Jonathan Small

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

Editorial: OETA will be just fine

May 11, 2023 Jonathan Small

Gov. Kevin Stitt’s decision to veto reauthorization of the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA), the state’s Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) entity, has critics acting as though the sky is falling and that Big Bird is on his last legs. Neither view is true. Big Bird will still be around even without Oklahoma government funding, as…

Drummond fighting federal overreach

February 23, 2023 Jonathan Small

With federal overreach a constant threat, it is important that states like Oklahoma stand up and fight to control their own destiny. That’s why Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond deserves praise for threatening to sue the Biden administration if it does not withdraw a rule by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW) that designates…

Conservative acts speak louder than words

August 18, 2022 Jonathan Small

Polling consistently shows a strong share of Oklahoma voters identify as conservatives. Therefore, Republican candidates do as well, if for no other reason than political self-preservation. But being conservative means more than checking off the pro-life and pro-Second Amendment boxes on a questionnaire, as important as those issues may be. So, what is a conservative?…

Reality check for Cherokee leaders may be positive sign

June 30, 2022 Jonathan Small

The U.S. Supreme Court’s McGirt decision, which effectively declared much of eastern Oklahoma remains tribal reservation land, prompted some tribal officials to embrace separatism. In 2021, a Muscogee (Creek) Nation official told NonDoc the difference between the Muscogee chief and the governor of Oklahoma is that one is the “head of a nation” while the…

Medicaid expansion is trouble for state workers

March 3, 2022 Jonathan Small

When Medicaid expansion was sold to Oklahoma voters, proponents declared it a no-pain-all-gain proposition. “Free” federal money would rain from the skies and the health of Oklahomans would be restored statewide. Now some of those proponents are singing a different tune. Working families should pay attention, because they are the most likely to be negatively…