Oklahoma's False Prophet

Prayerfully, and with the Lord guiding my fingers as I type this memo, allow me to respond to the Right Rev. Kevin Stitt, aka Gov. Stitt, and his State of the State sermon delivered in the year of our Lord 2024.

Oh, I know in the buckle of the Bible Belt I'd best not be so flippant about his scripture-filled monologue that was incredibly long on messages from Up There that had little to do with what is going on Down Here. For example, Hizz Honor had almost nothing to say about the horrible health indicators that run rampant throughout Oklahoma and which were clearly exacerbated by a decade of refusing our own Medicaid expansion money because the name Obama was rightly linked to it.

It was only billions of your federal taxes that went to places like New York, California and dozens of other states. Meanwhile, in ruby red Oklahoma, women especially were developing more and more cancers, diabetes and other debilitating infirmities. Also, rural hospitals closed at an alarming rate and, in some counties, there were no ob-gyn doctors.

Lawmakers and other honored guests might have expected a word or two about infrastructure – but, no. Instead Evangelist Stitt reverted to a tried and true Bible verse resulting in the usual standing "O." That saved him from having to mention the $1.4 billion broadband investment in rural Oklahoma, all courtesy of President Joe Biden and the Democrats in our United States Congress.

Of course, the Reverend focused on education a bit, bragging that in dollars, last year's appropriation was the largest in state history. What he didn't admit was that when combining his first five years in office with former Gov. Mary Fallin's eight, 10 of those 13 years higher education, public schools and career tech endured budget reductions, resulting in per capita spending on our children in public schools still in the bottom five in the nation.

That, by the way, is where 93% of our kids are enrolled while the other 7% are in charter and private schools which saw a massive infusion of a $150 million tax credit scheme with 55% of that bonanza going to families whose annual income is above $150,000. He didn't tell us that in his speech, but I just did.

As surely readers would anticipate, former businessman and worshipper at the altar of free enterprise Preacher Stitt reserved his greatest accolades for the private sector while pillorying all things government. What he failed to say was it's the taxpayers and their hard-earned dollars that he and the Legislature throw toward Panasonic, Tesla, Volkswagen and other international Goliaths trying to bribe them to choose Oklahoma for plant expansion.

As one might expect, those three and many others said keep your money until you have a workforce ready for the 21st century, meaning many more college graduates as a starter.

Pastor Stitt wrapped up his 30-minute pep rally for the true believers, plus a tiny sliver of heathen Democrats, with the following: "As for me and my state [house], we will serve the Lord ... that our businesses should serve God in the marketplace ... our government officials to serve God by acting righteously." [Verbally Stitt said house; the written speech had the word state.] The difference matters. It may be his house but not his state, although he acts like the owner.

P.S. I almost forgot. Clergyman Kevin, disguising himself as the unifier of all four million Oklahomans, managed in his remarks to further expand and deepen the divide between our 39 federally recognized Tribes and the rest of us by bringing up the Supreme Court decision known as McGirt. He might as well have said that General George Custer was the best friend Plains Indians had in the 19th century; that at the Little Big Horn, George and Sitting Bull smoked the peace pipe and Custer kept his blonde locks.

Both are false, just as what almost all of what our False Prophet said yesterday.

I just report. You decide.