(00:00:00) Each of the four major candidates will be in our Twin Cities Studios during these noon our broadcasts and you will have a chance to ask the candidates about your concerns. Today's guest is ljungberg the independent Republican and Dorsey and here to moderate. The discussion is mpr's political reporter Pat Kessler. Thank you. Bob Potter and welcome everyone to a listener call in with gubernatorial candidate. Lou Wong Berg. Lou Wong Berg was elected lieutenant governor of Minnesota in 1978 before he was elected to that office with Governor Al quie. He was superintendent of schools in Bemidji. He was assistant superintendent of schools in Worthington the high school principal in Cosmos and a teacher in Granite Falls. Mr. Weinberg announced his candidacy for governor. The day after Governor Qui said he would not seek re-election. He was the first Republican to declare that he would run Weinberg defeated four other candidates for the Republican Party endorsement last June and he is running against unendorsed Republican candidate Wheelock Whitney in next week's primary election Mr. Wong Berg is 41 years old. He and his wife Jane have three children and live in Roseville. Mr. Weinberg. Welcome. Thank you. Good to be here. Let's start with the most current campaign developments and go from there and all the listeners will have a chance to call in in just a few moments Republican. Senator Rudy boschwitz is As will the news conference in just over an hour from now at which he is expected to announce his support for your opponent. We like Whitney for governor boschwitz, of course was the only member of the Republican Congressional Delegation who did not endorse your candidacy and his waited until now to we suppose support Whitney both you and boschwitz are products of this endorsement process like to know from you. Do you feel betrayed by this at all? What is happening your reaction? Oh, I think it's a little bit of a tempest in a teapot. First of all, you should note that. I do have the active vigorous endorsement and support of five congressmen as well as the other Senator Senator durenberger and have had the continuing support as a matter of fact just over this last weekend. They were involved in writing a letter that goes out went out over the weekend to all 130,000 Republican voters in the primary so that to me is very very important senator boschwitz. So I think has some long-term associations with mr. Whitney. We have some very informal scuttlebutt that tells us that we have there is disarray and some panic in the Whitney camp and I think they've called in an IOU that has been sitting there nevertheless the endorsement process seems to be a or has been in the past an important and integral part of a campaign now does a u.s. Senator endorsing a non endorsed candidate mean mean anything? Well, I don't think it means so very much for me. I think that at this point in the campaign the voters are substantial substantial along the way making up their mind and we've been getting pretty good level of support out of that and I'm feeling pretty optimistic. I think that had he done it two weeks ago. It might have had some additional impact that it won't have right now. I think that it has much more impact on his Future he's going to have to run for re-election in two years and he is going to clearly irritate and anger a lot of Minnesota Republicans and whether he can survive that or not I guess is the phenomenon of Rudy boschwitz. He's he's very much a loner and very much his own man. So you think it will make a difference for party regulars, but you think they'll be angry that he broke. Well, I know a large number will certainly not all the will but we've had 40 plus years of effective use of an endorsing system in this state which has sorted out the artificial impact of money the artificial impact of single issues and it's done a pretty credible job of picking candidates and for him to now oppose that system and the representatives of it in light of the pretty Universal support on the part of other Republicans is behavior. I don't totally First and you should also know that really boschwitz doesn't know me even though we both serve as Republican office holders and state of Minnesota. I can recall no time when the two of us have ever had a conversation other than that of the most superficial. He's never talked to me about issues or ways that I would go about doing the function of Governor. He knows virtually nothing about me. So you did not talk with him before this expected amount. I have never talked with him virtually. Okay, you say that your informal scuttlebutt shows that there may be some panic in the Whitney campaign. However, the polls depending on which ones you believe either call it a dead Heat or the poll yesterday in the st. Paul Dispatch showed Whitney leading you what about that? The polo is in the dispatch yesterday was not a poll of Republican voters or not a fullness early voters much less Republican voters and I don't think represents. What's really happening out there. We've had a strong conviction. And some some informal polling of our own which indicates that during the last ten days to two weeks, especially since we went on television with advertising about two and a half weeks ago, and since we finally had an opportunity to get Whitney nailed down to debate a couple of times that we have been steadily gaining. There's been a strong positive momentum in our Direction. Okay. I'd like to give out the numbers just for a moment and come back to you and ask you another question. If you want to ask a question of Mr. Wong Berg the independent Republican endorsed candidate for governor. If you live in the Twin Cities, you can call two two seven six thousand two two seven six thousand. If you live outside the Twin Cities you can call on our toll-free wants line. That number is 1-800-695-1418. Number one 865 29700 back to the campaign. Mr. Weinberg yesterday York. Pain spending reports showed that you had spent around $213,000 since January that is compared to nearly a million dollars spent by your opponent. Why have you had trouble raising money as the endorsed candidate or have you can you mount a successful campaign in this day and age of mass media with so relatively little money. We need to remember we were the last campaign to get off the ground even all of the Congressional campaigns. All the senatorial campaigns were organized and running really long before ours had to be in there could be in the field. We had to wait that endorsement process. I think that when I know that if you go throughout the state and you look at every campaign from durenberger the congressman the people running for the legislature the party fundraising except for the to