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
October 15, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Our October edition of Numbers You Need is now out, providing a snapshot of economic and budget trends in Oklahoma through monthly data on jobs, inflation, public benefits, and state revenues, as well as the most recent quarterly data on… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
October 14, 2009 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Yesterday’s announcement of state revenue collections for September marked the end of a truly dismal quarter. Collections for the 1st quarter of FY ’10 were 29.5 percent below the first three months of FY ’09. The graph below shows that… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
October 13, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Are tax breaks for businesses a legitimate tool of economic development, or a form of corporate welfare? The fact is they can be either. The challenge is telling the two apart and ensuring through clear legislative language and ongoing oversight… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
October 9, 2009 // Updated: October 17, 2012
Next Tuesday and Wednesday, several hundred Oklahomans from diverse walks of life will get together on the University of Central Oklahoma campus in Edmond for an event, organized by the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, known as the Fall Forum. … Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
October 5, 2009 // Updated: October 17, 2012
Last week we posted a guest blog on a legislative proposal to change the treatment of military retirement income, which set off a small firestorm of controversy in our comments section. In the six months or so that we’ve been… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
October 1, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
It is widely known that minorities in the United States earn considerably less than Whites – according to the most recent Census Bureau data, the median income for a White household in 2008 was 34.5 percent greater than for a… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
September 24, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Monday we participated, along with other members of the Oklahoma Asset Building Coalition, in the release of the 2009-10 Assets and Opportunity Scorecard, a major report that looks at wealth, poverty, and the financial security of families in all 50… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
September 18, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The best flow chart ever, created by Nicholas Beaudrot of Donkeylicious, explaining how you would get health insurance if the major health care proposals under consideration by Congress were to pass:… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
September 17, 2009 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Anyone hoping for signs that the state’s budget woes had already hit bottom found little to cheer in Tuesday’s revenue announcement [PDF] from Treasurer Scott Meacham. August General Revenue (GR) collections came in nearly 32 percent below one year ago.… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
September 15, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
As we noted right after the numbers were released, last week’s Census Bureau report on health insurance coverage provided some unexpectedly good news for Oklahoma. While the nation as a whole saw an increase in the number of uninsured, which… Read more [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
Our October edition of Numbers You Need is now out, providing a snapshot of economic and budget trends in Oklahoma through monthly data on jobs, inflation, public benefits, and state revenues, as well as the most recent quarterly data on… Read more [More...]
Yesterday’s announcement of state revenue collections for September marked the end of a truly dismal quarter. Collections for the 1st quarter of FY ’10 were 29.5 percent below the first three months of FY ’09. The graph below shows that… Read more [More...]
The best flow chart ever, created by Nicholas Beaudrot of Donkeylicious, explaining how you would get health insurance if the major health care proposals under consideration by Congress were to pass:… Read more [More...]
Anyone hoping for signs that the state’s budget woes had already hit bottom found little to cheer in Tuesday’s revenue announcement [PDF] from Treasurer Scott Meacham. August General Revenue (GR) collections came in nearly 32 percent below one year ago.… Read more [More...]
As we noted right after the numbers were released, last week’s Census Bureau report on health insurance coverage provided some unexpectedly good news for Oklahoma. While the nation as a whole saw an increase in the number of uninsured, which… Read more [More...]
