Happy Independence Day!

We Can Lower Oil Prices Now

Martin Feldstein:

Any policy that causes the expected future oil price to fall can cause the current price to fall, or to rise less than it would otherwise do. In other words, it is possible to bring down today's price of oil with policies that will have their physical impact on oil demand or supply only in the future.

For example, increases in government subsidies to develop technology that will make future cars more efficient, or tighter standards that gradually improve the gas mileage of the stock of cars, would lower the future demand for oil and therefore the price of oil today.

That means an immediate combination of more drilling, development of alternative sources of energy (i.e. nuclear and solar), subsidies to encourage and speed up that development, requiring more efficient vehicles or even a Pigovian tax on oil/carbon-based energy. It would also be helpful to aid China and India in developing and implementing more efficient energy consumption methods to reduce their demand for oil.

Obama, Guns, and the Supreme Court

Robert Novak on Obama's Dodge on Guns:

While Scalia's opinion for now saves Obama from defending a court that had emasculated gun rights, one inconvenient truth confronts the candidate. He has made clear that as president he would nominate Supreme Court justices who agree with the minority of four that the Second Amendment is meaningless. Would he want a reconstituted court to roll back the D.C. decision when the Chicago case gets there?

Obama has been making a shrewd "move to the center" since winning the nomination. While being the most liberal Senator in the U.S. Senate (more liberal than Ted Kennedy or John Kerry), he has been somewhat successful in convincing certain segments of the population that usually vote Republican or lean conservative that he's not all that liberal. McCain needs to expose this. It would be to the severe detriment of the conservative movement if Obama was allowed to successfully cast himself as a centrist and then stack the Supreme Court with at least 2 liberal judges who will outlast his tenure as president. Despite what many believe, there is not yet a conservative majority on the court. There needs to be at least one more solid conservative appointed before a majority is attained. That, and all the issues that will be determined by the court in the coming years, is what is at stake this year.

Democrats allow banks to write bailout legislation

Hat tip: NRO/The Corner

Culture of Corruption

Over at McCarville, a picture (or five) says a thousand words.

The Tragedy of America's Disappearing Fathers

Read it. Juan Williams:

The extent of the problem is clear. The nation's out-of-wedlock birth rate is 38%. Among white children, 28% are now born to a single mother; among Hispanic children it is 50% and reaches a chilling, disorienting peak of 71% for black children. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, nearly a quarter of America's white children (22%) do not have any male in their homes; nearly a third (31%) of Hispanic children and over half of black children (56%) are fatherless.

This represents a dramatic shift in American life. In the early 1960s, only 2.3% of white children and 24% of black children were born to a single mom. Having a dad, in short, is now a privilege, a ticket to middle-class status on par with getting into a good college.

Oklahoma Life Expectancy One of the Worst

Oklahoma has one of the worst death rates in the nation. Of the states and territories, Oklahoma ranks 50th out of 56. Guam and Hawaii tops the list.

Sens. Conrad, Dodd got special mortgage deals

Ignore the hypocrites behind the curtain!

Killers Didn't Realize They Signed Own Death Warrant

Today, the funerals for Taylor Paschal-Placker, 13, and Skyla Whitaker, 11, were held.

The killers of these young girls clearly did not consider the fact that when you commit a crime like this in Oklahoma it means at least 3.5 million people are looking for you, ready to make sure the killers suffer a fate far worse than what they did to their victims.

David Boren "Puzzled" By His Son

Apparently, OU President David Boren is puzzled by his son's refusal to endorse Barry Obama. I'm more impressed than I am puzzled. Good job, Dan!

Obama and Energy Hypocrisy

With gas prices so high relative to the past few years, Barry Obama needs to say something to convince voters he's ready to deal with the "crisis." But what he's decided to say is pretty funny: that he supported an energy policy he claims was written for "big oil and gas companies." And McCain didn't. Check it out here, at Red State.

