Tower of Debt (Guest Post: Camille Landry)

Camille Landry is a writer, activist, and social justice advocate who lives in Oklahoma City.  This post is part of our “Neglected Oklahoma” series, which tells the stories of Oklahomans in situations where the basic necessities of life are hard… Read more [More...]

Chamber study fails to make persuasive case for maintaining oil and gas tax breaks

The cost of tax breaks for oil and gas production in Oklahoma is escalating rapidly. This fiscal year and next, total incentives for oil and gas production in the  form of lower tax rates and rebates are projected to exceed… Read more [More...]

Do you want fries with that? (Guest Post: Camille Landry)

Camille Landry is a writer, activist, and social justice advocate who lives in Oklahoma City.  This post is part of our “Neglected Oklahoma” series, which tells the stories of Oklahomans in situations where the basic necessities of life are hard… Read more [More...]

Obamacare destroying jobs? Not so fast.

Three years after it was signed into law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as Obamacare) remains contentious. Critics have especially focused on a provision that requires businesses with 50 or more full-time employees to offer affordable health insurance… Read more [More...]

The eggs have it (Guest Post: Shauna Struby)

Shauna Lawyer Struby is the co-founder of Transition OKC, a catalyst for healthier, more resilient and sustainable communities. She lives in Oklahoma City with her family and two remarkably affable cats.  After decades of relative obscurity, urban agricultural practices that… Read more [More...]

[Read This] Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much

I had the opportunity recently to hear Princeton psychologist Eldar Shafir talk about the research and principles behind his new book (co-written with Harvard economist Sendhil Mullainathan), “Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much.”  The premise of the book… Read more [More...]

She’s got no ticket to ride (Guest Post: Camille Landry)

Camille Landry is a writer, activist, and social justice advocate who lives in Oklahoma City.  This post is part of our “Neglected Oklahoma” series, which tells the stories of Oklahomans in situations where the basic necessities of life are hard… Read more [More...]

Reducing Economic Inequality: It’s about wealth, not jobs (Guest Post: Mark Funkhouser)

Mark Funkhouser, a former Kansas City mayor and auditor, is the director of the Governing Institute, where this post originally appeared.  It is reposted with permission. Inequality of wealth and income in the United States is as high as it… Read more [More...]

Crappy Holidays! Truly a ‘Black Friday’ for retail workers

Every holiday season, retailers lure throngs of shoppers with extended hours, blowout sales, and special deals.  The frantic sales environment is stressful for some shoppers, but it’s doubly so for most store employees.  Oklahomans working retail aren’t likely to see… Read more [More...]

Policy Basics: Oklahoma’s Food Security Safety Net

This year brought impressive economic growth for many Oklahomans. The state unemployment rate is among the lowest in the nation, and our economy is recovering rapidly from the Great Recession. Despite these encouraging indicators, Oklahomans also face serious challenges: rising… Read more [More...]