Law & Principles

What SQ 832 gets wrong about real people

March 9, 2026

Byron Schlomach, Ph.D.

On June 16, 2026, Oklahomans will vote on SQ 832. Visit www.sq832killsjobs.com to learn more.

Most probably don’t know this, but we’re in the midst of the Spring Fling Shop Hop. That’s when quilt shops around the state collectively cooperate to sell certain Oklahoma-centric fabrics, have extended hours, and feature various sales. It’s a heap of fun for quilting hobbyists to drive around the state collecting store-specific quilt pieces called blocks, and having an excuse to enjoy communities all over the state. 

Unfortunately, it may well be a thing of the past, or at least a shadow of its current self, if State Question 832 should pass.

SQ 832 would increase the minimum wage to $10.50 this year and to $15 per hour by 2029—and would continue to increase the minimum wage every year, without end.

So, you might ask, what does increasing the minimum wage have to do with quilters and their Shop Hop?

My wife serves as an example. She works part-time at a quilt shop for the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. As a quilting hobbyist, she does this less for the money than for the occasional freebie, a discount, and the chance to be around others who care about quilting. Many quilt shop owners have similar motives. Consequently, quilt shops aren’t making people millionaires, and these shops generally operate at only very modest profit margins.

State Question 832 specifically does not allow an exemption for part-time workers. That means there are no-telling how many part-time quilt-shop workers like my wife who would lose their jobs if SQ 832 passes. And it won’t just be due to quilt shop owners cutting costs. Some of those quilt shop owners simply won’t be able to stay in business. They won’t be able to keep regular hours because they won’t be able to afford enough hours of labor to operate on such a basis. They’ll struggle to keep the doors open for some months and maybe even a couple of years, but with the minimum wage jumping to $10.50 this year, $12 next year, $13.50 in 2028, and then to $15 in 2029, they’ll be squeezed into closing by necessity, and it won’t stop there. SQ 832 will annually raise costs for these small businesses in perpetuity.

If State Question 832 passes, by 2030, people will be asking, “What happened to the Shop Hop in Oklahoma? After all, they’re still having one in Texas.” Few will realize it was because of a slow burn started by SQ 832.

The proponents of SQ 832 think they know more than they actually do. They don’t know how many retirees will see their meager incomes supplementing Social Security dry up. They don’t know how many small businesses their initiative will destroy. They can’t know everyone’s motives for operating businesses or what their profit margins are, or how dependent they might be on people who are willing to work almost for free just for some human companionship that shares similar interests.

SQ 832 proponents think they’re saving the world. They think they’re creating a more just world. They think they’re creating a fairer world. They think they’re creating a world with greater equality. But what they’re really doing is meddling. They’re meddling in financials they don’t understand. They’re meddling in people’s personal choices about how long and for how much they’re willing to work. They’re meddling in private lives and personal relationships. And they’re about to destroy dreams, personal relationships, incomes, good times, and others’ future memories.

All kinds of economic mischief have resulted from people pushing policies that interfere with the personal choices of free individuals operating in a free enterprise context. Good intentions, however, just aren’t good enough. SQ 832, perhaps born of good intentions, will never be good enough.