Oklahoma Treasurer Randy McDaniel reports Gross Receipts rose in March
Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
Staff Report
For only the second time in the past year, Gross Receipts to the Treasury in March climbed above collections from the same month of the prior year. Receipts were propelled upward by rising oil and gas revenue, Oklahoma Treasurer Randy McDaniel has announced.
Collections from all sources in March totaled $1.1 billion, up by $35.1 million, or 3.2 percent, from March 2020. The last time monthly receipts exceeded prior year collections was in July, but that boost was due to a three-month delay in income tax filings.
“This positive economic report is encouraging news,” Treasurer McDaniel said Tuesday, in his regular report sent to CapitolBeatOK.com, The City Sentinel newspaper, and other state news organizations. “Among the more favorable signs is the upward trend in oil and natural gas activity.”
Gross production taxes on oil and gas jumped to more than $90 million for the month, up by more than 15 percent from March of last year. That marks the first positive month for gross production in a year-and-a-half.
McDaniel said gross production receipts are expected to continue to rise for at least the next few months. March remittances are based on oil field production in January, when West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil averaged $52 per barrel. The price in February averaged above $58/bbl, and the average price in March topped $62/bbl.
Combined gross receipts from the past 12 months of $13.15 billion are below collections from the previous 12 months by $572.9 million, or 4.2 percent. All major revenue sources show reductions during the period, but the bottom-line contraction was reduced by 0.2 percent compared to last month’s report.
Other economic indicators
The Oklahoma Business Conditions Index in March remained above growth neutral for a fourth month. The March index was set at 63, compared to 67.1 in February. Numbers above 50 indicate economic expansion is expected during the next three to six months.
The February unemployment rate in Oklahoma was reported as 4.4 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state’s jobless rate was unchanged from January, but up from 3.1 percent in February 2020. The U.S. unemployment rate was set at 6.2 percent in February.
March collections
The McDaniel outline of tax collections, released April 6, found that compared to gross receipts from March 2020, collections in March 2021 showed:
• Total March 2021 gross collections are $1.13 billion, up $35.1 million, or 3.2 percent.
• Gross income tax collections, a combination of individual and corporate income taxes, generated $412 million, up by $29.3 million, or 7.7 percent.
• Individual income tax collections are $365.6 million, an increase of $37.2 million, or 11.3 percent.
• Corporate collections are $46.4 million, down by $7.8 million, or 14.5 percent.
• Combined sales and use tax collections, including remittances on behalf of cities and counties, total $423 million – up by $1 million, or 0.2 percent.
• Sales tax collections total $363.6 million, a decrease of $4.6 million, or 1.3 percent.
• Use tax receipts, collected on out-of-state purchases including internet sales, generated $59.4 million, an increase of $5.6 million, or 10.4 percent.
• Gross production taxes on oil and natural gas total $90.8 million, an increase of $11.9 million, or 15.1 percent.
• Motor vehicle taxes produced $79.7 million, up by $7.2 million, or 9.9 percent.
• Other collections composed of some 60 different sources including taxes on fuel, tobacco, medical marijuana, and alcoholic beverages, produced $120.1 million – down by $14.3 million, or 10.6 percent.
• The medical marijuana tax produced $5.9 million, up by $2.5 million, or 73.7 percent from March 2020.
Twelve-month collections
Combined gross receipts for past 12 months compared to the trailing 12 months showed:
• Gross revenue totals $13.15 billion. That is $572.9 million, or 4.2 percent, below collections from the previous period.
• Gross income taxes generated $4.76 billion, a decrease of $36.8 million, or 0.8 percent.
• Individual income tax collections total $4.12 billion, down by $57.6 million, or 1.4 percent.
• Corporate collections are $634.7 million, an increase of $20.8 million, or 3.4 percent.
• Combined sales and use taxes generated $5.52 billion, a drop of $43.6 million, or 0.8 percent.
• Gross sales tax receipts total $4.7 billion, down by $132 million, or 2.7 percent.
• Use tax collections generated $815.6 million, an increase of $88.4 million, or 12.2 percent.
• Oil and gas gross production tax collections generated $572.2 million, down by $404.2 million, or 41.4 percent.
• Motor vehicle collections total $776.4 million, a decrease of $19.9 million, or 2.5 percent.
• Other sources generated $1.52 billion, down by $68.3 million, or 4.3 percent.
• Medical marijuana taxes generated $62.9 million, up by $30.4 million, or 93.5 percent.
