OK PolicyCast
The official podcast of Oklahoma Policy Institute. Interviews and lively discussion of the most important issues affecting Oklahoma.
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OK PolicyCast 50: The past and the future of OK Policy (with David Blatt and Kara Joy McKee)
07/09/2019
OK PolicyCast 50: The past and the future of OK Policy (with David Blatt and Kara Joy McKee)
This is episode 50 and also my last episode as a host of the OK PolicyCast, because my last day at OK Policy was July 5th. With OK Policy's founder and long-time executive director David Blatt also passing the torch later this year, we decided to do something special for this episode. David and I sat down with former OK PolicyCast co-host, now Tulsa City Councilor, Kara Joy McKee, to talk about our memories from the last decade with OK Policy.
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OKPolicyCast 49: Black Wall Street Times (with Nehemiah Frank)
06/04/2019
OKPolicyCast 49: Black Wall Street Times (with Nehemiah Frank)
Nehemiah Frank is the founder and executive editor of The Black Wall Street Times, an online newspaper that covers news relevant to the black community in Tulsa and social justice issues affecting all Tulsans and Oklahomans. We talked about the history of Black Wall Street, including some of the aspects of that history that haven't gotten as much attention, even amid renewed focus on the 1921 race massacre.
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OKPolicyCast 48: Quick takes on the budget (with David Blatt and Paul Shinn)
05/21/2019
OKPolicyCast 48: Quick takes on the budget (with David Blatt and Paul Shinn)
A state budget deal for fiscal year 2020 was revealed last Wednesday, and it's likely to receive final passage in the Legislature today. To get more insight into the budget deal, I spoke with OK Policy's Executive Director David Blatt, as well as our new senior policy analyst covering budget and tax issues, Paul Shinn.
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OKPolicyCast 47: Homeless and a friend (with Tyler Parette)
05/07/2019
OKPolicyCast 47: Homeless and a friend (with Tyler Parette)
Tyler Parette works on some of the hardest problems in society of homelessness, addiction, and mental illness, not from the remove of a news article or policy paper, but making relationships directly with the people affected. Tyler shares with us how powerful it is not just for people they are helping, but how it can be a life-changing experience for the volunteers too.
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OK PolicyCast 46: A sanctuary for immigrants and their families (with Linda Allegro)
04/23/2019
OK PolicyCast 46: A sanctuary for immigrants and their families (with Linda Allegro)
Our guest today is Linda Allegro, the Project Director of New Sanctuary Network Tulsa. This project was started as a collaboration between Tulsa religious leaders of different faiths and denominations, and it's goal is protect Tulsa residents and families threatened by wholesale deportation. Linda speaks eloquently about how current approaches to immigration enforcement are breaking apart families, hurting public safety, and wasting tax dollars.
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OK PolicyCast 45: The Campaign to Expand Health Coverage (with Angela Monson)
04/09/2019
OK PolicyCast 45: The Campaign to Expand Health Coverage (with Angela Monson)
In this episode, I spoke with Angela Monson about the campaign to expand health coverage in Oklahoma. Monson has been involved with health care advocacy going back to the 1980s, and today, she is helping to bring together a coalition to push for bringing our federal tax dollars home to help more than 100,000 uninsured Oklahomans gain coverage.
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OK PolicyCast 44: 2019 BIll Watch, Part 2
02/26/2019
OK PolicyCast 44: 2019 BIll Watch, Part 2
In our last episode, we heard from David Blatt and Carly Putnam about the big issues and bills we're following this year related to the state budget and health care. This episode brings you part 2 of that bill watch series, with criminal justice analyst Damion Shade, education analyst Rebecca Fine, and economic opportunity analyst Courtney Cullison.
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OK PolicyCast 43: 2019 BIll Watch, Part 1
02/12/2019
OK PolicyCast 43: 2019 BIll Watch, Part 1
It's a new year, a new Legislature, a new governor, and many new bills that could have a big impact on Oklahomans' lives. In this episode, Gene Perry talks to OK Policy's Executive Director David Blatt and Policy Director Carly Putnam about the big issues we're keeping an eye on this year related to the state budget, taxes, and health. In a future episode, we'll talk about other bills we're tracking related to education, criminal justice, and economic opportunity. The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry and produced by Gene Perry and Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on , , , or . The podcast theme music is by . If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at .
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OKPolicyCast 42: The 2018 OK Policy Holiday Gift Guide
12/11/2018
OKPolicyCast 42: The 2018 OK Policy Holiday Gift Guide
There are a lot of reasons why winter is our favorite time of year (Fewer tornadoes! Legislative session starts soon!). However, one big reason is that it's when we're most likely to give and be given books — always dear to a policy nerd's heart. It's also the time when we get to share them with you! In the latest episode of the OK PolicyCast, we discuss some of the books we've read and loved over the last year that we hope you'll consider picking up, whether it's to give them away or keep them for yourself (Or to buy with every intention of giving and then never getting around to it, and eventually keeping for yourself. Unless that's just us?). You can find links for purchasing all of the books discussed in this podcast at . We hope you have a joyful and peaceful holiday season! The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry and produced by Gene Perry and Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on , , , or . The podcast theme music is by . If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at .
