6 minutes past 11 and good morning. Welcome to mid-day on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Gary eichten. Glad you could join us. Well good news or bad news and New Star Tribune kmsp-tv, Minnesota pull out today has a little of both for Minnesota attorney general. Skip Humphrey guardian of the poll conducted just a few days ago. I'm free now has a commanding lead over his Rivals for the dfl gubernatorial nomination the Paul of likely voters in the dfl primary in September shows Humphrey preferred by 48% of those polled that's up 10 points since the dfl state convention in early June. What's more Humphrey has more support now than all four of the other candidates combined. That's the good news for Humphrey. The bad news is that Republican candidate Norm. Coleman is apparently moved into a virtual tie with Humphrey among likely voters in the November general election back in June. I'm free at a 10-point lead over Coleman. Meanwhile, I guess this our Reform Party candidate Jesse Ventura continues to do very well in these early Paul's according to the Star Tribune pull out today Ventura withdraw anywhere from 11 to 15% of the general election. Vote and Jesse Ventura continues to tell voters around the state that he does indeed have a legitimate chance to win the election in November as to Ventura certainly is one of the most interesting resumes in the field. He's a former mayor of Brooklyn Park until last week. He was hosting a Twin Cities radio talk show. He's appeared in movies and TV shows. He's a former member of the elite Navy Seals Special Forces Unit. And of course, he's probably best known for his years as a pro wrestling star. Jesse Ventura has come by today to talk about the issues what he would do if he's elected governor and to take your question. So we should invite you to give us a call this morning to 276 thousand is our Twin City area number to 276 thousand and outside the Twin Cities. You can reach us toll-free at 1 800 to +422-828-227-6000 or one 800-242-2828 or guess this our Reform Party good material candidate Jesse Ventura. Thanks for coming in today Thanksgiving my pleasure to be here. You know, you certainly have been talking about all the big issues and you've been seriously campaigning. I've got to think though that there are a certain number of people who just don't take your campaign. Seriously. Is that right? I don't know why I mean I just why does it matter what you did to earn a living? You know when you think about it in and I'm a Believer in the Constitution and I'm a very much a believer in what country was founded upon. I dislike career politicians and I think that this country was founded originally to have people from all walks of life go serve and then when you're done serving go back to do what you used to do and I think we've lost sight of that and because now you have people making decisions on careers in politics careers at at end the vote accordingly, they vote to further their career. Is that why you're running cuz I mean, there's no shortage of candidates this year five Democrats or Republicans because I had no intention. Do you know I will after finishing is mayor of Brooklyn Park, which I served from 1991 to 1995. I felt that I did the job there and that the city was turned around it was going in the direction that it needed to go. So my job was finished. I didn't seek re-election and I fully if I wanted to make a career of it there. No doubt in my mind. I could have won re-election in the city of Brooklyn Park, but my job was done my job. Then I felt was to go back to the private sector and go back earning a living. Like I always did and I have no intention of getting back into politics are running for elective office again until a 4 billion dollar Surplus showed up and when the career politicians with total disregard for the people carved up that money and spent it. It's one thing for them to spend budgeted money money that they put aside and budget for because they stand on that then this is our budget as a legislator. This is our budget is the governor, whatever it might be that's budgeted money, but this was Surplus money. This was money that they did not tax board with Surplus money. They carved it up. They spent it they gave us this supposed property tax refund. That is so bogus. I'll tell you why I feel it is because my property Taxes during that course a time that this for billion-dollar Surplus showed up my property taxes alone jumped an average of $460 a year for four consecutive years in a row. Now where's where's my return is no return she because all the time with the property tax system like it is they can tell you they're giving you money back they can cut this and that, but if they raise the value of their property if they raised it indiscriminately you're paying more anyway, and so it was because of them and I am the only major Party candidate that stood on the steps of the Capitol and said give the money back that is not your money. Give it back money has to be speaking of money has to be a tough scuffle For You especially faced with what will likely be a barrage of TV advertising prior to the November election you're doing real. Well right now in part I suspect because of my name recognition and dance on how are you going to counter the prevent from getting swamp there about the mid-october well, Because so I think that the career politicians will beat themselves. I think they're going to go on television with all this usual rhetoric that they do where they they give you two minutes and say nothing they give you two minutes of talking and say nothing with their little acloche words and all the typical stuff that they say. I mean I find it utterly amazing right now that every governor candidate is calling for a tax cut when they just had four billion Surplus money that would would have been very easy to give back now. They're going to cut taxes G. Is it ironic? It's an election year that all of a sudden they can all now tell you they're going to cut taxes will of people Minnesota want to buy that and believe that they're not getting sold a bill of goods then certainly they can but I don't believe it. They're not going to cut our taxes at all. They wouldn't even give the Surplus back. Yeah. I'm not how am I going to