If you plan to vote in the September primary election either as a d f l or an independent Republican, you're going to have lots of candidates to choose from this year. There are major contest for both governor and US Senate in both parties. In fact, there are so many candidates running. It's hard to know who's who and what everybody stands for so this summer we're inviting each of the candidates to stop by for an hour or so, so you can get to know them better today. Our guests for the next hour is state Senator, Don Samuelson a d flr. Thanks for being here. Thanks for inviting me. Appreciate it. Samuelson is from Brainerd. He's been in the Senate since 1982 and served in the house for more than 10 years before that. He chairs the finance division of the Senate Healthcare and Family Services committee done. I have to ask you last night the Minnesota AFL-CIO endorsed your opponent John Marty in the primary. Obviously you were hoping to get that endorsement yourself. Why do you think you didn't well make a start off this program?The first thing I wanted to do is talk a little bit about that had hoped maybe give you a little background about myself. But you you took care of that yourself. I'm going to make an announcement that at this very moment and believe me as I drove down here today. I thought about this long and hard, you know, these campaigns are like a rollercoaster. They're up and down or up and down or like a heavyweight fight, you know, you get knocked down you get up you get knocked down and then you get up and then every now and then as I felt at least last night you swear to get whacked across the head with a four-by-four is lighter to get up. So I might guy announcing the day that the fact is the deadline for withdrawing from his Statewide races 5 a.m. Today 5 p.m. Today. I intend to meet that deadline and withdrawI have to consider the following. I knew my candidacy was a long shot from beginning and I never denied that but I truly felt and continue to feel that my message was one that needed to be heard by the people Minnesota. The message was one of moderation of common sense. And I believe that I as a candidate who is a conservative on social issues, but liberal on bread and butter issues could have one. I've tried in every way possible to get my message and my agenda for the future of the people. And I've been doing it quite frankly. I'm a very shoestring budget if the AFL-CIO had held off its endorsement until after the September primary. My chances would have greatly improved. However as is their right they chose to endorse yesterday. From all indications it appeared that they might not endorse. By Wednesday, I was told that I might even get the the endorsement. It's my understanding that I actually did lead on the first ballot, but that changed by the 3rd and the courses, you know, the endorsement did go to John Marty this action really did that pull the rug out from under my campaign. This is a core group of folks at frankly. I would have to have along with the others. So it did it just makes it that I would say next impossible at this point now, I'm Tom Berg withdrew from the US Senate race. He said that his campaign never caught a wave while my campaign to catch a wave birthday and it swept under by a tidal wave of those who were somewhat threatened by my candidacy I believe. So now I'll have the rest of remainder of the summer to reflect on this experience. I will do so without regret or blame. And I intend to do so with the knowledge that my supporters and I did a great job in spite of overwhelming odds while we do have the rest of the hour. Can you stay with us in the listeners to know before we start answer? Because you know, this is not an easy decision for me in a matter of fact that we would not have made that about an hour ago as I was driving to st. Paul. I was on my car phone calling my friends and supporters who are many they all felt bad, but they understood that you can't you can't run a campaign crystal ball without a lot of dollars. You can't run a campaign with just good friends and enthusiasm it it takes a lot more you have to have a base that was taken away from you last night. I did have other other folks as an example. I felt that the Sportsman and women of the stage we're interested in those kinds of issues would would come forward. I think they were Eventually, but the time is too short and obviously as the only real candidate I felt that I had a good chance to get my message out there, but you can't do that without money as you well know. Well, let me ask you this. Are you going to support John Marti or have you have you made a decision about what I'm going to do them like the way I feel right now and of course, you know you if you feel let down as you can imagine the first blush and when you're doing this, what I intend to do is take some time and then reflect on what went right and what went wrong and I fully intend to do everything that I can to help but house candidates in the dfl win re-election any way that I can and I just sort of stay out of this governor's race Sephora time and and lick the wound. So to speak and and see how things go but there we have important races across the state as far as I'm concerned in the house. So I want to see those little seeds protected and I'll do what I can to help those folks. Will this means now that there's no dfl candidate in the race who is in a An opponent there's no dfl candidate in the race who was from outside the metro area. There is probably some disagreement on some of these issues you talked about that the sports men and women might be interested in where does this leave the dfl party? Are there going to be a lot of people who may be crossover in the primary who look to Allen Quist or or somebody else? I think that could very easily have happened. You know why but one of the reasons I stayed in Raceway it one thing was difficult for me. Mike was a fact that they has Rudy contemplated repurpose kind of fight again in the race the last two or