Category Archives: Business

OK Electricity prices surge

By David Arnett

A newly released report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration reveals that Oklahoma’s electricity prices are climbing at the fastest rate in the nation. From June 2021 to June 2022, electricity prices surged from 7.3 cents per kilowatt hour to 10.87 cents per kilowatt hour across all sectors (residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation).

That 49 percent increase is the largest percentage increase experienced by consumers in any state. Among all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the average electricity cost increase across all sectors was just 14 percent.

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Premium shopping expands south

By David Arnett

Simon Premium Outlets is a visible sign of a metro accomplishment as they resume development of Tulsa Premium Outlets in Jenks.

Rich Brierre, Executive Director, Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG) said, “The major metro area of Tulsa has grown to over 1 million people – that’s a major milestone.”

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Biden’s “Raising Taxes, Increasing Inflation Act”

By Mike Mazzei

Analysis: I call the Biden and Schumer spending bill that was signed into law last week, “The Raising Taxes and Increasing Inflation Act.” The leftist takeover of the Democrat party by socialist Marxists is now complete. John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton wouldn’t have been caught dead raising taxes during the middle of an economic slowdown.

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Special interests ride taxpayers

By Mike Mazzei

A billion here and a billion there of wasted money! Over the last many years, certain special interest groups have managed to ride the coattails of Oklahoma taxpayers to great profits.

As a free market capitalist, I am always in favor of entrepreneurs making tremendous profits when they provide great products and services to customers. However, I cringe when hardworking Oklahomans pay up big time for special interest groups to fuel the gravy train of subsidized revenues. And people wonder why we can’t pay our teachers enough or we’re still forced to require taxes on personal income!

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Tulsa Gen X above average ownership

By David Arnett

Young buyers in any generation have a hard time buying homes because they tend to earn less, and have less in savings or existing equity than older buyers. However, the analysis found that in the Tulsa metro area, 17.0% of Gen Z householders own their home, compared to 15.0% nationally.

But Gen Z—the population of Americans born between 1997 and 2012—faces even greater challenges: student debt, increasing rents, and unprecedented growth in home prices have put homeownership further out of reach. Market conditions have the largest impact on where Gen Z is able to buy homes, with more affordable locations being more likely to have higher numbers of young homeowners. To determine the locations with the highest Gen Z homeownership rate, researchers calculated the homeownership rate for householders aged 15–24 in 2020 and ranked metros accordingly.

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