Armstrong Auditorium presents encore performance of ‘Celtic Throne’
Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
EDMOND – From Golden Globe-nominated composer Brian Byrne (Heartbeat of Home) comes Celtic Throne, a majestic new musical score for a brand-new Irish dance production from Herbert W. Armstrong College and Armstrong Dance.
Fresh off tours of Branson, Missouri and Rapid City, South Dakota, Armstrong Auditorium hosted an encore performance of “Celtic Throne” on Thursday, Oct. 15. The Armstrong Auditorium run ends tomorrow (Sunday, Oct. 18) at 2 p.m.
Celtic Throne — The Royal Journey of Irish Dance explores the ancient origins of Irish step dance and celebrates the millennia-long journey of a music- and dance-loving people as they migrate from the ancient Near East to Ireland, Scotland, England and the United States. Infused with innovative choreography, dazzling costumes, spectacular lighting and projection, Celtic Throne is Armstrong College’s largest production to date.
“Celtic Throne combines Byrne’s powerful, cinematic musical score with hard- and soft-shoe Irish dancing, all set against epic imagery of Ireland, the Scottish Highlands, scenes from the British Empire and traditional America. This show is a stonking celebration of the British Isles and the United States. It is guaranteed to leave audiences thrilled and inspired,” said co-director Brad Macdonald. Concerning the remaining local performance on Sunday, the stage professional said, in a release sent to local news organizations, “Bring the entire family for an unforgettable experience!”
Irish-born Brian Byrne is a multi-award-winning film and television composer, songwriter and producer whose wife is lyricist Kasey Jones, a native Oklahoman. The couple lives in Oklahoma. Byrne composed music for Heartbeat of Home and has collaborated with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Katy Perry, Bono, Barbara Streisand, Josh Groban, Sinead O’Connor, Kelly Clarkson and Sarah McLachlan, to name a few.
The Armstrong Dance troupe is comprised of more than 30 Irish dancers from around the world, including Britain, Australia, Canada and the United States, ranging in age from 22 to just four years old. The troupe is comprised of students from the Carey Academy in England and the Maguire Academy in America, some of whom have competed with great success in top Irish dance competitions, including Worlds, All Irelands, Great Britain and North American Nationals.
Tickets to “Celtic Throne—The Royal Journey of Irish Dance” range from $20 to $45 for adults and $15 for children 17 and under, and reservations are required. For tickets, visit ArmstrongAuditorium.org or call (405) 285-1010.
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.
The remaining Performance at Armstrong Auditorium is Sunday, Oct. 18, at 2:00 p.m.
www.City-Sentinel.com
Armstrong Auditorium presents encore performance of ‘Celtic Throne’ Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
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AOGC endorses Cody Rogers as he seeks win over incumbent in Senate District 37 Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK The rhetorical stones boulders and meteors cast at America and the Founding: A Commentary10/11/2020
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson has written a book entitled “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.” Oprah Winfrey says it is the most important book she has ever recommended to her substantial fan base.
With the help of tech-giant Apple, Winfrey is spreading the book’s themes far and wide.
The author’s premise is the American founding masked a deeper flaw: a caste system along the lines of India (since ancient times, until the system’s premises were eroded in the British colonial era) and Germany in the era of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (usually called the Nazis).
Wilkerson’s book will no doubt become required reading for many students in American colleges and universities. It fits the contemporary zeitgeist in academia, including reference to German fascism.
Nonetheless, I remain a contrarian and am kind of troubled – dismayed and depressed might be better words – by the apparent premise of ‘Caste’.
We have reached some sort of inflection point. God knows what comes next.
Anger at Donald Trump or any other public figure cannot justify the developing dominance of ideas being promoted by Winfrey, the National Basketball Association establishment and so many others.
If we Americans cripple ourselves while focused on such things, we won't be prepared for threats just over the horizon and originating in places like Mainland China (where the communist government desires to add Taiwan to its fascist control) and the Middle East (where Israel still has many determined enemies who question its right to existence).
