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
December 17, 2009 // Updated: May 1, 2019
As a result of Oklahoma’s severe budget shortfalls, every state agency and program is absorbing substantial budget cuts that are having a real impact on Oklahoma families and communities. But tax expenditures – the term encompassing the array of exemptions,… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
December 14, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
How much does an Oklahoma family have to earn to meet its basic needs? What are the major costs of a family budget, and how do these vary for different family types and in different parts of the state? How… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
December 10, 2009 // Updated: May 1, 2019
As state leaders struggle to find solutions to this year’s revenue shortfalls and funding gaps, it is not too soon to draw lessons from the current state fiscal crisis to design policies that will allow us to respond better the… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
December 9, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
On January 11th, Chad Wilkerson, the Branch Executive of the Oklahoma City office of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City will be giving a free public lecture on “The Economy Around Us: Recession and Recovery”. Wilkerson, who serves as… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
December 8, 2009 // Updated: May 1, 2019
As state leaders struggle with how to manage the enormous budget shortfalls the state faces this year and next, the focus is understandably on decisions that must be made over the coming weeks and months. But while short-term challenges are… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
December 3, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
In the heart of one of the poorest neighborhoods in Oklahoma City, in a state-of-the-art facility beside the railroad tracks, the smell of fresh-baked bread and cookies wafts down the halls, which wind around the building to simulate streets in… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
November 30, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
With Oklahoma in the midst of what is certain to be a severe and extended fiscal crisis, protecting core public services in every area of state government from deep and painful budget cuts poses a great challenge. However, protecting the… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
November 23, 2009 // Updated: May 1, 2019
If state fiscal conditions can be likened to the weather, it’s been apparent for many months that Oklahoma is in the midst of a toad strangler of a rain, to borrow the Tulsa World’s colorful characterization. Going into the current… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
November 20, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
This week we released the November issue of Numbers You Need (PDF), our monthly look at key data on the state’s economy and budget. As we reported in the bulletin, one of the clearest signs of the depth and length… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
November 18, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
In Oklahoma, who pays the highest percentage of their income in taxes? Those with the lowest incomes do, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). The state’s sales, excise and property taxes, which fall disproportionately on the… Read more [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
If state fiscal conditions can be likened to the weather, it’s been apparent for many months that Oklahoma is in the midst of a toad strangler of a rain, to borrow the Tulsa World’s colorful characterization. Going into the current… Read more [More...]
This week we released the November issue of Numbers You Need (PDF), our monthly look at key data on the state’s economy and budget. As we reported in the bulletin, one of the clearest signs of the depth and length… Read more [More...]
In Oklahoma, who pays the highest percentage of their income in taxes? Those with the lowest incomes do, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). The state’s sales, excise and property taxes, which fall disproportionately on the… Read more [More...]
