it is time to stop this discrimination. >> that is it for our time. thank you very much for being here. that does it for our questions. >> thanks. >> this weekend, the former "the new york times" editor of the changing world of the newspaper industry. >> i worry about the standards and maintaining journalistic integrity as we move from one media world to another very good >> tonight on -- one media world to another. >> tonight on c-span. >> the debate was held wednesday at northeastern state university in tahlequah, okla.. the candidates are seeking to replace brad henry.

>> good evening. welcome to northeastern state university. for many of you, this is home, and for those of you who have been living in northeastern oklahoma for many years, this may be our home away from home, one of the great gathering places for education and opportunity. i want to thank the academy for taking this year, where so many people live and where passion is very strong. a special vote of thanks for the candidates. we commend them for their commitment to public service. we look forward to hearing from them tonight, particularly and the times we live where there is a great number of changes going on for changes seem significant.

a special word of thanks to you. there are citizens working hard to make their ends meet and wondering what the future holds for them. you have come out to find something important, and that is who is going to leave the state in the future. someone on the stage will be our next governor. we go back 63 years before statehood with the cherokee seminaries, and what i have always appreciated is this is the place -- these hills and this community is a place for education in oklahoma really got started. it is followed ground for education -- hallowed ground for education. we believe education is one of the keys to future prosperity, not just for the state but for our families, children, and our grandchildren.

we have a great passion for collaboration. this university knows we cannot do it alone, and we love that we have so many partners to help make things happen. i would like to say, let's not forget the important role of all the regional universities. they are immeasurably potent resources for our state. some of us do not have a great deal of money, and this is one of the great deals of oklahoma, are regional institutions. we educate more people that stay in this state than any other institution. we have 60,000 alumni at this time, and over 90% of them live in the state of oklahoma, raising their families, starting professions, and making a difference in the lives of this state. we cannot give the central focus -- we cannot forget the central focus has to be on who

is trying to lead in the future, and i love the fact that northeastern state has that kind of commitment, so we are here to listen and to learn common to make judgments, -- to listen and to learn, to make judgments as engage citizens. we cannot assume the story is closed. it was made when each of you walked into the ballot box, when you walk in and take out your pencil or pull your lover, and you decide one of the great strong traditions of this american democracy, who is best to lead us in the state's, so if the candidates were here, i would say this, i am looking forward to understanding how you will unite us in addressing the complex, unique challenges served before us and to help us

make this evening very special, we have a gifted and experienced educator and a colleague of mine, someone who i admire and respect, whose institution is creating new opportunities for learning to every day. the president of tulsa a community college, dr. tom. [applause] >> good evening. before i began our debate, i want to make a few brief comments about the oklahoma academy. it is an extremely unique organization. there are only two other states that have similar organizations, and the academy works diligently to advance oklahoma, and they do it through a process that engages the citizens of our state. one of the major ways they do that is by hosting town halls.

the document is selected, and we invite the citizens to participate in a three-day town hall. what is great about this process is at the end there will be recommendations, many related to public policy that will then be moved into action. that is the model of the academy. they have had a tremendous impact over the years on the state of oklahoma. we do have information if you would like information about becoming a member or participating on the town hall in early november. tonight is very simple. it is education. it gives you an opportunity as voters and citizens to see the gubernatorial candidates firsthand, to meet them, and to hear their thoughts and ideas about the future of the state.

in the first segment, julie explain there are prepared questions that have been selected. i have selected four or five of those there will be a time limit for each question, and the candidates will know the rotation in terms of the rotation. when we complete that portion, we will move on to our audience questions. many of you will have the opportunity to fill out a card. we will try to go through as many as possible. at this time i would like to introduce our 2010 gubernatorial candidates. the lieutenant governor of the states of oklahoma. [applause] the senator.

drew edmondson, attorney general to the state of oklahoma. the congresswoman from the fifth district of oklahoma. good the businessman from piedmont, okla. very good -- the businessman from piedmont, okla., and a retired businessman from oklahoma city area. [applause] thank you, candidates. candidates will start the first question, and we will move down the table in alphabetical order. on the second question we will continue down the table and conclude with jerry, and we will continue that rotation throughout the evening.

question no. one, and you have two minutes to complete your answer -- oklahoma ranks poorly and many categories, including general health, mental health, child and spousal abuse, teen pregnancy, prescription drug abuse, as well as illegal drug abuse. each of these areas place significantly in our economic statistics. what do you thing must be done to improve our overall state of health? >> first i would like to thank northeastern state univ. for hosting us and the opportunity for all of you to be able to come and join us and certainly the oklahoma academy for this forum. we know every report guard continues to rate oklahoma very poorly, and it is not just the

areas mentioned. it is childhood examinations, obesity, and every -- heart- related issues as well, so we must continue to try to improve education within the family about how a family has an impact on the state's health. we have seen even in oklahoma city the emphasis by the mayor and his fitness desire to try to get the citizens moving, and we have seen corporations and businesses to the same thing. i believe we continue to fight for nutrition. last saturday i had the opportunity to visit a farmers market. give the opportunity to train our mothers, fathers, those responsible for their children's health to be adults do improve the nutrition of those they were responsible for can do a long --

can go a long way to help improve oklahoma's health. certainly as we begin to see a continued reduction in the state of all, that isn't good thing. we know it will help improve our children's health of we can keep them from starting to smoke. we must continue all those efforts, and i believe those are efforts weekend supplement with the use of the county health department. thank you. -- those our efforts we can supplement with the use of the county health department. thank you. >> next, randy. >> i appreciate this opportunity. i think this is my fourth or fifth. thank you very much for the invitation. i have a little bit of a different idea than what you are probably going to hear from the rest of the panel. the question is, what can we do?

