(00:00:00) First question there are numerous proposals in front of the legislature this session to make changes to our welfare system. They would have mothers under the age of 18 live with their parents. They would have unemployed fathers get jobs and job training, they would have unemployed single parent women be targeted for jobs. If you were our governor what kinds of changes to the welfare system would you be seeking and we'll start this question with Democrat Mike Hatch. (00:00:35) We are now entering third and fourth generation families that are no welfare situation. I think we have to address it in three basic stages one. There are a number of people who for whatever reason you need immediate help we're talking about people are newly unemployed of come off of the system who do need assistance and we had to be very compassionate and very prompt and giving that type of assistance the second group are people who are going to be permanently unemployed. Italy unable to participate in the system and primarily through the federal government assistance goes in that direction, but the third area if you're going to divide up the the issue here, the third area is this third and fourth (00:01:12) generation family environment that we're (00:01:15) developing and in that area. I do think we do have to have reform and we have to have substantial change and we do have to have an encouragement if you get up in the morning and nobody leaves to go to work if it's not part of the ethic to put in eight hours, if it's not part of the ethic to earn to earn your way through Society, you're not going to do it and I think we ought to change the welfare system and give encouragement and try different programs. There's lots of criticism lots of questions about the idea of taking welfare dollars for instance and targeting it for use with employers so that people take that and use that as a chit or an add-on to it to a wage be paid by an employer but I think it is a proper experiment in something that ought to be pushed. I do think it's important to encourage education in a mandate education and job training after a period of time on welfare. We should be trying Many different proposals and as many as we can in order to cut out and to cut back and the phenomena that we've developed within the system (00:02:10) Republican dick. Kemmler welfare. (00:02:13) First of all, Arne Carlson is talking about 50% of the people under the new system. That would be back to work but find jobs. Well, let me just ask where are the jobs without creating them? We don't have them I would suggest in a course. I I do believe we should have that we should have a work program but one of the things we need to create the jobs, there are many things that could be done. Number one. We can have people we could have the welfare recipients painting houses for the elderly shoveling sidewalks doing something. So at least they feel that they're getting something that they're worth something. You know, the biggest problem we have is people feeling that they're worth worth anything. We must get to the root of the problem. We're never going to solve the way. Fair problem without getting to the root of it. I would like to see the welfare program put back onto the back of the churches and what that originally had it we got to get less government less government involvement in welfare. Get it more back people serving people works people serving people Works Government serving people has never seemed to do the job properly and I believe that we could by bringing this back to where we put the responsibility back where it belongs and I'm sure that they would accept it. This is my opinion. Thank you (00:03:31) democrat. John Marty welfare under our current system of welfare. We actually take away somebody's health care when those single parent finds a job. They have their health care provided. They don't need child care when they're when they're on welfare. But as soon as they try and find a job, they probably aren't going to find a job with all the benefits. They're probably looking at a minimum wage type of job and they can't afford to take the job. We need higher minimum wages so that they can earn closer to a decent living you can't earn a living on for Five an hour also need to recognize affordable childcare needs. We do have a program to address that Hennepin County is a 2-year waiting line. Most employers won't wait two years until you take care of your child care needs and Healthcare. We ought to make it accessible to all certainly jobs are worth more than simply economics to people jobs create sense of our self-worth they're important to us and we've got to make sure that people have the experience of working. I think it's very important that we push that way we're going to have to do a number of things to create jobs that pay a decent wage to create whenever we need to the subsidies for child care and health care to make it so people at least have the ability to take a job when there's one available think we have to do a whole range of these things. We got to change the whole incentives from where we are now and almost reverse what we're doing. Democrat taught us welfare. Yeah for me the magic word in this whole discussion is jobs. We've got to bring the state together business and labor together create the education and job training situation such that people will have jobs and we need to allow people who are on public assistance access to child care Access to Health Care access to job training and give them the tools to get off of Public Assistance. We need to change the whole bureaucracy and orientation toward jobs and working and to the maximum extent possible for people who can work enable them and never discourage never provide barriers to them. I think that it's an easy Whipping Boy and I think it's important for people to understand that in Wisconsin There's considerably higher per capita public assistance in the state of Minnesota in the state of Minnesota. There is a powerful work ethic and so I don't feel comfortable. With the implication of some of our knee Carlson's rhetoric the people are on welfare because they chose to be lazy. I think it's circumstances of life, but there should never ever be a time in which it's better and more lucrative to stay on welfare than to work at a real job. So I would like to see us move in that direction aggressively. I want to point out that Arne Carlson is on this bandwagon in an election year and he himself has been on the public payroll for almost 30 years. I think we ought to get Arne Carlson off of Public Assistance Republican Allen Quest on (00:06:23) welfare. Well, thank you Karen. My approach to welfare is very different from the approach of the governor and of the legislature and I think quite different from the approaches that are being floated out today. The reason my Approach is different