Thank you Gratis, six minutes now past 11. And good morning. This is midday on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Gary eichten. Glad you could join us. Well, if you put any stock in those pre primary polls for governor, the one out this week was full of good news for dfl. Gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton, Minnesota Public Radio Pioneer Press ka-ari TV poll of likely primary voters found attorney general. Skip Humphrey still leading the other four candidates for the dfl nomination, but dating a former state auditor and former Commissioner of trade and economic development has apparently separated himself from the other three candidates and is managed. Humphries lead and 1/2 in the last month much more of the poll found that Mark Dayton could now to feed Republican candidate Norm Coleman in the November general election today as part of our meet the candidates series leading up to the primary election just two weeks from now Mark Dayton has stopped by to talk about his campaign and to take your questions. So we share invite you to give us a call this morning. It's a great chance to find out more about where mark It stands on the issues are Twin City area number is 227-6002 276 thousand and if you're calling from outside the Twin Cities, you can reach us toll-free. That number is 1 800 to +422-828-227-6004. 1 802-422-8028 or guess this hour dfl gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton. Let's go to the herb. Do you put much stock in these Premont pre primary polls? Well, I'd rather go up and down and run but I think they're about as ephemeral as a Pronto pup at the state fair that they have a impact in the immediate the moment, but you know what these next two weeks. I predict will be so volatile so much people changing their minds that I don't I'm not I'm not coasting on them is that largely because people have been paying too much attention or they haven't made a decision yet or the The Best is Yet to Come As it were from the can That's what the why do you think the situation will be so fluid I said combination of all those reasons. I think people have been listening in the backdrop of their summer lives. But now with the primary lesson 2 weeks away people will be paying more attention will be putting forth our best and final messages the amount of media attention. We've been able to that's been granted us. This year is a surprise me that has been so much but that will continue as well. Your NPR's having the last debate to the latter will get the last word in that Sunday night. So rollers reasons, I think people will be making up their minds possibly changed their minds and then deciding Even the last of minutes what they're going to do an in and of course in a primary where they're saying 20% or less of the eligible voters will turn out it's not only what people think overall it's who bothers to get up and get out of bed and go vote that day that's going to make the real difference. I guess the experts are saying one of the reasons that you jumped up so well in this latest poll was because of the ads that you've been running and I guess all the candidates now or going to be letting us with ads these last couple of weeks. Is that a good way to conduct a campaign It's the way that modern. Americans get their information as it's not desirable from my standpoint. It certainly should not be the only feature of political campaigns, but it's just it is I mean, you can say that it shouldn't be that way and I would agree but on the other hand if that's the reality of how people get information that's one of the ways in which we need to write. It shows like this candidate joint appearances the debates. I certainly there are ways in which voters to wish to better inform themselves can do so and I hope they will do so, I don't disagree that advertising which I did start earlier as part of an overall strategy has been a benefit but I think what's really clicks with people or the messages In Those ads which is to provide health insurance Prairie Minnesota. We let people who have health insurance are covered by hmos choose their own doctor and have recourse if they're being denied proper proper medical care. We had to extend their school days. Patience and cut down on crime. So I think that it's supposed to say it's just because you put an add-on. It's also whether that what you're saying and that admins makes a difference people in their lives a couple of other nuts and bolts campaign related questions before we get to the issues. He have the kind of volunteer network that you're going to need the expert's always say, well the thing about a primary now you need this huge Bank volunteers to identify voters make the phone calls get those people to the polls. Have you got that in that good of a network to get you over the top donut in the phones and with this The service system write down a little bit of a snarl I we we can't have any more internally. So we have been looking elsewhere and trying to patch you in a few cell phones like so I don't have the Constitutional basis of support that my Freeman has with the dfl party and labor. So I would have to believe that he is organizational capability would be the best of any of us, but we've identified people who were saying they're supportive and we're going to be calling them and getting them out and we only recognize the importance of getting the vote out. We're going to be doing everything we possibly can and I hope I make a difference should people be concerned or heartened by the fact that you're financing your own campaign as opposed to raising money from various groups. I think people should be concerned about the state of campaign Finance in this country today at me. We have this very schizophrenic view as a society that on the one hand. People shouldn't raise the money from a wealthy and special interest on the other hand. They won't release the public-at-large won't support two large public financing. Minnesota is probably going as