i think the best thing we can do is get government out of our lives when it comes time to control our health. that is the responsibility of the individual. let me share why i think this is important. i think we can back this up with statistics. you realize for $1 weakened by 1,200 calories of chips and cookies and junk food -- we can buy 1,200 calories of chips and cookies and junk food. if you look at some of the things government subsidizes, they are the very things that make us obis, that cause diabetes. we fund the sugar industry, the tobacco industry. that is not a real good thing to participate in, and the very things that make us on healthy, they force us to buy those high

calorie goods and then tell us not to eat them. and we try to set up different programs, and you will probably hear a laundry list of all those different programs, so i truly believe the best thing to do is to get government out of our lives. it is our responsibility on what we can do and a little bit of personal responsibility for ourselves. [applause] >> through edmundston -- drew edmonton. >> it is great to be back to my alma matter. thank you. on healthy lifestyles as one of the areas where oklahoma ranks of the wrong end of list.

we rank at the top of and how they lifestyles, the top of -- the top of an unhealthy lifestyle, the top of obesity, and we are still the top of youth smoking. all of these are areas we need to do more work. we got a good start by taking junk food out of our grade schools. that was the state statutes. it was a good beginning. we need to carry that into our middle schools, junior high schools, and high schools. not that they do not need snacks, but they can have a nutritious snacks, and that can set an example of healthy lifestyles. youwhen we complete in the litigation of the tobacco industry and created the oklahoma tobacco trust, the interest is now finding programs aimed at health to the tune of

$15 million last year, $21 million last year, over $31 million next year. not a penny of it is tax dollars. all of its is aimed at improving the health of the citizens of the state's of oklahoma. we need to encourage the fitness program. we recruited bud wilkinson. we need to do that at the state level as well. all of this can get us in the right direction on these lists and created a great quality of life for our children as well as adults. >> mary fallon. >> let me say it is a great opportunity to be here tonight, and i appreciate having the opportunity to share the vision for the state of oklahoma, and we appreciate being on the campus, and i want to thank all the people for joining us

tonight. we appreciate you coming as candidates. it is unacceptable for the state to be at the bottom of so many lives when it comes to health. too high a rate of obesity and heart disease. we have too many children that experience child abuse, too much domestic violence, too much drug addiction, and we are too good of the state to have those kinds of numbers. they are a drag upon our economy and our health and certainly are healthy lifestyles and the state, so as governor, one of the top priorities of mine would be to do everything i can to work on improving these numbers, so how do we do that? one thing we talked about is encouraging healthier meals in our school system. but as one of the great ways we can start out early with children and teaching them healthy eating habits.

not only should we take personal responsibility, but what we serve in our schools is also important. we have held improvement program in which they encourage healthier lifestyles with exercise and fitness. we can work on drug addiction problems by encouraging more people to go to rehab, finding rehab services. the use of drug courts is another way to help with an addiction problems, and there are grave models and the national governors' association called, flurry did some great models in the national governors' association -- there are some great models and the national governors' association. those are a couple of ideas i have. [applause] >> robert. >> i would like to thank the academy for the opportunity i have had. it has been very enlightening

for me as a first-time candidate. i have met five other wonderful people as well as many people throughout oklahoma, and it is my extreme privilege to be a part of that. you never know where life is going to take you. my trip to -- my last trip to northeastern state univ. was in 1993. my wife's uncle was inducted into the northeastern oklahoma hall of fame in the sports department. he was quite a wrestler, a boxer. he was a football player and just an all-around great guy. he lives in springdale. i am glad you are here tonight, but it is a pleasure to be back here, and i thank you for this opportunity. our overall state of health --

there is a demographic in oklahoma city you can track for the healthy people live and also where the wealthy people live. it goes hand in hand. it begins with education of our children. so many children today live in single-parent homes. a lot of them are being raised by grandparents, and they have a tough time, and i think it is so vitally important that we look out for these little guys from kindergarten on up to help them with their nutrition, and another thing i think is important -- i do not know how many years it has been since we took physical education out of our schools, and we are seeing the results. give thank you. fighting my time is fair off, and she smiles friedrich i think my time is over. phil -- i think my time is up.

>> i would like to thank northeastern state univ. of for having us today. i would like to thank each and everyone of you in the audience. this restored my faith in government. all of you are concerned with who will be the next governor. we have tremendous responsibility and should we go to the top position. i ran for governor because questions like this -- i have learned a lot during this campaign, and health is really a function of the individual. it is not a function of the government. the individual must take the initiative to take the effort to get themselves in some type of physical shape. one thing we can do is we can look at people who rarely have a health problem and see what they are doing that contributes to that good health.

many of us -- my main problem in life, i cannot push myself away from the table quick enough, and that results in extra poundage. this contributes tremendously to diabetes and other diseases, and i know when i was younger, it seemed like almost everyone in the state was thinner, and at that point, maybe we were not watching as much television, but we have to get more active, and the government is not going to be able to help us. at lunch time we were in bartlesville, and they have an auditorium with a gymnasium. their employees were working out at lunch time, and corporate responsibility -- really corporations like conocophillips has done a great job of trying to contribute to the health of their employees, but we need to

decrease our tobacco use. i have quit smoking twice. it is extremely hard to do, and i do appreciate your being here today, and thank you so much for having me. [applause] >> for the next question, you will have two minutes, and we will start with randy. we know one of oklahoma's greatest strength is people and their determination. some examples of other strengths include agricultural research, aerospace technology, oil and natural gas, and science and technology research. what do you see as the strength that should be highlighted and marketed to enhance pride in our great state as well as the strength that can create an atmosphere and environment to enhance our prosperity? >> certainly the oil and gas industry is one of the biggest

industries and the state of oklahoma. one thing i am concerned about is our tax structure in this state, and the oil and gas industry gets taxed a little more than everyone else. they pay all these corporate income taxes, and then they get hit with an actor production tax, so i believe it is important we have policies cut that would be a little more fair to the oil and gas industry, maybe not tax them quite so heavily, and that goes along with my entire tax structure. i believe we ought to reform our tax system, move away from a progressive income tax system, a move to a consumption tax, a sales tax, and let's create jobs utilizing free market principles. that is when we will really be about to revive businesses, give them a good reason to come here. if you look at the state of

oklahoma, we have so much going for us. we are centrally located. we have some of the lowest utility rates in the nation. i like to share with people the state of obama has more shoreline than the east or west coast combined when you look at our lakes and rivers and streams. a lot of wonderful qualities the rest of the nation does not know about. as i have traveled the state over the last 15 months or so campaigning for governor, i have been everywhere from the end of the panhandle to southeast oklahoma and all points in between. we have a very diverse geographical region, and there is beauty that is unparalleled, so if we would share that with industries and give them reasons to come here by reforming our tax structure, that is when our strength will return to this day. thank you.

