US Senate race in Minnesota is attracting lots of national attention part of the reason is the possibility that Republicans could gain control of the US Senate and to do so, it's probably essential that they hang onto the seat now held by Republican Dave durenberger another reason they Minnesota Senate race is getting so much attention is because one of the candidates is a woman and there are still very few women in the US Senate plus the race appears to be very close all the opinion polls show Republicans Rod grams and Democrat and Winnie of virtually tied. So we invited each of the candidates for the US Senate to spend an hour with us this week to take your question. So you got a better idea of where they stand on the issues on Monday. We heard from Rod grams today and wynia has been good enough to stop by as many thanks for coming by I'm delighted to be here. It's always been fun to take these questions preciate it we asked Rod grams. So this question will ask you this question. What is the I know there are lots of reasons. But what is the one reason if you had to pick out one why people should vote for you?rather than ride grams Good, I think during my career both as a legislator as well as through my involvement in volunteer activities such as being a regent of the University of Minnesota. I've had a very strong and consistent record of getting things done. And one of the real criticisms that I would level against Congress is it it's been too much tied up in gridlock, unless rhetoric and I'm a Workhorse I prefer to get in there and try to bring folks together to see if we can't forge the kind of Coalition that would really get action on problems. I think that's my strength. That's what my success has been in my other activities and I think we need more of that in the US Senate but I do believe that my track record and my involvement in numerous volunteer activities and in my own Community as well as during my tenure in the Minnesota Legislature that my reputation has been One of being a doer rather than a talker and I I I really do believe that's what we need more of in Washington vote for him. The tax issue basically said that he would hold the line on taxes does not support any tax increases. He's come out with a number of hard-hitting ads this week essentially accusing you of being a person who has never met a tax increase that you didn't like and a fairly well documented record while you were in the legislature of supporting several tax increases. Are you the typical tax-and-spend Democrat that we've heard about Congressman grams distorts my record by not telling the whole story doesn't like to talk about the tax decreases the biggest tax cut in Minnesota History that I voted for. If you look at the level of Taxation in Minnesota over the last two decades study done just last year published last year by the citizens League will document that the tax burden in Minnesota. When you look at the combination of state and local property taxes has been relatively stable over those two decades the battles in our legislature have been over what form of Taxation and who's going to pay them and I've been a consistent supporter of keeping down property taxes. They're not based on ability to pay. And as a consequence, I've sometimes supported increases and state taxes and income taxes, for example, because it's been a way of providing property tax relief and I do believe that taxes should be based on ability to pay is it fair to say giving your philosophical differences with Rod grams that that you would be more inclined to support tax increase in Washington and he would be misleading statement on Congressman grams part. We've been talking about this contract for America where they promised huge tax cuts. Most of the benefits going to the wealthy big increases in defense spending and then somehow claimed that in the midst of all this are going to balance the budget and all of the objective analysis say that that is simply false. In fact, most of the news analysis degree that that is simply a recipe for a trillion dollar increase in the federal debt. When I've been talkin about consistently throughout my campaign has been the need to cut federal spending to eliminate the deficit begin working on that debt. I think it's wrong to Future generations to try to to to do what what the Republicans and Congress when Graham or proposing to somehow promise lucrative tax cuts and ignore the implications of that for our debt. That's what we tried 15 years ago in this country it. Work then. I think why would we want to go back to that and leave at Legacy of debt for our children? So if it would be at least open to the idea of raising taxes, perhaps to reduce the down toward opposite of whatever I've always emphasized the importance of making the tough choices to cut spending first and I've highlighted a number of places in the federal budget where I would cut spending talked about putting the whole Budget on the table so we can ask those kinds of hard questions. I think the public rightfully expects that before there's even a hint of a discussion about attacks increased congresses got to do a better job of cutting some of the spending right now, but even though it might be nice, I don't think it rises to that level of necessity that the public is really willing to continue paying for it and we've got to be talking about Cuts or guess today is a dfl Senate candidate and Winnie up first color is John from New Brighton. Go ahead sir. Yam is Winnie a ride grams opposed the recently passed crime built claiming it contained excessive pork. Could you tell me what your position is on the on the Crandall? I would have voted for the crime Bill had I been a member of Congress. I heartily endorse a mini of the provisions in that bill such as the funding for additional police. Minnesota is expected to receive about 1,700 additional police on the streets as a result of that legislation. I also supported the tougher sentences for violent offenders, and I also believe that the prevention programs are ones that we need so that we can work with those youth particularly who are at risk and who if we're given the opportunity