Letters to the Editor
James Henry
Mike Brake (Commentary, “Disaster is ahead for Obamacare,” Gazette, Aug. 8) really should do a little research on what liberals want, if he really thinks the Affordable Care Act is “their big wish.”

Commentary
Bill Bleakley
The Media Audit, conducted by International Demographics which measures media impact, finds that as many Republicans as Democrats read our newspaper. I’m reaching out to our Republican readers who live in Oklahoma County and asking them to pay particular attention to Tuesday’s runoff election for Oklahoma County court clerk.

Letters to the Editor
Mack Paul

Letters to the Editor
Richard Westmoreland
Here we go again with the health care debate. As we listen to prominent Republicans continue to say, “We have the best health care delivery system in the world,” it may be worth remembering why we got reform in the first place.

Letters to the Editor
Brandon Wertz
In the wake of the recent Dark Knight Rises shooting spree, we should probably begin to consider the variables that lead to such tragic events.

Commentary
Scott J. Hamilton
On the evening of Aug. 1, the day of the Mike Huckabee/Sally Kern Chick-fil-A love fest, a young man walked into my office and sank into a chair. He rubbed his eyes and said he’d never felt as persecuted as a gay man as he did that day.

Commentary
Bob Kemper
Paul Green, field division 4 engineer for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, had no idea his presentation would let loose a whirlwind of controversy and consequent action.

Commentary
Mike Brake
Absent a resounding Republican victory this fall, liberals will get their big wish when Obamacare begins taking effect early in 2013. Under the “be careful what you wish for” rubric, it may be useful to look ahead. What can Oklahomans expect from Obamacare?

Commentary
Craig W. Jones
Many people know that Medicaid was passed alongside Medicare as part of the 1965 Social Security Act. But I would wager that very few Oklahomans know that Oklahoma was one of only six states to be the first to participate in Medicaid when it launched in 1966. Oklahoma was the only Southern state among those six. Another 27 states signed on later that year, 11 more in 1967, and another eight states (all Southern) in 1970. Seems the new social program at the time was a bit controversial.

Letters to the Editor
Amber Nemecek
Everyone knows that tax money helps to keep water clean for drinking, to repair potholes on city streets and to spread sand/ salt on icy roads, etc. Nathaniel Batchelder implies (Commentary, “Cutting taxes is not the answer,” July 11, Oklahoma Gazette) taxes once funded mental hospitals and substance abuse programs, as if the state does not fund them any longer. Oklahoma’s mental health system is centralized and primarily state-funded. Oklahoma voters approved a net 55-centsper-pack increase in the cigarette tax in 2008, and most of that revenue went to health care. The state’s mental health and substance abuse programs are receiving millions of dollars.

Letters to the Editor
Emily Hunt

Commentary
Amber England
A recent report by the United Health Foundation ranked Oklahoma 48th in overall health — a drop of two spots from the previous year. Despite legislative victories over the past few years lowering taxes, reforming workers’ compensation and shrinking the size of government, Oklahoma is still not “doing fine” when it comes to the health of our people

Letters to the Editor
D.W. Tiffee
David Blatt (Commentary, “Oklahoma and Medicaid Expansion,” July 18, Oklahoma Gazette) makes some important points about the benefits of expanding Medicaid under Obamacare, but neglects to mention the astonishing profit of the plan to the state and taxpayers.

Letters to the Editor
Kelley Steinhorn
Since I was a child, summer meant going through the season with legs and arms covered with large mosquito bites. If I was in a crowd of 500, I was the only one to emerge with bites.

Commentary
Peter J. Rudy
With the legislative session over, it’s a good time to think about ways to make the next one better. Specifically, I’m concerned with making the legislative process more transparent.