I could write a 6 minutes past 12. Good afternoon, and welcome back to mid-day on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Gary. I can glad you could join us all the polls indicate that voters in Minnesota are focusing on three major issues during the selection year taxes education and crime not many people list welfare as one of their primary concerns, but three years from now smack dab in the middle of the next Governor's first term welfare will likely be back in the headlines in July 2002. Some welfare recipients will use up their five-year lifetime limit on welfare benefits. The next Governor will have to decide what to do with those people. In the meantime. The next Governor will have to decide whether to change the state law passed last year which requires recipients to get a job the law or award recipients who comply and sanctions those who don't This week as part of Minnesota Public Radio is continuing campaign coverage. We've been focusing on welfare. And just where are the candidates stand on that issue and during this hour. Midday, we're going to bring together all of those reports. So you can compare the candidates positions for yourself later. This hour will be opening the phone lines to get your reactions to what the candidates are saying. So welfare is our subject this week and this hour, let's hear from the candidates running begin with d flr. Skip Humphrey and Republican Norm Coleman the two candidates who if you believe the polls are virtually tied for the lead in the gubernatorial race ears. Minnesota Public Radio is Laura McCollum has a unique opportunity to Pare down. Its welfare rolls with a worker shortage and unemployment at less than 3% If the state can train welfare recipient. They'll find jobs. Give me the well trained worker. Ready to hire this is where I think the public effort and the resolution of our welfare system edit. The mindset has changed people are serious about saying from the public side. We want you to work. I'll never forget my father saying the best welfare program in the world is a good job. So far Minnesota's welfare reform initiative is showing some success in getting people into jobs during the first two months about 1/4 of welfare recipients were working Humphrey says the problem areas will be inner-city neighborhoods some minority communities and teenagers on welfare. He says State officials need to work hard to help people get the Education and Training they need to find jobs before the cutoff and recipients need to do their part to there is a measure that there is five years that you have throughout your lifetime and you need to deal with that though. I think most people are going to be able to gain that kind of work. Is government should play a significant role in helping welfare recipients with two common barriers to employment day care and transportation. Humphreys budget plan includes a new child care tax credit of up to $1,000 per child for up to two children. He says the state needs to place more emphasis on early childhood development Head Start is very important. One of the key factors of helping people lift themselves out of poverty is to get their children started early on I want to see more full funding of a head start and really reaching out to all those at least right now are eligible Humphreys budget doesn't fully fund Head Start and dfl opponent Ted Mondale has criticized him for that unfreeze planet does propose a new child fund of 110 million dollars every two years, which Humphrey argues gives communities the flexibility to decide whether to fund Headstart all-day kindergarten or other children's programs on the issue of Transportation. Humphrey says he envisions a cup. Heads up initiative then includes Light Rail. He says he'd work with the state's Congressional Delegation to get Minnesota share of federal funding. They don't have them expensive that they can't afford it. So we need to develop a transportation system in our metropolitan area, but also all throughout our state there are regions throughout the state where it isn't just Metro Mobility. It's Minnesota Mobility that has to be dealt with Humphrey says the combination of better transportation more child care options worker training and well-paying jobs should help all welfare recipients find work within the 60-month window. I'm Laura McCullum, Minnesota Public Radio Coleman questions about welfare missed the whole point of his candidacy under Norm Coleman Administration. He says Minnesota won't need welfare have jobs, like people asking me Maher. What are you doing for kids who won the best thing to do for kids make sure Mom and Dad has enough to to work large numbers of former welfare recipients are already moving into jobs. And Norm Coleman says he'll make sure that Trend continues by lowering taxes and stimulating growth in the private sector, but he also acknowledges the costs associated with moving so many people back into the workforce, but there are some challenges that have to be met childcare education is this example, but where I would differ I'm sure from some of my folks and then than the other political party. Is it like to be in there for something to be created a new Child Care Program new Department Child Care Coleman says instead of creating new programs to provide services like child care. He put more money into people's pockets and have them find those services for themselves. Every time Democrats talk about programs Norm Coleman. What I do is I talked about tax credits. I talked about giving parents the choices given letting them use their economic power. Coleman says tax credits would allow for more welfare recipients and other low-income minnesotans to put their kids in the daycare of their choice including church-run daycare. He