Every bottle of whiskey made the old-fashioned way starts with grain. In Shattuck, out in northwest Oklahoma, Rock Creek Distillery grows the wheat for its bourbon and rye on its own farm and sells the finished product in more than 400 locations across the state. It’s a perfect illustration of the connection between Oklahoma grain growers and distillers, and it’s the kind of business our laws should support rather than undercut.
A new law modernizing Oklahoma’s election calendar begins today, bringing greater clarity, consistency and efficiency to when elections are held across the state.
Senate Bill 652 consolidates Oklahoma’s election dates into five standard election days each year, held in February, April, June, August and November. Previously, Oklahoma law allowed for up to 12 possible election dates in odd-numbered years and up to seven in even-numbered years. Frequent, low-profile elections often draw a small fraction of registered voters while requiring significant time and resources from county election boards and poll workers.
“Senate Bill 652 brings much needed clarity and consistency to Oklahoma’s election calendar,” Paxton said. “By streamlining our elections to five set dates each year, we create a more predictable system for voters, election officials and local governments. Fewer, clearly defined election days will reduce confusion, improve administration and help boost voter turnout by making it easier for Oklahomans to know when elections are happening and plan to participate.”
Dick taught me the meaning of the word “Comity”, and how important that once was in US politics
A couple of weeks ago, Jill and I attended an informal gathering of the “Quarantine Club” at a friend’s house in Rappahannock County, Virginia, just north of our farm here in Madison, VA. This informal group of influential conservatives has been meeting for quite a few years now, beginning as a refusal to comply with the COVID lockdown mandates. Many of the core members have served in previous Republican administrations, going back to the Reagan years and extending through Trump 45 and 47. Passing by and through over the subsequent years have been other prominent conservative/libertarian political leaders whose names you would recognize. But two of the core members have been Dick and Nancy Schulze, names that you may not be familiar with unless you have been politically involved at the national level for quite a while.
Balancing the budget is the decisive principle that will enable genuine reform of the federal government. Americans will accept substantial changes if they lead to a balanced budget, lower interest rates, lower taxes, a healthier economy, and increased jobs and take-home pay.
We know balancing the budget is achievable because House Republicans successfully led the effort in the 1990s. That initiative resulted in the only four consecutive balanced budgets in the last 100 years.
Practically, reality-based principles can help make balancing the budget achievable again. One crucial principle is the role of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) as a scoring mechanism defining the parameters of Congressional success.