is because of the analysis that I make of what the welfare problem today actually is. Twenty years ago twenty percent of the people on welfare were single parents and their children today 61 percent of the people on welfare are single parents with their children. Twenty years ago. We had two million kids on afdc. Today. We have 8 and 1/2 million kids on afdc welfare. Today is primarily a problem of children and single parents that is where the problem is for that reason. It is my judgment that the way to deal with the welfare problem is number one to rebuild the American family and in rebuilding the American family, we must put fathers or men or husbands back in the home. That is the critical issue in the welfare area now to do that we need to do a number of things. We need to have abstinence-based sex education programs because they prevent the problem from starting we have to require that afdc beneficiaries identify the father of the child. We have to have a two-year cut off to welfare and we have to have much better tax incentives for families and (00:07:58) children Democrat Mike Freeman well and Welfare, minnesotans are both compassionate and generous but in return for that compassion and generosity, they're entitled to demand responsibility and accountability welfare reform and the welfare process should be involved in short-term help why a person gets their life in order not a lifelong process in order to change the present system. We need to require education and then work first education many people in face. It most many of the people in the single-parent families are women women with small children many without job skills, maybe without basic education. We need to require education. We need to mandate job training skills, and they need to require people to work. Public sector jobs wage subsidies for the private sector. Secondly we need to put the father back in the family young men who think they can see our children and walk away from them are dead wrong in Hennepin County. We've increased the number of paternity cases requiring father responsibility by 40% in the last three years Hennepin County collects over 60 million dollars in child support and we need to do more and we need to do better. The package I think is pretty straightforward responsibility accountability compassion requiring people to develop the job skills and getting them back to work. Okay, we'll move on to another question here question from the audience person is raising the issue of the ethics debate that is currently going on at the state capitol. And we've had something of a retreat in the (00:09:38) house on the amount of money a (00:09:41) lobbyist could spend to buy a meal for a lawmaker who was proposed at five dollars. It is now at $20.00 per meal in the house and I guess my question is how would you what is your view of lobbyists and their relationship to lawmakers and constitutional officers? I'm broadening the question a bit and we'll start with Republican dick Kibler. (00:10:04) Well, I'll probably starve The Devil's Advocate but I believe first of all, I don't think we need any money that it should be zero. There'd be no way it would be it not any problems at all. If we would just say that we cannot that is legislator could not accept any money from or any meal from a lobbyist. I guess I'll just make it short and brief because this is what I feel I stand on I feel we would we would stop we would cut out all the problems that we are having we wouldn't have to worry about the $5 at a $20 or who's going over not going over just plain wouldn't accept it. If you want to go out with a lobbyist you pay for it. (00:10:44) Democrat John Marty, I've authored a bill since 1988 that would ban such gifts and perks from lobbyists to public officials. I still think it's the right thing to do. The house has been moving on the Restriction in terms of what you can get only restricting it by the amount of disclosure. I think we shouldn't be dealing with the disclosure on the perks on the gifts. We should simply Bandit continuing to push for that. It's not a question of people buying votes. That's a crime in Minnesota already and I don't think that's what lobbyists are public officials are doing but nevertheless special interest money has a real impact on the process. It's given because people know it gains access it builds Goodwill to the political system. I think we've got to take this one on head on and say it's not acceptable government deals with far too much money far too important a decisions to allow it to be swayed even subtly even subconsciously by special interest gifts and perks. That's why I've been working on campaign. Actually form and that's why I believe we should ban those and I'm hopeful that this legislative session we can address the issue in a solid way Democrat taught us on the subject of Ethics. I think it's so important that the public trust be re-established. I hope people go to their caucuses. I hope they take this system over I served in the legislature 12 years and I believe that the people there are overwhelmingly honorable. They go through a great deal of pain and suffering to get elected and they have the public interest in mind, but the appearance of impropriety is important and I commend John Marty for what he's doing on campaign Finance reform in lobbyists disclosure reform. I think it's important the folks have to believe again. They ought to have first access to the best parking around the capitol. They ought to testify first every committee meeting they ought to come first in our whole political system. I advocate recall of elected officials who violate the public trust the people should have more power not less and they are Central to how our system is going to work in a clean and effective manner. I also think we need a governor who should be a good example. This is a cartoon that was in the st. Paul paper right after Arnie Carlson went out for his last minute contribution. Grab. We need a leader people can look up to and believe in in terms of ethics and that's why we need a new governor Republican Alan Quest on the subject of Ethics. (00:13:04) Thank you Karen. I think it's really interesting that we have so much discussion of Ethics today and so many proposals on ethics and I personally favor most of the proposals and favor the discussion, but the reason that we're having all this discussion today is because the public perceives that too many legislators and people in high office have not been ethical and I think the main thing that we need to do is to have people act in an ethical fashion. And if we do that we aren't going to have the need for more laws now, I would like to bring up one specific on that I have with me today a part of a mailing that was put out by Governor Arne. Austin and those of you who are listening By Radio can't see this but take my word for it is