says he's also expand tax credits for Education which Governor Carlson promoted last year making it easier for welfare recipients to pay for job retraining but despite his optimism that the expanding economy will eliminate the need for old fashioned welfare Coleman acknowledges that the state will probably always have to send checks to a handful of people especially if and when the economy slows down but he says that kind of help for extreme cases is very different from the system. The state has had for the last few decades anything about a safe tonight you think about somebody on the high wire the circus and they fall off the why they hit the net in a bounce back on their feet. That's a welfare should be about and instead what we've done and it's been a democratic for Democrat philosophy Democrat dfl philosophy is we've created webos you fall off it and you get stuck in Cycles Independence and you never get out Coleman says those people whose benefits run out and who still can't support themselves should get help from the state, but he says, When they get that helped, they should find strings attached. We should be very very very aggressive very aggressive and making sure that people work for the benefits that they get at the capitoline Martin. Kosti Minnesota Public Radio, you're listening to a special report actually a series of reports on just where are the candidates for Governor stand on the issue of welfare reform later the shower. We'd like your reaction to what the candidates are saying. So give it some thought and get ready to call in the new Minnesota Welfare Law the result of the federal government's decision to end welfare as we know it make some major changes in Minnesota welfare policy it emphasizes work and puts a five-year lifetime limit on benefits state senator, Doug Johnson supports that change an emphasis fellow D flr Mark Dayton has some reservations about the new law to begin. The segment of our coverage is Minnesota public radio's Amy rental. I think one of the best things in Minnesota ever did and the federal government did was to have welfare reform. I think there are in fact a lot of minnesotans and and Americans that are this is provided in the incentive to go out and and get Advanced educational courses at training and get up and go to work in the morning. I think that's very healthy for a for a people Johnson says he wants to give the changes time to play out. But as Governor, he would make some improvements. The one thing that I want to fully fund is a flat sliding a fee Child Care Program for for working mothers. I think that's very important. I'm going to have initiative and housing for affordable housing and we in Minnesota. There's been a non-existent transportation policy now for 8 years and for people to to come off welfare they have to Affordable Transportation as well. But the whole idea of a welfare reform. I think it was the right thing to do Johnson says an economic downturn will make things more difficult, but that's no excuse to stop now. He says such a downturn even when combined with his budget proposals like a spending freeze and tax cuts wouldn't jeopardize the safety net for the state's poorest residents other there is a about a billion dollars of Reserve including turn $15 into cash flow account, and I'm not touching that in any of my budget proposals. So we do have that rainy day fund available that we didn't have them pass yours Johnson estimates. He would spend about $59 over the biennium to assist welfare recipients, but he says it's premature to worry about people hitting the five-year cut off of benefits. I'm not ready to back track from that tub in. Anyway, I think that something might use that as an excuse. Tonight move forward in and develop of the education and a training skills that they need to compete and and to support themselves in there and their families. I'd rather focus on I'm making sure we have affordable child care and housing and transportation and and not in any way we can the welfare reform laws. I think they were long overdue and I think they're doing a lot of good in our economy. Everyone agrees the welfare changes occurred at a good time economically with unemployment at an all-time low. The picture is likely to get more complicated overtime caseworker. Say some families are on an income roller coaster because counties base assistant on what they were earning two months ago and private grants like the 15 million distributed by the McKnight Foundation to create welfare reform Partnerships can leave new program stranded when they expire but with welfare changes in their infancy Johnson wants to let some time pass. Before He'll consider reforming the reforms in Duluth. I'm a mere Adel Minnesota Public Radio dfl candidate Mark Dayton's welfare policies include spending more money on welfare reform. If you're going to reduce welfare costs in the long-term. You're going to have to increase your welfare spending in the short-term across the State Child Care voters. He says more funding is needed to create affordable child care. It's especially critical. He says for single mothers on welfare to find work guys child care for people women physically were getting off of welfare and into the workplace and we need to greatly expand the income eligibility and the amount of the day care child care tax credit that we give middle-income Working Families The Proposal right now starts phasing out at the $17,000 a family income in Is lemonade or tell it entirely 31000. I mean that's just stupid programs need to be expanded to serve parents who work weekends and nights. He supports more funding for job training and placement services to saying if people are to keep their jobs, once they get them they must be able to perform the skills