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OKPolicyCast 41: Fair Wages and Overtime for State Workers (with Sterling Zearley)
11/13/2018
OKPolicyCast 41: Fair Wages and Overtime for State Workers (with Sterling Zearley)
Today our guest is Sterling Zearley, who leads the Oklahoma Public Employees Association. OPEA represents thousands of state workers, including everyone from child welfare caseworkers to transportation engineers, corrections officers, mental health counselors, and more. In recent years in Oklahoma, teachers have gotten the most attention to their stagnant or falling pay and rising class sizes. Many state workers have faced very similar issues, as they try to do jobs that may be less visible than teachers but are still very important. Now as Oklahoma approaches next year's legislative session with a new governor and many brand new legislators, I spoke with Sterling about what are the biggest issues for state workers right now and what OPEA hopes to accomplish in next year's session. It's a conversation about many problems that deserve more attention in Oklahoma. The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry and produced by Gene Perry and Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on , , , or . The podcast theme music is by . If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at .
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OKPolicyCast 40: In prison for what's now a misdemeanor (with Damion Shade and Colleen McCarty)
10/30/2018
OKPolicyCast 40: In prison for what's now a misdemeanor (with Damion Shade and Colleen McCarty)
In 2016, Oklahomans voted to approve State Question 780 which changed simple drug possession crimes and low-level, non-violent property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. That law went into effect on July 1, 2017 and is already reshaping Oklahoma's justice system, with many fewer Oklahomans being charged with a felony and sent to prison for drug possession. Yet there are still thousands of Oklahomans serving long prison sentences or living with a felony record and all the serious consequences that come with it for a crime that would now be a misdemeanor. This raises a serious moral and practical question: Is it just to keep imprisoning those people when Oklahomans have clearly said that their crime should not lead to prison? To get at this question and what might be done about it, I spoke with OK Policy's criminal justice analyst Damion Shade, as well as Colleen McCarty, a law student and intern with Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform's commutation campaign, which is advocating to commute the sentences of some of those Oklahomans most dramatically affected by felony possession charges before SQ 780. The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry and produced by Gene Perry and Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on , , , or . The podcast theme music is by . If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at .
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OKPolicyCast 39: Bad Voter, Good Voter (with David Glover)
10/12/2018
OKPolicyCast 39: Bad Voter, Good Voter (with David Glover)
In recent years, Oklahoma has seen some of the lowest voter turnout in the nation. Turnout was well below the nation in the 2012 and 2016 presidential races. In our last governor's race in 2014, Oklahoma had the fewest votes cast for governor going back to 1978. But that wasn't always true in Oklahoma. For decades before the 2010s, Oklahomans voted at rates near or above the national average. Then in June elections this year, Oklahomans showed up at unprecedented levels for a primary race. Will that energy continue, or will it die back down now that marijuana is not longer on the ballot? To get at some of these questions about what influences voter turnout, I spoke to David Glover, the founder of the website . At badvoter.org, you can look up all the information you need to get registered to vote, vote by mail, or find your polling place. And, as we'll discuss, you can also look up the recent voting history of your friends and family to see who's a good voter or a bad voter. You can find more information about the upcoming Oklahoma elections, state questions, and how to vote at . The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry and produced by Gene Perry and Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on , , , or . The podcast theme music is by . If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at .
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OKPolicyCast 38: All The State Questions (with David Blatt and Carly Putnam)
10/02/2018
OKPolicyCast 38: All The State Questions (with David Blatt and Carly Putnam)
On November 6, besides voting for a new governor and several other state offices, Oklahoma voters will decide five state questions on topics from optometry to school funding. To help you make informed choices on these state questions, OK Policy has already released fact sheets for each one with background information and a summary of arguments made by both supporters and opponents. To add to this resource, today I spoke with OK Policy's Executive Director David Blatt and our Policy Director Carly Putnam to discuss what each of the five state questions on the ballot mean and what people are saying about them. This conversation will be one of the easiest ways for you to quickly get up to speed before election day. The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production help from Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on , , , or . The podcast theme music is by . If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at .
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OKPolicyCast 37: Together Oklahoma (with Sabine Brown)
09/18/2018
OKPolicyCast 37: Together Oklahoma (with Sabine Brown)
In this episode, I spoke with Sabine Brown, who is the outreach and advocacy coordinator for Oklahoma Policy Institute. Through that work, Sabine heads up Together Oklahoma, a grassroots coalition with chapters across the state of people joining with their neighbors to advocate for better public policy. We talked about how Sabine got into this work, and how many others have become members and leaders of Together Oklahoma without having a lot of prior experience working on state policy or advocacy. It's a very useful conversation for anyone who may be a frequent follower of OK Policy's information but now wants to know what you can do with it. The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production help from Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on , , , or . The podcast theme music is by . If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at .
