Category Archives: State

Who Rewrites OK’S Constitution?

Analysis: Oklahoma may be approaching one of the most consequential constitutional debates since statehood and the immediate question sounds simple: Should Oklahoma hold another constitutional convention?

That question conceals several others that may be even more important. Who possesses the authority to put that question before the voters? Who should serve as delegates if the people approve a convention? Should sitting legislators be permitted to appoint themselves to the body empowered to propose a rewriting of the Constitution under which those same legislators exercise power? And how much representation should Oklahoma’s 77 counties have in a process that could fundamentally alter state government?

Continue reading

Schools Teach. Health Providers Treat.

Analysis: School-based healthcare is no longer limited to services traditionally connected to special education. Oklahoma already permits certain health-related and rehabilitative services through schools, while federal policy is encouraging states to expand school-based Medicaid and behavioral-health services. At the same time, school-based health centers can introduce a broader healthcare-delivery operation into a public school.

The question is not whether children need healthcare. They do. The question is whether public schools should become a larger part of healthcare delivery systems, and if so, where the boundaries should be drawn.

Continue reading

OSU Veterinary, Agronomy Center

Oklahoma State University has officially announced the location of its new veterinary teaching hospital and the site of its new Agronomy Discovery Center, marking a significant investment in the future of agricultural research, veterinary education, and animal healthcare. 

Continue reading

OKC Rail Plan: Questions & Crime

In multiple states, failing large-scale public transit projects have produced demands for state-taxpayer-funded bailouts. This has happened in California, New York, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, to name just a few.

That’s why all Oklahomans should be concerned about Oklahoma City metro officials’ efforts to create a $1.8 billion commuter rail system covering 39 miles from Edmond to Oklahoma City to Norman.

Proponents claim passenger rail will boost economic development in the metro, but similar rail services have augmented the worst problems of urban settings—homelessness and crime—and spread them throughout surrounding areas.

Continue reading

On Inola: Mazzei Was Right

Analysis: I’ve learned something over the last few years that I wish every American understood:

A nation that cannot produce the metals necessary to defend itself, power itself, build its airplanes, manufacture its automobiles, maintain its electrical grid, and supply its factories is not really industrially independent.

That is why the controversy surrounding the proposed aluminum smelter at Inola, Oklahoma, deserves more than campaign slogans.

Rendering of the proposed Inola primary aluminum plant.
Continue reading