Oklahomans Can Vote on State's Official Rock Song

Oklahomans have a chance to nominate the state's official rock song. Sen. John Ford, Senate author of House Concurrent Resolution 1047, which calls on the Oklahoma Historical Society to arrange for a public vote on the official state rock song, said our rock n' roll heritage will be on display in an exhibit entitled “Another Hot Oklahoma Night,” slated to open in 2009 at the Oklahoma History Center.

To nominate your favorite song, visit the Oklahoma Film and Music Commission site here.

Seattle Keeps Whining About Sonics

You would think that if Seattle truly loved their Sonics as much as their biggest whiners claim, they would get more people to attend the games. Still, with an inevitable (and economically wise) move to Oklahoma City, some Seattle residents just can't stop whining that they've lost their team and can't resist showing their hatred for Oklahoma because of it. In their most vitriolic child-like moments, they've called Oklahoma residents every unoriginal name in the book, apparently not realizing the inherent embarrassment they must suffer for being outmaneuvered and outperformed by us "backward people." At least one Seattle columnist realizes it's absurd to keep the Sonics in Seattle, even if he is a whiner himself.

Note to Seattle residents: you can fight all you want to keep our NBA team in Seattle for one or two more seasons, but ultimately you're going to lose-- the team and your money. You've already lost your pride. Give up, and focus on hockey. Or maybe we'll take that, too.

Harvard Economist Favors Reduction in Corporate Tax Rate

Harvard economist Greg Mankiw had a great piece in the New York Times arguing in favor of cutting the corporate income tax rate as a tool to strengthen the economy and reinvigorate the labor market. Read it here. Highly recommended.

Ethics Commission Responds to Intimidation Complaints from Candidates

According to sources, the Oklahoma Ethics Commission is planning to revise the rules on bystander conduct during the candidate filing period after several candidates complained that a man with a video camera was intimidating them. That man has been identified as John Angier, a resident of Cleveland County and former campaign manager for Moore-Norman Representative Randy Terrill.

Sources say Angier videotaped every candidate as they filed for office this past week and even approached some of them claiming to work for the Ethics Commission. Many felt intimidated and unsure of Angier's purposes. Dana Murphy, a Republican candidate for the Corporation Commission, was accused of altering a signed affidavit after Angier videotaped her filing her papers. Rob Johnson, Murphy's opponent in the Republican primary, claimed she illegally changed her name from "Dana L. Murphy" to "Dana Murphy." Murphy has denied any wrongdoing and the Ethics Commission has not taken any action against her. Ironically, the video shot by Angier may end up exonerating her, as it shows a clerk of the Ethics Commission making the alteration after giving Murphy the option to do so.

No Webb

Tim Noah: "Anyone But Webb: Why Jim Webb Would Make An Awful Running Mate (for Barack Obama)."

Norman Transcript Runs Liberal Opinion as News

News must be slow this week because the Norman Transcript was forced to rely on The Observer, a liberal opinion paper, to write what it likely believes is an "impartial" news story. The opinion piece attacked Republican Senator Kathleen Wilcoxson for not knowing "whether she is in favor of public education or not" (a ridiculous charge) and lauded Democrat Wallace Collins for "fighting corporate interests" (equally ridiculous).

The Norman Transcript then added in it's own commentary to the "news" story, saying "Although he doesn't always get credit for it, Mr. Collins' was the impetus behind the bill that put defibrillators in our public schools. The bill couldn't buy a hearing when he was the lead author but when he handed it off to a lawmaker on the other side of the aisle, it passed easily and quickly." If The Transcript wishes to at least pretend that it's an unbiased paper, it should cease injecting opinion in its news stories and probably find some original material.

