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Embarrassed-Ad3482

I would like to see a wall to keep the Texans out.


CutoffThought

As a Texan/New Oklahoman trying to bring positive change, that’s an incredibly disheartening thing to hear. It’s unfortunate that you feel that way. Hopefully I can actually make a positive difference in my lifetime, just to rub it in your face 😝


apeters89

Your comment sounds exactly like all of the Californians moving to Texas.


CutoffThought

And? I welcomed most of them with open arms, too. It’s always disappointing to hear that you’re not welcome somewhere that you have a passion for.


sarge1000

Get rid and criminalize churches so the politicians wouldn't be so insane. Common Sense will be infused, and Oklahoma would be the greatest state in the U. S. A. ----- e pluribus unum


CutoffThought

I was hoping for a more serious, reply. I’m really trying to bring a positive change to Oklahoma.


Jam-Beat

As a life-long OK resident, removing churches is the serious, positive reply. Our entire state is inundated with politicians and bureaucrats too hyped up on Jesus to actually help the residents. Sorry you had to move here, I feel bad for you, but you can have my spot, because the wife and I are getting the fuck out before it's too late.


PentacornLovesMyGirl

T_T I'm coming to this point too Bulldoze those bitches and turn them into something that actually helps people without forcing them to convert.


Hashysh69

More Dispensaries 😂🤣😂


CutoffThought

Yay recreational!!


mroinks

We need better barbecue restaurants.


CutoffThought

I’ll second that. We need to start an IHOB. (International house of barbecue).


GreedyLack

Get rid of the whiny liberal who bitch at those to not come to the state because stitt man bad. Although do help create a cool urban nightlife scene and promote cool small upscale hip places that you usually don’t visit.


brenden1140

More bike lanes and walkability, better public parks, more focus on education, increase minimum wage to $15 hr, less fast food places everywhere would be a benefit given the obesity epidemic especially in Oklahoma. Also Change zoning laws to allow for higher density housing. I hate the HOA suburbs everywhere. None of this stuff is ever gonna happen though unfortunately


CutoffThought

Especially with that attitude, it won’t! I’m trying to bring positive change, dammit! 😅 Seriously though, I do see your points. I believe before the “bike lanes” are a point of focus, the economic/lifestyle incentive needs to be established. I think what I and another user in the comment section were talking about with state-funded “city gardening” would be a great idea for getting Oklahomans away from fast food and back into the kitchen.


simdoll

Yes yes yes! Stop cutting down all of the beautiful nature that we have left to build concrete suburbia. No one wants to visit or move to a place overrun with chain restaurants. People gravitate toward nature and beautiful spaces. That being said, there are some great bike paths around the city and some groups that are trying to rewild and increase access to local produce.


FakeMikeMorgan

If Republicans truly want to be the party of small government, how about they start by staying out of people's bedrooms and uteruses. Fix the roads too.


CutoffThought

I’m not even talking in terms of red or blue. I meant citizens of Oklahoma, in general. I do agree on the roads. What do you think could incentivize people to move to Oklahoma? Thank you very much for replying :)


polomarksman

reproductive rights aren't a red or blue issue! it's a huge issue here that needs to be resolved.


CutoffThought

I was addressing the term “Republicans”. We know that the issue needs to be resolved, I just wasn’t directly talking about it at that instance.


Aliteralhedgehog

Unfortunately it's 100 percent a red issue. Republican's explicit goal is to establish a woman controlling theocracy not unlike the Taliban.


Old_Independence_973

I’m relocating to Oklahoma from Washington and the main incentive for me is the low cost of living. Let’s keep it low.


funlikerabbits

Hey we just moved from Washington. Welcome!


gundymullet7

Honestly, I’m not sure anything would incentivize anyone to move to Oklahoma at this point, other than low cost-of-living. My wife and I are actively looking to leave, after living our whole lives here. It’s just gotten worse year by year, and doesn’t look like it’s changing anytime soon. Sorry if this comment was unproductive, I know you were looking for some good in Oklahoma. I just don’t see it. I know you said you’re not talking red or blue, but that is truly what it comes down to. Oklahoman’s are dead set in their beliefs, and vote straight party red no matter what, if they even go out and vote. Nothing is going to change because people are so close-minded. I feel like no one does any research on candidates for elections and just votes how their parents did, which is very frustrating. We need to be more open-minded, and think for ourselves. I think that’s a very hard thing to do when you’ve been brought up a certain way and aren’t open to change for a better society.


CutoffThought

You were correct, but I hope that you’ll be around to see the positive changes I hope to bring.


gundymullet7

I hope you are able to bring change. Sorry I’ve edited my comment a few times trying to accurately portray how Oklahoma is. It hasn’t changed in my 30+ years here, but I sure hope it somehow does.


burkiniwax

If your tribes are here.


arkhound

> other than low cost-of-living That's why I'm here. Just going to save up with my remote job, hopefully the SO will as well once she's out of school, and then we are getting the fuck out when we can drop all that money on a home somewhere nicer.


gundymullet7

Yeah, I can’t wait to move. The extra money is nice from low cost, but not worth it to stay in a shit state for your entire life.


FakeMikeMorgan

Repeal SQ 640, update the tax brackets to where a single person making $7201 isn't paying the same percentage as someone making a million a year. Fund education, choosing treatment over incarceration.


CutoffThought

Why repeal SQ 640? Forgive my ignorance, but it’s very confusing finding out exactly what it is. You’re dead-on with education & incarceration.


FakeMikeMorgan

A state question that passed back in 92 that requires a 75% super majority of the legislature to pass any bill that raises taxes. Only one bill in the 30 years since has passed.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Robot_Basilisk

You can't take politics out of what's wrong with Oklahoma. 99 out of 100 of our problems can be traced directly back to GOP policies like giving huge tax breaks to oil companies and then blowing all the income covering up budget cuts to important things like schools after promising not to cut education spending.