About Gross Receipts to the Treasury: The monthly Gross Receipts to the Treasury report, developed by the state treasurer’s office, provides a timely and broad view of the state’s economy.
It is released in conjunction with the General Revenue Fund report from the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, which provides information to state agencies for budgetary planning purposes.
The General Revenue Fund, the state’s main operating account, receives less than half of the state’s gross receipts with the remainder paid in rebates and refunds, remitted to cities and counties, and apportioned to other state funds.
Oklahoma Treasurer Randy McDaniel reports Gross Receipts rose in March Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
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Ray Carter, Center for Independent Journalism Oklahoma City -- Legislation that would limit women’s sports to individuals who are biological females has been approved by a state House committee. “Two out of every five young women in the state of Oklahoma choose to participate in sports,” said Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin. “And I’m trying to prevent those women from being denied opportunities when they have to compete against male-bodied athletes.” Senate Bill 2 (https://ift.tt/3s3Xv0A ) was amended by Hasenbeck to create the “Save Women’s Sports Act.” The legislation’s key provision states, “Athletic teams designated for ‘females,’ ‘women’ or ‘girls’ shall not be open to students of the male sex.” The legislation comes amidst growing national controversy over allowing transgender individuals — biological males who identify as female — to compete in women’s sports. Several lawmakers said allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports reduces the opportunity for success by those who are biological females. Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, noted that “there are records being shattered” in women’s sports by transgender individuals who identify as women while retaining the physical advantages of male physiology. “Scientifically, these are men bodies who are declaring themselves to be women, but they have testosterone, they have more muscle mass,” Humphrey said. “Scientifically, they are men. He said physical advantages persist even after an individual has had surgery or undergone medication or hormone treatments. “Typically, male rib cages are larger,” Hasenbeck said. “It allows for larger hearts. It allows for larger lungs — therefore an increased cardiovascular capacity that also creates more oxygen in your blood. It causes you to be able to lift more weight, run faster, jump higher. And then even on a muscular level, those myofibrils that belong to men behave differently when activated by nerves and other chemicals in the body.” Hasenbeck said the legislation furthers the goals of the federal Title IX law originally enacted in 1972, which “honored the biological difference between males and females.” Because of that law’s passage, she said many “amazing female athletes” are now household names and role models for a wide range of children. Rep. Mauree Turner, D-Oklahoma City, vocally opposed the bill. “Denying the existence of trans children is absolutely absurd,” Turner said. Turner asked Hasenbeck, “Is it, in your opinion, that you can honor young women athletes without trying to deny the existence of trans youth?” “Nothing in what I said has denied the existence of transgender youth,” Hasenbeck replied. Turner self-describes as “gender non-conforming.” At one point in the meeting, when Humphrey, the committee chair, responded to Turner with a “yes ma’am,” Turner immediately responded, “Not ma’am.” Under S.B. 2 any student “deprived of an athletic opportunity” or who “suffers any direct or indirect harm as a result” of violations of the Save Women’s Sports Act “shall have a cause of action for injunctive relief, damages and any other relief available permitted by law against the school.” The legislation also states that any student “who is subject to retaliation or other adverse action by a school, school athletic association or intercollegiate association as a result of reporting a violation” of the Save Women’s Sports Act “shall have a cause of action for injunctive relief, damages and any other relief available permitted by law.” S.B. 2 also prohibits the State Board of Education, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, and any school athletic association or intercollegiate association “from entertaining a complaint, opening an investigation or taking any other adverse action against a school for maintaining athletic teams or sports for students of the female sex …” Senate Bill 2 passed the House Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee on a 4-1 vote (https://ift.tt/3uDAMtW) with Turner in opposition. Following the meeting, Turner issued a press release, stating, “We need infrastructure, but my colleagues continue to double down on legislation that denies the existence of trans youth. Trans girls are girls — full stop.” In the press release, Turner said, “We will continue to show up in the face of bigotry and anti-trans legislation. We have defeated other anti-LGBTQ2S+ and anti-trans legislation, and we will do it again — but we can’t do it without you and groups like ACLU of Oklahoma, Freedom Oklahoma and so many more.” In that same release, House Minority Leader Emily Virgin, D-Norman, said S.B. 2 “ostracizes children and casts a dark cloud on our state’s reputation nationally. Our tax structure means nothing if businesses refuse to be associated with us due to the legislation we run.” ACLU