I spent some years teaching, often focused on places like India, which had until the last few decades a functioning caste system.
Over a century of history, legal traditions rooted in Great Britain, then the activism of Mahatma Gandhi, then developments during the era after World War (including the good works of a European known as Mother Teresa) combined with the determined labor of millions of people whose names will never be known, undercut the historic premises of the Indian caste system.
Finally, in the post-colonial era, the caste structure was, in law, reversed -- although it still has legacies. Legacy. A word increasingly used to suppress, rather than advance, critical analysis.
If America has or ever had a caste system, how do men like myself and women like my high school classmate Vicki Miles come into positions of influence and/or (in her case) actual power?
Did a hidden set of caste-masters decide to let me and Vicki through?
What about Clarence Thomas -- born in a Gullah enclave at the tiny community of Pin Point, Georgia – now a member of the U.S. Supreme Court?
What about Oprah Winfrey herself?
Long before the “1619 Project,” seeds for destruction of race-based law making were planted in the American Declaration of Independence.
Drawing on the traditions of English common law and the blending of those traditions which philosopher John Locke had crafted, Thomas Jefferson wrote: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
As Abraham Lincoln understood, the death of slavery and the rise of a merit-based system of law and economics were laid in those words from the Declaration and in the framework of the U.S. Constitution. A new birth of freedom came after the American Civil War, taking on substance in daily life in the early modern era.
After the Civil War but before the modern Civil Rights movement in which many Oklahomans played an important role, John Marshall Harlan (the Elder), wrote a passionate dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896). He wrote for the law, for the Constitution, and for us:
“[I]n the view of the Constitution, in the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant, ruling class of citizens. There is no caste here. Our Constitution is color-blind and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law. The humblest is the peer of the most powerful. The law regards man as man and takes no account of his surroundings or of his color when his civil rights as guaranteed by the supreme law of the land are involved. ...”
Caste systems don't allow for the emergence and impact of people like Frederick A. Douglass, W.E.B. du Bois, Booker T. Washington, Martin Luther King, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, and Tim Scott. And: Coretta Scott King, Clara Luper, and Hannah Atkins.
Or: Linda Chavez and Rebecca Aguilar -- and A.C. Hamlin, Robert S. Abbot, Edward Brooke, Bob Gibson, Ben Carson and Ben Nighthorse Campbell.
America’s problems are rooted in human sinfulness -- our shared fallen nature -- not in the alleged “systemic flaws” built into a functioning system of ordered liberty and traditional morality.
In all of history, only a few nations have made serious and sustained attempts to offset that sinfulness and fallen nature with the wise use of institutions to elevate, not erode, human conditions.
The United States is in that select group – yet beneficiaries of the same system now work tirelessly to defame the founding generation and those who have sought – in blood, sweat and tears, and through practical labor – to bring to fulfillment a promise.
There is now -- manifested in academic projects and pressure on news organizations and other businesses to conform to a set of assumptions -- not a cottage industry defaming the founding and the traditions that forged the world’s greatest nation ...
Indeed, not a cottage industry, but an economic juggernaut financed with the donations of mega-enterprises based in America but with worldwide reach, drawing down profits garnered in voluntary exchanges with American consumers.
They are deployed, at the moment – along with the resources of writers, athletes, celebrities and academics financed through book purchases and ticket sales – and advanced every hour of every day through those working at institutions of learning financed through taxes, mega-endowments and/or the tuition paid by parents and families.
Intelligent people are heaving not stones, but boulders, at a nation and people deemed evil – beyond sin, beyond redemption, beyond salvation.
At each stage of judgment, they deem themselves justified in response to those designated, so memorably, as "deplorables."
Where is this all headed?
For you, for me, for all of us – explicitly including those casting the stones, heaving the boulders and hoping for meteors – what is next?