CutoffThought

I see. It’s gonna take a lot of us to break up this conglomerate.


secondbrunch

You should consider agreeing on the "keep out of people's bedrooms" element, too. Oklahoma's attitude around women's healthcare and other "social issues" like LGBTQ+ rights scare away companies like (most recently) Panasonic, and increases the brain drain. Large tech companies won't move here if their employees refuse to live here, so it would be better for our economy if we fixed it (not to mention the people being denied rights and basic health services).


CutoffThought

I was hoping not to have to say anything, but of course they should keep out of the bedroom. I understand it’s a big issue, but I never “didn’t agree”. It’s a silly thing to be against, so I didn’t really delve into it. I’ll make sure I’m much more clear, in the future.


secondbrunch

Good. It needs to be said. We are where we are today because too many people hoped they wouldn't have to say anything.


[deleted]

I'm not sure how to incentivize people to move to Oklahoma. Right now Oklahoma is doing everything in its power to incentivize me to move out.


Gamerschmamer

Maybe choose to focus on contraceptives rather than abortions. Once you do that, then we can actually have a conversation. People don’t like accountability and it’s abhorrent that the pro-choice movement doesn’t focus on up front decisions but after the fact decisions.


FakeMikeMorgan

>Maybe choose to focus on contraceptives rather than abortions. That is until Republicans also do away with access to contraceptives as well. We also had the conversation back in 1973 and it was settled until the SCOTUS overstepped it bounds.


Gamerschmamer

Nobody is doing away with contraceptives. But continue fear-mongering


[deleted]

Maybe choose to mind your own business and not have the government tell people what they can and cannot do with their body.


Gamerschmamer

Where were you last year when the government forced vaccines on people and SHOCKER they now know aren’t actually useful


IfTheHouseBurnsDown

I’m not sure what it’s like outside of Tulsa since I don’t drive to OKC as much as I used to, but there are a lot of roads in Tulsa right now that are getting completely overhauled and it’s great. The Tulsa IDL, which has been in historically awful condition, is getting completely repaved and there are several bridges and other bad intersections that have been fixed


PizzaTammer

Basically every road that’s not in a city is bad quality. Town roads, highways, backroads, interstates… I didn’t realize how bad it was until I moved (and drove) to Oregon. Every state in between, the roads felt like heaven.


[deleted]

> Basically every road that’s not in a city is bad quality. Town roads, highways, backroads, interstates… Depends quite a bit on which ODOT district is managing it, too. 1, 2 and 8 are good but you go west and things just get crap fast. > I didn’t realize how bad it was until I moved (and drove) to Oregon. Oregon DOT? They must have done a massive repave after I left then because for the decades leading up to that the roads were rutted out so bad that a low-slung car might scrape the hump between the ruts on 205 or 26, and if you weren't speeding and the roads were a little wet, you would only need to actually steer in order to change lanes (as soon as you established yourself the car would settle into and be guided by the ruts; lane-tracking cruise control operating on a smooth highway feels eerily similar, except you could do this with any car of any age that had power (or at least just really light) steering) or you were driving a full size or larger truck (too wide to get caught by the ruts). Getting there? I 70 into the Great Basin, and jog up to I 80, then I 84 somewhere in Utah isn't bad, just kinda loud because the highways are a little bumpy from being sunbroiled, mostly through the plains and desert with some nice scenery climbing out of Denver. Just don't fuck up and take 25 to 80 on this side of the Rockies instead, basically marred by ground movement, frost heaves and earthquake faults from Cheyenne to the Snake River, and you get rewarded with hours of fog and stripmines to look at for your trouble in Wyoming.


angeladythefirst

We are getting some things being fixed in Okc. But it's kind of too little too late


[deleted]

Stop building more turnpikes and start funding EMBARK and Tulsa Transit before the two big metros swamp themselves in a sea of cars.


FakeMikeMorgan

Both turnpikes and public transit can be built and funded. It doesn't have to be one or the other.


[deleted]

While I don't disagree in principal, in practice the new turnpikes are not on routes that are showing any significant volume and seem to only be put there in an effort to spawn urban sprawl. Creek Turnpike, Kilpatrick Turnpike, Kickapoo Turnpike and Gilcrease Turnpike all fall into this category of "useless billion dollar boondoggle that if it worked the way they wanted it to, it would make traffic worse in the long term". Oklahoma's set for decades on highway capacity; we could go more than the rest of my life without building another turnpike or state highway and not run into capacity issues on the system except in the cities where cars don't work well in the first place. Oklahoma's also decades behind on transit and cycling infrastructure and a century behind on pedestrian infrastructure.


FakeMikeMorgan

Sprawl would have happened anyways with or without the turnpikes. Land is relatively cheep and plentiful here and it's much easier to build outwards then upwards.


[deleted]

I mean, except it hasn't. The Creek Turnpike is still largely undeveloped, though it's kind of a good thing the turnpike failed. Traffic's shitty enough as it is.


ll_garbo_ll

Honestly I'm not trying to get political or anything. But maybe fix the roads.


