Author Archives: Admin

Even When They Know He’s Right

By David Arnett

Analysis: Sunday, the New York Post published an article by Victor David Hanson, a distinguished fellow of the Center for American Greatness and one of the world’s leading proponents of common sense in public affairs. The full headline is, “Why the left opposes everything Trump backs — even when they know he’s right,” and is well worth the time to consider, but here we focus on the reasons for the opposition not the plentiful examples.

Hanson begins, “The Pavlovian left goes berserk at the mere prospect of each new Trump initiative. Its escalating reactive venom and hysteria are calibrated to the success of Trump’s latest policy. Yet the new hard-left Democratic Party offers no counter-agenda to explain its furor. Still less do Democrats attempt bipartisan efforts to craft shared legislation.”

Victor David Hanson
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Protecting Pension Progress

By Jonathan Small, OCPA

Oklahoma was once ranked among the worst states in the nation when it came to the financial stability of our state pensions. That meant many state workers, including teachers, were at risk of reaching retirement without sufficient income to live out their golden years in comfort. Fortunately, reforms that took full effect roughly a decade ago have now made Oklahoma a national model.

“What you did, starting in 2010 all the way to now, really is the gold standard for other states to look at,” said Caren Lock, a managing director with TIAA-CREF, a national financial services firm.

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Tariffs Reduce Deficit by $4 Trillion

By David Arnett

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), in a post August 22, declared that as of August 19, increases in tariffs implemented during the period from January 6, 2025, to August 19 will decrease primary deficits (which exclude net outlays for interest) by $3.3 trillion if the higher tariffs persist for the 2025‒2035 period. By reducing the need for federal borrowing, those tariff collections will also reduce federal outlays for interest by an additional $0.7 trillion. As a result, the changes in tariffs will reduce total deficits by $4.0 trillion altogether.

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Rep. Gann Challenges PSO

By Staff Report

An appeal brief filed Thursday by Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, asks the Oklahoma Supreme Court to invalidate some $700 million in ratepayer-backed bonds issued to cover costs incurred by Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) during February 2021’s Winter Storm Uri. Payments for those bonds have been collected on the monthly bills of PSO’s customers since the bonds were issued in September 2022. They are scheduled to continue for another 17 years.

Gann’s brief tells the court that the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) failed to provide a required audit of the bonds in PSO’s most recent rate case. He also argues PSO’s original 2021 Uri costs that were securitized into the bonds were never audited either.  Gann asserts the audit failures are fatal in both cases, making the OCC’s orders void.

Rep. Tom Gann
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