far as any state or the feds wealthy individuals, like myself our advantage no question about it. I am I think it unusual in that I have wealth and political views that are not typically consistent with people who are wealthy and concerned primarily about their own wealthy self-interest and those of their friends. So I'm in the position where it's very hard for me to raise money. First of all because I have my own and secondly because if I'm calling for every Minnesota business provide health insurance for every employee I can assure you that doesn't resonate well with the Chambers of Commerce in those who had to have the big bank accounts and they contribute to folks like Norm Coleman to tell them what they want to hear if I talked about going after a shamos. I lose certain interests and not just if I go after the debacle fee settlement I lose us. It was illegal friends I had before so the big Advantage I have and I hope people will judge me up or down on this question is I have a chance to stand on my own two feet say this is what I believe. This is where I'd like to leave this state. This is what I think needs to be done. And and I'm I'm accountable only to you the people of Minnesota to no other group Northern particular interest one way or the other if you think I'm offering you something to make you stay better than I hope I can have your support FL Governor Mark Dayton is our guest this hour. If you have a question for the candidate, give us a call 227-6002 to 76 thousand. Outside the Twin City area 1 800 to +422-828-227-6000 or one 800-242-2828. We should mention in stating alluded to the fact that we've got the big gun debate coming up to two days before the primary election. You went might want to mark this down on your calendar of September 13th 79 Sunday evening at the Fitzgerald theater. If you want to come down in person would love to have you there tickets are free. Just get in touch with the Fitzgerald theater people or we've got tickets out at the State Fair booth. And of course, we'll put it on the radio as well. But like to have you stop by should be interesting all 5 dfl candidates one last chance to make your pitch pleasantly surprised at the amount of attention. The media have given to this race and the opportunities they provided us to appear individually and together if if minnesotans aren't well informed about this race a really is that It's their own decision not to be organizations all over the state of cement over a hundred candidate Forum in various. Sometimes just the dfl. Sometimes a multi-part form. Coleman won't show up or Jesse Ventura sure does and sometimes other candidates for my other party. So we've had a really good series of discussions debates and opportunities for people to compare size of something. That's the real essence of a wise electorate in a democracy, but we've got lots of callers on the line here. Let's get to our first caller time. I got a question for you today. Thanks for taking my call. I'm doing good today and I got a question about our system as opposed to the public school system that we have because a lot of my colleagues are concerned because in public school, we take all types and in private school they get to pick and choose. And we're going to have a voucher system. We I think five Lisa my opinion is that everybody should take everybody and share the Lotus as far as some of our and I hate to say it undesirable element. We have out of Minnesota. I do teach in Minneapolis. And so that's kind of a background. Why I'm questioning this morning. I want to know what your opinion is on that on school vouchers and how will it affect public and private institutions and make it fair for each of us. I oppose the vouchers which would provide public subsidies for people to send kids to private schools. I've been in over under the schools in the state in the last year-and-a-half and I talked to yours in ghetto school and public school in the Lower East Side of New York City my first job out of college and I've always said his toughest job I ever had so I I salute you what time because I've been in quite a number of the Minneapolis schools and the challenges that you were another teacher say so these days are greater than I face the almost 30 years ago in New York City. That's to me is the responsibility of government. We have about 850,000 children in our public school system from kindergarten through 12th grade. I want babe and education policy that addresses The challenge to provide the best possible education to all of those students and I think these debates like vouchers are a really a shell game and an attempt on the part of those who are offering these easy Costless solutions to these real problems to get off the hook. I mean is easy to dangle out 1 Word Solutions like a vultures in credits and like and if you really look at it at most that would impact a fraction of 1% of the kids that are going through school today. Let's let's give 850,000 children the best possible education we can in Minnesota. That's our task proposed total State takeover of school financing a hundred percent right now. It's work approach and 70% Can we afford that that's about 2 billion dollars a year more really pay for it one way or Or the other right now, we paid through local property taxes of which about 45% of what businesses homeowners renters pay goes to the school district. So you're right about 2.3 billion dollars a year that would have to be picked up through other tax revenues. I don't propose to do this all in one year or even one biennium certainly if we had taken this step during the last few years with the kind of multibillion-dollar surpluses. We had we could have gone well farther down the road. And then we keep picking up more of it as we could. I have the kids this for educational and tax policy reasons. First of all, it's a more Equitable way of funding our schools. The quality of Education should not depend on what's the property tax base of an area is and the number of new kids