Articles
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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
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Higher Education
OSU scandal highlights unequal treatment of conservatives
A recent incident at OSU underscores a broader problem: conservative students routinely face administrative hostility on taxpayer-funded campuses where ideological double standards thrive.Jonathan Small | October 27, 2025
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Economy
Experts: ‘Living wage’ means fewer jobs, less money for workers
At a recent legislative study, experts told Oklahoma state lawmakers that linking the state’s minimum wage to the cost of living in expensive cities like New York or San Francisco—a proposal known as State Question 832—would harm small businesses, shrink job opportunities, and ultimately reduce workers’ take-home pay.Ray Carter | October 24, 2025
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Education, Good Government
Experts urge Oklahoma to reinstate third-grade reading law
Oklahoma’s fourth-grade reading scores have collapsed to near the bottom nationally. In a recent legislative study, literacy leaders urged state lawmakers to reinstate Oklahoma’s once-successful third-grade reading law, which required early intervention and retention when necessary.Ray Carter | October 22, 2025
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Economy
Data show $15 minimum wage tied to restaurant job losses
A proposed $15 minimum wage under State Question 832 would backfire on the very workers it claims to help. The Employment Policies Institute estimates the measure would eliminate more than 12,000 restaurant jobs in Oklahoma.Curtis Shelton | October 21, 2025