multi-millionaires Whitney and Dayton everybody is having difficulty raising money this year. We have a downturn in our economy when you move out in rural Minnesota and the farmer is hurting then one of the contributions that gets slow down is political contributing and the same is true in the rest of the war in Spanish has raised a million dollars. Well, I think that had he been able to do so, he would have raised a good deal more than that. I'm just saying that everybody even though some have done better than others and earn Burgers apparently well over 2 million, but I think they would like to have raised a significantly more than that knowing. They had a large spender. They were going to be up against no one has achieved totally the goals. They wanted to achieve. Do you have money for this last week of the campaign? Yes, we will be on television will be doing advertising we have mailings in the field other literature will be dropped and distributed. We will be in phone banks will be doing a whole variety of things moving into the election time. Okay. Let's go to our listeners right now. Let's take our first call. Hello. You're on the air with lieutenant. Governor Lou Wong (00:08:16) Berg. Thank you. I want to ask the lieutenant governor what his view is of affirmative action programs both in these executive appointments and in general State hiring policy. (00:08:26) Well, I think it's very important in our state to make sure we actively move out to incorporate groups into our hiring practice who have not been there. I have always been a little bit troubled by quotas and formulas when that's done. I do have some interest in how the whole question of comparable worth is going to work. I think that that is an idea which will have a profound impact on state hiring practices will also have a profound impact on the private sector as its influence moves out there, but we must move forward to incorporate minorities and those who are currently not fully sharing in public employer employment to have that opportunity. Okay. Let's move on to another listener. Hello. You're on (00:09:12) the air. (00:09:18) Well, I'm posed to expanded handgun control in the state of Minnesota. I do believe that some of the pain or some of the crimes that are committed with the use of guns need a much sharper penalty. And we do need an aggressive and extensive upgrading of our programs to deal with crime because we've had a tremendous growth in that area but more than a doubling of the crime rate in the last 10 years, but I don't believe that the gun control itself is one of the ways that we accomplish that do you support however, the current laws that are on the books? Yes. I do not favor any change in the status quo. So just so we can be clear about this the this is the the law that was proposed by mr. Spanish signed by mr. Perpich in the laws that are on the books today. I don't believe there's any purpose to be served in repealing that but I am very worried about any expansion or addition to that. Okay. Let's take another call. Hello. Mr. Weinberg is listening for your (00:10:14) question. Thank you. I'm interested to know why. Gra. (00:10:19) Well not against Tiara I responded in a debate a couple of weeks ago to a yes and no question. What would be my stance on that act if it were in fact successful in or should it go through Congress again? And I indicated I would probably not be supportive. My problem is not with the are a per se but with the process the arra has not had I believe if I my memory serves me correctly. We've had only two states pass it since 1975 the last of those in January of 1977. It had ten years totally seven years originally plus a three year extension. My estimation of the climate in this country is that it would have a great deal of difficulty even getting 20 states to approve it now and if people really care about equality care about women's issues, it seems to me as I've said cruel and inhuman punishment. Start that same issue around the track and exactly the same form as it's been there before I believe now is not a time to be less of an advocate for the Equal Rights but more of an advocate for more Creative Solutions to that and I have not firmly made up my mind where I am on the issue. I'm just simply trying to think through whether there is a better way to go don't have it in mind right now. Did you support the ER a before this? That's right. I've been a supporter of the ra during the ten years that it's been before the country. So we're clear on this position that you supported it before but now you're not sure and probably not all I really troubled that we're sending it out for what is almost certain repeat of the defeat and even more humiliating probably defeat and really are not going to move the cause. The people are concerned about forward anywhere and you know, I'm sure people out there will disagree with my evaluation of the climate in this country, but I believe Mine is a realistic assessment of what's going on. Okay, let's go on to another caller. You're on the air. Hello. Mr. Weinberg is listening. (00:12:24) Hello. I'm Kyle. and I have a and I believe mr. Whitney had an idea for reducing the size of the state legislature and reducing it to one house. If I'm not mistaken, I'm wondering if he might mr. Bromberg might comment on them. (00:12:45) Well, I'm not going to quarrel with the proposal per se except to note that it's sort of a phony issue the earliest date that we could accomplish what he's talking about would be 1992 and in the process, we've got almost 10 years that would be between now and the time we'd accomplished that and there are other more pressing issues. Frankly. Mr. Whitney was looking for an excuse to hold a press conference coming into the election and I think he chose the that as the issue to use. There are real issues. I am deeply Disturbed that the legislature spends as much time meeting as it does. That's an immediate issue that can be changed. They can meet less often and less long when they meet and still accomplish more than adequately the business of the people of the state of Minnesota. I'm also deeply concerned about the way in which they apply their rules of germaneness many many of their bills are All encompassing I'm deeply Disturbed that they so frequently in generously use the garbage bill as a way of lumping legislation and near the end of the session and doing the big business all in the waning hours of the session. Those are realistic kinds of things. We need to correct later on. We can take a look at the possibility of somehow reducing the size of the legislature. Now I have facetiously said however that if you our belief is that the role of the legislature is to kill legislation and not to pass it then