contend with that? Well, it's tough because I don't take Pac money. You know, what is a Reform Party candidate? We it's against our rules to take political action money. And if I can use the term of former candidate John Marty John was very much right on what he made a statement. He said November 3rd, what are politics is evolved due today. November 3rd is no longer an election. It's an auction. And I I spoke with John and John told me feel free to use the quote. He said just give me credit now and then so I always do I always say that, you know, John Marty made that statement. I wholeheartedly agree with him on it because what this is all about now is the buying and selling of our politicians when they went like save the Republicans and mr. Coleman spend three and a half million dollars to get him elected. My father worked was a hard-working City labor in the City of Minneapolis with an eighth grade education. And when I was growing up, he used to always say to me, you know, why you don't believe any of these politicians and I said, why dad you said cuz they spend the million dollars for a job that pays a hundred grand a year. The what are they? What do people buy when they give carrots a lot of money do you think are they buying votes or the excess or what? I did a film called predator in at one point. We found a bunch of bodies hanging in the trees down there in the jungles of Mexico and I had a simple line as I as I cock that minigun and got ready to go wage war. I simply said it's payback time. Well, that's what you have is payback time. They're buying influence their buying favorable votes from these candidates on whatever it is. It's amazing because I've participated now in probably 15 or 16 debates. And the thing that bothers me most is no matter what special interest group you debate in front of the first thing out of their mouth is what is this government going to do for me? That's the question. What is government going to do for me? Well if government is doing everything for all of these special interest groups who pays for that? What would you obviously there are a lot of issues I suppose the people will be making decisions on come November. But if you had to pick one right now, what do you think is is the big issue that I think there's two major issues in Minnesota. I think there's two major issues with crime the third more distant, but the two major issues are education and taxes and you can flip flop them pretty much whichever. Your priority is. I think it's taxes and education. We in Minnesota are highly overtaxed way overtaxed. I mean, we ranked third in the nation right now. Our tax Freedom day is May 16th, six days longer than the national average. We pay more taxes here. I always like to have fun and I tell people and over-regulation to I always like to have fun and tell people other than the air that you breathe. What don't you need government permission to do Give me an answer. Are you are you proposing than a pretty substantial cut in spending? I know I proposed first and I've already said I will veto any new raising of taxes. I don't care what the excuses after this budget surplus there is no excuse to raise our taxes at all. That in itself is a tax cut because of course inflation will go up during those four years which will be but I let you know you hear the candidates a cut taxes cut taxes. Don't you think first? We should simply hold government where it's at first and then judge, you know, let's stop government growth and that that's what differs me from. The rest of these candidates is I've worked my entire life in the private sector pretty much. All the other candidates have either been elected officials their entire life or they've worked for the government their entire life. They've they've cashed government checks their entire life one way or another so it's in their best interest to create bigger and larger government because they work in the government. Well, there's a flaw to that and the Soviet Union shows that flaw if you look at government is like an engine. Well as that engine gets larger larger and larger what is required more gasoline will who pays for the gas the private citizen does the private sector does When government grows too large who's going to pay for it? Then not government itself because government does not government does not create any money all government does redistribute money. So when you hear people saying well, yes government gave money to this what when government gives money to that government took money from somewhere else to do that. That's all government does I guess it's our is Reform Party gubernatorial candidate Jesse Ventura, and we have a full Bank of callers hear. Let's get to some callers with questions for a misspent to her. But let me give you the number jot it down. Don't call right now. You'll just get frustrated. But give us a couple of minutes of some of the lines clear to 276 thousand Twin City area number 227-6000 and outside. The Twin Cities are toll free line is one 800-242-2828 Gerard your first go ahead. I said Meijer Jesse after hearing him speak, but I don't know what your position is in regards to legalization of hemp. What is my position I would have already come out and said that I think that we absolutely should look at the legalization of industrial hemp. It's a product out there Canada doing it already. And if you know, I just read in the paper how many of our farmers are experiencing extreme difficulties right now? Why not open up a new business white look at the job could create a you can make paper out of it. It's a very versatile product it grows 10 to 12 feet in one summer. How long does it take a tree to grow that about 10 to 12 years so we could we could actually it would help us in the cutting down of trees up north if we would allow industrialized hemp to be used and yet they won't even discuss it on the floor over there. I don't think you know what I think it's ridiculous. I think it's they're putting their heads in the sand on this issue. And the point is that it's a tremendous versatile product and i would support completely absolutely into For sure looking into the use of industrial hemp Joseph your next all right, experimenting with a concealed handgun carry laws and I'm curious how