Those in the OKC area looking to support a great company and CEO AND get quality product.

Those in the OKC area looking to support a great company and CEO AND get quality product.

from Those in the OKC area looking to support a great company and CEO AND get quality product.

Buy Goya products! I know I will be going forward. https://www.goya.com/en/products

Buy Goya products! I know I will be going forward. https://www.goya.com/en/products

Goya Foods CEO won't apologize in face of boycott, backlash for pro-Trump remarks: 'Suppression of speech'

Goya Foods President and CEO Bob Unanue said on Friday that he is not backing down in the face of a boycott over his visit to the White House.

from Buy Goya products! I know I will be going forward. https://www.goya.com/en/products

https://www.facebook.com/steveacpa/posts/958735434597297?notif_id=1594390504460994¬if_t=page_post_reaction

https://www.facebook.com/steveacpa/posts/958735434597297?notif_id=1594390504460994&notif_t=page_post_reaction

Real Fiscal Conservatism in Government

Why Every Person Should Care About the Stock Market

Joe Biden’s statements about the stock market are continuing proof of how little he understands how capitalism works for nearly everyone.

For those who invest directly in the market the importance is obvious so I will avoid wasting your time on that category of Americans. Instead, let’s start with government union members like the teachers union members. This is a largely Democrat voter base who may fail to understand how their defined benefit retirement plans are dependent on the market. Their pension plans invest in the stock and bond market in order to accumulate wealth to cover the payments owed to those union members. A fall in the value of the stocks limits or eliminates the ability of those pension funds to give increases in payments known as Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs). Without COLAs the fixed amount that teachers and others in these types of plans receive are negatively impacted by inflation. The simple way to look at it is to consider how large a Baby Ruth you could buy with a dollar ten years ago and what you can get for the same amount today. A significant difference that should drive home why they need the stock market to continue to go up in value.

For those who are still in the working class the amount of value in the stock market affects them even more. Large firms that dominate the stock market whose stock goes up in value are able to use those increases in value to borrow or issue stock at that value allowing them to grow their operations. There is a direct positive impact on the smaller privately owned firms that provide services to these companies or their employees. The expansion by these stock market companies provides increases in employment and that demand drives up wages. The economy before the virus should prove those points to even the most hardheaded liberal. The level of employment in all classes of labor and every segment of our population was undeniable.

Now how about the welfare population? For one thing the amount of people dependent on welfare goes down when employment goes up but even those still dependent on it benefit. A growing economy means growing revenues to the US Treasury which allows legislators to improve benefits to what is a smaller population of recipients.

The country in general benefits when the stock market is growing. Capital flows from the weaker markets like the EU and those with less stability and openness like the Chinese market. Pouring more capital into the market from these outside sources is just more gas on the fire. The Biden/Democrat socialist approach benefits the globalists like Soros and Koch at the expense of the vast majority of Americans.

from https://www.facebook.com/steveacpa/posts/958735434597297?notif_id=1594390504460994&notif_t=page_post_reaction

Asking for a friend: Does anyone in my FB friends have any knowledge of the effectiveness of the Proton Surgery center in Norman? Any information good or bad is very much appreciated!

Asking for a friend: Does anyone in my FB friends have any knowledge of the effectiveness of the Proton Surgery center in Norman? Any information good or bad is very much appreciated!

from Asking for a friend: Does anyone in my FB friends have any knowledge of the effectiveness of the Proton Surgery center in Norman? Any information good or bad is very much appreciated!

I have begun posting on Real Fiscal Conservatism in Government again after a few weeks away from FB. I have a bit of data on why the unemployment numbers you are seeing are fake.

I have begun posting on Real Fiscal Conservatism in Government again after a few weeks away from FB. I have a bit of data on why the unemployment numbers you are seeing are fake.

from I have begun posting on Real Fiscal Conservatism in Government again after a few weeks away from FB. I have a bit of data on why the unemployment numbers you are seeing are fake.

