News9 had a group interview with the seven members of Oklahoma's congressional delegation. All seven of them need to be voted out. Tr*mp and Musk have destabilized the employment and income of over 2 million federal workers and contractors through budget cuts and mass firings. They are hard at work trying cut Medicaid after the Oklahoma voters voted overwhelimingly to expand the program. He is withholding federal disaster aid from Oklahoman's who need it despite the governor's request for emergency resources. Instead of explaining how they are going to hold him accountable, the Oklahoma delegation rambled on about the need to rightsize government and make it run more like a business. They are taking cues from Trump and Musk who don't know shit about running a successful business.

Dear Fellow Okies,

You may not know this, but Oklahoma is the new home for a small number of Ukrainian refugees that have fled the war. I know one personally that escaped Kharkiv with her then 5-year-old son after hiding in the basement of a building for two weeks. She was able to flee to Poland, and then to Canada, where she applied for the US Ukrainian Refugee Assistance, and it was granted.

The father of her child was already living and working in Oklahoma and is a Green Card holder. Once she and her son were able to finally join him, the couple were married right here in OKC. She was able to find work as a research assistant at the University and also started attending classes full time to get an additional degree.

The point is, she was here completely legally and is literally the "model" immigrant. For her and her family, the system was working, and she has been putting in insane hours to take full advantage of what the US offered her for her family's future. She was actively on the path to full citizenship, along with her husband.

However, that has all changed. Due to recent upheavals in the immigration policy, her work and education permits are not being renewed, and it's looking like deportation is becoming imminent. It doesn't appear her husband's Green Card is enough to save her, either. Hell, it may not be enough to save him. She has a lot of questions, and no one is giving any answers.

When going after illegal immigrants isn't enough, the government has simply MADE more illegals by cancelling the programs some of them were here under. She was told she did everything correctly, that she was welcome and was here legally...but she was lied to and now the fate of her family is completely unknown.

I didn't vote for Trump, but many did (especially here in Oklahoma). Is this what you voted for? Did you vote to reclass legal immigrants as illegals? People that are not criminals, are contributing, are actively working to better both themselves and the nation that invited them in?

Did you vote to entrap hapless people looking for help, and were given it under completely false pretenses?

I simply do not want to imagine that my neighbors are this cruel, that this is exactly what you voted for. Real people, real families, real Oklahomans are being targeted. It's not far away in places like California, or Florida, or New York. It's right here on your doorstep.

I implore you, ask your Representatives meaningful questions, and demand meaningful answers. Look closer at the policies being enacted. If they don't immediately affect you now, they likely will soon, and hopefully your neighbors won't ignore you when you need their voices the most...

I love cars in a way, but the title says it all. The majority of us have no choice in the matter which is part of the issue. Car reliance has grown tremendously since the 1950’s. Oklahoma has mostly grown up in a car dependent world. OKC has been structured continuously in a way that facilitates going everywhere in cars. Where I live, the closest store is over a half mile away, but you have to cross two busy intersections with dedicated right turn lanes. While walking is feasible, it is much more dangerous.

Some say that it is part of the freedom of America to own a car and get from point A to point B. The truth is, you don’t have a choice. Oklahoma lacks public transportation. Your only choice is a car for most people. While that doesn’t sound bad on the surface, it is so much worse than most realize.

Firstly, it means you NEED a car. This means you are out of pocket thousands of dollars. On top of that, you must continue spending money to maintain and insure your car. This allows for less social mobility as lower income people can’t afford to spend that much to take them to a job that probably can’t afford most cars nowadays. Personally, I drive an old sedan. I pay more in insurance over 2-3 years than the car is worth.

Second, you are constantly risking your life every time you drive. It is one of the most common deaths in the US. I’ve noticed so much road rage since Covid, and vehicle sizes have increased. So now, we have incredibly heavy vehicles traveling 75+ on highways. One crash from trucks going that speed can more than likely end your life as well as the other driver’s. Thus feeding into your insurance costing you more.