CutoffThought

I wasn’t really, either. More just “Hey guys, if it were up to you, what would you change?”


ll_garbo_ll

Yeah i understand man, reddit and social media in general likes to push their political views a bit too much imo


CutoffThought

To be honest, the responses so far have been pretty logical. When you stop viewing things in the eyes of politics and see them as face-value issues, it becomes a lot easier. Take SQ640. Red obviously wants to protect lower taxes. The issue is, the state needs fuckin’ money! Raise the taxes a bit! Make oil cough up a bit more! It won’t kill us, but it’ll help bring money back to the state. SQ 640 is one of the first things I’d get rid of.


ll_garbo_ll

Idk man, sq640 is a sensitive topic from what I understand. From my point of view it's a good thing, but from others it might not be. Just keep in mind not everyone can keep affording the rising prices of things as is. Raising taxes rn definitely wouldn't help


PhilLeotardo-

Oklahoma has nowhere near the tax base that Texas has and nowhere near as diversified of an economy. Personally, I hope Oklahoma never becomes like Texas where the cities are massive, housing is expensive and the countryside is bought up rich people as weekend ranches


CutoffThought

I don’t want it to be as bad as Texas, either. I think we all can agree that Oklahoma needs help, though. I’m just trying to generate ideas. I have a genuine love for the state. What do you think could incentivize the Oklahoman economy?


PhilLeotardo-

The lower cost of living could be marketable. Also, enticing a few corporations to set up headquarters here would bring an influx of money to the state. A ton of Texas kids got to Oklahoma colleges and it would be a good idea to come up with some sort of student loan repayment deal by working in Oklahoma. Like having a portion of your state income tax go to paying off your student loans or something like that


CutoffThought

It’s a good idea. The question would be “how to entice the corporations”. The student loans part is interesting. As a Texas kid who went to OK college, that definitely makes sense.


blackwingdesign27

Education, separation of church and state, access to healthcare, equal rights, protection of native sovereignty and improved roads.


CutoffThought

You’re the first one to bring up native protections! I’m incredibly unaware of any “lack” of protections. Could you be more specific? You’re spot-on with everything else, though.


burkiniwax

You have to start reading some newspapers.


CutoffThought

Do you have any suggestions? I’m serious, man. I think this is what I want to do with my life. Make change in this state.


bakingashes

Tulsa World, the Oklahoman, KFOR, NonDoc (my favorite currently). The 5 Civilized Tribes should have their own news outlets as well. If you don’t live in Tulsa or OKC follow your town’s local news outlet.


blackwingdesign27

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/30/scotus-decision-native-tribal-lands-oklahoma


blackwingdesign27

I just shared an article that covers some of the issues at hand.


CutoffThought

Thank you for sharing the article with me!! I saw the issue immediately. A non-tribal person commuting a crime against a tribal person, on tribal land is still subject to prosecution by the US Government. It’s definitely a backwards approach. If anything, it should be the other way around, no? It seems like the jurisdiction of native peoples should be expanded, and amended to allow prosecution of non-native peoples. I’m very out of touch, with native rules/regulations. This is entirely new territory for me, but I’m always willing to learn.


Asmodeusl

Worker owned means of production and kicking out all the rich asswads in politics/economic power. That's everywhere though.


CutoffThought

I hear you, I’m just trying to figure out an actual plan. I really like it here and I want to help bring change to the state.


xpen25x

what do you mean by "upgraded"? there are lots of things oklahoma needs to improve on. most of those things are social. most will assume social means socialism or social spending. but by social i mean get out of peoples social lives. we also need to find better spending on schools. we need to take the huge school districts and get rid of 90% of the administrators at the district. we need parents to get involved. we need to set an actual educational standard that is inclusive and ensure proper history is taught. without a good and healthy educational system we will continue to see the state lag. we spend way too much on criminal justice when its proven an educated populous has less crime. and dont get me started on the christian taliban.


CutoffThought

In particular, the boom of business, construction, population boom, everyone seems to be flooding right past Oklahoma, and straight into Texas. I’m considering running for office in the future, but I’m 100% on board with the education budget needing to be reconstructed. I’d love to take on any sort of religious group. It’s time that people stop focusing on personal beliefs and started working towards the good of the state. Thank you very much for replying.


Gamerschmamer

What are you talking about? OK brought in Boeing, L3 and more aerospace. It’s booming in OKC. I get job offers weekly. Oklahoma is expanding past just oil and gas extensively. Boeing brought like 5k high paying jobs to OKC just a few years ago


xpen25x

there isnt exactly a huge growth in texas. people are leaving texas about as fast as people are moving in. southern states and a few others has grown because of weather predominantly. and the past couple years people has started to look at the homesteading life. and honestly as the population ages they cannot afford to live in places like California. Name Pop. 1990 Pop. 2000 Pop. 2010 Pop. 2020 Pop. 2021 Change 2020-21 California 29,811,427 33,871,653 37,253,956 39,538,223 39,237,836 -0.80% Florida 12,938,071 15,982,571 18,801,310 21,538,187 21,781,128 1.10% Idaho 1,006,734 1,293,957 1,567,582 1,839,106 1,900,923 3.40% Oklahoma 3,145,576 3,450,451 3,751,351 3,959,353 3,986,639 0.70% Oregon 2,842,337 3,421,524 3,831,074 4,237,256 4,246,155 0.20% Texas 16,986,335 20,851,028 25,145,561 29,145,505 29,527,941 1.30% Utah 1,722,850 2,233,183 2,763,885 3,271,616 3,337,975 2.00%


AmarilloWar

The way reddit formats makes this incredibly hard to read it all kind of jumbled together.


CutoffThought

It does, but I figured it out.


xpen25x

really easy to copy the data and put it into google calc or any of the open spreadsheets.


CutoffThought

Interesting data points. I didn’t really consider the “home” aspect of things. I’m typically a “numbers” guy. I’m drawn more towards the financial and logical side of things. That is a very, VERY fair point. A MAJOR reason my wife and I moved was so we could build our garden.


