Tag: Oklahoma

'Flip It To Fix It' report offers an immediate, fair solution to state budget shortfalls

A study released today finds that inverting state tax structures—whereby the highest income earners would be taxed at the current percentage of income for the lowest income earners, and vice versa—would raise more than $4 billion in new revenue for… Read more [More...]

Get a job: Why restricting employment for ex-felons is counterproductive

Last Wednesday, Chris Linder was sworn into office as mayor of Pawnee, but he may not be allowed to serve. In 2000, Linder was convicted of a felony in Arizona for his role in a drug deal and gun battle.… Read more [More...]

Andrea Baker: Women in Recovery has changed my life forever

Note: The following are the remarks of Andrea Baker delivered at the signing ceremony for HB 2131, the corrections reform bill authored by House Speaker Kris Steele and Sen. Patrick Anderson. For more on the Women in Recovery program, read… Read more [More...]

Don't blame us: Legislature passes the buck while passing the bucks

The budget deal is done, and nearly every state agency is receiving another round of funding reductions. That leaves an important question: what programs will be cut to make up the loss? How cuts are distributed will have a huge… Read more [More...]

A Perilous Path: Final version of HB 1446 shows greater caution but still goes too far

With just days left in the legislative session, HB 1446 is the only immigration bill that remains alive out of several dozen introduced this session. Last week, the conference committee report for HB 1446 was introduced. Compared to the original… Read more [More...]

The FY '12 budget agreement: Playing your best hand with only half your cards

On Tuesday, Governor Fallin and the Republican leadership of the House and Senate announced an agreement on the FY ’12 budget. Total state appropriations for next year will be $6.511 billion, which is $254 million, or 3.8 percent less than… Read more [More...]

Phantom Menace: Fear of "lurking taxes" may deepen budget holes

One might imagine that with a $500 million budget shortfall for the upcoming year and the strong likelihood of chronic shortfalls for years to come, Oklahoma legislators would not want to jeopardize millions in annual state and local tax revenue… Read more [More...]

Out of the Mouths of Babes: Legislature moves to cut child nutrition benefits

The Oklahoma legislature is poised to deal a major blow to non-profits and faith-based organizations who help administer the WIC program.  The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program is a federally-funded, state-administered nutrition service for low-income women, infants and children… Read more [More...]

Short-changed on a health exchange

In the new national health care law (the Affordable Care Act, or ACA), exchanges are state-level competitive marketplaces for individuals and small businesses to purchase insurance. After winning a $54 million Early Innovator grant earlier this year, Oklahoma was poised… Read more [More...]

Inequality Matters: How growing disparities erode public structures and political community

David Stockmann was director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Reagan and once a leading advocate of supply-side economics. Yet In a recent New York Times op-ed, he makes a point most frequently heard from liberals and… Read more [More...]