Wallace Collins Under Fire for Walking Grocery Sales Tax Vote

Norman Democrat Wallace Collins, House District 45 Representative, is under fire in Norman for skipping a vote pertaining to the elimination of the grocery sales tax and then falsely claiming he didn't. In a letter to the editor of the Norman Transcript in March, Slaughterville resident Bobby Cleveland accused Collins of walking a vote to allow an amendment to HB 3358 that would have eliminated the grocery sales tax, a measure Collins claimed to support in his 2006 campaign against Thad Balkman. On April 13th Collins replied that he never "walked any votes." Contrary to that claim, however, the legislative record shows Collins registered as "Excused" on the vote at issue, indicating he was absent from the chamber during the vote. Collins was present during the votes immediately preceding and following the vote he skipped. In those two votes he voted "Nay" on the bill.

When other letters to the editor pointed this out, Collins again responded, accusing the authors of being filled with "hatred" and ignoring his previous attempts to eliminate the grocery sales tax. Nevertheless, Cleveland and others still want to hold Collins to account for missing the vote on HB 3358. According to Cleveland, Collins has yet to respond to a direct e-mail asking him to clarify the situation and explain why he was "Excused" during the vote to allow the grocery sales tax amendment despite his denial that he never "walked any votes."

Dem. Dan Boren Refuses to Endorse Obama

Democrat Representative Dan Boren (OK-2) has said he will not endorse Barack Obama because he is concerned about the Illinois senator's liberal voting record. Boren says he prefers a more centrist approach to politics and that Obama, being the most liberal senator in the U.S. Senate, does not offer that approach. Nevertheless, Boren said he will vote for the Democrat this year.

Barack Obama Supports National Fingerprint Registry

Democrat President Candidate Barack Obama has come out in support of a bill that could require thousands of Americans to send their fingerprints to the Federal Government. The bill is an attempt to create national licensing and oversight standards for residential mortgage originators. According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, this bill will "require thousands of individuals working even tangentially in the mortgage and real estate industries--and not suspected of anything-- to send their prints to the feds." Apparently, Obama was against invasions of privacy rights before he was for them. (Via Heritage)

Crime Down Across America, Up In OKC

Though violent crime fell across the United States by 1.4% in 2007, it increased in Oklahoma City by 7.2%, according to the preliminary FBI Uniform Crime Report. Murders rose from 55 to 58 for the year, while reported rapes dropped from 327 to 326. Norman and Tulsa both saw a decrease in violent crime, though Tulsa experienced an increase in murder and rapes.

According to Dr. James Alan Fox, a professor of criminology at Northeastern University, the reported decrease in crime across the country may be masking a very serious problem among black males. "Violence is down among whites of all ages and both genders; it's up among black males, not black females," Fox said. Fox blames this increase on economic pressures black men are facing. Faced with uncertain economic prospects, they get involved with illegal drugs, guns, and turn to gangs. From 2002 to 2006, the murders committed by black male teens rose a staggering 52%.

It's unclear if Fox's hypothesis is the cause of the violent crime increase in Oklahoma City because the FBI's report has not yet release detailed demographic information. But one can be reasonably certain that it is a contributing factor. As has been the case for the entirety of our history, Oklahoma is failing to properly educate black youths and prepare them for an increasingly competitive economy. Nathan Hale High School in Tulsa, for example, referenced in the post below, is 36% black. Blacks account for a large portion of the school's 48% drop-out rate. Much of the blame for the problem is with the students' parents who don't instill the value of education in their children. But that unfortunate fact does not exonerate an Oklahoma Public School system that too often fails to demand accountability from teachers and school administrators and, as we saw below, intentionally masks the retention problems in order to present a rosy picture to government officials and parents.

If we want Oklahoma to continue experiencing sustained, meaningful economic growth and realize a drop in violent crimes, we must provide better education and employment opportunities for all our students, but especially for those most at risk. Though it must start with the parents, reforming the Oklahoma education system can be a tremendous help.

