September 2009 Volume 16 Number 9
- Strategic Revision: New Citizenship Survey Supplants Old
- July 19, 2010
- By Brandon Dutcher
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion,” goes an old saying attributed to Daniel Patrick Moynihan, “but not to his own facts.”
Read More >
- Leading Analysts Back School Choice for Special Needs, Early Childhood
- September 01, 2009
By Patrick B. McGuigan
In recent months, Oklahoma has become a hotbed for substantive discussion of educational policy.
At the July 27 Oklahoma Economic Summit on Early Childhood Investment, three prominent analysts, including Nobel Prize-winning economist Dr. James Heckman, made the case for increased spending on early childhood education. And in response to a question from this writer, Heckman reiterated his support for school choice, saying it "engages both the private sector and the public sector in production of ideas to meet educational needs." There ought to be "multiple, diverse modes of delivery," Heckman added. "The process of experimentation is necessary, to involve the private sector in development."
Read More >
- A New Oklahoma Standard
- September 01, 2009
By Patrick B. McGuigan
Instead of growing government, let's allow individual Oklahomans to use tobacco-settlement money to buy high-deductible, mandate-free, private-sector health insurance for themselves-without involving employers or the government.
Read More >
- Government Spending in Oklahoma: A Runaway Train
- September 01, 2009
- By J. Scott Moody and Wendy P. Warcholik
When it comes to government spending in Oklahoma, the 800-pound gorilla in the room that everyone ignores is the simple question, Should government grow faster than people's ability to pay?
Read More >
- Oklahoma Government Jobs Up, Private Jobs Down
- September 01, 2009
- By Brandon Dutcher
While Oklahoma's private sector has shed more than 36,000 jobs during this recession, one sector of the state economy has shown itself to be remarkably recession-proof: government. Oklahoma's state and local governments have added 8,600 jobs since the recession began.
Read More >
- The Constitution as Guide
- September 01, 2009
- By Brett A. Magbee
Can you fathom what is happening to our country?
A lot of people seem to believe there is no end to what government should provide. Now it's nationalized health care. While that debate rages on, it seems to me that such issues clearly demonstrate that we are straying away from the Constitution, the document about which George Washington once said, "The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon." That reflected the mindset of our country's founders.
Read More >
- Quote/Unquote
- September 01, 2009
- "We
have an organ of the state that is competing with private insurers for
premium dollars for workers' comp. It's a fundamental issue of what is
the proper function of government. Is it to compete with private
enterprise? We think not."
State Rep. Dan Sullivan (R-Tulsa), co-chairman of the Task Force on the Privatization of CompSource Oklahoma Read More >
Pages: 1
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