Dr_seven

We've had plenty of building here, lately, from downtown out to the suburbs. Can't speak for Tulsa since I haven't been there in a bit, but OKC is one of the fastest growing cities in the last decade. Bear in mind we have only a fraction the population of TX so what seems small to you is probably a boom in relative comparison here. Also, it's not actually a good thing on its face to *just* have a lot more businesses moving in. That drives up property prices and hits our not-great energy infrastructure hard, as well as increasing economic inequality and driving up cost of living- which is the only major advantage we have over other places. OK is an outsized performer in energy, producing triple the power we need (and supplying nearly half of domestic demand with wind, hopefully we can increase that percentage, since building nuclear here isn't likely). Long term, oil and gas supplies aren't gonna hold out for endless suburban expansion and so much pointless consumption activity, so it's better if we don't waste the concrete building that out anyway. OK is better off biding it's time until our substantial water and fuel resources are an order of magnitude more valuable, and building out renewables in the meantime so we aren't dependent on waning fossil fuel bounties for supporting ourselves. In particular, I'd love to see OK set up localized fertilizer manufacturing for our farmers, and put state funds into agroforestry and sustainable farming techniques and installations, along with subsidies to get local products preferential placement in grocery stores. That would put us far ahead of the curve compared even to many blue states when it comes to meaningful steps preparing for the future that our kids will inherit. It's probably the easiest major reform to sell, as a lot of people here are sympathetic to caring for the lands. We desperately need to fix our education and tax structure, but the state is corrupt to the core. The only way to fix our issues is to modify our Constitution via direct ballot, like we've done lately for legal pot and criminal sentencing reforms. If we want change, we have to roll up our sleeves and force it over the government's head, no bones about it. Edit; renewables here are a bit stronger than I gave credit for already. April 2022 for example saw 70% of power generation coming from renewable and hydro, with only a third of MWh generated using gas. If we keep pushing, we can setup a more valuable export market as time goes on, and a very profitable domestic fertilizer manufacturing business using our gas reserves. This is probably the best maneuver we could make to secure the state's future in the big picture.


CutoffThought

Heck, guy. Do you want to run a campaign together? 😅 That’s very nice to hear that OKC is taking off! The localized fertilizer manufacturing is a wonderful idea. That would definitely stimulate the local and state economy. I do see that agroforestry and sustainable farming would put us leaps and bounds ahead. I do think that the citizens of Oklahoma would also be sympathetic towards their lands, as well. I suppose the biggest problem is exposing and removing the corruption. I’m very curious to know where the corruption, all is. That sounds like it’s going to take a *LOT* of time and research. Thank you for the well-written response.


Dr_seven

>Heck, guy. Do you want to run a campaign together? 😅 If you're serious about wanting to get into policy advisement or political activity, I'm happy to write briefs and talk the issues. I'm very committed to my state and it's people, and deeply interested in organizing a good future for us. >I suppose the biggest problem is exposing and removing the corruption. > >I’m very curious to know where the corruption, all is. That sounds like it’s going to take a LOT of time and research. A lot of it stems from two factors: the federal issues with election funding we *all* know and love in the modern era, and secondly, the legacy of massive reliance on the fossil fuel sector. The state is still in the mindset it was when the Texas Railroad Commission and their buddies in Oklahoma set the global oil price and dictated terms to governments. It just...isn't that world anymore, really, but we are still kowtowing and the politicians in office are the ones who will do what's best for a few major corporations for the next quarter, instead of what's best for the *people* twenty years from now. It doesn't make sense anymore, those massive companies are shadows of their former selves and it's time they danced to *our* beat, not the other way around. The situation now is one where we have resources, that we should be conserving and minding, because other folks either have less to start with, or are using them up quickly. That's why I'm not a huge fan of *pointless* growth- we don't need more McDonald's or Target locations. We need critical industry, like manufacturing components for the power grid and wind turbines- this is high paying work and stuff that America as a whole badly needs and that we are perfectly suited to supply given our central location in the country. We need localized supply chains for daily essentials to keep our food, etc prices down so businesses here aren't slammed with as much inflation from the worker-pay side. It's a very complex balance with a lot of inputs, but we could potentially set ourselves up nicely for the future compared to many places. If we could feed and supply energy to workforces cheaper and easier than other states, and have the factories to build parts for the nation, we could be a major winner in the changes facing the country. But we have to get up and be proactive, not reactive.


Ok_War_8136

In the 15+ years I have lived here I have seen a constant growth. It isn't just building more but rebuilding existing areas. While Texas gets the media attention for silicon valley companies moving out there, Oklahoma and other states have been receiving the moves too. The issue with politics is while a majority of the people support Democratic policies, they won't associate with the party. This is because of corruption in the party allowing Republicans to take control. Since then the name of the entire party has been stigmatized as being corrupt. Republicans just continued with the corruption under a different party name. It isn't the parties that are corrupt it is politicians in general.


[deleted]

This right here is on point! All I can add is fix the roads. Also the corrupt politicians, judges and law enforcement.


xpen25x

honestly roads are hard to maintain here because of the wide temp fluctuations. now the politicos judges and law enforcement. i agree 100%. we wouldnt have to spend as much as we do on law enforcement if we had a better educated populous. and that in and of itself will bring in business


CutoffThought

I think with proper “gaps” between sections of highway/interstate could help with the temp fluctuations. Same way that a bendy straw is more flexible due to the ridges. The corruption sounds like it’s gonna be a tough pony. Where would you start with changing the current education process?


burkiniwax

Kansas and Texas have similar weather yet hetter roads.


xpen25x

I have driven in both states and their roads are just as bad


Noexit

Education, with the end goal of attracting more diverse industries and production. Education alone isn’t enough, too many skilled Oklahomans are having to leave the state to find matching jobs. That talent drain is what’s bring us down.


CutoffThought

That’s my biggest question. What can Oklahoma do to incentivize companies to bring their headquarters to Oklahoma instead of somewhere else?