The rhetorical stones, boulders and meteors cast at America and the Founding: A Commentary Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Kevin McDugle, R-Broken Arrow, will hold an interim study next week focusing on death penalty practices and procedures.
According to a press release from legislative communications staff, the study will be held before the House Public Safety Committee. It begins at 9:30 a. m. and is scheduled to run until noon on Wednesday, Oct. 14, in Room 206 at the state Capitol.
“The majority of Oklahoman’s agree with having the death penalty as an option,” McDugle said.
“I just want to make sure that when we start the death penalty again that we are properly trained and that each individual we put to death is guilty and deserving. Some of those on death row have new evidence in their cases since 2015, and we want to make sure all new evidence is looked at before we send someone to the chamber.”
Speaking on death penalty cases in Oklahoma will be:
• Don Knight, Death Row inmate Richard Glossip’s Attorney
• Craig Sutter, executive director of the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System
• Christy Shepherd with the Oklahoma Death Penalty Review Commission
• Bob Ravitz, Oklahoma County public defender
Speaking on the future of the death penalty in Oklahoma will be:
• Mike Hunter, Oklahoma attorney general
• Scott Crow, director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections
• Trent Baggett, chief executive officer of the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council
• Adam Luck, a member of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board
Rep. Kevin McDugle plans Interim Study on Death Penalty practices and procedures Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre announces retirement of founding Artistic Director Don Jordan10/10/2020
Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre (OKC Rep), Oklahoma's award-winning professional regional theatre announced last week that its founding Artistic Director Donald Jordan will transition and assume the title of "Founding Artistic Director emeritus" in the Summer of 2021.
"The reputation of the Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre was built by the hard work of Don Jordan and our community has greatly benefited from his commitment to the organization's mission to serve Oklahoma's diverse artistic, educational and civic needs by providing dynamic, professional theatre," said Cliff Hudson, OKC Rep Board President, "We wish him great joy in his much-deserved retirement."
Donald Jordan has led OKC Rep since 1998, when a group of notable Oklahoma and national artists created the theatre, which became the 1s t year-round Equity professional theatre in Oklahoma. The founding company included Jonathan Beck Reed, Ruth Charnay, Marcellus Hankins, Michele Wilson, James Tyra, Elaine Pfleiderer, Russell Webster, Charlotte Franklin, Jackie West, Michael Jones, and Kirk Rogers.
Jordan and Reed had spent many hours imagining ways to build OKC a professional regional theatre during their years together in NYC and while they performed in the national touring company of the Broadway hit 42ND STREET. OKC Rep performances began in the fall of 2002 and, since, have had more than 85 productions, most of which were world, national, regional, state or city premieres, Jordan's leadership and artistry has been recognized nationally, regionally, and throughout the state of Oklahoma. Among the many innovations and achievements for OKC Rep and Jordan under his dynamic leadership are becoming the first theatre in Oklahoma City history to be given membership in the Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national association of leading American professional theatres in 2010.
In 2016, Teresa Eyring, TCG's Executive Director, issued a special public commendation that called Jordan "a vital part of the fabric of The National Theatre community."
In January 2020, TCG featured Jordan as one of 12 national creative leaders in American Theatre magazine, the national periodical of the American theatre. In 2012, the American Theatre Wing (also known for presenting the Tony awards for Broadway theatrical achievement) presented its National Theatre Award to Jordan and OKC Rep, stating that he had "articulated a distinctive mission, cultivated an audience, and nurtured a community of artists in ways that demonstrate the quality, diversity and dynamism of American theatre."
NOTE: News of Don Jordan’s Summer 2021 retirement was covered around the United States, including in the foregoing story from Broadway World, which was posted here: https://ift.tt/3lzZyXE. In addition to his artistic acumen and ability, Jordan understands the importance of a free press in the our democratic Republic, and has regularly advertised his company’s events and activities in The City Sentinel newspaper. The publisher, Patrick B. McGuigan, appreciates Jordan for that, and for his varied contributions to our community.
Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre announces retirement of founding Artistic Director Don Jordan Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
From Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy:
Oklahoma City -- Chili-cooking season is upon us, so: Please join the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy on Saturday, October 17 for the 37th Annual Political Hacks Chili Cookoff!
This year, things will be done things differently. We are asking cookers to set up tailgate style in our parking lot at 2915 N. Classen Boulevard in Oklahoma City and maintain a safe distance from each other. The event will run from Noon to 4:30 p.m.
We will have each entrant place samples of their chili into Styrofoam containers with lids. Our staff will mark each contestant’s sample and box them up for people to drive through and take the samples home and vote for their favorite online.
Our judges (Justice Noma Gurich, Judge Trevor Pemberton, Judge Leah Edwards, Judge Thad Balkman, Judge Kevin McCray, and Judge Sheila Stinson) will also be present to do their judging.
The link to sign up to cook is below (cookers enter for free and get an event apron as a thank-you for competing) and sponsor levels are also included. Each sponsor will have their names or logos (no campaign logos as we are not allowed that by law, sorry) placed on the event t-shirt. Here is the link for signing up: https://ift.tt/2GMkvjd
Proceeds from this event go to the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA), with donations also going to the Donna Nigh Foundation and Children’s Hospital of Oklahoma.
As always, this event is set up to provide a relaxing, fun event for people to have a chance to meet the candidates and members of the court who will serve as judges.
This year, with COVID-19, we will certainly encourage this to happen from a safe social distance and for people to mask up.
If you are not tied up in a campaign, please consider entering and/or joining.
Note: For information about the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, visit their website, here: https://oica.org/. Former state Rep. Joe Dorman is executive director of the organization.
Political Hacks Chili Cook-off set for October 17 Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
On November 3, state Question 814 is on the ballot. It was placed there by a Joint Resolution passed by the legislature. It involves the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET). In 1996, Oklahoma and 45 other states across the country sued tobacco companies for targeting youth. They ultimately settled with big tobacco for a combined $200 billion over 25 years.
In 2000, Oklahoma voters amended the state constitution and created TSET -- the first state to protect their tobacco settlement money in a constitutional trust. The trust is governed by a seven member board, each appointed by an elected official. Currently 75 percent of the annual payment from the tobacco companies is deposited into the trust, the legislature gets 18.75 percent and the state Attorney General’s office gets 6.25 percent to handle enforcement of the agreement.
TSET only spends the annual ‘earnings’ from the trust each year. In 2019, TSET earned $69,766,822, which was distributed as described above. The trust balance as of June 2019 was $1.3 billion.
S.Q. 814 would change the percentages of distribution. If approved, the legislature would receive 75 percebt of the earnings from TSET, the trust 18.75 percent and the A.G.’s office’s share wouldn’t change. The legislature wouldn’t have free reign to use the monies, but it would be earmarked for Medicaid expansion.
Three observations:
First, Oklahoma’s Medicaid expansion will place a heavy budget on the state budget. After its passage June 30, State Question 802 expanded Medicaid in the state to cover eligible working age adults who live in poverty. It mandated the coverage be done by next July. The only problem is it didn’t provide a funding mechanism. If S.Q. 814 passes, it will generate an estimated $60-70 million annually to help cover the costs of Medicaid expansion. Estimates on how much the expansion will cost the state are estimated at $164 million annually. Governor Kevin Stitt said, “In my opinion, [S.Q. 814] needs to pass. We need to redirect some of those funds to the legislature so we can actually pay for Medicaid expansion.”
Second, there is not universal support for S.Q. 814. While TSET(a state agency) doesn’t take an official position on the SQ, they released a statement warning that smaller payments into the trust will hurt future efforts to fund their primary mission to curb tobacco use among youth. Thomas Larson, spokesman for TSET said, “With less money going into the endowment, the endowment is not going to grow as quickly, especially when we have a downturn in the economy. Not only would that affect our ability to stand up new programs or expand existing programs, a sharp economic downturn that lasts for a while could impact current programs."