three weeks out obviously held me back tremendously. It was great pressure that should he get in I would withdraw and probably would have had to but then the phone stopped ringing for about three weeks because those folks had another option and so they were sitting back and waiting so that didn't help either and you know, it was suddenly I was in the only real candidate to the only candidate in the dfl party was took the pro-life point of view and So I stayed for those reasons, I think the options were important and I still think options are important to an end all parties. However you again if I can't I can't just do it by writing frades Hannah going to county fairs. You have to have the dollars does ironic isn't make that people say campaigns last too long and it cost too much money, but I'll tell you something. I quickly learned. There's no way to do it. You have to get in early and you have to spend a lot of money. That's just a fact of life in our solar system. Well. I have to ask you what do you think of the dfl party right now are there was a lot of controversy at the convention when the Mike Freeman didn't get the endorsement and and part of that was blamed on or blame by Freeman supporters on people who oppose legal abortion. They say that those people were playing games those delegates that they want to do indoors Marty for all kinds of reasons that two had little to do with them. What kind of candidate they thought he would make it seems as if the party is certainly in the convention took a turn to the left and yet as you know from being in a legislature for so long, there are a lot of people who are dfl others who are more moderate have some of your points of view on some of these issues what's going on. Is there room in the party for Don Samuel sin. Is there a is there a shift going on here while you've been you begin to wonder in the in the state dfl party? That's exactly right. You know, where is a room for people of moderation? You always used to be a party of a Inclusion not exclusion and now it seems to me that they are like the crowd folks out and it's very unfortunate. That's why you have a situation that we hit you have today you'll do they want folks to come to Convention and cast their votes but they seemingly only one the cast of One Way the pro-life the delegation after all does have a boat they can certainly vote for who they play please to I don't know the reasons that they may have voted for one can is the other but even with the Bloc of votes that they had at the convention and if say 8% of their of their votes, it went towards Marty that was still fewer than Marty needed to get a endorsement. So obviously I'm already dug into the Freeman vote somewhere along the line in order to get over the hump day. You get the 60% so, you know, what is kind of interesting place blame, but I would expect at the shoe were on the other foot and that 8 or 10% had gone to mr. Freeman. That would have been fine and dandy. And also, how do you you judge yet? If you want people have a voice they had a They keep saying we want endorsement we wanted endorsement. So the endorsed then why when I we don't like the endorsement so are the other the system is not the very very good my in my judgment in in either party for that matter in so you all right. What are you do? How do you how do you make sure that the parties are representing the Broadview of their particular organization in the people they represent it is there has to be more people articipate know Mike. I think it was about twelve thousand people participated in the in the caucus has this year that's fewer votes fewer people than voted for me and my Senate District. Well, that's seemingly it's such a small number and then you take it down to to just 60% of what is about 1400 delegates. It is not a very overwhelming judgment on who the party is putting up. I'm a listener how you're on. Midday. I was wondering what the guest thought about the decline of roll Minnesota what the state government can do to help rural areas, especially small town Minnesota. I think that's an excellent question, you know where the things that bothers me is that none of the candidates in this race of our talking at all about Farm issues. The number one industry in our state is still agriculture. Nobody talks about another candies talked about it at the convention. I try to get my point of view in but it just wasn't talked about in your right the decline and roll Minnesota is that it just the beginning to be overwhelming we need to do a better job in creating jobs and economic development throughout the state of Minnesota and certain of earlier is the largest portion of unemployment is still the northern part of the state part of the area where I represent in farther north one of the things that I think could be done that would help not only the metro area. But rural area is do a certain amount of distance embling the that's not the right word of the year of the state agencies of allowing some of those functions to be performed in small towns of real Minnesota with today's technology and with the computer systems and their phone systems and everything else, but I don't see why we need a thousands of people sitting it in buildings around the state capitol. I think we could decentralized some of our major agencies bring those 30 and 40 jobs a small communities would be a heck of an economic boost to the small communities and certainly wouldn't hurt to metropolitan area. In fact, I think it helps from the standpoint of the congestion of the highway traffic of of the of the parking problems around the captain all those things. I think that's the that's one way and then of course just at the job creation that you cannot give out. I think we also do not do as well in our state as we should in regard to Promoting Minnesota for industry in in in business development. We have a tendency over the last few years kind of bad mouth Minnesota, you know and yet we're such a great place. We had a great is Workforce in