Authors
Jonathan Small
President
Jonathan Small, C.P.A., serves as President and joined the staff in December of 2010. Previously, Jonathan served as a budget analyst for the Oklahoma Office of State Finance, as a fiscal policy analyst and research analyst for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, and as director of government affairs for the Oklahoma Insurance Department. Small’s work includes co-authoring “Economics 101” with Dr. Arthur Laffer and Dr. Wayne Winegarden, and his policy expertise has been referenced by The Oklahoman, the Tulsa World, National Review, the L.A. Times, The Hill, the Wall Street Journal and the Huffington Post. His weekly column “Free Market Friday” is published by the Journal Record and syndicated in 27 markets. A recipient of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s prestigious Private Sector Member of the Year award, Small is nationally recognized for his work to promote free markets, limited government and innovative public policy reforms. Jonathan holds a B.A. in Accounting from the University of Central Oklahoma and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Recent Articles
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Education, Law & Principles
One reform would dramatically boost Oklahoma voter participation. Lawmakers should finish the job
Oklahoma’s school-board elections are intentionally held on obscure winter and spring dates, producing abysmally low turnout and giving disproportionate influence to special interests.Jonathan Small | February 9, 2026
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Economy
From minimum-wage mandates to credit-card fees: the same anti-freedom playbook
Efforts to raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage and to push the federal Credit Card Competition Act share a common flaw: a fundamental distrust of free markets.Jonathan Small | February 2, 2026
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Budget & Tax, Good Government
Minnesota’s fraud crisis should prompt Oklahoma lawmakers to act
Massive welfare fraud scandals in Minnesota have drawn national outrage—and Oklahoma shouldn’t kid itself that similar problems aren’t happening here.Jonathan Small | January 21, 2026
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Higher Education
OU debacle highlights dysfunction in higher ed
OU officials now admit a graduate assistant acted “arbitrarily” when he gave a student a zero for stating there are two sexes, but the episode exposes far more than one rogue instructor.Jonathan Small | January 19, 2026
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Law & Principles
OKC mayor urges ‘top two’ primaries, but California’s track record undercuts the pitch
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt is urging Oklahomans to adopt a California-style “top two” election system, arguing it produces more pragmatic officeholders. But California’s real-world results tell a different story.Jonathan Small | December 29, 2025
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Higher Education
Time for OU regents to act
The University of Oklahoma continues to draw national attention for ideological theatrics. It’s time for the OU regents to lead rather than spectate.Jonathan Small | December 15, 2025
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Education
Momentum builds to revive Mississippi-style reading reform in Oklahoma
The State Chamber is urging lawmakers to revive the Mississippi-style early literacy law that once helped Oklahoma make major gains but was later gutted, triggering a steep decline in reading outcomes.Jonathan Small | December 1, 2025
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Economy
Market wages are already rising; SQ 832 would cause real harm
Although Oklahoma’s statutory minimum wage has been $7.25 since 2009, the true starting wage in the real labor market is already higher. After all, employers must pay what attracts workers—not what a law dictates. State Question 832 would force wages to skyrocket far beyond what local businesses can sustain.Jonathan Small | November 24, 2025
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Budget & Tax, Law & Principles
Oklahoma’s food-stamp numbers spark questions about fraud
Oklahoma’s food-stamp participation rate is nearly 50 percent higher than its poverty rate—a gap wider than almost any other state—raising questions about potential fraud or lax eligibility enforcement. Oklahoma’s political leaders must ensure that benefits reach only those who truly qualify.Jonathan Small | November 17, 2025
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Education, Law & Principles
School-produced illiteracy crisis gets Oklahoma lawmakers’ attention
Oklahoma’s fourth-grade reading levels are among the worst in the nation. It appears our state lawmakers are beginning to take notice.Jonathan Small | November 10, 2025
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