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Mandate could force some core Democrats to bail on president Published: Sun, May 27, 2012 WEDGE politics typically involves using an issue to divide your opponent from potential supporters. President Obama has flipped the practice on its head. He's using wedge politics on his own supporters. Nowhere is that more apparent than the controversy over the administration's mandate for all employers to... Read More
Selling state assets an idea that merits further review Published: Sun, May 27, 2012 FEW people may remember this now, but when the EDGE endowment fund was first proposed an actual funding source was identified. The working group headed by now-Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis and former Gov. David Walters not only suggested creating a $1 billion endowment to fund research, but also... Read More
ScissorTales: Foundation helping OKC school district meet challenges Published: Sat, May 26, 2012 FLYING to New York City and performing on television was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a Star Spencer High School stomp team. Robotics teams from three schools built trust and confidence as they built robots. The Douglass High School marching band's performances in Louisiana and Texas generated conversations... Read More
Oklahoma lawmakers spike sensible child-support bill Published: Fri, May 25, 2012 Occasionally, legislative votes are real head-scratchers. Opposition to a child support measure certainly falls into that category. House Joint Resolution 1113, by state Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City, would have approved Department of Human Services rules allowing the agency to recoup part of the cost of... Read More
Oklahoma House members kick the can on Capitol bond issue Published: Fri, May 25, 2012 It apparently will fall to Oklahoma voters to fix the state Capitol. The men and women who occupy the building have no stomach for it. The House of Representatives voted 77-15 Wednesday against a $200 million bond issue to pay for repairs at the Capitol, which has been in bad shape for years. Rep. Earl Sears,... Read More
Facebook is latest example of U.S. economy's dynamism Published: Fri, May 25, 2012 THE saga of Facebook's initial public offering has been fascinating. Those who had the chance to invest in the company during its early days are now millionaires, leading many to wish they were among that crew in a business-world version of lottery winner envy. Truth be told, we doubt most of us would have seized... Read More
Oklahoma lawmakers doing some good things on tax front Published: Thu, May 24, 2012 WITH the hubbub surrounding the income tax plan, it's easy to overlook the fact Oklahoma lawmakers are doing some good things on the tax front. Perhaps one of the most important bills advancing this year would block what critics say would be one of the biggest tax increases in state history. Senate Joint... Read More
Something about Mary Fallin still woos Oklahoma voters Published: Thu, May 24, 2012 If Gov. Mary Fallin's all-out support for ending the personal income tax is unpopular, it's not showing up in her approval ratings. Fallin announced her tax phaseout in early February. She's had to compromise since then, but this hasn't diminished her popularity. The Sooner Survey says Fallin is as popular as any... Read More
EDGE fund's demise a blow to Oklahoma's tech sector Published: Thu, May 24, 2012 After just six years Oklahoma's EDGE fund is apparently gone for good, a victim of what we see a lot at the Legislature — patchwork repairs instead of any real long-term planning. EDGE stands for Economic Development Generating Excellence. The original idea in 2003 was for the state to create a $1 billion... Read More
A frightening end to a big night in Oklahoma City Published: Wed, May 23, 2012 Sports celebrations marred by violence happen in other U.S. cities, not ours. Or so we thought. The shootings Monday night of eight people following the Thunder's victory over the Los Angeles Lakers were sad and unfortunate. But mostly they were frightening, and that's not good. Fear shouldn't be part of the... Read More
Oklahoma lawmaker tries new way to weaken graduation law Published: Wed, May 23, 2012 Another day, another effort to gut Oklahoma's graduation standards. This time it's Broken Arrow Republican Rep. David Brumbaugh leading the charge for mediocrity. In plain English, Brumbaugh's House Bill 3130 says schools don't have to teach up to 3 percent of students. Apparently, he's fine with writing off... Read More
Republican base takes a hit with GOP-backed tax cut Published: Wed, May 23, 2012 REPUBLICANS usually claim the mantle of the “family friendly” political party through support for traditional values and policies that benefit parents with young children. That reputation may take a hit thanks to the GOP tax-cut plan. The plan includes both a rate reduction and the loss of some middle-class... Read More
For some Oklahomans, benefit of tax cut plan is difficult to find Published: Tue, May 22, 2012 A line in “True Grit” (1969 version) has a Fort Smith boardinghouse lodger joking about the entree on offer for the evening meal. “Watch out for the chicken and dumplings,” he says. “They'll hurt your eyes.” Why? “They'll hurt your eyes looking for the chicken.” Some Oklahomans looking for the... Read More
Female pol ranks being filled by conservative Republicans Published: Tue, May 22, 2012 Nebraska state Sen. Deb Fischer recently shocked the political world with an upset victory in that state's U.S. Senate GOP primary. Only months before, Fischer badly trailed her two better-known male rivals — Nebraska's attorney general and state treasurer. Now she's the favorite to win the general election. An... Read More
Mild weather would help farmers' crops, and insurance rates Published: Tue, May 22, 2012 Oklahoma's weather makes the state a tough market for insurers. Ice storms, hail storms, tornados, and most recently earthquakes, make this a challenging and expensive arena for insurance providers. Catastrophic, insured property losses topped a historic $1 billion in Oklahoma in recent years due to an onslaught of... Read More
Report card gives Oklahoma high mark for small-business friendliness Published: Mon, May 21, 2012 Oklahoma's Southern hospitality extends to our small-business climate. A recent nationwide survey of entrepreneurs provided a generous helping of good news as the state achieved an overall rank of third. The report card from Thumbtack.com and the Kauffman Foundation awarded Oklahoma an A+ for overall... Read More
Proposals to reform DHS merit Legislature's support Published: Mon, May 21, 2012 This week lawmakers are expected to take up legislation reforming the Department of Human Services, including a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would eliminate the current DHS oversight commission, and a bill allowing the governor to appoint the agency director with Senate confirmation. On the... Read More
State laws can't cover every problem stemming from bullying Published: Mon, May 21, 2012 KIRK Smalley isn't exaggerating when he says bullying is a life-or-death matter. We've all heard the stories of children who killed themselves after relentless teasing and bullying. Smalley's son, Ty, committed suicide two years ago. Ty's parents believe their son had grown weary of being bullied. Smalley appeared... Read More
How electricity's made not as important as how it gets to the outlet Published: Sun, May 20, 2012 SOCIETY frets so much about how electricity is made (gas vs. coal vs. wind vs. etc.) and so little about how power leaves the generating plant. At the other end, customers fret so much about outages caused by the weather's effect on residential lines and so little about how power gets to a neighborhood in the... Read More
Oklahoma's heritage won't change, even if demographics do Published: Sun, May 20, 2012 WHITES of European ancestry now represent less than half of all births in the United States. In many Oklahoma counties, at least 25 percent of children younger than 5 are minorities, due largely to American Indians and Hispanics. U.S. Census Bureau numbers indicate that immigration isn't the main cause of the... Read More
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