the world. We have people who companies are anxious to bring with them to other parts of country to work if they would go but people like to live here work here. We will glorify children can live and work in their communities. That's what that's what they should be able to do. But we got to be out champing the state of Minnesota and we are we are to have a task force of people that does nothing go out but go out and market and prefer in and get the business and she coming in as much as we do in the tourism industry. We do darn well and tourism by marketing are our resources getting people in the Minnesota. We should do the same thing and job creation through a while economic development in in business development dfl state senator dawn samuelsen of Brainerd is our guest today. He was a candidate for governor up until about ten minutes ago and he told us that he will Take advantage of the withdrawing from the race today in part because he didn't win the AFL-CIO endorsement and I think we have another listener on the line and your question, please I'm calling out standing outside at the West End of article. Like I'm actually on the road and was listening to the broadcast. My question is to talk about the future of the adult mental health counselor. He's on it. I'm on it. I don't see it going anywhere. And if you would give me two minutes to get back to the car report out yesterday from the state planning agency that said that County payroll grow faster in the past 10 years than any other unit of government in part because of the counties are expected to do a lot more of these days for people who have mental health problems while that's true and you know what mental health problems are just some for some reason kind of exploding around around our state and I'm sure in other states as well. We do have a mental health task forces with that was put together. Earlier fact late last year to look at the total picture mental health Minnesota. What we should do in regard to the funding. We should we do in regard to the implementation of the carries the care system and so forth and I think unfortunate that committee got too big. It's about a hundred somewhere between eighty and a hundred folks that are on this task force. Everybody wants to be involved and I think for that reason and they seem to be kind of spinning their wheels are so many factors involved in regard to who think so what should be done and all the money should be spent than those kinds of things. So if they can actually come up with a recommendation quite frankly, I'll be a little bit amazed as I would have been nearly a year ago. I haven't been as active on that Committee in the past four months for obvious reasons. I've been pretty busy, but I'll be back there now and then try to be as helpful as I can but I don't know where they're heading. It it. Frankly. It doesn't look good. Is it look like they may maybe we'll come up with a recommendation. That'll be a unified recommendation. I want to ask you another question about something that happened at the legislature. Our last session I had to do with the welfare reform Bill Bill you had sponsored I went over to the House pass the Senate went over to the house and in the house, they amended it to provide a waiting. Before a woman could have an abortion came back to the Senate you could have sent it to a conference committee to try to work on that a little bit. But you wanted to send it right to the governor and well in one thing or another never have never was passed you think that was worth it looking back at it or would you have done it differently? Well, you know, I didn't have a whole lot of choices. I worked on that bill from October through February and then we finally got some action on at the Senate and over the house and you're right the house that attach the woman's right to know Amendment on it though. A waiting. It came back if this to the Senate other choice was go. The conference committee to work out the differences or a course pass the bill as a house ended over and sit on the governor in my discussions with the majority leader in putting together a conference committee, which I have been certainly willing to do if it was a conference committee. That wasn't just going to be put up to beat me up after I wasn't my bill and I suggested well, could you put so-and-so and so-and-so all these various Senators on the conference committee with me. I will work out the differences and try to come back with something that the is at the reasonable that we could all agree to while I wasn't allowed to have that opportunity. So the only other choice I had because I felt the votes were there and I didn't disagree with the with the principles of the Loom women's right to know. I'm amendment was passed the bill and that it did pass 33 to 34. Obviously as Slim as you can get that was on a Thursday later than acting that same day as my understanding that the governor had called them in the minority leader Senate. Johnson and as a mother is a Joanne Benson Center to join dancing and send to run back and ask them to have the bill reconsidered which of course you can under the rules. They filed intent to reconsider. The bill is reconsider the next day and strangely enough of it was it was in didn't have the votes to pass. So then it died for lack of support a right at the desk with this point to me after having worked on welfare reform for some five or six months and they were very very good issues in there. But it was a Governor's Choice. He chose not to have that bill on his desk. He chose not to either be told her sign it then he was able to get the hillside to haven't reconsidered and that's what they did. I think we have another caller waiting to talk to state. Senator Dawn samuelsen end. Hello. You're on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm an auto worker and I'm wondering what happened with the AFL-CIO here as far as I know you have quite a bit quite a large labor vote. If not, 100% very close to it compared to John