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…
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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…
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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…
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On September 30th, I attended a Leadership OK conference with an emphasis on health. Oklahoma and the United States have some disturbing statistics related to our health, specifically the obesity rates. The surprising part is how far reaching the implications are.…
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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. …
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By:
Paul Shinn
October 8, 2009 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Today we released our long-awaited Online Budget Guide, a comprehensive resource exploring how Oklahoma’s state and local government collect and spend money to provide public services. While the Guide is packed full of facts and figures and works as both…
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By:
Paul Shinn
October 6, 2009 // Updated: May 1, 2019
The House of Representatives Appropriation and Budget Committee recently held hearings on an interim study of State Question 744. State Question 744, also known as the HOPE petition, is an initiative sponsored by the Oklahoma Education Association (OEA) that would…
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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…
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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…
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By:
Paul Shinn
September 30, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) hosts its annual Fall Forum in Edmond on October 13 and 14. This unique event brings together hundreds of opinion leaders and advocates to identify issues affecting children. Participants work together to help…
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