-- to this state. thank you. >> oklahomans are very friendly people. thereof been many candidates for public office who were sure they were going to win because everybody they talked to was so friendly, but it is in our nature to do that, and i can assure you if you ever walk down the sidewalk in new york city and not to somebody and say hello, they are going to think you are nuts, but we do that all the time, and we are a caring people. that is one of our strengths as well. when somebody gets sick, it is not just the minister who goes to the hospital. it is everybody in the congregation, to. we care about our neighbors. we care about our friends. we care about strangers when we see a story and the news, so that is a great strength of our people, and it is something if we can find a way to express it, that is bound to be an

attraction to other businesses and industries to come to this state. i believe we have a great work ethic. our people want to work. the 6.7% unemployment represents a significant percentage of our population that is seeking jobs and are desperate for our economy to start moving and that we started generating the jobs that they can then take. we are better off than many states that there's suffering 10% to your 15% unemployment. 6.8% is still unacceptable. we are high in creativity. we have artists, singers, dancers. i think we have had more than our share of miss americas, but we do not want to stop. we are leader of energy, and we can be proud of that as well.

there is an oklahoma standard, and it is something we should be proud of, and i know we are puree dead -- we are. >> i think oklahoma is one of the best kept secrets in the whole nation. we do have a great quality of life. we have a low cost of living. we have a low cost of housing. we have an abundance of natural resources, whether it is oil or gas or wind. our agricultural sector is very strong. we have low-cost utilities and water. we are a great place to live, and a lot of people do not know that yet, and i think that is one of the main objectives of the governor to sell our brand to people around the nation and in other countries about the quality of life we have in our state. i have had the opportunity to not only serve in the state of oklahoma but to also serve in

washington, and what i have seen is other states that have made a terrible financial situations -- we have a little budget shortfall. we have some challenges, but we can overtake those things. i have seen other states like florida and nevada, whose families owe more on their homes and what they are worth, and we do not have those types of problems in oklahoma. i see other states like michigan where they have 26% unemployment in some areas. we do not have those types of issues. we have so many things going for us, whether it is our agricultural industry, our tourism industry, our lakes and parks and quality of life, whether it is our military installations, our aerospace companies -- we have five military installations in the state of oklahoma. i would be out there helping to promote aerospace to bring more jobs and opportunities and attracting the strengths of our state to come to oklahoma, and

energy as one of our other great strengths, and i think we have tremendous potential to grow, especially in the area of natural gas and wind power, so those are the great strengths we have. we need a governor to go out and sell our state. [applause] >> robert hubbard. >> as i look at this question, i thought about the days of the dust bowl, and i think somehow that spirit, that grit has transferred genetically to a lot of people in oklahoma. we have a do not quit spirit. we have a tremendous fight in us, and i think that is so extremely important in anything you do. most people that fail never get tough when you get knocked down, and if you have not been knocked down more than once, you have not tried a lot of things. i would like to promote the creative spirit of oklahomans.

we have produced the the safeco district -- paseo district, an area for artists. we have the red earth festival that brings people from all over the united states. we have so many things. we create such a good climate for small business. we need to promote the fact that if you are somebody who has an idea, come to oklahoma. . .

>> we have created politicians and encouraged a wine industry within our state borders. we turned around with our gross restores not being able to sell

wine. in thene of five states country that cannot sell 4.6% beer in our grocery stores. i am not proposing becoming alcoholics, but some stores will not come to oklahoma until they can sell wine. ostco is one of the largest retailers in the country. we need to stop operating like we were in 1959. we need to create a climate that will encourage innovation. countries like singapore were studied about turning around their economies in 10 years. they put their thinking caps on. they enhanced human resources, promoted national team work, to build manufacturing and service clusters, and singapore right

now is at the height of global competition. we can do that. >> time is up. >> thank you. >> jari askins. >> it is not surprising that we want to start and say that our biggest drink is our people. -- strength it is our people. it is not just a terrible attitude of we have for each other, all of them rooted in the by use that started with the pioneers and the native americans here when those pioneers came. now use the celebrated family -- values that celebrated family and working together, and if they work hard, i can succeed in help my family and leave more for my children. in the last 12 years, oklahoma has made significant investment, a combination of effort between the legislature and the

governor. one of the first was in the late 1990's. a commitment was made that we would invest in non-medical research in the state of oklahoma. we saw an increase in commercialization of research products that had come from the scientist down in that area. now oklahoma has an opportunity to bring in leading minds into our state solving health issues for the future. bioenergy, an opportunity to combine our agricultural industries for the future. what we think we might be able to do as oklahoma leading in both of those areas. and the next major priority for us should be the continuation of our aerospace industry, not just because of the companies in the

state that provide jobs but also because of significance for the national defence. when we focus on those kinds of areas, oklahoma has an opportunity to lead the country. [applause] >> audience members, if you have a question card, now would be the time to turn again. hold it up and i think we have some students that will come by and collect as. bank you. candidates, we will stick with the two-minute time limit. our next question -- prison overcrowding and its impact on the state budget are critical issues for oklahoma's future. no one wants to be soft on criminals, but statistics such as oklahoma being number one in incarceration of women and very high rankings in the overall number of people we incarcerate suggest that there may be better