employers seek and that results in businesses of taking on employees and hopefully a lot of that will hold his spending plans like his fellow gubernatorial candidates. He's relying on projected state budget surpluses that make it easy for candidates to make tax cut and spending promises. But Dayton does Warren if the state suffers an economic downturn in the future and jobs become harder to find even the best laid plans over welfare reform will begin to cave in many people. He says would be thrust back into a dependency on government assistance. The arbitrariness of the five-year cut off will will hit Minnesota and everywhere else and I suspect that if we're in the middle of that kind of economic downturn that the states will be going the government National Governors Association will be going on probably a bipartisan basis to Congress and the president whoever that person is and saying we have got to add some flexibility to the program where people are going to be unfairly penalized and that I would be part of that to process certainly, this is Karen Louise Booth Minnesota Public Radio. It's for governor and where they stand on the issue of welfare reform later this hour. We hope you get your reactions to what the candidates are saying so far. We've heard from Republican Norm Coleman and three of the dfl candidates here are reports on the other two man seeking the dfl party's nomination in the upcoming September primary. Gubernatorial candidate Ted Mondale is one of those who says he's generally satisfied with the way the legislature has followed President Clinton's lead and calling for an end welfare as we know it and I think we have to hold firm. We changed we have to change welfare from a place where you live your whole life on to something where people it's it's a temporary program where people can get the training to get their life back together Mondale approves of the way the 1997 law limits welfare benefits to a total of five years because he believes that gives recipients of concrete incentive to become self-sufficient, but he's also glad Minnesota has done more than other states to smooth at transition by offering Medical Care & children's daycare in Mondale to view the reforms only real shortcoming is job training right now the state will pay for one year of schooling for someone on welfare. But Mondale thinks many welfare recipients need two years to prepare for a good job. He also says the state should spend 15 million dollars a year more to train workers who are on the verge of welfare. If you eat pecan place someone off welfare and say they're working in the Mailroom today that you've got the resources there that so that over time they can get the training they can get on a career track and have a job with in a full benefits in an increasing incomes and 401K in the type of things that can raise a family on there's no state has done a good job on on job training. I think it's critical for welfare reform to work paid for it in my cousin and best strategy and when we all that we can leave the nation here. If we do this, right the catch Mondale says is that the more Minnesota tries to improve its welfare-to-work system the more attractive it may seem to welfare recipients. In other states. He says Minnesota's relative generosity could be the system's downfall if we're starting to get bus loads in busloads busloads of people from you know, Arizona or Mississippi. I think the public reaction will be Rather stiff and brings the whole thing in the question to keep Minnesota from becoming a so-called welfare magnet the 1997 welfare reform law included a residency requirement. The provision was supposed to withhold Minnesota's higher benefits from newly arrived migrants put on July 31st to Ramsey County Court struck down the residency requirement as unconstitutional Governor. Carlson has pledged to appeal that ruling to a higher court and Ted Mondale says if he's governor next year, he'll keep up the pressure in the courts to reinstate The Residency requirement at the capitoline Martin Koski, Minnesota Public Radio in the governor's race. Mike Freeman supports, the states welfare reform laws requiring recipients to go to work. I believe the overwhelming majority of people on public assistance today want to get off Public Assistance Freeman says, his administration would do more to help welfare recipients get the training they need in order to Find a good job many of these people need help in becoming job-ready. They need help in learning job skills in terms of establishing the whole mindset and direction of going to work on a regular basis as welfare reform is inextricably linked to some of his education proposals after all he says Education and Training are what will lead people into the marketplace for making sure all of our high school graduates are job-ready and my program to provide for post high school training vocational or college with State assistance will help make sure those people are ready for those job employers who hire welfare recipients you program. You can take a person who's out of work. Give them four to six weeks of job training that give them their wage subsidy component have them show up in a business saying hire me and here's the subsidy you get and you can have those people back to work immediately. We have a number of programs that are eating the hard to employ to get back to work. I think the wage subsidy would be a good addition to that says so far. The reform program has been successful getting people into jobs during the few months since the new rules kicked in but he says it's due in large part to a strong economy critics don't paint as Rosie a picture. They say few welfare recipients have moved into full-time jobs that pay a livable wage and many of the jobs. They