Marty is what else is there involved into this AFL-CIO. Also, I went to the convention and I'm also a pro-lifer and I want to State it back to hear that out of my district. It was split voting for Freeman and Marty and after the first we was cut free, so I want to get that out to the public. It's not the pool light bulb that shot Freeman down. It was the people tour the states that border the mouth. How could you answer that question on the AFL-CIO do you think it was disappointing part was of course not getting the endorsement number one because of my long-standing in the AFL-CIO as a matter fact, it was on the Executive Board of the AFL-CIO it one time. So I thought there that should have some Creedence and I supported the legislation including Perry Island. I supported the Northwest airline a proposal all very strong sentiment by organized labor agree with him on it. But I also support him and it didn't even let me say that in my district that wasn't particular popular. But but I believe that they're right I believed in those jobs and I believe in helping my friends in the Iron Range who who needed the help and so I voted for it. I don't know. I know that Senator Marty did not vote for those issues. So apparently that. Hold much weight with The Executive Board of the AFL-CIO one then has to wonder, you know, the next time I vote. What would I do? I don't know at least they're from that standpoint. And so I would say that I don't know Mike my guess is that they may have looked at the Kansas City that I started out very slow late in the game. And I honestly don't have a lot of money in the bank about broke and and so they could see that in a short time perhaps. I just couldn't get the support but I suppose they didn't recognize that for me their support was so vitally important to or I would get to you know, where and at least. You know, what I feel is that an awful lot of the rank-and-file. Union members in our state are moderates just as I am a matter fact, I'm going to say the vast majority are and I think I would have received a lot of votes out there from the rank-and-file members, but I can't do that unless they know who I am and I can't do that unless the leadership. There's at least giving me some help and you know now that they're obligated their their leadership is obligated regardless of how they may feel personally there their they're not going to be able to do that for me. And so I understand that because I've been involved in it long enough. And so that's when reality sets in and I have to take it for what it is. Well. If it's all right with you we could we could finish this up right now and go move on to some other things it does. That's fine. Whatever you say and I just really appreciate the opportunity to be here. And then I hope I didn't The Blind Side you because that wasn't the antenna. I really did not know it was going to happen came here with great enthusiasm to talk about my agenda. Which is doing something about crime that still the number one issue in our state that I think education is extremely important to jobs and economic development that we that we touched on. There's just a whole host of things and I still think that my agenda my moderation of the issues is the important to the I think the average Minnesotan reflects more my kind of agenda, since Middle Road pragmatic approach than they do a many of the others. Okay. Well, we do appreciate your coming by and appreciate your making the announcement at the start of the program rather than the end and I guess we'll just have to see how things happen this election year. Thank you very much a state senator Dawn samuelsen, not a candidate for governor. So I think for the rest of the half hour will turn to some other things during the course of this campaign year will be broadcasting some of the candidates stump speeches what they have to say out on the campaign Trail today. You'll hear from Governor Arne Carlson speaking to a group of supporters last week on the steps of the Minnesota Capitol We feel that there's a great deal at stake in 1994. And as we have traveled to stay there are a number of things that become abundantly clear what is increasingly people feel good about Minnesota. They feel that we've turn the corner they feel that we're on the right track. They're very grateful for the fact that this is an Administration that took a 2 billion dollar shortfall and turned it into a 623 million dollar Surplus. They're delighted that this is an Administration that has focused on our children and our future and by the way, we're willing to make and we have made those tough choices that will protect their future. This is an Administration is going to do more than just simply wishes children. Well as they labor under an incredible deficit, this is an Administration that is absolutely committed to making certain that we continue to make the tough kinds of choices so that I can children can succeed and successfully compete in a World Market that means that in our next Administration Joann Jason and I are going to focus our attention on items like education at totally seamless system. So children begin to understand that through the process of hard work by being disciplined and focused and assuming responsibility for outcomes that these children will be able to relate to the jobs that are waiting for them. And begin to understand that if we broaden opportunities and Apprenticeship Training programs vocational training higher education our children going to have a magnificent future and that's what we're committed to we want the children of this state to win. Joanne Benson and I want to make absolutely certain that we continue or financial policy that basically says government all government is going to learn to make tough choices within their means and that means pledging. No tax increases And I'll tell you why. One of the greatest gifts that we can give to our children is the opportunity for Quality Employment when we took project Milestones all over the state of