Yet the tumble in Oklahoma's economic prosperity over the past two decades has followed and been exacerbated by the increasing number of broken families. In this same time span Oklahoma dropped from near the middle in per capita income to near the bottom for the nation. Oklahoma became a leader nationally in these undesirable characteristics while our marriage rate plummeted since 1980. The documented problems for children that come from broken families include development, education, social ills, and achievement. These realities paint a dim future for Oklahoma citizens and our economy.
Children are the future of our state and nation.
It is imperative that Oklahoma refocus its attention to strengthening families. Oklahoma has in the past few years begun to focus on the status and health of families. Governor Keating attended our 1st Pro-family Day Rally at the Capitol in 1997 and questioned the lack of involvement of churches and the message they were delivering on marriage and divorce to their members. Then in 1998, governor Keating embraced the idea of strengthening families during his State of the State address. This in turn led to the Marriage Initiative in 1999 and the recruitment of clergy to address family formation and stability.