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None of the above: The public weighs in on the state fiscal crisis

A new poll from the Pew Research Center presents interesting findings about the state of public opinion regarding the state fiscal crisis.  A late June poll of 1,001 adults found a majority of respondents saying that states should fix their… Read more [More...]

Guest Blog (Brad Byers): Health care reform – the battle between fact and myth

From time to time, we use the OK Policy blog to post contributions from guests on important policy issues for the state. Brad Byers is a retired Tulsan whose professional experience includes having been public affairs officer for the National… Read more [More...]

Unhappy New Year: FY11 gets underway with no end in sight to the state fiscal blues

July 1st marks the start of the new state fiscal year in most of the country – but as glad as state Governors, fiscal directors and legislators will be to see the end of the annus horribilis of 2010,  don’t… Read more [More...]

Still Drilling: Gas production remains high even as prices stay low

Last March, we ran a blog post we titled “Kill the drill” commenting on a front-page  New York Times story on the  steep drop in drilling activity that accompanied plunging oil prices and gas prices in early 2009. The Times… Read more [More...]

Guest Blog (Connie Cronley): Feeding the hungry, tearing down gates

Editor’s note: Over the past eight months it has been my privilege to spend one hour a week doing food prep at Iron Gate, one of Tulsa’s largest and most active food assistance programs. I invited Connie Cronley,  Iron Gate’s… Read more [More...]

New certification: Law changes led to $305 million of revenue enhancements for next year

Each year, the State Board of Equalization meets three times to review and approve projected revenues for the upcoming fiscal year – in December, February and June. At this year’s June meeting, which took place earlier this week, the Board… Read more [More...]

Guest Blog (John Thompson): An Obamamaniac's critique of the President's educational policies

From time to time, we use the OK Policy blog to post contributions that offer interesting perspectives on important policy issues for the state. John Thompson is an Oklahoma City teacher with 18 years of urban high school experience and… Read more [More...]

Tipped over: State's public broadcaster now doing less with less

For many state agencies, the first rounds of budget cuts over the past two years could be managed without greatly affecting key programs and services for the public. But as funding cuts go deeper and last longer, often a tipping… Read more [More...]

The public safety net at work

Today we released the 19th issue of our monthly Numbers You Need bulletin, which tracks monthly and quarterly data for key economic indicators. As in many recent months, the overall economic news was mixed: a slight increase in employment and… Read more [More...]

If you think this is bad…Federal fiscal relief funds averted budget doomsday

The state’s deep and prolonged budget crisis has taken a serious toll on public services in Oklahoma.  We have seen rate cuts to providers of community-based health services, elimination of violence prevention programs for at-risk youth, closures of facilities for… Read more [More...]

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