Opinion
Twenty-Oh-Nine provided plenty of ups, downs
Now that the calendar has turned to a new year, I wonder what the history books will say about the last one. Surely they will note that it was a year of great joy, and great sorrow; a year of great hope, and great worry; that it was a year of firsts, and hopefully a year of lasts.
In 2009 we finally inaugurated our first African-American president, and Disney finally introduced us to its first African-American princess.
2009 was the year that a Tennessee girl named Taylor conquered the music world, and a Scottish woman named Susan conquered our hearts.
2009 was the year that Adam Lambert kissed a boy and got in trouble, and Katy Perry kissed a girl and liked it.
2009 was a year for New Moon, Transformers, and more Harry Potter. But it was also the year that we rooted for a Slumdog to meet Oscar.
2009 was the year that our nation lost the Lion of the Senate, the King of Pop and the Queen of Posters. It also was the year that Tiger and Bernie saw the death of their public image.
2009 was the year that President Obama inherited the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Yet it also was (hopefully) the year our next great economic recovery began.
2009 was the year when our president won a Nobel for not being George W. Bush. It also was the year an economist was named Time’s Person of the Year for not being timid.
2009 was a year where too little attention was paid to the heroic protests in Iran, yet too much attention was paid to the childish birther protests here at home.
2009 was the year that hope met obstinacy, as President Obama faced an angry Republican opposition. While the president chanted “Yes We Can” fix the economy, reform health care and save the environment, Republicans seemed content to “Just Say No.”
2009 was the year that the world began to address the global warming crisis. But it was another year where Oklahoma’s own Sen. Jim Inhofe kept spewing hot air.
2009 was the year that Oklahoma’s other Senator, Tom Coburn, asked Americans to pray that an ailing U.S. senator would be unable to vote. And it was the year that I prayed everyone would remember that God wants us to love others the way He loves us.
Despite its ups and downs, I hope 2009 was a good year for you. Still though, I hope 2010 will be your best year yet.
MICKEY HEPNER is an associate professor of economics at the University of Central Oklahoma. Hepner serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for The Oklahoma Academy.
- Opinion
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A media-twisted idea of normalcy
Last week’s most telling news story had nothing to do with the mosque. Or the election struggles of Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Or the president’s vacation at the Vineyard.
No, the one story that reveals more than any other about what is going on in America concerns the Miss Universe contest. -
Education reform must be a priority
This fall brings another school year. However, the next years are critical for Oklahoma‘s economy and much rides on improving public education. Budget cuts made this year will have a lasting effect. The issue is what actions can be taken to improve our educational system. It doesn’t just rest on reforms in education alone. We need a complete re-thinking of government and realignment of priorities.
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It’s time for Congress to pay up
Thank God there are still a few common-sense public servants in the U.S. government. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates is one of them.
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Hatred blinds, distorts values
Sunday night the United States opened its arms to two young men from Uganda. I was at the airport when Richard Kirabira arrived to join his friend Charles Mugabi who arrived last week.
Both of them have received scholarships to East Central University in Ada, and they regard this opportunity as a priceless blessing to themselves, their families and ultimately, to their country. -
Business leaders: Obama agenda bad for economy
Distressing new economic headlines just keep coming. Unemployment claims reached a nine-month high in early August. Existing home sales tumbled by 27 percent from June to July, representing the largest one-month drop ever recorded. Sales of new homes reached the lowest levels recorded since 1963. The stock market is down 11 percent, and new GDP numbers are dismal.
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Roofer registration protects homeowners
Consumers will reap rewards from state homebuilders’ legislative efforts to tighten contractor registration requirements.
The first involves roofer registration legislation, where roofers will register with the state’s Construction Industries Board. Roofers will provide a small fee, verify their insurance and will then be required to display their registration number on all of their trucks and signs. -
Mangum explores tourism, historical roots
Nobel Prize-winning author Nadine Gordimer has written about her youth in South Africa in an essay titled “A South African Childhood” that was included in a collection of her essays recently published under the title “Telling Times.” Gordimer grew up in the 1930s in a small town in the Transvaal region of that nation, and she wrote about how she was reminded of the farming communities she visited as a child when she saw the production of the play “Oklahoma” in Johannesburg in the 1950s.
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Unconstitutional tax increases bear watching
You may recall two updates that I wrote shortly after the conclusion of this year’s legislative session. I explained my opposition to fee and tax increases and talked about how the increases would hurt Oklahoma’s economy by punishing and disincentivizing Oklahoma small business owners.
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Broadband funds a boost to rural Oklahoma
Like highways, phone service or electricity, broadband Internet service has become a vital part of our nation’s infrastructure and an important tool in education, business and economic development.
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We the people are sovereign
Under the Constitution, consent of the governed provides the authority to govern. This concept was declared in the Declaration of Independence and reaffirmed in the preamble to the Constitution. Sovereignty of the people is the key precept of a free republic.
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A media-twisted idea of normalcy