maybe what we need is a third body because every time you add a body you tend to kill more legislation, but I hope you understand being facetious when I say that okay, we'll take the next call. Hello. You're on the (00:14:28) air Mr. Wong Burger. It appears that he delayed his advertising or media advertising for his campaign until very late. Now whether the reason for that if that was any way to isolate himself from the Press. Governor and his administration of no other motivations (00:14:49) know the motivation was a very simple one one has a rule that you do not advertise without paying for it in advance. Our fundraising was not moving as rapidly as we wanted it to and so we were on the air as soon as we could afford to be no strategy there though. No strategy. Obviously, the one strategy is that it does not make sense to be on the air in July and not be on the air in September. And so we did want to take the resources that we could raise and have those start at a point and then peek at the primary and that has been Our intention. What about his point of separating yourself from Governor Qui? Well, I think that when people talk about that, they they really insult the voters of Minnesota. If you do try to intentionally set out on a strategy to isolate yours or to separate yourself artificially the public will sort that out and branded as being phony in fact is there were many issues were Al quie and I disagreed we disagreed sharply times. However, there were other issues. We agreed upon and I all I've asked of the press and the public is sort out which is which and hold me accountable for whichever position. I personally felt don't just make a general conclusion based upon where I physically happened to be at a point in history 17 minutes after 12 will take another call. Hello. You're on the (00:16:18) air. Yeah. I'm calling from st. Louis Park four years ago and the cui administration was elected in came in they seem to run a trial horse for the national. The thracian two years later how to run something into the ground and with four years of being an understudy to disaster. Why would the lieutenant governor be such a great candidate other than to see perhaps four more years of the same disaster go on. (00:16:47) First of all, you're wrong in terms of trying to draw any direct relationship between anything that later happened on the federal level and what happened in the state of Minnesota. They were all separate Dynamics operating for separate reasons, and there is no parallel other than those that may accidentally be drawn but there's no intentional one. The other thing is that there were many things that I would have done differently and there are things that will be different in our future and I think that if you stand me up alongside of the Alternatives either my Republican opponent immediately or the to dfl alternatives That you will find that my capacity to govern is substantive one and one that would in fact move this state towards the kinds of programs and expectations it historically has had twice in the last five minutes. You've said you there are things you would have done differently. Why don't you tell us what you would have done differently. Oh, I think their first we can't relive history. So I don't want to relive every facet of the last four years, but a couple of things that are I would have I think done differently. I thought the governor for example should have made changes in his finance department Staffing months before he finally did that. I thought that the bill that was allowed to become law this last January without the governor's signature as should have been vetoed. The legislature should have been put back the test again to see if they could not and would to have come up with a better piece of legislation. I think that the budget that was drawn and submitted in January of 1981 was far more generous than the resources of the state could justify and all of those should have been construed differently. We should not have been so quick to grab at Tax Solutions to our fiscal dilemmas Etc. Okay, let's take another call. Hello. You're on the air. (00:18:48) Yes. I understand it. We like Whitney has announced he would impose a freeze on spending to deal with the state's financial problems. I'd like to know what mr. Roberts reaction to is to his proposal. (00:19:01) Well, it is an irresponsible proposal not in terms of its goal. I don't quarrel with the goal because that would allow us if we could attain it to certainly achieve some stimulation in the private sector in a hurry. However, he would have the inevitable impact of driving property taxes through that process up by seventy to a hundred percent. He would wind up with 90 percent increases in tuition rates. We would have the very real probability of very quickly closing down campuses of the various colleges and state hospitals would have an enormous kind of an impact. One of the things that concerned me was when when we Whitney announced his program. He either was unable or unwilling to talk about those consequences and I think that he ought to have known the man ought to have talked about them so that the public could know What would it be following from a serious consideration of what he proposed? He also in submitting that proposal provided us with a 375 million dollar error. I think it's inexcusable in your first proposal for a major budgetary change in the state of Minnesota are improving the budget at the process of the state of Minnesota to lay that out with an error of that magnitude. Okay. Let's take another call at 21 minutes past 12:00 o'clock. Hello. Mr. Weinberg's listening for your (00:20:32) question. I would like to ask my questions and then just listen for your answer sir. I think it's easier then as you know, give you an ample time to elaborate or answer and I think it's more fair to you. Okay. My first question would be Republicans being basically all alike. The difference is not so much in philosophy, but in degree Could you elaborate me be what is the difference between your philosophy in budgeting and in governance in general and mr. Whitney's my second question would be although George Washington and some of the founding fathers were anti-party. We are committed to the two-party system in your opinion. What is Paramount in the party the convention and the endorsement of the convention of the IR party in Minnesota that is to say the convention is a manifestation of the delegates representing their individual constituencies, or as it has been proven now for a second time Senator boschwitz his personal opinion because he is the one who first expressed his desire if you excuse the expression to dump Governor query and now He's endorsing. Mr. Whitney over