Opinion

Last week, President Joe Biden unveiled a plan to unilaterally erase a wide swath of certain federal student loan debts.

Not only is such action completely unfair to millions of Americans who do not have student loans or already paid them off, but it will also add hundreds of billions of dollars more to the national debt.

This move will ultimately drive our country deeper into a recession in the days and months ahead and could permanently damage the American psyche for generations to come.

The world lost a giant recently when Bill Russell, the all-star center who led the Boston Celtics to 11 NBA championships during his playing career from 1956 to 1969, passed away.

Only Wilt Chamberlain had more career rebounds than Russell, who revolutionized the center position by his phenomenal ability to block shots.

The 6-foot-10 basketball star was also the first black head coach in any major American sports league.

In states across the country and nations across the globe, politicians’ embrace of a “Green New Deal” style of environmental policy has often been a comedy of errors.

But the real-world results are no laughing matter.

The problem is appearing even in conservative states like Texas, where over-reliance on “green” wind power has created numerous problems.

About 30 percent of Texas’ electricity is generated by wind power.

That’s all well and good — unless the wind isn’t blowing, which is often the case during hot spells.

For several months, Americans have grown increasingly nervous that our nation’s economy was heading toward recession.

Unfortunately, those fears became a reality last week when the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declined for a second consecutive quarter, which constitutes an economic recession.

Although President Joe Biden continues to deny our nation has reached the point of an economic recession, he can’t hide from the numbers.

There is no question that our economic crisis is out of control.

If I gave you a million dollars to invent a better mousetrap, and told you that if you succeeded you could keep any and all profits associated with the invention, you’d probably consider that a pretty good deal.

But if I gave your neighbor Bob a million dollars of YOUR money to invent that mousetrap, on the same conditions, you’d probably take issue with the idea.

Even if you were interested in investing in mousetrap innovation, you’d probably want a return on your investment.

Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization holds that both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey must be overturned.

The predicted impact on elective abortions has been well-rehearsed in the print and electronic press and on social media.

In the case before the court, Mississippi’s Gestational Age Act was upheld, making abortion in that state illegal after 15 weeks.

While education makes up the lion’s share of Oklahoma’s budget, health and human services represents the second largest category. This week, I want to break down some of the important appropriations we’ve made in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget, along with funds we’ve utilized through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to improve health in Oklahoma.

In 2017, the Supreme Court decided a case that involved a school playground resurfacing program provided by the state of Missouri.

On June 22, by popular demand, U.S. President Joe Biden asked Congress to pass a three month “holiday” on collection of the federal gasoline tax.

With prices hovering at around $5 per gallon, Americans want something done.

I’m all for it. I hate taxes, and I’m all for tax cuts, in any amount, for any length of time. Yay, Biden!

But before breaking into a collective happy dance over the holiday proposal and how great it's going to be for our wallets, let’s look at some numbers.