The power of lobbyists and special interests

If we ask parents to list what they want most for their children, a good education would certainly be near the top of the list.
Education is important. Parents or not, we all know it.
Then how do we explain what is happening in Oklahoma?

Next year some schools in that state will operate only four days a week.
And there will be an increase in class size as well (because some teachers’ contracts won’t be renewed).

Why? Budget cuts.

Since January Oklahoma’s education budget has been cut by almost $60 million.
With more projected cuts for the future.

Why is Oklahoma in this predicament?

An intense lobbying effort “motivated” its lawmakers to be exceedingly  generous toward its oil and gas companies.

How generous?

Oklahoma’s lawmakers gave a $470 million tax break to its oil and gas industry.
(And that’s only for 2015.)

“Giving money and power to government
is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.”
PJ O’Rourke

Mariana Fieraru

Mariana Fieraru, an Eastern European transplant, fell in love with her new home shortly after landing in New York. She "discovered" pizza! Years later she still loves pizza. And so do her two feathered-kids, Sunny and Flipper

Mariana worked on both, the east and the west coast.
Big or small, each project she worked on helped define the importance of gaining and sustaining a competitive edge in an increasingly complex business environment.

Business know-how, love of teaching and writing – all combined in 2006 to form OBI.
Its mission: to make learning fun! And easy.

Through its training, consulting, and publications OBI builds bridges of knowledge to take you from where you are to
where you want to go. Using a mix of serious, informal, analytical, and optimistic approach, OBI truly makes learning fun.

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