to participate in the program where they had some positive role models with its a mentoring program or what is a recreational program might might be diverted from some of those kinds of activities and crimes that I think constitute the real threat to Public Safety. Also included is part of that crime bill, of course with the violence against women women act and the anti-stalking provisions Provisions that had to do with the missing children. There were so many good things in that crime bill that I felt that it was truly in the best interest of Minnesota citizens to vote for it. And that's how I would have voted as a member of Congress St. Louis Park question is this is turbot to part that goes in together. I look at your record and it does seem to be very similar to John Martis and yet John Marty seems to be having a great deal of difficulty in his campaign and you seem to be doing better and I guess my question would be what would be the issues that you would tend to disagree with John Marianne and say Paul wellstone upon in in in in regard. Also, I would like to hear your comments about your support for the single-payer healthcare system, which doesn't seem to have a lot of support by that much of of the US Senate right now. Let me respond to him all of those questions. First I think particularly when you contrast my legislative career with them with the John's I have been in a position as a member of legislator in a leadership role of having to be the kind of person that forges the agreements and works with folks who have very sharp differences of opinion figure out how we're going to basically reach the consensus and get something done. And I think one of the skills that has been recognized and which I think is frankly what we need more of in the United States Senate are those kinds of a product-focused consensus-building skills to enable us to move forward on some of the problems recognizing that one doesn't by oneself always possess all of the answers, but being willing to work with other people and I can sit at the Hallmark of my legislative record. The the issue that you raised with regard to healthcare, I believe States should have the right to do some experimentation with regard to the healthcare plans that they would that they would use to solve the the problems of folks who don't have coverage in keeping control of cost here in Minnesota. We have an experiment going and we're ahead of the federal government. I was disappointed that the federal government didn't do more this past year. So I've indicated that in the future. As a member of the Senate on Health Care reform, I'm not real optimistic that we're going to be able to enact and one Fell Swoop the kind of major restructuring of the Healthcare System, but we are at least agree upon a few things where we could begin to make some progress. So I've called for doing something at the federal level similar to what we did here in Minnesota. When I talk to the Children's Health Plan, let's at least provide that coverage for pregnant women for infants and young children for that basic primary preventive care so that we can save money in the Healthcare System later on. Let's of four individuals who are self-employed who purchase their own insurance the same kind of tax deductibility that corporations currently receive when they provide health insurance to their employees. Let's make some of those basic reforms in the insurance Market to get rid of that pre-existing condition exclusion and to provide for the portability in healthcare. Let's go to one single unified electronic claims processing for him so that we can reduce some of the complications and the expense and I are are basic claims system to do something Frankie. There shouldn't be any disagreement on I was terribly disappointed that because of the filibuster and the gridlock in the United States Senate that we could not even get some forward progress on those kinds of simple suggestions and I still believe that states ought to have the right if they want to do a single-payer system. They should have the right to do that to demonstrate the higher levels of consumer satisfaction and cost savings that could be achieved through such a system position on you know, actually I know of a couple of issues that come up in the course of the campaign when I've been able to see that Paul and I are not in agreement. I favor a line-item veto for Present think that's a reasonable change to the Constitution giving these use of Omnibus Appropriations Bill and I've also indicated for example that I would have supported the most favored nation status for China and a my supportive Gap. Did you do support you back to the phone is Marjorie is on the line from Annapolis between you and ride Graham that I think Frank leave it in my own personal opinion ride grams is a clone of Alan quiz, but what I like to know. Damn, since I am independent, how do you stand on issues compared with in Berkeley? Well, I have not had the opportunity to be at a form with Deen broccoli and I am aware of the fact that there are a couple of issues that we are in agreement. However, I I believe that he has been for example of supporter of a woman's right to choose on the abortion issue and that's been my position over many years now and I think he is described himself as a social moderate and that's probably a term that I would see applicable to myself and not to Congressman grams and my understanding is that at some of these forms that we're going to have the opportunity. Hopefully they have a three-way debate with Congressman grams and Dean broccoli at myself and maybe we can illuminate for for listeners like yourself by maybe some some further differences today for the evening of the 25th actually at you and Dean Barclay are going to be here to talk with some some of our public citizen panels discuss the issues with him Rodriguez has decided not to because So that'll be the night of the 25th here on FM news station. We're going to be broadcasting that the following day at noon on the 26th. So you'll have an opportunity to compare are in one of those positions with Dean Barclay the night of 25th noon hour on the 