Readers react to ‘STATE of Oklahoma’
Newspaper series will explore why Oklahoma ranks so poorly
Oklahomans responded with a mix of embarrassment, exasperation and determination following the launch of a series this week in The Oklahoman exploring the state’s poor rankings and outcomes in the areas of health, poverty, education and incarceration.
“We have lots of problems and the only way to solve them is to first shine an unfiltered light on them,” reader Alan Van Horn wrote in a letter to the editor.
Titled “The STATE of Oklahoma,” the yearlong series will look at why Oklahoma ranks among the worst — if not the worst — in the nation when it comes to a variety of key metrics.
In addition to Sunday’s kickoff story, Kelly Dyer Fry,
The Oklahoman’s editor/vice president of news, wrote a column inviting readers to follow along. She said the series has sparked a conversation she hopes will continue.
“We have received emails, texts, phone calls and even a handwritten thank you card
from readers responding to our kickoff of the STATE of Oklahoma series,” she said. “The positive correspondence has outweighed the negative by 10-to-1. As our series progresses, we hope to hear from more readers. One of my favorite responses was a single word, ‘Amen.’”
Jane Sutter, president of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County, said a key would be for all Oklahomans to realize their role in moving the state forward.
“We need to shed light on where the issues are so we know how to collectively make a difference,” Sutter said.
In the coming months, The Oklahoman will take a closer look at what it means for the state to lead the nation in the imprisonment of women, with an overall incarceration rate second only to Louisiana.
Oklahoma has the second highest rate of teen pregnancy and only Alaska, West Virginia and Mississippi have a higher rate of children dying before they are14.
The state ranks secondto-last in the nation in the percentage of primary care providers and last in the nation in physician-to-patient ratio. Only Texas has a higher percentage of residents without health insurance.
These are just some of the poor rankings that, put together, paint a picture of a state engaged in a race to the bottom.
“I am a native Oklahoman, and I am embarrassed by the lack of motivation to be better and do what it takes to be a better place to live,” reader David Hopper wrote in an email. “We’ve got to do better.”
Some readers pointed the finger at a lack of investment by lawmakers.
“I have been waiting to see such a report as this. However, our legislators or Oklahomans just don’t seem to get it (on both sides of the aisle),” Charlotte Grayson wrote. “I realize we have many poor in this state but we must realize if
we want change it has to be paid for.”
State Sen. A.J. Griffin said moving the needle on the state’s poor metrics takes an acknowledgment that all of these issues are interconnected.
“When we look at education and the underperformance of our students, we have to realize it’s a health issue, it’s a law enforcement issue, it’s a court issue,” said Griffin, R-Guthrie. “We all have to be coordinated in our response.”
She added that the most important role the Legislature plays is funding key services that impact Oklahomans who struggle with poverty, mass incarceration, poor health and hunger.
“Our issues in the state aren’t necessarily policy driven as much as they are a willingness to invest,” she said.
“It’s difficult because we generally tend to elect people who are not diverse in experience. We need to hear the diversity of individuals who have a perspective about these important issues.”