Minnesota. We ask communities paint your future. What do you want your community look like in the year 2010 they came back and they said overwhelmingly that the best thing that state government can do is to create a climate that will grow job so that our children can grow up and live in our communities and we're committed to doing precisely that and I don't want anybody to take the current job climate of tremendous success for granted in the future. The reality is Ben's taking office. We've created over 160,000 new jobs in Minnesota. We're proud to announce the lowest unemployment rate of 3.5% that we having some 16 years. As a matter of fact many parts of our state now have the pleasant problem of skilled worker shortage. And we're committed to making sure that we can resolve that but we've taking the tub stands on issues that we conomic development so that we can protect and to preserve jobs no matter where they're located. I don't care if it's after all production for the farmer. I don't care if it's the corn processing plant in Morehead. The reality is we want the rural sector of our economy demerger winner under the Carlson Benson ministration. We made it abundantly clear that we want a welfare system that does not reward dependency. We want a welfare system that does not reward children having children out of wedlock. We want a welfare system that focuses on work and responsibility. So that families can grow up with the idea in mind that they're going to succeed. We want everybody to understand that work is a virtue we Define our own being in the context of work. We're proud of work. We're proud of our parents at work. We're proud of our forebears at work and we don't want children growing up in an environment where there is no work and therefore may I add no hope every single child must have hope and our welfare system must be turned around. In such a way that we were warned those people who truly are committed to working to succeed and we know that we're a magnet for those people from out-of-state that want to come here and take advantage of our generosity. But let me tell you it's abundantly clear that the Carlson Benson Administration is saying will give you a job will give you an opportunity for education, but we're not going to give you cash or a check. And let me just close by focusing on government reform. I want government reform to be a lot more than simply telling legislators. They can't have a free cup of coffee. Let's talk about those things that are germane to the people of the state of Minnesota. The people on this state they won term limits on the ballot and they want it on now. They want an opportunity to vote on a unicameral legislature. I can't think of anything that is a greater symbol a symbol to duplication that that then to have a two house system which duplicate each other. Some people say what governor you just don't understand you see we need two houses. So one can clean up the work of another. Well if that's such a virtually all that have three City council's Know the reality is state government must take a lead in demonstrating its efficiency and putting it into conference committees make an absolutely certain that the business of this state from a legislator perspective is always conducted in the open and it's understandable in the people can participate in the process and I want a constitutional amendment that puts a cap on spending and relates the growth of government spending to the growth of personal income. That's the way it oughta be. If you take a look at the past three and a half years we've done that we took this state that was going from 57% above the rate of inflation. We've now brought it down where it's pending is below the rate of the rate of growth in personal income. Why because we're committed to making the tough choices. Let me just close on a political note because I do gather. This is somewhat of a political Gathering. Let me talk to you for a moment about this campaign and what it means. Joanne Benson and I are very committed to winning the Republican nomination in the primary. We Believe very strongly that the people of the state of Minnesota benefit From a strong competitive two party system. We have the right to expect that both political parties will put up their best and their brightest of the most representative. And when they fail to do that, then they must be effectively challenge so that the parties can live up to their original Mission. That is our challenge today. I want to make certain that you know that our campaign is the finest gubernatorial campaign ever organised and let those Skeptics week on September 13th when we roll to an astounding victory. that's Governor Arne Carlson speaking last week on the steps of the state capitol giving a stump speech and we hope to feature more of those stump speeches from the candidates during the course of this summer and this fall as we get nearer to election day, September 13th the primary of course and then on to the general election in November, If you just turned in that we were going to have John Samuelson in for a listener call-in today Samuelson was running for governor. But when you got here at about 10 after the hour, he announced that he will not be running for governor after all and he cited the fact that his opponent. John Marty was endorsed by the AFL-CIO last night Samuelson says that he really needed that endorsement to in order to continue with his campaign. And when Marty received it he realize that there wasn't much hope for him this year. He said that he made up his mind to drop from the race just on his way into our program today and so don Samuelson dfl state senator from Brainerd is out of the race for Minnesota Governor this year for the rest of the hour. We are going to be talking about education there seems to be no end to theories on how to improve the schools and the need to improve the schools, but finding people like James run the air who are actually willing to do Something about the problem is another