September 2008 Volume 15 Number 9
- Oklahomans Want Limited Government, Lower Taxes
- September 01, 2008
- Source: Cole Hargrave Snodgrass & Associates, telephone interviews of 500 registered voters in the state of Oklahoma, August 11-15, 2008. The confidence interval associated with a sample of this type is such that 95 percent of the time results will be within +/- 4.3 percent of the true values, i.e., the results obtained if it were possible to interview all the qualified respondents. Read More >
- Mandates or Markets?
- September 01, 2008
- Oklahoma stands on the brink of a major decision on health care policy.
By Patrick B. McGuiganEarlier this year, the Oklahoma Comprehensive Health Independence Plan, or O-CHIP, was introduced into the intensifying debate over what direction our state will take on arguably the most immediate of many pressing economic challenges.
Read More >
- Oklahoma at the Crossroads of Health Care Reform
- September 01, 2008
- Oklahoma
tried to jump on the bandwagon of health care reform 10 years ago.
Unfortunately, it was the wrong bandwagon. Since the creation of the
Oklahoma Health Care Authority in 1994, the state has been flirting
with a Clinton-style health care system which has disrupted patients,
health care providers, and the state budget. Oklahoma is now at a
crossroads in health care.
Read More >
- Why the Founders Would Join OCPA
- September 01, 2008
- By J. Rufus Fears
The days that followed September 11 have presented our country with a challenge every bit as great as that faced by the generation of the American Revolution. But there is one critical difference. At the time of the Revolution, there was true bipartisan support for the difficult task of liberty that lay ahead.
Read More >
- Light Bulb Lunacy
- September 01, 2008
- By David Deming
How many people does it take to change a light bulb? Four hundred, if the people in question are members of the United States Congress.
That's how many senators and representatives voted last December to ban incandescent light bulbs.
Read More >
- A Senator in the ‘No’
- September 01, 2008
- By Edwin J. Feulner
Some years back, a newspaper comic strip showed lemmings running toward a cliff. One said to another, "Don't worry, this was a bipartisan decision."
That, in a nutshell, is how Washington sometimes works. As long as both parties agree to an idea, everyone assumes the idea must be correct. Even if it's not. Consider spending.
Read More >
- Politicians’ Power Dwarfs the Rich
- September 01, 2008
- By Arnold Kling
There's no shortage of harping about the exorbitant incomes of America's superstar entertainers, CEOs, investment bankers, and others. But have you ever considered American excess in terms of political power?
As unseemly as it may be for America's wealthiest people to strive for more money, America's political class is far worse. They have a ridiculous excess of power, and yet they only want more.
Read More >
- The Audacity of HOPE
- September 01, 2008
- By Brandon Dutcher
"There's a tradition in education," former New York City school chancellor Frank Macchiarola once observed, "that if you spend a dollar and it doesn't work, you should spend two dollars; and not only that, you should give those two dollars to the same person who couldn't do the job with only one."
Read More >
- The Facts Notwithstanding, Preschool Evangelists Believe
- September 01, 2008
- By Adam Schaeffer
Last month in Perspective ("Oklahoma Preschool Study Provides No Evidence of Lasting Benefits") I pointed out that Oklahoma's NAEP scores suggest no return on the state's massive and celebrated investment in preschool over the past 18 years.
Read More >
- In Praise of (and Sympathy for) Teachers
- September 01, 2008
- By Chester E. Finn, Jr.
The new school year is upon us, and it's time for a word in appreciation of teachers.
Observing a focus group recently that pulled together a dozen AP teachers from a strong suburban school system, I was struck anew by their intelligence, their selflessness, their energy, their patience, the depth of their commitment to their work, and their genuine concern for the well-being and advancement of their youthful charges. Bravo for them and the many thousands of others like them without whom our schools could not function and would not produce even today's mixed results.
Read More >
Make a Donation
Want to invest in the work of OCPA, the state's premier public policy think tank? Make a donation today!
Perspective
Check out OCPA's monthly journal, Perspective, which contains articles, information and analysis on timely policy issues. View current or View Archived.
Spend-O-Meter
How Fast Does State Government Spend Your Money? See Details