you felt about that. Well, I'll look at it this way and I know this is very anti the Democratic party, but here's the deal. You can't sue the police if you were assaulted you can't sue the government. So what that is telling you is that they have no liability to protect you and you are constitutionally have the ability to protect yourself and so I would support that it but I would not support a carte-blanche. I don't want everybody running around with a handgun who doesn't know how to use it and who is not properly trained in it. So naturally, I would support pretty stringent course in gun safety and knowing what they're doing and I would also support that they need to show me that they can shoot it with some type of accuracy. Does it does it worry you at all though given the the, you know, the level of road rage and the people running around a lot of people with guns or you go to a bar some night and there's some right now all the people that do carry guns generally are carrying them illegally. So they're out there anyway legal or illegal if I would certainly if you know, you have to allow people the benefit that they will use common sense with it. And if it doesn't work, you can always repeal it can't you any other changes in our gun laws? No, I just enforce the ones we have and I'm not a strict NRA guy. I have no problem with a 7-Day waiting. You know, I don't have a problem with that. I don't believe convicted felons at all should be ever be allowed to own them, but it's interesting because there is one gun rights advocate in St. Louis Park that I find very interesting. He's created a sticker that says I support gun control and it has a handgun with a circle and a line through it and on the bottom. It says this is a gun-free home. He is asked all the people that support gun control if they will put that on their home. None of them will lie. Why won't they do it? Why because there has to be that doubt if you were to put that on your house that's like shooting a beacon up into the air to every criminal knowing that. Well, you can break into this house in the chances are nothing's going to happen to you. What else do you think should be done to the crime rate is actually going down but still it very high levels of what else could we do to further reduce crime crime needs to be done like this when I took over Mara Brooklyn Park crime was running rampid you had a city there that was in turmoil you had a city there that was in trouble people had paid say hypothetically $100,000 for their home could now not sell it for about 80 85 that's serious because most of the time a person's home is the biggest investment. They ever making their life. Is there home where they live? Well the way we solve crime in Brooklyn Park, it's not done by putting more cops necessarily on the street. That's nice, but that's a politician's way. I'm trying to convince everyone you're solving crime go up and ask any cop how many times that cop is actually stopped a crime in progress. Police come after the crime has been committed generally very rarely does so and that it's usually happenstance. They just happened to be in the right place at the right time to do it. No the way we stop crime in Brooklyn Park is we we got together with government apartment owners businesses and the people the neighborhoods and if you look at my record in the city of Brooklyn Park, we are a national award-winning City on National Night Out the entire four years. I was Mara Brooklyn Park population went up crime went down right in the face of Statistics because we organized neighborhoods. The way you fight crime is the neighborhoods have to want to lose crime. They have to get together, especially in urban settings today. Usually a little different cuz everyone knows their neighbors in a rural atmosphere but in cities so many people come and go move in and out. There's always the changing of people in neighborhoods. You have to learn Who your neighbors are you have to become friends with them so that you can watch out for each other and what we did with the National Night Out in with the neighborhood groups will then when somebody suspicious walks into the neighborhood. Somebody just says, excuse me with a smile on their face. Can I help you? Well low and behold if you are a criminal you're not going to like that because that means you know this neighborhood looking out for themselves. You've got to do it through the people the people have to want to do it then with support of government as well as business the three working hand-in-hand but this stuff where you here to get politicians go I'm going to fight crime. I always like to be very blunt and put it this way most of wood no crime if it came and bit him on the ass because they've never even been in a situation where it's been around. How would they kids younger kids committing serious crimes? What should we be doing about that. That to me. It's very simple to blame the kids, isn't it? Excuse me? But their kids aren't they push to really blame. We are the adults. We're letting our children. Our children are misbehaving today because we as adults are dropping the ball on loving caring nurturing and taking care of our kids. We are the fault the adults. Not the children the children are children. They're they're not giving the rights of adults. They're not given decision-making of adults. There's problems with children today because we as adults and parents have let them down and it's time for us to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and start being parents start being adults and the same thing in schools schools are only good if the teachers the children and the parents are involved, you have to have all three Jane your question place tonight. I just wondering if you are. Did you go to public school and did your children? Yes, I did. I went to Cooper Grade School Sanford Junior High in Minneapolis Roosevelt High School. And yes, my son just graduated from Champlin Park High School this year and my daughter will continue in public education. She's I believe entering 8th grade this year and I certainly have enough money to send them to private school, but I don't Text if elected what about those to the existing law? They just increased the tax credits and deductions for parents