who come in often especially Minneapolis and st. Paul 902 a thousand a year in those systems don't bring additional property tax base with them. So it's an unfair burden on especially the larger city property taxpayers from a tax standpoint the property taxes and outdated unfair imbalance to jury-rig system. That's so complicated and convoluted Minnesota that you can't figure it out and super computer and as when I was say daughter, we did analysis that showed that In different parts of State people the same income spay different amounts people with same valued homes pay different amounts is just it's not a fair system anymore and we're depending on it for too much of our tax of responsibility for cities County School District's like so rather than one time 500500000000 Dollar rebates when we happen to have the money, but let's change the problem. Let's take K-12 funding off the property tax reduced everybody's property tax in Minnesota by over 40% businesses homeowners renters and have a more Progressive future-oriented Way of funding public education for the future would be in danger of the idea of local control. If the state were to pay for all the education in Minnesota would seem like that would pretty much put the school board's out of business. That's a good question. But that's not my intention. I think they are separate matters. And yes, if the state is providing most of the operating revenues that could be an argument. That would be used in St. Paul forum. Or state control. I actually advocated less. I think we've got to get the state out of micromanaging schools and local governments and businesses and that God called for the year 2004 short session of the legislature to be like all the unsectioned are there would be no new laws enacted. No new spending. We would only undo the laws the regulations the reporting requirements that right now are bogging down School administrators teachers local government officials businesses. So I would say we could provide more of the funding and actually have less of the nitpicking micromanaging type of of oversight which I think was set some basic parameters in terms of what kind of education we want to be provided with an offer suggestions how to do a better but not try to tell people how to run their schools everyday very briefly back to wear the collar started on the voucher issue cuz we don't have vouchers right now. We do have though that tax credit and tax deduction program with a governor Dayton eliminate that Graham keep it about where it is. Parrot bay expanded. What would you do that? Wendy Anderson put in the tax deduction program initially and Well, some may not have rejoiced in it. It was accepted in part because Wendy was committed to doing more for public education is very unfortunate that the present Governor has pitted one education group against another I would I would I don't know all the details of how the credit and deduction are now structured. I I believe that for non tuition cost of educating kids that parents do need and deserve a tax break a credit deduction credits are actually more effective way of providing that to middle-income families, but I think it has to be structured away that it is for 9 tuition cost for the cost of these days of a computer at home or the software of education programs in the summer time during the weekends. Believe me. I have two teenage boys and I'm better able to absorb those caused the most people but I can certainly a total them up and and do parents do need some help putting their kids through the first raised as well as now college for marketing. I'm a small business owner in South Minneapolis, and I'm curious about why you consider it more feasible to have businesses pay for the healthcare as opposed to a universal healthcare plan. I'm not sure. Since you are so much higher on the echelon and your business and I am in mine. I must small retail store if you understand the price for employee and why not universal healthcare to cover everyone not just those people who happen to be employed right now believe that it will be a great day when in America when president wellstone passes a national health insurance and I would be one of those applauding at then. I think that would be the most efficient and Ferris the system for this country until that occurs at and since I'm running for governor, I don't not believe that Given the mobility of our population the mobility of businesses and even the administrative aspects that would be involved at the state as a single employee single-payer would be feasible. And I'm not sure a given again the subset of one state that is even the best policy given some of the ways in which you do stimulate competition among providers by having the ability to make purchasing decisions. I am a small employer right now. I have a campaign staff of Can full-time people we provide health insurance and have done? So for the last year-and-a-half and I know from paying those bills that the rates were paying are very high. They're not competitive with what larger employers or the state government can provide and part of my proposal. Is that to set up a state purchasing? Cooperative or Consortium so that small employers and the self-insured can buy into and have the kind of options for health insurance at the kind of rates, which the largest corporations and government agencies can now a broker because of their size. So I that would be a feature I my argument is that until we have a national health insurance the way structure today somebody pays for Everybody's Health Care in this country and it's either the employer and the employee through a compact which I think should be strengthened in this Society. Or it's the rest of us who pay when the over 400,000 minnesotans were now uninsured seek Emergency Medical Care at Hospitals and Clinics in the like we either pay through higher taxes to support men care or other public medical programs or repay through higher premiums for which I've been told by Hospital