here. It's a yellow sheet as all printed. It's real this particular mailing is a photocopy of copyrighted material and as a campaign ourselves, we checked into the photo copying and distribution of copyrighted material from area newspapers. We found out that the area newspapers do not give permission to do this and that it would be a violation of copyright laws to photocopy and distribute in Mass copyrighted material. So we use a campaign are following that guideline. The governor Arne Carlson is not following that guideline. He is illegally Distributing copyrighted material and I today would like to call on the governor to cease and desist from his unethical and illegal practice of wrongly Distributing copyrighted material and I will ask for a response from (00:14:42) him. Democrat Mike Freeman on the subject of Ethics. There's no magic dollar amount $5 $10 or $20. That's its makes a person ethical or not. Ethical. It's really what they say in public and the action in their deeds. Let's talk about Arnie Carlson for a moment. Remember that great campaign promises. No new taxes. Well, there may not have been new taxes in income or sales but look at your property taxes people in st. Paul 30% increase that's a tax. That's an impact. Let's talk about roads and transportation infrastructure primarily financed by the gas tax Arne Carlson. No new taxes and we're losing Federal money for badly needed process. I think what we need to do in the question of Ethics is to look at those social policy questions. What have they talked about? What are they said is important to them and that they lived up to those campaign promises and I'm proud to (00:15:34) respond that it's Hennepin County attorney. I (00:15:37) promise to set new sexual assault team and we have that. I promise to focus in Juvenile Justice. Justice and we move forward on that. I promise to work in the roots of crime and we've worked in that in a number of areas. (00:15:49) Those are campaign promises. I made in my previous job and I've upheld (00:15:52) them Arne Carlson you promised no new taxes. We got property tax increases all over the place. I don't think you lived up to that campaign promise and to me that's the worst of any possible ethical violation Democrat might catch on the subject of Ethics. Well, I think the I don't have a problem (00:16:10) with the bills that are being (00:16:11) discussed. I could support them. I could vote for them. I could sign them wouldn't be any problem with that whatsoever. But I don't think that that I think we're selling our political process short. If we think that passing laws saying that you can't (00:16:23) go out to lunch with a legislator somehow going to change the process (00:16:27) the problem (00:16:28) our process today isn't the $10 lunch with the (00:16:30) legislator. Not at (00:16:32) all. I haven't seen any I've been in government. I took on more Banks and insurance companies and probably anybody else in this state through the process and they had probably more lobbyists than any other institutions. With the legislature and I don't think any time did I ever feel that there was a legislator who was ever selling out or doing anything inappropriate because of a gift or a contribution from a lobbyist. I think we've got a very clean system in the state and perhaps were so clean that because we're critical of it. We undermine it. Well, we ought to focus on I believe and I think the real problem in our process is it is single-issue politics when you go to the legislature and when you run for governor run for any other political office, you're inundated with questionnaires from from groups, and they're not talking about gee how about a job or how about health care or what about it our education system or what about crime in the mud in it and people get hurt or what about taxes or what about a responsive government know we talked about, you know motorcycle helmets. We should we have motorcyclists where motorcycle helmet should abortion legalization of sodomy. We have all sorts of very single issue driven organizations that whipsaw and tear apart campaigns and candidacies and political parties. And that does have a very detrimental effect. I think in the legislative process more public involvement. Not more public cynicism is the cure to our political process. We got a good system. We just need more people involved (00:17:57) question from the audience. What we'll each of you do to promote business interests. This is after all the Saint Paul JC's, please provide a specific example in will start this since John Marty got to start with a one word answer will give him another shot at being the first one so Democrat John Marty, what would you do for business? First of all, I think that we should focus our Economic Development efforts not on special benefits to one particular company think we should be focusing it on trying to make the system better in every community in the state often in smaller projects. We have to be working through programs where the economic development dollars are going to create actual jobs. Not just the hope that maybe some new ones will come out of this but link Economic Development to specific jobs second. (00:18:43) All I (00:18:43) think we have to focus on our state strengths. We do very well in healthcare and high-tech Industries. We ought to keep promoting that especially in the energy area these days we've got to make a move to sustainable energy wind power biomass all those sorts of things plus energy conservation Energy Efficiency. Those are Minnesota jobs from Minnesota businesses, instead of shipping our dollars out of state to buy coal or natural gas or petroleum that we use here in consumed once in hurt the environment at the same time. There's a lot that we can do in terms of focusing on our strengths. We also have to address some of the problems that face businesses. I don't agree with the business community and every way on how we ought to do it, but I think we have to address workers compensation. I think we shouldn't be doing it by cutting benefits to Injured Workers and we should be doing it by making workplaces safer reducing litigation re-regulating the insurance industry a whole range of things that we can do to address the uncompetitive nature of our premiums without hurting the benefits for injured. Workers Democrat Todd Otis. Well, I think we need a Hands-On Governor that's going to fight for jobs in the state bring business and labor together. We have a worker's comp advisory council at Arne Carlson said he's going to totally ignore and in Wisconsin. He got a hold of their workers comp law on is trying to bring it back here. That's nuts. We need to bring people together and we need to really build on our wonderful education system. I asked John roll wagon, the former CEO of cray research the three most important things for jobs in Minnesota. He