you. (00:22:00) Okay, we'll give you an answer on those two. First of all, I'm not sure that I can give you a very good comparison of the Whitney philosophy as versus mine. He retired from active work about 10 years ago has never managed in the public sector and so we don't have any real track record to look at he has announced a couple of proposals now which would give us some indication. The one that I just talked about which would drive property taxes up by seventy to a hundred percent and result in ninety percent increases in tuition and sharp cutbacks in our various activities of state government. Those are those are realities. He's also called for a what I call a raid on the Minnesota Pension funds to create an investment fund for business. Do represent some differences from where I'm coming from? I've called for example for a property tax freeze while we get on with the reform of property tax in the state of Minnesota. But frankly, we don't know much about mr. Whitney has told us he's a manager. He has bought a lot of expensive television time to tell us that and that's about all that he's told us we so you because we're going to have to scratch into his background more than we've done up to this point the second question of endorsement versus the opinion of the of the junior senator from Minnesota or anyone else we have in Minnesota in our Republican party and to some degree. I think it could be said that the same is true of the dfl party one of the most open political systems in the world. We ultimately pick five thousand delegates and alternates who come to a State Convention and they have heard the candidates time and time again in their own Precinct caucuses in their own County and political unit conventions District Conventions. They've studied them under a microscope. They really really get to know them well, and we have had our party go through the process again this year. It's selected in this case myself. I have the endorsement of other candidates who sought that office. I have no endorsement of numerous people throughout the state and while every person is entitled to their own opinion. I submit that mr. Boschwitz is only one among a very large group of people and I don't think it is the opinion that ought to Prevail whether you win or lose next Tuesday. Will you support Senator boschwitz if he runs again if Senator Bosh It says the endorsed candidate. I will support Senator boschwitz. Okay, we'll take another call right now. Hello. Mr. Weinberg is listening. (00:25:00) Yes, since you have come from the field of Education. I'd like to know what your thoughts are on the physical problems that face public education in Minnesota and what might be done to solve them. (00:25:11) Okay, very good question. The there are two deeper problems in education than fiscal ones and frankly in the next few years. We've got to address those or were not going to do any good in the fiscal area. One of those the question of of control public really isn't sure who controls education in Minnesota anymore. They're not really sure or whether it's a teacher organizations. They're not sure whether it's the state legislature the State Board the school administration the public increasingly however feels it's not them that the public is removed increasingly from public education. We must find some ways to move toward the goal of helping people to feel more ownership for what's happening in their local public schools. That's an essential ingredient. The second one is the question of quality minnesotans always prided themselves on quality in education. I think they still do I think they yearn for it and we must put in place some initiatives that move us towards and and ensure quality. Of the education and there is a public perception increasingly that quality in education is diminished in the last 15 years and that's just not acceptable. Those must be fixed in order to solve the fiscal problems. The the fundamental ones we have to have some growth in our private sector. The only way we support our schools is through taxes and those taxes are paid by individuals or in good incomes and businesses that do well and so it is a first priority of this state to make sure that our productive sector produces if we do that we will then be able to find the fiscal support for Education. Now one step further than that. We have a system for Distributing School resources in this state called the Minnesota miracle and it is anything but a miracle and I believe that in the next couple of years. We need to junk the Minnesota miracle and get on with the process of reforming School Finance in Minnesota so that it's done now with more emphasis on program more emphasis. Sun quality more emphasis on Parental involvement you've said before that you want the local governments and the people in the school districts to feel more ownership. What exactly do you mean by that who owns it now if they don't well nobody's really sure Pat They there's a feeling that it could be the teacher organizations that really run things. There is a feeling that maybe the legislature has become the super School Board of the state of Minnesota the public feels that if it is concerned about something in the curriculum that it is shut out that's not true in every Community but it is sort of a increasing kind of a trend there was once a time when a people sat down in a kitchen have coffee and talk about their schools or they did downtown at a restaurant. They mostly do it with a sense of Pride. They talk about the good things happening down the street in the school and now they tend to gripe and complain and to be frustrated and do not know where to turn and to Of the evidence pieces of evidence that shows us that is the Fairly sharp increase in private school enrollment where people do feel like they can choose some of the ingredients of what goes on. Let's take another call right now at 29 minutes past 12:00 o'clock. Hello. You're on the (00:28:33) air. Wait staff. And you mentioned the need for leadership in government, which I agree with and I was wondering how is Governor you could exert leadership in relieving the economic burdens of people in the state of farmers and low-income people other than new government programs. (00:28:57) Now the issue you sound is I think a correct one. You can go out and hire an infinite number of managers they are available and there are some expert ones what you can't hire is you can't hire leaders. Those are the kind of people you hope to elect people who will inspire people who will give you a sense of vision a sense of a future a sense of hope most of the leadership elements have nothing to do with money and have nothing to do with specific programs. Although we you may wind up using some programs