TSET spends about 1/3 of their share of the earnings each year on advertising to reduce smoking in Oklahoma. In a 2016 survey commissioned by TSET of six states, results showed substantial reduction of smokers and Oklahoma doing better than the other five. There are those who fear future legislatures will attempt to circumvent the restrictions and use the money for something other than Medicaid. That would never happen in Oklahoma, right?
Third, Oklahoma’s health ranking is low. The United Health Foundation (UHF) rankings are often cited. They claim the Sooner state dropped from #43 to #47 in 2019 in overall health due to the high number of uninsured citizens. UHF is a foundation funded by UnitedHealth Group, a health insurance carrier, so take their rankings with a grain of salt. Determining the overall health of a state is difficult, but TSET’s own internal data shows our state to have high rates of cancer, heart disease and strokes compared to other states.
When voters approved S.Q. 802 expanding Medicaid and put it in the state constitution, the legislature is required to fund that expansion. While not a perfect solution, S.Q. 814 does provide that funding mechanism. Let’s hope future legislatures will also use it as directed.
Vote Yes on S.Q. 814.
Note: Chairman of the Republican Party in Oklahoma’s Fourth U.S. Congress District, Steve Fair is a widely published commentator, whose essays frequently appear at the CapitolBeatOK website and in The City Sentinel newspaper. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. His blog is stevefair.blogspot.com.
Commentary: Vote Yes on State Question 814 Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
Ray Carter
It was widely understood the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in 'McGirt v. Oklahoma,' which found that the federal government never disestablished the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s reservation, opened a Pandora’s box that would lead to a wide range of state-tribal conflicts over issues that include criminal justice, taxation, and regulation.
The ripple effects continued to be felt this week as a McGirt-based criminal appeal highlighted another challenge: The judges who have to resolve such legal disputes often have ties — and even receive benefits from — tribal governments, creating conflict-of-interest appearances.
Shaun Michael Bosse is a non-Indian on death row who was convicted in state court of murdering a Chickasaw family — a mother and her two children — in 2010. Bosse stabbed the mother and her eight-year-old son multiple times, and the body of the woman’s six-year old daughter was found in a closet with a chair wedged to trap the girl in the burning home.
Bosse is challenging his conviction, arguing that the state of Oklahoma lacked the authority to prosecute him under the reasoning of the McGirt decision because his crimes took place within the boundaries of the original Chickasaw Reservation and the murder victims were Chickasaw. Under the McGirt decision, it is argued such cases may be tried only in federal courts, not Oklahoma state courts.
An amicus brief filed in Bosse’s appeal by the Chickasaw Nation declares that “the crimes of which Defendant was convicted were committed at a location within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Reservation, and thus in Indian country.”
The brief declares that the Chickasaw Nation “submits that the Chickasaw Reservation continues to exist within the Treaty Territory established by the 1830 Treaty, that its boundaries continue to be defined by the 1855 Treaty, and that all land within the Chickasaw Reservation constitutes Indian country under federal law.”
In a Sept. 23 email included in the public record of the Bosse appeal, District Judge Leah Edwards wrote, “I was just presented with an Amicus Brief filed by the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma in the above-referenced matter. I have previously disclosed my family’s membership in the Chickasaw Nation and that, as a result, my family and I receive certain benefits.”
Although the deadline for requesting the judge’s recusal had passed, Edwards wrote that “based upon this new information, I would permit a late recusal request.”
Oklahoma law requires a judge to recuse himself or herself from a case “in any proceeding in which the judge’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned.” A “comment” section for that law provides additional clarification, saying a judge is “disqualified whenever the judge’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned,” regardless of whether the reason such questions can be raised are specifically addressed in any “specific provisions” of the law.
The comment section also declares that a judge “should disclose on the record information that the judge believes the parties or their lawyers might reasonably consider relevant to a possible motion for disqualification, even if the judge believes there is no basis for disqualification.”
