Month: March 2015

Wayne Greene: How not to give teachers a raise

By Wayne Green Two Republican legislators have a provocative idea for how to deal with Oklahoma’s shortage of teachers — exempt them from state income taxes. Sen. A.J. Griffin and Rep. Leslie Osborn made the proposal in a March 18… Read more [More...]

In The Know: Bill banning automatic dues deduction for teachers to go before Governor.

In The Know is a daily synopsis of Oklahoma policy-related news and blogs. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail. A… Read more [More...]

31.9%

Percentage of 25-34 years olds in the Oklahoma City metro area with a 4-year degree in 2012, up from 24.4% in 2000. Source: City Observatory.… Read more [More...]

“Any cuts at this point are going to be monumental simply because education has not been funded at an adequate rate for many years. There’s only so many hits that a group can take and continue to sustain.” – Moore… Read more [More...]

The misleading myth of voter fraud in American elections (Guest Post: Lorraine Minnite)

Lorraine Minnite is Associate Professor of Public Policy and Director, Undergraduate Urban Studies Program at Rutgers University – Camden. She is a member of the Scholars Strategy Network Working Group on Expanding and Protecting the Right to Vote. This is… Read more [More...]

In The Know: Fallin emails undercut lawsuit against Obamacare

In The Know is a daily synopsis of Oklahoma policy-related news and blogs. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail. A… Read more [More...]

$47,000

Value of ornamental fish sold in Oklahoma in 2012 Source: USDA.… Read more [More...]

Quote of the Day 3/26/2015

“In Oklahoma and across the United States, we had this frantic, contrived debate about voter fraud. We’re finding out … that all of the arguments for the need for these laws were completely conflated and false. It was all designed… Read more [More...]

Study finds that payday lenders center around Oklahoma military installations

By Brianna Bailey A new study on payday lending in Oklahoma has uncovered evidence that high-interest lenders target economically distressed communities by opening storefronts in poorer areas and near military installations. The study, from the “Demographics on Payday Lending in… Read more [More...]

Kansas is considering expanding health coverage. Oklahoma should, too.

It’s no secret that Kansas’s budget is in crisis. Following years of tax cuts and fiscal mismanagement, the state finds itself in a $600 million budget shortfall. The state is scrambling to fill the gap, including across-the-board budget reductions and… Read more [More...]