so that they can use that money for tutoring and computers and I'm a firm believer in our constitution of Minnesota says that we will provide a public education K through 12. I support the Constitution and I think what's happening now with all these vouchers and all this stuff. That's fine and dandy. That's the way to cut and run, you know rather than fighting the fight and fixing the public schools. What an easy way out Cut and Run pull your kids out of school send them to private school in what leave the public school to die. Well, that's not going to make it for me. I've always been a fighter and I'll fight for the public schools. I'm a product of the public schools and I believe it's government's job to provide a k through 12 education, but it is not government's job like these Democrats want to do to provide two years of college. Excuse me, after age 18, aren't you considered an adult but about what about more government money for like, I guess the catch word is early childhood education all day kindergarten and I took all day kindergarten can be a good thing and I think the key to education is this and first of all, let me explain this education was my weakness as a mayor you don't deal in education much much against mr. Coleman's tv ads. He has nothing whatsoever to do with the rising scores of kids test scores in St. Paul a mare has nothing to do with education. That's the school board. It's a different facet of government mayor might know about prime you might know about taxes. Doesn't handle schools schools where my weakness education was my weakness while I'm not here for politics. I'm here for results. So I went out and got a lieutenant governor May shunka 36 year teacher award-winning teacher. Excuse me has been teaching 36 years is 22 years in the Saint Paul School District. She teaches at Lake Phalen Elementary right now her children just placed in the top 5 and all the test in the state of Minnesota show. The proof is in the pudding now, I've been told both Urban both Rural and Suburban the key is grades one through three. That's what we must focus on getting every first grader through 3rd grader that can read right and do arithmetic at that point small class sizes at that point a good ratio between teacher and student there and that way the child builds up the confidence if that child can get out of there knowing Reading Writing and arithmetic Dennis the expanding the bigger class sizes much more easy to adapt. They're not going to get caught caught up in the system that and get lost between the cracks. Here's another point you hear about kids graduating from public school to can't read a right. Excuse me, where were the parents at? What point in 3rd? Read if you were concerned parent, you wouldn't sit down and realize Little Johnny can't read a right something's wrong here and then take an active involvement. It takes parents being involved and that's why I believe we need to also go back to Neighborhood schools and nothing this busing because when I went to school you had ptas in the neighborhood you had parent involvement. It's tough enough to get parents involved now with a neighborhood school. How are you going to involve them when your kids being bashed halfway across town and it's a 30-minute drive to go over to the child school. You're going to get the parent involved in no way. You've got to go back to Neighborhood schools with every school has a total today of every nationality every Creed code. Whatever you want is in all the school. So that's irrelevant today. Let's go back to Neighborhood schooling again. Whoever is Governor faces the the question or will face. I lost the laws are changed. Probably they're going to be large numbers of kids who will have not passed the basic skills test, which you're supposed to pass. You have to pass to get a diploma. Do you think we should stay on track with that? Are we in fact going to deny that many kids a high school diploma. I'm a firm believer and hey, you don't give something that is earned. If you don't learn that you don't get it. Learn it. Well good. What good is cheapening a diploma if you're going to hand them out, whether when they've not been earned and then the diploma means nothing you got to earn that you're on your diploma Joy your question pains and I just really frustrated by all these programs they do to work with kids when I really think it's the parents that need to be worked with I agree with you, Julie and and I just think you know, what his if everybody looked at their own life. What is affected them. The most is it's one or two personal relationships with key adults. We are letting down our children. It's very easy to blame the kids. The blame needs the blame lies with us the adults. It's our job. They are children. Kids, you know, I'm not into government being the parent like you say what they're definitely we need to put something into making parenting classes. Well, I I don't have the answer for you. I wish that I did, you know, it'd be nice if winning Governor if there was a magic wand that came with it that could right all the wrongs. It doesn't work that way but on my end of it I can I can do it through leadership and through example and through being in attempting to get it as many people as we can to be good role models for children to show children that that you know being a good role model in. This is what you do in life. You set by example kids learn by the example set before them if they're receiving bad examples, then they are going to do likewise Reform Party gubernatorial candidate. Jesse Ventura is our guests this our talking about the issues and what he would do if he were elected governor in November again, our phone number here is to two 76000 or 1 800-242-2828. All the lines are busy right now. So give us a couple of minutes and we'll get some of the lines cleared and then we'll take your call as well. Go get us some more colors in just a moment. I'm Lord of Benson on the next All Things Considered Bemidji plans to restore historic Depot built by railroad Tycoon, James J Hill a man who was instrumental in making the Twin Cities a Transportation Hub James J. Hill was known as The Empire Builder. He even offered free railroad transportation to many farmers so they can go to a school