The problem with a 24 hour news cycle the effect of good policy moves are lost on the viewers. Very much the private...

The problem with a 24 hour news cycle the effect of good policy moves are lost on the viewers. Very much the private sectors way of negotiating. The press obviously can't comprehend how this works and every Trump pronouncement is a catastrophe but the results of the verbal position don't get the same coverage. Here is one of those. https://www.wsj.com/…/china-to-allow-foreign-airlines-to-re…

from The problem with a 24 hour news cycle the effect of good policy moves are lost on the viewers. Very much the private...

Amazing how all of a sudden the NASDAQ is approaching its high and the S&P 500 has done quite well. IVW and NDAQ are ne...

Amazing how all of a sudden the NASDAQ is approaching its high and the S&P 500 has done quite well. IVW and NDAQ are nearing sell moves IMO if you bought well on the way down. I would say that both seem to have enough upside you won't hate yourself if you don't sell---I am keeping some small holdings in both. I am bullish on America in general as anyone who reads these postings knows but that is always with an eye towards the long run. I see a market that is going to bo...unce around for awhile but now having a trend line of highs that has a positive incline. In other words I am starting back to my more regular practice of selling winners and either repurchasing on the drops or re-balancing . I have always thought re-balancing your portfolio at bottoms was flawed reasoning with two major caveats: tax situations and/or those companies that may end up in Chapter 7. However, now as you sell winners it might be a good chance to do that.

from Amazing how all of a sudden the NASDAQ is approaching its high and the S&P 500 has done quite well. IVW and NDAQ are ne...

And so it begins from today's WSJ---"China signaled it will impose new national-security laws on Hong Kong, dealing a bl...

And so it begins from today's WSJ---"China signaled it will impose new national-security laws on Hong Kong, dealing a blow to the territory’s autonomy as Beijing seeks to stamp out widespread pro-democracy protests that have challenged leader Xi Jinping." What XI and the Communist Party miss is that they might as well send their entrepreneurs to the US right now as the best and brightest will see this for the choke hold it will be on any innovation they create. Some in our c...ountry may see this move as a negative for us but I see it exactly the opposite. Doing business in China is doing business with the Communist party and the rules can change at their whim. The WSJ more eloquently captured my thoughts with: "threatens to erode business confidence in the city, which has prospered as a global financial center and trading port largely because of its independent rule of law and Western style freedoms of speech and assembly." If the Uighur situation, the virus, Chinese saber rattling and now this has not revealed to the world how this country will act if they become the pre-eminent superpower I have to wonder if there is any hope for freedom.

from And so it begins from today's WSJ---"China signaled it will impose new national-security laws on Hong Kong, dealing a bl...

There is a way to trade with China that gets the results we desire while actually doing damage to the Chinese 'way'. T...

There is a way to trade with China that gets the results we desire while actually doing damage to the Chinese 'way'. Two key things must occur IMO for that to be plausible. I am pleased that we finally are hearing talk of China's accounting rules are different than ours but yet we let them have access to our capital markets by being traded on the Dow and NASDAQ. Actually Europe's rules are different too BUT here is the key difference between their situation and China--AUDI...T STANDARDS. If you think a publicly traded Chinese stock's financials are 'real' than you are living in lala land. Access to records and even key individuals can be an issue on the Mainland to the point I would argue that their reliability is if not non-existent at the very least questionable. Deny access to our capital markets and you will see Chinese entrepreneurship begin to dry up. Going public in the US markets is the most expedient way--and sometimes the ONLY way--- for a Chinese company's founders to be able to extract value for their work that is equivalent to American entrepreneurs access to wealth. Second and most importantly designate certain industries and products as "key" and tariff those products with extremely high tariffs. Then use those tariff funds to finance tax breaks and other incentives for those items to be manufactured here. The net effect will be to dry up the market for Chinese products and during the transition use Chinese funds instead of taxpayer funds to finance the change. In the long run these approaches starts to mitigate the Chinese 2025 plan to become the world's super power as the financing that the trade imbalance has provided goes away. Not to mention that without access to our technology and capital markets Chinese innovation goes back to lagging ours. Without forced technology transfers as is currently occurring they will be down to cyber theft only.

from There is a way to trade with China that gets the results we desire while actually doing damage to the Chinese 'way'. T...

