Background
Oklahoma faces great challenges in the years ahead in promoting the state's economic development and providing opportunities for our citizens and communities. We know we must improve our education system, provide decent health care and social services, and upgrade our roads and bridges. We must be ready to confront new and unexpected dangers to public health and safety. Achieving these results requires the wise and effective investment of public resources, which depends on maintaining the revenue base of state and local governments.
Yet the state's ability to preserve its revenue base and fund ongoing budgetary needs will be severely strained. In part this is due to long-term economic, demographic, and technological factors over which state policymakers have limited control, including the shift to a service-based economy, rising health care costs, and the aging of the population. New homeland security threats and a decaying infrastructure will also stretch the state budget. At the same time, as the 2005 legislative session clearly showed, the drumbeat to reduce taxes and the size and scope of government is becoming ever louder and more powerful.
Most Oklahomans recognize the importance of proper funding of public services. They recognize that an adequate tax base is needed to make continued public investment in these sectors in partnership with private businesses and community organizations. However, many are receptive to erroneous or exaggerated assertions that taxes in Oklahoma are too high, government is too large and inefficient, and spending is out of control. These perceptions fuel efforts to enact tax cuts and promote stringent caps on spending.
Faced with this context, a growing number of Oklahomans are recognizing the urgent need for sustained, coordinated, and effective work to raise awareness of the state's budget challenges and to build support for sound policy proposals. Recent legislative sessions have seen the stirrings of such an effort among advocates and groups with a range of interests and priorities, but this nascent effort has lacked any formal coordination or clearly-articulated goals and strategies. The Alliance for Oklahoma's Future is intended to fill this need and serve as the focal point for efforts to change the public debate and improve public policy.
Activities
The Alliance for Oklahoma's Future is vigorously engaged in activities aimed at promoting the organization's mission and goals. Activities include:
- developing educational materials on state budget and tax issues;
- disseminating materials on budget and tax issues to a variety of audiences, including members, policymakers, the media, and the general public;
- organizing regular public events, such as speakers and debates, involving national and local experts on budget and tax issues;
- organizing training sessions for members aimed at increasing their effectiveness as advocates on budget and tax issues;
- coordinating advocacy efforts among member organizations and individuals on tax and budget issues;
- promoting policy positions on the most vital tax and budget issues affecting Oklahoma.
The Alliance is a non-partisan organization. It will under no circumstances endorse candidates for office.
