Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor candidate Kenneth Corn speaks to members of Young Democrats, Tuesday night in Dale Hall. He discussed the need for job creation in Oklahoma and education funding for two-year career-tech colleges. Jeremy Dickie/The Daily

A Democratic candidate for Oklahoma's lieutenant governor's seat said he would become Oklahoma's chief job recruiter if elected to the post during a speech at an OU Young Democrats meeting Tuesday in Dale Hall.

State Sen. Kenneth Corn (D-Poteau) said in order to recruit jobs to Oklahoma, education and job training must improve in the state. To that end, he would favor the creation of a program which would provide two years of free college or Career Tech training to "academically successful people" willing to make a commitment to provide public service after their schooling.

The program Corn proposed is modeled from North Carolina's "Learn to Earn" program, he said.

He also said Oklahoma's educational system, from kindergarten through college, needs to be updated.

"We still teach school in Oklahoma as if it was 100 years ago … we have to modernize classrooms in Oklahoma and modernize the way we're teaching," Corn said.

Corn said when he talks to business leaders in the United States and around the world "they talk about how we have a great work force here, [and we're] centrally located …. but we need to have more college educated people."

Political science junior Katherine Rose said she thought Corn had a lot of good things to say and a lot of good ideas.

"Particulary his focus on bringing jobs to Oklahoma, because that's so important," she said. "And improving education to keep people here, because so many people leave."

Controversial comments on social issues from some Oklahoma politicians hurt Oklahoma's perception nationally and globally, he said.

"There are people in the state capitol that are saying things that make Oklahoma a very unattractive place for businesses to come to," he said. "I wish we could put a muzzle on those people."

An audience member asked Corn if he would attend Sarah Palin's upcoming book signing in Norman. When Corn said he wouldn't be there, the audience member told Corn State Rep. Sally Kern (R-Oklahoma City) would be in attendance, Corn quipped "Good for Sally. Maybe Sarah will take her with her."

Corn also said several pieces of Oklahoma's infrastructure need to be fixed, saying bridges designed during the Civil War were still being used today. He said conservative members of the Oklahoma Legislature are reluctant to spend money on such repairs.

"There's nothing conservative to me about building something, letting it fall apart and spending three times the money to build it again," he said.

Oklahoma also needs to address health insurance reform, Corn said. He said he supported a patient's bill of rights and expanding programs to increase health care availability for Oklahomans.

"Theres some thing wrong here in Oklahoma when we allow [an insurance company] bureaucrat to make health care decisions for you," he said. "That should be done by a doctor."

The speech began at 8 p.m., just moments after President Barack Obama's address at the United States Military Academy which called for an additional 30,000 troops to be sent into Afghanistan.

"We had a legitimate reason to be [in Afghanistan]," Corn said. "They were harboring the people that attacked us. We need to get it done and get out."

Corn also said he supported greater services, particularly mental health services, for veterans.

"I don't think were doing a good enough job in helping our returning veterans with their mental health needs," he said.

Corn said he "strongly disagreed" with U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Muskogee), who Corn said was placing a hold on legislation that Corn said would increase funding for mental health services for veterans.

Corn said he is the only declared Democratic candidate for the lieutenant governor's seat, though he said two Republicans have declared. Primary elections are scheduled for July 2010, and Corn said he didn't think another Democrat would enter the race.

"We're so far ahead in fund raising, it would be difficult for another Democrat to catch us," he said.