Principal Products: Manufactures-nonelectrical machinery, processed food and kindred products, fabricated metal products, petroleum products; minerals -petroleum, natural gas coal, gypsum, sand and gravel; farm products-cattle, wheat, dairy products, cotton" (Americana, pg. 687).

Mineral Resources: Oklahoma is a mineral rich state producing petroleum, natural gas, and coal; these products account for more than 95 % of the states mineral production. Other important minerals are gypsum, bentonite, pumice, and helium, building stones, sand, gravel and feldspar.

Agriculture: Oklahoma’s agricultural industry includes beef cattle, dairy farming, poultry, sheep and hogs. Wheat is the leading cash crop followed by cotton, broom corn, grain sorghum, peanuts, soybeans, fruits, nuts and vegetables. The number of ranchers and farms in the state is declining.

The People: Oklahoma’ population (1980) was composed of "85.9% white, 6.8% black, 5.6% Indian, and 1.9% Hispanic" (A. A. E. pg. 367). With less than 1 % foreign-born from Germany, United Kingdom, and Canada.

Structure of Government: The state possesses three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. The Chief executive is the governor, who is popularly elected; he along with the lieutenant governor, and heads of executive departments (the attorney general, treasurer, secretary of state, and superintendent of public instruction) to serves a four year term and can only serve two consecutive terms. The state has 77 counties. In presidential elections, it has eight electoral college votes.

The state Legislature is made up of a Senate of 48 members that serve four-year terms and a House of Representatives of 101 elected for two years, with each county entitled to at least one representative.

Economic growth: The Republican state government has pushed for many changes that favor businesses. Tax cuts and welfare reform have been aggressively pushed through the legislature to stimulate the states economy. In 1998 a cut in the state income tax was achieved. The largest broad-based tax cut ever of $140 million was enacted that same year. In 1999, a special session to cut taxes for the oil industry was called. A limit on property taxes for homeowners was also supported.

The state’s Republican dominated agencies have aggressively recruited new businesses and jobs. 130,000 new jobs were created; there have also been attempts to reform workers compensation.

The Republican government also pushed for legislation to help rural Oklahoma grow. Several statewide and regional Economic Growth Summits were sponsored.

Education: The state created school choice, charter schools and education reform. Also new standards resulted in Oklahoma’s high school curriculum being among the 15 toughest in the nation. Social promotion was ended in Oklahoma. The state appropriated more funds for education at all levels, including higher education than ever before; a fy-99 investment of more than $100 million. A Republican majority pushed through legislation to resolve a midterm school funding dilemma. Programs such as Great Expectations and High Schools That Work Schools were also funded, and an expansion of the school’s technology systems was achieved.

Appropriations to save the endangered teacher retirement system were increased. Technology transfers were put in place so that universities and researchers could market inventions and research. Funding for a Graduate and Research Center was negotiated for Tulsa.

Environment: The Republican government has managed to pass important environmental laws and regulations; the Animal Waste and Water Quality Protection Task Force is one important achievement. Passage of a poultry regulations bill that forces large scale poultry operations to register with the state for the first time occurred during Keating’s administration. New regulations on large scale hog operations, make Oklahoma’s hog farming regulations the toughest in the nation.

Crime, Prisons, Public Safety: The crime rate is down and it must continue this way. To stimulate this there was a substantial increase in pay for state troopers and other law enforcement agents. Early release programs for criminals were stopped. Real Truth-in-Sentencing was attempted and parole policies were tightened. There was also an overhaul of laws to keep criminals in jail longer. Money-saving private prisons were allowed. Laws against child abuse were strengthened.

Fiscal Responsibility: The Republicans gained public approval by implementing a record number of cuts in spending; and other spending bills were vetoed while the state government’s hiring freeze that had been in place to hold down cost of government was continued. The party has also called for the elimination of the current corporate franchise tax. "Oklahomans deserve tax relief" (Governor Keating).

Highways: A trend toward lower highway spending was reversed with a three billion dollar road program for highway construction.

Moral Reform: The goals of the Republican moral reform movement are to reduce the rate of divorce, out-of-wedlock births, drug use, alcohol addiction and child abuse.

Other Reforms: Welfare reform, which within a year made more Oklahomans go to work, resulted in AFDC rolls falling by 31 %, down 45 % within three years.

Keating’ appointment of workers compensation judges has resulted in lower punitive damages in lawsuits. Sanctions were enacted for bringing of frivolous law suits. The first African-American District Court Judge in 30 years was appointed. And tougher ethics rules for all public officials was implemented.

A Trauma Care Task Force to assure quality emergency medical care statewide was created.

Republicans sponsored legislation prohibition class action suits and tort claims against government the and businesses arising from Y2K problems if there were reasonable efforts to protect the computer system. The deregulation of utilities and telecommunications Republican back measures, were put into law additionally, the privatization of state services and the negotiated privatization of University Hospital are going forward under the Republican administration.