and cheaper ways to do with particularly non-violent crimes like drug crimes. what would you propose to do to address this growing problem -- and we will start with drew edmondson. >> thank you. this is a tremendous issue. we're number one in the nation in the incarceration of females, and that should not be a source of pride for us. we are in the top five in the nation and our incarceration rate overall, and that neither should be a source of pride. every study of our present system has told us the same thing, 80%-90% of the people incarcerated have an underlying mental health problem but we have never put the resources in place to try to address those problems, rather than locking people up from the first sentence to a suspended sentence to weekends in the county jail and then they are looking at 20- life because they habitual

criminals under an oklahoma statues. i endorsed the smartphone crime proposals which requires an investment of money over a three-year period to start putting those facilities into place around the state of oklahoma and start treating the underlying causes of crime. before they commit the second, third, or fourth felony run the dea and judge out of patience and kid a draconian sentence. it is difficult for the director of the department of corrections to run the program he has with the budget cuts. he is down to 72% of the desired ratio of prison guards to inmates. that is an extremely dangerous situation. we need both short-term and long-term solutions to that problem, and the long-term solution is smart on crime. i endorsed it, i supported, we will get it done.

>> mary fallin. >> it is a fact that we have to hide of a number of women incarcerated in our prisons. i had an opportunity to be the chair on a study. i actually went into the prisons myself and talk to the inmates, brought in experts to give us testimony about why we have such a high incarceration rate. one of the things we found is that we have a high number of people because of drug addiction problems, alcohol addiction, because of rest or some type of crime that they were in bald under the influence. we found that over 50% of people in our prisons do not have a formal high school education. that is still a big issue today. we need to work hard. we do see our number of high-

school graduates -- if we can get them a good education and a good job, we can keep them out of our prison system. i support the use of drug courts and the state of oklahoma. i had the opportunity to visit with local district attorneys and sheriffs about the need for our drug courts and taking our non-violent offenders who have an addiction problem and get them into drug courts, a figure out what they need, rather than spending money to lock them up. we could do a better job in using organizations to help with prison ministries and even some of the social issues that we have with drug addiction. we need to do a better job of expanding our rehabilitation services. we need to be smart about how we spend our money. it is a drag on our economy and our state budget. we have these issues within our

state and it is something that should be a top priority for the governor of the state of oklahoma. >> robert hubbard. >> as i began to research the prison system around the country, and the startling fact came to light. just a few years back, texas incarcerate more people than did the federal government. in 2006 they faced the same problem that oklahoma faces today. they needed to build more hospitals and more prisons and more drug treatment centers. as they looked at that, they decided there was a better way. four years later in 2010, texas turned out prisoners with less recidivism than they taken. you say that that is astonishing. it is, but something more astonishing to me -- with our budget crunch in the state, we are shutting down the very

community care programs that worked in other states. and i think that that is inexcusable. we're going to have to find the money to keep rehabilitating these people, getting them the mental care, the health care that they need so that we can reprogram them and get them back on track to becoming useful citizens. an interesting statistic from the drug courts in oklahoma county. less than 5% of those who graduate drug court in oklahoma county ever see custody again. those of the types of things that work. we have to work them and make sure that they were. we have to continue in that effort to retrain, reprogram, and rebuild the lives of people that have been less fortunate, that got started on the long path, and need another chance in life. one of the best ways to do that

is with our human-resources. i've visited with people just a day in western oklahoma that have some good ideas, and we will only find good ideas if we listen to those who are in the field in know what to do. thank you. >> roger jackson. >> to fill the audience in on numbers, the department of correction spent $469 million last year, and we have a system of population, 25,200 people. of that, 26,000 -- 2651 were women. the average age was 37 years old. what needs to be done in my mind -- i need to set a goal to get the women incarcerated in oklahoma down below the national

average within my term of office. but we need more local guidance on this and less at the federal level, in my mind. we need successful women speaking and mentoring young women to help avoid the problem that they have currently. we have a terrible problem with poverty within our state that contributes to these high numbers. women already incarcerated need opportunities to reunite with their children and their families while they are incarcerated. when you put someone in jail, he does not that that individual but the family. we have to become more passionate, more compassionate about helping these women that are incarcerated. 2651 is not a huge number and we should be able to reduce that

below the national average. but we are going to have to put our thinking caps on and reduce current felonies, many of those felonies that are non-violent, we need to reduce those to misdemeanors. that would be the first that they would look at very strongly. we need to promote a state-wide dialogue involving both government leaders and women's advocates. thank you very much. >> jari askins. >> as far as back as 20 years ago, the state of oklahoma could not compare itself in a good way concerning incarceration of women or total prison population. the state of minnesota has a population larger than oklahoma, but its prison population is much smaller. if you look inside, you see in the state that for years, for decades the state of minnesota has committed community-based

resources to intervene before behavior leads to criminal conduct, substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment. oklahoma continues to talk about it but has not exerted the political will to say that this is a priority. when i was on the bench i saw over and over again judges' sending of vendors to prison because they thought treatment was available within the department of corrections. but as the money has declined, the treatment options have declined. that is why when i got to the legislature, i offered the first bill on drug courts. i have been hearing cherokee county and one of year -- and your cannot -- york county was one of the leaders in selling the rest of us what we could do if we pull together a community and said let's figure out how we want to treat individuals that we can make a difference with.

oklahoma must continue do that on a state-wide basis. we need to figure out a better way. interbreeding those who have completed sentences and are returning to our communities -- of integrating those who live completed senses and are returning to our communities. i talked about of program i observed called getting back again. 741 graduates had moved through the department of corrections and completed the program. 83 offended again. that is a heck of a statistic that we should be modeling everywhere. bank you. >> randy brogdon. >> as i served in the state senate, i saw a pattern. every single year when we funded corrections, it was always under funded. i have taken on the public safety is my number one priority.