to implement as a leadership. I like to cite the difference between a Jimmy Carter who I think had perhaps tremendous management skills, but was never able to quite capture the hearts and minds of Americans on the other hand are Ronald Reagan has shown us that even in a presidency where the powers have been clipped in curtailed he's able to again and again be successful on those things that he cares about. He's Able to communicate and to relate to the public. I came into state government for years ago. I've looked around looked around and I have yet to see anybody who engages and what I call really long range planning and we really need to see a vision of what Minnesota can become this state has all the potential and all the ingredients in place to become the center of the world. The people are ready natural resources are ready. We've developed resources to support all of that the next four years. I think the people want to go in that direction and they just need a leader who's going to make that happen. Okay. I'd like to ask all of you who are calling in if you want to why don't you tell us where you're calling from? We'll take the next call right now. Hello. You're on the air. (00:30:41) Hello? Name is Nan Hyatts. I'm down by Lake City and I'm wondering if you would favor allocating any funds from the state budget for the purpose of civil defense. (00:30:52) I'm gonna have to tell you honestly, it's not something I thought about the civil defense program in this country is generally been a federal program and has worked reasonably. Well over the years might well be said that sometimes the resources are thin there. But those that are seem to have been effectively use the one place where civil defense does affect. The governor is in the National Guard and I had kind of a first-hand experience calling out the National Guard a year ago and we had tornadoes in Roseville and Minneapolis and was very impressed and very pleased with the job that they along with local law enforcement and local Civic officials did and of course that is a state to concern a state expenditure and but I think that were well served and I do not see any need at this point for Sharp increases in civil defense. Okay. We'll take another call right now. Hello. Mr. Weinberg is (00:31:48) here. I'm calling from Minneapolis and I'm a physician and Like to know about your feelings on the current status of the abortion question. (00:31:57) Well, I happen to hold a pro-life conviction and interestingly my opponent. Mr. Whitney is on the opposite side of that issue from myself and he is holds a pro-abortion position. I believe that an increasing number of Americans are developing deep convictions and are moving to operate politically based upon their concern about that issue. It is not a simple one. There are many complex problems in either direction, but we do not have the world operate the just because problems are simple we need to take on the complex ones as well. But that's a growing issue and I'm on the pro-life side of it. Okay, we have time for many more calls. Hello. You're on the (00:32:43) air. Hi. My name is Jackie Potter and I'm from a small town in southern Minnesota called Randolph and I've seen several small businesses closed in the last two years in the area and I guess I'm wondering how can your Administration if Elected help our economy and strengthen the future of the small businesses in Minnesota. (00:33:03) Small business has to be the focus of what we do in the future 70 to 85 percent of all new jobs for our state are created in small business and we've got to be vigilant in defending and protecting it we need to do a whole variety of things should also mention by the way that even our big businesses in Minnesota were almost without exception small businesses that grew up 3M was a little sandpaper company that eventually became a big one in any event. We needed a whole variety of things. I believe it starts with workers comp and some other negatives which need to be reformed and brought into competitive status with our sister States. We have the highest corporate income tax rate in the nation. We have very high commercial and Industrial real estate tax, which is smothering the small businessman. We have a ever increasing burden of regulation in this state and we need an ongoing system of regulatory review to make sure that Those regulations we need to retain our contemporary and wise we have a need to provide some targeted incentives. I believe there are Geographic areas as well as certain kinds of industry in this state that would just grow phenomenally if they were given an opportunity given some kind of incentives that we might put together, but generally the most important incentive that we could provide would be that of lowered government spending and lowered taxes. Okay. The time is 25 minutes before one o'clock. If you have a question for mr. Wang Berg, you can call in the Twin Cities 2276 thousand and if you live outside the Twin Cities area. The number to call is a toll-free wats line. 1-800-669-9133 wats line number again is 1-800-695-1418. We take another call right now. Hello, mr. Weinberg is (00:35:01) listening. I'm calling from St. Paul Mr. Wong Burger. It's been proposed by another candidate that a relief fund similar to that on the Iron Range should be set up for Farmers. What do you think about that proposal and our your what are your ideas about the best way to help Minnesota Farmers? (00:35:20) Well, I'm we might well benefit from having a relief fund for several of our economic groups in the state. I'm not quite sure where we effectively might fund that from but it is an idea that I'm willing to examine and it may well have some Merit the deeper question is the second part that you raised. However, and that's what do we do about our farm economy in the state and we can waive all sorts of temporary Band-Aids at it. We can we can do all sorts of Patchwork, but the only real solution to Minnesota's Farm problem is to sell what we produce. And we produce in abundance and we sell poorly and while we're not isolated from a national economy. We do have an opportunity to get our Minnesota product moving better than we're doing now and we want to remember that 1/8 of the world's people go to bed hungry every night and in the next 25 years, we have to double the world's food supply just to stay current with the current nutritional standards. Somebody out there needs what we produce so well, but we have been very very ineffective at marketing and don't want to take too long with his answer Pad but on I get an audience from time to time. I'll ask them how many in the audience speak Chinese or understand the Chinese culture and I almost never get a taker and then I say