26th back to the phone. So Steve is on the line for Minneapolis. Go ahead. My name is Steve Lobel. I live just want to make sure you know, I'm not a political operative and my first question is President Clinton comes to town and when you get raises $300,000, the cost of the City of Minneapolis had to be in excess of $100,000. I know you paid $60,000 to the president to show up but what does Minneapolis get out of it as a citizen of Minneapolis and I'd appreciate it. If you pay us back for the police overtime second question you and John Marty Sharon office. You're like, you've got the the big bucks. He's he's the bargain-basement guy. We share an office to share the phone system me. I think it's share some staffers share all this stuff. Isn't that kind of deceptive for the for him to say, he's a bargain-basement guy when he's kind of Dipping into your Honey Jar third question the political operative calling during these phone call ins. I mean, I really think that grams in Foley got these Arcane questions. I mean, I would I voted for wellstone died, but I can't afford based on on how I feel about people and and you know, I don't know I don't really like voting for grams and I don't like that all the sudden Dean Barclays being brought up as a like a strong man like and all the sudden interest in the independent candidate seems to be a more political move in it real interest and I just generally wish you was fond of those and I'll hang well I didn't I didn't get the sense of your the last point you were making More to divide the electorate up then in a genuine interest in the independent candidate. That's how I perceive it as a citizen. I I just I can't help but feel that you guys are really supporting. One basically misses wynia and not mr. Gramza mean that leave your station and and I can assure you. That's absolutely not true. But let me let me have an when you respond least of the first two questions that we're not in the business of endorsing anybody here and I might add that we did invite that for example for the for the debate or the discussion coming up that we were talking about that we invited to Rod grams in and he chose not to participate can't do much more about that. Anyway, this is the cost of Minneapolis City of Minneapolis for the second visit. Veeam think the in the past we've had other presidents who come to Minnesota President Bush came to Minnesota to campaign and we have received no treatment in he's we received no special treatment with regard to the trip from President Clinton. I wish the gentleman's figures had been correct with regard to how much money we raised that we didn't fight do that. Well, but we were delighted to have President Clinton here in a campaign. It provided a lot of energy and excitement for a lot of the volunteers the second statement that he made his simply untrue John Marty and I do not share either office or staff for campaign headquarters together. We John's running for State office. I'm running for federal office in even the laws that apply to our campaigns are very different. Maybe he was referring to the the fact that you both get help from the dfl party. Do you know some some assistance in terms of get-out-the-vote work? The dfl party is running a coordinated campaign to support dfl candidates generally both the legislative candidates as well as my campaign and and the can pain from riding all the other state candidates and that's run. Totally separate from my campaign. Okay back to the phone. So Lori your turn. I just love the quality of life. We have here in Minnesota. And I love the services we have and I'm willing to pay the taxes and I think everybody should pay their fair share of taxes. My question is is do you support John Marty's tax increase plan? You know, John is running an estate office and I have quite frankly in my campaign been focusing on federal issues and the need to cut federal spending and frankly. My debate is with ride grams. And what I consider he is a very unrealistic proposal that somehow promises that we can have massive tax cuts in at the same time balance the budget I and every objective analysis disagree with that and my campaign has focused on what I believe should be the Federal. Imperative of eliminating our deficit by cutting spending at the federal level. So I've been running very much or federally Focus campaign face from Edina is on the line. Hello. Diane has recently criticized you for your support of the University daycare center from what I understand. He is criticizing you specifically because of Center attempts to provide good and maybe even excellent care for children, and I'm sure like many people I'm wondering exactly what anyone has to criticize in a center that operates in this way and I wondered if you would comment The University of Minnesota has had a daycare center for a couple of decades its use not only to provide daycare but also is a educational laboratory for students at the University. The old Center was an old run-down building didn't have Windows frankly. We needed new space for these children. And while I was a regent yes, I did support a construction of that new daycare and I would emphasize that that they were not tax dollars used to finance that it was paid for through a combination of voluntary contributions an Enterprise funds within the university that day care center provides day care on a sliding fee basis that recognizes the ability of the parent to pay it's our students as well as faculty and staff and frankly, I think the university by buying and providing that kind of daycare is able to join the ranks of private companies in The soda that I frankly always been very proud of like the Saint Paul companies who also provide daycare. I think we should be a model and this was a very responsible way to do that for a ride grams are his surrogates to attack me. I think is an indication of just how out of touch with the reality of so many people's lives in Minnesota. He is the reality is that here in this metropolitan area. We have one of the highest proportion of working mothers in the workforce of any any City in this nation. They need good quality day care for the kids. Their