how do we find all the parts of our public safety, whether corrections, the d.a. office, and one of the most astounding positive things i have seen are the drug courts. courtssait in those drug and watch the graduation. the recidivism rate is extremely low. if we truly need to move from warehousing to reform. once people are put into prison, and more often than not very little reform takes place. my wife happens to work for a faith-based organization. she is a banker and teaches finance class is at the correctional facility. these women are working their way out of prison. my wife goes in on saturdays and teaches these ladies very simple life skills of the thick and reintegrate back into society. hopefully we will keep them out

of prison. if we move them into those organizations to help, whether women or men, to get back into society and make them productive citizens one more time, get out of this habit of warehousing, and let's have some reform within our prison system. -- candidates, this will be the last prepared question and we will limit you to one minute. we want to get as many audience questions as possible. the question is, if oklahoma is very unique in that we are the home to 39 federal recognized tribes. in 2007, the academy focused its town hall conference on building alliances with tribal governments, state, and local governments in the private sector. as oklahoma's next governor, which you foster building alliances with the tribes? if so, how?

we begin with mary fallin. >> as lieutenant governor and also i had the opportunity to work with the tribes in my various positions of service. i have an appreciation for their sovereignty, for their heritage, and their culture. they add value to the state of oklahoma. they create jobs and invest money and we have been active -- they had been active in very many industries that have been important to oklahoma. tourism is our third-largest industry in the state of oklahoma. our tribes to build hotels and golf courses and attracted people to come to the state of oklahoma to spend their money. the cherokee tribe right here in this area has been very involved in aerospace and defense contractor. as a member of the armed services committee in washington, that is one of the great areas where we can work with the tribes to expand more jobs and opportunities and bring more business to the state of

oklahoma. and their transportation needs and the federal dollars that they get for roads and bridges. time is up. >> robert hubbard. >> the way our federal government is going, we may need to create closer bonds with our tribes in oklahoma because of their sovereignty. we may need to reach out and say, brother, i need help. it is one of the finest names that i have seen in our travel history of the united states. we live together, we work together, and i am of the opinion that the way you build relationships is to listen. what is your concern? how can i help you? i have found that in all the businesses i have been a part of, when you ask someone to tell

you their story, what is it that you need and how can i help you, i have found that that spirit is reciprocated. they say, how can i help you? that is the spirit that i would to working with the tribes of oklahoma. >> roger jackson. >> my wife and i just got back july 13 -- we got to attend a tribal conference. it was very interesting. they brought this up to maine. their main concern over the past eight years -- they have not had easy access to the governor's office. i ask them more about that. they pride themselves on their sovereignty, but there are certain issues that they want to bounce all state government. they want to have that easy

access. if i'm fortunate enough to become your governor, i promise and pledge that i would have easy access for everyone to the governor's office. it certainly should be paramount to what we would be responsible to do. i want to encourage the tribes to use state resources if they require. the thank you. >> jari askins. >> having had the opportunity to extend that 2007 oklahoma town hall meeting, i know how important it was to the tribal leaders that were there to have citizens from around oklahoma to come and listen to them about their concerns that they have for the future of the state that needed to go in one direction and not in 39 plus the

state direction. it will continue to be that way. my door has been opened as lieutenant governor. i've visited with tribal leaders and their economic development councils on numerous occasions. we have health care facilities in the state of oklahoma that did not exist five years ago because our tribal nations have taken it upon themselves to place those facilities in areas underserved in the state. i know county commissioners grateful for roads and bridges because of the partnerships that they have with tribal nations in their area. we must continue to develop and foster that kind of relationship. thank you. >> randy brogdon. >> when you're running for governor, occasionally you open a newspaper and see your name there and it is not always pleasant. i saw one time that i have -- i had won the battle eagle award. i thought that that was bad but it was a good award. it was from a comanche chief.

i pulled the " up when i was looking at this question and it said, for the purity of his constitutionalism, senator brogdon bad eagle -- received the bad eagle award. i have a hands-off approach. i respect individual liberties and i respect the indian tribes sovereignty within the state and i believe the indian tribes know that they have a friend and senator randy brogdon. >> true edmondson. >> in this book, there is a blueprint for progress available on our web site. i've got four pages on how to

enhance partnerships with our tribal governments to grow the economy of the state of oklahoma. i am a firm believer that that is a key part of our economic development in the future. i am committed to establishing a desk with in the governor's office, not the person negotiating on compaq's who is often adversarial, but a separate desk, someone specifically to cooperate with our indian nations on how to jointly move this date forward economically. all have a similar test at the department of commerce. these are two strong economies. we have to work with the indian nations cooperatively to build a nation for all our children. [applause] >> candidates, and we're now going to move into our audience questions. for each of the audience questions, we will limit you to

one minute so that we can get in as many as possible. the first question is -- do you support court action to repeal the federal health care reform act for oklahoma? a yes or no answer is requested. and if you support repeal, how would you replace the benefits , and we willmans begin with robert hubbard. >> i would say yes to repeal. we cannot continue the downward spiral that we are looking at enduing with spending more money that we have. as a youngster, if i had a dollar, i could not spend a dollar and a half. i did not have a charge account. we need to look very closely at having -- and health care. insurer oklahoma is a start and that is something that i will look to. >> roger jackson.

