Here’s why: Oklahoma City Public Schools were like a stalled-out train languishing on the tracks when I became superintendent three-and-a-half years ago. The 10 years prior averaged one superintendent per year, and each had a unique vision and plans to tackle this district’s enormous problems; but laying the tracks and the path for success require […]
Commentary
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Keeping an industry from fading to black
With 46 states currently offering incentives, productions will have no shortage of other options to serve as Oklahoma’s photo double. It’s all about the bottom line. The film rebate is what the name implies: a rebate to productions on taxable transactions in the state, capped at $5 million annually. Included are items such as labor, […]
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The tipping point for families
In the U.S., most of us get it. We can’t spend a trillion dollars of borrowed money every year. The more we borrow without growth, the faster we hit that tipping point. There is a different “debt bomb” accelerating the tipping point in our nation. It is the ever-growing cost of the U.S. safety net […]
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Remembering an Oklahoma civil libertarian
Working side by side with him for 17 years, I often said I spent more time with him than I spent with my family. As the “other half of my brain,” we worked daily to meet the challenges of civil liberty violations in Oklahoma. We were a true team with a common cause, and we […]
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Time for tax credit reform
One reason was laid bare in a recent series of legislative hearings I was privileged to chair: We waste too many of your tax dollars on unnecessary, giveaway tax credits to businesses. The tax credit task force examined how and why past legislatures had granted tax credits to specific industries. We found little rhyme or […]
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Remembering Anthony Shadid
That easy laughter made me underestimate him. Later, when we were both studying journalism at colleges out of state, we met up two or three times for beers over Christmas break. I remember being surprised and impressed by his passion in discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This guy is going places, I thought to myself. And […]
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Perils of ‘Personhood’
If your hand is in the air, you are in luck. An Oklahoma state Senate committee last week passed Senate Bill 1433, “The Personhood Act,” as its first step toward becoming law. This measure states that life begins at conception, so a single-cell fertilized egg has “all the rights, privileges, and immunities available to other […]
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Laura Massenat: involved and independent
In urban public school districts such as ours, where challenges are many and resources are limited, the importance of electing qualified, engaged board members cannot be underestimated. Change for the better can only occur with great effort and commitment to the future of the children growing up in our city. We’re fortunate to have three […]
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Point: Phase out state personal income tax
On Nov. 29, 2011, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs and Dr. Art Laffer, an economic adviser to President Ronald Reagan, released the findings of a new research study. If Oklahoma were to phase out its income tax over a 10-year period without raising any other tax rates or burdens, Oklahoma would have the lowest […]
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Counterpoint: Scrapping tax won’t help economy
In the last few months several legislators joined with the Governor’s Task Force on Economic Development to urge Oklahoma to gradually eliminate the state’s personal income tax over the next 10 years. Consequently, it would not be a surprise if legislators will be asked to vote on the idea. Unfortunately, the evidence indicates that eliminating […]