of Oklahoma and Freedom Oklahoma – a group that says its mission is “to secure lived equality and legal protection for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender and queer people” – attacked the bill in a joint statement. Freedom Oklahoma Executive Director Allie Shinn said S.B. 2 “would prevent transgender young people from participating in sports” and “result in serious lasting harm to vulnerable children.” “This fight is not about sports,” said Nicole McAfee, ACLU of Oklahoma director of policy and advocacy. “It’s about erasing and excluding transgender people from participation in all aspects of public life.” McAfee added that if lawmakers “really wanted to protect fairness in women’s sports, they would tackle the actual threats to women’s sports such as severe underfunding, lack of media coverage, sexist ideologies, and pay equity for coaches.” The issue of transgender athletes in women’s sports is being debated not just in Oklahoma, but nationally. In Connecticut, a lawsuit (https://ift.tt/3t72HSC) that has gained national prominence has been filed on behalf of three high-school girls who argue their opportunities have been harmed by having to compete against transgender athletes. That lawsuit notes that the “basic physiological differences between males and females after puberty have long been recognized and respected by the different standards set for boys and girls in a number of athletic events.” The lawsuit points out that the net height used for women’s volleyball is more than seven inches lower than that used for men’s volleyball, the standard weight used in high school shot put is four kilograms for girls and 5.44 kilograms (36 percent heavier) for boys, and the hurdle height used for the high school girls’ 100-meter hurdle event is 33 inches compared to 39 inches in the boys’ high school 110-meter hurdle. (For background on the Connectitcut lawsuit, see this news story: Pat Eaton-Robb, The Associated Press, “Girls sue to block participation of transgender athletes,” February 12, 2020, https://apnews.com/article/8fd300537131153cc44e0cf2ade3244b.) The Connecticut lawsuit also notes that in 2017 “thousands of men and boys achieved times in the 400m faster than the best lifetime performances of three women Olympic champions in that event. Each year, thousands of men — and dozens or hundreds of high school boys under the age of 18 — achieve times (or heights or distances) in track events better than the world’s single best elite woman competitor that year.” In 2019, Doriane Lambelet Coleman, a professor of law at Duke Law School, similarly testified (https://ift.tt/3t6RGRh) before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary that allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports creates significant competitive disadvantages for female athletes. Because of basic biological differences, Coleman said that “even at their absolute best, the women would lose to literally thousands of boys and men, including to thousands who would be considered second tier in the men’s category.” “And because it only takes three male-bodied athletes to preclude the best females from the medal stand, and eight to exclude them from the track, it doesn’t matter if only a handful turn out to be gender nonconforming,” Coleman said. NOTE: Ray Carter, a veteran journalist whose career included work in state government, is director of the Center for Independent Journalism. His news story first appeared here, at the website of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), which sponsors his work: https://ift.tt/39WUNEa . Carter’s story is reposted with permission. ‘Save Women’s Sports Act’ advances in Oklahoma Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
City Sentinel Staff, Arts & Entertainment
Edmond, Oklahoma – Armstrong Auditorium’s Performing Arts Series continues in April with a stellar lineup of two unique performances featuring globally-heralded musicians, including cellist Sara Sant’Ambrogio on Thursday, April 8 at 7:30 p.m. and the Zukerman Trio on Thursday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. The performances arrive as Armstrong International Cultural Foundation celebrates its 25th anniversary.
“We’re looking forward to an eventful month featuring two exceptional performances that will enthrall and delight our audiences,” Armstrong’s Concert Manager Ryan Malone said. “In their individual ways, Sara Sant’Ambrogio and the Zukerman Trio each bring captivating talent and grace to the stage as Armstrong International Cultural Foundation celebrates its silver jubilee.”
GRAMMY® Award-winning cellist Sara Sant’Ambrogio entered the international spotlight when she won a bronze medal at the 1986 International Tchaikovsky Violoncello Competition in Moscow, Russia. She followed that performance with a nationally televised recital at Carnegie Hall, launching a prolific career as a member of the Eroica Trio and a soloist performing with orchestras around the world.
Sant’Ambrogio returns to the Armstrong stage in a new program inviting audiences on a musical journey through North and South America featuring “Porgy and Bess Fantasy” by George Gershwin, “Oblivion,” and “Libertango” by Astor Piazzolla, Samuel Barber’s sonata and more.
Described in a press release as “a prodigiously talented chamber ensemble trio,” the Zukerman Trio is composed of violinist Pinchas Zukerman, cellist Amanda Forsyth and pianist Angela Cheng. With a celebrated career spanning five decades, the two-time GRAMMY® Award-winning Zukerman is a gifted violin and viola soloist, conductor and chamber musician who is sought after as a virtuoso around the world.