that story on the next All Things Considered weekdays at 3 on Minnesota Public Radio k n o w FM 91.1 in the Twin Cities. Reminder that to NPR's Main Street radio coverage of world issues is supported by the blandin foundation committed to strengthening rural communities in expanding cultural opportunities through the Minnesota rural Arts initiative over the noon hour today special broadcast earlier this week General Colin Powell former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke at the Truman Library. There was a special ceremony at the Truman Library marking the 50th anniversary of the executive order of the President Truman the sign Leo ending racial segregation in the armed forces, but you know Paul talked about that issue earlier this week and we'll have that address over the noon hour today sunny skies for the most part across Minnesota today with highs mid-70s to the low-80s tonight clear to partly cloudy, then partly cloudy skies are forecast for Minnesota tomorrow and better chance for rain by Sunday Twin Cities Sunny this afternoon high right around 80° clear tonight with a low in the Mid to Upper 50s partly cloudy tomorrow with the high in the low eighties right now in the Twin Cities. Sunny skies, 74° Jesse Ventura gubernatorial candidate for the Reform Party is our guest this hour and let's see here who is next up Rodger. Go ahead. Please show wrestling Nike little boys accused for he's adorable. He said it looked Papa the men are fighting and I said, no, they're not fighting that's just acting are just faking you can't really jump on someone's neck and expecting to get up and fight some more. So what's the answer to see? What do I tell Isaac? You? Tell Isaac If he if you choose as a parent to want him to watch wrestling you just tell Isaac to enjoy it that enjoy the action enjoy the excitement of it and enjoy the entertainment of it. And if you if you want to tell him that Didn't that it's just cartoons in real life rather than cartoon characters doing it on a cartoon show. These are actual real people do in the battles. Let's see Edward Edward go answers. Yes, I would like to know what the Jesse's position is on open enrollment in high school. I like the statement. He made the other day about paying the last two years of college education instead of the first two years, which will probably get my vote but I have two kids and one of them is already participated in the open enrollment because her senior year was just going to be too boring. So she went to the you and I've got a son that's probably going to look at the same way and I'm just wondering how do we get high schools? Up to Snuff so that they can support the gifted students. Well, if you feel feel good about that that yours that your sons and daughters are that gifted and can already head over to the University of Minnesota Eye of a pro and con about Open Enrollment. I think open enrollment can be good in some ways. And in other ways. I think it's been a great detriment because it's all open enrollment is ledger. If you look at it from the athletic and the village Ledger recruiting and now you've got recruiting going on at the high school levels where you know coaches can now go out and recruit students and because of open enrollment they can live anywhere and play 4th at school. The other thing that's a negative to me for open enrollment is again, as I stated earlier. It doesn't help to build the neighborhood and I think you need to build the neighborhood and neighborhood involvement in your school programs and one example that I solve open enrollment. I used to have a weightlifting gym in North Minneapolis, which was a blur. From Patrick Henry High School and open enrollment to place at that time and we had a little mom-and-pop grocery store across the street and the kids would come out during lunch and then go buy stuff there and because it wasn't their neighborhood and it wasn't from their part of town. They would litter they would throw the garbage on the street and I would have to stand out in the corner and say hey there's a garbage can put it in there. We live here and I think that that's one of the detriments to taking kids out of their neighborhood schools is Dave n don't have the feeling if it's their neighborhood. They're going to know the people there. They're going to know they live there and therefore there going to be more respectful to the properties around that school rather than when school's over they travel 30 miles across town to where they live one of the arguments in favor of open enrollment beyond the fact that it gives kids a little better a wider choice so that if they're local school isn't ready meeting their needs and go somewhere else the other part about it. Is that it Concept of competition and it's at the heart of the idea of charter schools and and the tax credits ductions the voucher conversation here. It doesn't make any sense to talk about the competition as a way to improve the public schools out. Absolutely. Absolutely. I think that that that but there should be competition within the public school system. There should be competition to make every school the best it can possibly be in the public school system. And again, I'll go back to it again. You can't just lump it onto the teachers children come with too much baggage today. They come with baggage from broken homes. They come with antisocial behavior and you're now asking the teachers to take care of those problems for them. And again, I'll refer to me Shunk. She is my lieutenant governor choice. I will hand education over to her. That is why I brought her on board. She is an award-winning teacher. She has ideas. She knows that you've got to go to the teacher. Curious to find out what is going to work not the bureaucrats not the upper echelon administrators the end and she has told me many times. They get mandates that come down from the government implement this they're forced to do it. Then when it fails who's held accountable the teachers are when they're not the ones that mandated in the first place the government did so again may schunk my lieutenant governor candidate will handle education. Absolutely follow your question for Jesse Ventura couple quick things when I just wonder what I think you got a heck of a chance