Commentary
Greg Treat
The presidential election has many Americans sharply divided along party lines. As Oklahomans, however, there is something on the ballot in November that should unite us regardless of political affiliation — State Question 765.

Commentary
Paul Armentano
Kudos to state Sen. Constance Johnson for once again calling for legislative hearings regarding the therapeutic use of marijuana. Perhaps this time a majority of her colleagues will listen.

Commentary
Brian Maughan
Oklahoma lawmakers have made real strides in getting smarter about crime, and about which offenders get locked up. Recent legislation has expanded the use of sentencing alternatives like drug courts and community service programs.

Commentary
Kurt Hochenauer
Have progressive Oklahomans found some political mojo in recent months?

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.

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.

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

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.

Commentary
Robin Meyers
Let’s be perfectly honest: When it comes to Chesapeake’s troubles, nobody in Oklahoma City can be expected to be objective. We all have been on the receiving end of too many benefits, from Classen Curve to Whole Foods to the arena’s namesake, not to mention some of the best Christmas lights in the known universe.

Commentary
Brett Robinson
Thanks to a recent state Supreme Court decision, Oklahoma voters will decide whether to allow the 15 most populous counties to vote on allowing the sale of wine in certain grocery stores. They will vote whether to “modernize” so-called “antiquated” liquor laws so that our daily lives will be more convenient. Some claim this will be an excellent job recruitment tool, up there with high wages and on-site Botox injections.

Commentary

For the nearly 700,000 Oklahomans currently without health insurance coverage, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent landmark ruling upholding the bulk of the Affordable Care Act offers hope. The court did, however, strike down one key component of the law by making the expansion of Medicaid, the shared federal-state health insurance program for the poor, optional rather than mandatory.

Commentary
Nathaniel Batchelder

A recession is no time to cut taxes.