>> yes, i would support repeal of the obama health care. i was disappointed that our state did not go along with 15 or 20 other states that have filed lawsuits. i do not have only answers on what to do to replace our current system. it is probably covering 75% of our population. i do not have an answer on that. sorry. >> jari askins. >> i think the state of oklahoma has to decide whether they want to participate. i agree that if we have an opportunity to repeal, and i think the state of oklahoma will repeal it. as governor, my responsibility will be how do you make of all of the people who could be covered that will not be covered. we could do it better, if oklahoma could have drafted our

own plan. one was mentioned and out was that was our option. i wish we could do with the way that we like it. >> randy brogdon. >> i was the author this year of the opt out of the obamacare bill. i think it is greatly unconstitutional on many levels. i don't think the federal government has any authority to tell any citizen about their health insurance. we need to protect our health providers, hospitals, and the doctors, so i offered this bill and we offered another piece of legislation that would have given the opportunity for the president of the senate's and the pro tem to join into a lawsuit. i am sure that they will address that in just a minute. yes, i believe that as a sovereign state and a sovereign people in this state, it is the

responsibility to protect the citizens of this state. that is why i authored that legislation and i fully supported. -- support it. >> true edmondson. >> for nine announced at a press conference that 17 lawyers in my office decided to look at the health care bill and we had determined to a person that in order to reverse it, it would require that the united states supreme court reversed 70 years of precedent on the commerce powers and taxing powers of congress, and our lawyers thought that the chance of that happening was slim to none. it would be an unwise expenditure of state expenses to join in that lawsuit. we told the legislature that under title 74, if they requested us to enter that litigation, we would construe that as a mandatory duty. they chose not to.

they chose instead to enter it themselves which is fine. lieutenant governor askins is absolutely correct. we can opt out of medicaid any kind -- any time that we want. we could before the law passed and we can now. but if we do, then we're not responsible for 30% of the cost of 100% of the cost. if they are ready to assume that burden, i was like to hear that statement from them as well. [applause] >> mary fallin. >> his microphone working? i am probably only one at the table that did photic as the health care plan. i voted against that. i voted against it because i felt it is unconstitutional and said it 20 other states and their attorney general's suit

filed a motion to say that it is the violation of our rights and freedoms. it is very costly to our nation. i did not support that health care bill. i talk to a business in oklahoma today that told me that with the new health care bill, it estimated that their health-care costs would go of 25%. it is an unfunded mandate. up to 500 million new expenses and expenses in the medicaid. we have to ensure oklahoma, we have s chip for children in poverty. we have programs. it would create jobs and we would have more money for health care in oklahoma. >> tall the poverty is a

significant and growing issue. what will you do to address this issue as governor? we'll start with roger jackson. >> childhood poverty here is half barbel -- it's horrible. there someone a free lunch program and a great school. this type of situation is hard to address until we began to make our state of oklahoma wealthier. the way you make our state well. coming you cut your taxes -- corporate tax should cut to 5% immediately. state personal income at 5.5%, that could be cut to 5% immediately. that sends a message to wealthy companies throughout the country -- moved to oklahoma. it is a low-tech state. we are not yet. you cannot attract industry to move here until you begin to attract wealthy companies. you're not going to begin to make your state welfare. that is our would begin to do

it. -- that is how i would begin to do it. >> jari askins. >> i have advocated the creation of a children's cabinet, which is not a new entity, but an opportunity to bring together directors, the decision makers of agencies responsible for funding programs for children, as well as private sector, a not-for-profit entities that are involved in cash child advocacy. the states that have enacted at children's cabinet, they adopt a policy that utilizes the best dollars available. when you bring together all those months, okla. with the opportunity to help children, one in five children of oklahoma should not go to bed hungry. that is a crime. and when we let that happen, we do not anticipate those children will be healthy. we do not allow them an opportunity to succeed in school.

the first order of business that i will do as governor will be an executive order creating a children's cabinet so that we can focus on the needs of oklahoma's children today and tomorrow. [applause] >> randy brogdon. >> we have a childhood poverty in the state because parents cannot have good paying jobs. we need to reform our jobs market in the state. and our tax system. this is a difference of like to point out between me and my primary opponent, congresswoman fallin. we have both stated publicly that we want to lower the tax burden on oklahoma families and oklahoma businesses. but recently the ap reported that she was not willing to do that until the economy recovered. i am willing to immediately start ratcheting down our income-tax so that we can zero out our income tax. you do that by creating jobs

utilizing free-market principles rather than bailout and stimulus schemes and handouts, the very thing bankrupting our nation and creating jobs flight out of oklahoma. i want those jobs back. my tax policy will create a better environment for that. >> drew edmundson. >> referring to this, it is a detailed plan. it is on the web site. it starts off talking about education and in some of talking about the tribal partnerships. in between -- and i agree with senator brogdon, creating jobs is the key. jfk said a rising tide lifts all votes. we've got to create more -- lifts all boats. all entrepreneurial start-ups and attracting business is from out of state. we start off by capitalizing on

our assets. energy is certainly one of them. we are on the sea of natural gas in oklahoma. if we are either first or second in the nation as an access to win is a source of energy. wearily your in aviation and space. we need to capitalize upon those assets, create jobs, growth the economy, and provide resources that we must have to attack this problem. >> mary fallin. >> we're going to focus like a laser beam on jobs and opportunities and greeting the best business atmosphere to help businesses expanded and bring industry to the state of oklahoma. that is how we help with the poverty rate in the state of oklahoma. the enemy to say, i am for lowering taxes. the question not as rigid when you take office in january, and when you cut taxes immediately? first balance the budget.

that is a big priority of mine. one children, one of the big problems we have in the state of oklahoma is the lack of education. we have 25% of students dropped out of high school, only 17% get a college degree. we have to better educate our children and work force. that is the one way to help party. and i want to mention our teen pregnancy rate in oklahoma, 40% of babies born in oklahoma are bored the unwed mothers. that is a bad sign. -- are born to unwed mothers. that is a bad sign. >> robert hubbard. >> as a grandfather to the sweetest little boys, eight years do not prepare. [laughter] children are absolutely the most precious gift that we have. the state of oklahoma has dropped the ball time and time

again. i have campaigned this year and one of the things i have campaigned upon as the department human services. we as a state allow women to have children, we take those children away from them, and we do nothing to the women or the guys that were a part of that. we have to take those women and we have to get them help. some of them i know have had a very difficult upbringing. they have not had the kind of ability that we have had growing up. we need to help them but we need to stop the cycle. thank you. [applause] >> we only have time for one last audience question. we will have a one-minute time limit. the question is -- recently there has been a major move by both the democratic and

