Letter To The Editor

Recently I had the unhappy experience of becoming ill while away from home. By the time we returned to Cordell I felt awful and called Dr. Abernathy’s office first thing on Monday morning. Fortunately they were able to get me right in.

Politics Versus Policy In Public Charge Rules

On August 12, the Trump administration announced new rules for immigrants seeking permanent residence status (through issuance of a “green card”) in the United States.

To Refinance Or Not To Refinance?

The only reason for the County Commissioners and their related public trust to consider refinancing the outstanding jail bonds is to save the taxpayers money. Somehow this has been lost in the discussions of recent weeks. The public trust could decide to do nothing. That would be fine.

Where’s The Beef In USMCA?

“MAGA,” blusters Donald Trump — Make America Great Again! America’s ranching families, however, would like Trump to come off his high horse and get serious about a more modest goal, namely: Make America COOL Again.

Free Speech Must Be Protected, Even If You Don’t Agree With It

“Online communities like 4chan and 8chan have become hotbeds of white nationalist activity,” wrote the editors of the New York Times on August 4 in the wake of a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. Then: “Law enforcement currently offers few answers as to how to contain these communities.” Wait, what?

Oklahoma Criminal Justice Reform Is A Deliberative Process

Sometimes I get asked what meaningful criminal justice reform should look like in Oklahoma. Our state, after all, has the highest incarceration rate in the world for both men and women. These are people that have become almost permanently removed from their families and from the workforce.

Cutting Food Stamps Is A Lose-Lose Proposition

To hear some politicians tell it, America’s welfare system is facing a grave crisis: Millions of poor people, they say, are idling away their time eating lobster and relaxing on cruises.

Have We No Decency? A Response To President Trump

Special Guest Commentary The escalation of racialized rhetoric from the President of the United States has evoked responses from all sides of the political spectrum. On one side, African American leaders have led the way in rightfully expressing outrage.

When Silence Becomes Complicity

From The Editor Last week I read, with great interest, an open letter from the leadership of the Washington National Cathedral. It’s a letter I’m sure will bother some and be praised by others; and hopefully prompt many to think about the current state of our society.

Passing Debt To The Next Generation

When my wife and I took over my family’s small plumbing business shortly after graduating high school, it was over a half a million dollars in debt. We knew this was unsustainable and that we had to make changes to get us back on track.