March 26, 1973 - A rural-dominated legislative committee takes up a bill for a Constitutional amendment would allow legislators to spend road use taxes in more diverse ways including mass transit. Funds would be distributed by a formula according to population, area and money needs. Opponents say it would lead to grandiose and expensive transit schemes when there?s not enough money in the highway fund now to keep roads and bridges in good repair and develop farm to market roads needed by farmers. C.L. Bauer of the Triple A says to undedicate highway funds would be to use them for unintended purposes. He says transit will not relieve traffic congestion, and that regarding pollution, standing on the busiest downtown street corner for eight hours is the equivalent of smoking one cigarette. Bill author Tom Berg says this is not an attempt to dissipate the fund or take outstate funds. It would give the legislature the flexibility to solve transportation problems that exist in rural Minnesota and township roads. He?s happy to support more highways in outstate, but he doesn?t think we need it in metro area, bill would take it out of current constitutional restrictions. Author bill Tom Berg asked for postponement of the vote so compromises could be worked out. A motion to kill the bill passed by a vote along rural/metropolitan lines.
March 27, 1973 - A farmer
March 27, 1973 - MPR's Dulcie Lawrence gives a summary of events at the Legislature. Nicholas Coleman talks about his handgun bill, saying if the Attorney General now sues it will be many years before all the handguns in the state have a permit because you don?t have to do anything about collector guns because they aren?t registered. This bill will achieve the main purpose of reducing violent deaths. The 18 yr old majority bill status in House and Senate is updated. Divorce reform bill author Allen Spear says the bill removes the grounds that now exist that create acrimony, hypocrisy, and sham within the court for people who mutually decide to have a divorce but have to find grounds on which to request divorce. Instead this bill provides a mechanism for a couple who mutually agree on a divorce, the vast majority of cases, to do so without going through grounds that now exist.
March 27, 1973 - A hundred people in the Lake Minnetonka area have formed a club to supply their basic food needs. It?s an alternative to a supermarket. Jenny Eastburn says she wants wholesome natural foods, and describes how the group was formed and how the club sells the food. Food is sold one day a week, on the honor system, and chores are handled by volunteers. She talks about how she shops at health food stores as well, and that household food expenses are comparable to a regular supermarket if you cut out high priced junk food and use healthy substitutes. She says she?s not affected by increasing food prices, and says we?ve been consuming more than we need to be, we?ve had everything we wanted and didn?t appreciate it, it's time to take a second look.
March 27, 1973 - A Wounded Knee update, and the situation appears to be quite confusing. Senator Abouresk says it's all over, and attributes conditions for a resolution of crisis to Aaron DeSerra, a Rosebud Sioux who claims to speak for AIM. There are three conditions necessary for a conflict resolution: audit of tribal council books (Richard Wilson's books) on Pine Ridge Reservation, especially with fund disbursement; assurance by BIA that a petition for a referendum to recall Wilson will not be turned down; investigation of Civil Rights for those still at Wounded Knee. Meetings will be held tomorrow in Rapid City and at Roadblock One. There's an unconfirmed rumor that Richard Banks and Russell Means are no longer in Wounded Knee. A light plane came in and landed at Wounded Knee, unloaded what the government says is a cache of ammo and guns. On what evidence is there that this information is correct, reporter McKiernan says It's total speculation.
March 27, 1973 - A discussion with two teens about the proposed Age of Majority bill for 18-year olds. Would give them right to contract, own property, marry, make wills, and enter professions now limited to 21-year olds. Teens think 18-year olds are ready for the responsibilities. Discuss major objection to bill of teen drinking. Would lose juvenile status in courts. College policies towards students would change, no longer in loco parentis. Teens could run for state legislature and deal with laws that affect them like parental notification for birth control. Rhonda Miller, Murray High School student, Jim Wolf, Johnson High School student.
March 29, 1973 - Speaker: What will happen if you adopt this particular amendment is that you will be back here next year and you are going to change it to eighteen. What you are saying to young adults in the metro area near adjacent states is that you cannot drink here; you get in your car and you drive. What eighteen year old will not have it available to them in Minnesota? People came before the committee and said it is easier to obtain drugs in Minnesota than alcohol. I did not start out as a crusader to lower this particular age, I served on a subcommittee and I did not have the answers. But I think this is the answer, it is a big step. I want you to take it with me and vote down Mr. Kempe's amendment.
March 29, 1973 - Unknown speaker: What makes you believe that by allowing 18 years olds to drink intoxicating beverages they can cope with this when many mature grown men and women cannot? We have a rapidly increasing number of divorces, one of the main reasons for divorce is alcoholism. Increased juvenile delinquency and adult crime are also byproducts of the alcoholic parent or parents. It?s ironic to me that we build alcoholic detoxification centers on the one hand, and on the other we are now encouraging 18 year olds to have the right to drink alcoholic intoxicating beverages. We have on our highways an ever increasing amount of traffic fatalities, are you going to provide the catalyst that will increase the carnage on our highways? Members you have in your hands by your vote the lives of individuals. Giving 18 year olds the right to drink they will infringe on our rights to use the roads and highways and make a menace to use them.
March 29, 1973 - Unknown speaker (at state legislature?): Stratems (sp?) moves that all those not voting be excused from voting. Voice vote of ayes and nays. The motion is not adopted. Call the absentees. Voice keeps repeating the name ?Baneff? (?)
March 29, 1973 - The food co-op movement is providing an alternative to grocery stores. The reporter says what began as an underground grocery store has survived the scrutiny of the public health department. The North Country Co-op has gown into a warehouse supplying perhaps twenty more efforts like it in Minnesota. Most have grown up near college communities, but other populations are also served including the elderly and inner city. There are no store managers, clerks, or customers, just people who share the work and savings. Store coordinators run the ongoing operation. Store coordinators Linda Irish and Jim Erickson describe how the co-op works, including the kind of food that?s offered, the costs for food and markups, prices that vary depending on what people are willing to pay, and education about food preparation