As an ensemble, the Zukerman Trio has toured the globe performing at major festivals and venues in Japan, China, Australia, Spain, Italy, France, Hungary, South Africa, Istanbul, Russia and throughout the United States. For their debut at Armstrong Auditorium, pianist George Li will replace Cheng, and the trio embraces Piano Trios from both Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky.
Tickets to Sara Sant’Ambrogio and the Zukerman trio range from $30 to $55 and from $35 to $75 for orchestra seating, respectively. A live stream option is also available for $15. Socially distanced seating is available upon request.
The award-winning Armstrong Auditorium has established itself as a world-class center for the arts in Oklahoma since 2010. The theater has hosted acclaimed local and international performances from a vast array of genres, including classical, jazz and folk music, theater, classical ballet, folk dance and more.
Designed to provide an exceptional acoustic experience, only 75 feet separate the stage from the back wall, allowing the 823-seat theater to boast a nine-millisecond initial time delay gap – a measure of remarkable acoustic intimacy. Armstrong Auditorium’s exquisite beauty and warm atmosphere continue to make it an extraordinary venue worthy of its numerous accolades.
Box office: call 405-285-1010, and online visit armstrongauditorium.org.
Armstrong Auditorium in Edmond welcomes internationally-acclaimed performers: TONIGHT (April 8) – Cellist Sara Sant’Ambrogio Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
Oklahoma Senate Bill 947, if signed into law, would require initiative petitions to include if the proposal would have a fiscal impact on the state. It would also require the potential funding source. S.B. 47 is authored by Sen. Paul Rosino, R-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Tammy West, R-Oklahoma City. It was passed by the A&B House committee last week along partisan lines.
“Several of the state questions that have passed in recent years have come at great cost to state taxpayers,” West said.
“Voters, of course, would still be allowed to petition for whatever measures they choose, but this would require they state the potential impact to taxpayers and specify the source of such funding. If taxpayers are going to be asked to raise taxes to pay for something added to state law, they should be made aware.”
S.B. 47 now will faces a floor vote in the House, where it is expected to pass, before it goes to the governor to be signed into law.
Three observations:
First, this is a much-needed change.
Several recent State Questions have been passed by voters that financially impacted state taxpayers. For example, State Question 781, which passed in 2016, directed the state to deposit money into a fund used by county governments to provide substance abuse and mental health services, but it didn’t specify how much or where that money would come from.
Those who signed the petition or those who voted were told just the ‘concept.’ The ‘details’ on how to pay for the concept was left to the legislature. Full disclosure in the initiative petition process to the citizens who pay the bills is long past due.
Second, requiring fiscal impact on initiative petitions should not be a partisan issue. S.B. 947 was opposed by legislative Democrats on every vote- in committee and the floor. Not one Democrat in the state house has supported the bill throughout the process.
Shouldn’t all citizens, no matter their Party affiliation, know beforehand what a proposal is projected to cost? The partisanship and polarization seen in Washington has seemingly made its way to 23rd and Lincoln.
Third, if this becomes law, ballots will be longer. One of the provisions in S,/b, 947 is that it increases the number of words on the ballot from 200 to 300. That will require voters to ‘study’ the ballot and the issue before casting a vote. Far too many Oklahoma voters pay little attention to the State Questions or the Judicial Retention sections on the ballot.
Many state questions pass and result in consequences, fiscal and otherwise, that voters did not anticipate or intend. Ignorance of what’s on the ballot is a poor excuse.
Caveat emptor is Latin for ‘let the buyer beware.’ In business, it means the buyer purchases at his own risk with no warranty in the contract. It implies a warning to buyers the goods they are buying are ‘as is’ or subject to defects.
Voters should always be on guide and approach any state question with the same apprehensive and suspicion they do when making a major personal expenditure. They should exercise the same due diligence in voting as they do in a business transaction.
In business, how much a good or service costs is fundamental to the transaction. S.B. 947 simply requires that same information be provided on state questions.
Encourage your state representative to support S.B. 947.
Note: Steve Fair is a conservative leader, thinker and commentator. His articles often appear on CapitolBeatOK.com, an independent, non-partisan news service based in Oklahoma City. Fair is Chairman of the Republican Party in Oklahoma’s Fourth Congressional District. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. His blog is stevefair.blogspot.com.
Caveat Emptor, Voters: A Commentary Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
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Pat McGuigan, The Southwest Ledger
Oklahoma City – Senator Kim David, R-Porter, is a woman of “firsts.”
