GUEST COLUMN
Sen. David Holt
Majority Caucus Vice-Chair and Vice-Chair, Business and Commerce Committee
Putting Taxpayers Back in Charge
As a taxpayer, you send your hard-earned dollars to many levels of government – federal, state, and city to name a few. At every level, except for one, you elect representatives who spend your tax dollars on your behalf. If they fail to do so properly, you have the ability to elect someone else.
OPINION
Mark Costello
Chairman, Parity in Oklahoma
A Future Labor Day of Jobs and Prosperity through Phasing Out the Oklahoma State Income Tax
On this Labor Day, we live, work, and compete in a more competitive global environment (with forty-nine other states and one hundred ninety-six countries) than Labor Days of the past. Business decisions are based on how to best survive, create jobs, and be profitable in such an environment. Labor Day should be more than a celebration of past gains. Through changes made in state taxing policy, future Labor Days can and should celebrate more and better paying jobs.
Parity in Oklahoma is a 501-C-4 non-profit organization approved by Mark Costello and is not government-funded.
Parity in Oklahoma
P.O. Box 18462
Oklahoma City, OK 73154-8462
OKLAHOMA NEWS
- Maine Heritage Policy Center study: Right-to-Work is a "boon" for Oklahoma.
- Art Laffer: Oklahoma, Indiana at the forefront of pro-growth movement.
- Commissioner Costello keynotes at Cameron University business forum. He says less government regulation, lower taxes will aid ailing economy.
- Following the money: How the OEA's conributions to the NEA PAC are spent.
- The McCarville Report: Due to meaningful legislative reforms, the unfunded liability of all the Oklahoma pension plans has decreased from over $16 billion to $10.6 billion.
- SoonerPoll: A majority of Oklahoma Democrats think state government is very wasteful.
- Commissioner Costello requests public retraction from Oklahoma labor union official.
- Economists J. Scott Moody and Wendy P. Warcholik agree: Right to Work has been a boon for Oklahoma's economy.
- Organized labor demonstrates against Labor Commissioner Costello.
- AFPOK video on the size of Oklahoma's government. Hint: It's not small.
- Red Dirt Report: Labor Commissioner Costello vs. the Enemies of Reform
- In the Big Labor vs. Taxpayers Index, Oklahoma ranks dead last - in the entire southern United States - for "taxpayer rights." A concerned State Senator David Holt says the rating is a "wake-up call" for Oklahoma's policymakers.
- Michael Carnuccio: Why Oklahoma Should Eliminate the Income Tax [video].
- Commissioner Costello under attack by Oklahoma Democrats for his efforts toward reform of state government.
- No surprises here ... A SoonerPoll, commissioned by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, reveals that a majority of Oklahomans favor smaller government, fewer services, and lower taxes.
- Tulsa World: Commissioner Costello establishes Parity in Oklahoma, an advocacy group.
- Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin visits Chicago to encourage Illinois-based companies to expand their presence and workforce in the Sooner State.
- In Tulsa, firefighters’ union participation violates city charter. John Sacra argues that “unions manipulating local elections is not in the best long-term interest of anyone.”
- Meracatus Center: Oklahoma ranks twelfth on the Freedom Index. Overall, it’s a high rating, but there’s room for improvement, especially in the “bloated” government payroll category.
- Three new companies join the Made in Oklahoma Coalition.
- Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs: It takes 18 private-sector jobs to fund one-public sector job. More economic growth and less government urgently needed.
- OCPA speaks out against more federal debt and larger government.
- CPA Small says Oklahoma state government too big and growing every year, contrary to the wishes of most Oklahomans.
- Like every sector of the economy, Oklahoma universities should learn to live responsibly with fewer resources.
- Economist: At 64.5% Oklahoma’s private sector share of income is nearly 7% below the national average.
NATIONAL NEWS
- San Diego Union-Tribune: Union power 'mauls' California's taxpayers.
- Meet New Jersey's Double Dippers: 'Retired and Rehired' State Employees.
- Election 2012: Contributions from labor unions are "leveling off," according to the Wall Street Journal.
- California unions fear CPR (Comprehensive Pension Reform).
- Bankrupt Rhode Island city now managed by official with questionable ethics.
- Wall Street Journal: Public pensions are "much more generous" than 401(k)s.
- Chicago Sun-Times: Chicago Teachers Union vs. School System: An ugly war rages on.
- CNBC: Debate over public retirement ages rages on.