republican parties toward super partisanship in both the federal government and state government. what would you do to bridge the gap between the two main parties and create a more bipartisan government in the state of oklahoma? we begin with jari askins. >> my reputation as a camelatuor grew because i from a background as a judge. you were supposed to listen to both sides and then make your decision based on the information given to you. that allowed me to reach across the aisle for the 12 years i served in the house and be able to form a relationship and form coalitions and sometimes give up my idea and take ideas from other people to make good ideas better. that is what i will continue to do as governor. i have the ability to be able to build bridges, that will build coalitions that solve the problems facing the state of oklahoma. i hear that from people all across this state. they do not want the bitterness

and divisiveness of washington to insist that the state capital of oklahoma city. i promise not to let that happen from the governor's office. thank you. [applause] >> randy brogdon. >> my idea of leadership is one of serving other people, and educating. i have been quite successful doing that as a state senator. i've been very successful as a business owner for the past 30 years. i've been as successful member of my church and in my community. but leadership makes a difference. a good leader will break down those barriers. the entire time i have served in the states and and i have been under a democrat governor's office. six of those years, four of those years with the democrat house and senate as well. in that period of time, let me give you my resume may of how i had gained bipartisan support. i passed the real idea act.

if you're concerned about property rights, i stop the super national highway. i did the taxpayer transparency at, the term limits for all statewide elected officials. these are all sweeping pieces of legislation that i reached across the aisle and both sides. >> time is up. >> thank you. >> drew edmundson. >> for the last 15. five years, out of the attorney general's office, when we sought legislation from the legislature, we made a point of seeking both democratic and republican authors in the senate. and we did that before the republican party could -- took over the house in the senate. we wanted to build something out of our office to be perceived as nonpartisan, bipartisan pieces of legislation aimed at the criminal justice system, aimed at protecting consumers,

whatever the particular subject matter is. we have established -- i have established relationships and friendships all across the aisle already with people i would be able to work with. i think it is incredibly important, aside from reaching across the aisle, it is to have that personal meetings, breakfasts is, the lunches, the meetings after work, small groups, one on one -- to firm up those relationships. so much of it is personal and not political. we need to do that to move oklahoma board. -- forward. >> mary fallin. >> the people are tired of the partnership -- partisanship that is in a nation. they want someone who is going to work on the problems they face every day. i that the opportunities to serve in the oklahoma state legislature, but the democratic house and a democratic governor. i helped pass dozens of pieces

of legislation because i worked on both sides of the aisle, talking about solutions to problems, not being partisan. i worked with the republican governor emmett -- and a democrat governor. i have had that experience. i think the history speaks for itself in the 20 years that i've served in public office. i know the imports of bringing solutions to the problems in getting things done for people that do not want the partisan politics. >> robert hubbard. >> a few weeks ago when i stepped on the platform out under the trees in oklahoma and said i was a republican running for governor, people kind of looked. i said, i know and i understand that, but when i am governor of that state, i will not be governor of republicans but everybody in the state and that is what i mean. as i watch the state legislature from time to time, i don't see it divided between republicans and democrats as i see urban and

rural. with multiple small business experience and an agricultural background, i think i can speak to every person in the state and represent each one fairly. [applause] >> roger jackson. >> in my mind, if you want to improve the situation, and you're going have to change your thinking, put on manager in office, put some new blood into office that can get along with people. term limits have done a lot to attack what we're talking about and help to eliminate some of it. but you need a new approach out here, and i'm your man. you need a manager with 45 years of experience getting along with people. i want you to think about that. visit my website and see if you think i have the background that can get along with people.

we need someone that came along with people -- they can get along with people -- i have done that all my lifetime. please consider me before you scratch that marker in the polling booth. thank you. >> we will now move to the final segment of this evening's form, closing comment by the candidates. you each have two minutes. we will start with randy brogdon. >> [inaudible] i appreciate academy for hosting year. can you hear me? let me start over. i appreciate the opportunity to be with you tonight. and thank you again for hosting these forms. i am running for governor for a very simple reason. i believe it will have a profound impact on the state of oklahoma. and that is to restore the founding principles that made this nation great, that has made oklahoma an amazing place to live.

thou use that we once held sacred here in the state, s values such as limited government, personal responsibility, and the expansion of freedom, are now too often held in contempt and look down upon by politicians, especially those in washington, d.c. and i'm concerned about my kid'' futures. i'm concerned about the economy. i was concerned about what washington has done to our economy with the bailout, the earmarks spending from the stimulus schemes, the obamacare that has been pushed down on to the states. all of these things are a systemic reality to the problem that we are facing today. and the reality is, we have way too much government mandating and controlling and trying to run our lives and our businesses. i believe in a different direction for the state of oklahoma, and i have a crystal clear vision. not only wear on known critical

oklahoma needs to be but how to get us there. i believe in lower taxes. i believe in personal responsibility. i truly believe in limiting the power that the politicians have taken over on the lives and the family's right here in oklahoma. i would be honored to have your vote. if you are looking for a challenge to the status quo, i am your guide. if you're happy with that, i am not your guy tonight. i'm a danger to the status quo and i appreciate your vote. thank you very much. >> drew edmundson. >> next tuesday, the voters of the state of oklahoma first two critical decisions this year that will shape the future of oklahoma. i think it is imperative that the voters and the people of the state elected as their governor someone who will be thinking about the next generation and not about the next election.