Elected to the Legislature in 2010, she was the first Republican woman to serve as Majority Whip and the first woman ever put in charge of the Senate Appropriations Committee. After the 2018 election she became the first woman ever named majority leader for the Oklahoma State Senate.
Her husband, Dan, is a retired federal law enforcement officer. Her daughter is an officer in the state Air National Guard, and her son served in the Marine Corps.
An entrepreneur, David is founder of her own properties company.
Over a decade in elective office, Senator David has been the focus of frequent reports at CapitolBeatOK. com, the online news service I have in Oklahoma City.
Early this year, Sen. David described herself as “deeply honored” after administering (in a Capitol ceremony) the enlistment oath to Chief Master Sgt. Scott Irwin, Oklahoma National Guard Joint Force Headquarters Superintendent. She said, “I’ve seen the ceremony done many times but being the one to administer the oath was a first for me. It really was touching and a privilege to be able to do this.”
Kim David has proven herself an advocate of criminal justice reform and innovation.
Beginning in 2014 and continuing thereafter she pioneered the “pay for success” Criminal Justice Revolving Fund. She told The City Sentinel that her objective (working with the innovative Tulsa program known as Women in Recovery) was to assist “women at imminent risk of long-term incarceration.”
When one of her measures was debated, Senator David (in response to questions from colleagues), pointed out the “pay for success” concept was “already working in the private sector.”
Similar programs had succeeded in Texas and other states, she pointed out, “to reduce taxpayer costs and improve results in the lives of people who have committed a crime.”
Nothing wrong with some imitation of the Lone Star State, in many things but not in Football Fails and Transmission collapses.
Her willingness to study, learn and apply life lessons was no doubt cemented during her studies at Oklahoma State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree.
In 2018, I wrote a commentary when the Oklahoma Association of Health Plans (OAHP) released a study which anticipated Oklahoma could produce better health outcomes – and save almost $400 million over a decade – by modernizing its Medicaid program.
Sen. David commented, “In this time of budget instability and a historic deficit, we as legislators must look at all ways possible to be fiscally responsible.”
She added, “Now is not the time for us to shy away from health care innovation.”
Kim David continues Oklahoma’s tradition of choosing women to lead important functions in government.
Recent coverage of Sen. David’s work on health care brought fresh to mind the legacy of a dear friend.
In a busy life, I have never had enough time to spend with my best friends, including those I most admire. One of them is Vicki Miles-LaGrange, my high school classmate, now a retired U.S. District Judge. A cherished memory is that a few years ago, we had time for one good, long conversation.
We lingered at an apt moment, after decades in which I wrote stories and editorials about one or another of her notable achievements (first Black elected governor of Girls State, first Black woman U.S. attorney in our region, first Black woman federal district judge in the state, not to mention high-ranking international legal delegate – appointed by Supreme Court Chief Justice
William Rehnquist – advising developing nations on the rule of law).
When we caught up, Vicki had just finished her term as chief judge of Oklahoma’s federal western district. We spoke of many things.
Musing, I said to her: “Someday, you’ll run out of firsts.” Vicki smiled as only she can smile.
With no regret, she replied: “Yes, and that will be a good day.”
I strive for fairness, whether in reporting or commentary, but “objectivity” is elusive concerning certain people.
The ranks of new pioneer women like Miles-LaGrange and David continue to increase, to the gain of us all.
But these two women will always reside, with a few others, at a special corner of the old reporter’s heart.
NOTE: Pat McGuigan is publisher of The City Sentinel newspaper, an independent, non-partisan and locally-owned newspaper based in Oklahoma City. He is also founder of CapitolBeatOK.com, an online news service. He and Vicki Miles attended Bishop McGuinness High school in Oklahoma City, back in the day. Note: McGuigan’s reflection first appeared in the Southwest Ledger, April 1, 2021 print edition and online: https://ift.tt/3usqXPF . Southwest Ledger, 7602 US Highway 277, Elgin, OK 73538, (580) 350-1111. It is reposted here with permission.
Kim David, a woman of ‘firsts’ Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
Pat McGuigan
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Oklahoma City, April 1, 2021 – In the public square, each major policy confrontation has unique aspects.
Events and personalities within any one legislative fight (or election) can never be perfectly equated with those in another.
Nonetheless, in the study of policy and politics, as in history, there are lessons.
Journalists and historians – like sages and philosophers – often make points by telling stories. This essay shares a few stories meant to provide context for an important health policy debate at the Capitol in Oklahoma City.
