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
June 16, 2009 // Updated: May 1, 2019
There has been some discussion in recent days about the performance of the Oklahoma State Lottery, including this editorial from The Oklahoman, after the Lottery Commission adopted a budget for FY ’10 that projects $66.6 million in revenues for education… Read more [More...]
From time to time, we will use the OK Policy blog to post submissions we receive from Oklahomans who have interesting perspectives on important policy issues for the state. This submission is from Clay Pope, Executive Director of the Oklahoma… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
June 15, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
We’re out with our latest Numbers You Need bulletin for June, tracking economic and fiscal trends in Oklahoma and the nation. While the bulletin focuses on monthly and quarterly data on jobs, inflation, work support programs, and the like, each… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
June 10, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Back in March, the Bureau of Economic Analysis released 2008 data on state personal income, which is the most widely used measure of a state’s relative prosperity. We took note of it at the time in our April Numbers You… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
June 8, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
In recent years, whenever I’ve participated in forums on poverty and barriers to self-sufficiency, the single barrier raised most often and most fervently by those who work with low-income individuals and by low-income individuals themselves is the “cliff effect”. A… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
June 6, 2009 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Doc Hoc over at OkieFunk likes our recent recomendations about what to do to help through the fiscal crisis. Oklahomans for Responsible Government, not so much.… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
June 5, 2009 // Updated: May 1, 2019
On Thursday, Treasurer Scott Meacham declared a revenue shortfall for the current budget year, FY ’09, and announced that state agencies would be required to take an across-the-board cut in their allocations for June, the final month of the fiscal… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
June 4, 2009 // Updated: October 17, 2012
In the heat and passion of the legislative session, the battles that divide the political parties tend to grab the spotlight. This year, for the first time in history, Republicans controlled both chambers of the Oklahoma legislature. The session featured… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
June 3, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
A number of papers ran an article over the Memorial Day weekend from the McClatchey Newpapers that analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau showing that the poorest Americans are the most generous in giving to charity. By far. When… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
June 1, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Anyone who has worked over the years to support access to health care for low-income children and families will be heartened to learn that the Obama administration has appointed Cindy Mann to lead the Centers for Medicaid and State Operations,… Read more [More...]