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The Tulsa Beacon

 

Jonathan Small

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

Child rapist set to go free

Tulsa Beacon

Since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its controversial 5-4 decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma in 2020, it has reduced public safety in Oklahoma. Oklahomans get a reminder of that sad reality this month as the child rapist who prompted the case is set to be free—something that would never have happened in the Oklahoma…

One solution to student absenteeism

Tulsa Beacon

School absenteeism is contributing to poor academic outcomes and other negative trends in Oklahoma. According to a legislative study conducted last October, average daily attendance figures showed 94% of enrolled students were typically in Oklahoma classrooms in 2019, but following COVID attendance dropped to 80% at many state schools. That has obvious negative impact on…

Editorial: Obscure election dates undermine parents’ voice

Tulsa Beacon

In 2020, parents urged the school board at Deer Creek to provide full-time, in-person instruction to students. But the board opted to continue with COVID distance learning for many students. Yet recent reports show officials at Deer Creek schools also allowed charity fundraisers to include events where students lick peanut butter off people’s feet. Former…

Editorial: Another dubious Supreme Court ruling

Tulsa Beacon

Can Oklahoma’s economy continue to grow and its people thrive if businesses lack certainty in our legal system? Unfortunately, we may find out. Members of the Oklahoma Supreme Court recently issued a ruling that contradicted one of the court’s prior rulings, but refused to provide a written opinion explaining if they are overturning their prior…

Editorial: Time to act on college tuition

Tulsa Beacon

The story of Oklahoma college tuition usually falls into one of three patterns. Lawmakers cut college appropriations and colleges raise tuition, blaming the lack of appropriations. Or lawmakers provide steady appropriations, and colleges raise tuition, blaming the lack of increased appropriations. Or lawmakers increase appropriations, and colleges still raise tuition, blaming lawmakers for not doing…

Editorial: Family focus is desperately needed

Tulsa Beacon

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has declared war on a “loneliness epidemic.” Murthy noted “about one-in-two adults in America reported experiencing loneliness. And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic cut off so many of us from friends, loved ones, and support systems.” According to the CDC, 25.5 percent of adults ages 18-24 reported having…

Editorial: A Free-speech victory for all Oklahomans

Tulsa Beacon

Free speech and public debate are necessary ingredients of a democratic government, which is why the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution enshrines free speech as a basic right. But that hasn’t stopped some entities from trying to do an end run on that fundamental right, including here in Oklahoma. One tactic used by free-speech…

Editorial: Stitt, lawmakers deserve families’ thanks

Tulsa Beacon

For years, Oklahoma has ranked among the worst states in measurements of important education metrics, particularly outcomes. But with Gov. Kevin Stitt’s signing of House Bill 1934 last month, Oklahoma moved into the top 10 nationally in school-choice opportunity. Oklahoma children will benefit from this accomplishment for years to come, and by extension so will…

Editorial: Renewing tabacco, car-tag compacts

Tulsa Beacon

Special-interest attempts to force automatic renewal of existing tobacco and license-tag compacts will create enormous challenges for the state. The legal reality that undergirded current compacts is under attack by special interests who are inaccurately wielding the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma, which declared the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s Oklahoma reservation was…

OETA doesn’t need state subsidies

Tulsa Beacon

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…