say are entry-level and provide little training for workers to advance to a better one. Although Freeman remains optimistic about the future when recipients begin bumping up against their fought your deadlines. He can seize the government will always have to offer assistance to some people break. We are some people simply aren't able to work. Towing capacities or physical incapacity simply don't enable them to work and I think we need to recognize that there's other people that because of the revive your requirement. We're helping to encourage them to get back to work in a anticipate that most not all but most of the people who are potentially employable will be back in the marketplace. By the time the five your cap runs up and says creating more affordable childcare will be key to continuing to implement reforms especially he says for single mothers according to a new study issued by the Census Bureau this week single mothers are eight times as likely as two-parent household to live in poverty longer other barriers to getting off welfare. He says include a lack of healthcare and an accessible Transportation issues Freeman says his administration will address but he doesn't put a price tag on it. This is Karen Louise Booth Minnesota Public Radio in the candidates for Governor and their position on welfare reform. We have a report on Reform Party candidate Jesse Ventura again a reminder that right after this story. I will be opening the phone lines and we'd like to hear your reaction to what the candidates are saying about welfare. But before we hear from you, let's hear from mr. Ventura. He was Minnesota public radio's Laura McCollum, Jesse Ventura on welfare. The sentiment behind welfare reform the former mayor of Brooklyn Park says welfare should be a safety net. Not a career and each recipient should be required to get a job delivering newspapers shining shoes. Whatever it is, then you find a number and you study to find out what the magical number is that someone would need to survive on that way if that person is making let's say hypothetically for argument's sake will pick out $1,000 a month if the person goes and gets the shoe shining job or delivering newspapers and only makes $150 a month will then subsidized and the remainder and that way as the person keeps working. Guess what's going to happen their incomes going to go up and Welfare subsidies going to go down and eventually they're going to be off at ideas sound pretty similar to what's already happening in Minnesota under the 1997 welfare reform law and it getting Spell recipients into the workforce recipients aren't penalized for going back to work and their welfare checks decrease as they make more money than Torah says welfare-to-work is an improvement, but he'll wait to see the results in four to five years, but there is other criticism of the welfare system is one you don't typically hear from politicians that it only helps the poor on Hard Times you you get no support at all. You you can go down there and then until you're blue in the face and you'll get nothing and I don't think that's right either. It should be a safety net for all citizens pretty much. I mean, of course not the rich if you know if you're worth $1000000 and you get laid off your job, but there should be a net also for hard-working middle-class people that if they get laid off or something happens that they can receive some type of assistance and not have to jump through 43 Hoops overall stance. Less government more personal responsibility. In fact Ventura takes a hard line view of single parents on welfare child coming into the world. You are you as a citizen are and it's called personal responsibility. And I think government's role is to attempt to make parents as responsible as they can buy certain means maybe Pinterest has government should make delinquent parents pay child support. He is less convinced that government should provide daycare for people on welfare entering the workforce Ventura suggest encouraging welfare recipients to provide child care for other recipients who can then go to work that's an idea that's been discussed according to officials with the Department of Human Services, but it hasn't been tried on a widespread scale the Department of Children families and learning says it has a mentorship program for anyone interested in becoming a childcare provider including welfare recipients. Issue of Transportation another common barrier for people on welfare going back to work, but the rest says he supports Light Rail. He says if the state had a light rail system all minnesotans could afford to get to their jobs. I've Laura McCollum, Minnesota Public Radio on the issue of welfare reform the focus of our campaign coverage this week here on Minnesota Public Radio now having heard from the candidates. We'd like to hear from you. What are your thoughts and what those candidates are saying on welfare? Pleased to hear that some of the candidates want to stay the course pleased to hear other candidates say the law should be changed in some way. Do you think it's necessary to spend more money on related issues things like Child Care transportation job training, whatever your thoughts and what you've heard the candidates talking about. Give us a call. Love to hear your reactions to 276 thousand is our Twin City area number to 276 Thousand Oaks had the Twin Cities 1-800. 