kids need good quality daycare, and I'm pleased that the university is providing at least one small part of the answer to that federal government should be spending more child care expenses either by increasing the tax deduction available or providing more direct subsidies to daycare centers in the rest. We've got to be mindful of the need to deal with the deficit and so we're going to spend money for something else. We got to think about what we're going to cuddle where we going to get it and I have indicated. However, though but in terms of my priorities if we can find the money that support for programs for children such as daycare would be the kind of programs that I would be supportive of for so many women who are on public assistance. They're going to be able to get off of Public Assistance. The children are going to have to have access to Affordable daycare and that would need to come through either that kind of a tax credit or some kind of a sliding-fee support to help purchase quality daycare. So I think this is going to be increasingly an issue that we'll talk about in this country and we're going to need to to make some progress back to the phone so callers on the line from Duluth Terrence, go ahead. 136 billion dollars over five years. Graham's Advocates increasing military spending by 60 billion dollars over that same five-year. My question is where do you stand should be increased military spending by $12 a year as grams calls for or should military spending be cut at the Congressional budget office suggests. I'm not in agreement with Congressman grams call to increase military spending. I'm not our familiar with the particular study that you cite. But on my own examination of this issue, I have identified a couple of areas in the defense budget where I think that we could make some reductions without impairing the security of this country. For example, the retrofit of submarines with the Trident missiles is based upon a cold war scenario of a exchange with the the Soviet Union that is clearly out of date. So I believe that we need to examine our defense expenditures in the light of the kind of security threats that this country currently faces and that we can't afford to be spending money on those kinds of Defense items that are no longer vital are part of the kinds of of of confrontations that we would face. Diem the challenge that weighs 2 is to be able to maintain adequate defense of this country, which I do believe is a responsibility of Congress, but we don't need to spend money on those things that seem to have no other justification then some kind of friendly pork barrel appeal for a particular estate course part of the defense budget is set by the mission that's levied on the Pentagon and I was watching of the MacNeil Lehrer show the other day and there was a third time out a rack the situation Iraq. What what should be done what has been done. So on so forth and there was a panel of four members of Congress pretty well right across the border to Republicans to Democrats and went from a fairly liberal Pat Schroeder to very conservative Henry Hyde and kind of all stops in between they all on four of them though all agreed Point Blank that we must be prepared in this country to Be kind of the place that people call First when there's trouble in the world that we must be prepared to send our troops Heather and Ian to deal with hotspot trouble spots in it sounded to me very much like the old world policeman thing that we used to hear so much about you agree with that analysis. Is that something we should have is a is a national policy. Gary I would not agree that those should just be kind of his carte blanche expect expectation that wherever there's a problem that the US should send troops. I think we need to examine each situation separately and identify. What is the vital American interest and then we need to do that rational calculation of what is the level of involvement that would be required to be successful and if we're not prepared to make a commitment the total kind of commitment to be successful and I would say that we shouldn't be there and we need to make sure that there's the support of the American people for that commitment or it won't be successful the challenge. I think is that the United States. Yes is still the it were the only surviving superpower. There are high expectations on us to play that role of world leader, but we can't do that without making sure that we reconcile. What's the cost are in each and every situation and be prepared that we would actually pay that cost and I think there's some situations where maybe we wouldn't feel that there was a sufficiently vital American interest for the prospects of I being successful if we did intervene. We're good enough to justify the United States taking that kind of role play idea to send our troops to Haiti 50/50 split in this country. And you mentioned that will be strong American public support is needed for these operate after the president made his address to the nation on Haiti. I stated that I did not feel that he had sufficiently pursued all the Diplomatic initiatives and I did not support the kind of armed military intervention that at that point he was calling for subsequently. I've been delighted that through the intervention of Colin Powell and President Carter and Simpson on that it was possible for the United States troops to land peacefully and I am pleased that it appears that we're making some progress there in terms of restoring democratic government. The challenge is the one that situation is still grading the the process so far though seems to be at least reasonably on track and when Steve is on the line from playing go ahead Guy baker thing recently. I've heard that a couple of people say that Minnesota needs the death penalty and I've got a quick question on that. Do you support the best death penalty in that question about the Marty tax plan intrigued me. I was just wondering maybe a better question would be would you have supported the Clinton budget plan that he passed during his first die first year. When I don't support the death penalty it. It unfortunately your