administrators and others who take care of 10 to 12% of their patients without reimbursement. They simply pass on to those of us who can pay so I don't know what the alternative is absent national health insurance. You either have the status quo, which I think is an equitable and which I think is wrong when critically larger businesses profitable businesses Dayton's Target Walmart Burger King McDonald's who argued we can afford to pay for their help that help here don't so the rest of us 2 And certainly for smaller businesses Brinkley those that are not profitable there would be an exemption is there have been four other state and federal policies or programs so that I don't want to put in my business and I don't but on the other hand, I don't want to pay for it people who who somebody else could afford to be ensuring back to the phones Abby your question. Carolyn just ask. And wanting to provide or guarantee healthcare for everybody in Minnesota. Are you implying that everybody should have equal access to all types of healthcare? I guess my problem with this is that we are not all guaranteed equal access to other necessities of life like food and shelter and what why are you looking at this particular issue and not some of the other issues and going on from there? What what do you propose to address with? The loss of jobs that will happen when hmos pull out of the market here with additional State mandates all hang up let you answer good dare questions. I want people to be able to earn health insurance by working. I want people to be able to earn. Livable wages decent incomes by working if we want to reduce the cost of government. If we want to restore the work ethic in this state and Nation. We need to make work pay and pay off for people or they're going to choose making the same kind of rational economic decisions that others make to do something. Otherwise right now in this country. If you're on welfare, you're guaranteed Medical Care is paid through Medicaid, if you're not able to work disability, whatever you have the same as as they both should be so but if you send take a step off of welfare and find yourself a job pretty clean the service sector and you lose your health insurance, you lose your child care subsidy. She lose some of the other benefits so that we have for support and Income Maintenance and then we saved but we want you to take that job. Anyway, I mean, we don't have a rational system right now and by having as I said over 400,000 people in the state or Not insured who still need medical care and get it when they go to the emergency rooms or other public clinics. We're paying for that you're paying for that with higher taxes through mencare in the lake and some of my dear fellow Associates want to expand men care as a way of ensuring more. Well that's going to mean more tax dollars directly or indirectly. So we've got this problem. It is a city with a significant number of people are uninsured and about half of them are working. Not everybody can provide health insurance. That's true and Men care should be a safety net program, but those employers who can and can incorporate that into their wage bargaining system as other employers have and continue to be profitable every time we require one of them to do so that's less tax dollars less government. Most of the things that people say they want and it means that if you have a job for willing to be to get the training the education makes the effort that you're going to have an income you're going to be able to provide for your family you're going to reinforce what we want people to do in the society productively. Earn their income and benefits rather than not work and get them. Anyway, the critics say are your other health major health care proposal 1 which would require hmos to let people go to the doctor their choice would significantly drive up health-care costs 30% I believe Dwayne Johnson The Business Partnership is quails. You know what you get the standard line, but this is a proposal was made a year ago by a coalition of Physicians mini home work in the Healthcare System. The HMO system is structured today and consumer groups and patients themselves is called any willing provider. It means that you can see any doctor who is willing to agree to the same reimbursement schedule amount and like as the Physicians within the HMO structure so it does not take away the ability of the HMO. go to control its costs in an in the sense of its payments for for legitimate Physicians and other providers. What is so then if they're saying the costs are going to go up 30% because people can actually go see a doctor when they need to. They also have to say what why is that 30% Why is it such a big hike and what is a question or the sheathing savings by administrative leave or otherwise denying people the opportunity to see any doctor or a specialist or a second opinion? Because if it only means of something they can see a doctor b instead of the doctor at the exact same cost to them self and the HMO. It's doesn't follow them that that would raise the cost if it means people have access to doctors when they need to see them then I think that's the Crux of the problem is a lot of people have with hmos these days they built they they sold the system to us. It was going to be more efficient. They were going to operate as private sector more efficiently than government could they were going to emphasize prevention so they would we would have better Healthcare better quality of prevention programs and lower-cost now, I think the question Being raised is this just another fee-for-service program which is reducing cost at an attempt to by reducing the available services and which is also siphoning. An undisclosed, but very significant amount of money out of Health Care providing and into Healthcare profits, and that's the other big part of this equation these nonprofit hmos so-called have our subsidiaries of for-profit Corporations, and even with the minimal reporting, which is now