidden spending.Jason Murphey | April 1, 2009
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Budget & Tax
In Defense of Oklahoma's Tax-Hike Supermajority Requirement
State legislation is often described as an expression of majority rule. However, the legislative process contains steps that seem designed to hinder spontaneous expressions of majority sentiment.Joseph D. Henchman | April 1, 2009
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Higher Education
OU: Pay no attention to that article on our website
Public opinion surveys in this state consistently show that somewhere in the vicinity of 18 percent of Oklahomans described themselves as somewhat or strongly liberal, while 67 percent called themselves somewhat or strongly conservative.Brandon Dutcher | March 17, 2009
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Budget & Tax
Feds can't bail us out forever
No one know for sure just how much the federal government can continue to borrow before investors get indigestion from buying too many Treasuries. Unfortunately, this data suggests that we may just find out.J. Scott Moody | March 11, 2009
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Good Government
It's Our Liberty, Stupid
A few years back, Justice Antonin Scalia said of a bad U.S. Supreme Court majority opinion: "Most bad precedents come as a wolf dressed in sheep's clothing. This one comes as a wolf."Patrick B. McGuigan | March 3, 2009
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Budget & Tax
Oklahoma's Dwindling Private-Sector Economy
Personal income is an important economic measure of a state's well-being. Higher levels of personal income mean that a state's residents are able to purchase more goods and services such as homes, cars, education, and health care.J. Scott Moody & Wendy Warcholik, Ph.D. | March 3, 2009