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By Charles M. Phipps on October 7th, 2021 
State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister has announced that she is switching parties from Republican to Democrat in order to run for Oklahoma Governor in 2022, hoping to oust incumbent Governor Kevin Stitt in the November general election. First, she will have to get past former State Senator Connie Johnson in the Democratic primary.
Hofmeister had a difference of opinion with Governor Stitt about a new state law that prohibits local school boards from mandating face masks for students. She also expressed anger at Stitt in September when he announced a full audit of the State Department of Education for the first time ever after evidence was uncovered of misuse of funds in an audit of EPIC Charter Schools. Hofmeister called the audit an “attack on public education.” Her defensive response to the audit is political posturing to distract the public from the lack of fiscal accountability in her department. With her alleged felonious activity with regard to campaign finances, it is […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on June 4th, 2015 
For as long as I can remember, the public has always been told by those in the education field that all our problems could be solved if only there was more funding allocated for schools. Class size is made an issue, more teachers are needed, better textbooks, more technology, school building renovations. More money. Always more money.
Here in Oklahoma, the teacher’s union and the Democrats sound like broken records when it comes to the state budget every year. Always wanting more money, but never explaining why past initiatives that were sold to the public under the guise of solving our education problems never seemed to produce the promised results. If you’ve been around Oklahoma long enough you might remember House Bill 1017 back in 1990. It was described as ‘landmark legislation’ by the Democrats, who controlled both houses of the state legislature, and it provided increased funding to schools, reduced class sizes, provided minimum teacher salaries, early childhood programs […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on November 9th, 2012 
I will freely admit disappointment over the election results this past Tuesday. It was not the outcome I wanted or expected. But, after some reflection I have come to realize the conservative ideology I believe in was not rejected by the voters. In fact, it was embraced. Further explanation is likely needed here.
Some readers of my blog may be unaware of the meaning behind the name I selected – OK Politechs. I received a message once asking if I thought that the politics of the day were ‘okay’. No, the OK in my blog title is for Oklahoma, where I have lived all my life and where the true winner in Tuesday’s election became clear, that being true economic conservatism.
On a national level it’s no secret that the Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, was no conservative. He’s one of the liberals in the party who masquerades as something more palatable. Compared to Obama, he may have seemed like the […] → Keep reading
By Charles M. Phipps on August 22nd, 2011 
One of Brad Henry’s main campaign issues in 2002 was enacting a state lottery and, after being elected Governor, he made the lottery a priority in the 2003 legislative session. The legislature approved a lottery proposal to be put on the 2004 general election ballot. State Questions 705, which set up a lottery commission, and 706, which created a lottery trust fund, were both passed by voters. The lottery then began in Oklahoma in 2005.
Also at Brad Henry’s urging, the legislature placed on the 2004 ballot a proposal to allow American Indian tribes to enter compacts with the state so they could provide additional types of gambling. The tribal-state compact allowed eligible tribes to pay a monthly exclusivity fee to the state in exchange for the exclusive right to operate Class III gaming services, which includes Las Vegas-style slot machines and card games. The state question also set up provisions for a limited number of licensed racetracks to […] → Keep reading
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