required of them is clear that tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars a year are being pulled out of these Healthcare organizations to the parent for-profit companies. Those are dollars premiums at Minnesota citizens and businesses are paying that isn't going for their Healthcare. It's going for somebody else's profit, and that's wrong need to take a break here. But let's get one more call Iran, I think on the same subject CareMore. Yes. This is a good place for my question because I let me just it's just close that until late this spring. I was an executive with one of the large, Healthcare, Oregon. Organizations here in the Twin Cities, but my mic my comment and in question really has to do with the fat with the fact that end in. Mr. Dayton's answer to the last question. He reveals what I think is a very surprising and disappointing either ignorant or Miss statement of fact that that then becomes the basis for what I've begun to think of it his campaign against the hmos rather than the other Democratic candidate the company that I worked for up until last spring was and is in no way of the figure is any for-profit or other Corporation and operate in good years on about a 3% margin the point but the main point of my comment is just to say that that Health Care particularly in Minnesota where it is mostly provided through non-profit organizations is Like it or not fill one of those situations where you get what you pay for their is X number of dollars available to pay for care. And when those dollars were there provided by the premium bye-bye premiums from employers or by payments from Felton self-insured employers are through government sources, when they run out there just gone and the cost for example of the any willing provider proposer proposal doesn't have to do with making more physician services available. It has the additional cost related to that has to do with making available the services of Physicians that are likely to cause increased cost down the line not in one isolated encounter, but in the way that they treat their patients so that the opposition to any willing provider is not about limiting Healthcare Services. It's about trying to manage caught a complicated situation and my my my main question is What are mr. Dayton really understand both complexities or whether he's just picked on the hmos because they're handy Target. Resume Mozart. Major Force and will be in health care in the state and Nation the hmos right now in Minnesota for of the large ones the four largest. Provide coverage for 80% of the people in the state who are insured through policies. So I just want to be sure that the people of Minnesota are getting their money's worth and getting the quality of medical care, which they deserved. I didn't design the Star Tribune survey over a year ago, which He cites doctors Statewide as buy a three-to-one margin saying that the quality of healthcare has gone down rather than gone up patients both in terms of poles and insignificant numbers as well as anecdotally in terms of stories, which as you say these are a very complicated issues and I'll be the first Valley sad, but I'm not making this issue up is out there and it's not that I'm against the hmos. It's the time for minnesotans and I'm poor there are state which is known for its Quality Healthcare that continues to provide that the people assume if you work for a large non-profit is that's Blue Cross Blue Shield. I stand corrected that is a non-profit. But the other largest of the two both Health Partners in which is owned by Aetna and ProMedica, which is owned by United Health Corporation. Both of those are four prophets the Department of Health, Minnesota last year. for the first year under Minnesota law required reporting of their financial summary of financial statements and Allina, for example reported an 85 million dollar payment to its looks on the chart like a specific City area, but it's really the parent Corporation United Health Corporation for a quote on quote Information Services as a medical information services in the 85 million dollars a year for providing them. Is Health Allina Health Partners is owned by Edna. Yes. This is suing each other. What's that all about? I mean, I won't get into the details of that but I'm not aware that they're suing each other, but I got If I'm wrong in that there is a parent corporation that and life insurance company. I thought that was it. But if I'm wrong wrong, I won't be the first time. Go to just finish my point in a white line according again to their this medical to the reports. They provide the perfect health. Payday, net 75 million dollars in medical the cost of medical prescriptions for all their Minnesota patients. They paid 85 million dollars to United Health Corporation for information services. So they paid more to their parent Corporation for whatever then they did net and medical prescriptions for prescription medicine for patients in Minnesota. That's the kind of vigilance the government should be providing. I hope the hmos succeed health care costs and quality services is a huge challenge in the state and nation and more power to them. But whenever you have organizations which control the delivery of service the decision whether to provide that service the decision whether to pay for that service you have a stacked deck and without recourse patience meaning minnesotans are put in just very Fair and almost impossible situations and that's what governments for to stand up for the people. If I'm government Governor the department of health will be standing up for the people of Minnesota not averse early, but just to make sure that they get the health care that they are deserving that they expect when they pay those insurance policies month after month year after year Mark Dayton is our guest this our again, if you'd like to call in with a question, give us a call 227-6000 or one 800-242-2828 and we'll get this more colors in just a moment meditation for you to join us this