Today is the day you vote in Oklahoma. Here’s a link to the cheat sheet I sent out Monday morning in case you need it.
Questions I am getting the most about this election
It’s about State Question 832, which takes Oklahoma’s minimum from $7.25 to $15 by 2029. In the first year it would go from $7.25 to $12, or a 66% raise because of the delay in this vote (I mention why in the cheat sheet). From 2030 on, the minimum raise would be based on the Consumer Price Index. That index is based on cost-of-living data nationally (not just in Oklahoma). Twenty states and the District of Columbia connect their minimum wages to similar cost-of-living indexes.
Could a record number of people vote?
Early voting this year was up 104% versus the 2024 primary election, The Oklahomans’s Alexia Aston reported. Maybe the minimum wage question is making people get off the couch like they did for the vote on medical marijuana? Could be the governor race, which made a number of Oklahomans switch party affiliation from Democrats to Republicans. Since we are at the bottom on voter turnout, any improvement would be appreciated.
Millions, billions and now trillions
It took Elon Musk 54 years to become the world’s first trillionaire on Friday. His company SpaceX offered stock for the first time and the event ended up being the biggest ever initial public offering ever. Once the day closed, his net worth, thanks to the stock value, equaled $1.2 trillion.
This comes 110 years after the world’s first billionaire, which was oilman John D. Rockefeller.
It’s also 206 years after America’s first millionaire, which John Jacob Astor achieved thanks to making a fortune in New York City real estate.
There are now more than 3,300 billionaires on this planet, with about 900 in America. Those numbers could be going up soon. It’s estimated that thousands of SpaceX employees are now millionaires by owning stock.
The other trillions story worth noting
Americans aged 55 and older are in control of an estimated $110 trillion in wealth. Gex Xers and those younger hold about $65 trillion. The Wall Street Journal, in this unlocked article, did some interesting reporting on the numbers and trends.
The oil tanks in Cushing, Oklahoma, are hitting bottom
That was the headline on CNN about the pipeline crossroads of the world where crude oil flowed out faster than oil drillers could flow it in. Thanks to its pipes, oil goes to refineries around the country. Now that oil in the Middle East might be back in play, thanks to a reported peace deal with Iran, Cushing might not run out of oil in its tanks.
Quotable quotes
“We now observe preparation gaps so severe that instructors must reteach middle-school mathematics while simultaneously teaching the material students need for sciences, engineering, economics, and other quantitatively demanding fields. UC has finite resources and can help only so many students.”
– Quoted from a letter from more than 1,100 University of California math and science professors urging regents to reinstate college-entrance exams like the SAT or ACT.
“This is controversial times 100. I’ve seen lifelong friendships severed in the last few months just over the thought of an aluminum smelter being built here, and it hasn’t even happened yet.”
– Jeff Unrau, superintendent of Inola Public Schools, interviewed by Oklahoma Watch’s Andrea Eger in a story about who is supporting the $4 billion aluminum plant proposed at the Port of Inola.
“As a father of six with three young girls, I’ll do whatever I have to do, I will. I will move heaven and hell to go find these kids.”
– Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin while he accused the Biden administration of ignoring signs that thousands of unaccompanied minors entering the country illegally were being turned over to abusers. Tulsa World Reporter Randy Krehbiel reported that estimates could be tens of thousands of children.
Notable numbers
63
– The number of Pickleball courts in Tulsa, ranking the city 10th in the nation per capita, according to a new report reported by Elliot Terrell in the Tulsa Flyer. Madison, Wisconsin, ranked first.
$27.5 million
– The amount outside groups spent in Oklahoma on advertising from April 1 to June 14, according to independent expenditures filed to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission, according to reporting by Keaton Ross and Maya Henry of Oklahoma Watch.
$10.9 million
– The amount of money that former state Sen. Mike Mazzei has loaned his campaign for Oklahoma governor. In total, candidates running for governor loaned their campaigns more than $22 million. Gov. Kevin Stitt spent $6.9 million of his own money in his two campaigns for the office. Oklahoma Voice Reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel goes into the numbers.
$558 million
– How much Tom Steyer spent to run for two offices: $342 million on a failed presidential bid in 2020 and $216 million in an effort to become the governor of California this year. He finished with 22.8% of the vote to place third in the state’s primary election, where he spent $201 million on ads. It’s not the record. Michael Bloomberg spent $1 billion in 104 days in a bid to be president in 2020.
A nice reminder of what can happen when just one person decides
Thank you for your continued support. I talked to a number of Indexers about the election and talking through the choices on the ballot. Always here to help in this movement toward truth and understanding in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There is no cavalry. It’s up to us.
All together now. jc
P.S. I’m hosting a Magic City Books event at the Woody Guthrie Center on Monday at 7 p.m. with author Lauren Hough. I will talk with the acclaimed nonfiction writer about her modern take on John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley. With her dog named Woody Guthrie no less. Check out Monster of a Land and register for the free event. Hope to see you there for a fun conversation.
Collington Index 