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OKPolicyCast 36: Back to School (with Rob Miller)
08/21/2018
OKPolicyCast 36: Back to School (with Rob Miller)
The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production help from Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on , , , or . The podcast theme music is by . If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at . This month many kids and teachers are heading back to school in Oklahoma. Also this month, an increase in Oklahoma's teacher pay scale is going into effect for the first time in a decade. It was a hard won raise for teachers, and it came only after massive advocacy efforts culminating in a teacher walkout and rally at the state capitol near the end of the last school year. But even this much-needed raise won't be enough to make up for years of cuts to education in Oklahoma, and the symptoms of these cuts are still visible in rising class sizes, missing programs, and reduced support staff. That's why for this episode, I spoke with an experienced educator and administrator about what it feels like coming back to school after all that's happened. Rob Miller is beginning his first year as Superintendent of Bixby Public Schools. In a 25 year career in public education, he's been an assistant superintendent, a middle school principal, and a teacher. He's also been a vocal advocate in the movement for better education funding. I spoke to Rob about the morale among educators coming back to school, how much more we should be spending to cover what schools and Oklahoma children need, and what he thinks the future of education should like. We also talked about State Question 801 to change how some school property tax dollars can be used and whether he thinks it will help.
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OKPolicyCast 35: A frank conversation about criminal justice
08/07/2018
OKPolicyCast 35: A frank conversation about criminal justice
Last week, Oklahoma Policy Institute hosted our annual Summer Policy Institute for about 60 college students from all over Oklahoma. The 4-day event featured speakers and panels on a wide range of topics. For this episode of the OKPolicyCast, we're sharing the live recording of one of those panels — an interesting, frank, contentious discussion of Oklahoma's criminal justice system. If after listening to this you'd like to hear more from panelist Jill Webb, check out , which features an interview with her. The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production help from Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on , , , or . The podcast theme music is by . If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at .
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Episode 34: No job? No doctor. (with Carly Putnam & Hannah Katch)
07/24/2018
Episode 34: No job? No doctor. (with Carly Putnam & Hannah Katch)
This year, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin and the state Legislature ordered the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, which runs Medicaid in Oklahoma, to come up with a plan to require Oklahoma adults on Medicaid to work at least 20 hours each week. If they don’t meet this requirement, or if they don’t do the paperwork to report their work or get an exemption in time, they will lose their Medicaid coverage and become uninsured.
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Episode 33: Keith Gaddie on the forces shaking Oklahoma politics
07/10/2018
Episode 33: Keith Gaddie on the forces shaking Oklahoma politics
A couple weeks ago was one of the most interesting and unexpected elections in Oklahoma in a long time. From a big surge in turnout, strong approval of medical marijuana, and numerous incumbents either being forced into a runoff or voted out altogether, it's clear that something is changing in Oklahoma politics. What happened, what does it mean for the coming runoffs and general elections, and what will our state look like after it all shakes out? To better understand these questions, I spoke to Keith Gaddie, a political science professor at the University of Oklahoma and one of the most well informed, insightful, and balanced commentators on Oklahoma politics today. You can subscribe to our podcast on , , , or . The podcast theme music is by . If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at .
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Episode 32: Danielle Allen, from South Central Los Angeles to the Declaration of Independence
06/26/2018
Episode 32: Danielle Allen, from South Central Los Angeles to the Declaration of Independence
We've got something really special for you today. In this conversation between author Danielle Allen and Tulsa civil rights attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, they dig deep into how the inequalities of America — racial inequality, social inequality, economic inequality — play out not just in statistics and political debates, but in the personal dynamics of real individuals and families — as Danielle Allen puts it, in the "rending of kith and kin." It was a powerful, impactful conversation, ranging all the way from South Central Los Angeles to the Declaration of Independence. You can subscribe to our podcast on , , , or . The podcast theme music is by . If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at .
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Episode 31: Elizabeth Nichols on medical cannabis and SQ 788
06/12/2018
Episode 31: Elizabeth Nichols on medical cannabis and SQ 788
For this episode, we spoke with Elizabeth Nichols, an attorney who has worked extensively with the emerging cannabis industry in Oklahoma and nearby states. With Oklahomans voting in just two weeks on State Question 788 to legalize medical cannabis, Nichols shared her perspective on how the medical cannabis industry is developing in other states, what she sees as the best models for implementing medical cannabis in Oklahoma, and what she expects from the SQ 788 vote on June 26. You can subscribe to our podcast on , , , or . The theme music is by . The OK PolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production assistance by Jessica Vazquez. If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at .
