Commentary

GREEN MOUNTAIN FALLS, Colo. ” I write from a small cabin perched on the shoulder of Pikes Peak where my family goes in July to pull the plug on the “wired life.” We have no television set (and don’t miss it), no Internet access (and only occasionally miss it), and no urgent business other than […]

I spent some time with a group of college students in a business internship discussing leadership and success. During the question-and-answer session, I got the “can we find a decent career in Oklahoma, or should we move to a bigger city or state?” question. My answer was simple: There are plenty of opportunities here and […]

Edmond says it has an underage drinking problem, and so does Yukon and Enid. Soon we will be told we have a problem throughout the state and folks will be asking our legislators to write a statewide social host law ” a law that will punish anyone older than 21 who permits younger folks to […]

Issues of affirmative action and racial integration are again in the public eye. The recent Supreme Court decision in Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education and also a Seattle case are lauded as progress toward a race-neutral society and decried as overturning Brown v. the Board of Education. Closer to home, in Oklahoma, expect […]

In health care, we currently have choice for those who can afford it and government subsidies for those who cannot to help them go to public or private hospitals. What we lack is a sufficient level of universality ” the working class gets left out. Meanwhile, in education, we have universality for public schools, but […]

Call it “reportitis” or report burnout, but Oklahomans have to be tired of hearing about all the latest studies and rankings that show the state has major problems.   One of the most recent reports by The Commonwealth Fund shows the state tied with Mississippi for worst overall health care performance in the nation. Mississippi? […]

Several recent stories highlight the inefficiency of government and the often tragic results that follow. By April 20, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services had learned about a day care program operator who had hit a child with a flyswatter. Worse, the operator had a history of child care violations.   DHS delayed closing the […]

If everything Midas touched turned to gold, then surely everything George W. Bush touches turns to blood. He now has accomplished something that no other U.S. president can claim: starting a Palestinian civil war. The others were hoping for a unified Palestinian state.   In fact, civil war is one of the president’s most successful […]

In a May 25 editorial, Gov. Brad Henry encouraged readers to “see Oklahoma first” this summer, and soon I will be sending the “Read Y’All” governor an invoice for a replacement keyboard. You see, I spit coffee out of my mouth with such velocity upon reading his comment that my keyboard was forced to find […]

“Front-loaded.” “First, at all costs.” “Super Tuesday.” “Super-Duper Tuesday.” If you haven’t already heard these buzz words, get ready.   Just eight months from now, on Feb. 5, 2008, the atmosphere will be positively pulsating with media coverage and blog talk of early presidential primary elections being held in more than 20 states, including Oklahoma. […]