well then surely one of our chief trading partners Japan how many of you speak Japanese or understand the culture of Japan and I very seldom get a taker. I said we occupy the same hemisphere with a group. People who predominantly speak Spanish how many of you speak Spanish? I'll get a few more takers, but very few people who understand the culture and my point is simply that we don't understand the rest of the world very well. But if you go to any of those Nations, you'll find a lot of people who understand us who speak our language and who are smart about competing with us. We're just not very smart at competing with the rest of the world we can and and we'll get smarter. I think as the years go by we need to accelerate that process and we have the kind of product the rest of the world wants. We've just got to be better at marketing. Okay, we have another caller ready with a question for lieutenant. Governor. Ljungberg. You're on the (00:37:41) air. Good afternoon. My name is Mel tramel and I'm calling from South Minneapolis. All right, what else can it can it government Governor? I haven't heard of either yourself or any other candidate or dress themselves to any problems of the black people in the state of Minnesota, especially for the problem with the small business of black people. My question is do you feel that it's necessary for a candidate for governor to seat the black vote in the state of (00:38:14) Minnesota. Yeah, I think it's very important to seek the votes of all groups in the state and the black community the Hispanic community and other minority groups in the state are very very crucial this year. The debate has tended on the part of all of the candidates to drift over and to stay in the economic area and has not gotten into some of the specific sub issues that sometimes emerge nobody is more negatively impacted by a downturn in the economy than some of our minority groups and we need to recognize that it is the small business enterpreneur who holds the key. I think to the minorities solvent future and so why lie When I have been talking about solutions for Minnesota, it has been my intention that some of the primary beneficiaries would be certain Geographic areas certain industries and certain kinds of groups that are most impacted. I did talk recently about the need to do some very specific things in the area of the handicapped 15% of our population are in that group but no group in our state of the whole society fails when any individual group is denied full access to the things that we do, let's take another call right now. Hello, you're on the (00:39:50) air governor wander several times during your campaign. You have waste frustration with mr. Whitney over such things as his refusal to debate you the amount of personal wealth. He's pouring into the campaign and his refusal to make his tax returns public in your opinion are these legitimate issues are just frustrations of yours. (00:40:14) What is the public is going to decide whether their issues or not? They are frustrations with me. And you know, I'm I'm fairly open person and pretty transparent and I think that other people who are running for office. So ought to be subjected to the same kinds of things that I am, you know, and I've had a high-risk intubating my opponent and I could stick my foot in my mouth I could do with some devastating things as we move along but I have an idealist and I happen to believe in the debate area that the public gains when we have an opportunity to talk about issues and my opponent has ducked again and again and again, I think of 60 Bates off the top of my head that he's refused to participate in including one that's coming up before the Press Club. I think it's tomorrow night in terms of his wealth. His wealth itself is not an issue. We all want to be wealthy. We admire people who have been able to do that except People I think use that wealth in a way that distorts our political system and frankly if you look at mr. Whitney's nearly a million dollars of expenditure up to this point, you'll find that most of it is either from himself or members of his family or very close friends and I don't think that the common guy who's farming out near Wilmer or the guy who's actually working on the factory assembly line somewhere in the Twin Cities Etc. He isn't being represented by that kind of force. And I think that that has a reason to concern us all not the fact that he is wealthy, but that he might abuse the use of that wealth and then the third area is while I don't think we need to expect to see all of mr. Whitney's tax returns. We do have a right to expect any public official to tell us in some detail where their income came from so that we know where the conflict of interest might be and more specifically what Taxes they paid and whom they paid them to I think those are legitimate expectations on the part of the public so that everyone else I guess got a judge whether their issues. They are frustrations to me and their issues to me because their issues of good government and openness. What's the difference between we like Whitney spending a million dollars on a campaign which you say distorts the political system and Dave durenberger running for Senate spending two and a half and maybe more what's the difference in the amount of money that isn't the amount of money. It's the source of the money that makes it an issue. I don't I don't think that there's anything wrong with mr. Dayton spending his 4568 10 million dollars, but I think there is an issue when the source of that money is all from one place. I just I don't like that. I think that's obscene. That's that's not the kind of thing where the average little guy out. There is really being represented. Okay. Well, let's take another call right now. Hello, mr. Weinberg is listening to you. (00:43:15) I am a university student. after one long bird my question has has with SHINee in the college level and concerning students belonging to the minority group ethnic groups or International groups. My question is do you have any plans to eliminate or at least discourage the practice of some professors concern about prejudice against minorities ethnic students and international students. We still have lots of this kind of professors in the University. (00:43:54) All right. Well my eye, you know, the application of most of the programs that are in those areas are done within the institutions but I as a general statement can tell you that I hate discrimination and I hate anything that limits human potential. There are very few of us who live in this country who are very far off the boat and we all are essentially either minorities or are descendants of immigrants who came to this country and we ought to try as much