Our friends on the left are quite happy to talk about taking advantage of a crisis. I think it would be fitting if fisc...

Our friends on the left are quite happy to talk about taking advantage of a crisis. I think it would be fitting if fiscal conservatives took advantage of this economic crisis to roll back 50 years of government expansion. If one is so inclined to prove this expansion for themselves google your 1970 state income and/or sales tax rate and compare to today's rates. The strategy of RINOs and Democrats has always been to spend a bit more on each of their favorite government pro...grams every year and then try to curry favor with contributors by giving special interest tax breaks. The net result is ever higher taxes on a smaller base of tax payers. I would be willing to bet you cannot find ONE state government whose expenditure growth when adjusted for population has not exceeded inflation. Back when I did a lot of paid research my random samples of states could not find the elusive one. In fact, the rate of growth was phenomenal even when adjusted for inflation. Constant additions of new programs and increased spending on old ones has created the huge state budgets that now face equally huge deficits. It is time to have that conversation that we have tried to have regularly with our RINO and moderate Democrat friends in order to be prepared for just this sort of economic malaise. What programs are necessary functions of government? If public art and television are necessary functions in a person's mindset there is no hope that such a legislator will be inclined to cut even one dollar of spending. Make no mistake resetting the base line of state and federal spending is necessary if the next decade is to be America's retaking of the undisputed lead as the world's economic giant and by extension the one true 'democratic' superpower. Otherwise tax and fee revenues will have to be increased to keep government afloat and at ever greater rates. I doubt if even the most ardent RINO would argue that a dollar in the private sector is not more productive than a dollar spent in government. If not now, when? Should be asked of your elected officials at every level.

from Our friends on the left are quite happy to talk about taking advantage of a crisis. I think it would be fitting if fisc...

No one should be surprised by the problem with unemployment filings and payments in Kansas or Oklahoma during this pande...

No one should be surprised by the problem with unemployment filings and payments in Kansas or Oklahoma during this pandemic. Or for that matter any other state. Oklahoma's system is superior largely because Sebelius never had a hand in feeding her friends out of the unemployment funds. The scandal that was never properly reported of the inside deal on software and then a million dollar plus a month contract with 'friends' to keep the flawed software system afloat. If not f...or the interference of some of Brownback's staff it would have been fixed by now but it is fitting that it is still in place and being exposed under Sebelius 2.0. The volume of fraudulent filings is unbelievable. I have a very, very close friend who is the CFO of a state agency that is getting literally hundreds of fraudulent filings for unemployment a week. Let me be clear NONE of them are from employees but appear to be people trying to slide a claim through an overwhelmed system. There is a 'general' reason these fraudsters are trying to milk the state unemployment funds that is one of those untold stories of state government. The unemployment agency in each state is self funded and largely tied to the federal government. That is too long a story to tell here BUT they are largely ignored by legislators and reporters because of their funding source. I would bet you that NONE of your legislators have ever read the Reed Act that set them up. They should because they would be surprised what they would find in it. There is money to reduce unemployment charges to businesses in low unemployment states like Oklahoma and Kansas (although Sebelius used much of that money to feed her friends). Not to mention one would find that we have been subsidizing the high unemployment states all this time!

from No one should be surprised by the problem with unemployment filings and payments in Kansas or Oklahoma during this pande...

I have not talked about China in quite some time but I think it has not been necessary as most have seen the China I hav...