cuz you don't come across as a as totally anti-government how to improve government expect you to come across as anti-government or something and you don't So I just wonder what your take is on environmental regulation. I guess my basic question the main thing I want. You know, I like, you know, I think we should protect our environment certainly and in fact, that's what got me involved in politics in the first place in Brooklyn Park was a little Wetland that we had that they were going to destroy and turn it into a stormwater utility retention Pond that none of us felt was needed or wanted we all had good ditches and all that and no one had a water problem and I'm a firm believer of something works don't fix it. And so but I think on the other hand to we need to have accurate figures on the environment. We need to know that what we're protecting truthfully has to be protected and we can't let carte blanche go the other way too because as far as I know we humans are still number one on the food chain. And until we're not number one on the food chain, you know, we've that's the way it is. That's that's the facts of life, but I am environmental conscience. I I do not believe in Destroying the environment but we have to find a happy medium in there to where we can coexist and use the environment and in yet protected at the same time. Probably the biggest environmental issue right now. Is that whole agricultural feedlot business what I like and what would you propose doing about that? I don't have a proposal not the scientist don't even have a proposal. I do support the temporary moratorium because we can't allow more of them to happen without knowing the repercussions but there's been no scientific, you know, they're not far enough along with the scientists and I don't claim to be a scientist. I want the people that know about that know about the pollution and then can come forward and hopefully give us some Alternatives of what can be done to again find a compromise in the situation. But right now I would support the temporarily because we don't need more of them coming into the scene in the people having to live around them not knowing what the results are going to be but we got to kick science in the butt and get moving on this thing. See the problem with government is they drag their feet all the time, they'll throw a moratorium on and then they'll extend extended because nobody's out there getting the job done in him getting the results in but like I don't have an answer. I'm not a scientist. I don't know what the answer is right now Monica your question. Ernie is a little bit of a hero of mine and I was really sorry to hear him. Admonish the smaller counties for bringing up their concerns over the year 2000 and I was wondering if you were elected. You have a plan to ensure that your the computer glitches that you know, all the municipalities we won't suffer from brownouts and blackouts and that everything will still be up and running. I hate to tell you this but I have to go to my 18 year old son. When I want to get on a computer I would certainly again turn that over to experts in the field and and would take their recommendation because I'm not going to lie to people and say I know everything about everything I certainly don't I don't work in the computer field so I can't sit here and tell you what the answer would be when we get the year 2000 Highwood assume the private sector is going to deal with that because they're going to have to solve that problem also to make make sure that the the problems you talk about don't happen. You know because let's face it. There's a huge money in the computer industry. Bill Gates is the richest man on the planet. Now they say and that's because of computer. So I would think that they will come up with an answer. I certainly hope so but putting me on the spot to ask me what I'm going to do about computers. I can't tell you I I I would have to go to The Experts and and hope that they will be able to come up with the answer to solve the year 2000 on the computer and ask the question why it happened in the first place Doug your question discrimination in employment and housing. I'm wondering if Adventure Administration is one that would support the civil rights of all minnesotans including gay and lesbian people. Absolutely. I we all live in the same country. I believe in the Constitution and there is nothing in the Constitution that makes any reference to gay or hetero at all and I always like to put it in the military context. I'm an ex-navy seal, which is probably the most highly motivated in my opinion unit. The United States military has and people have asked me how do you feel about gays in the military? I'll tell you how I feel I don't care what a person sexual orientation is. I care that they can get the job done. And if a person if a gay or lesbian person wants to serve our country, who am I to tell them they can or cannot do that. I would walk up shake their hand and say thank you for serving your country because that's what it's all about your service to your country. And the rest of it is irrelevant than meaningless to me. So if the legislature were to pass a bill which would repeal the the provision of the human rights act that protects gays and lesbians you'd be told at yes. It's more than likely I would die again. I'm for as long as I'm for complete coverage everyone treated equally under the law and under the Constitution end of story. What about the same-sex marriage issue? I always laugh a little at that and I know I shouldn't laugh but I thought why do they want that you get penalized for being married? I had my account in one you tell me I could have paid $11,000 Less in taxes if my wife and I weren't married if we were simply living together but there but it is a serious problem and I can see both sides you have you have a side that says marriage should only be between a man and a woman now. I think it can be accomplished again government is a series of compromises many times. I think the way to handle that is rather than calling and Mary how about simply allowing same-sex people some type of protection under the law. Here's the problem. I see and I have a bad I say had because unfortunately one of one of my friends died of a heart