matter Rainier is the former chief executive of Honeywell. He's now the main spokesperson for the United Way's success by six program, which is designed to help children. Get ready for school. He's the board chair for the Minnesota Center for corporate responsibility. Rainier's background is in business and he argues that Business Leaders must play a major role in improving the schools are near speaking recently at the center for corporate responsibilities annual meeting at the University of st. Thomas argued that it is in businesses self-interest to get involved to begin with. I think the best description of corporate responsibility is a simple one is just an enlightened self-interest as opposed to self-interested cell that may explain that Two guys hiking in the North Woods around the curve in the past. They see a pretty big Angry Bear when I hang when I cry throws off his nap sack and the other one says getting rid of that won't help you outrun the bear the first guy is as I don't have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you. I Define that as self-interest on the other hand, there's an exercise sometimes used and business training sessions you draw a line on the floor you put one person on each side each of them tries to persuade the other to cross the line almost no one can do it but a few people figure out the way they simply say if you cross the line so why that's enlightened self-interest both parties win. That's what it's all about. That's the point. I want to make about our companies and our communities. I'm sure I won't get an argument when I say that successful of cities and towns need successful companies profitable businesses. Bring money to the area page salaries. They strengthen the tax base many other things in a moment's thought shows it works the other way to Companies are most successful where communities off for good government. Good Public Services good schools and where people are skilled productive and responsible people with those qualities to build a lot of successful Minnesota businesses. We are home to 32 that are on the Fortune 500 list of industrial and service companies in only 11 states have more educated and motivated people have made Minnesota business power transforming the state from a Commodities producer to a center of High-Tech high value-added Industries today the state economy depends on these brainy businesses state-of-the-art manufacturing along with smart services, like finance and insurance provide 4 out of every $10 of Minnesota's Gross State product today. As a source of income international business has become increasingly important. In fact since 1980 the dollar volume of exports from the Minneapolis custom district has increased by a factor of 10 the greatest increase of the 38th custom districts in the United States high tech products account for 3/4 of their value. Minnesota's basic businesses in taking materials money and information and adding knowledge brain power is our value-added and that requires people who are fast Learners adaptable skilled in a word educated. The minnesotans are proud of our education system, but we have the end because we have the lowest dropout rate in the nation in Minnesota students. Always ranked High academically when compared with students of other states. But Pride Kutcher grow into complacency our dropout rate increased 25% in the five years. Most recently reported. It went up in 5 out of every eight Minnesota counties and high academic ranking in the United States doesn't mean a lot worldwide. You may have seen the report last year that compare the students in Minnesota Taiwan and Japan. Our kids like far behind and in fact, very few of the Asian students scored as low as the average for Minnesota interesting enough. The vast majority of American parents said that they were pleased with the education their children receive. Why majority of Asian parents said that they were dissatisfied? Meanwhile, Minnesota employers are wondering where they will find workers. Excuse me, what the motivation of the 1960s and education worthy of 2080. According to the Department of trade and economic development Minnesota Executives rate kindergarten through 12th grade education as the most important government function but fewer than half of them in only 1/4 in the high-tech firms today, here are even somewhat satisfied with the education being delivered. The Minnesota Business Partnership found that employers in international companies believe that secondary school graduates in some Asian countries are prepared for work as well as Minnesota students with two years of Technical and Community College. This comes as a rude shock to many Minnesota people after all, we've always given strong support to our schools and we've invested a lot of money and a lot of energy in them. We were among the first stage to implement school choice the school Finance reform measures of the 1980s all across the nation have been called. I quit the Minnesota Miracle. We are over the national average and salaries of our Public School teachers and per capita spending on education and in spending per pupil and we've consistently put our money where my mouth is here for fiscal year 1991. For example, referendums held in 282 School District approved School tax levies in some cases amounting to more than $4,000 per pupil. And why is Minnesota education getting worse instead of better? The reason is that education turns out to be much more than schooling. It includes all of steps. It takes to nurture and develop and motivate children preparing them to learn in keeping them in school. It starts with healthy development from the moment of conception for mothers that starts with good health before conception and adequate prenatal care. Then it requires continuing Child Guidance encouragement up to kindergarten in through all the years of school today too. Many Minnesota children are sent to school or not prepared for the work of learning one index of this is poverty. Minnesota is relatively