Wilson: Not a great president, but he said this …
As a wee lad, I thought Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) was a great U.S. president.
My assessment of him grew strongly negative as I studied history in more depth. Nonetheless, there is an American political adage, sometimes attributed to Wilson, distilled here in my own words, which seems apt.
After eight years as president of Princeton University, Wilson served a mere two years as governor of New Jersey. As he transitioned from academia to the arena of state governance – so the story goes – a wise old Democratic Solon warned him how harsh and mean-spirited things could be at the capitol building in Trenton.
Wilson, it is said, told the gray-head to save his breath, saying, “The reason academic politics is so vicious is that the stakes are so incredibly low.”
Once upon a time, the “low stakes” sketch might have been accurate. These days, more and more nonconforming conservatives and Libertarians face “cancel culture” pressures for their reasoned deviations from the dominant left-of-center synergy in higher education. It seems improper to describe consequences for contemporary scholarly free thinkers as “low stakes.”
Nonetheless, the Wilson story is shared because, assuming there is truth in the observation that low stakes fights can be brutal, it is not hard to agree that high stakes battles are often more so.
Another story follows.
‘We already have socialized medicine’
I worked at The Oklahoman for Edward L. Gaylord (1919- 2003) for 12 years (1990- 2002), first as an editorial writer then as the newspaper’s opinion editor.
His guidance to editors was most often nuanced and broad, and gently offered.
For some time during the Clinton Administration (1993-2001), I crafted frequent and passionate editorials about the economic sins of proposed changes to American health care quickly dubbed “HillaryCare” (named for then-First Lady Hilary Clinton).
I reasoned her push would lead the country to socialized medicine, which I opposed.
One morning, sitting at morning coffee with Mr. Gaylord and political cartoonist Jim Lange, the boss was in a thoughtful mood.
Responding to one of my printed “HillaryCare” blasts, Gaylord said words to this effect to me, “Pat, we already have socialized medicine. It started long before Medicare. What we need to do is encourage ways to make the socialized medicine we have better for people, and slow down the ways it speeds up the growth of government.”
His comments transformed the way I have dealt with health care issues ever since.
A Big … Deal
Which brings me back to the proposed Managed Care approach for voter-mandated Medicaid Expansion in Oklahoma.
Unveiled to the public in late January, the effort from Gov. Kevin Stitt and the leadership of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority is attentive to health outcomes and also aims to direct cost factors in a positive direction.
This is a good thing, because along with education and corrections, all things relating to government involvement in health policy amount to, as the current president of the United States said in a prior phase of his career, “a big f—ing deal.”
Indeed, as a journalist I respect (Ray Carter) wrote recently: “From 1999 to 2019, total expenditures on Medicaid in Oklahoma — adjusted for inflation and including both state-and-federal dollars — surged from $2.33 billion to $5.6 billion.”
(Memorably, the Late U.S. Senator Everett Dirksen of Illinois (1896-1969), both a politician and a sage, once reflected ruefully, after years in the nation’s capital, “A billion here, and a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.” (These days he would likely amend the sum to “trillions.”)
So: the stakes are high, not low – both in fiscal terms (the broad desire to address the spiraling costs of tax-financed health care programs for Oklahoma government) and in programmatic terms (the effect of health care evolution on the lives of real human beings – patients, pharmacists, nurses, doctors, and other medical personnel.
Worth understanding is the impact battles like this have on the political class – Republicans and Democrats, conservatives of all stripes, liberals of all nuances and those increasingly uncomfortable with traditional designations.
Any one of the sketched categories of those governing us deserve at least some understanding, appreciation and even tolerance as they walk through the Medicaid Expansion fight at the state Capitol, within the legal system and throughout Oklahoma’s large (and ever-growing) taxpayer-financed government.
Republicans Disagreeing Among Themselves
The balance of this commentary is mostly focused on two conservative Republicans.
They share many views about public policy, but are clashing memorably over Managed Care.
State Senator Kim David of Porter has characterized the governor’s vision as a timely decision about “coordinated care.”
State Senator Rob Standridge of Norman, in contrast, agrees with the state medical establishment’s recent attacks on the Stitt proposal. Standridge’s allies have described Stitt’s plans for SoonerSelect as a “Health Care Holdup.”
Senator David was described in a 'Read Frontier' story (January 29) as “a longtime proponent of managed care.” And: “[David] said she had no concerns that the Legislature and critics within it could block the program. She said the state question that placed Medicaid expansion in the constitution guaranteed it.”
