r/OklahomaPolitics

Is anyone else discouraged that even though Trump is drastically down in every poll, whether it be economy, immigration, inflation, his self inflicting war, but Oklahomans will still probably vote in a candidate who hooks his wagon up to Trump? I can’t figure out how so many people are willing to just keep going in the wrong direction.

I actually really like Miller Lite, it’s been a favorite for a long time. For what it is, the taste and drinkability suits me well. As I “came of age” and learned how AB was taking over smaller crafts, screwing with their recipes and then shutting them down just so they could takeover their distribution and other stuff. This made me only want to stick with Miller Lite even more. All this stuff was long before any media manufactured boycotts and I’m not even on “that side.” As you’re about to read.

For as much as I try to keep up with things. I never knew the Coors family is basically what started the Heritage
Foundation. At first I thought, “ah this is something from a long time ago and the current generation surely isn’t still involved.” I couldn’t be more wrong. Individuals from the Coors family who directly profit from the sale of MolsonCoors products continue to actively donate and participate with the “vision” of the Heritage Foundation. Even going as far as to being directly involved in project 2025 stuff.

I don’t need to guide people in their thoughts or sway how they should vote, but personally I feel the Heritage Foundation is more directly responsible for the division in the United States than probably just about any other entity. They are literally what makes the other entities possible.

I’ll stop, just to say. Thanks for all the fun times Miller Lite, some of the best memories were before shit ass Coors even got involved. Maybe someday you’ll break free again.

Edit: I’m turning over another new leaf today. For anyone that has ever posted or commented something like this, that gained any kind of traction, you’re bound to get some jackasses replying with stuff like, “what, thanks, didn’t drink Coors before, but definitely going to now!”

In the past I would waste my time replying back, but this is what they want. From this day forward, if people are still being that worthless and stupid in life, why even bother giving them a comment, they aren’t even worth the bandwidth.

all I said was that i replied to a guy who basically said “all Republicans like kids” and i replied you can’t say every republican is a Epstein fan that’s like saying every black person likes sports like that’s a stereotype r/Oklahoma is WAY too democratic id be fine if it was a 50/50 split but cmon i feel like the only republican (tbf i aint that political I just saw the og post on my FYP i mainly just hate abortion and don’t really support LGBTQ(and no you can’t just call me a bad person for an opinion smh and plus I’m a Christian)) okay hope I don’t get cancelled for no reason :D

Did you see that Utah is allowing a data center that is larger than the area that makes up Manhattan NY..

And that the residents of Rio Nevada are screwed because the electric company has decided to cut the resistance power supply so it can sell to a data center that is willing to pay more

If we are going to talk seriously about literacy, student achievement, and school accountability, we also have to talk seriously about funding.

Oklahoma is not just magically bad at education because teachers do not care or schools are lazy. That is the easy political answer, but it is not the full answer.

Oklahoma’s average teacher salary is around $61,330, compared to a national average around $72,030. Our starting teacher pay is even more concerning: around $41,152, which is below both the regional and national averages. That matters when we are trying to attract talented young teachers and keep them here.

And yes, we lose teachers to Texas. Not always because Texas is perfect, because it absolutely is not, but because a young teacher looking at rent, groceries, insurance, and student loans is going to notice when another state can offer thousands more.

Oklahoma also remains near the bottom nationally in per-pupil spending. Recent reports have put us around 49th nationally and last among surrounding states. That affects teacher pay, but it also affects curriculum, training, intervention materials, support staff, and the ability of rural schools to purchase fully developed, high-quality instructional programs.

This is where I think Oklahoma needs to have a more honest conversation about natural resources.

Oklahoma’s gross production tax on oil and gas is generally 7%, but qualified new production is taxed at 5% for the first 36 months. Meanwhile, other energy-producing states structure this differently. Texas taxes oil at 4.6%, but natural gas at 7.5%. New Mexico has oil and gas taxes that combine to roughly 6.9% before other details. Alaska is much higher, though its system is structured differently because it taxes oil production on net value.

So I am not saying “just copy another state exactly.” I am saying Oklahoma should reassess whether we are getting the public return we should be getting from natural resource extraction.

If we raised or restructured gross production taxes and clearly earmarked that money for public education, we could use it for things people constantly say they want:

Higher teacher pay.

Better retention.

Better training.

Better reading intervention.

Better curriculum access for rural schools.

More support for struggling students before they hit 3rd grade.

We also need to talk about the state funding formula. Oklahoma’s formula is built around weighted student counts, which makes sense. A student with greater needs should generate more funding. That part is not the problem.

The problem is that local revenue is counted against state aid through “chargeables.” In plain English: if a district raises more recurring local money for schools, the state can reduce part of what it sends that district and redistribute funding elsewhere. I understand the purpose is equalization, and poorer districts absolutely should not be abandoned. But if a city or town wants to raise local recurring revenue to improve teacher pay or academic programming, they should not be punished for doing so.

Bonds help with buildings and capital projects, but they do not solve the operating budget problem. You cannot bond your way into higher teacher salaries, better curriculum, and stronger day-to-day academic support.

So my proposal would be simple:

Reassess Oklahoma’s oil and gas tax structure.

Clearly earmark new extraction-tax revenue for public education.

Use it for teacher pay, curriculum, training, and reading intervention.

Revamp the funding formula so communities can raise local recurring education revenue without simply losing state aid dollar-for-dollar.

Protect poorer districts while still allowing local communities to invest more in their schools.

We keep passing laws demanding better academic outcomes. Fine. But if we want better outcomes, we have to fund the system like we actually expect better outcomes.

At some point, Oklahoma has to stop acting shocked that underfunded schools, underpaid teachers, and under-resourced rural districts are producing inconsistent results.

People outside of Tulsa won't understand this but the commercials here have me happy that the plumber is pulling him to Washington. Because he needs to go away from here. He just looks pissed off all the time. And if his decision that he likes trump because hes a good business man should collect his salary from the funds that tump paid to hold his rally here in Tulsa. Oh wait he still owes that debt. Oh and it cost Tulsa County extra millions because they tried to appease trump and violated a woman's right to protest and lost to her in a lawsuit for doing so.

And butterball, oh i mean butterbean should never be elected.