January 2010 Volume 17 Issue 1
- News Operation Will Help Fill a Gap
- January 01, 2010
- By Patrick B. McGuigan
Editor, CapitolBeatOKIn the mid-1990s, nearly 1,000 reporters covered state capitols across the 50 states. Today, capitol press corps numbers have shrunk to around 300 in all. In Oklahoma, falling advertising revenue and paid subscriptions have led publishers of many newspapers to reduce staff, causing cutbacks in both statehouse and investigative reporting.
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- Public School Results at Elite Prep-School Prices
- January 01, 2010
- By Steve Anderson
What is the truth about per-pupil spending in Oklahoma?
The state's most powerful labor union, the Oklahoma Education Association (OEA), says we spend $7,615 per pupil in Oklahoma. The union gets this number from the National Center for Education Statistics. But I have conducted a comprehensive examination of public education spending in Oklahoma for the 2007-08 school year (the latest year for which actual data are available), and I estimate the real number is $10,257 per pupil.
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- Better Schools through Better Accounting
- January 01, 2010
- By Tom Daxon and Brandon Dutcher
Getting real value for money is always a laudable goal, but even more so in today's tough economic environment. This is especially critical in education, the linchpin of our state's prospects for future growth. The Oklahoma economy is making strides, but we still struggle to fund government services while maintaining a competitive environment. It is especially vital for the state to get value for the money it spends on education.
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- Oklahomans Travel to Pennsylvania to Explore School Choice
- January 01, 2010
- By Patrick B. McGuigan
A group of Oklahomans interested in exploring expansive examples of school choice traveled to Philadelphia November 16 and 17. They visited Spruce Hill Christian School, talked with legislators like black Democrat state Sen. Anthony Williams of Philadelphia, and participated in long exchanges with people who have made inner-city education reform a reality.
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- The Medicaid Nuclear Option
- January 01, 2010
- By Michael Franc
The legislative process inevitably fathers unintended consequences. The more complex and ambitious the legislative endeavor, the more numerous are its by-blows.
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- Just Say No to Oklahoma Tax Hikes
- January 01, 2010
- By Brandon Dutcher
Perhaps you've seen various straight-news stories in Oklahoma about state budget cuts, furloughs, and "revenue shortfalls of near-catastrophic proportions" (how's that for objectivity?).
But with all this reportage on the state budget, where's the concern for your family budget?
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- Opting Out of ObamaCare
- January 01, 2010
- By Christie Herrera
It's been several weeks since Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid floated the idea that states could "opt out" of the government-run health insurance plan. But it's been nearly a year since a growing coalition of lawmakers in 24 states began crafting an opt-out strategy of its own.
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- 2010: Happy New Year!
- January 01, 2010
- By Brett A. Magbee
Ever think about how refreshing it is to start a new year? It's when all the New Year's resolutions begin. A new year is like a new beginning when people have a lot of hopes for the future and therefore make a lot of promises. It's a time when they believe that nothing can stop them from accomplishing what they have set out to achieve.
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- Quote/Unquote
- January 01, 2010
- "We try to convince politicians to stop wasting our money and stealing our freedom, but a more permanent solution may be to incarcerate them." Read More >
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