An email of response was sent the same day by Assistant Attorney General Caroline Hunt, stating, “The State (The DA’s Office and the AG’s Office) will not be requesting your disqualification.” An email sent soon after by Assistant Federal Public Defender Michael W. Lieberman stated, “Oh behalf of Mr. Bosse, we also will not be seeking a recusal.”
Cleveland County District Attorney Greg Mashburn said the issues that Edwards will decide are very limited.
“The Court of Criminal Appeals will decide the ultimate issue,” Mashburn said. “All she has to decide is, one, were the victims in this case of Indian blood — which we all agree — and number two, is it within the historic boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation?”
The hearing proceeded as scheduled on Sept. 30.
“Given that she’s not going to be deciding the ultimate outcome of the case and only doing minimal fact-finding, we didn’t see a problem with it,” Mashburn said, “and she’s a historically good judge.”
NOTE: This post first appeared at the website of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), here: https://ift.tt/30HxMAc
It is reposted here, with permission. The original story contains links that could be helpful to those desiring more information about the case.
McGirt Complications: Judge Considers Recusal Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
Three of the state’s four major revenue streams show contraction in September’s Gross Receipts to the Treasury report, similar to the picture seen in total collections during the past 12 months, State Treasurer Randy McDaniel announced on Tuesday *October 6).
September receipts from all sources total $1.15 billion, down by almost $8 million, or just less than one percent, from September of last year. Over the past year, gross receipts total $13.26 billion, down by some $468 million, or 3.4 percent, compared to the previous 12-months.
“Considering the major challenges the state faces, Oklahoma’s economy has been weathering the pandemic-driven downturn relatively well,” said Treasurer McDaniel. “We still have reasons for concern in the months ahead, but the perseverance reflected in the September report is encouraging.”
Gross receipts from combined sales and use tax, oil and gas production, and motor vehicle taxes are down by a total of $40.2 million. The extraction tax on oil and gas accounts for the lion’s share with a $27.4 million reduction.
The gross production tax, the state’s severance tax on oil and natural gas, is well below collections from the prior year for a thirteenth consecutive month. Oil and gas prices remain depressed, while drilling activity and oil field employment levels are at historic lows.
Combined individual and corporate income tax receipts are the lone bright spot, up by $21.9 million, or 5.1 percent, for the month. However, the influx of withholding taxes from unemployment payments appears to be having a noteworthy impact on the bottom line.
Other economic indicators
The Oklahoma Business Conditions Index in September remained above growth neutral for a fourth month, following three months of numbers indicating economic contraction. The September index was set at 58.6, down from 61.8 in August. Numbers above 50 indicate economic expansion is expected during the next three to six months.
The unemployment rate in Oklahoma was reported as 5.7 percent in August, down from 7.1 percent in July. The seasonally adjusted number of Oklahomans listed as jobless was reported as 104,800, according to figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The U.S. unemployment rate was listed at 8.4 percent in August.
September collections
Compared to gross receipts from September 2019, collections in September 2020 showed:
• Total September 2020 gross collections are $1.15 billion, down $7.9 million, or 0.7 percent.
• Gross income tax collections, a combination of individual and corporate income taxes, generated $452.7 million, an increase of $21.9 million, or 5.1 percent.
• Individual income tax collections are $346.4 million, up by $8.9 million, or 2.6 percent.
• Corporate collections are $106.4 million, an increase of $13 million, or 13.9 percent.
• Combined sales and use tax collections, including remittances on behalf of cities and counties, total $457.8 million – a reduction of $8.4 million, or 1.8 percent.
• Sales tax collections total $393 million, a decrease of $15.1 million, or 3.7 percent.
• Use tax receipts, collected on out-of-state purchases including online sales, generated $64.8 million, an increase of $6.7 million, or 11.5 percent.
• Gross production taxes on oil and natural gas total $46.4 million, a decrease of $27.4 million, or 37.2 percent.
