Replace the state's antiquated constitution. Gov. Keating asked at the breakfast meeting. Well, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, with Professor Jim Hibdon, has analyzed that question again in a very thoughtful paper. As I said in my inaugural, treading water is not a policy. Dr. Larkin Warner, Regents Professor Emeritus of Economics at Oklahoma State University, also attended the breakfast and spoke highly of Hibdon's efforts.
Politicians tend to pick off one thing at a time, one thing at a time.
A number of the recommendations have been floating around for a long time, but it was important to see this all put together. Dr. Dan Sutter, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Oklahoma, was especially interested in Hibdon's pointing to the link between low state spending growth and high growth in personal income. Both Warner and Sutter agreed that cultural factors also influence economic performance, but noted that public policy in this area is tricky. The fact that Jim got into that, I applaud.