- Economic historian Fred Siegel on crony capitalism, public-sector union benefits, Occupy Wall Street, and much more.
- Wall Street Journal decries National Labor Relation Board's "putsch."
- Whole Foods Market CEO: Increasing economic and individual freedoms will cause U.S. economy to grow.
- Congressman John Kline: How the Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act will rein in the National Labor Relations Board.
- John Stossel: Teachers' Unions and tenure interfere with education reform.
- Heritage Foundation: Public school teachers earn 50% more than comparably skilled private-sector workers.
- Fatal attraction: Due to its love affair with borrowed money, Pennsylvania's capital is drowning in debt.
- Unbelieveable! California state prison nurse triples pay by working overtime.
- The Weekly Standard argues that a "global debt apocalypse approaches." Writer David Smick recommends radical reform of growth and debt.
- "Blue social policy" has created tiny Rhode Island's huge debt problem.
- Frank Keegan's message to state and local government bureaucrats: Cut spending and pay down your debt!
- Troubling Obama Administration trend: Federal government workforce grows, while private-sector workforce shrinks.
- Testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget, about federal and state spending, from Chris Edwards of the Cato Institute. Mr. Edwards notes that government pension plans are "overpromised."
- The Democratic Party's most important base: Dues-paying government workers.
- Who you gonna call to save letter carrier union? A former Obama administration official and a Wall Street bank.
- Chicago labor leaders are accruing benefits from multiple pensions. State GOP leader Tom Cross dubs the scheme 'double dipping on steroids.'
- No longer golden: "Painful new era" for many local governments and cities in California.
- Wall Street Journal: Families relying on government benefits reaches all-time high.
- Vanity of vanities: The financial journalist who wrote Moneyball - Michael Lewis - examines California's financial woes.
- Not science-fiction: Arizona Republic agrees that government pension costs are 'eating alive' state and federal budgets.
- Sign of the (Austere) Times: U.S. Marshals can no longer commute to work in government-owned SUVs.
- Obama Adminstration's job creation plan is to hire more bureaucrats at the anti-business Environmental Protection Agency. Washington Times response: Free up American Enterprise!
- Pension debt and the taxpayer: Why the twain won't meet. A Montana Watchdog commentary .
- Public Pensions Gone Wild: One day on the city payroll results in a lucrative pension deal for Chicago labor leader.
- Gallup Poll: Average American views government - at all levels - as wasteful of tax dollars.
- The Golden City lives up to its name: Over a third of San Francisco's city workers earned six figures.
- USA Today's state-by-state primer on taxpayer-funded pensions. Investigative reporter Tom Franks concludes that pensions are the preferred way for legislators to pay themselves more money.
- The Anti-Christie: Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy signs two executive orders that "lay the groundwork" to unionize personal care attendants and family child care providers.
- The Chicago Way: Secretive pension law results in huge (absurd!) payments to twenty-three retired union employees.
- Michael Barone: President Obama is concerned about jobs ... that is, taxpayer-funded, stimulus-plan, unionized jobs.
- Pushing for Parity: Survey reveals that voters in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin want state officials to restrict spending, pare down public employee benefits, and hold the line on taxes.
- Outrageous! University of California regents approve a $259,000 raise for an academic hospital's top administrator.
- Trolling for Votes: Harvard researchers Paul E. Peterson and Daniel Nadler argue that the President's jobs bill is a bailout which will (largely) benefit debt-ridden blue states that have a "highly unionzed public-sector work force."
- Big Labor's Woes: Massive debt, dismal economy, bad public relations, and not enough love from President Obama.
- A Democratic presidential tradition: Redefining American poverty to enlarge government programs.
- Cartoon: “The Government Job Creating Machine”
- Black Conservative Activists: Don’t Blame Tea Party for Standard & Poor Downgrade. ‘Corporate welfare, record spending, and contempt towards the Constitution’ really the problem.
- “Red Tape Rising:” Heritage Foundation’s James Gattuso’s podcast on the overregulation of business.
- Ed Meese: President Obama needs a Reaganomics 101 crash course.
- ‘Toon: Tea Party Terrorists
- Marita Noon urges Obama to remove obstacles to creating jobs in energy industry.
- David Limbaugh explains how Barack Obama’s unwillingness to implement spending reforms is our nation’s “greatest problem.”
- Charles Butler: “Multiple wars, illegal immigration costs, foreign aid and pork-barrel projects are just the beginning of looking for ways to curb excessive spending.”
- Neal Boortz’s 14-point solution to the economic crisis.