2009 Most Popular Blog Posts

OK, so we’re supposed to be on blog break, but then I realized that we could end up as the only information source in the world without its own end-of-year Top 10 or “Best of” list. Not to miss the party, here are the 10 posts that got the most hits since the launch of our blog in March. If you missed some of these the first time around, here’s another chance to take a look.

10. The racial wealth gap — I reported on a provocative talk by Meizhu Lu on the extent and causes of the racial disparities in wealth and ownership in America.

9.  Fewer exceptions – Tobacco tax revenues rise while sales fall — thanks to changes in compacts and enforcement, the state is enjoying a win-win situation on tobacco.

8. Sunk: Mercury Marine fiasco sheds light on cost of state subsidy wars — a powerful example of how everybody can lose when states throw incentives at businesses.

7. Cap and trade laws could change Oklahoma’s financial climate — we identified some of the many issues at stake with the cap-and-trade proposals before Congress.

6. A quick look at the new state budget — before the dust had even settled, we put out a quick summary of the FY ’10 budget agreement.

5. Health insurance reform explained… in 3 steps! — we can only claim credit for a great link on this one.

4. Tax cuts and consequences — we weighed in on the ways in which the tax cuts of recent years have contributed to, if not directly caused, the state’s fiscal woes.

3. SB 834: Empowering public schools or dismantling them? — guest bloggers Dr. Cathy Burden and Elaine Hobson debated the pros and cons of one of the most controversial bills of the 2009 session.

2. No-tax day — as the income tax deadline loomed, Paul Shinn provided a peak at what our lives and our state might look like without those taxes we all love to hate.

1. Guest blog: Will Oklahoma be first to discriminate against military spouses in divorce? — this piece by two critics of a proposal to change how Oklahoma treats military pensions in divorce  got circulated widely around the Internet and continues to generate heated responses.

Thanks to everyone who has kept up with this blog and provided us with feedback and comments, as well as guest contributions. Keep those coming, and we look forward to keeping the discussion going in the new year.