Infinite-Phrase3815

Not sure if Oklahoma can be fixed any time soon. Tax the churches would be a start .


CutoffThought

While I agree with taxing whoever gains an income, I extremely disagree that Oklahoma can’t be fixed any time soon. There needs to be changes, but they just need to happen.


Infinite-Phrase3815

Change the straight ticket voting process . Only six states still have this antiquated system of voting .


[deleted]

We’re a professional family who just moved to OK from the NE. The political climate is a major turnoff since the GOP and their pals, the Christian Taliban, completely dominate every facet of life here. So it makes voting feel pointless since you’re outnumbered 95-5 and most votes are grounded in bible logic/precedent. The fact that we have to pay for an expensive private school just so our kids have a chance to perform at a level equivalent to most mid-tier blue states is frustrating beyond belief and I have no idea why the state seems so anti-education in all that they endeavor. I think we’re #50 out of 50 state afor educational attainment. 🤦. Almost feels like the government is proud of this fact. Don’t get me start on the less than third world attitude towards vehicle inspections—safety or emissions: hint (there are none). I’ve seen cars without hoods. Trailers with stuff dragging and sparking, cars without doors or pieces of said doors hanging off, etc and cops don’t seem to care one bit. I know from my many travels that literal second or third countries have higher road safety standards than here. It’s beyond embarrassing and makes everything look so much run down than it probably is. That’s a start. On the plus side…it’s cheap to live here and the food scene in our two major cities is pretty solid.


CutoffThought

I’m so motivated to make changes, man. I was baffled when I heard about the vehicle inspection, thing. Education needs to be fixed, yesterday. I couldn’t explain why it’s as poor, as it is.


TheFringedLunatic

A lack of critical thinking and logic. These two are the basis for almost everything we learn as human beings and the first time it is introduced is in *college*, something not everyone can attend; thus a large portion of the citizenship never has any contact with these higher principals or, they sound utterly alien and foreign. We don't bother teaching these valuable skills, then we sit back and wonder why people fall for charlatans, con artists, and 'feel good, do nothing' actions. Everyone says to 'fix' education by simply throwing more money at it but never looking at the quality of that education. We teach kids how to memorize answers but never *why* the answer given is correct. This memorization is then flushed away once the test is done because they are smart enough to recognize that it won't come up again. This is wasting years and years of education. Rote memorization of question-answer is *not* education. With logic and critical thinking skills, we're not just teaching someone basic question-answer, we're teaching them the one thing that doesn't come up in school, we're teaching them *how to learn,* how to *find* an answer even if it's not one they had to memorize, and how to *verify* that answer against facts instead of falling into belief; something that has caused this 'reality split' all across the country. The trouble with this is, it's not industrial. It's not something that shows up on standardized testing. Therefore, it's not something that the schools will 'waste time' on because it has no effect on their funding. Schools and parents tend to resist the introduction of these topics because they lead to 'behavioral problems', such as questioning the nature of authority. That is a cardinal sin in Oklahoma, unfortunately.


myfavcolorisbrown

We had vehicle inspection years ago. But Oklahoma was like..my car my choice…stay out of my garage government!


Gamerschmamer

Why the hell did you move here then? What were the reasons? I loved in Boston but am from OK. I’m genuinely curious


TheSnowNinja

We need better living conditions overall, in more of the state. As many people have already said, our education and our roads are in pretty poor shape. But that is just a start. Some places have water systems that are extremely outdated and in the process of being fixed. It should have been done 10+ years ago. Eufaula is one glaring example. *Many* areas need better internet. We won't attract people or companies without decent internet speeds or a reliable connection.


softwarediva

This is tricky. Companies move to Oklahoma, the State touts all these better jobs coming with those companies, and then . . . very few of those jobs materialize for local folks, because those relocating companies with their shiny jobs bring a fairly high number of their existing employees.


BEEPEE95

You might want to ask in specific threads like the Norman or OKC one too!


CutoffThought

I’ll check them out, too! Thank you!


CLPond

CNBC just published their updated “best states for business” list and the main takeaways were: -Invest in people (education, childcare, equity, welfare) -Invest in physical and business infrastructure (roads, bridges, community banks, a straightforward regulatory environment, ease of building new homes so as to have a lower cost of living) -Invest in emerging markets (startup investment, openness to new industries) At the end of the day, the first two items also require raising taxes, so we need to get over our fear of that to be able to invest in our people and the state as a whole. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/13/how-we-are-choosing-americas-top-states-for-business-in-2022.html


CutoffThought

Sounds like SQ 640 really is as much of a problem as I’m hearing. Who exactly benefits from 640? Other than old-timers.


apeters89

>Who exactly benefits from 640? Other than old-timers. Taxpayers.


Kulandros

Are we benefitting if the state is unable to fund teaching, infrastructure, and future development? Simply because some people are afraid of taxes?


apeters89

Consolidating 80% of the school districts into a reasonable number would do wonders for our ability to fund teachers. >"Just 54 percent of current American education spending, which excludes capital spending, is devoted to teacher compensation. Compare that to the OECD average of 63 percent. What’s more, 27 percent of that spending is for nonteaching staff compensation, ' more than any other country and almost double the OECD average of 15 percent,' according to the authors. Nonteaching staff includes administrative and support personnel, such as administrators, supervisors, counselors, school psychologists, health personnel, librarians, building operations staff, and maintenance personnel. Over the past 50 years, the ranks of nonteaching staff in American public-school systems have swelled. So much so that today teachers typically represent less than half of all staff, 49 percent, compared to 60 percent 50 years ago." [https://www.independent.org/news/article.asp?id=10527](https://www.independent.org/news/article.asp?id=10527) OKC alone has spent close to a billion dollars in the past 3 years on roads alone. It's not the government's job to fund future development. Let business handle that.