Rep. Terrill Slams Andrew Rice

Representative Randy Terrill, author of HB 1804, the toughest immigration reform passed in the country, slammed U.S. Senate Candidate Andrew Rice for overstating his involvement in the passage of the bill. Rice, a liberal Democrat, claims in a new radio ad entitled "Faith" that he helped pass the "toughest immigration reform in the country." Wrong, says Terrill. According to Terrill, Rice wasn't even involved in the negotiations and even attempted to water it down. (Via McCarville)

Rice is trying to unseat Senator James Inhofe this November and must convince Oklahomans he is not too far to the left. So far, it's not working. He received the endorsement of the Sierra Club, AFL-CIO, MoveOn.org, and the leftist Progressive Patriots Fund. Rice is far behind Inhofe in the money race, and the DSCC isn't even targeting the state for a potential takeover.

NYT: Revival of a River Alters a City’s Course in Sports

NEW YORK TIMES: "As the nation’s top kayakers and canoeists dipped their paddles in the Oklahoma River over the weekend while competing for a spot on the United States Olympic team, it was possible to imagine that a few city leaders had something else on their minds.

"Like, take that, John Steinbeck.

"Almost 70 years after Steinbeck popularized the plight of Oklahoma’s Dust Bowl refugees in “The Grapes of Wrath,” residents here still chafe at the city’s reputation as a barren place. As recently as a decade ago, the river was a scar through the city’s heart, at times a trickle of water in a ditch so overgrown it had to be mowed three times a year."

Poll: McCain Trusted More Than Obama

RASMUSSEN: "McCain trusted more than Obama on National Security, Iraq, and Economy."

Another Rasmussen poll showed 41% of Americans saying Obama is too inexperienced to be president. Despite the view among many of his core supporters that an Obama presidency is inevitable, he clearly has weaknesses he must overcome if he is to be successful in November. Remember, just about 7 months ago a Hillary Clinton presidency was "inevitable."

Oklahoma Drop-Outs

The State Department of Education just released the 2007 Profiles report on all schools in Oklahoma. I haven't fully read it yet, but one thing immediately jumped out at me. Over the course of four years of high school, 24% of Oklahoma students will leave school. Clearly, failure to complete basic secondary education is large problem in Oklahoma. Without this basic education, these (former) students are at a severe disadvantage, economically and socially. They earn far less income, depend more heavily on social welfare programs, commit more crimes, have more children, and use more drugs.

One school in particular deserves attention: Nathan Hale High School in Tulsa. Somehow, this school has a drop-out rate of 48%. Someone explain why this school is allowed to remain in operation. Only 37% of the students are performing at satisfactory levels in Math. 47% are performing at satisfactory levels in English. It doesn't appear the problem is going to be resolved any time soon. It seems likely Nathan Hale will be targeted for shutdown as a result of No Child Left Behind, and the state will be required to facilitate the transfer of students out of this school if the problems persist.

Of course the problem is larger than Nathan Hale High School. Historically, Oklahomans tend to set goals so low that we promote mediocrity instead of excellence. The Oklahoma graduation rate goal, the setting of which is required by NCLB, is one example. What is our graduation rate goal? 68%. That means our government and education leaders are willing to give up on 32% of our students. We can't afford allowing 32% of our students to enter society and the economy without a basic education and expect them to be fully functioning and contributing citizens.

Furthermore, the method we use to calculate our graduation rate is absurd and misleading. We calculate it by dividing the number of senior graduates by the number of senior graduation plus senior drop-outs. Thus, it only counts seniors and ignores those students lost in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade. We can see the absurdity of this method by again looking at Nathan Hale. Though nearly half of the school's students dropped out by the time they reached senior status, under this calculation Nathan Hale has an 84% graduation rate. Either we want to live in a fantasy land by convincing ourselves we're doing better than we really are or we are seeking to deceive Federal officials and concerned parents. Actually, it's likely both.

Oklahoma's Polluted Water

According to a recent report by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, most of Oklahoma's bodies of water fail to meet federal water quality standards for pollution. Only five bodies of water meet the federal standards.