said education education education and we've allowed it to slip in terms of funding and support and we got we have to improve we need to do better in job training and retraining programs Arne Carlson tried to invade the dislocated worker fund that we created in 1990 for other purposes. That's wrong. Our Workers are our future and their human resource to be developed not people to be thrown out of out of their jobs, like disposable parts, and we need to build on Minnesota resources wind biomass. Yes, but also I think a wonderful win-win-win fuel is ethanol and we had to be promoting it everywhere. We can we import two-thirds of our ethanol even though we're the second biggest corn producer in America. And so let's build ethanol and let's build on Minnesota. But bottom line, let's have a governor who's going to go to the meetings and make the calls. I talked to a person who is deciding between South Dakota and Minnesota and he said that in the case of South Dakota the governor went to the presentation in the case of Minnesota. It was a third level person in the department of trade and economic development. Well, I'll tell you when I'm Governor, I'll be at those meetings Republican Allen Quest on what would you do for business? (00:21:23) Thank you Karen and commenting on what I would do for business. I'd like to also point out that I am the only candidate from Greater Minnesota and that is true for both the governor's race and the senate race and I think that's a statement about how Greater Minnesota needs to be represented better than what it is. Business in Greater, Minnesota is having a hard time to specifics number one. The ethanol plan and Marshall is planning an expansion current plans are to expand not in Minnesota. But in South Dakota number two, there is a new ethanol plant being planned in the lower Red River Valley current plans will cite that in North Dakota rather than Minnesota what's gone wrong three things very specifically one is work comp which we need to reform but secondly and this is really a big problem is that the time it takes for a business to to jump through the environmental Hoops is a major impediment to expansion in Greater Minnesota, and I'm not saying the environmental standards are bad. I'm saying that it takes two and a half to three years to jump through the Hoops North Dakota and South Dakota will say you can jump through our groups in less than a year. Probably six months last but not least in dust. Industrial taxes in Minnesota are the highest in the nation. We absolutely have to turn the corner on state spending and start bringing our taxes down (00:22:52) Democrat. Mike Freeman on what were you would what would you do for the business Community? Well first we need to recognize and support entrepreneurs some of the greatest corporations and Minnesota's history were started in garages and small shops. We need to go back and to support those Venture Capital incubator space encouragement second. We need to remove duplicity as regulations and enforcement in Hennepin County. There are four different groups that go through and in (00:23:22) regulate hazardous waste and hazardous waste disposal the (00:23:25) city the county the state and the federal government. And what I've tried to do is to say to the city you review and (00:23:31) regulate some and we'll do some others, but let's leave that (00:23:34) small business alone that has two and three and four Regulators coming up. Number three the best way in one of the greatest strengths of Minnesota's our education system not only K through (00:23:43) 12, but clearly our (00:23:45) technical colleges and I would State when you see the customized training that goes on in the technical college and the difference it can make that's a great support for business particularly the business originating in that state and finally direct involvement of the governor. What's happened recently in the inner cities is a flight of jobs of good manufacturing jobs of other kinds of jobs of people that's inappropriate. That's unfortunate. What we need to do is apply the kind of resources to reclaim the soil that's been polluted and the neighborhoods that have been ruined and bring back jobs back to the inner city. Not as Arne Carlson his policies have suggested to the third ring suburbs only. Let's bring them back to the inner city. Let's build st. Paul and Minneapolis. Again Democrat Mike Hatch on the business Community. (00:24:30) Well, first of all if the legislature authorized me to negotiate a loan with Northwest Airlines and in exchange for building an Airbus facility, I'd make sure the Airbus facility got built second. I think that we got to quit chasing the glamour that the Saturn jobs the the Airbus facility the movie studios and things like this and get back to what this state can Market. I work in a law firm that's established primarily representing companies from other states. They do Acquisitions and they try to locate in the Midwest and I find it interesting they love Midwest they come from California New York the East Coast West Coast, they love our ethic they love our training. They love our education. They like they want to be here now. They go to North Dakota. I can think of one specific example. That's what you've mentioned is a company out of Philadelphia. They're the (00:25:14) largest employer in Bismarck today. And the reason (00:25:16) why they're there is because the governor North Dakota went out there and they hustled the business but it's interesting that Minnesota could have competed and taking that business a lot quicker particularly in rural Minnesota and Alan I want to remind you that I come from Greater Minnesota to I own property in rural Minnesota. And the reason why I'm located here is primarily because they're worked jobs in rural Minnesota, but I can tell you this this company could have located in a Wilmer or a Fergus Falls or a marshal or a Rochester and Woulda done very well because they've got the infrastructure the little secret about the Dakotas in the Iowa's if you locate a company there they may not tell you about the taxes, but then you've got to build the school and you got to get the utilities coming in you got to get the roads coming in and everything else. We've got it there but we don't work it in the (00:25:55) state and we ought to be doing that and I (00:25:57) workers compensation sure. We ought to take a look at some changes there. But let's Take a look at the fact. There were one of only nine states that deregulated the rates and if we're going to talk about Wisconsin, let's talk about a regulated rate system first. I studied at system. I know it and that would cut about 15% of it right there. And then we can take a look at the other issues to with regard to the administrative process. Lots of things we can do in the business Community here in the state. We got a great