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Even billionaires deserve scrutiny and skepticism from the media

There are those who worry about the influence of the wealthy on federal politics but are quite blasé about the influence of the wealthy on local politics. That slobbery, smooching sound you heard Saturday was Wayne Greene's column in the Saturday, December 31, 2016, Tulsa World, telling all of us...

Posted by Michael Bates on January 2, 2017 10:39 AM

David McLain for State Senate District 34

UPDATE 2015/11/10: Congratulations to David McLain, who has won the SD 34 GOP primary, with 42% of the vote to John Feary's 39%, a margin of 70 votes out of 2,137 cast. Because there is no runoff, McLain advances to face the Democrat nominee, J. J. Dossett, in the January...

Posted by Michael Bates on November 9, 2015 7:27 PM

<em>Examiner</em> spotlights Kaiser Solyndra loan subordination, tax credits

As one of a series of ten stories on the use and abuse of executive power by the Obama Administration, the Washington Examiner this week revisited the illegal subordination of federally guaranteed loans made to Solyndra, a modification to the loan agreement that benefited Argonaut Private Equity, owned by Obama...

Posted by Michael Bates on September 21, 2013 7:32 PM

IRS objects to Solyndra bankruptcy plan, Kaiser firm tax breaks

Interesting story from Reuters earlier this week: The IRS has filed an objection to the bankruptcy plan of Solyndra, the failed solar panel manufacturer that had been backed by Federal loan guarantees and the investment arm of the George Kaiser Family Foundation: Solyndra's bankruptcy plan could prove a further embarrassment...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 13, 2012 9:58 PM

Karl Ahlgren, "Working Tulsans" back Brune over Ewing

Smear merchant Karl Ahlgren, the campaign consultant behind the current Money Belt effort to seize total control of Tulsa city government, is advocating for the defeat of Blake Ewing, the Republican nominee for Tulsa City Council District 4. Ahlgren is nominally a Republican, but he seems to support any cause...

Posted by Michael Bates on November 6, 2011 10:27 PM

Tulsa Election 2011: Pre-general ethics filings; Kaiser, Schusterman lead funders of "Working Tulsans"

CORRECTED to include all Working Tulsans contributions. In my haste to post the list of contributors, I only included those on the printed attachment and missed those on the handwritten portion of the form. Analysis to come (after trick-or-treat), but for now, here are the ethics reports filed by PACs,...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 31, 2011 5:21 PM

George Kaiser and tax avoidance

Last week the Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group published a detailed history of George Kaiser's fortune, a fortune built with care to avoid paying taxes, according to the story's author, Bill Allison. Allison co-authored The Cheating of America, a 2001 book on "wealthy individuals and powerful corporations avoid taxes." The article...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 17, 2011 12:03 AM

George Kaiser guilt trip?

In today's Wall Street Journal's William McGurn explores Tulsa billionaire George Kaiser's motivations in his involvement in Solyndra. Some excerpts: The George Kaiser Family Foundation in Tulsa, Okla., was the company's largest shareholder. The family foundation has attracted attention because it is set up as a "supporting organization" for the...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 4, 2011 12:38 PM

George Kaiser, Solyndra, GKFF, and TCF

Mainstream media sources like Bloomberg News and the Washington Post have been digging deeper into the bankruptcy of federally-subsidized Solyndra, looking particularly at George Kaiser, whose venture capital companies were involved in Solyndra's financing, and his George Kaiser Family Foundation, which held a large stake in the failed company. A...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 2, 2011 11:33 PM

George Kaiser to the Rotary Club on the Obama "stimulus"

There's been some uproar on the web over a video clip from George Kaiser's speech to the Rotary Club of Tulsa on July 8, 2009. Here's the video and the text of the clip, as transcribed by Reason Hit and Run: The last major initiative is the federal Stimulus package....

Posted by Michael Bates on September 21, 2011 12:50 PM

George Kaiser, GKFF, and Solyndra

This is long, but worth reading, particularly if you're knowledgeable about the financial aspects of bankruptcy. There are some interesting twists and turns that seem to suggest that GKFF's investments have been protected to the detriment of federal taxpayers. If that's so, I'm torn: It's better for Tulsa if GKFF...

Posted by Michael Bates on September 16, 2011 12:15 AM

Tulsa District 8: For George Gibbs

District 8, Tulsa's southernmost City Council district, is an open seat this year, as long-time incumbent Bill Christiansen opted not to run for re-election. I'm pleased to endorse George Gibbs for the District 8 seat. George Gibbs has his south Tulsa neighbors' interests at heart. A few years ago, when...

Posted by Michael Bates on September 12, 2011 7:23 PM

Tulsa District 9: G. T. Bynum ethics complaint

I received an email Monday containing an anonymous ethics complaint that had been filed against Tulsa District 9 City Councilor G. T. Bynum. The text of that complaint, with links to relevant documentation added by me, can be found on the jump page for this article. (For your reference, here...

Posted by Michael Bates on September 8, 2011 1:35 AM

Phil Lakin, the Midtown Money Belt's candidate for south Tulsa

It's a little better than last time around. Tulsa City Council District 8 candidate Phil Lakin managed to boost the percentage of funds he raised from residents of his own district by a whole percentage point, up to 30% of the $53,500 total amount of contributions over $200, according to...

Posted by Michael Bates on September 7, 2011 2:01 AM

Sen. Eason-McIntyre under fire from Kara Gae Neal, Margaret Erling

State Sen. Judy Eason-McIntyre (D-Tulsa) has come under attack twice in recent days by prominent Tulsans who evidently oppose educational choice and individual liberty, according to two recent stories by CapitolBeatOK. Last Thursday, lobbyist Margaret Erling harangued the Tulsa senator on the floor of the Senate over Eason-McIntyre's support for...

Posted by Michael Bates on May 20, 2011 2:51 AM

Small world, isn't it?

I'm reluctant to post this, because it could be read as conspiracy-mongering, but I was just fascinated by all the interconnections evident in a single Tulsa World story about a new professorship at the University of Tulsa College of Law. The new chair in energy law is being endowed by...

Posted by Michael Bates on September 29, 2009 11:56 PM

Who convinced Coburn?

Sen. Tom Coburn was on with 1170 KFAQ's Pat Campbell this morning explaining his decision to vote for the $700 billion bailout. It was strange to hear Coburn acknowledge that this bill might not work, that this bill didn't address the underlying causes, but that we had to do something....

Posted by Michael Bates on October 3, 2008 8:01 AM