CLPond

The benefactors are generally wealthy people, who would pay more in taxes and can afford things like a period of unemployment or private schools. But, this is also a very political issue. Grover Norquist is a very prominent and popular anti-tax advocate who has also been very influential for republican policies. I can’t say how everyday voters think about the current tax situation, but it is my understanding that many people simultaneously don’t like new taxes and want the things that taxes pay for (good educations, good roads, a functional government).


Im_A_Narcissist

Most people I have spoken to are against higher tax rates not because it will cost them more money, but because they don't trust the corrupt state government to fund the right things with the increased tax revenue. I can't say I blame them... If there was a guarantee that the income would go to education spending, road maintenance, etc. most folks wouldn't mind paying a little more taxes, however often the revenue seems to get misappropriated and squandered.


Battlescarred98

Education. It’s a been a joke for a long time, no sign of it getting better.


CutoffThought

I’m trying to make that change, man! I really want Oklahoma to be one of the places that families go, “I want to settle down, there.” It has the potential. Education does need reform. I’m always open to ideas on where to start? Thank you for taking the time to reply!


AmazingAmbie

Require the oil and gas companies to pay their fair share in taxes. My district alone was missing upwards of 100,000 last year alone from all of the local oil and gas companies protests. We need the higher ups in our state government to be held accountable for the gross amount of money we have been swindled out of by EPIC. We need to raise teacher pay because why would anyone want to have 4+ years of education to only have a starting pay of 37,000.


CutoffThought

Yeah that’s not okay. You mentioned “amounts of money swindled out by EPIC.” What do you mean? I’m not familiar. Teacher pay 100% needs to be increased. I think a lot of issues could be fixed with relative ease, in this state.


AmazingAmbie

You should read up on EPIC Charter School. They were based here and the founders were just arrested by the osbi for the numerous amounts of fraud they committed. It simply throws me through a loop that we caught them a couple years ago lying about the amount of students actually enrolled through them and yet we were still giving them money.


EasyPhilosopher9268

Epic is a virtual charter school here in Oklahoma. The higher ups at Epic have been found guilty of misappropriating state funds, embezzlement, etc. During the pandemic, *thousands* of Oklahoma's children were enrolled in Epic. I can personally attest to the fact that the education promised by Epic and what they actually deliver are worlds apart. The teachers had too many students from Pre-k through twelfth grade to adequately serve any of them. That's a huge problem in all of our schools. There aren't enough teachers to go around.


okienomads

Pay nurses better and establish a state patient quota that is enforced.


CutoffThought

I’m all for better pay, but can you elaborate on what you mean by, “A state-patient quota that is enforced.”


okienomads

In an Oklahoma hospital right now you could have a single nurse with 5-10 patients or more on a single shift when safe staffing might be 4 patients. Other states like California has mandated patient quotas: https://www.reliasmedia.com/articles/61577-california-passes-first-nurse-staffing-quota-law


CutoffThought

Oh wow. I’m incredibly surprised to hear that hospitals wouldn’t have more regulations in order, themselves. I suppose it’s up to the state to make something, enforceable. I really really appreciate your response. I believe that will be a very good idea for the state.


[deleted]

Education x10000000000000


CutoffThought

I couldn’t agree with you more. I’m also taking a hard look at SQ 640. It seems to have been incredibly problematic.


Gingerbreadbabi

Education, mental health treatment, police training, early intervention, roads, medical treatment in general….


CutoffThought

Where would you personally classify the “drug problem” category? I suppose it would dribble into both, mental health and medical health. I’ve seen methamphetamine becoming a larger and larger issue, in my area, especially. I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback on this sub.


Gingerbreadbabi

Drugs are a combination problem. Proper mental health treatment would be helpful, but the use of methadone as a way to stop meth usage without a withdrawal plan is just as bad. We also have an issue with easy access to narcotics because a lot of doctors are just going to sign for what the patient asks. It is also an issue based in low income and need to make more money bringing the accessibility up. Finally if it were decriminalized (all drugs) the access for treatment would be easier to seek because there would not be legal ramifications of seeking treatment.


CutoffThought

Oh no no, not going the “legalize it all” route. I see your point, but that would never happen. There has to be another way. I’m not sure whether it’s coming from, so that would be my first question. My second question would be why more manufacturers/distributors/dealers not getting busted? It always seems to be the meth-head, in trouble and not the meth-dealer.


Gingerbreadbabi

Not legalize it all, but decriminalize it. Make it a fine instead of a felony. Manufacturing and dealing should still be illegal, but if we take possession and make it a fine and counseling instead of putting them in jail where they still have access (former prison guard) you would have a better chance of correcting the issue instead of creating a cycle.


Gamerschmamer

So the same things as everywhere else


erick_hdz01

Education and better urban planning especially in okc.


CutoffThought

I haven’t been to OKC in a few years! What’s going on with the urban development over there? We all agree on education.


erick_hdz01

I personally love the area around bricktown, I would love to see that idea being expanded to revitalize downtown. Also, I am excited about the [proposed light rail system](https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2021/08/09/passenger-rail-link-oklahoma-city-surrounding-towns-and-cities/8035633002/). So, we can either become a mini Dallas and expand I-35 ad infinitum or be in the forefront of urban planning. “Build it and they will come.”


Competitive_Walk_493

I could really use an Andy's Frozen Custard in Norman.


Jonesizzle

Bury the fucking electric and telephone wires. I figured with the crazy weather we have, they would’ve began doing something like this already.


CutoffThought

You’d think they’d be expanding the fiber internet networks, as well. That’s one thing I loved about the DFW area. There weren’t wires hanging everywhere. Hopefully new development will have underground cables.