state. Let's Market it (00:26:20) with all due respect. The time is up. Sorry Republican dick kemmler. What would you do for the business Community? Well, (00:26:27) first of all, I am the only candidate coming directly from the private sector. I started to businesses from scratch and I know what it's like to work in a hostile business climate that we have in Minnesota and I as I travel the state and I listen to people and I'm actually I'm also from I'm from Crosby Ayrton if you know where that is up north and I was raised on the Iron Range where But anyway, there's some facts about small business that most people don't know some first of all, they employ six out of every 10 people. They provide over half the new jobs in the nation. They provide two out of three workers with their first job and they're responsible for more than half the Innovations developed during the 20th century including a zipper the helicopter the personal computer the insulin the artificial heart valve and the pacemaker and instead of running around the world looking for other businesses. Let's try to protect and keep the businesses we have in Minnesota now and we can do this. But the only way we're going to do this is to cut some keeps bending down. We do need a constitutional cap on spending. We can't bring down workers comp unemployment compensation industrial property taxes until first of all, we have we must cut spending we must be able to balance what we have you don't I can't spend all of my checkbook if I don't have the money in there and we shouldn't be able to do that later. Thank you. (00:27:51) Okay for the next And I want a very very brief answering. We're going to go quickly here. My question is this what is your opinion of term limits and we'll start with Democrat John Marty. I want a one or two-word answer yes or no or perhaps no. No, John Marty says no Todd Otis bad idea restricts Choice Ellen (00:28:14) Quest a good idea whose Time Has Come (00:28:17) Democrat, Mike Freeman unnecessary and undemocratic Democrat my cat. I support Republican dick kemmler support term limits. Okay, we'll move on. I like those one-word answers so much we're going to do that again. We'll start here with Democrat Todd Otis. Tell me what your intention is. Will you honor the party endorsement are will you run in a primary against an endorsed candidate autofocus? I will support the dfl endorsed candidate and expect to be that person. Republican Alan (00:28:48) Quest it is my intention to support the endorsed (00:28:51) candidate Democrat Mike Freeman. I'm going to support the dfl endorsed candidate Democrat Mike Hatch (00:28:58) too early at from you make a determination a lot of its going to depend (00:29:01) upon the March 1 (00:29:03) caucus and what develops their after Republican dick gimlet. I will support the endorsed (00:29:07) candidate Democrat John Marty. I will support the dfl endorsed candidate and I think to make it clear dick Himmler will support their I are endorsed candidate, but we were onto a major news story here. Okay, the next question. I'll give Todd Otis the first shot at this one since we're rotating that and his first shot was a one or two word or the state government state government is not yet officially involved in the move to buy out the Target Center in downtown, Minneapolis. The owners of that Center are looking to get out from under 7 d 2 million dollars worth of debt and about 20 million dollars that they owe the city. They are threatening to move the team in your view. What is the proper role of state government in this in we'll start with Democrat? Taught Otis. I really am not happy with the notion of any significant State dollars being involved in this deal. I believe that there if there are any dollars involved there needs to be a pay back to the taxpayer that's clear. Certainly not a gift. This is a classic example of the state being asked to bail people out who have made mistakes. I think we want the team we want the center, but I think that if there's any State dollars involved there better very clearly be a payback to taxpayers and that the people who pay in get back and over a fairly short period of time That would be my standard. I wouldn't say absolutely not but there better be a very persuasive payback for that kind of an investment Republican Allen Quest. (00:30:57) Well, I have very strong convictions on this issue and it is my belief that the state government should not be bailing out any private investors relative to the Target Center or any other commercial investment for that reason. It is my position that several years ago when the state engaged in the support taxpayer support of Northwest Airlines that we erased a very important line which distinguished a difference between government and private business. We erase the line and we took the position that we were going to on a preferential treatment give taxpayer subsidy to a private business. Once we erase that line we muddied the water so that we no longer have a clear sense of direction with regards to what government properly Is and is not and I think we need to redraw the line. I think we need to redraw the line so that we say that the state is not involved preferentially or in any other way in giving taxpayer subsidies to private Enterprise private Enterprise needs to make it on its own but now the line is fuzzy and consequently, the negotiations are less than clear cut. Let's redraw the line and it needs to be done today (00:32:17) Democrat Mike Freeman on the Target Center. Well, I think the Timberwolves in the Target Center of valuable asset to Minneapolis and Hennepin County and in the state of Minnesota, but it's primarily responsibility of City Minneapolis in the businesses that benefit from having the Target Center there in the team of Minneapolis that should step up to the plate and help resolve this issue. I don't believe public money should be used for a bailout of the Target Center. I think that's particularly the idea of public money is particularly unfair when you consider that in the city of st. Paul, there's a half cent sales tax that the city is imposed in order to support the renovation of the Civic Center if the sales tax by the people who work and buy things in St. Paul support the Civic Center, I don't think State dollars should be used to by an improve a similar facility and City of Minneapolis. That's fundamentally. Not fair Democrat Mike Hatch on the Target Center by out. (00:33:11) Well the Target Center and the Timberwolves the history is a little different than most communities most of the time the location of a professional franchise like that is begun (00:33:20) by public involvement in that (00:33:22) facility. And so here we've got the reverse of that situation. So I do not fault the owners of that and I think it's a sometimes I critical of the some of the media and public leaders who