I have not talked about China in quite some time but I think it has not been necessary as most have seen the China I have warned about. Even the trolls that used to argue that tariffs on Chinese products was an unnecessary tax on consumers have disappeared. However. we are left with a China that is now more openly militant then ever. I have finally had a chance to canvass my insiders. Here is the short version: Xi's crackdowns are getting more extreme as he tries to hol...d on to power. The Politburo will likely let him continue until they see a sign that the world has woken up. Currently Xi is getting away with his power plays because it appears to be working. However, his heavy handedness is insight into how desperate his situation is. As I have noted a number of times that losing leadership in China does not mean you retire to Martha's Vineyard like in the US. The Germans appear to now understand they are caught in a difficult place and their intelligence agencies have been pointing out that the Chinese are not only the source of the virus but unrepentant. If the Germans join the US that would drag the rest of the EU with them. Italy and France are so full of Chinese businesses that it will be more difficult for them than the Germans but the World Court may find a number of EU lawsuits if the Five Is all come to the same conclusion about the virus. African countries are about to get a lesson on Chinese loans that I don't think they will stand for. The idea that they will sign over their natural resources ala Venezeula may not turn out as they think. Per Forbes, "China needs what Africa has for long-term economic and political stability. Over a third of China's oil comes from Africa, as does 20% of the country’s cotton." Per the WaPo, "The stories that China was now a “land grabber” in Africa seemed to make sense. After all, China has 9 percent of the world’s arable land, 6 percent of its water and over 20 percent of its people." I suspect China is about to find out what other's who have tried to 'colonize' Africa to exploit their natural resources have learned. Should the EU and US pursue financial retribution the current tensions between India and China may play out well for the free world. By 2030 India will be the largest consumer market and helping India thrive may be the ultimate stop gap against the Chinese. Hold on tight this may be a very scary ride for world peace but I hope unlike the last 40 years American politicians will quit hoping that China is going to become a truly open society and democratic. It is not going to happen. China is our biggest threat even though I suggest we keep trading with them but with an eye towards JUST that only. Bring key industry home by use of tariffs and incentives and let China go back into the trinket business.

from I have not talked about China in quite some time but I think it has not been necessary as most have seen the China I hav...

I hope some listened on my advice on IVW and NDAQ and bought on the way down. Those have outperformed the Dow noticeabl...

I hope some listened on my advice on IVW and NDAQ and bought on the way down. Those have outperformed the Dow noticeably over the last couple weeks. I may take some profits on some of those shares to do some semi-bottom feeding on some of Charles Payne's Hotline picks. I would caution any stock you buy in the next few months I would be ready to take profits on anytime it rises enough that you feel good about it. The ups and downs are liable to still be tough on individua...l stocks for quite a while. The market has been feeling relatively good about things in general lately but the herd complex has been pretty obvious. On local news in Okieland I fear that Chesapeake Oil is doomed. I suspect that their better production will be bought at a fraction of real value and the HQs will be a shell when it is all over. I would not be surprised if it goes to Chapter 7---it is in 11 right now---and is auctioned off with nothing remaining but those empty buildings.

from I hope some listened on my advice on IVW and NDAQ and bought on the way down. Those have outperformed the Dow noticeabl...

There is a legacy this virus shutdown will leave that may be with us for a generation or more. A large number of small b...

There is a legacy this virus shutdown will leave that may be with us for a generation or more. A large number of small businesses will disappear to never re-emerge in any form. Those entrepreneurs like I had for clients who are over age 50 will have a very hard time getting back up and running. Hard to rebound fiscally with so little time in your earning life left. I do hope people realize that living like a rat colony ala NYC is not a healthy lifestyle. The dark, dank subway system is the perfect environment for a virus to live and this will not be the last one. It is refreshing to see Elon Musk delivering the news to California that he will be moving his HQ and future manufacturing to Texas or Nevada. Will more follow? Probably the most worrisome thought is will the Chinese or some other country interested in world domination work on a virus that is more lethal and unleash after they have a vaccine to protect their own population?

from There is a legacy this virus shutdown will leave that may be with us for a generation or more. A large number of small b...