According to that story about a press conference in which Sen. David participated, “She said that critics in the Legislature simply don’t understand the policy, or that they’re looking out for special interests that benefit under the status quo.”
The report directly quoted Sen. David as saying, “I think a lot of a lot of members — some of those who have been outspoken about it — don’t understand exactly what the concept is.”
And: “They know what they’ve been told, and they know they should be afraid. And then I have several who stand to gain by keeping the system the way it is.”
From time to time, especially in public life, stating the obvious is an act of courage.
Put mildly, this brand of bravery can get a person in trouble.
The reaction within the Senate Republican caucus was reportedly intense.
Sen. David accepted from the President Pro Tempore of the Senate a one-week censure.
She later said in a letter to colleagues, “I respect his decision and will learn from this moment. My comments were in no way intended to put Sen. Treat or my colleagues in a negative light.”
She reasserted passionate advocacy for wisdom in Medicaid administration, going forward: “Only a handful of states do not have third-party managed Medicaid. In fact, 40 states do, with proven results.”
As this disagreement heated up, 'The Norman Transcript' reported — concerning two pharmacies that Senator Standridge owns: “Blanchard Drug & Gift and LegendCare Pharmacy — that were reimbursed more than $3.4 million from 2017 to 2020 by the state Medicaid system, according to Oklahoma Health Care Authority data that was obtained through an Open Records Request.”
Further details: “The sum of the annual average pharmacy reimbursements over those four years was over $2.1 million. Blanchard Drug & Gift, located in Blanchard, was reimbursed $1.02 million during that time period, while LegendCare pharmacy, located in Norman, was reimbursed more than $2.38 million.”
Standridge told his hometown newspaper, “Certainly some may disagree with me on managed care, but based on what I have studied and observed in surrounding states that have implemented managed care in this way it is neither better for the state nor for our most vulnerable citizens it is intended to help. However, if it eventually becomes the system in which we deliver Medicaid, I will continue to work to make sure the delivery of care is the best that it can be.”
Politics and men named Paul
Sketching this disagreement (I share Sen. David’s policy preference) brings me back to things I learned while working for the late Paul M. Weyrich (1942-2008) during my sojourn in Washington, D.C.
Weyrich was, like many persons in public life, much more than the sum of his news clippings (which were prodigious). Among other things, his first real job was in radio journalism.
And, I heard him say more than once that politics is not to be confused with theology:
“In bringing someone to faith, you seek a person’s conversion – 100 percent. In politics, anyone interested in gratifying results should understand that the elected official who agrees with you more than half of the time on the big stuff is your ally, not your enemy.”
Of course, Paul believed that some issues are more significant than others. The things he fought for still count.
But as time goes by, his adage about politics, and his behavior toward at least many of his policy adversaries, comes to mind.
He bequeathed to me friendships with, among others, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and the late U.S. Senators Paul Tsongas of Massachusetts and Paul Simon of Illinois.
Further, there’s this bit of wisdom. which Weyrich believed:
“[N]ow these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13: 13).
Perhaps there is something about the name, “Paul.”
Another Paul co-wrote a popular tune back in the day, with this memorable repetitive chorus:
“We can work it out.”
Perhaps, at least in Oklahoma, we can manage that.
Note: McGuigan’s analysis first appeared in the Southwest Ledger, April 1, 2021 print edition and online: https://ift.tt/3usqXPF . Southwest Ledger, 7602 US Highway 277, Elgin, OK 73538, (580) 350-1111. It is reposted here with permission.
No foolin’ As the world turns, Oklahoma’s high stakes Managed Care fight sparks tension Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
The City Sentinel Endorsement
Paula Lewis, incumbent in the chairperson’s position at the Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education, ran second in the February 9 primary election. Seeking reelection, she ran behind Charles Henry, the current District 1 board member.
Among those who voted, Lewis garnered 2,042 votes (43.76 percent) to 2,244 voes (48.14 percent) for Henry. The Tuesday, April 6 “run-off” (actually the “general”) election was triggered because Wilfredo Santos-Rivera earned 378 votes (8.10 percent). That kept Board Member Henry from securing an outright win.
Santos-Rivera has endorsed his former rival, saying, “Charles Henry believes in finding the best ways of learning for students.”
Other supporters of the challenger, who led in the primary, include: Imelda Rivera-Melendez, a graduate of Northwest Classen High and grandparent of a current public school elementary student, Cesar Armenta, a graduate of Southeast High and attorney, Jo McDermott, a graduate of Northeast High, and Dr. Marc Wilson, a John Marshall High alum.