well-off economically, but the rising poverty rate among Minnesota children is shocking during the 1980s are proportion of poor children increase faster than any other state with one exception in the last few years the growth of poverty a sort of it, but it's still increasing. The impact of poverty and education is well understood for kids face the greatest risk and healthy emotional and Social Development and family problems are concentrated in the bottom fifth of the scores on virtually every standard test used in the United States. Nearly a quarter of children born in Minnesota have unmarried mothers now in Minneapolis. It is almost half between 1960 and 1990. The percentage of our children in single-parent families is tripled in the 1980s child abuse cases in Minnesota just about doubled how can we achieve Superior education results when 1/4 to 1/3 of our students are too stressed or too worried to learn to hungry too sick too tired too scared or too apathetic. Before they can be educated teachers have to help them over their personal problems and fill in their developmental gaps, but schools frankly were never designed to be both Educators and parents and they're handicapped into serious ways. The first is a massive cost in school resources to provide the social services students now need one school superintendent here gave me a list of 5280 Services is school provides. It's a it's a county of North 32 of them are now social services and many are mandated by the state legislation and many are unfunded. I spent a few days is a temporary principal of a middle school in a first-round Minneapolis suburb and I asked him made it that social services cost about 25% of total School resources now in that school and I was really uptight and and really mad when I showed up at quarter to 7 in the morning and was told at my first job was to walk the parking lot of a middle school in 900 kit 6th 7th and 8th grade walk the parking lot for Pimps to kick them out of the parking lot and second processes children were not equipped mentally or physically to start the learning process take more than a quarter of teachers time today in United States public schools and every day for 13 years. The needs of these kids will divert instruction time from the rest of the class as social conditions continue to deteriorate and children's ability to learn continues to regress We are far too willing to let the schools cope as best they can, you know instead we spent a lot of times wondering about the ability of teachers and administrators and messing around with too many administrators Etc. This is a far more serious problem and frankly with it. We had to stop criticizing these folks. It's not a school problem. It's a problem with the whole community and it will take the whole Community the solvent businesses are generally enthusiastic supporters of outcome-based Education the Minnesota Business Partnership reports that 90% of employers would like to see graduates certified as meeting a set of standards and business people should help set the standards, but let's face up to a mean and stubborn fact our students and schools will not meet academic standards unless we have a community standards to go with the school standards for preparing children to learn. The best mechanism ever invented for preparing kids to learn as the family but only a quarter of today's families follow the tradition of the past and working father and mother Etc stays at home. But the children in Minnesota 70% of children under 18 have both parents or their only known parent in the labor force 2 out of 10 kids live with a single parent a family today and may consist of children and their grandparents and many families were the parents are present face such social and economic stress. They can no longer function is any unit but there is no substitute for the family and only by a reinforcing the family. Can we make sure all our children are successfully educated parents have to be an integral part of the process. They've been pitch out of the system. The system has been designed a face with children is a customer and frankly. It has to be redesigned with parents as the customer. The parents have to deliver the product to society and therefore they can't be pitched out. They've got to be more thoroughly included often. These parents have little education themselves. They had very very bad experiences and intimidated by the process before they may not be fluent in English to a school maybe a pretty for foreboding and intimidating Place parents have to be back in education in the traditional way perhaps by providing even School ambassadors to the community at school family counselor or an ombudsman or something else number of communities bring families and teachers together. And provide family services through collaborative schools and social service agencies in example is a school Human Service redesign initiative here in Hennepin County. It combines County government the youth Coordinating Board Minneapolis schools in a Suburban District the United Way, the City of Minneapolis and support from Honeywell another corporations first the schools provide a focal point for identifying the needs of students second. It recognizes that in order to help the student. We got to help the family parents can be brought into the system by social agency professionals who are specialists in family services in 3rd, it removes the burden of the social agenda from teachers and lets them get back to teaching which is something we've got to do if we're ever going to be competitive. This is I see it is a new paradigm for corporate responsibility. We must ask ourselves. Yes, and when necessary tax or so. To help kids help their families and by doing so help our communities and ultimately our company's some companies and Executives at work tirelessly in the interest of children and their education and sort of organizations like the Business Roundtable the committee for economic development, Minnesota Business Partnership