I regularly blast the electric car concept for a variety of reasons but not the least of which is they make zero economi...

I regularly blast the electric car concept for a variety of reasons but not the least of which is they make zero economic or climate change sense. In particular I have not bought Tesla stock but I am fond of the genius of Elon Musk and believe him to be Steven Jobs times four. But his one failing is not allowing himself to stay in genius mode and bring on a process guy to make his genius make money. Here is another example of why he should! https://www.wsj.com/…/tesla-stock-falls-after-ceo-tweets-st…

from I regularly blast the electric car concept for a variety of reasons but not the least of which is they make zero economi...

If you bought IVW and NDAQ on the way down you are setting in profit territory now. They never fell as far and rebound...

If you bought IVW and NDAQ on the way down you are setting in profit territory now. They never fell as far and rebounded quicker. As readers of this column know I like these to play two broad sections of the market with these two. IVW is the iShares S&P 500 Growth ETF and NDAQ is the Nasdaq market. What is appealing about these two is they trade like regular stocks allowing you to avoid mutual fund fees while still getting some diversity.

from If you bought IVW and NDAQ on the way down you are setting in profit territory now. They never fell as far and rebound...

Citizen’s Federal Tax Dollars Are Already Bailing Out State Governments The amount of federal tax dollars that flow to s...

Citizen’s Federal Tax Dollars Are Already Bailing Out State Governments The amount of federal tax dollars that flow to states including their governments is a stunning amount even before the various stimuli dispersions. Food Stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid, Medicare and a host of other federal programs send massive amounts of funding to states. Direct disbursements to states even without the influx of stimuli funds can be a huge part of the state g...

from Citizen’s Federal Tax Dollars Are Already Bailing Out State Governments The amount of federal tax dollars that flow to s...

As new data comes in we find out some things most already suspected on the CoVid crisis. 1) NYC and the surrounding area...

As new data comes in we find out some things most already suspected on the CoVid crisis. 1) NYC and the surrounding areas outbreak was made worse by a reduction in the schedule of their mass transit system which created a crowded environment. No doubt the dark and dank environment of the NYC subway system provided the perfect environment for the virus to stay active on inert surfaces. 2) Nursing home residents have been the hardest hit. In Iowa 50 percent of the deaths and... in the most populous county in Kansas it is a whopping 70 percent. 3) Several studies now point to a fatality rate more consistent with the flu but as a much more contagious virus those fatalities have been incurred over a shorter time span. 4) The economic crisis created by our leader's reactions will be much longer lasting than the virus. A host of oil companies have or will be filing bankruptcy, estimates as high as 50 percent of all non-chain owned restaurants will never re-open, some old classics like Nieman Marcus and J. C. Penny are in bankruptcy, roughly $300 billion of corporate debt may go into default putting pension systems and retirement accounts in peril and ---in my opinion a factor that is impossible to calculate but really important---a huge number of start-ups will be lost due to the leverage and lack of cash flow those entities usually have. As in life every bad thing that happens to you can be a learning experience and let us hope that we learned that next time we identify at risk groups earlier and let everyone else practice individual responsibility.

from As new data comes in we find out some things most already suspected on the CoVid crisis. 1) NYC and the surrounding area...

A little logical though on why business and the general public can't cede the country to the medical profession. 1) The...

