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
March 8, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
For the past 27 years, a statewide network of Area Health Education Centers (OKAHEC) has worked to increase the supply of primary care providers and improve access to health care in Oklahoma’s rural and underserved communities. Now this program is… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 5, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Could doing away with Oklahoma’s income tax shift taxes not only onto low and middle–income families but also from urban areas to rural areas? Many programs, services, and incentives important for rural Oklahoma rely on our existing revenue structure and… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 1, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
A new study of state tax costs on business from the Tax Foundation ranks Oklahoma fifth best in the nation for new firms and 16th best for mature firms. Among states in the region, Oklahoma ranked second lowest in business… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 28, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
John Thompson is a former Oklahoma historian and inner city teacher who is now an education writer focusing on inner city schools.
When Oklahoma’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waiver was granted, local news celebrated a new era of “freedom… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 27, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The personal income tax is Oklahoma’s largest single revenue source. In 2011, the state collected $2.412 billion from the personal income tax, or slightly less than one in three dollars (31.7 percent) of total state tax collections. With a strong… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 22, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
After three straight years of budget cuts, funding for public education in Oklahoma is in dire straits. This year’s appropriation to the Department of Education is $254 million, or 10.0 percent, less than it was in 2009. In the past… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 20, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The push to eliminate Oklahoma’s personal income tax relies heavily for intellectual support on a study done for the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs by economist Arthur Laffer and his colleagues. The Laffer report makes two claims: (1) that states… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 19, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
NOTE: This week, Oklahomans learned the state was on the hook to pay oil and gas producers $294 million over the next three years in deferred tax rebates for horizontal and deep well drilling in 2010 and 2011, an amount… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 15, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The 2012 legislative session convened last Monday and will run until the end of May (click here for a complete run-though of how this works in our handy Legislative Overview). With 1,934 new bills filed, it takes awhile before we… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 13, 2012 // Updated: October 17, 2012
Oklahoma Policy Institute is delighted to announce that Megan Williams Benn will be joining our team as an outreach coordinator working with a broad group of organizations on efforts to protect our tax base and ensure adequate funding of public… Read more [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
For the past 27 years, a statewide network of Area Health Education Centers (OKAHEC) has worked to increase the supply of primary care providers and improve access to health care in Oklahoma’s rural and underserved communities. Now this program is… Read more [More...]
Could doing away with Oklahoma’s income tax shift taxes not only onto low and middle–income families but also from urban areas to rural areas? Many programs, services, and incentives important for rural Oklahoma rely on our existing revenue structure and… Read more [More...]
A new study of state tax costs on business from the Tax Foundation ranks Oklahoma fifth best in the nation for new firms and 16th best for mature firms. Among states in the region, Oklahoma ranked second lowest in business… Read more [More...]
John Thompson is a former Oklahoma historian and inner city teacher who is now an education writer focusing on inner city schools.
When Oklahoma’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waiver was granted, local news celebrated a new era of “freedom… Read more [More...]
The personal income tax is Oklahoma’s largest single revenue source. In 2011, the state collected $2.412 billion from the personal income tax, or slightly less than one in three dollars (31.7 percent) of total state tax collections. With a strong… Read more [More...]
After three straight years of budget cuts, funding for public education in Oklahoma is in dire straits. This year’s appropriation to the Department of Education is $254 million, or 10.0 percent, less than it was in 2009. In the past… Read more [More...]
The push to eliminate Oklahoma’s personal income tax relies heavily for intellectual support on a study done for the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs by economist Arthur Laffer and his colleagues. The Laffer report makes two claims: (1) that states… Read more [More...]
NOTE: This week, Oklahomans learned the state was on the hook to pay oil and gas producers $294 million over the next three years in deferred tax rebates for horizontal and deep well drilling in 2010 and 2011, an amount… Read more [More...]
The 2012 legislative session convened last Monday and will run until the end of May (click here for a complete run-though of how this works in our handy Legislative Overview). With 1,934 new bills filed, it takes awhile before we… Read more [More...]