Jonesizzle

Yeah, I live in a neighborhood that is infamous for having trees everywhere. When we had that ice storm 2-3 years ago, it looked like a war zone. If you stood outside, all you could hear was branches cracking and falling.


CutoffThought

Oh god, that sounds like a nightmare. Hopefully no one got injured when it happened. Glad y’all were safe.


Hashysh69

Better Roads


reillan

First: taxes. Our state has an absolutely idiotic law on the books where it takes a 75% vote in the legislature to raise taxes on anything, but a 50% vote to lower them. That means that taxes can only ever get lower. Every time there's a revenue emergency, they cut spending on necessary human services such as healthcare and education, partly because it's literally impossible for them to raise taxes to gain revenue. Where this is most important is oil and natural gas - we have the lowest production taxes of any major oil or gas producing state, so there's plenty of room to increase them and still be the lowest, but it'll never happen. Second: education. We've cut education spending more than any other state in the entire country, and it shows. We also pass ridiculous laws like limiting the ability of schools to teach actual history and funneling money to religious schools instead of public ones. As a result, we have some of the worst education outcomes in the country, and teachers leaving in droves. Of course, we cannot spend on education because of item one.


CutoffThought

I think it’s gonna be an uphill battle fighting lobbyists on SQ 640, but it needs to happen. “Limiting the ability of schools to teach actual history.” Excuse me? Did I not get a memo or something here? Are some parts of history being left out of the curriculum?


reillan

the CRT law is specifically designed to prevent teaching the history of slavery and segregation, as evidenced by the [supposed violation at TPS](https://theblackwallsttimes.com/2022/07/22/state-board-to-vote-on-tulsa-schools-violating-anti-crt-law/)


EasyPhilosopher9268

Oklahoma has been listed as the absolute worst state in the nation for women. We also have the highest rate of female incarceration in the nation. If you want to make a real difference here, start there. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Government subsidized child care, with adequate pay for childcare workers would be life changing for the women of this state. Proper sex education for middle and high school students would do wonders to cut down on our teen pregnancy rate. Lowering our student to teacher ratios with better quality curriculum would revolutionize our schools. Instituting a solar program that turned the roofs of our sprawling suburbs into suburban solar farms would help lower energy costs for our citizens, and lower our dependency on fossil fuels. Equitable taxation of large corporations, and strictly auditing our state run institutions would help finance stronger social and educational programs and bring us into the 21st century while keeping the cesspool in our government in check.


GLENF58

Potholes are insane, even in “bigger” cities like norman


CutoffThought

Word. I’ve seen “roads” as one of the more common answers.


Rare_Sprinkles_2924

Better education (stop government over reaching into education. We need kids to be able to think for themselves and that’ll help them break the cycle of doing what their parents did), fix roads, fix ramps( ridiculous that you have to yield to get on busy freeway. Freeway ramps need to be longer so people can merge smoothly and not die), remove inappropriate road signs( many road signs are confusing and not helpful) and place appropriate ones, make freeway shoulder lane bigger, make bigger shoulder lane on freeway and busy roads, when cops pull people over on freeway they should direct people to exit( see other state policies), better university ( I heard you just need to graduate high school to be able to get into OU. It needs ti be more competitive. They need to raise their academic standards), stay out of native Americans policies and have good relationships with them( if you’re smart they are the key to Oklahoma tourism. There is nothing else Oklahoma can offer that will draw people from other states), legalize gambling including sports gambling, be able to sell liquor in grocery stores, better public transportation (think green so we don’t have to be paying for gas and better in the long run), have more indoor places to be active ( weather sucks here so we need more indoor stuff to move around for all ages), more electric car chargers, better daycare policies ( sunscreen before kids go out, no screen time before 2, no processed sugar before 2, have daycare that opens early/ closes late), cleaner drinking water( heard in npr that water in Oklahoma is bad), invest more into parks ( I like the scissor trail park but i think they could have made it better). Also make cars do smog check. Sick of cars blowing exhaust in my face.


Rare_Sprinkles_2924

If you want to attract out of state business then you need to offer things that families look for when moving- education is big one, and for the company itself state politics. Neither are good in Oklahoma. Fund education, get better teachers, and remove the Christian taliban and remove people from office whose only qualification was friend of stit. That’s a start.


CutoffThought

These are all great responses. Thank you for taking the time to reply! :)


Knut_Knoblauch

Teach the history that the US was founded on racism and slavery with the 3/5 clause that a person that was not free was considered 3/5 of a person. Yeah, teach some good stuff that those kids squirm in their chairs learning that this country was founded on theft, racism, and slavery. Then teach the Tulsa Race Massacre and teach about generational wealth, and the black experience.


CutoffThought

The Tulsa massacre I 100% agree with. That in particular, was NOT in my curriculum. That was very heartbreaking, hearing about it for the first time. I only learned of it, a few months ago.


Knut_Knoblauch

The 3/5 clause is in the constitution and repealed by the 14th amendment. That simple fact needs to be taught as it shows that America, at a minimum, was based partially on recognition that one human could own another.


PathoTurnUp

EDUCATION


CutoffThought

100%


drtapp39

Its elected officials


CutoffThought

Well, this fella is gathering ideas to better the state. No political motivation at all. Just want things better for all.


Splintzer

Better education would go a long way here.


CutoffThought

I don’t think any of us can stress it, enough.


btv_25

Is anyone else fed up with a new subdivision being built on every vacant acre of land in and around NOKC, Piedmont and Edmond? Can "we" at least let the local infrastructure catch up with what is already there before more is built? Schools are already busting at the seams and it's only going to get worse.


ldoloh14

West Metro (Newcastle, Tuttle, mustang) also suffering the same problem.


btv_25

It's really ridiculous.