A little logical though on why business and the general public can't cede the country to the medical profession. 1) The medical profession has some extremely admirable goals with the primary one being limiting the loss of life. Admirable but at some point counterproductive. How could I say such a horrible thing? Take this to its logical extreme---we take every resource of the country and focus it simply on saving lives. Now the only jobs are those supporting this goal a...nd every dollar is spent for the same. Mankind's only advancement becomes prolonging life. It will not take long before we discover that the quality of life has deteriorated to the point that life may not be all that worth living. 2) They have not shown us that they can: 1) produce a model that actually predicts morbidity and 2) for all the money thrown at cancer it and many long time nemesis of man still kill millions worldwide. No the medical community is not full of near 'gods' at all and while we may admire them they are not who we want running our country. China is the great Satan here but I will argue that listening to the medical 'experts' on how to deal with what China unleashed on us has created a scenario that will send the world into a great recession if not depression. The damage done economically will certainly send us into a recession but it may be far worse for the poor on this globe. Energy and agriculture are key industries for the survival of man. Both of those areas of the developed world's economy have been damaged severely. The developing and poor nations of the world depend on the largess of the developed world to avoid famine and pestilence. Unless something changes dramatically AND quickly that assistance will not be available in the quantities it has been prior to this for those most needing it. No I am afraid that the "hiding in place" that the Fauci Fear Train scared this country into will kill far more than it ever saved. Just a heads up from one of those in the high risk categories i.e. elderly; if you planned to live forever there always has been some serious flaws in your plan.

from A little logical though on why business and the general public can't cede the country to the medical profession. 1) The...

The people I feel for in this oil price crash is not the speculators in the put and call world holding options on margin...

The people I feel for in this oil price crash is not the speculators in the put and call world holding options on margins. It is the little drillers and producers---and in the long run the consumers of energy. Drilling operations are being crushed by the price and the huge fall off in demand both world wide and in the US. Unit Drilling a long time stalwart out of Tulsa filed for bankruptcy this week. For decades they were a entity I played on the market due to their sh...rewd management reputation. That is how bad this hit is on the drillers. I have heard any of them with debt are already talking to bankruptcy attorneys about the best avenue. Producers are in their own conundrum. You can't shut a well in and just open it up. Some of the zones you have to be careful about even the concept of limiting production or they will close up. With no storage capacity or limited at best you can produce only so much before you have a hard choice. I think some misinterpreted my thought on allowing the private sector to store in the strategic reserve with a maximum price they would have to begin selling at as a "take care of the industry concept". Actually it is the consumers of energy---both industry and individuals---who are the biggest beneficiaries. If you force their stored reserves to be liquidated at $50 bbl it will put a cap on energy prices. The other alternative will be that the oil producers will be devastated and end up shutting in wells so there will be very limited capacity for supply to meet demand at some point. We have seen that in the past when oil ran up to a $100 bbl and the per pump price exceeded $4 a gallon.

from The people I feel for in this oil price crash is not the speculators in the put and call world holding options on margin...

What one hopes Oklahoma's Governor realizes is that there is opportunity here even as the current economy in Oklahoma is...

What one hopes Oklahoma's Governor realizes is that there is opportunity here even as the current economy in Oklahoma is being devastated. I won't mention Kansas in this equation as Governor Kelly is not only without any business experience I genuinely believe she dislikes the private sector. Cheap energy should be the mantra he pushes with every industry, manufacturing plant and agricultural processing plant that might be thinking about relocating. A special pitch toward...s those industries that might be coming back from overseas would be a good place to start. Even without the CoVid this should have been his mantra on economic development with the abundant natural gas supplies. Natural gas's pipeline cost to deliver any distance has been a limiting factor on its usage and price. Bring the industry to the supply is the solution and that is a winner for all involved. Yet Oklahoma has not been able to capitalize on their price advantage. Now the idea of moving HQ and operations to a more 'rural' setting may have appeal to their workforce that it did not have prior to the CoVid. A good place to start on oil/gas would be to soften some of his image with the tribes by working with them to bring refineries and LNG plants to Oklahoma. The tribes can fast track refinery building---the last new refineries built have all been on tribal land---and the end market opportunities are huge. Port of Catoosa as a shipping point for a strategically located LNG plant on tribal land would be HUGE for the gas industry. A jet fuel refinery could be a win for OKC and Tulsa airports. Let us see if he can capitalize on the opportunity.

from What one hopes Oklahoma's Governor realizes is that there is opportunity here even as the current economy in Oklahoma is...

