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
August 15, 2012 // Updated: May 1, 2019
The past several years have put severe constraints on the state budget. State appropriations remain below their levels of four years ago. Many state agencies have absorbed funding cuts of over 20 percent, and most have been forced to cut… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
August 13, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
When Congress approved a prescription drug benefit for the Medicare program in the mid-2000s, it created the infamous ‘Medicare donut hole‘ – a large gap in coverage of prescription drug costs.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), the landmark health care… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
August 8, 2012 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Without new revenue, federal deficit reduction efforts will lead to devastating cuts in federal support for education, transportation, law enforcement, the social safety net, and other state and local programs, according to a new report from the Center on Budget… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
August 7, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
This session, the Oklahoma legislature debated a slew of proposals to cut and, in some cases, eliminate Oklahoma’s personal income tax. While some proposals were revenue-neutral, doing away with tax credits and deductions to offset cuts to the top marginal… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
August 2, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Peter Fisher is Research Director of the Iowa Policy Project. This is an abridged and edited version of a brief that was prepared as part of a larger research project critically examining several state economic competitiveness rankings published by national… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
July 24, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Would an income tax cut foster so much economic growth that tax revenues would actually go up? In other words, can tax cuts pay for themselves? A new poll of 40 of America’s foremost economic experts was unable to find… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
July 17, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act, states must decide whether to expand Medicaid to cover adults with incomes below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. This post originally ran on our blog… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
July 11, 2012 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Cal Hobson served in the Oklahoma Legislature from 1978-2006, including one term as Senate President Pro Tempore. This is an edited version of an article that first appeared in the Oklahoma Observer.
In my opinion, when Gov. Mary Fallin’s ill-advised… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
July 2, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The Supreme Court’s landmark ruling upholding the bulk of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) struck down one key component of the law: it made the law’s Medicaid expansion optional rather than mandatory by declaring that that the federal government may… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
June 27, 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.
In June, the Oklahoma Department of Education hosted the Vision 2020 conference to preview the dramatic changes that… Read more [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
The past several years have put severe constraints on the state budget. State appropriations remain below their levels of four years ago. Many state agencies have absorbed funding cuts of over 20 percent, and most have been forced to cut… Read more [More...]
Without new revenue, federal deficit reduction efforts will lead to devastating cuts in federal support for education, transportation, law enforcement, the social safety net, and other state and local programs, according to a new report from the Center on Budget… Read more [More...]
This session, the Oklahoma legislature debated a slew of proposals to cut and, in some cases, eliminate Oklahoma’s personal income tax. While some proposals were revenue-neutral, doing away with tax credits and deductions to offset cuts to the top marginal… Read more [More...]
Peter Fisher is Research Director of the Iowa Policy Project. This is an abridged and edited version of a brief that was prepared as part of a larger research project critically examining several state economic competitiveness rankings published by national… Read more [More...]
Would an income tax cut foster so much economic growth that tax revenues would actually go up? In other words, can tax cuts pay for themselves? A new poll of 40 of America’s foremost economic experts was unable to find… Read more [More...]
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act, states must decide whether to expand Medicaid to cover adults with incomes below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. This post originally ran on our blog… Read more [More...]
Cal Hobson served in the Oklahoma Legislature from 1978-2006, including one term as Senate President Pro Tempore. This is an edited version of an article that first appeared in the Oklahoma Observer.
In my opinion, when Gov. Mary Fallin’s ill-advised… Read more [More...]
The Supreme Court’s landmark ruling upholding the bulk of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) struck down one key component of the law: it made the law’s Medicaid expansion optional rather than mandatory by declaring that that the federal government may… 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.
In June, the Oklahoma Department of Education hosted the Vision 2020 conference to preview the dramatic changes that… Read more [More...]
