Oklahoma is going backwards

[Stillwater Townie]

So, if you can't afford to own a house and rent you would still be on the hook for the MUCH higher property taxes required to cover this.

Possibly the best way to make up for $1.2 billion in lost revenue is to hike the state sales tax. Oklahoma, if I got it correct, took in a bit over $3 billion in state sales tax in 2023. That means the state sales tax would have to be raised by around 2%. Efforts from a vote around 10 years ago on a question to raise state sales tax by 1% to improve funding for education failed. It reflected the anti-education culture in Oklahoma.

If the property tax abatement measure gets on the ballot, legislators should be asked if they support a 2% sales tax hike or whatever the amount arrived at. If less than the required number of them to raise taxes, I'd probably vote no. If legislators won't raise state sales tax, then I guess they would have to tell counties and cities to determine how much they need to raise their own sales taxes and take a citizen vote on it, if required.

If it gets on the ballot, it will likely discourage business and industry from coming to Oklahoma until the tax situation gets settled. If homeowner property taxes are abolished, it could encourage more Texans to move to Oklahoma.

A Houston billboard asked me to leave Texas for Oklahoma. No thanks.​

https://www.chron.com/culture/article/move-to-oklahoma-billboards-texas-21208046.php

 

[Polds4OSU]

 

[PJ-OSU]

View attachment 16266

Clear, well defined information without a hint of bias. What a breath of fresh air, and a sad low bar from what we have been experiencing recently.

 

[HacklemanPoke]

Clear, well defined information without a hint of bias. What a breath of fresh air, and a sad low bar from what we have been experiencing recently.

All states have these or similar metrics. I don’t care if ideas come from the reddest of red states or bluest of blue states. Find out how states that are excelling and improving are getting it done. And then I don’t care if it costs money and my taxes are raised. Get our schools performing. Unleash educators and let the really good ones mentor and lead. And pay them to do it.

When our education exceeds and we become more than easy casino grounds for Texans businesses will come to Oklahoma. Higher incomes and higher population will result in higher tax income and then we can lower taxes.

This sh!+ ain’t difficult.

 

[Stillwater Townie]

But in Oklahoma, it's the Culture War, stupid, not education, not even the economy.

OU puts graduate instructor on leave after student claims discrimination on Bible-based essay grade​

https://www.oudaily.com/news/ou-sta...cle_306d35a7-ac6a-433f-9ff9-8dad255b1b72.html

 

[osuwhit]

All states have these or similar metrics. I don’t care if ideas come from the reddest of red states or bluest of blue states. Find out how states that are excelling and improving are getting it done. And then I don’t care if it costs money and my taxes are raised. Get our schools performing. Unleash educators and let the really good ones mentor and lead. And pay them to do it.

When our education exceeds and we become more than easy casino grounds for Texans businesses will come to Oklahoma. Higher incomes and higher population will result in higher tax income and then we can lower taxes.

This sh!+ ain’t difficult.

I would also want to know what were we doing when we were 17th (at our highest ranking?) in education when Brad Henry was in office. And why did we get away from it?

 

[cowboyinexile]

I would also want to know what were we doing when we were 17th (at our highest ranking?) in education when Brad Henry was in office. And why did we get away from it?

Its not a red vs blue state thing. You see states like Utah ranked pretty high and California is middle of the pack. I can tell you from my observations Minnesota blows Oklahoma away but compared to Iowa and Nebraska they aren't that different. New Mexico seems to suck and the deep south usually struggles (with the exception of Florida) so its probably a regional thing.

 

[osuwhit]

Its not a red vs blue state thing. You see states like Utah ranked pretty high and California is middle of the pack. I can tell you from my observations Minnesota blows Oklahoma away but compared to Iowa and Nebraska they aren't that different. New Mexico seems to suck and the deep south usually struggles (with the exception of Florida) so its probably a regional thing.

I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to imply it was a red/blue thing.

I think our state leaders need to do the simple thing that Hackleman implied which is find out how the successful states are successful. That's a data point and one to rip off/duplicate and steal with pride. We should figure out how the bigger states do it and figure out how states similar to Oklahoma in population/size are successful if there are any. The next data point it to figure out why we were good at it when Brad Henry was in office because 17 is pretty damn respectable.

 

[Stillwater Townie]

I would also want to know what were we doing when we were 17th (at our highest ranking?) in education when Brad Henry was in office. And why did we get away from it?

Speaking of no. 17, during an election debate last year I heard the Republican candidate say that when you take out Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma rates no. 17 for education. I don't think he said where he got that figure.

 

[steross]

Speaking of no. 17, during an election debate last year I heard the Republican candidate say that when you take out Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma rates no. 17 for education. I don't think he said where he got that figure.

So? Unless you went through all the other states and pulled out their lower socio-economic areas that is meaningless data manipulation p

 

[cowboyinexile]

So? Unless you went through all the other states and pulled out their lower socio-economic areas that is meaningless data manipulation p

I doubt the metropolitan areas are lower in socioeconomic status than urban. A lot of politicians on the right want to demonize those liberal teachers unions but they tend to forget a lot of small town teachers are people who grew up there, wanted to live close to home, and saw teaching as an opportunity to have an actual career in their hometown. Its hard to say the freshman English teacher is "one of them" when your cousin dated her in high school. Its easier to blame the people living in the big cities.

And its not just an Oklahoma thing. You hear people around me talking about how Walz put tampons in boys restrooms in schools. You ask them where the tampon machines are in our school and they talk about how you see them in Minneapolis.

 

[steross]

I doubt the metropolitan areas are lower in socioeconomic status than urban. A lot of politicians on the right want to demonize those liberal teachers unions but they tend to forget a lot of small town teachers are people who grew up there, wanted to live close to home, and saw teaching as an opportunity to have an actual career in their hometown. Its hard to say the freshman English teacher is "one of them" when your cousin dated her in high school. Its easier to blame the people living in the big cities.

And its not just an Oklahoma thing. You hear people around me talking about how Walz put tampons in boys restrooms in schools. You ask them where the tampon machines are in our school and they talk about how you see them in Minneapolis.

My point isn’t whether he is right or not, metro/urban, or anything political. My point is that you can’t remove parts of something to make it a better comparison with something else that you didn’t treat the same. “Take away SGAs scoring and the Thunder have only won a few games this season.” Dumb.

 

[cowboyinexile]

My point isn’t whether he is right or not, metro/urban, or anything political. My point is that you can’t remove parts of something to make it a better comparison with something else that you didn’t treat the same. “Take away SGAs scoring and the Thunder have only won a few games this season.” Dumb.

Yep. I get what you are saying