references the very very tragic killing in St. Paul wouldn't bring back those police officers. I'm delighted that we have a provision of Minnesota so that the killer those police officers going to be locked up for the rest of his life via the question about the Clinton budget proposal is one that I would say that President Clinton deserves credit that he is the only President of the last three who has been successful and actually Bringing Down the deficit and the choices are going to be half that will have to be made to do that or they're not easy ones. But we have had three straight years of deficit-reduction, I believe. In fact, that's the first time since President Truman that we have had three straight years of deficit reduction and the sad reality is though that we still got a ways to go. Sitting here with a hundred and sixty billion dollar annual deficit and one of the things I've talked about consistently is that I want to go to the United States Senate to make some of those hard choices and vote against some of the spending items part of the deal ever. Call Lynn when the Clinton a budget plan passed your last summer was that there would be further votes on that would be votes on further reductions. They still call Penny case. It should plan would you have supported those additional Cuts over and above what was passed in the budget Bill items in that Penny kacich plan that I would support including some that weren't always my first choice and I've said that rather than just kind of give my wholesale endorsement to a package of cuts that are put together by a bunch of other people that what I'd like to do is be part of a process that would continue that effort and be willing to sit at the table and acknowledge that will Call Advocate for the kind of cuts that we'd like to see be prepared to have to accept some that we don't like in order to get something done and quite frankly. I'm I'm really honored in my campaign to have the support and the service of Tim Penny as the honorary chair of my campaign and have talked with him many times about the need to carry this battle on in the US Senate see David from St.Paul is on the line. Go ahead some moderate Republicans seem to be jumping from jams grams over to your campaign. And I think Elmer Anderson, who's the former Republican governor was quoted as saying that he'd support either you or Dean, Barclay. Do you think you can get support from moderate Republicans and I'm wondering what your strategy is. Well, I was delighted that a number of moderate Republicans decided to support me and I will continue to reach out to moderate Republicans to Independence because I believe that what we need in this country are Senators who are willing to work across party lines to get something done. And I'm not going to let party labels are idiot logical battles stand in the way of being practically focused on solving problems and I was delighted to have the support of a number of moderate Republicans. I appreciate former Governor Anderson's comments about myself and want to work with the all folks in this state as a member of the US Senate. Callers on the line from Willmar go ahead sir. Okay at first of all, I've got to come in and I understand you've made several several trips out here in the last few days talking about agriculture. I just wish more people in your position would do so and then I question I'm a I'm a pheasant Hunter and the CRP program is an important program to Sportsman and hunt and hunters and Farmers alike. And I want to hear your position on that on that program Steve. I was delighted to be in Willmar yesterday and we had a chance to be out in a cornfield and the talk about the ethanol program in the need to support that both as a way of providing jobs in rural Minnesota and helping raise the price of corn via CRP program. The conservation Reserve program is one that I very much support and I am very very anxious to serve on the senate committee have in fact already talked with people about my desire to do that. We are through ization and funding of the CRP program that keeps those erodible lands those lands that also provide habitat for wildlife out of out of production. I think is a real win-win situation for Farmers for hunters for conservationists. And we hopefully we'll be able to forge the coalition to get that reauthorized in the the next session of the United States Senate. I know that if I'm there that's one of the things I'm going to be working to do John's on the line with a question from Elk River go ahead sir to ratify treaties that we signed with foreign powers, and I recently there's been a treaty negotiated with the United Nations dealing with the rights of children. And some of these rights as I understand it would give children the legal power to completely disobey their parents. The right of Association is one of these sudden other words of parents couldn't even determine who the children could be associating with. What would be your position on that and secondly in relation to that? How do we determine what issues are actually Federal issues and which should be local issues and I'm referring to things like Aid to education 8 to local police 8 to the Arts. It seems like the federal government is becoming more and more involved in our private lives. First of all, are you aware that you entreated least? I haven't had the opportunity to review that treaty and I would want to have the chance to do. So before I would Express an opinion on it. I think it's also your obligation to be informed Before You cast to vote plays into the second part of his question and that is is is government specifically the federal government essentially sticking its nose in where it doesn't belong And More in terms of the family in terms of Education in terms of Crime Control in terms of funding for the Arts in the rest. We need to pair back and what we what federal government is up to have talked about the need for example in the area of Education to appreciate that while the federal government has a role to play in education that it should understand the limits of that role. And for example, I think in terms of equalizing some access to