Focus attack on the personalities involved (00:33:37) of the people who've either (00:33:38) owned or developed either the center or (00:33:41) The team I don't fault them. I think that I can understand their predicament on (00:33:46) the other hand. I do not believe that the state should be giving any (00:33:50) financial support whatsoever with regard to a buyout to that (00:33:54) facility. I don't criticize and I can well understand if the City of Minneapolis should do so (00:33:59) it may make good sense for the (00:34:01) community located with that in which the center is located to do. So, but the state should not (00:34:07) Republican dick Gambler. (00:34:08) Well if I have a business and I go to the state and I say I would like to be bailed out I'll get absolutely nothing. I realize that it's a it is a it is an asset and I guess I agree with Mike both Mike's that it is an asset but on the other hand, it is a private asset and it should stay a private ads asset. We have no guarantee of any payback. If if I've heard where the state would just back or guarantee or the city would guarantee loans or whatever. I don't believe that this should be done for once. This is one time that least that I do agree with Barbara Carlson and we're she says nope. No way. So (00:34:55) okay Democrat John Marty on the Target Center. I think it's reasonable for the governor and public officials to be involved in talking with and trying to facilitate private business people in attempts to deal with this package. I think it's very reasonable to do that. I think it's very unreasonable at we use State dollars to do it. I oppose the use of public funds to buy out the Target Center. I have one request for rebuttal and that's from Democrat Mike Freeman. Well, my friend Alquist, I disagree with your conclusion or Northwest. It's the largest employer in the state of Minnesota. It was a valuable employer we needed to say those Ups but if Northwest needed money, we need a jobs not only those jobs but the new ones and the problem is Arne (00:35:38) Carlson didn't negotiate a very good deal (00:35:40) because if we were building a house and we gave them all (00:35:44) the money up front they'd walk away and (00:35:45) not build the house. Well, that's kind of what's happened. And (00:35:48) if I would have been negotiating the deal I'd said, all right, you get some of the money (00:35:51) when the air base has begun you get more of the money when the air base is done. I think that's what we could have been could have done and I think the (00:35:58) Northwest supporting our largest employers a good idea. The problem is we didn't get a very good deal (00:36:03) not surprisingly Republican Ellen questions asked to rebut. (00:36:07) Thank you, Karen and Mike, I appreciate the comments, but I think it's more than just not getting a good deal. I think the principle is wrong and I think the principle is wrong for a couple of reasons one. Is this the main ingredient of good government is that everybody should be equal and the Northwest deal and the target deal doesn't make this available to other employers. It's just a one or two and the other employers don't have a chance. Secondly, we're imposing taxes on the small businesses and other employers to help out somebody else. So we're harming some to help others. We shouldn't be in that game. It's just not right for us to be doing it. (00:36:45) Anybody else want to take a shot or can we move on from the Target Center? Okay. Next question is about NSP and Prairie Island. NSP has asked for additional storage at that location. I think not where it is currently stored. There are people who are opposed to this people who are in favor of it. Obviously my question is what is your view of what should be done at the Prairie Island nuclear plant and we'll start with Democrat Mike Freeman. Well, I think we need to look at the whole issue of nuclear energy. First off. It is time for the state of Minnesota to begin to wean itself off its dependency and nuclear energy the federal government promised 40 years ago that would provide permanent storage and yet we're no closer today than we were. For I believe the comprehensive package ought to be set forth first NSP ought to be told no re licensure of either of the two Q2 nuclear energy plants second. We need to move as rapidly as we can towards Alternatives wind biomass geothermal number three all the utilities need to be required to enhance more dollars on conservation. We can avoid building new energy plants. We can avoid the need to continue to operate prayer and Monticello if we get serious about conservation, but in building these Alternative Energy, so it's we need to build them with Minnesota union jobs, Minnesota Union companies. I think the dry cast storage of proud really doesn't help us move forward in that process and that's why I'm opposed. And it's pecan re-rack the existing facilities there in the pools in by three to six more years that will give us time to move forward on the Alternative Energy before the Alternative Energy with union workers. We can move forward in the conservation. Some suggest that we ought to close prayer out and down next year. I think that's premature that would have a huge impact upon rate payers would also diminish number of (00:38:44) jobs and the (00:38:46) plant pool is safe, but we ought not to allow NSP to move forward and dry cast. It's a comprehensive issue. It's a complex issue and it's time for minnesotans frankly to pull away from nuclear energy, and we need to wean ourselves off of that is proud prudently and practically as we can Democrat Mike Hatch on Prairie Island. (00:39:08) I disagree with Michael about the idea of shutting down both Monticello and Redwing for no other reason than the I going to be awfully expensive to be living in the metropolitan area. And we probably wouldn't have a whole lot of jobs here left. We've got to be realistic. We do have nuclear power here and it has worked and we have to be very safe in our approach to it. I oppose the bill to (00:39:30) authorize the location of the (00:39:32) rods in the concrete cast at this time, but it's not because I'm going to claim that I know whether it's safer to have them in the cast or in the pools or whether it's going to wear what the environmental effect is to have wind power coming from the southwest being run up through transmission lines coming up to the Twin Cities. There's a lot of issues here and we seem to take our the issue with regard of power and energy in the state on a piecemeal basis in 1978. We oppose the power lines going from Minnesota from metropolitan area up to the North Dakota later on WE oppose the idea of the nuclear waste in fact, everybody has right and then be the NIMBY syndrome to the extreme. We have to be very responsible in this if we if we don't have thorough public debate and thorough