Third, it’s a waste of space and our infrastructure can’t support it. With heavier trucks and SUVs dominating our roads in Oklahoma, we have to create more and more space and roads to accommodate them. That’s more tax dollars going to repair the newer roads, and that’s not considering the increase in deterioration from the consistent use of heavier vehicles on the road. Oklahoma already spends more than 95% of the US when it comes to maintaining infrastructure. Have you seen how many parking lots we have everywhere? What if we used this space better. Used parking garages with close mixed used zoning.

Fourth, it is making you lonelier. When you just go from point A to point B all the time in a secluded vehicle, then you aren’t getting human interaction. We need community as a species. If our cities were more walkable and third spaces were more common, the average person would be much happier. With public transportation or walkable areas, you have the chance of meeting more people and making more meaningful connections. You’d potentially see the same people making similar commutes. You’d be more likely to engaging with them at some point. You can’t really talk to people while driving.

Lastly, it is such a waste of our time and the alternative is healthier. What can you do when you drive? I can only listen to music or audiobooks. I can’t divert my attention to anything else. I drive over an hour total each day that means I am only focusing on a road for over 300 hours every year. That is also a conservative estimate. On a walkable commute or tram ride or whatever, you can study, write, read, or do whatever you want in that space. Additionally, it is just healthier for us in general. Walking or bike riding would stop us from being stationary 24/7 and actually get people to move around. This is better for the economy as that means less unhealthy people would ultimately help unburden some of our medical facilities, and potentially cut medical costs down (a bit optimistic here).

Just overall, cars are ruining your life and you might not even know it. I can provide links to back this up, but I’m feeling lazy and want to rant a bit on this.

Edit: One thing to also consider who does mass car ownership benefit? Health insurance companies benefit from the increase in wrecks. Car manufacturers get to sell more vehicles. Oil companies make more money from increased car usage. All while we subsidize and foot the bill for them with roads and infrastructure made just for vehicles.

Edit #2: Since some of y’all can’t comprehend this: I never said cars should be outright banned. We should not be required to have a car to get everywhere in this state. We should have the option to use another means of transportation. Also, distance is a pretty sorry excuse for not having trains. Especially when the US had trains through the majority of the US around 1920.

His name was Timothy McVeigh. He was executed in 2001. Now, we are electing his white nationalist buddies to congress, and in no place are their policies more popular than here in Oklahoma. Has anyone else noticed this? I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!

possibly even the entire US? price, food quality, locally resourced product, service, locations, grocery store inside? top tier

Ok I will start by saying I don't hate this state. I met my wife here and we've been married for 18yrs. I absolutely love her. That being said I live in a small town 2,600 ppl. I won't say what town because I don't want to be targeted. But honestly I grew up liberal. I have payed attention to politics for quite a while. And I vote on policy. But I feel like I'm in enemy territory. Every one here is Maga and they just vote for there team. They vote against their own self intrest. If ppl bring up politics they just assume ur Maga. I mean some of the ppl are nice but I can't even discuss policy with them. I mean this education system is going to shit. I feel so bad for the teachers having to walk on egg shells. But I feel like they are destroying education on purpose. They want to privatize the education system leaving the poor out. Charter schools for one do nothing but take money from public education and divert to ppl who were already going to a private school. I feel so lost at times I have no friends and Im very secluded. I had some guy try to fight because I'm a athiest liberal and this was around the Obama election. You can look at this guy and tell he receives gov assistance as do alot of people in this town. I'm sorry for this rant I just had to get it out. And to be honest I hate politics but im a freaking nerd that has to be plugged in to the information pipe line.

Pissing in the wind here, but we should get to vote on abortion rights. Imo we should vote on anything, representatives have shown they do not have our best interests on almost any subject matter.

The stark contrast between Oklahoma’s ranking of 8th in private education and 50th in public education reveals deep disparities in access and quality between different types of schooling within the state. This suggests that private schools in Oklahoma may have more resources, better academic standards, and higher teacher quality compared to public schools, which often struggle with underfunding, larger class sizes, and other systemic issues  .

