I guess that I didn't realize the importance of gun / weapon laws in the state of Oklahoma .....Come November, Oklahomans will be allowed to carry weapons like a dagger, Bowie knife, sword cane in public without a permit. This was just passed by Oklahoma lawmakers.
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OMG --- we have so many other things that we need to be working on ---- i.e. EDUCATION of our children...
#49 EDUCATION RANKING IN OKLAHOMA
Spending and Education
OKLAHOMA RANKS 49TH IN THE COUNTRY IN TERMS OF MONEY SPENT PER PUPIL
#34 IN THE NATION FOR ITS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE, according to the national report “Diplomas Count 2011”. Accessed June 8, 2011, at http://okrankings.okkim.info/index.php?title=Education
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Here is our ranking in state right now on suicides, health, families etc......this is sooooo sad :(
OKLAHOMA IS #11 IN TEENAGE SUICIDES THAT SUCCEEDED IN THIS COUNTRY. For every actual death by suicide of teens, there are 100 to 200 suicide attempts. Clearly there is a serious problem.
Suicide has been the second-leading cause of death for Oklahomans age 10 to 24 for 18 of the past 20 years, second only to automobile accidents, according to medical examiner reports.
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#13 state in Suicides overall in the nation
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#1 state in the nation in prescription drug abuse usage and top 10 in the country in non-prescription drug abuse usage
OKLAHOMA RANKS...
• #1 in Opioid abuse.
• #4 in alcohol related accidents
• #6 in drug overdose (up 400% since 2009)
• #11 in alcohol poison deaths.
• Tulsa is called the Meth capital of the U.S.
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#1 state in Divorce in the nation
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#3 state in Domestic Abuse for women killed by men
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#5 IN TEENAGE PREGNANCIES IN THE COUNTRY.
he number of teen girls giving birth in Oklahoma in 2008 was more than double the number of female freshmen entering the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University that fall semester, according to a recent data analysis.
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#4 hungriest state in the nation / 6th in restaurant food waste
1 out of 4 CHILDREN in Oklahoma... Are FOOD INSECURE!
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#1 in incarcerated women
OKLAHOMA WOMEN INCARCERATED RANKS #1 IN THE COUNTRY
Oklahoma continues to be ranked as the state with the HIGHEST female incarceration rates in the U.S. The Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women has voted to make this topic their primary issue area for the FY'10 year.
Female prison in Oklahoma has highest rape rate in U.S.
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#4 in incarcerated men
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#48 state in the nation in health rankings
OKLAHOMA HEALTH RANKS 48TH IN THE COUNTRY in 2011 overall health rankings by the United Health Foundation.
#49 state in physical activity in the nation
#50 state in per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Our infant mortality is higher than the national average and life expectancy is shorter by almost three years. We are 49th in physical activity and 50th in per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables. If the present trends continue, Oklahoma will hold the ranking as the nation’s most obese state by 2018.
(If the present trends continue, Oklahoma will hold the ranking as the nation’s most obese state by 2018.)----this will be the first generation of children that will not outlive their parents.
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SOCIAL:
• Poverty #10
According to the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP)
http://www.nccp.org/
Here are the statistics of Children in Low-Income Families in Oklahoma, by Race, as of the year 2010 records:
39% (198,746) of white children live in low-income families.
70% (48,723) of black children live in low-income families.
70% (85,846) of Hispanic children live in low-income families.
45% (6,573) of Asian children live in low-income families.
55% (40,524) of American Indian children live in low-income families.
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• Violence (Per capita) #10
• CRIME(Per capita) #7
• RAPE #6
• Gangs (Per capita) #5
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Oklahoma ranks #5 in CHILD HOMELESSNESS!:
HOMELESS CHILDREN IN OKLAHOMA
12,139 KIDS ARE HOMELESS IN OKLAHOMA THAT ATTEND SCHOOL BETWEEN THE GRADES OF K-12.
This is such a disturbing fact that there are over 12,000 students homeless in Oklahoma public schools. The above information was taken from the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Kindergarten through second grade statistics are even more alarming. Those grade levels are noted to have over one-thousand students that are homeless.
Primary nighttime residences of homeless children and youth
• Shelters, transitional housing, awaiting foster care 2,321
• Doubled-up (including runaway youth or unaccompanied youth who live with relatives or friends due to being homeless) 8,441
• Unsheltered (cars, parks, campgrounds, abandoned buildings, temporary trailer, substandard or inadequate housing, etc.) 1,086
• Hotels/motels 291
• Total 12,139
Source: Oklahoma State Department of Education
Call for more information
Every school district has a designated homeless education coordinator. For more information, contact the state Department of Education homeless education office at
(405) 522-3251 .
Oklahoman’s….we can make a dent in this number. We can make a difference. We must develop a plan to solve this situation. The first step is awareness. Now, that we have awareness—-We must work together!
There is a place we dare not go: a place that springs up feelings of fear and discomfort. It’s easier just to turn our heads and look the other way. However, this place of fear and hurt is the same place many others are confined to.
They can’t escape the grip of misfortune just as they cannot let their thoughts of hope escape them. When they turn and look away, they see all they don’t have, but desperately need. When we turn and look away, we see all we’re grateful for and all we have yet to desire. It’s easier to ignore it; it’s easier to pretend this rising issue plaguing America is immaterial, but it’s right to help.
It’s up to us, the more fortunate, to do what is necessary to aid our ailing social class. We must let go of our inhibitions and our restraints.
We have to forget the thoughts and ideas of our peers and do what is right. It is our obligation to be the source of hope they look to.
The next time you turn your head, don’t look to the tangible, but look inside your heart, and do what you know you should.
It will soon become a source of inner peace and satisfaction for you and a source of hope, help, and relief for those who truly need it.