the resources, so that every child was born an American can have the opportunity to get a good education that the federal government has a role to play there. But I said on many occasions, but that doesn't mean that the United States Congress should start believing that it's a school board and want to design the curriculum and Define exactly how the school day is going to be better spent. I think in many respects we will get further solving some of our problems if we recognize that many of the folks at the local level have a better chance to both on the problem and on the solution and they need some very definite sense of what the goals are. I think it's appropriate for the federal government to say this is what we would like our schools to accomplish would like some means of holding them accountable measuring where they're not they're doing that but beyond that we really want to give the local school officials the teachers the parents the opportunity to make those decisions to figure out how best to do it in our school district. So, I think it's not just a simple that there's yes or no or federal go but it's kind of knowing what the limits are. John from Burnsville is on the line. Go ahead sir. Really aimed at the source of the problem rather than basically the symptoms but I'm a little curious about your position on the super collider project in the space station. And I wonder if you could explain that a little bit. Thank you for the federal budget that I would that I would vote to cut the super collider in the space station and I take that position not because I think those projects are bad, but it's a question of deciding what our priorities are in this country and then making the tough choices to say there's some things that right now we just can't afford given what are revenues are. In regards to some of the Science and Technology projects. I believe that we should use more the process for the National Science Foundation. The National Institutes of Health do the peer reviews the real scrutiny of the proposals. And on the basis of Merit determine. What is the best utilization of our Science and Technology research money in order to continue that important progress that is is vital to our economy into I saw him some of the terrible problems and in disease and and Healthcare in this country and particularly one of the reasons, I guess in the case of the super collider that I've talked about that is that appears to be a project that you know other than for the fact that Texas has got so many electoral votes and it's been a lot of political clout behind it that as we have faced these increasingly difficult budget decisions that that's been one that it's been harder and harder to Testify and and and I would know that Congress when grams has of course been the only member of the Minnesota delegation who has been consistently supporting spending the the 11 billion dollars for that project that we are going to become. So are we ready to become so obsessed with pinching pain pinching pennies that we we cut too much that we don't put enough into R&D and and and really think about the future we get so concerned about balancing the budget today that we're cutting off our nose to spite ourselves her research and development is vital to our future and I support continued funding for research and development and I prefer however to see that done through the National Science Foundation through the National Institutes of Health where those projects will be evaluated on the basis of what is the contribution that they're likely to make in terms of achieving no scientific breakthroughs. I'm proud of the fact that right here at the University of Minnesota that we have so many research scientists particularly talk about the Institute of Technology and the number of companies and jobs that have been spawned by the research and the development at that University, but one of the things that concerns me Is because we're out funding some of these exotic projects like the super collider in the superconductor. We're starving some of the basic research that is going on that doesn't have the kind of high-profile doesn't have the kind of political clout behind it. I want to see that kind of research have an opportunity be funded on its merits Ted from Northfield has a question for an when I go ahead my question that concerns lobbying reform Mr. Graham says said that if that Bill had passed Congress that private citizens such as myself would have been inhibited from talking to my congressman or Senator and wondering if that's true. Well, I think that's a fabrication frankly or smokescreen that was used to hide a no vote and I would challenge Congressman grams to produce. The portion of that bill that would require the private citizens such as yourself to have to register before you can ever contact your Congressman right-wing groups that that understanding was they opposed this bill as well. Did they not well organized campaign? They spend money to organize these campaigns. requiring that those groups provide some kind of Rapport and what they're spending. It's a lobbying expenditure is very different from saying a private individual who on their own volition wants to go down and eat us either congressman and give him a call has to register. It's it's totally different and the the smokescreen that was concocted try to avoid passing basic Lobby reform I think is a disgrace. The fact that Congressman grams voted not just once but three times against that Lobby reform legislation, you know, the first amendment guarantees Free Speech, it does not guarantee your free lunch and it's time for Congress to understand that the American public is really tired of the kind of freebies. The lunch is the gifts the proulx the trips that are showered on members of Congress by special interest groups and put a stop to it and I am in phatically going to be a supporter of eliminating those practices. Other question, this is one from Robert who's calling from Apple Valley. Go ahead crime bill. You said that you said you would have supported the crime bill and it's it's 100,000 do police officers going to get Nationwide and understand