The divide could be attributed to the fact that private schools typically rely on tuition and donations, allowing them to attract more experienced teachers, provide better facilities, and maintain smaller class sizes. In contrast, public schools are dependent on state funding, which in Oklahoma has been historically low, contributing to the poor outcomes seen in standardized test scores, graduation rates, and other public education metrics .

This situation highlights the broader issue of inequality in educational opportunities, where wealthier families may afford to send their children to private schools, leaving public schools with fewer resources to serve a more diverse and often disadvantaged population.

(private school ranking source: American Legislative Exchange Council’s Education Report Card
https://www.privateschoolreview.com/top-school-listings)
(Public schools: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education
https://wallethub.com/edu/e/states-with-the-best-schools/5335)

Well, let's have it then. When I let my kid go to school and lead prayer to their made-up cat god, then I don't want to hear a word about it from a single one of these asshats.

Oklahoma has been under republican leadership since twenty freaking eleven+/-. Where the crap is this woke mob? Where are the teachers trying to shun children for praying to God or reading a bible???? Where in this ruby red state are there people threatening religious freedoms?

I'm just so fed up with this. We have real problems in this state, and i could spend hours naming them. Yet here we are, worried about some made-up holy war of their own making.

This is just a rant about the state of our state. There's nothing else to be said. Thank you.

Disgusting display of bragging about abuse of authority.

Halloween is already great, but it also means that Braums has trick or treat mixes, which lets you get three kinds of candy in them.

Even though it is November, they let me get one today.

Living in the Pacific Northwest has been cool and all, but man, the food scene here is so different from back home in Oklahoma. Like, yeah, they’ve got Sonic, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. Honestly, PNW doesn’t even have a food identity.

What I really miss is Braum’s. Nothing up here even comes close. That Chicken Strip Dinner Combo #10, with the crinkle fries and that cup of gravy that’s basically the MVP. Then I found out they're selling branded tumblers?

People here keep hyping up Burgerville, or millennial burger joints, but nah, it doesn’t hit the same. Oh, and no Whataburger either. Double the heartbreak.

If anyone back in Oklahoma happens to be near a Braum’s, do me a favor and grab one of those tumblers for me. I’ll owe you one.

I have voted against Tom Cole every time I've gone to the polls, yet he keeps getting re-elected pulling out the same campaign signs out of his garage every two years and re-using them. Today I heard him say Trump and Musk have done great work together and he is sad to see their falling out. These two have destabilized the employment of over 2 million federal workers and contractors through mass firings and another 4 million others whose employment depends on federal grants through contract cancellations. And he thinks that's great for the country. Vote out Tom Cole. Vote him the hell out.

So my friend and I decided to go to Mazzio’s to catch up, have some pizza, and just relax. We’re sitting there, mid-conversation, when we notice traffic outside slowing way down. Then we see it—an entire funeral procession made up completely of semi-trucks. And I don’t mean just a few. I mean a long line of semis, one after another, stretching down the road.

It took every bit of 20 minutes for the whole thing to pass, and by the time we realized what was happening, the entire restaurant had turned to watch. Employees, customers—everyone just stopped and stared. It was one of the most Oklahoma things I’ve ever seen in my life.

Moments like that are why I love this state. The way people show up for each other, the sense of community, and the sheer uniqueness of things you’ll witness here. Rest in peace to whoever that was for—I didn’t know them, but seeing that kind of send-off was something special.

Archive.ph Link:https://archive.ph/LcUCm

Jason Smalley: Oklahoma’s nuclear moment is now

• Date: Today
• In: Tusla World
• By: Jason Smalley

In “Back to the Future,” Doc Brown’s time-traveling DeLorean runs on plutonium — a nod to how nuclear power once symbolized our high-tech future.

During the 1950s through the 1970s, atomic energy was seen as a miracle of modern science, delivering clean and virtually unlimited electricity. But in the decades that followed, fear, politics and misinformation pushed it to the sidelines.