as we can to fold people into the mainstream of our society and to treat them with dignity and openness anything that fails to do that. I will Crusade against because I reject that in my own life and I think it ought to be rejected in any government or any institution that we fund. 15 minutes before one o'clock you're listening to a call in with lieutenant. Governor Lou Wong Berg. The Republican endorsed candidate for governor will take another call right now. Hello, you're on the air. (00:44:55) I'm going from Two Harbors hear a lot about how it's necessary to stimulate economic growth in the state in the country. I'd like to ask mr. Weinberg wada economic growth is and how it can be reconciled with the fact that the United States has six percent of the world's population. We consume 50 percent of the resources consumed in the world each year. Thank you. (00:45:21) The problem with growth is not that we have too much but that somebody else doesn't have enough and I think that other nations other societies will gradually make gains as time goes by and their percentage of gain will relatively be more rapid probably than our own very large Society are our whole culture. Our whole society is built upon. Hope is built upon the promise of a better life our economic system from Adam Smith forward our constitution even talks about the pursuit of happiness. And I think that's sort of what they are hinting at when they wrote that and our educational system is guaranteed to providing social cultural and economic mobility. And therefore, I guess the people's lives having a larger income is really where we're talking about going people off through their life to have at least the promise of income going up of their lives getting whatever they defined as being better. Okay, let's take another call right now. Hello. Mr. Weinberg is listening for your (00:46:33) question. I wanted to address the issue of party endorsements. And in 1980, I went to my precinct caucus only to find a totally dominated by Moral Majority. They use procedural votes and stifle debate then they elected their slate of delegates without any debate whatsoever. I'd like mr. Weinberg to address that issue of the parties being dominated by single-issue groups. (00:46:58) Well think the party is dominated by single-issue groups. They were there was a large surge this year of new people who came into our political party as activists and many of those my generally be categorized as belonging to the Moral Majority, but it's too simple to label them all with one with one name. And and also the system was open anybody could have come you don't have to have been a lifelong Republican. You can't have been a Democrat. You can have been an independent. You're going to been just whatever you want to be if people are frustrated with those who are there they're counteraction to that is to make sure the next time that there is a similar convention or caucus that they bring more of the people of their own persuasion. I am dedicated to building the Republican party in Minnesota as a majority party that cares about a great number of concerns we Or never do that unless we open our doors to all people who sincerely come to us. The system is not one that's closed and not one that the rules are slanted in any one particular direction, but people who participate do have a right to control it are you if we can call the new influx of people into the Republican party as you said possibly Moral Majority. Are you counting on their support of you counting on the more conservative element in Minnesota to come out and vote and put you over the top I am counting on their support. Yes, but I'm also counting on the support of a lot of moderate Republicans. I have enjoyed the ability to build a coalition would remind you that bill frenzel is the chairman of my campaign and he is clearly in the more moderate wing of the party and I have many friends there and we just need to address ourselves to being 51 percent, you know, we narrow our Focus we might have a nice cozy little Group that have a purity of ideology and 20% of the public voting for them and that that might make nice debating Society, but it doesn't make very good government and you never get elected Oscar a very quick question because we still have listeners waiting. A lot of people say that the Republican Party platform in Minnesota is a very narrow focus and does not represent the average voter in Minnesota and specifically the average Republican voter our never going to know what the average voter really is. I do think that when you get 5,000 very diverse personalities debating and so forth that it does represent an awfully large segment of the Republicans and also large segment of Minnesota's population, and I don't think anybody agreed with absolutely every piece of that platform. There are people are different and they may disagree with individual segments of it, but it does represent an awful lot of people whether it's the true average or not. We'll never know. Let's take another call right now at 10 minutes before Or one o'clock. Hello. You're on the (00:49:59) air. I'm from Rochester. Importing from a Time magazine article January 11th 1982 were rated the most desirable cities in the US and quoting that one sentence are state taxes as a percentage of household. Income are highest in the Minneapolis. St. Paul and Rochester Minnesota areas. In other words that's of any area in the United States the your program or your thinking different from mr. Whitney's in how to correct the situation or you have any specific plans on how this in other words. We don't want to be person household income taxes as a percentage of household income. How can we correct (00:50:48) that well, you know, you're absolutely right. What and I suspect. Mr. Whitney and I shared the same goal in terms of reducing that his approach to it. However would be to use a machete and to see and to Back away. I believe that we need to use wiser more definitive more sequential way of getting to our goals. He announced some proposals but week week and a half ago. That would have been factored driven property taxes up by seventy to a hundred percent or so severely reduced police and fire and basic services that I don't think it would have been acceptable. I proposed a system of keying our state expenditures to what I call the Minnesota earned income index or a similar scale and to make sure that during all of the next four years that the growth in government is less than the growth in our private productive sector. That's really the essential task of the next term and I just think that mr. Whitney is spelled out a procedure for getting there which shows no understanding. How you deal with the bureaucracy? How you