week at the State Fairgrounds for Minnesota public radio's radio maker series every afternoon between 1 and 3. I have a handful of folks available to answer your questions and give their insights into the on-and-off are working to Minnesota Public Radio where to find us. We're at the MPR Booth the corner of Judson and Nelson every afternoon at the State Fairgrounds between 1 and 3. Just get the airport Minnesota public radio's radio Maker's series Weather Service says it's going to Cloud up across the state this afternoon. We can look at for high as the range from a low sixties in the Northeast around 80 in West Central Minnesota increasing cloudiness in the Twin Cities with a high in the low the mid-70s right now. It's in the upper sixties in the Twin Cities Sunny Sky 67 degrees is our guest this hour is our meet the candidates series continues less than two weeks to go now before the September 15th primary and time. I think when a lot of people are starting to make up their mind who they might vote for every politician needs an excuse if I misspoke myself. I had this huge vat a french fries at the fair this morning. I was out there and I'll tell you the chocolate milk melt place I go to the French fry place was there and there was not a line. I walked up there myself. So, you know all the bloods in my stomach. Anything I say this morning Jonathan your question, please I want to say that mr. Dating for the last couple of weeks. I have taken you very serious as that candidates will continue to do what you're doing. I have a two-part question here. First of all in our state of Minnesota or noticing an increase in diversity on the last Martin Luther King day. We saw where to white man assaulted a black woman and I read in the newspapers were the County Attorney Susan stated that we need to increase the level of these types of crimes to a felony. I like know your position of that also as a Christian voter, I believe that candidates if you elected are going to make the decisions that will affect my life as a Christian everyday. However, I'm not hearing a lot of candidates talk about the spiritual backgrounds. Not both those questions. I'm not getting a lot of candidates talked about so I'd like to Hang up in hear your opinion on both of those questions. Okay. Thank you for hate crimes. Absolutely, and also the moral authority of the governor's office to go into any school or Community were such a cur and say these are wrong. This is not what we're going to tolerate here in Minnesota and I would use as an example for the City of Rochester which responded to some brutal beatings of Ethiopian citizens adolescence by Julie I think proven some cases white adolescents with a not in our town effort led by the mayor of the city council The Business Leaders, and this was not just a one-time show. This was a year of educational and other statements saying this is wrong. We are going to embrace the diversity which is growing in the state and that's the kind of effort I would fund support and leave if I were governor and but yes if there are those kinds of crimes assaults against individuals or any reason but certainly based on racial or cultural Prejudice than I say, those are to be prosecuted to the Limit and they ought to be felonies spiritual background. I was baptized a presbyterian Number Westminster Presbyterian Church. Spend my 40th birthday. It is a Betty Ford Center on recovering from alcoholism. And it says it's a terrible place to spend a birthday, but it's a great place to be reborn and as part of my 12-step program. I have my own spiritual practice. I've been a lot of reading and comparative religions and its shape My Views. I believe that we're all he chosen one of us. Creations of the Divine and that makes us each one of us precious in his or her eyes and entitled as our forefathers said to is the equal opportunity for life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If I can buy it come by my religious beliefs and principles of this country that shapes a lot of my attitudes and policies your question place as a game in Asotin. I have a and having been with my partner for 8 years. I have an interest in the Minnesota Legislature not passing laws that discriminate against any Minnesota families and to that end. I would ask do you suppose you support the repeal of the deceptively named Defense of Marriage Act passed in Minnesota wood used to support the repeal of that. This is the law that forbids Minnesota from recognizing same-sex marriages. I would support his repeal Doug and I agree with you. It's terribly Twisted use of words marriage needs no defense in this state or Nation as institutional as a sacred bond between two people and it's your question following on the heels of Jonathan's about taking our Christian or spiritual religious beliefs into public Arena. I'm I'm just astonished that they can get away with it these so-called preachers and and Pharisees and charlatans is I call them who claimed to have memorized the Bible but don't practice anything that says and can find one or two obscure passages in little paragraph somewhere and say that's the whole message of the Bible to condemn into hate and to dehumanize try to discriminate against Wen. The Bible that I read says, you know, what does the great commandment love the Lord? Thy God with all thy mind soul and being in the second is like unto it Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself in on this commandment saying all of the other laws and prophecies and I say that's what we should practice in the state and this nation and those who would divide us with that kind of claiming that somebody is less than and equal creation of the Divine to me is unchristian and dead wrong. What about though? If somebody truly does believe in this case that homosexuality is immoral and wrong? triactin those beliefs Well, it is not the point of beating people up. It's our ability to include everyone that is the s a test. I mean, you can take the most totalitarian government