Commentary

A proposal to provide new license plates to Oklahoma drivers passed the state House in mid-March and is expected to gain Senate approval without significant opposition. The legislation will provide new metal license plates ” not just press-on renewal stickers ” for an estimated 3.1 million vehicles in the state.   Supporters of the bill […]

How would you feel if someone in your family were called a “little fruitcake?” If you were black, how would you feel if someone said publicly that “all of your children were born out of wedlock”? Or if you’re a veteran, and were facetiously called a “goddamn hero?”   If you were one of the […]

When someone recorded Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, making vile, homophobic comments, she thought no one would hear them but the hard-core faithful. Now it’s another national embarrassment for Oklahoma. Her defense is almost as ludicrous as her tactics are shameful: that she is entitled to her opinion and that any and all anti-gay rhetoric […]

So, last week, I’m driving around Oklahoma City and I keep seeing these little signs that proclaim “Big League City.” My mind recalls the riff “brand new state!” at the beginning of the song “Oklahoma.”   The fresh scent of boosterism was in the air, as the branding of Oklahoma City continued. The “yes” vote […]

An Oklahoma House bill called “The Religious Viewpoints Anti-discrimination Act” is just another deceptive initiative to further erode the country’s constitutionally guaranteed separation of church and state.   The bill could ultimately lead to a myriad of lawsuits and administrative problems in state schools.   State Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, who has promoted religion-based […]

These have been a rough few months for the Oklahoma GOP.   The House of Representatives, the only locus of Republican power outside of the Corporation Commission, lost one speaker and another speaker presumptive. The lieutenant governor fulfilled her constitutional duties by reminding members of the GOP they are not in the majority by breaking […]

By the time you read this, it will all be settled. Oklahoma City will have either continued the national trend of subsidizing the construction or renovation of sports venues through tax dollars by passing “MAPS for Millionaires,” or struck a needed populist blow against it, inspiring others to “just say no.” I predict, alas, that […]

Plan A for the proposed Ford Center upgrade is a Tuesday vote to extend Oklahoma City’s 1-cent MAPS for Kids sales tax for a year to fund major improvements and another three months to build a practice facility for a professional basketball team, raising about $120 million.   If the Big League City sales tax […]

I’m proud of us Oklahomans. Like much of the country, we, too, showed up to vote on Feb. 5. Democrats and Republicans alike not only exercised a basic civic responsibility, but also clearly made many comments through our votes about our feelings toward the recent past, our hopes for the future, and what truly is […]

Don’t you just love it when elected officials see themselves as so much better than the rest of us? The latest example of this is five “lawmakers/breakers” who are too busy to file their income taxes. Republican former Speaker of the House Lance Cargill owned up to the violation by blaming his accountant! It’s always […]