knowledge as to what is to what the effect is of having those rods located outside of the pools in the concrete cast. We don't know that then we better have good public debate on that before anything is done at this point in time. I'm not comfortable with the knowledge that have been get that has been given to me by either people at NSP or by opponents of it or by the activists who have been very very vocal with regard to it. I do think we have to have more information on it. We don't have to be doing anything precipitous precipitously at this time. Those rods can be restacked and I think we can be deliberate and how we proceed and when we do we have to take a look at what we're going to do with regard to alternate energy not only in terms of the opportunity for jobs, but also the cost on the (00:40:55) environment Republican dick kemmler on Prairie Island and in (00:40:58) Sp. Well, I'm going to have to agree pretty much with what Mike Hatch has to say. I don't believe that we can turn around overnight and I don't think we should have Expect a turnaround overnight and we have it's worked very well for us. The Monticello is worked. Well for us. I know the cost is kept down to say that they're unsafe the proof is still in the pudding and I believe that they should be definitely we definitely should keep an eye on it continually and try to slowly back away from nuclear energy if at all possible and go into other sources and I believe this can be done. It can be done over a time and a period I don't think we have to panic like Mike said, I don't think we're in a panic situation from everything. I understand about it. I think we can we have plenty of time to to work on the issue and let's not let's not let people get you All Shook Up that tomorrow. We're going to blow up. Okay. (00:41:58) Okay, sometimes they just stop talking Democrat John Marty Prairie Island and in Sp. I oppose nsps. Dry cast storage proposal. I think that we can phase it out slowly and get another five or six years out of the plant by phasing it out by re-racking the spent fuel rods, but I don't think we have to slowly move away from either nuclear power fossil fuels. I think we have to aggressively adopt a renewable energy policy a sustainable energy policy one that focuses on wind and biomass and cogeneration when that focuses on Energy Efficiency and energy conservation. It's not only good for the environment. It's also good for the economy and it creates Minnesota jobs with Minnesota businesses good union jobs can be created that way and we have to work on that. I think that one of the reasons that we've got to look at the problem here is as the administrative law judge said, this is not a temporary solution. Because the federal government which promised many years ago this was going to be taken care of and they set deadlines and they missed them and frankly the reason they've missed the deadlines is because they don't have a clue what we're going to do with it to take care of this for the next 10,000 years. Look back 10,000 years as all of recorded human civilization. That's pre hieroglyphics. When we started 10,000 years. We don't know what's going to be around 10,000 years from now. We're going to have to be aggressive and moving away from this and if we start now, then we can develop the Alternative Energy the renewable energy that we need to have a sound energy policy from Minnesota Democrat taught out. It's on Prairie Island. Well, I believe that we should look at this as a wonderful opportunity to move aggressively to conservation cogeneration. Small-scale wind power. I do oppose the dry cast storage. I am concerned. It will be a permanent site. The federal government has failed miserably since the beginning of nuclear power. To find a place to put it nobody wants that the state of Nevada doesn't want it. Nobody wants it and I'm afraid that it's going to be a permanent site and they say it won't be but the courts have looked at it and said it has to go to the legislature because they and only they should determine if we're going to have a permanent site in Minnesota. We have great opportunities to do job development through the other more safe Alternatives. I wrote a book on nuclear power and I was the director of marketing for small energy management company that puts in computerized controls of heating ventilating air conditioning systems the the market the technology the ability to make this transition is not Pie in the Sky. We haven't tapped into the incredible potential we have for conservation as well as the other energy sources. So let's let's make this state a leader and not a follower. The whole nation is watching Prairie Island. This is the most significant environmental vote that will be cast in a decade at the legislature and I strongly encourage the people who are listening and watching That if you do feel deeply about it as I do communicate with your legislators and get us on a better path final point. We have a moral obligation to the workers in those facilities to retrain them and have a dislocated worker program ready and within five or six years enable them to have other good paying jobs Republican Allen Quest on Prairie Island. (00:45:19) Thank you, Karen as usual my approach this problem is very different from the approach of the political establishment. And in this case, it's quite different from the approach of the other candidates for Governor and being as this is late in the day. I hope I can first take a little bit of a light approach to this first by saying that we've got two basic problems. The first is that the federal government is has reneged on its commitment to find a permanent Nationwide storage site and is very difficult for the state to solve a problem that the federal government is refusing to come for a come forward with in terms of their commitment. Secondly our governor has provided absolutely no leadership at all on this issue, but I think the federal government lack of leadership is the biggest problem. So my proposal is to load all of the nuclear storage up and dry casks and ship them to Washington DC and a set them right outside of the Congressional building and say look people you made us a promise that you were going to find a nationwide. Storage site and a plan and a program for dealing with this in until you do this is going to sit right outside your door. (00:46:28) I have one request for rebuttal at this point. (00:46:31) I haven't exhausted my time a little more to see here here is the problem if we engage in the short-term storage, we take the pressure off the federal government to find a solution. I think if we're if we do that we're going to have the worst of Both Worlds. Number one nuclear power is going to Wither on the vine because it can't be repaired. It can't be kept up can't be added to number two. We are going to have temporary permanent storage sites