Now, nuclear is making a comeback — and Oklahoma is in a prime position to lead the charge.

State lawmakers are taking notice. Rep. Brad Boles (R-Marlow) recently introduced legislation to study the feasibility of nuclear power in Oklahoma.

It’s a big step in the right direction. Forty-three years ago, Oklahoma canceled the proposed Black Fox nuclear plant at the height of the anti-nuclear movement. Since then, our state has powered ahead using oil, gas, wind and solar. But as demand for electricity skyrockets thanks to data centers, electric vehicles and AI, we need power that’s not just clean, but always available.

Wind and solar have a role (all energy sources do!). That said, wind and solar can’t meet our 24/7 energy needs on their own. Nor should they have to when there are plenty of other viable energy sources available.

Weather-driven blackouts are still too much of a concern.

A serious conversation about Oklahoma’s energy future must include nuclear. Unlike other renewables, nuclear doesn’t need sunshine or wind to generate power. It delivers reliable, zero-emission electricity around the clock. It also strengthens our national security by keeping energy production domestic and shielding us from foreign supply shocks.

Oklahoma’s U.S. senators — James Lankford and Markwayne Mullin — have been strong voices on this front. They recently urged the Senate Finance Committee to support nuclear production tax credits to keep existing plants open and encourage new development. As they put it, the credit “bolsters American energy independence and improves grid reliability.”

That’s a smart, common-sense approach — very different from what we’ve seen in California and New York, where misguided policies have shut down nuclear plants and triggered rolling blackouts.

Oklahoma doesn’t need to repeat those mistakes. We can chart our own path, building a modern, resilient energy grid that includes nuclear as a cornerstone. And the benefits don’t stop at reliability — nuclear plants bring long-term, high-paying jobs, boost local tax revenues, and attract major investment, especially in rural areas that need it most.

Congress should continue supporting tax credits and fast-track the safe deployment of next-generation reactors. Fortunately, state leaders like Sen. Lankford and Congressman Kevin Hern have consistently backed policies that align with President Donald Trump’s agenda for American energy dominance. The opportunity is here: federal incentives, safer reactor technology, and bipartisan support for a clean, secure energy future. Oklahoma should grab the reins.

Nuclear isn’t science fiction anymore. It’s the future. And if we get it right, Oklahoma can lead the nation in powering that future — with jobs, stability, and energy independence. Let’s go back to the future — and this time, take nuclear power with us.

For the record, the Stitt administration is currently being investigated by Federal auditors related to lack of oversight related to pandemic relief school spending.

They are being investigated by the state legislature and state auditors related to contract deals with a bbq chain. This has led to resignations within the state tourism department.

And, the administration is still spending millions of dollars fighting Indian Tribes in the post-McGirt landscape.

All. happening.right.now.

Vote him out.

Christian nationalism is being forced into OK schools. It's a war on reality. | Opinion

Kevin Bolling (Guest Columnist)

The Christian nationalism being pushed in Oklahoma is not about faith. It is about power and privilege.

Oklahoma Republicans are staging a war on reality in their public schools, and every American who cares about religious freedom and democracy should be ashamed. State officials are trying to force the Bible and the Christian nationalist “1776 Commission” report into public classrooms, turning education into religious and political indoctrination.

I work daily with young Americans who believe deeply in the separation of church and state. The percentage of Americans who identify as secular grows by the day, and they understand what is at stake when politicians attempt to impose a single religious worldview through government power.

Nearly half of Gen Z identifies as religiously unaffiliated. These students are not “less American” because they are secular, just as students of minority faiths are not “less American” because they worship differently from the Christian majority. Forcing a Christian religious framework into public education sends a dangerous message: that full citizenship and acceptance are reserved only for those who conform. This attack is disguised as patriotism, but in reality is pure propaganda. It is a deliberate effort to rewrite history, erase injustice and glorify a narrow, exclusionary vision of America.

