Commentary

There’s been a lot of talk recently about wind turbines and natural gas and how they fit into Oklahoma’s future. T. Boone Pickens, a political conservative and one of Oklahoma State University’s important benefactors, wants Oklahomans and Americans to lasso the prairie winds for electricity and build cars to run on natural gas, which burns […]

Politicos are salivating after the first round of the 2008 elections, but judging by voter turnout statewide, they are the only ones. According to the Oklahoma State Election Board, voter turnout for the recent July primary capped at a whopping 18 percent ” not exactly record breaking. But, there is change in the air ” […]

Some of you may be old enough to have experienced the moment you realized you were becoming your parents. We find ourselves saying to our kids the things our parents said to us. Here’s where I really start sounding like my parents: They have never had to sacrifice or do without. Most prefer to use […]

It is difficult to imagine being a supporter of Sen. John McCain with an economy like this. The defining difference between Democrats and Republicans is that the latter believes that the marketplace can solve all the problems of life. Cut taxes on the rich, de-regulate business, put industry foxes in charge of the regulatory hen […]

The question of inequality, both social and economic, is typical of how liberals ” and Barack Obama specifically ” just don’t get it. They focus on the extremes of rich and poor and ignore the great American middle class. In seeking to assuage their guilt for their comfortable lives, today’s limousine liberals push for policies […]

T. Boone Pickens, legendary oilman and Oklahoma university benefactor, has a plan to relieve our oil addiction, that pesky substance abuse problem first identified by President Bush in January 2006. With crude oil prices hovering around $140 per barrel, Boone says payments for our nearly 70 percent import requirement represent “the greatest transfer of wealth […]

If you’ve ever had the fleeting thought that child abuse doesn’t affect you, then you may want to consider some eye-opening statistics: Children who suffer abuse or neglect are 59 percent more likely to become juvenile delinquents, 28 percent more likely to be arrested as adults and 30 percent more likely to become violent criminals, […]

Oklahoma should be trying to make college affordable for as many of its residents as possible, yet the state continues to drastically raise tuition rates.  Virtually every leader in the state publicly agrees we cannot expand the economy and improve the quality of life without higher education. Why then does Oklahoma make it more difficult […]

Will common sense prevail in state government? It seems we have a good start. Rep. Mike Shelton, D-Oklahoma City, held a public hearing July 9 to discuss the possibility of flexible or compressed work schedules ” essentially a four-day workweek ” for state employees. Shelton noted that employees of state agencies could cut their commuting […]

In no other area is the need for a John McCain presidency (and the risks of a Barack Obama presidency) more apparent than the war in Iraq. As the Donald Rumsfeld “small footprint” strategy became an obvious disaster, McCain called for a counterinsurgency strategy to deal with the realities on the ground. Meanwhile, fellow senator […]