Former Executive Director David Blatt joined OK Policy in 2008 and served as its Executive Director from 2010 to 2019. He previously served as Director of Public Policy for Community Action Project of Tulsa County and as a budget analyst for the Oklahoma State Senate. He has a Ph.D. in political science from Cornell University and a B.A. from the University of Alberta. David has been selected as Political Scientist of the Year by the Oklahoma Political Science Association, Local Social Justice Champion by the Dan Allen Center for Social Justice, and Public Citizen of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers.
By: David Blatt
April 21, 2011 // Updated: May 1, 2019
After two straight years of cuts, the state’s budget situation remains dire. Despite the economic recovery and improving revenue collections, the state faces a huge shortfall for next year. The substantial non-recurring revenues that were used to balance the budget… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
April 15, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
As the deadline for filing income tax approaches, we return to a favorite blog post from our friend Paul Shinn that we first ran in 2009. You may also enjoy this video tribute to the many things we can be… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
April 14, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The U.S. House or Representatives is expected to vote tomorrow on a federal budget proposal for the coming year that would — among other things — force drastic cuts to Medicaid that would harm Oklahoma seniors, people with disabilities, and… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
April 12, 2011 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Yesterday, State Finance Director Preston Doerflinger announced that March General Revenue (GR) collections came in 9.3 percent above March 2010 and 10.5 percent above the certified estimate. This marked the 11th straight month that GR showed improvement over the prior… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
April 1, 2011 // Updated: October 17, 2012
Oklahoma Policy Institute, the state policy think-tank, announced today, April 1st, that it is merging with OPI, the nail care and beauty industry giant.
“For three years, we’ve been engaged in a futile battle to convince people that we are… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 28, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
A recent news report examining proposals to limit the federal tax deduction for charitable giving concluded with a comment that gets to the crux of the debate over tax breaks:
As one donor explained, he doesn’t give to charity to… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 23, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Today is the one-year anniversary of President Barack Obama signing into law the landmark Affordable Care Act (ACA). Many of the most far-reaching provisions of the health care reform law – including the launch of new health insurance exchanges for… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 21, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
In a blog post last summer, we took issue with the polarizing concept of “the government versus the private sector”. We argued that you cannot have a vibrant, productive private sector without government undertaking a whole array of activities that… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 17, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
A recent OK Policy fact sheet that analyzed the distribution of benefits from cutting the state’s top personal income tax rate from 5.5 to 5.25 percent has generated considerable interest and discussion. The tax cut would have a $120 million… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 15, 2011 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Yesterday, State Finance Director Preston Doerflinger announced state General Revenue (GR) collections for February. The news was generally positive. February’s collections came in 12.0 percent higher than one year ago; this was the eleventh straight month that monthly GR collections… Read more [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
After two straight years of cuts, the state’s budget situation remains dire. Despite the economic recovery and improving revenue collections, the state faces a huge shortfall for next year. The substantial non-recurring revenues that were used to balance the budget… Read more [More...]
As the deadline for filing income tax approaches, we return to a favorite blog post from our friend Paul Shinn that we first ran in 2009. You may also enjoy this video tribute to the many things we can be… Read more [More...]
The U.S. House or Representatives is expected to vote tomorrow on a federal budget proposal for the coming year that would — among other things — force drastic cuts to Medicaid that would harm Oklahoma seniors, people with disabilities, and… Read more [More...]
Yesterday, State Finance Director Preston Doerflinger announced that March General Revenue (GR) collections came in 9.3 percent above March 2010 and 10.5 percent above the certified estimate. This marked the 11th straight month that GR showed improvement over the prior… Read more [More...]
Oklahoma Policy Institute, the state policy think-tank, announced today, April 1st, that it is merging with OPI, the nail care and beauty industry giant.
“For three years, we’ve been engaged in a futile battle to convince people that we are… Read more [More...]
A recent news report examining proposals to limit the federal tax deduction for charitable giving concluded with a comment that gets to the crux of the debate over tax breaks:
As one donor explained, he doesn’t give to charity to… Read more [More...]
Today is the one-year anniversary of President Barack Obama signing into law the landmark Affordable Care Act (ACA). Many of the most far-reaching provisions of the health care reform law – including the launch of new health insurance exchanges for… Read more [More...]
In a blog post last summer, we took issue with the polarizing concept of “the government versus the private sector”. We argued that you cannot have a vibrant, productive private sector without government undertaking a whole array of activities that… Read more [More...]
A recent OK Policy fact sheet that analyzed the distribution of benefits from cutting the state’s top personal income tax rate from 5.5 to 5.25 percent has generated considerable interest and discussion. The tax cut would have a $120 million… Read more [More...]
Yesterday, State Finance Director Preston Doerflinger announced state General Revenue (GR) collections for February. The news was generally positive. February’s collections came in 12.0 percent higher than one year ago; this was the eleventh straight month that monthly GR collections… Read more [More...]