242-282-8227 6001 800-242-2828 Minnesota's welfare reform policy. That's our and subject for the rest of the sour specifically your reaction to what you been hearing from the candidates for Governor will get to our first callers after this event has been about a year now since the last major tax overhaul and if you're like most taxpayers, you're still trying to figure it out by this is Bob. Everybody good tune in to sound like this week when will talk taxes with enrolled agent Michael Martin give yourself a Did your check up with somebody Saturday morning at 10 again Sunday afternoon at 5 on Minnesota Public Radio FM 91.1 in the Twin Cities? Once again, this is midday coming to you on Minnesota Public Radio. And for the rest of this hour of our midday program would like to chat with you. I was of you who've been listening to these reports on the candidates for Governor in their thoughts on the welfare system in Minnesota what changes they'd make with emphasis they like to place and what parts of love to hear your reactions do the candidates positions. Give us a call again or Twin City area number is 227-6002 276 thousand. I'll try the Twin City area. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800. 242-282-8227 6001 800-242-2828. When you ask people in these public opinion poll, so, you know, which issues they're most concerned about welfare. Frankly isn't one of them taxes education top the list lot of people talk about crying welfare. It's kind of slipped below the radar screen for the time being but right in the middle of the Texas governor's term some people are going to use up the last of their five-year lifetime benefit then what happens? We have some callers on the line like to have you join them again to 276 thousand or one 800-242-2828 Scott your first go ahead. Please stop the last 5 minutes of your program. I was outside and I heard Mr. Ventura's comments, you know, I have to agree that it is whatever changes made and we shouldn't just completely cut people off but I think he's right. It should focus on responsibility. They made the kids. We regard. I know it's a mistake in most cases they made it but it's their responsibility my grandmother in South Minneapolis in the 1930s, but no depression raised two daughters when there was no welfare. One of them was valedictorian of Central High School in 1941 at the other, you know, grew up did well and had two daughters and you know it I think that's where we seem to think that if we reform welfare the skies going to fall and people are going to be living on the streets and that isn't necessarily so, okay. Well, thanks for call appreciate it weight is our next caller also from a Minneapolis go answer. I was thinking that the the corporation to receive a lot more welfare than individuals do I should also be held responsible and I've heard that they received a lot more money than than private from the government and I was wondering if you have any information on that. No, I don't. I'm not I'm not an expert on that subject. I was just wondering what your reactions those terms of the you know, the welfare program that we we normally are talking about this week with any any of your thoughts and what counts been saying? Think we're moving in the right direction with his new law that we have to have. However, it seems that I've received a lot of information over time stating that individuals aren't the largest recipients of tax money for it for welfare. It's it's corporations. I'm keeping businesses in line and keeping them. Keeping them off welfare, basically. But in terms of the the the welfare program that affects individuals no strong feelings one way or the other I think cutting people, of course, he does need to be independent financially, but I think they're always has to be said there's no point in putting a heavier burden on society to crime and prisons and so I just might join people out on the street. Okay. Thanks for call directions to the candidate's position on positions rather on welfare policy course, Minnesota got a new Welfare Law and 1997 response to the big Federal change in welfare policy and the emphasis of the new law is work recipients are expected to to enter the workforce. There is a five-year time limit now on Lifetime limit on the number of four years that the recipients can receive benefits of Minnesota's law does allow recipients to maintain it to retain at least some of their benefits even after they get a job and also provide some assistance with childcare in the like the candidates have been asked by Minnesota Public Radio to address the law state their positions on the law and their thoughts and so we've had an opportunity to hear from all the candidates now, we'd like to hear from you 227 6000 is our Twin City area number 227-6001 802 +422-828-227-6802 for 22828. Some of the things that came up in case you tuned in late and miss some of the comments from the candidate some of the things that they were talking about that the notion that jobs in and of themselves are are a great answer may be the best welfare policy of all being a good Jew. There is a talk that work itself work for its own sake is it worth pursuing in terms of the work ethic cameras are talking about more and better job training wage subsidies, perhaps for employers who hire welfare recipients. There's talk of perhaps allowing recipients to go to school for two years rather than just one year to get the training so that they can get a good job. There's some concern about these residency requirements that were included in the law which now been blocked by the courts. So whether or not the program should be scaled back as a result. I'm just some of the issues of the candidates are talking about in terms of the welfare program your reactions again to 276 thousand or one 800-242-2828. Ron go ahead place. Yes. I I've listened to the to the candidates. That you've had to describe their positions and I was generally impressed. I think all of them, of course recognize that that the economy is doing well in that that plays into the hands of the reform and that most of them of course had a little disagreement about the entire