Analysis: It was Oklahoma’s steadfast and unshakable commitment to Christian and conservative ideals last November that made possible some lofty moments on the capitol steps last Monday as Governor Kevin Stitt delivered his second inaugural address.
November’s voters remained unmoved by over 50 million dollars of combined campaign money from outside organizations including the teacher’s union (NEA/OEA) begging us to shun both Governor Kevin Stitt and Education Superintendent Ryan Walters.
None of this was lost on the Governor, as he said, “Because it was you – the voter – who rejected special interests last November that were fighting to stop our Top Ten agenda. You recognized that these hidden groups were fighting to preserve their monopolies, their control and unfair advantage.“
Governor Stitt elevated his comments to a national audience as he quoted two U.S. presidents, Lincoln and Reagan, and boasted that unlike much of the rest of the nation, Oklahoma did not set the constitution aside during the global Covid scare in 2020.
Governor Stitt said, “In 2020, Oklahoma did not put our Constitution in the attic! Nor did we set aside the principles of our forefathers who sought to establish a government guaranteeing the individual’s right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. The great American Dream has endured in this state.”
He spoke of the American dream as having found a home in Oklahoma when emphasizing that we maintained our loyalty to constitutional principles. The Governor noted further that it was for that reason alone, while the rest of the world’s economies shriveled, Oklahoma grew.
He reminded us of those Reaganesque ideals of the eighties when he reflected on the essential nature of government that is small and limited:
“In Oklahoma, we acknowledge that the government doesn’t create jobs!
“Government’s role is to ensure a level playing field for everyone to compete.
“We have bureaucrats in Washington DC who think the only solution to improving the plight of our fellow Americans is more government.
“But government is not the solution to our problems… Most of the time, government IS the problem!”
He gave more than a tithe of his time to speak of the future of education in Oklahoma. He spoke of a future where education is placed under the full authority of parents who are set free from governmental control over children.
The Governor envisions a time when the individual taxpayer, the one who funds education, will determine how those funds are used for each child.
Governor Stitt said, “And that means, we must give students more access to learning methods that fit their unique needs. We need MORE schools – not less schools like the fearmongers claimed when we called for change.
“We expanded education freedom for more students because we believe every kid deserves the best education possible, regardless of his or her economic status or zip code.”
Referencing the national economic and moral disasters imposed upon us from Washington, he closed with a challenge, “Friends, today I am asking you to join me. Leave Washington DC to its political games and let us focus here at home [as] Oklahomans.”
With that kind of bold talk and with equally bold action, I believe Oklahoma may have a man who can serve as an example to the nation. A man who, in his faithfulness in the smaller things of state government, will inspire a return, nationally, to the Christian and conservative ideals that made the nation great.
About the author: Bob Linn is president of Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC). The mission of OCPAC is to promote and support public servants who oppose expansive government while promoting Constitutional Liberty, Free Markets, and a Biblical Worldview.