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A consumer archive of news sent from Oklahoma Policy Institute
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Give us money - please!
Friday, December 29, 2017
Our top 10 blog posts of 2017
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Thursday, December 28, 2017
Take a stroll down memory lane with OK Policy as we revisit our 10 most popular blog posts of 2017. Chances are if you were looking for good news about Oklahoma, you weren't reading our blog!
Our 10 most popular posts in 2017
When it comes to Oklahoma politics, 2017 was one of the most tumultuous and unpredictable in history. The year was consumed by a long, still unresolved showdown over the state budget and need for new revenues, with shifting coalitions, unusual alliances, and numerous high stakes votes. Throughout th...
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Our 10 most popular posts in 2017
2017[/caption]
When it comes to Oklahoma politics, 2017 was one of the most tumultuous and unpredictable in history. The year was consumed by a long, still unresolved showdown over the state budget and need for new revenues, with shifting coalitions, unusual alliances, and numerous high stakes votes. Throughout the year we did our best to keep you informed and provide the information you need to advocate for constructive solutions. Of all the articles we published on our blog this year, these were the 10 most popular:
Ten...
Proposed budget leaves Oklahoma services massively underfunded
Nine...
DHS Director: Oklahoma budget cut scenarios range “from the terrible to the unthinkable”: Back in March, Oklahoma Department of Human Services Director Ed Lake sent a letter to all employees of the agency warning that further budget cuts would threaten the elimination of entire programs serving very vulnerable adults and children. That worst case scenario was avoided - but later in the year, seniors and individuals with disabilities again needed last-minute funding from the Legislature to avert devastating cuts.
Eight...
Seven...
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Five...
Four...
Three...
Two...
One!
We'll be back in the new year, hopefully with happier tidings!
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Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Five reasons to donate today to OK Policy
1. Facts Matter: On the state policy issues that matter most - from the budget and taxes to health care, poverty, and criminal justice - you know you can always rely on OK Policy to put out reliable, research-driven data and analysis. Resources such as our Online Budget Guide, County Fact Sheets, and Legislative Primer, as well as our daily In The Know, are among the sources of information that you count on every day throughout the year to understand public affairs in Oklahoma. Your donation will help us continue to dig up and publicize the facts.
2. There are Two Sides to Every Debate: When one side controls the legislature and all statewide offices, competing perspectives can easily be overlooked or overwhelmed. Through our issue briefs, blog posts, op-ed columns, and presentations, OK Policy often is the most credible and compelling voice arguing the other side, whether it's making the case for protecting our revenue base or opposing the expansion of predatory consumer loans. Your donation will ensure that two sides will continue to be heard.
3. 49th is Not OK: Even though Oklahoma's economy is improving, about one out of every six Oklahomans, and more than one in five children, continue to live below the federal poverty level. On a whole range of health and social indicators, Oklahoma ranks among the states with the worst outcomes. One of OK Policy's core convictions is that we need purposeful strategies aimed at expanding opportunities for all Oklahomans. We put forward thoughtful, practical policy proposals that will lead to a more prosperous, healthier, better educated state. Your support allows us to conduct the research and advocacy that will lead to better policy outcomes.
4. We're Having an Impact: Not so long ago, OK Policy was a lonely voice sounding the alarm about the state's structural budget deficit, the underfunding of state services, and the need for new permanent revenues. Today, thanks in part to OK Policy's steady, effective work, these themes are expressed by elected officials from both parties and broad swaths of the population. While the state's onerous supermajority requirement prevented passage of a widely-supported bipartisan revenue package last month, we've had some real victories, including repeal of the next scheduled income tax that would have further hampered efforts to bring the budget back into balance. Please donate now to help us continue to make a difference.
5. There's More Work To Do: The year ahead is going to be an especially crucial one for Oklahoma. We will have the chance to enact long-pursued solutions to address chronic budget shortfalls, make our state tax system fairer, and revisit State Question 640. At the same time, critical medical and food safety net programs serving hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans will be under unprecedented threats from federal and state lawmakers. We need your help to marshal the research and coordinate the advocacy that will ensure real progress is made in 2018.
We hope this is reason enough to convince you to make a one-time or recurring year-end donation to OK Policy We greatly appreciate your support, and wish you all the best during the holiday season.
The post Five reasons to donate today to OK Policy appeared first on Oklahoma Policy Institute.
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Monday, December 25, 2017
Hunger by the Numbers: How many football stadiums…
This fall, the US Department of Agriculture released its annual report on household food security, which measures the share of households who don't have enough food to lead an active, healthy life in the last year. For the three-year period from 2014-16, an average of more than 1 in 7 Oklahoma households, or 15.2 percent of the population, experienced food insecurity, the 8th-highest rate in the nation, tied with Indiana.
But what does this mean for Oklahoma? Given Oklahoma’s population of 3.92 million, and assuming that households experiencing food insecurity are the same size as the average of all households, this means 595,000 Oklahomans live in households that struggle with basic access to adequate food.
Now imagine that on a Saturday afternoon this fall, everyone who experienced food insecurity in Oklahoma were all invited down to Norman and Stillwater to attend football games.
Well, we'd need a lot of buses, and everyone would have to take turns. The number of Oklahomans at risk of hunger could fill, four times over, OU’s Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (capacity: 86,112) and OSU’s Boone Pickens Stadium (capacity: 56,790) - with enough people left over to nearly fill TU’s H.A. Chapman Stadium (capacity: 30,000).
Food insecurity has serious consequences. Hunger costs Oklahoma over $1.4 billion each year through increased illness and decreased academic achievement alone, according to Hunger Free Oklahoma. Some groups, like families with children, seniors, and people with disabilities, are at higher risk for food insecurity and particularly vulnerable to related or exacerbated health issues as a result.
So food insecurity is a big problem in Oklahoma - and soon, it could get worse. The recently-passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is projected to add $1.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade, which could be used as justification by Congressional Republicans to slash Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps) and other important safety net programs in the coming months. Paring back access to basic medical care will put further strain on Oklahoma household budgets, forcing more families to choose between food and housing costs, medical care, and other expenses. In addition, federal agencies have signaled that they're open to radical, previously disallowed changes to food assistance programs at the state level that could result in families losing access to needed help.
Although private charities will certainly try, they simply aren't capable of meeting the resulting need. Every year, Oklahoma's food banks give away record amounts of food - but private charity only makes up about 7 percent of total food assistance in Oklahoma, and charitable food assistance is intended as a rapid response to crisis, not a support while a wage earner finds a new job or recovers from illness. In short, charity can't pick up the slack when the safety net erodes.
To find out ways to help fight hunger and food insecurity in Oklahoma, contact the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma or the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. You can also learn about the ways that Hunger Free Oklahoma is working to ensure all Oklahomans have access to affordable, nutritious food. Finally, please call your members of Congress to ask them to protect and strengthen nutritional assistance in the new year. After all, hunger doesn't take a holiday.
The post Hunger by the Numbers: How many football stadiums… appeared first on Oklahoma Policy Institute.
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