Articles
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Law & Principles
‘Open primaries’ backers supported Marxist candidate for president
After “10 years of conversations and organizing in the Sooner State,” out-of-state activists with a history of radical-left politics—including ties to a Marxist presidential candidate—are trying to bring California’s election system to Oklahoma.Ray Carter | November 3, 2025
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Law & Principles
Oklahoma lawmakers seek to boost retiree benefits without undermining pension reforms
After reforms that transformed Oklahoma’s public pension systems from some of the nation’s weakest to among the healthiest, lawmakers are now debating how to responsibly boost retiree benefits to keep pace with inflation.Ray Carter | October 31, 2025
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Economy, Culture & the Family
SQ 832: A recipe for greater inequality and generational hopelessness
Oklahoma's State Question 832, which would mandate automatic minimum-wage increases by linking Oklahoma to a national index, is touted as a tool to reduce income inequality and support families. In reality, it would do the opposite.Byron Schlomach, Ph.D. | October 30, 2025
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Education
States with little or no school choice are pushing homeschool regulation
Despite claims that school-choice programs would lead to government control over homeschoolers, Oklahoma’s experience shows otherwise. Meanwhile, aggressive homeschool regulations are being proposed in New Jersey, which doesn’t have private-school choice.Ray Carter | October 30, 2025
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Law & Principles
Oklahoma’s commonsense petition reforms are clearly constitutional
A pending Oklahoma Supreme Court case will decide whether it’s legal to require initiative-petition campaigns to gather signatures from across the state rather than relying solely on urban centers.Jonathan Small | October 30, 2025
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Higher Education
Florida, Texas schools shine in college rankings; OU and OSU fail to make the cut
A new City Journal ranking of the nation’s top 100 colleges rewards schools that promote academic rigor, open debate, and real-world value—while penalizing ideological rigidity. While several Florida and Texas schools shine, neither OU nor OSU made the list.Ray Carter | October 29, 2025
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Education
Oklahoma should build on 2024 draft social-studies standards, not return to the flawed 2019 model
As new State Superintendent Lindel Fields restarts Oklahoma’s social studies standards review, policymakers and citizens should ensure the process preserves the solid foundation of the December 2024 Draft Standards—not the flawed 2019 model infused with Critical Race Theory and action civics.David Randall, Ph.D. | October 29, 2025
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Health Care
Oklahoma hailed as health-care transparency leader
Starting November 1, Oklahoma will become the first state in the nation to fully enforce hospital price transparency, allowing patients to see and compare the costs of hundreds of medical procedures before surgery.Ray Carter | October 28, 2025
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Law & Principles
‘Quit fixing it, you’re only making it worse’: The case against the California ‘top two’ election system
Reforms designed to weaken political parties have consistently failed to deliver on their promises. The California “top two” election model, for example, has not increased voter turnout and has not reduced polarization.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | October 28, 2025
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Law & Principles
Ten years in the making: Out-of-state group with left-wing ties pushes California model for Oklahoma elections
After a decade of “conversations and organizing,” a national group with deep Democratic and left-wing ties is backing an effort to replace Oklahoma’s current election system with one modeled after California’s “top two” primary process.Ray Carter | October 27, 2025