• Motor vehicle taxes produced $58.9 million, down by $4.3 million, or 6.8 percent.
• Other collections composed of some 60 different sources including taxes on fuel, tobacco, medical marijuana, and alcoholic beverages, produced $133.5 million – up by $10.4 million, or 8.4 percent.
Twelve-month collections
Combined gross receipts for the past 12 months (October 2019 through September 2020) compared to the prior 12 months showed:
• Gross revenue totals $13.26 billion. That is $467.5 million, or 3.4 percent, below collections from the previous 12-month period.
• Gross income taxes generated $4.77 billion, reflecting an increase of $120.8 million, or 2.6 percent.
• Individual income tax collections total $4.1 billion, down by $24.2 million, or 0.6 percent.
• Corporate collections are $664.9 million, an increase of $145 million, or 27.9 percent.
• Combined sales and use taxes generated $5.46 billion, a drop of $149.8 million, or 2.7 percent.
• Gross sales tax receipts total $4.7 billion, down by $196.5 million, or 4 percent.
• Use tax collections generated $758.7 million, an increase of $46.7 million, or 6.6 percent.
• Oil and gas gross production tax collections generated $708.8 million, down by $428.7 million, or 37.7 percent.
• Motor vehicle collections total $773.6 million. This is a decrease of $18 million, or 2.3 percent.
• Other sources generated $1.55 billion, up by $8.2 million, or 0.5 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: Economic Trends Continue in September Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
Oklahoma City – August 4, 2018: Roman Catholics in the United States and a few other nations, to the extent they honor the teaching authority of the Church, face cross-pressures in wake of Pope Francis’ revision of the Catechism concerning the Death Penalty.
Right now I cannot suggest a ready path to resolution of these cross-pressures within the hearts of individuals, but here are informed reflections about where things stand today, as opposed to where they stood a few decades or a few days ago.
As my family, close associates and long-time readers of my work know, I oppose capital punishment as a matter of public policy and have done so for several years.
I have encouraged public officials, particularly in Oklahoma, to turn away from executions for multiple reasons – led by clear evidence of wrongful executions and other considerations. I believe I am charitable toward those who have a contrary view of the death penalty because I once shared that view.
Which is to say: On most matters of public policy, people are entitled to their opinions and have the right to act and speak within the law and the bounds of civility on the basis of those opinions.
Resort to capital punishment is explicitly anticipated in the Bible (in some Old Testament references it is required for certain crimes).
Capital punishment was recognized as possible (although discouraged) until the last few days in the Catechism, based on teachings from Saint Pope John Paul II and emeritus Pope Benedict XVI. For centuries before John Paul II it was explicitly considered valid in Church teaching and tradition, reflected through papal documents and in many other ways.
For Catholics here, now and henceforward, challenges in this matter are sharpened.
As faithful Roman Catholic Antonin Scalia wrote, capital punishment is explicitly permitted in the U.S. Constitution.
The Eighth Amendment forbids “cruel and unusual” punishment. The Fifth Amendment directs that a sentence of death can only follow a just and legal procedure (i.e. use of due process as understood in the Constitution) and in both common law (precedents in the form of common practice but especially in judicial decisions) and statutes (laws passed by representative bodies, signed by executives and upheld in both judicial review and in practice).
Some have argued that the death penalty should be stricken as unconstitutional through application of the two amendments to the actual practice in this era. That is a judicial-driven solution that would perhaps be as contentious as has another major public policy disagreement of recent decades.
The one clear way to remove the Ultimate Sanction from all of American law is through a well-crafted amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
While uplifting the teaching role of the Church to which I belong and honoring the founding document of the land I love, I support the latter path.
NOTE: This commentary first appeared on CapitolBeatOK.com on August 4, 2018. (https://ift.tt/36B8UxY) No changes have been made to the text in this reposting. Pat McGuigan is a member of the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (OK-CADP) and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Capital Punishment, the Holy Bible and the U.S. Constitution 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
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