attack, but I had to gay friends who have been together 41 years and the thing that bothers me is under current law now these two have been together for 1 years, I mean that's a strong a marriage is there would ever be with heterozygous mean to people that can live in the same house together 41 years in length. And the problem I have is is out in society is if one of them were ill in the hospital the other partner could not even come in and visit because hospitals have regulations that state you must be a spouse or next of kin. So I would think that we could come up with some type of government certificate that would allow them rights under the law that in a situation of a hospitalization or something of that order that they would be treated equally under the law whether you know, if and if people want to protect the quote-unquote the word marriage can only be man and woman well find will protect that for the sake of the people that want to do that, but let's find an alternative call it a partnership Call It Whatever other words you want to call it, but give them equal protection, especially in the case of Of hospitalization where somebody can't get in to see someone and sit at their dying bedside because of the fact they don't have some legitimate paper from the government that says it's okay. We're beyond the government when it comes to that love goes beyond government and all we should back to the phones more questions for Reform Party candidate Governor Ventura, Mike your next. Yes. My question was and what are you what is your belief on the stadium issue? My belief on the stadium issue is that I will not support Andy public tax dollars going to build a stadium and I will use mr. Mo Vaughn as an example not nothing personal against mole that but mode just turned down 34 million dollars for four years and said that wasn't enough. Now, how can I is Governor look at people that make 25000 a year and tell them that they should fork money over to build these people a place to work and operate in I think there's alternative methods to building a stadiums. I certainly support professional sports. I come out of professional sports ice. I support entertainment in every Everything that you want to use your entertainment Dollar on is fine with me. It's your money. I don't believe government should tell you how to spend your money. That's up to you. I think there are alternative message if we want to build stadiums. There's ways to do it. I would support I have no problem with putting Slots of Canterbury with a big sign on them that says every dollar that gets put in these slots goes to building a stadium because that's volunteer then no one's making you do it and a few people out there feel that poor Carl need some help Why by all means help him then that break trust though with the Indian tribes in Minnesota have that one trust. We're talkin equality. I want everyone equal under the law. We're all equal aren't we the state did reach an agreement with the with the tribes though? They essentially gave them the exclusive franchise of gambling exclusive. I don't believe that somebody just want to Major Powerball. Isn't that gambling? That's not exclusive the powerball's not exclusive you walk into the convenience store. You got scratch off this scratch-off that that's all gambling bingo at churches gambling. And if you want to take it even a step farther Gary isn't the stock market gambling. Is it yes, you're gambling you're buying stock in your gambling that more people are going to buy that stock and it's going to rise and you hope it doesn't fall. Here's my point life is a Gamble. And your question place? Yes, Jesse happy to hear you would support a temporary moratorium on large feedlots would like to invite you to come out to Rice County and visit the folks that live next to very large hog and turkey operation. I don't even want to smell them in the handling of this stuff right now. Like I said, I'm waiting. I want them to get off their butts get the scientist out there and figure out what can be done so that hopefully we can reach some type of compromise on the situation to allow, you know, the agricultural industry to continue to prosper and move forward but also to allow the safety to the environment and all that and then again, I'm not a scientist. I need to I need science, you know the scientist to come up with the answer so that then we can devise a plan of which direction we want to go. I'm talking about trying to preserve a agriculture. We talked a few minutes ago about stadium. Is there any Roll it all for government in terms of subsidizing Private Business in the state. That's corporate welfare in its own way high, I think government's role in subsidizing business is cut taxes and that'll spur business. What we need to do is quit taxing with regulating so much and allow private Enterprise to go out there and do the thing, you know, you have a bull market today and we've had a bull market for five to six years as much as the government and the politicians want to claim credit for it. They're not responsible for it private. Enterprise is the hard-working private citizen who's out there working and investing their money. They're the ones spring the bull market. Let's get the government out of their way and let's let's let's let people work in the Chief without government intervention. You know, it's funny Gary cuz many politicians always want to leave a legacy, right? They want to leave we will get their names on buildings and this and that while they were in you know, what my legacy I want to leave is whether I serve for 8 years and rest assured it'll never be more than eight because I believe in term limits You never hear that brought up any more from the career politicians. Do you well why I would support to four-year terms maximum and then you'd be required to go two years back in the private sector so you could get in touch with reality again. That's what I would support very very strongly and let's see. Where was I going now? I got off on term limits. I ran off on that. I forgot the other point. I was going to make well, it'll come back to me. Whatever it was. Tom your question. How do you feel you'll be able to implement your third party policies with a two-party Senate legislative? Well, that's