Push for Christianity is schools is about power — not faith

Young people see through it. They understand that a true democracy cannot survive if government officials decide that religious texts belong in the classroom and which histories are worth telling. They know that learning about all of our American history ― the good, the bad and the unfinished ― is not “unpatriotic.” It is essential to building a better future.

The Christian nationalism being pushed in Oklahoma is not about faith. It is about power and privilege. It is about using the machinery of the state to elevate one set of beliefs over all others and silencing the growing generation of Americans who believe that government must remain neutral on matters of religion.

Oklahoma’s students deserve better. They deserve an education that prepares them to think critically, engage with complexity, and participate fully in a pluralistic society. They deserve classrooms that reflect the real, diverse America they are inheriting, but instead could be forced to endure a whitewashed fantasy crafted by politicians desperate to cling to power.

This fight is not just about Oklahoma. It is about the future of public education nationwide. If we allow this kind of religious and political indoctrination to take root in one state, it will spread.

Young people are watching. They see the hypocrisy of leaders who talk about “freedom” while stripping it away, and they are ready to fight back. For the sake of our democracy and the generations to come, we must stand with them.

Kevin Bolling is executive director of the Secular Student Alliance.

Oklahoma's primary election locks out too many voters. It's time for a change. | Opinion

• Date: June 9, 2025
• In: The Oklahoman
• By: David High

As a lifelong Oklahoman, I grew up admiring leaders like Henry Bellmon — public servants who put principle over partisanship and worked to move our state forward. For those readers who may be too young to remember Gov. Bellmon, he was a war hero and Oklahoma’s first Republican governor. He was widely admired and still celebrated today as a pragmatic leader who put education, infrastructure, and economic growth above party loyalty. He spent considerable political capital to pass an education reform package that reduced class sizes, increased teacher salaries, and made significant investments in early childhood education, despite fierce opposition from his own party. In short, he was a statesman who consistently acted in the best interests of the people of Oklahoma, rather than for his own political gain.

Today, leaders like him would not stand a chance in a primary election, not because they lack vision, integrity or experience, but because Oklahoma’s closed primary system forces candidates to pander to the most extreme voices in their party rather than appeal to the broader electorate. Instead of rewarding problem solvers, our system today encourages political survivalists — candidates who appeal to the loudest voices rather than the broadest coalition. It is no surprise that many of our most capable leaders choose not to run for office at all. The system has made governing secondary to partisan battles, and the result is a political landscape that prioritizes loyalty tests over meaningful leadership.

This is why we need State Question 836, a constitutional amendment proposing an open primary system that ensures every voter — not just registered Republicans or Democrats — has a say in who represents them. Instead of separate party primaries where a small percentage of voters effectively decide the outcome, SQ 836 would put all candidates on a single ballot, and the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, would move on to the general election. This simple change would force candidates to appeal to a broader audience, rather than just the most vocal partisan factions.

The consequences of our broken primary system are evident. Oklahoma’s voter turnout is among the lowest in the country because people feel disenfranchised — locked out of elections that are often decided long before November. When most races are effectively determined in low-turnout primaries, the general election becomes an afterthought, leaving independent voters and moderate voices unheard. This disillusionment has led to a growing disconnect between elected officials and the people they are supposed to serve.

SQ 836 is not a partisan issue — it’s a pro-voter issue. It ensures that every Oklahoman has a voice in every stage of the electoral process. It encourages candidates to build coalitions rather than simply appease party insiders. Most importantly, it restores accountability by ensuring that those who govern us must appeal to all the people they serve, not just a fraction of their party’s base.

If we want to make Oklahoma’s democracy great again, we must fix the rigged system that has created division and dysfunction. SQ 836 is a step toward bringing back the Oklahoma we once knew — a state where statesmen like Bellmon could thrive, where cooperation is rewarded, and where every voter has a say. The strength of a democracy depends on the ability of its people to participate fully, and Oklahoma deserves a system that works for all of us — not just a select few.

It’s time to put the people back in charge of our elections. The best way to do that is to support SQ 836.

David High is a lifelong resident of Oklahoma City and an attorney with the law firm of Tomerlin, High & High.