in the world North Korea of our sake and that government is going to the condoning or blessing the behavior of people who do exactly what they say. They are to do exactly the ideology these very strict religious government know if you do exactly as we say, then you're a good citizen. If you don't do exactly what we believe you are to do then you were going to be you're going to be condemned or killed. Well, so what it what what is it to say that we tolerate people who do things exactly the way we would do them believe exactly the way we believe act exactly the way we would act and expect everybody to be the same then what kind what distinguishes us from from those Hotel a tarian regime it is just what our founding father said that the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness inalienable rights of everyone of our citizens as citizens of this country. And as as the creation of a single Divine and I say that that ought to be the guiding principle and if somebody's offended by somebody else's Behavior don't look at their behavior. I'm not saying that people should be able to do whatever they want anywhere, we have laws of public morality and then public Decor but that's different from singling out people who we having to do some people disagree with him saying you are less than you already know this love the love. The sinner hate the sin that doesn't come out that way it's hate hate hate wrong wrong wrong immoral immoral. You know, who who is some charlatan preacher did to be telling us what the Divine opinion is of somebody else who's just as much creation of that Divine is he or she is it's absolutely hypocritical and it's really sacrilegious in my view and I think we oughta be now seeing it for what it is. We're all the same even though each one of us is different. We all have the same rights to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness and let's stop trying to dehumanize and Destroy other decent regular human beings back of the phones. Alex has a question for dfl. Gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton. Go ahead Alex. I thought you said that you're not controlled by and by the special interest by people Finance in your campaign, but I was wondering what you would actually do in practice after this election. If you are elected to make it to the other poor people are minor parties like the green party would be able to have a say and be included in the debates then be able to have the benefits that you have not been consulted controlled by special interest. A very very good question actually statement Alex. It's like the subject and like most of them is complicated probably more so than people want but I believe we have this Vine that we're in because we're on the one hand say that we want to restrict Downs Nichols anybody getting money from any source, and then we also want but we are the public won't pay for elections in a general sense. And so we then have these huge. We have a very tight system with some big cracks that have these loopholes and and and I'm an example where the first amendment is turpitude by the US Supreme Court says that I can sell finance my campaign, but I'll skip Humphrey or edmondo the last to raise that money under a very restrictive prescribes law that we have in Minnesota has to spend far too many hours in my opinion raising money than he or she should and someone like Norm Coleman can come in in less than a year and raise more money than Skip and Ted combined because he plays to the thief. Who have money and can fund these kinds of campaigns partial a large amount of part of public financing including your right qualifying standards, but ones that are not so high that other parties cannot meet them and and be on a pro-rata basis provided some of that public financing. Limits on the total amount of contributions but not the kind of nitpicking ones we have today and certainly not the kind of loopholes and it's a good one and you're very restricted what you can give to a candidate but you can give an unlimited amount of money to the state Republican or dfl party or one of the Republican dfl legislative caucuses because again, that's where the money is going to go and all ends up the same place anyway in the campaign and it's just a very two-faced process last thing. I just say, you know, we have a check off here in the state. If you want to support the elections you check it off even though it's not going to raise your taxes. If you claim percentage of people do the same thing the Nashville no democracy isn't free. I mean, it's just incredibly nice sometimes how How little we appreciate what we have and when you look at how few people vote and you look at somebody says I can't be bothered to check off $5 Imo's. I can raise my taxes for the system of government that billions of people are on this world would give anything to have in the thousands of Americans have died for we could use some real Rhea education ourselves about what the responsibilities are being a citizen in a democracy had a lot of time left, but let's see if we get a couple more callers on Roseanne. One quick, and that is that I think that one of the strengths of Minnesota's Health Care system is the fact that it is a non-profit and I wanted to clarify the nonprofit organization and it is not only by UnitedHealthcare. That's all thank you. I apologize James. You're next in the Bible, Minnesota. Anywhere monster the group up there and you stood out from the group mainly in their use of foul language use name of the Lord in vain and other references doing that. Yes, you did and then I can say it's on tape and then you referred to as somebody urinating and how proud you were to shake their hands. But but you didn't use the word your recorded what he has said, yes. Yes, and I don't think that's proper use of foul language you and if you have that to taper if you have to find it, but don't make that kind of accusation if you can't I said that anybody took a pee said that he must want anybody