concept, but I'm especially impressed with I think Mike Freeman's remarks because I think they they come close to the reality and the reality is is that there are likely to be some percentages of people who are never going to be able to get off of welfare somehow trying to calculate to what that percentage might be in and of course continue to address to try and bring that down but I was particularly impressed with with his remarks. Let me ask you this Ron before you run hear some of the candidates have expressed concern that if you actually talked about or go so far as to lift that five-year lifetime limit That some recipients simply won't take you take you seriously anymore and there would be no incentive whatsoever for them to try to comply with work requirements in the rest. Well, I think as you describe the incentive that 5-year limit I suspect this is something that we all have to Simply have some kind of some kind of border on running. Our Behavior five years is probably a I think a reasonable kind of. We may have to after we look at the time frame to win right now and the good account of me when we in a possibly move away from that. I we may have to look back and think that maybe five years is too much or too little I I I don't find it a problem. I think it's a reasonable expectation based upon a perspective. Do we have right now? And I think that somehow it's it's such a Target that people can work towards him and I think he allows all of us both done our our resources and I think on the part of the welfare recipient to try and use their resources that is time in Brazil against next to a trying to dress the changes that they have to make. All right, that's your call. Okay. Thank you. Let's move on to another caller with some other reactions to what the candidates have been saying Sean. That would be you thank you. I had a few comments about 3, First of all, I think that as a collar and I think mainly the quality of life issue isn't the dress. I mean sure you get a person out there when you get them a job and they're getting up in the morning for this job. But if we're returning to the early part of this Century where people working 12-hour shifts to make a living and not spending time with their families been I mean they don't have a good quality of life. And I don't think it's a good idea to reform the welfare. Another issue to is I mean, my mother is middle-class and she was recently laid off and she gets welfare and middle-class people. Don't get welfare. Well, she's a case to prove the middle class basketball play. but it's interesting that the body by Fisher isn't mentioned At All by any of the candidates, I mean Yes, keep going back to work may be a good idea. But if it lowers their quality of life, I can't spend time with their families their children their communities what good is it other people other taxpayers work so that some people can remain on welfare and enjoy a better quality of life going to call you mentioned that people are blaming you. Did. You know, it's saying that they're spending so much money on individuals or families and things like that so much rather spend my time. They go to a family the better the quality of life, so I don't have to work so much and really doesn't conditions rather than give corporate welfare to 3M. Thanks for call. Let's move on to John who joins us from St.Paul your reaction to the gubernatorial candidate Chan. I like the tone of most of them, but the problem is I I couldn't really see much of a difference in their General with you and then there was Minor Details and I'm like maybe nor might be a little more tougher on welfare than it had to but overall. I guess that's good or bad. Would you like to hear a little more? Well, I guess it would be nice to know. You know, what makes it harder for me to choose cuz I'm trying to figure out who I'm going to vote for and we should be get that I prefer something was a little tough around on welfare. But at this point it's kind of hard to say they all seem like they're kind of there. Skip keep listening and John when you say you want it you would like to hear somebody was a little tougher on welfare. What can you give us an idea what you mean by that the government to provide incentive to people to work rather than not to work and Melissa at this point under this new law that mean they actually lose you no money if they don't go to work. That's a good incentive to go to work. Sure. I'm going to vote for this position does not listen to make. All right. Thanks. You're called on a specific issue the third one. Now, we've covered education taxes welfare next week. I think if memory serves what's on to healthcare right Jean go ahead place the cost of Welfare reform from kind of a different perspective if he is, mr. Winter has numbers say $1,000 a month is what a person would need to live on and the persons making $150 a week. Therefore we would Pay that person $850. 