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Another storm, another prayer for God's mercy on Oklahoma May 21, 2013 A row of backpacks on hooks in a roofless grade school corridor. This is just one of many images that will stay with us because they represent the horror without actually being the horror. The fate of the students, the fate of their teachers. The fears of parents helpless to help when their children needed them... Read More

Imperfect legacy for Oklahoma Democratic Party chairman May 21, 2013 Among the accomplishments that Wallace Collins can cite as chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party is an increase in the number of Barack Obama photographs hanging in party offices. While he was putting up photos, Oklahoma voters were taking down the party. Obama got only 57 percent of the vote in the state... Read More

LNG project approval a sign of progress May 21, 2013 It isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but considering the Obama administration's loathing of non-green energy sources, the news that a Texas company may soon be allowed to ship natural gas overseas is cause for some celebration. The United States is awash in natural gas, which has depressed the market and... Read More

Oklahoma Legislature, governor should back effort to fund museum projects May 20, 2013 AFTER years of stop-and-start progress, the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum may be nearing the finish line. A Senate budget committee has voted to fund the museum's completion by earmarking $40 million in use taxes over several years. Use taxes are paid on out-of-state and online purchases in lieu of... Read More

Obamacare insurance exchange costs keeps growing May 20, 2013 Gov. Mary Fallin's critics still haven't forgiven her for turning down a $54 million federal grant to set up a state-run insurance exchange. These exchanges, mandated by Obamacare, will supposedly help the uninsured obtain subsidized coverage. Fallin concluded that federal regulations would make the exchange... Read More

Excessive state job protections unneeded May 20, 2013 State Rep. Mike Christian, R-Oklahoma City, claims lawmakers “beat the hell out of our state employees all session.” That outburst was prompted by a bill making some state employee jobs at-will positions. In other words, those government employees would face the same job security as the vast majority of... Read More

President Obama should follow his own advice to graduates May 19, 2013 IN a commencement speech to Ohio State University graduates on May 5, President Barack Obama said this: “You've grown up hearing voices that incessantly warn of government as nothing more than some separate, sinister entity that's at the root of all our problems. ... They'll warn that tyranny is always lurking... Read More

Gov. Mary Fallin right to veto measure to raise school reserve cap May 19, 2013 THIS year's state budget agreement includes an additional $91 million for public schools, but education boosters say the total school budget remains around $200 million lower (inflation adjusted) than what was spent in 2008 and student enrollment has increased by more than 30,000 since then. Yet at the same time... Read More

ScissorTales: Oklahoma DNA testing bill worthwhile May 18, 2013 OKLAHOMA inmates who believe they were wrongly convicted of a violent crime may soon have a new tool available to help prove their point. The House gave its approval this week to House Bill 1068, which would let those serving sentences of 25 years or more petition the sentencing court for DNA testing. Oklahoma is... Read More

Keystone pipeline protesters paying at the pump May 17, 2013 By our reckoning, the protesters trying to stall an oil pipeline have consumed copious amounts of gasoline getting to and from protest sites and to fuel the police cars taking them to jail. As far as we know, no bicycles have been confiscated when the protesters are arrested for chaining themselves to construction... Read More

Oklahoma House minority leader cooks up unappetizing resolution May 17, 2013 Thousands of Oklahomans participated in a food drive last weekend when letter carriers picked up canned foods at mailboxes for distribution to regional food banks and local food pantries. This voluntary, nonpolitical event is in stark contrast to what Oklahoma House Democrats tried to make of the issue of hunger... Read More

As study unfolds, Oklahoma prison guards hoping for a cool August May 17, 2013 OKLAHOMA made it through the past two broiling summers without a major prison brawl — remarkable, really, considering the state's lockups are packed with groups that don't like each other, in facilities that aren't fully air conditioned. And, with little to stop inmates if they do decide to rumble. Only... Read More

Caution urged in forecasting Oklahoma tax revenue trends May 16, 2013 WEATHER trends are often cited to support political positions, such as those either pushing a climate change agenda or opposing that agenda. It's dangerous, though, to put too much stock in short-term temperature or precipitation trends when formulating a policy stance. The same is true of government revenue... Read More

Tax increase barriers spur fee increases in Oklahoma May 15, 2013 The ultimate “user fee” in Oklahoma has risen exponentially over the years. Every increase has drawn complaints, but people keep paying. We're referring to the tolls that drivers pay to use turnpikes. Those who don't drive on toll roads don't pay tolls, which not only fund the cost of construction but... Read More

'Leveling the playing field' can be problematic May 15, 2013 Something must be done! With that as their rallying cry, some public high schools upset that private schools in Oklahoma were winning multiple championships in football and boys basketball worked to get the rules changed a few years ago. Private schools that enjoy sustained success in any sport now pay for it by... Read More

Oklahoma lawmakers should make Florida-style Medicaid reform a priority in 2014 May 15, 2013 ON Oct. 11, 2010, Moise Brutus was in a motorcycle accident. He awoke from a coma three days later as a triple amputee, having lost both legs and his left hand. In many ways that nightmare scenario was made worse by what followed when Brutus experienced life in the traditional Medicaid system. “It was really... Read More