Oklahoma Daily - OK Candidates Discuss Education, Economic Woes

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Oklahoma Daily - OK Candidates Discuss Education, Economic Woes

Rice, other congress people address voters at library

Kate Cunningham

While Barack Obama and John McCain were debating national security Friday night, Oklahoma candidates running for state and national office in November gathered for their own discussion at the Norman Public Library.

The League of Women Voters of Norman, a nonpartisan organization that encourages participation in government, hosted a "Rock the Vote" event for candidates running for offices other than the presidency this November.

While the event's focus was voter registraation, candidates took time to discuss bread and butter issues like the economy and education.

With the mortgage crisis, surging unemployment and now government bailouts, many of the candidates agree the economy is one of November's major issues.

The economy is an issue for everyone, not just older voters, said Rep. Andrew Rice, D-Oklahoma City and a candidate for U.S. House of Representatives.

"Jobs that would be in Oklahoma or the rest of the country that would be attractive to graduates are going to be affected," Rice said. "There might not be as many or as much diversity of them."

Rice said the devastation of the lending system will have a major effect on student loans. He said it will be hard for students to locate a good rate.

Diana Drum, Democrat running for Oklahoma State Senate and a former Norman schoolteacher, said education is key component to strengthen the economy.

"I assure you that there is no better snapshot that tells how well or how poorly a community is doing than to stand in front of a classroom," said Drum, a former Norman schoolteacher. "We are not going to be able to bring the high-paying jobs we want to this state until we can have the type of educated employees here that can fill those jobs."

All candidates running for election this year were invited, said Nelson Dent, librarian and one of the event organizers. The panel was comprised of seven Democrats, three Republicans and one Independent.

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 10.

Candidates voiced a concern for bipartisanship in state and local government among issues like the economy, health care, education and transportation. Wallace Collins, Democratic candidate for Oklahoma State House of Representatives in District 45, discussed a possible revival of a regional passenger railway system, and David Joyce, Democrat running for U.S. House of Representatives in District 4, said the U.S. should consider adopting a national flat tax.

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