2 to be out in the workforce if that person has two children in childcare costs average about $150 a week per child. You're looking at around $1,200 a month in child care cost for that family plus the 850 that were reimbursing the parent which comes out to about $2,050 a month that that parents receiving in order to work a $5 an hour job. And to me that really doesn't make much sense. Why do can't we just let that person stay home and take care of her children and when you know her well for Grants probably less than 700 a month. Do you think long-term it would be better for that person to get a job. Get out get some job training get the going to get used to being in the workforce and and I'll give the kids an example to show give them example that their mom is going to work and so on so far. Is there any benefit in any of that? Be right we've tend to lump of welfare recipients into one category. We forget that they have differences in levels of support from family and friends number of children in their household their education level whether or not they're have mental health issues. What do they have transportation or not? It's kind of a one-size-fits-all idea that we have and it's not the case. I mean each family is so individual that we need to be able to work with the differences and supports or strengths that they have or where they'll acting. So you'd like to hear the candidates talk little little more about backing away from this. Heavy emphasis on work work work. Is that right to go to school? For more than one year than they can get a job that actually supports them in their children. Okay. Thanks for your call to move on to another collar. And that other caller would be you Sebastian. Go ahead Place issue you been talkin about light rail. Most of the jobs are in the suburbs and I feel you need a car to get there by the time the light rail system is in place. Those people will be dead of starvation. I think of practical solution there is to give them easy access to loans for getting a car the other issue or are you know some kind of support through so that the state would understand the loan to the bank for their car. The other thing is to daycare unmarked dating or not Mark Dayton, but Norm Coleman Mansion tax break incentives if you making less than $10,000 There's no there's not going to be enough taxes there to give the person the money that they need for daycare. So that just my child cannot be an answer to that particular issue. There has to be some other additional support for daycare. What about these and sometimes you hear about these refundable tax credits, you know where you actually can get money back over and above what you paid in taxes. Do you think that might make that make it a better idea in the sentence we would help it if you if you're making less than $10,000 a year and it cost $20 a day for daycare and you have one child or more you can see that the figures don't add up to you. No, no amount of regular tax incentive would allow you to pay for daycare. But I think the main thing really for most people is transportation since most of the jobs if you go through the Sunday paper are in the suburbs at least them. Play anything at all and a person really does need a car to get there. I mean, maybe eventually a light rail system would be the thing the way to go and I have to keep that because I don't like bumper to bumper traffic, but I think the media thing would be for them to underwriter, you know co-sign loans for people who needed a car so that they were, you know have that car to get to work. Okay. Thanks for call where I'm hearing from you now the rest of this midday program your reactions to what the candidates for Governor have been saying in terms of welfare policy. And again, if you'd like to join our callers on the line to 276 thousand to 276 thousand outside the Twin Cities one 800-242-2828 part of our continuing campaign coverage leading up to the September 15th primary Tom is on the line from Shoreview. Thank you for calling sir. Just wanted to briefly say that time the hockey deal with you one example of corporate welfare something that we could do without but the main thing I wanted to say was done that when we're discussing welfare. It's important to your place yourself in that position in that situation. You know, what would you do if you were disadvantaged if you were trying to go to school and and your family was making it difficult for you that you were yelling or abuse or what have you or your peers were, you know, you know making it difficult for you to study and to get ahead and I did I just think it's too easy for candidates like Coleman to say well, you know just go out and get a job and to do easy for them to say that I think I like them free and I think he was talking about you know. Practical things that people need yeah, they're going to need daycare Transportation things like that. This debate is really a a difficult one when you're talking with a conservative person in their senior people just go out and get a job. But I think that some you know, we got to think about kids and and food for kids and and that type of thing I like by 12 Stones doing on the national level. I'm trying to expand it to from 1 to 2 years for your schooling. Thanks for call. Let's see Brenda. You would be next go ahead please I'm concerned about it says there's been no definition of how big is this problem? How much does it really cost versus other things that we've chosen to invest our tax dollars in and so is a voter it's very difficult to say, why should I care about this? Is it a big problem? Is this something that you know families really are being devastated by we hear a lot of rhetoric, but I've never seen any real example. 49000 if my figures are right 49,000 families are are on welfare in Minnesota as last time they they count that's down about 23% over the last 4 years. And so that number of people as a percentage of the total Minnesota population in the end. If you look at the dollar spent on that program versus all the dollars we spend its, you know kind of an ATS problem cuz it's not a big deal, but we make it into this huge. You know, there's all these lazy welfare mothers laying around eating bon-bons watching TV all day and I think there's been a real victimization of those people. Do you think of some people don't have been well for lack of a better term essentially trapped in the welfare system for for literally for generations and that Society has some obligation kind of changed things not to Play money so much just to get those people going to help those people sir. It's a