Good Government
Brandon Dutcher | April 17, 2009
Towards maturity
Brandon Dutcher
"There would be no greater tribute to our maturity as a society," former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush once remarked in an inaugural address, "than if we can make these government buildings around us empty of workers -- silent monuments to the time when government played a role larger than it deserved or could adequately fill."
Of course, Oklahoma has its own government-employment problem, and last night Senate leader Glenn Coffee made an interesting observation. "Keep in mind that over 60 percent of state employees are going to be eligible for retirement in the next 10 years," Sen. Coffee said. "Just imagine if we can modernize government and become more efficient and not have to replace all those people."
Brandon Dutcher
Senior Vice President
Brandon Dutcher is OCPA’s senior vice president. Originally an OCPA board member, he joined the staff in 1995. Dutcher received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Oklahoma. He received a master’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in public policy from Regent University. Dutcher is listed in the Heritage Foundation Guide to Public Policy Experts, and is editor of the book Oklahoma Policy Blueprint, which was praised by Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman as “thorough, well-informed, and highly sophisticated.” His award-winning articles have appeared in Investor’s Business Daily, WORLD magazine, Forbes.com, Mises.org, The Oklahoman, the Tulsa World, and 200 newspapers throughout Oklahoma and the U.S. He and his wife, Susie, have six children and live in Edmond.