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Episode 30: DeVon Douglass on taking on Tulsa's toughest challenges
05/29/2018
Episode 30: DeVon Douglass on taking on Tulsa's toughest challenges
We spoke with DeVon Douglass, the Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Tulsa, about the work her team is doing to take on Tulsa's toughest challenges, from teen homelessness to deep inequities in housing, transportation, and education. Their recent assesses many of the barriers to a good life and better opportunities for Tulsans — but DeVon's not only working to describe the problems. She tells us how the Tulsa city and community is gearing up to take on inequality in a comprehensive way. You can subscribe to our podcast on , , , , or . The podcast theme music is by . If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at .
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Episode 29: What Just Happened
05/15/2018
Episode 29: What Just Happened
The OK PolicyCast is back! In this episode, we look at what just happened in one of the most tumultuous legislative years in Oklahoma history. Bailey Perkins speaks about what it was like being at the state Capitol before, during, and after the teacher walkout. Carly Putnam shares some major developments in health care policy. And Ryan Gentzler talks about this year's most important criminal justice legislation, both the good and the bad. You can subscribe to our podcast on , , , or . The podcast theme music is by . If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at .
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Where to find us this week
04/28/2017
Where to find us this week
With so much going on at the Legislature, we weren't able to record a podcast this week. BUT you can hear a podcast with OK Policy Executive Director David Blatt and others in the Save Our State Coalition, who have presented a budget blueprint to fix Oklahoma's financial problems. or subscribe to the STANDcast by Stand for Children Oklahoma.
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Episode 28: Mid-Session Update
04/11/2017
Episode 28: Mid-Session Update
Now that we're just past the halfway point in the Legislative session, Kara Joy and Gene talk about which key bills are still alive, which are dead, and what's at play in negotiations over the state budget. To find out how you can take action on bills during the rest of session, see , and to join efforts for a better Oklahoma state budget, visit .
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Episode 27: So You Want To Effect Change
03/28/2017
Episode 27: So You Want To Effect Change
Today on the OK PolicyCast, we speak with Shay White, a social worker and advocate with Together Oklahoma and ACTION. She spoke to us about what motivated her to get involved with policy change, what keeps her going, and "that one thing that gets us up every morning." If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you'd like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at . Extra links:
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Episode 26: The GOP Health Plan
03/14/2017
Episode 26: The GOP Health Plan
We speak with OK Policy health care analyst Carly Putnam about the new plan from the House GOP to replace the Affordable Care Act. We talk about how the bill does and doesn't change the Affordable Care Act, what chance it has to pass, and how it could affect Oklahomans' health care. Extra Links: House Tax Credits Would Make Health Insurance Far Less Affordable in High-Cost States ()
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Episode 25: How the criminal justice system really works
02/24/2017
Episode 25: How the criminal justice system really works
On this episode we speak with Jill Webb, an attorney with the Tulsa County Public Defender's office. She gives us a tour of how the real criminal justice system is different from popular ideas about police and the courts, embodied by shows like Law and Order. Extra links: Where Americans are sent to prison most The Cost Trap: How Excessive Fees Lock Oklahomans Into the Criminal Justice System without Boosting State Revenue: Executive Summary
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Episode 24: All about the revenues
02/12/2017
Episode 24: All about the revenues
The OK PolicyCast is back! Governor Fallin surprised many observer of Oklahoma politics by calling for dramatic revenue increases and major tax reforms in her State of the State address. In this podcast, we discuss the Governor's ideas, what's most likely to make it through the Legislature, and what other ideas Oklahoma Policy Institute has put forward to fix our state's budget hole. Extra links: Governor Fallin's Executive Budget proposal - OK Policy statement on Governor Fallin's proposals - OK Policy's revenue options for a better budget - Planet Money episode on the Trump administration's proposed 'border adjustment tax' -
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OK PolicyCast Episode 23: Do we have the blueprint for ending poverty?
11/30/2015
OK PolicyCast Episode 23: Do we have the blueprint for ending poverty?
This October, Stanford University's Dr. David Grusky visited Oklahoma . Dr. Grusky's books include Social Stratification, Occupy the Future, The New Gilded Age, The Great Recession, The Inequality Reader, and The Inequality Puzzle. His presentation at TU was titled, "A Blueprint for Ending Poverty... Permanently." Dr. Grusky also spent some time with OK Policy's staff discussing how the research on poverty and inequality is inspiring an ambitious new effort to end poverty in California.
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OK PolicyCast Episode 22: Predatory payday lending in Oklahoma
02/27/2015
OK PolicyCast Episode 22: Predatory payday lending in Oklahoma
This week we speak with Kate Richey of OK Policy and the Oklahoma Assets Network on her research into payday lending in Oklahoma and how it can trap families in a vicious cycle of debt.
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