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The Tulsa Beacon

 

Jonathan Small

Jonathan Small serves as president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (www.ocpathink.org).

Time for OU regents to act

Tulsa Beacon

Oklahoma faces workforce challenges. Our college system should play a crucial role in addressing that challenge and fueling economic growth. Instead, the University of Oklahoma is receiving national attention for devolving into academic self-parody. Rather than gain renown for producing engineers and scientists, OU is under scrutiny for having a man who identifies as a…

Editorial: If you hate the poor, raise the minimum wage

Tulsa Beacon

The gap between intentions and outcomes can be vast in politics, as the push to raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage demonstrates. Proponents say they want to help struggling citizens at the bottom of the state’s economic ladder. But in practice, their wage-policy preference yanks that ladder out of the hands of those low-income workers, leaving them…

Editorial: Oklahoma teachers make more than you think

Tulsa Beacon

In a press release issued earlier this year, House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson of Oklahoma City declared that Oklahoma ranks “last in the region for teacher pay.” That claim may align with a longstanding stereotype, but not with reality. By any measure, Oklahoma teacher pay is not the last in the region nor anywhere near…

Editorial: Medicaid work requirements make moral and fiscal sense

Tulsa Beacon

“Work” may be a four-letter word, but it’s not an obscenity. You wouldn’t know that based on the reaction of many liberals to the new work requirements for Medicaid. To stay on Medicaid, the new law requires able-bodied adults with no children to spend only 80 hours per month either working, going to school, participating…

Editorial: Work requirements a win for taxpayers

Tulsa Beacon

“Work” may be a four-letter word, but it’s not an obscenity. You wouldn’t know that based on the reaction of many liberals to the new work requirements for Medicaid. To stay on Medicaid, the new law requires able-bodied adults with no children to spend only 80 hours per month either working, going to school, participating…

Editorial: Supreme Court unanimously rejects DEI double standards

Tulsa Beacon

The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that discrimination is wrong. That may surprise Ibram Kendi disciples but not any Oklahoman with an ounce of common sense. Kendi is the author of How to Be an Antiracist and notoriously declared that “racial discrimination is not inherently racist” and that the “only remedy to past discrimination is…

Editorial: No need for college tuition increases

Tulsa Beacon

This year, legislators provided more than $1 billion in appropriations to Oklahoma colleges and universities. That negates any need for tuition increases. The question is whether university leaders will admit it. Unfortunately, college leaders don’t have a good track record of prioritizing affordability. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of college…

Editorial: Stitt, Legislature delivered big wins in 2025 Session

Tulsa Beacon

Oklahoma’s 2025 legislative session yielded numerous policy wins for Oklahomans, demonstrating the intentional efforts of lawmakers to enact meaningful reforms. The success of this session owes much to the leadership of Gov. Kevin Stitt, House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, and Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, as well as the hard work of many lawmakers. House…

Editorial: A Successful Session

Tulsa Beacon

The 2025 legislative session has provided many policy wins for Oklahomans, and it is evidence of the intentional efforts by lawmakers to pass meaningful reforms. The success of this session owes much to the leadership of Gov. Kevin Stitt, House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, and Senate Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, as well as the hard work…

Editorial: Left-wing political fringe should not control OK petition process

Tulsa Beacon

Supposed advocates of “good government” often decry low voter turnout, arguing that more citizens need to be involved in our political process. Yet, for some reason, many of those same advocates hold a very different view when it comes to Oklahoma’s initiative petition process. When efforts are made to put a question before all Oklahoma…