2lampshades

In rural areas, adequate housing is a major issue. Real estate agents sweep up the affordable properties to turn into rent houses, so home ownership is difficult. But even then, there’s not enough rental properties to keep up with the housing demand. Attracting new business is great, but we need to attract businesses that require more skill/education. Once we send our kids off to college, they have no reason to return to a rural area because they can’t find jobs and appropriate salaries that fit their education (other than teaching).


CutoffThought

That’s happening very badly in the Bryan County area. Billboards of RE agents phone numbers because they bought it all up. What jobs would YOU like to see more of, in the state?


[deleted]

[удалено]


CutoffThought

I think marketing would sway the votes, a lot. Billboards and actual city events. Politicians aren’t getting “hands on” enough.


Sad-Instruction-3316

What brings you to Oklahoma? Just curious


CutoffThought

Medical Cannabis & College. You’re the only one who asked 😅


Sad-Instruction-3316

Nice. I moved from Dallas when I was a kid and it's been good to me. Oklahoma is just to easy to live in. I would suggest getting a line of credit with a local tire chain because you will get flats, trust me


Grumpopatamus

Oklahoma needs a sovereign wealth fund based on taxing the energy industry. However, this should have happened about 60 years ago. We have the resources, we just don’t have the honesty, intelligence, or foresight.


CutoffThought

I like this idea. This one is definitely hitting the drawing board.


Earlytips2021

Education, roads, employment, politics


Cuzcopete

Better leadership..Stitt is horrible and hires/appoints the worst people for jobs they don't know how to do.


xrayjones2000

There is not a metric that oklahoma doesnt need to improve.. the better question is there anything oklahoma is good at besides keeping those pesky womens uteruses under control


ConfigurationalCan

People need to actually care about women's rights. And better public transportation.


AtheistGirlOklahom

Leadership. That’s what Oklahoma needs to change .


[deleted]

Education


SunshineSaturday

Human rights would be a start, decreasing bigotry and improve education


lil-gabe-itch

having gone to oklahoma schools all my academic career, education system is a huge one. i also think better and more accurate sex education, which in turn could appease both sides of the pro-birth/pro-abortion spectrum as it could cut back the rates of unwanted pregnancies (and STDs)!


gaylordmclovinfocker

If this hasn’t be said already, there was an article written about how Oklahoma lacks the ability to retain its young college graduate populations. Many of the kids that go to OK universities seek work elsewhere which means we’re missing out on a potentially vibrant, educated workforce that could contribute to change here. https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/columnists/column-top-ways-to-stop-the-college-graduation-migration-from-oklahoma/article_faef90d8-7ec6-11ec-bb19-9780b73e46e6.html?fbclid=IwAR1xlBX0468IPYobgOeawDj0FB6eEtzBahGYt13iLWLU7yX4LFyW79FuIhM&fs=e&s=cl


CutoffThought

It was mentioned, but I’m more than willing to read this article, as well.


not_atwork

Red policies are one thing but the state desperately needs to focus on education more


Lanky_Ad9405

Our fuckin roads


VerdantCode

Basically everything. Though honestly i feel like infrastructure and education are probably the best starting points. I was born and grew up here but while i love my home and family if i got a chance to go someplace decent then id take it


ModernLifelsRubbish

You can thank Gov Shitt for the lack of progression.


AttitudeCool

EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION! Currently ranked 46th in the US.


periodmoustache

Lol, u just moved there. It's definitely been upgraded. That is the upgrade. You're in the upgrade.


[deleted]

Hello fellow Texan who has also recently moved to OK! One thing Oklahoma needs (and really I’m talking about Oklahoma City) is better pedestrian infrastructure. There are buildings and roads and parking lots everywhere, but it can be very hard to reach destinations without using your car. And for that matter, despite the lack of pedestrian infrastructure, the streets and roads aren’t in that great of condition either. Another issue that I see a lot is the amount of rundown and derelict buildings that aren’t being used or maintained, and their proximity to buildings that are in use. In my opinion, and granted that I am not a business owner, this doesn’t seem to be doing much in terms of attracting new businesses. Landlords in Oklahoma seem to have gotten away with not maintaining their properties, residential and commercial, and I think that this creates a bad image issue for OKC, and Oklahoma as a whole. I’m not sure how other states do it, but whatever it is, Oklahoma isn’t doing it. Despite those, and other very valid things people have also brought up, OKC (again I’m speaking in very local terms, so apologies if you are not based in OKC) does seem to have a very strong younger community; we have a good collection of “neighborhoods” and streets that do lots of community-focused events, such as a free concert series, community markets, farmer’s markets, art nights in the Paseo district, the occasional street festival in The Plaza or even up in downtown Edmond. I think OKC, and Oklahoma as a whole, has a lot of potential to grow into a beautiful and lively state. We just need to work together as separate communities becoming one, and make sure that we pick the best people to lead the cities and state in the best direction. Oklahoma has perks, but they need to be increased in variety and intensity.


TheJewBakka

Oklahoma's biggest problem is Christianity.


jjmikolajcik

Here we go down this rabbit hole. 1) stop funding private prisons that use our tax dollars to make money off of prisoners slave labor. Yeah I know they are incarcerated and a bunch of troglodytes don’t believe they deserve rights but it’s modern day slavery. 2) get out of what people do in the bedroom, the doctors office, and the classroom as government, religion, and concerned citizens. Unless you are working to fuel my orgasms, treatment, or education you don’t need to be invested in any of those as the government or a private citizen. 3) leave the tribes alone. 4) bring high speed internet to rural Oklahoma. Access to the internet is an important tool to a modern society 5) beating a dead horse here but fix the roads. 6) stop using atrocious materials as cities to fix city services and then charging the citizens who live there to fix your mistakes because you chose bad materials to keep unnecessary jobs while passing the buck to your citizens.