deal with the legislature? How you deal with the Press? I'll you deal with the public in getting the goal accomplished. Let's take another question right now. Mr. Wang Berg is listening for your question. You're on the (00:52:18) air. Good afternoon. Hello. I have a two-part question here since World War Two we've had Korea and Vietnam. I definitely will not vote for anybody Republican or Democrat who did not serve in the military or who ducked the draft. That's question. Number one. Also, I forgot to ask him what branch of the military he served in also, I'd like to say this who the hell are we supposed to vote for people like myself who are Republican or I could be classified as a Jesse Helms me Republicans. We have no way to turn. Thank you. (00:52:57) Okay. Thanks for your question. Well, I miles humbly submit that I am the most conservative alternative that you have available to you for. Under this year and whether I meet your litmus test for being a conservative enough, I guess only you will be able to determine I will tell you that I have a handicap. I was born Stone deaf in my left ear and that physical handicap has prevented me from being in the service and I apologize for that. I'm not a veteran but I would have been had I had an opportunity to be so a lot of good friends who were I've had many members of my family including his son who is now a decided he wants to pursue a career in the military, but I'm sorry, I can't meet your test. They're either just about five minutes before one o'clock. We have very little time just about four minutes left before we have to end this program. I'd like to ask all of you who are waiting to keep your questions brief so we can get as many as possible. Let's take another one right now. Hello. You're on the air. (00:53:57) Yes. Mr. Wong Burger. West Concord, Minnesota and your Democratic opponents measures perpich in Spanish have stated that they support renewable and alternative energies and I was wondering if you had any comments or specific intentions towards the use of making Minnesota a little bit energy securing its own, right? (00:54:22) Yeah. I absolutely do I think Minnesota and the area Pete and other kinds of Rouen and the use of our wood resources Etc. The use of alcohol has a tremendous solar as a tremendous responsibility to move forward aggressively that area however is one that people have been using fairly heavily politically this year. I suspect that it's going to heat up as we get into the general debate conservation is terribly important in Minnesota is always going to have energy problem. We got to move ahead very aggressively on the area. Let's take another question right now. You're on the (00:54:57) air with Emma brand new comer. To Minnesota and I've been performing my opinions listening to programs like yours. I'm very disappointed in mr. Weinberg performance as he attacks his opponent using words like campaign disarray phony issue excuse for press conference and so on. I'm wondering when it's all shaken out if mr. Whitney wins the nomination will mr. Weinberg supporting. (00:55:18) Well isn't going to happen so weird. I haven't had to confront that issue yet. You're evading that question. No, I'm not evading it. I'm telling you what's going to happen. Mr. Mr. Whitney has said that he will support you. If you win. Will you do the same? I haven't had any thoughts about that at this point. Okay, let's take another question quickly. You're on the air. (00:55:40) Hello, you're on the air the concern something that was in the National Republican Party platform in 1980. And that is does your guests feel it's appropriate for the federal government to mandate the speed limits locally in Minnesota particularly on the interstate freeway system. And of course, I'm referring to the federal speed limit like his response to that how he feels about it. (00:56:07) I can't think of any or very many at least areas where we make better decisions at a federal level or at a state level than we do at a more localized area. I believe that the citizens of the state are perfectly capable of making through their legislative process their own decision about speed limits on the highway. Let's take another question right now. Hello, you're on the (00:56:29) air. Hello. I'd like to I'd like to know exactly what your program is or how you Feel about tackling the financial problems that the state is having. I think that mr. Whitney is able to draw on quite a bit of support from people who feel that he has the ability to improve the economic conditions in this state with a big business type organizations at a in a better way than you do and I just like to know although you have kind of answered this question already. In other ways. I just like you to specifically deal with this question to speak a little bit (00:57:13) on it. Well, I just think his credibility is very thin the organization that he headed up until 10 years ago when he retired was a fairly small one. It was about two thirds of the size of my Bemidji school district where I was during the same or before I became lieutenant governor, the only thing he's managed in the last 10 years have been his personal affairs and his own private. He has no record of ever effectively managing and government and frankly. That's not an insignificant thing to think about. He has never had the experience of having a press Corps housed in the basement of your Enterprise aiming cameras at you all day. He has never had a board of directors of 201 members all with their own constituencies and their own private agendas. He's never had to deal with a recalcitrant bureaucracy dedicated to snarling things up for your initiatives Etc. I just don't think he really understands the task. He has I don't think much credibility in the management area, and that becomes especially important since he's tended to label himself as a manager. I'm awfully sorry to say we're going to have to leave it at that. Thanks to all of you who called our apologies to those of you who called and could not get through and thanks very much to Lieutenant Governor Lou Wong Berg the independent Republican endorsed candidate for governor back to you Bob Potter. All right, Pat, we will hear the other half of the GOP Primary Election on Saturday with Wheelock would need in our Studios during the noon hour tomorrow Warren Spanish the dfl endorsee and on Friday Rudy perpich shoes Challenger. If you'd be interested in purchasing a tape cassette copy of today's broadcast. You may order one by calling 2279090221 1500 in the Twin Cities. You get those numbers mixed up two to one fifteen hundred or one eight hundred six five two 9700. That's our midday program. Thanks to Dorothy Hanford the engineer Fred wasser. This is Bob Potter.