a good question. I'm glad you asked to Tom because of the fact that the first of all I come with no party agenda if if you people out there in Minnesota elect a Democrat or Republican, you've already got adversarial positions lined up then because if you're a democrat or a republican the other side is going to feel cheated. They're going to know you have an agenda. The bat side I can sit at that desk and it makes only common sense to me. We're a three-prong check and balance judicial legislative and executive. It makes only sense to me. I believe the head executive should be a private sector person not belonging to either one of these two legislative parties. And the reason why is this when a bill comes to my desk I can sign it's on its merits or veto it on its lack of merits without Party politics entering into it. I think also as a neutral party Governor I can bring the two sides together to get them to work for what is best for Minnesota. Not necessarily what's best for Democrats or what's best for Republicans. I have a saying in my campaign that says let's put minnesotans first. There's more of us than there are Democrats and Republicans wouldn't be tough though because you don't have that base of support in the legislature to to get through programs that you're interested in or sustain Vito's if that's necessary. So I think it would be easier because I could bring them together. I'm a neutral party. You could bring the two ultra-left ultra rights together, which is what I believe. They are today. I believe both of these parties have been short chiseled and focus down that they're out of touch with mainstream that they had their their their focus has are so Ultra left a note to write down the two fringes that it's time to bring them back to the center a little bit more make them more Centrist and do what's good for the majority of minnesotans not for certain select groups on each firewing that you have. I think it I think it only makes common sense to have a neutral party Governor that doesn't belong to either party because that way as I said if the bill is good, I can sign it and it doesn't matter if it's Democrat sponsored or republican sponsored Joe your question. Yeah, Mr. Venture. I'm just curious about your your view on students. You think God for the education question about how People who are 18 years or older. I'm just wondering where it was Hawaii why you think that somebody that age can afford to go to college these days? I'll come you afford to go to college yet. How would I do it? You can always go in the service and get the GI bill and if you're smart enough to go to college shouldn't you be smart enough to put your way through it? And I'm all for student loans. I have no problem with government helping people out giving you know student loans, but you're going to pay them back alone is alone. If you buy a car you don't drive that far off the property and then decide a half a year later. You're not going to make a payment on it. So at student loans would be the same way. And if you're College material and you're that bright you ought to be able to figure out when I grew up people I grew up in South Minneapolis middle class lower middle-class. We were the kids being drafted and sent off to war the rich kids out in the suburbs didn't have to go cuz they have college deferments. Well, how did my friends and all of us go through college will where does it state that college has to be completed in 4 years? Is there any law that says that know that but why can't you go to Community College for a couple years much cheaper get your core courses in pass all those core courses before you shift to the major University of Minnesota or whatever it is where there's a will there's a way and if you're smart enough to go to college, which I think all of you are you're smart enough to figure out a way to put yourself through whatever happened to holding down a job and pay your way through college. So it takes you six seven years look at it this way. I'll put it in the context of my 18 year old son when I give him something give him something it's amazing. He don't take care of it, but when he has a job now and he takes his hard-earned money and he goes and buys something with his own money how amazing it is what delicate care that gets so it gets a special spot. It's taken care of this and that and I think your education falls under the I think if you're given a college education, you're not going to respect it as much as if you go out and you earn it yourself, you're going to feel a whole lot better about yourself and you're going to try a lot harder, you know, you hear all these Democratic candidates talking about giving two years of free college the first two years. First of all, I won't support that but if you're going to give two years of college, let's make it the second to you that the last two years how many kids what is the dropout rate of the first year of college of kids that go there with no real intention of ever graduating. It's more like National Lampoon's Animal House. I'm not going to pay for that make it the last 2 years then then you're going to get a bang for your dollar. You're going to get a graduate out of the deal. Then I got about 30 seconds left. But you know, you can keep hearing that the spicy the Lively gubernatorial race not very many people interested in Minnesota and politics this year very low turnout expected how to I would reduce the interest in well, let me tell you what happened in Brooklyn Park, that would be yearbook. Election before I ran for governor governor mayor the election before I ran for mayor the 20-year incumbent mayor one. They were twenty-five hundred votes cast in the city of over 50,000 the year that I ran against him scuse me, the very next election 2500 went to 20,000 20,000. That is how I'm going to win this election. I'm going to bring back at least 20% of the minnesotans that have given up voting they are going to come back and vote for me and they and they are not old. That's how I'm going to win. Thank you Jesse for coming in today Reform Party gubernatorial candidate Jesse Ventura joining us. By the way, if you miss part of the program were going to be rebroadcast in the shower at 9 tonight here in Minnesota Public Radio.