my record in the attorney general's office has been one of accomplishment, and the things that we have done will benefit the people of oklahoma for years to come. the tobacco trust which was created by a vote of the people in 2000, with a settlement of both tobacco industry, it is already aiding the help of the citizens of the state of oklahoma. the amount of money coming out in interest and earnings is turning -- is going to $21 million this year, $30 million next year, and it will be generating those benefits for oklahoma long after i'm gone from this earth. by the same token, the education technology trusts created in the settlement with southwestern bell has help move us from 50th in the nation in access to computers in our schools to 12th in the nation in access to those computers. and that still has the original purpose and it will be helping

the citizens and the children of the state of oklahoma long after i am gone from this state and from this earth. those are the kinds of things that the next governor needs to be doing to benefit the state, 2011 and 2012, very difficult fiscal years. make no bones about it. 2011 is probably going to be another year of budget cuts. but we can start making the structural changes in government that will recreate the state and help produce an economy, a growing economy, and a betterment to our system that will make this a place where our grandchildren can have jobs and a better place to live. thank you for your consideration. [applause] >> mary fallin. >> i am running for the governor of the state of oklahoma because i can concerned about the future. i'm concerned about the direction our nation is going in

our state in the future of our children and generations of debt that are being piled upon our children by washington, d.c. i know the heavy hand of the federal government and its interference in our state and our states' rights and the lack of respect for our constitution. our next governor will have to focus on our economy and on jobs and opportunities. our next governor is going have to understand that government does not create jobs, the private sector creates jobs. when you tax less her of what you want more of in our state, and you get more of that in our state. i'll do everything to bring more jobs and opportunities and bring in business. we're living through tough times right now in our state. we have a budget shortfall. if we had won the last couple of years. the next governor will have to make tough decisions about spending. and i'm going to ask the

agencies to become smaller, smarter, more efficiency. i won a bring and individuals from the private sector to bring in reform efforts to government. and we're going to focus on education in the work force and do everything we can to create the very best educational system possible for our system, because the stronger our education system, the stronger economy. these are challenging times for our state. very challenging times for our businesses. i've had the opportunity just travel across oklahoma and ask people, whether you concerned about with our state question mark if they want to have a job and a good paying job and government to stay out of our businesses. we do not want government to come in and tell us what we're going to do with our health care. if we want to be able to expand our businesses. a lot of businesses are sitting on the sidelines right now because they do not know what will happen in our economy. if the next governor will have to focus like all laser beam on the economy and government reform.

>> robert hubbard. >> it has been my intent at each to challengeformums u.s. oklahoma do you as oklahoma -- to challenge you as oklahomans. to be big in heart, to look beyond the easy way, to look beyond the think that is best for you, to look it people -- at people and be a person that can withstand challenges of life. i challenge you to be big and compassion ate. to see beyond yourself.

to see beyond your needs. to see your neighbors in the light when they need help and to reach out and be that helping hand. we need men and women who are big with a vision. like me because i need another pair of glasses. [laughter] the vision to look where we are as a state, where we are in our economy, where we are in our nation and stand up and with the spirit of oklahoma say yes, we can survive. yes, we will make a difference. like an eagle tied to the ground who only seize those things or round, just concerned with this portion of this little area,

never soaring above the clouds to see the potential that is there. i challenge you to be a better oklahoman, and i would do that as your governor. >> roger jackson. >> once again i want to thank this great audience. i know you're concerned about your safe government -- state government or you would not be here. i want to thank you for listening to us. i want you to be aware, if elected governor, if you like me governor, if you have someone who has 45 years of business management and negotiating experience. that will allow me to overcome political special interest groups that have stymied our state's efforts for the state financial emergency for the past two years. i'm the only candidate that has recognized the financial emergency double year-end. it's on my website.

i have also got a budget of one of point out the problems that we stay but i point out solutions, even though they are controversial, they are up on my website. i would like feedback from each and every one of you what you think of these ideas. we're not only going to have to cut state government but raise revenues. we have to cut taxes. we are high-tax state. we need to get wealthy companies and wealthy individuals to move here. california has got on mass exodus out of that state. those people have money, and that is the type of people we want to attract to oklahoma. [laughter] i want to look at medical marijuana. terminally ill oklahomans have this option over prescription drugs that have very dangerous side effects. a look it is, by can we have?

it of the big car dealers that are blocking that opportunity. why can't we rebid our global stage hmo, 40% overpriced compared to other states? the governor vetoed the right to do that. i want to go back to an overnight liquidity fund used to be in the state. >> time is up. >> thank you very much for having me. [applause] >> jari askins. >> i am running to be your next governor because i believe this is an opportunity to change the way that oklahoma's government does business. when times are tough, business itself looks internally and makes changes and this is the opportunity for us to work at the state capital to do the same thing. time talking about more than

just cutting appropriations, but changing the way that we did the budget process. we need the people of oklahoma saying that we want you to only work on budget every other year. i think that you will have better confidence in the way the legislature and the government appropriates your money when you can see more effectively how that money and how those decisions are made. but we cannot make those kind of changes when we have people trying to move oklahoma to the left or to the right. it is time to stop. we need to move oklahoma ford. and we cannot do that until we put partisan politics aside. i could not be more optimistic about the future of the state. i have seen the result of oklahoma's people. time and time again i witness the courage of their conviction. a few years ago, some of you heard me say, i had an opportunity to see the tournament of roses parade and one of the floods the celebrated

oklahoma, a birthday present open up and a man pull out called the rocket man with booster rockets on his back. unman two rose down said, i want to go to oklahoma. [laughter] he was seeing excitement and a risk for the future. i believe in the oklahoma that that 10-year-old in vision, and it be -- it could be the same for every child in oklahoma. as a governor, i will make to work -- i will work to make those dreams come true. thank you very much. [applause] >> in closing, i will let the bank that faculty, staff, and students for northeastern university for hosting this forum. all like to think our candidates

for being here tonight, but more important, for your willingness and desire to be oklahomas next governor. if i like to thank our audience members -- let's give them a round of applause. and thank you for your participation this evening and your involvement in oklahoma electoral process. please remember the next tuesday, july 27, it is our state primary. thank you and have a good rest of your evening. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> c-span -- our public affairs content is available on television, radio, and online. you can also connect with us on twitter, facebook, and youtube. sign up for schedule alert e- mails at c-span.org. >> next, on