up there, I guess from the kind of I believe much more sacrilegious kinds of and a non-Christian statements the other people make to dehumanize other people and I just want to mentally disagree with you. If you want to take us to disclosing equate that with what I was referring to before in the other if you have at 8 then provide the tape otherwise don't make unsupported accusations. I believe it's on tape and I didn't say it and I guess maybe just as a follow-up question, you know what you're used to that foul language. Buddy up there who had said something to me in 1982 James. Do you have a point here again, you know, is that normal manner of speaking? Okay. Thanks a lot for your call. Thank you. That's good. At least one more color on here Phil. How do I Master Dayton quick question I think more choices I have is a voter I in St. Paul is is good about my question is this my understanding is that you have a cook a dog keeper a nanny groundskeeper. How do you prepare to understand the needs of the average Minnesotan either being elected or when you are Governor to do the right things to cover needs to do and I'll hang up and listen. Well, I don't have a dog. I'm the dog keeper have a Coco comes in three times a week and drops off food doesn't cook in the house. I have a young man who works part-time helping me. Take care of my two sons who are not teenagers. I've been a single parent for 12 years and now they're almost the age where they don't need any help at all, but one doesn't have to let drivers license. So he's their part-time when the boys are with me a groundskeeper once a week and Pink eye covers your list. I mean, I'm a wealthy man. I was born into a wealthy family. I had the good fortune and good luck with suppose people don't have and I would like to see a society in which everyone had more of the kind of opportunities, which I have. I'm aware of how I'm unique Leaf lucky. I am and I saw that in start the tail when I was teaching in a ghetto School in York City and saw these kids who had just as much right to be born into the kind of situation. I was in and who threw no choice or fall to their own were born into horribly different situations and I've seen that all over the state of Minnesota and that Injustice of paradoxically while it benefits me is what motivates me to be in politics and government and I would dearly love to see a society in which the whole benefits of were far more evenly distributed and where everyone had the opportunity to achieve what I was lucky enough to have given to me. Unfortunately, gosh there's so many issues here. I want to get to know where we're at a time here, but a couple of quick questions. He was raised this was raised in a profile that was done pretty sure it was in the Star Tribune forgive the printer press if I'm wrong about it isn't Star Tribune some question raised about whether you can delegate Authority. If you're elected governor, you've been out there charging ahead by yourself in would you have problems getting good people into a cabinet? Because Governor Dayton would be so dominating and and such a take-charge kind of guy. Well, it's easy. I saw that and I dearly love to have people who are. Well enough qualified and share my commitment to Excellence in public service that I can delegate as much Authority as possible to them. And when I find those people who are not always as plentiful as I would wish I I'm delighted to let them take their areas of responsibility and go with them and where I can't find a individuals that I reluctantly but of necessity take over some of those management and policy responsibilities myself because the buck does stop is Harry Truman said or as I said, my hockey commercial is an old hockey goalie the buck stops here and and I am ultimately responsible for What comes forth from my campaign? So I spent a lot of time on I don't I write most of my own releases and statements entirely because I want them to be in my words and because I will it be held to account Statewide Administration. Obviously, you can't do that. But ultimately that the people is not somebody who's in the state agency is not even the commissioner. is the governor who is responsible for those decisions and what people do and what people don't do in the like so yeah the puck stops right in my between the eyes How do I get my glove on it? But you just before that and I'm the one to hold to account and if it isn't working right out there then it's my job to figure out how to fix. It not blame it on somebody else anyway in 30 seconds anyway to wave a wand and get people interested in the election this year the experts keep claiming. Nobody's going to bode. Well, I'll be optimistic and say that I think that people Minnesota's recognize that this is an open seat with a live steak. And again, we've had plenty of opportunities to inform the borders on September 15th. It's up to them to decide whether they're going to not about us it's about them as individuals citizens of a democracy. Are they going to be responsible? Thank you so much for coming in today. Really appreciate Mark Dayton who is one of the five. Fellers is going to be appearing on the September 15th primary election ballot Now reminder a couple of reminders. First of all will be rebroadcast in the shower at 9 tonight. So if in case you missed part of the program, it would simply like to hear it again will be rebroadcast. Testing our conversation with Mark dating at 9 tonight here on Minnesota Public Radio, then right before the primary election of the final gubernatorial debate before the primary election will take place Sunday, September 13th two days before the election at 7 at the Fitzgerald theater in downtown st. Paul. All five dfl candidates will be on hand. We love you to be on hand as well. If you'd like some tickets there free. Give us a call the area code of +612-290-122-1690 to 612-290-1221. We're going to catch up on some news headlines and then I won't be talking about the ad Wars Northwest Airlines strike.