Over the decades, MPR has presented the many different perspectives of Minnesota politics and politicians. This collection is home to a multitude speeches, interviews and debates on the issues of the day. Important topics of civil rights, environment, crime, budget, legislation, and campaigns are addressed.
Click on link to these well-known figures to see audio segments directly related to them: Michele Bachmann Arne Carlson Keith Ellison Hubert Humphrey Amy Klobuchar Eugene McCarthy Walter Mondale Tim Pawlenty R.T. Rybak Jesse Ventura Paul Wellstone
January 22, 1999 - It was Purple Pride Day in Minneapolis and Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton asked people to join her in wearing purple and celebrate the team that almost made it to the Super Bowl. At a Minneapolis City Council meeting, Mayor Sayles Belton and Minneapolis City Council members showed their Viking spirit.
January 26, 1999 - Governor Ventura today named Ted Mondale to take over as chairman of the Metropolitan Council. The Council has a variety of Twin Cities-wide responsibilities... but Mondale and Ventura indicated MASS TRANSIT will be their number-one priority in the next few years.
January 26, 1999 - City workers in Minneapolis and St. Paul would be able to live wherever they want, under a bill passed by the Minnesota House. For the past few years, both cities have had residency requirements for new employees. The issue sparked heated debate between urban and suburban House members, and prompted Speaker Steve Sviggum to threaten to remove disruptive lawmakers from the House Chamber, a comment he later reversed.
January 28, 1999 - One of Minnesota's largest industries is getting a boost from the new governor. Jesse Ventura's budget includes increasing the Office of Tourism's advertising budget by five MILLION dollars. The former wrestler and actor says Minnesota can exploit HIS entertainment background to make the state a worldwide vacation destination.
January 29, 1999 - Also on Midmorning today, Governor Ventura talked more about his decision to apply for a concealed weapons permit. MPR's Kathryn Lanpher asked the governor why he feels he needs to carry a gun.
January 29, 1999 - Governor Ventura says he's struck a good balance between tax relief and spending in his budget for 2000 and 2001. The Governor laid out his spending plan yesterday evening for legislators and the media.
January 29, 1999 - Governor Ventura's budget has widened the rift between him and Republicans on the number-one issue of this legislative session: tax relief. Republicans say Ventura has reneged on his campaign promise to give the state's surplus money back to ALL the taxpayers, the Governor says he IS giving it back -- but he's also looking out for interests of middle-income Minnesotans.
January 29, 1999 - Governor Ventura's budget is getting higher marks from Democratic lawmakers than from Republicans. Senate DFL'ers generally like Ventura's stance on taxes and tobacco money, while House Republicans question whether the Governor is living up to his fiscally-conservative campaign rhetoric.
January 29, 1999 - The Governor's budget sets aside one-point-three billion dollars of the state's tobacco settlement. Ventura says he wants to invest the tobacco windfall in Minnesota families, medical research and public health. But not everyone at the Capitol agrees with his method of spending the money.
January 29, 1999 - One of the losers in Governor Ventura's budget proposal is public broadcasting. Ventura says he wants to gradually eliminate state subsidies for public radio and public television stations in Minnesota. The stations, some of which are in rural areas, say its money they can't afford to lose.