there a host of them but in spite of the missionary work of these associations with Industries and Inns in some industry leaders, I I have a real continuing frustration when I talked about the problems of Children and Families with business people all over this country and in spreading the over a hundred hundred chapters, no organizations of success by six. I very often get a response that is traditional conventional and to me very disappointing. They express a sympathy for children in a conviction that education must be improved and they don't mind conducting some experiments, but that's where the understanding ends. Jackson business circles that education is a school problem let the schools so of it when I visit cities that have difficulty rousing business support Community leaders often tell me the same thing. They say you've got to understand this isn't Minneapolis. I've heard this over and over again all over the nation the truth is that very often today Minneapolis is not Minneapolis to many business people here still give the issue of cold shoulder. If we believe in corporate responsibility, we must recognize our responsibility to our communities are schools our families in our children. We know there are preventive measures that help children overcome the most common learning handicaps. We know the programs that can help break the generation to generation cycle of neglect under education poverty and despair but prevention take broad Community cooperation and effective leadership. I believe that catalyzing Community Action and provide Leadership is a special responsibility for those those of us on the private Enterprise side for several reasons first businesses are major beneficiaries of any Improvement in education second business Can Be an Effective Catalyst almost. Nobody else can be today for Community mobilization to support schools and organizing services to reinforce families and improved learning Readiness third business people. Have the management skills. The tqm knowledge is an example and the tangible resources that are necessary to create organize manage and monitor these Community program the leadership that business people bring to the effort benefits everyone not just the four or the disadvantaged but the whole society we all depend on good productivity for the advantages that we take for granted. We are used to be comfortable standard of living and whether that will continue depends on how well we can compete now. You may remember the disturbing research report issued last year by the Department of Education is the United States Department of Education. It showed that half the adults in the United States do not have the reading and arithmetic skills needed for simple everyday tasks to say nothing of the increasing demands of the workplace businesses estimate. They lose as much as Thirty billion dollars a year. Do The Heirs accidents lost productivity caused by illiteracy successful company. We also need a successful Society productive self-sufficient people low crime rates educated children little drug use efficient government. If we lose these Community assets and we are losing them it invites you cannot make failure because of the roads are competitive strength social failure increases our social cost expenses such as welfare health and hospitals police and Corrections. All of these Services have to be paid for by our production their costs are bundled into the price of what we make and sell if social Costco up prices go up in our products become less competitive expenses are already ponderous in Minnesota today. They total more than a quarter of the expenditures of Minnesota state government government nationally Social Services public and private add up to a figure that takes your breath away it now approximates the total payroll of All American Manufacturing. It is not that the service is needed should be discontinued or even at their overpriced the point is that better education can stop these cost from reproducing themselves generation after generation our products within become much more cost-competitive in World Markets. We must strengthen our competitive power and we must correct their social dislocations the two go hand-in-hand. We cannot accomplish one and ignore the other we have all heard the argument that position social responsibility against economic necessity. I believe that argument is hollow our economic and social structures support and depend on each other. The strength of one is a strength of both. That's why corporate responsibility is truly enlightened self-interest. We have a responsibility to our company's then we also have a duty to the communities where we do business I ask each of you to get involved get your company into the act and get your employees to volunteer. Here for Community programs contact your local United Way or your schools or whatever work with your local government to create collaborative initiatives in which everyone can work together and a barn-raising mentality and hopefully by collaborating and preventing problems. What we do is we blow the special-interest away either join or get out of the way there is much to be done and little time it is urgent. I think that we act now to meet our responsibility to our companies in our communities and frankly. I'm very very glad to be associated with this organization, which is at the heart of trying to help the community and business see the real need here and come together. Thank you very much. That's former Honeywell CEO James raniere the chair of the board of the Minnesota Center for corporate responsibility speaking recently at the University of st. Thomas and st. Paul and that concludes our midday broadcast for this week. I'll be sure to tune in next week for our continuing series of broadcast with the candidates course. We were supposed to have a dawn samuelsen on today and he was on for a short time but announced he will not be a candidate. And so tune in next week. I will have John Marty and Alan question. I might Mulcahy.