all over the nation. I think that we're going to have the worst of Both (00:47:03) Worlds. Okay. Thank you. The first closing statement weed from Republican Allen question in anybody can keep them brief, please do (00:47:12) Thank you. I am a candidate for governor because as a member of the of the citizenry as a member of the Grassroots, I am very much dissatisfied with what I see happening with the political establishment that is controlling the state of Minnesota. I'm dissatisfied in a couple of counts. Number one. I see the proposals that come out for instance the governor's anti-crime proposal the governor's welfare proposal. I see the proposed desegregation proposal every proposal that comes out provides a new layer of government more government spending. We never get rid of anything. All we do is have more layers of government and more spending. I think that's wrong. I think we have to change direction and start meeting problems with the private Enterprise and putting our Focus there. Secondly The Establishment politicians are clearly more interested in staying in power than in doing what's right. I am the Grassroots candidate. It is my intention to give the voice of government back to the to the public and to give the right and power of governing back to the Grassroots. Thank you very (00:48:20) much. Democrat. Taught us closing statement. This is a very important election and we need a new governor every issue that I care about particularly jobs education and safe energy. Arne Carlson is either ineffective or just plain wrong and the spirit more important than any one policy. The spirit of leadership has been finger-pointing. I talk to a banker last week who said we can't afford four more years of finger-pointing. We need real leadership. We need to optimism we need faith and we need bringing people together, whether it's business and labor finding ways of bringing teachers and parents back together again, re-establishing the Minnesota Community. I think we have the best people with the best values in America and we deserve a much better Governor than when we have with regard to jobs we have to Have a strategy in a game plan. And yes, we do have to deal with the business climate issues. But in a way that doesn't hurt injured workers, but does reduce premiums for workers comp. So let's build on our strengths. Let's build on our people build on our education system fight for a clean and safe Energy Future and he was everybody participating enabled Minnesota to be the best possible state. It can be Democrat John Marty. Thanks again to the JC's for hosting this forum. I think we need a ball change in direction to the state. We've got to move away from the traditional Quick Fix answers to problems whether we're talking about crime or health care or whatever. We got to take the long term approach to think it's not fiscal responsibility to save a few dollars this year. We're going to pay a lot more in the long run and whether we're talking about crime or education or whatever we've been doing that we make short-sighted Cuts. They're going to cost us a lot more in the long run got to make those investments in early childhood education and health care and all the things that we can to prevent crime and Fair dependency and unemployment. We have to make the Investments now. We also have to in order to get to these in order to be able to address that we have to restore public trust. We have to take special interest money out of the process. That's why I'm working on that the legislature. That's why I'm campaigning without special interest money. If we do that then we'll be able not only to restore public trust. But to address these issues in a way that represents the public interest Republican dick (00:50:35) Kimberly the problems in Minnesota are not going to be solved by career politicians. Minnesotans are seeking someone from the outside of government to be our governor. Reinventing government is a popular cliche. Did you notice that all the people doing the Reinventing are either lifetime elected officials or the bureaucrats that run the program's when I talk about Reinventing government? I will ask the best and the brightest more private businesses Homemakers conservative Scholars constitutional experts to study our government and make recommendations. That makes sense to us. The people who pay the bills. I want someone to explain the rationale behind each government program. Those are actually have a constitutional mandate should be structured to perform at the highest level of efficiency. Lastly. If you believe in the foundational values that this nation was founded upon then we must not vote against those values minnesotans are looking for new leadership and 94 people with new ideas new energy and most of all people with high integrity and I welcome your support and prayers. Thank you. Corner you'll find out real quick what people (00:51:43) want they want a job. They (00:51:46) want their kids educated. (00:51:47) They want their children. They don't want to be mugged. (00:51:50) They like Health Care, they don't want to pay taxes and they don't like the government and how you reconcile those I think is the job for the next governor of this state. I don't think Arne Carlson has been defining his role as governor in addressing these issues. He was a great auditor. (00:52:04) He still is an auditor and as we know Auditors, (00:52:07) you know, they drive their cars looking at rear view mirrors and I think to a degree that's his what Arnie Carlson has been doing over the last three years. He criticizes the legislature and talks about unicameral ISM and pay freezes and and term limits. He goes after the school boards with regard to pay freezes in the right to strike. He still hasn't to find himself. I wanted to find myself as a very practical result oriented Governor addressing the issues that I've just (00:52:29) described Democrat Mike Freeman, Minnesota has a proud tradition and history of progressive Governor's thoughtful farsighted creative brought people together move the state forward Arnie. Wilson's none of those he's divisive. He's negative. He believes in short-term Solutions. I believe that I've learned a lot to my time in government and I have a lot to learn but one of the things I've learned is to listen and to bring people together to pose the problems to try to bring the good folks together to solve the problem. It's coalition-building. It's listening to people it's an activist Governor. I think that's the kind of government I'd be that's what I that's why I decided to run for office and that's why I'd like your support both the precinct caucuses and March 1st and the general election in November. Thank you very much. This has been a forum by the six of the eight candidates for Governor of Minnesota on behalf of the st. Paul JC's. I'd like to thank you all I'm Karen Boris.