Articles
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Health Care
Government Fraud: Bigger Than Madoff
Every year, criminals and cheats pilfer more than $100 billion-that's $40 billion more than Bernie Madoff scammed off his investors-in federal benefits to which they are not legally entitled. Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, refundable tax credits, and many other programs are targets for looting.Chris Edwards & Tad DeHaven | August 3, 2009
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Education
Schools in the Slums
It's the story of children, parents, teachers, and entrepreneurs in the poorest corners of the globe who, in response to failed public education, are not waiting for handouts. They are educating themselves-and succeeding under the most challenging conditions imaginable.James Tooley | August 3, 2009
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Education
Entrepreneurial Spirit and a Mother's Love
Four decades of involvement in education -- as a volunteer, writer, and sometime teacher -- have blessed me with riches that cannot be measured in normal ways.Patrick B. McGuigan | August 3, 2009
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Good Government
We care more (for taxpayers) in Claremore
"It's a delicate process to go through because oftentimes there are a lot of politics involved," Mueller says of outsourcing. "You want to be sensitive to people. But ultimately, we are here to provide the highest level of service to the citizens at the lowest cost."Brandon Dutcher | July 6, 2009
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Budget & Tax
High-Speed Spending
How would you like to pay $1,000 so that someone--probably not you--can ride high-speed trains less than 60 miles a year? That's the question the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) effectively asked last month when it invited states to submit proposals for spending $8 billion of stimulus money that Congress allocated to high-speed rail.Randal O'Toole | June 30, 2009
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Budget & Tax
Creative Budget Options Needed at 23rd & Lincoln
The consensus seems to be that next year's budget situation at the state capitol will be tight. Sure, Oklahoma's share of "stimulus" money could help, but then again it could serve to lock in higher levels of spending, thus exacerbating our problems.Brandon Dutcher | June 30, 2009
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Good Government
Crowding Out Oklahoma's Private Sector: A Real-World Example
If this were a baseball game, you might look at it this way: The OU print shop is allowed to start the inning as a runner on third base, before anyone else even steps up to the plate.Patrick B. McGuigan | June 30, 2009
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Good Government
Government Is Crowding Out Oklahoma's Private Sector
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 buy more goods and services such as homes, cars, education, and health care. It is also a very useful way to gauge the ability of a state's residents to pay taxes.J. Scott Moody & Wendy Warcholik, Ph.D. | June 30, 2009
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Higher Education
Two views on lawsuit reform
OCPA adjunct scholar Andrew Spiropoulos isn't sold on Oklahoma's new tort-reform law, but in today's Tulsa World OCPA trustee John Brock says the law is good news.Brandon Dutcher | June 3, 2009
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Education
Adrift in the Slow Lane of Learning
For many college students, their years of "higher education" don't involve much education at all. Sure, they take a lot of courses and usually pass with As and Bs, but that is no guarantee that they have learned much. Between the inflation of grades and the watering down of the curriculum, students can get degrees without much intellectual effort.George Leef | June 1, 2009