I hope someone in the White House proposes a more free market approach to the oil price free fall. Here is my idea. I ...

I hope someone in the White House proposes a more free market approach to the oil price free fall. Here is my idea. I do think a strategic reserve has some appeal BUT I think a sounder idea would be to let the private sector use it as storage. Charge a small fee i.e. a percentage of realized profits when the price comes back up based on some reasonable price level. Say $20 BbL and then fix a price they must start selling at---say $50 Bbl. Only fully American owned compan...ies should be given this option and not BPS, EXXON etc. Who gets allocation of storage capacity should be based on 'bids' over that fixed price with the concept that all charges are put off into the future. The oil companies will not be made whole by this since they are forgoing current revenues for future revenues. Even with that only those with the cash flow to weather this or ability to reduce their "burn rate" would likely make it. Although possibly you could get loans or speculators to invest in your new ready to go reserves. The shake out will be painful on those who don't. However, we don't crater the whole industry and threaten US energy independence. Not being dependent on the Middle East and Russia for oil should be a standard American defense strategy. Consider the effect on other energy dependent industry and the consumer. If we allow a free fall collapse there will be a period where demand is restored but will have to wait for supply to catch up with it. Once you shut in a well you just can't reopen it. Normally I am for a totally free market but this abnormal event creates the need for abnormal approaches. The consumer---and industry--- will get whipsawed by the effect beyond any normal market adjustment. If you allow the companies to store and then to sell when it hits a certain price you will take much of the dip and rise out of the oil market. Reasonably stable energy prices will do more for a full economy than any other single thing they can do. A big plus is it has no cost to the taxpayer unlike buying for the strategic reserve.

from I hope someone in the White House proposes a more free market approach to the oil price free fall. Here is my idea. I ...

I have been involved in crisis budgeting at the state level a few times and in my private business life when my oil comp...

I have been involved in crisis budgeting at the state level a few times and in my private business life when my oil company was wiped out in the 80's oil bust. I will say just offhand the government is much better structured to handle a crisis but for all the wrong reasons. Here would be my short list for both Kansas and Oklahoma: 1) Stop the direct payments to the OTRS and KPERS for one year. It is about $300 M to OTRS and $400 M to KPERS. The present value of a dollar... calculation makes this palatable fiscally. 2) Delay capital improvement projects across the board INCLUDING road and bridges unless they are in critical condition. Remove the revenues from anything but fuel taxes and direct federal payments. This will give the states several hundred million to work with---more in Kansas's situation than Oklahoma's but still sizable. 3) A voluntary buy out of older employees to reduce the costs of operation without harming those older employees. The structure is reasonably easy to design. Point it at 65 and older since they will qualify immediately for Medicare thus not putting them at risk health wise and not forcing the state to pay their health costs (one of the usual techniques). A simple five years of additional 'service' which amounts to a 10% increase in retirement for most of those long term workers. Once it again it is a present value of the dollar calculation and sadly an actuarial as many will die before they collect much of that 10%. However it is a fair deal for both sides as these are the higher salaried workers in general. 4) Review EVERY program and reduce or stop funding the ones that are feel good or special interest only. This is tougher than it sounds as every group will claim their "feed bucket" is essential. Legislators need to put those lobbying them in the public domain so voters can decide come this falls elections. 5) Review the Tax Expenditure report in both states to look at credits, deductions and just plain giveaways. Any that do not generate a net positive revenue or at least break even should be considered for the chopping block. If you really did all the above we are talking over a billion dollars easily. Let us see how much grit the legislatures and governors have.

from I have been involved in crisis budgeting at the state level a few times and in my private business life when my oil comp...