They are not alone. Suzanne Broadbent of the Putnam Heights Neighborhood, is the woman who – while working at the State Capitol – crafted the legislation that made the board’s top position elective. An attorney, Broadbent hopes voters will approve a change in the top job: “Charles Henry exemplifies the values that the Chair position was created for.”
State Representative Jason Lowe, City Councilwoman Nikki Nice, Eastside leader Kevin Cox, Former Interim Superintendent Linda Steele Brown, former City Councilman Eric Groves, the Melvin Guss family, Pastor John A. Reed of Fairview Baptist Church, and Rev. Richard Laskey of Israel Chapel CME Church.
And businessman Jack L. Werner, owner of A to Z Inspections and a regular columnist in The City Sentinel print edition says: “Charles Henry has a willingness to listen to the concerns of citizens. As a board member he is responsive to community issues. Please vote Charles Henry for Oklahoma City Board Chair.”
Jack is usually right, and absolutely right in this case:
For the top board job in the Oklahoma Public Schools, The City Sentinel endorses Charles Henry.
Oklahoma City Public Schools Board Chair: For Charles Henry Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
City Sentinel Endorsements
The City Sentinel’s endorsement philosophy, detailed in print and online in recent years, leads the newspaper to make the best possible recommendation, in races where where a preference is indicated. The City Sentinel does not intend nor imply, unless otherwise stated, criticism of those who are not endorsed.
The City Sentinel has, in the past, endorsed Independents, Libertarians, Republicans and Democrats, depending on the job and the candidates.
Endorsements from The City Sentinel newspaper are an affirmation of the person endorsed – not necessarily a criticism of other candidates. This approach aims to encourage qualified individuals to seek public office and serve our community and state. Endorsements reflect the preferences of the newspaper’s owners/publisher.
Our pattern has been to support the best candidate possible in partisan primaries, and await voters’ selection of nominees before final decisions are made for the general election.
In non-partisan primaries, the newspaper sometimes commends two choices to voters.
A source of some confusion is that in non-partisan races, a “run-off” election is the “general election” for certain elective positions.
For the Tuesday, April 6, 2021 elections in Oklahoma City and Edmond, The City Sentinel newspaper endorses these candidates:
Oklahoma City Council Ward 3
Barbara Young
Oklahoma City Council Ward 1
Shay Varnall
Oklahoma City Board of Education Chairperson
Charles Henry
Oklahoma City Board of Education District 2
James McHenry
Mayor of Edmond
Darrell Davis
For the Oklahoma City and Edmond elections on April 6, Recommendations to the voters Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK The City Sentinel Endorsement Voters in Oklahoma City Council Ward 3 have two qualified hopefuls on the April 6 election ballot in Southwest Oklahoma City. Ward 3 Oklahoma City Council contest: Of two good options, Barbara Young is the best Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK Parent Voice Oklahoma thanks State Board of Education for support of Public Charter Schools4/3/2021
OWASSO – Parents helping to lead Parent Voice Oklahoma (PVO) organizations thanked the Oklahoma State Board of Education for approving a settlement that increases funding for charter schools.
In a press release sent to The City Sentinel, CapitolBeatOK.com and other news organizations, Leaders at PVO said the board’s decision to support charter schools is a win for parents looking for more choices in education.
“Too often, our system of public education fails to offer parents choices, is not responsive to their needs and ignores their preferences entirely,” said Jennifer Johnson, a PVO advocate from Owasso.
“One bright spot in that system has been charter schools, which offer parents and students greater options in curricula and format. We are thrilled to see the Board of Education vote to provide these schools with more resources and support.”
Dana Walsh, also with PVO, said she saw the Board’s March 26 decision as part of a larger trend towards positive reform.
“For a long time, we’ve had an education establishment that viewed itself as the only game in town, and the attitude has been ‘my way or the highway,’" said Walsh.
“That served their interests and bottom line, but it wasn’t a system that worked for parents or students. Now that’s changing. We have a governor who is listening to parents and a board that is listening to parents. We want choices; we want input; we want a seat at the table. This decision by the board is another sign that the era of special interests ruling public education is over.”
For more information on Parent Voice Oklahoma, go to parentvoiceok.org.
www.CapitolBeatOK.com
Parent Voice Oklahoma thanks State Board of Education for support of Public Charter Schools Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK |
Pat McGuiganThe dean of all Oklahoma Journalism, Mr Patrick McGuigan; has a rich history of service in many aspects of both covering the news and producing the information that the public needs to know. Archives
September 2021
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