that there's two new officers coming to Minnesota very soon in the money has been allocated. I read in the in the Saint Paul paper earlier this week. We're two of the officers are going to be assigned to the black band and I was wondering what you thought about that and how there's officers might be using of the crime Bill sounds like a real good idea, but I just wonder if maybe the the devil's in the details it when when somebody's officers get don't get assigned to to an area like the Mille Lacs band of me. Are you going to be a casino cops? I wonder where what do you think is going to be the use for these? I have not seen the applications that the various communities are the Mille Lacs band made for these specific police officers and maybe before I would even comment on that. I I should take a look at that and I would be glad to do so, and if you would give my office a call after I've had a chance to to look at specifically what the plans are in terms of the utilization of those two police officers. I'd be glad to respond you question question. Go ahead sir. Hi, how are you doing? You would have status but how could you justify that in light of China's blatant human rights violations and documented use of political prisoner labor in manufacturing products that are imported into this country. And the second question is you said you would have wanted you wanted to control spending but on the other hand Congressman grams, I believe has issued a pledge not to raise taxes ever and will you do the same? He will let me respond to the the first question had to do with it. I share the concern of probably most Americans about human rights and I think the issue that led me to support mfn for China was a conclusion as to what is the best way to pursue the cause of human rights in China and I believe that increasing the level of contact between China and citizens of this country providing more opportunities for Americans to either establish businesses there a free exchange of students and citizens is more likely to move China in the direction of the changes that would support the cause of human rights in China than to Simply cut ourselves off as a country from any contact with China which would have been the result of our failure to to renew the mfn. So it's not so much. I think that I different with you with regard to the the the need to remain constant in our support of Human Rights, but really a question of the method by which we could best accomplish that the issue that you raised with regard to taxes even more focused on the deficit and the need to cut spending in order to reduce the deficit and what I find so frankly phony about the congressman grams and his contract for America is that at the same time that it talks about cutting taxes increasing spending for defense. It's unwilling to lay out exactly how you're going to make the cuts to accomplish all of that and the net effect. And in this is not me doing this analysis. This is papers like the USA Today in the New York Times in the Minneapolis of the Minnesota star-tribune agreed. But we're talking about here is a 1 trillion dollar budget disaster another trillion dollars that were going to put on the backs of our children and ask them to pay and I think that if there are things that we want to consume if we do believe if Congressman grams for example wants to Advocate increased dispense spending. He should explain how he's going to pay for it without further increasing the depth We have time I think for one more collar Jeff. You're the last caller. Go ahead and I just wanted to call in and ask you about you you said you would you would support Gat and there's one thing I have a problem with obviously you can't really demanded the bill because this is a treaty between I think it like a hundred and thirty Nations or so, but there's a provision in there that I've been having a lot of problems with another people I've talked to have is that you have this arbitrary this board that couldn't sort of indiscriminately override Nations environmental standards or Satan say for example, they could say they are zero tolerance of DDT in our food is too restrictive to trade and they could override those laws and I wondered if if instead of just a full support, maybe you would support renegotiating something like that to make that board more accountable to voters or or maybe so that at least the meetings were were public instead of private. Forget agreement that is on the table and probably will be voted on sometime later. This year is one that is a straight up-or-down vote and I've indicated that confronted with at straight up-or-down vote that I would be a vote for I'm concerned about some of those environmental issues that you raised and thanking future trade negotiations that it's important that we talked about environmental labor concerns. I want to go back to go to your your comment about the fact that this panel can override laws that might have been passed by this country and I would differ with you on that interpretation of the panel may may I cited particular law in the United States and then vote some kind of sanctions, but the United States would always the Congress of the United States would always retain the power as to whether or not it wanted to change the law and only Congress could change the law. We're just about out of time, but I have to ask you if Or we go here very briefly 1992-present Clinton campaigning in the Democrats campaign around the countryside electus. Give us a chance. Give us control the White House Congress. Let us go and then judges 2 years down the road. Are you happy with what happened in the last 2 years? They made some real accomplishment cut the deficit pass the medical and family leave bill passed the Brady Bill and in the second year. Unfortunately partisan politics took over in the closing days of the Senate we had seven simultaneous republican-led filibusters that seem to be based more on the determination to deny the president getting anything done. Then simply any principled objections that's wrong. That's what's got to change. We've got to run. Thanks so much for coming by and thank you. Appreciate it.