very tough choice for how do I want to go to work at McDonald's and get you no, 675 an hour and no medical benefits and substandard daycare, or do I want to stay home have medical assistance for a child and do the right thing for my kid. I mean, I don't know how you can ask a young mother to make that decision. Okay. Well, thanks for call bye-bye. Let's see Mary. You would be next your reaction to what the candidates have been saying on the issue welfare. Macon where I'm at daycare licensure now and before this job. I was working in employment and training specifically helping women off of welfare into work. And one of the amazing things in my comments on is the number of men who are commenting on women on welfare, and it's mostly most of the time of peppers the mothers on. Well, I wonder where the Dad where are the men of these children on welfare and I feel like yes, it's time for a welfare. Definitely. Housing have to change the program that was and I think it was yesterday about housing, you know real hard about how can you work a job at 7 Bucks an hour raise your kids pay for daycare pay for housing and I don't know how what I'm hearing is a majority of men making these decisions affected by that. Well, there aren't any women running for governor this year. All right, and you think of it we would have different policies if women were running for governor than men. Little bit more Focus ST comparing welfare to corporate welfare. How much are we spending? We're looking at spending on the twins or or the The arena that we use in stuff that's not being talked about is the rule area to poverty and World rule area. It sounds like it's just a metropolitan problem and it's not this program. Of course, the welfare program is so Statewide programs for your call at Seabob. You would be next. Go ahead. We should visit in French that down mothers on welfare or mothering without a job equals being on welfare in that raising children, isn't it? Legitimate Enterprise, I guess in our society until we talked about bringing all these mothers into the workforce and putting their children to third-party carrier and I think all the candidates see if they talk about it seem to follow that almost looks like groupthink mentality on this topic. If you look at some of the symptoms were seeing in our social structure around children, it would seem to me that we want to put more emphasis on the value of raising children would look like if motherhood in fatherhood became an occupation. And I'd rather than calling at welfare. We call it down, you know something that's compensatable everybody everybody or just so low income income people if they're not I guess for those who choose it as a profession, you know, I'm concerned Oliver certainly are low-income children in the third-party care. I'm not sure that large system scale that that's really what we want to do. Cuz if we're going to want to the outcomes of that so you would like to hear the candidates were created to take a different approach to this whole issue the time for at least one more call her anyway nada. Talking about single mothers going back into the workforce. I think this is a very important piece of the puzzle dumping Partners, you know one words once home, you know, whatever choices that the any other family makes. No. That was one thing I didn't hear anything about and then the other I'd you no idea I was thinking is that you know, maybe we need to look at like the previous caller said is that it's a worthy cause to have on these women home raising the children and I think that all mothers whether or not you're low income should be able to collect an income for at least the first six months of the child's life like they do on some of the other northern European countries, right? Okay. Thanks for call. Let's see. I think last word goes to Muhammad. Yes. Go ahead, please. Oh, yeah, my coming to send regards to a single people always covered with the majority of our people are single people collect welfare, very briefly here cuz we're running out of time in the United States. I have to leave by alone. So I had to work but that's it was morally wrong to get collect welfare and work for a while now. Nom de infiltration of going to school or getting to a job $65,000. You know, I'm going to go to school or going to that job. If I go to school then that means I have to collect welfare because there's no other than my work like to hear the cats talk a little bit more about that. Thank you, sir. We got to run. Thank you so much for calling in thanks to all of you who called in this hour and all of you been listening this hour and again will continue to provide coverage of the candidates as we lead up to the September 15th primary try to give you a better idea where they stand in some of the major issues of the day next week. Our focus is going to be on health care. So we hope you'll be able to stay tuned here to Minnesota public radio programming a Minnesota Public Radio is supported by the Pillsbury company Foundation caring for the community bike. Kids are loving lift that does it for midday today. Tomorrow will be talking with Minneapolis. Mayor Sharon sayles Belton and former vice president, Walter Mondale. It's Lynne Rossetto Kasper this week on The Splendid Table. We're off to the edible schoolyard in Berkeley, California with Chef Alice Waters. Don't miss the trip that Saturday at 2 and Sunday at 7 on Minnesota Public Radio know FM 91.1. You're listening to Minnesota Public Radio. We have a sunny Sky 76 degrees at Cana W FM 91.1 Minneapolis. And st. Paul Saturday partly sunny through the afternoon with a high temperature reaching the low 80s 30% chance for showers in the Twin Cities then tonight and again tomorrow high temperature tomorrow right around 80°.