Give us this day our daily crude

 Oklahoma’s governor, Mary Fallin, urged her state to pray on Oct. 13 for the state’s oil industry and proclaimed it “Oilfield Prayer Day.” The governor originally issued the proclamation specifically urging Christians “to thank God for the blessing created by the oil and natural gas industry and to seek His wisdom and ask for protection.” After complaints it excluded non-Christians, Fallin revised the proclamation to refer to “people of faith.”

Gov. Mary Fallin declared. “Oklahoma is blessed with an abundance of oil and natural gas, Christians acknowledge such natural resources are created by God.”

A downturn in energy prices for the past two years along with the Republican state government’s tax breaks to business has contributed to a $1.3 billion short-fall in the state’s budget this year. The oil barons still enjoy enormous tax breaks — to the tune of $470 million in 2015. Government services instead suffered, with some public schools now operating only four days a week, so low is their funding.

Despite the industry's nose-dive, oil tycoon Harold Hamm remains the richest person in Oklahoma with a net worth of $15 billion, according to Forbes. His prayers were certainly answered.

Of course, Fallin doesn’t believe in manmade climate change.