January 2004 Volume 11 Number 1

Heritage Foundation Scholar Questions Indecent Lesson Plans

January 01, 2004

Do you know what your children are learning in sex-education classes? If you're like most parents, the answer is no. But if the program is billed as "abstinence-based," you probably don't feel particularly concerned. The important thing, as far as you're concerned, is that your kids are being taught to say "no" to sex. But are they? The fact is, nearly all of the go... Read More >

Hype vs. Reality on Certified Teachers

January 01, 2004

On December 3, Superintendent Sandy Garrett announced with fanfare that 226 Oklahoma teachers had just received certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). This is supposed to be good news because, according to Garrett, having more teachers with "professional" certification "translates into better teachers in our classrooms." Is th... Read More >

School Choice Would Benefit Teachers

January 01, 2004

A largely overlooked advantage of school choice is the opportunity it presents public school teachers who, despite their constant assertion that they are professionals, at present are basically public employees. Unfortunately, not many teachers have thought of the benefits to them if parents could select the school the school their children attend. The opponents, primar... Read More >

Capitol Freedom Fund Campaign Underway

January 01, 2004

The Capitol Freedom Fund campaign is moving forward with great speed as more and more Oklahomans are contributing to the most exciting project in OCPA's history. If you have somehow missed our previous announcements, allow me to give you an update on current developments. The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, Inc., is designing a state-of-the-art headquarters facilit... Read More >

SQ 640 in the Crosshairs?

January 01, 2004

SQ 640 in the Crosshairs? Many Oklahomans have expressed concern over recent attempts by special-interest groups to thwart the people's will on issues like right to work and cockfighting. But could another popular constitutional provision also be in the crosshairs? In 1992 Oklahoma voters passed State Question 640 - a "pick-pocketing deterrent," cartoonist Jim Lange c... Read More >

Quote Unquote

January 01, 2004

?I would eliminate anything that has the word ?studies? in it: ethnic studies, women?s studies, cultural studies, American studies. That would free up about 25 percent of the therapeutic curriculum. Most of the new things that universities are trying to introduce are not academic subjects. They?re just popular culture dressed up as learning.? --Victor Davis Hanson, author ... Read More >

Oklahoma Has Thousands of Excess Government Employees

January 01, 2004

In years ending in two and seven, the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a Census of Governments. Data collected include state and local government employment levels and the compensation of those employees. In non-census years (years that don't end in two or seven) a sample is taken from the state and local government employee population. The results of the census taken on Mar... Read More >

Can Oklahoma Taxpayers Afford All This Overhead?

January 01, 2004

Russell Jones and Nancy McClure hit the nail on the head with their incisive analysis of the recently released United States Census of Governments data on state and local government employment in Oklahoma. Oklahoma may not be among the most affluent states in the nation, but it certainly has more workers than it needs and pays them well. Jones and McClure note that Oklahom... Read More >

The Taxman Clicketh

January 01, 2004

One of Feulner's Laws of Public Policy reads: "There are no permanent victories in Washington." These days, we're seeing that law borne out over Internet taxation. This looked settled years ago. Congress has voted twice - in 1998 and 2001 - to ban any taxes on Internet access. Those acts also prevented states from slapping any additional sales taxes on Internet purchase... Read More >

Reality Check on Teacher Retirement Reform

January 01, 2004

Now that the holidays are over, take a moment to think about how you planned your holiday travel. In all likelihood, your plans were based on children's and parents' vacation schedules, a comparison of available options, and considerations of cost and convenience. For most Oklahoma families, it is unlikely that much discussion went into the merits of hiring a chartered ... Read More >

Pages: 1 | 2

View Archived Items >