Thank you Gratis 6 minutes now past 12 programming an MPR is supported by Kare 11 News featuring award-winning photojournalism and Community involvement the news handled with care. Good afternoon. Welcome back to mid-day on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Gary eichten. Glad you could join us. You're one of the things that we heard over and over again from governor-elect Jesse Ventura. This fall is that unlike his opponents. He is not a career politician, but he spent his life in the private sector and fully intends to return to the private sector after his term as Governor is completed and that seemed sure seemed to resonate with lots of people over and over again been to her supporters at praise Jesse Ventura as one of us not one of them during the shower. Midday would like to take a closer. Look at what that might mean weather people really are all that unhappy with career politicians that matter what is a career politician. What does that term actually mean in joining us here in the studio to share his thoughts on politicians and public service is George Latimer who is not really a career politician, but who has been a large part of his life in public service George Latimer is the former mayor. Play Paul of course, but he is also served on the Saint Paul school board in the University of Minnesota Board of Regents prior to getting elected mayor. You saw the top position of Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Most recently. He has been teaching Urban studies at Macalester College through it. All George Latimer has managed to keep his feet pretty firmly planted on the ground. So we thought he would be a perfect guest for our conversation today primarily. However, we would like to hear from those of you listening this afternoon. What is your view of career politicians and public service give us a call as specially those of you who were in our Jesse Ventura supporters. I know there are many many of you because we heard from any of you prior to the election amazing child support for Jesse Ventura before the election certainly a tip-off to some of us that he had a lot of support on Minnesota to 276 thousand number to 276 thousand outside the Twin Cities. One 800-242-2828 career politicians is our subject this hour and George Latimer. Thanks for coming in today. Thank you. Good to be here before we get to our first caller here. I'm interested to do you see the election Jesse Ventura is a repudiation of traditional politics traditional politicians. Yeah, I do. I think it's pretty clear. He won just as he said he would win. In fact that he would get people to vote who had been voting know the people have been voting know which is nearly 50% of the electorate are not voting and it's always been kind of a confusion of people had that everyone who did not vote is there for indifferent or ignorant. In fact, there are many many people who don't vote as a statement that they Just not buying into the system as it presently owned and managed by the two major parties. And that's the first thing he did was capture people who had not been voting the second group. He captured we really knew where out there as recently as parole. We were second only to Main in turning out for parole when he ran I think we had what 24 25% so you start with those two and you add to that a guy who didn't act like he was scripted you didn't act like he was afraid to say something and the two other candidates, although they are clearly accomplish people were really highly scripted and they stuck to it and people are not dumb they like the unscripted flavor. That's a mixed metaphor. But they they like the guy who just got us spoke the truth as he saw it I combined with their General contempt for the way. Things were going and I've been listening to all of your programs. It's great that public radio's been flexible enough of Hibernians conversation with Catherine Catherine. Yes. I was excellent Sweetgum. I've been listening to and and the people called in the woman who called in earlier and who said as soon as she saw that Jesse Ventura would not accept special interest money. She decided how that's a powerful statement those. Oh, well that Paul wellstone do a lot of those people as well you remember so why would a lot of Americans look at the power of money and special interest over both parties if we're to be candid about it and not say give me a third choice and I will grab so that I think that's what happened finally as long as no one has called yet and you're letting me know we have apple bank, I Was Here chords That is the last thing for as long as you let me I mean it is that you know, we really are a different electric than we were 30 years ago. When I was young, for example, we are a lot of us grew up during the Depression. We saw the pression the second world war and government grow exponentially to respond to those two phenomena and a lot of us including me have a very heroic. It comes to my mind by heroic of you of what government could do or might do and that's the truth. You know, we fought a war that had to be fought and we want it and it had to be fought and we we did some we did some tremendous things. We're the only country I know of in recorded history. Turn back to the people. They had just defeated in war and help those countries to rebuild. So there was an awful lot of good things happening. If you were if you were born in 1935 is I was and you live through those years. You didn't have the feeling that you wanted government off your back and you didn't have the feeling that the government was that and then of course we saw what has happened historically and Ronald Reagan was as much a very very articulate spokesman for the shifting mood of the population has he was it caused the definition of federal involvement and state and local Affairs really began in 1978 before he was president and then and it in you saw through the 72 revisiting it so the population is different and people who are 25 + 30 + 35 + 40 years old. I do not see government as any kind of a savior and you got more and more close to the majority of the people voting who the message that they got either from Coleman or Ventura. I was one that resonated with them does it follows all that? Anybody who enters public life holds elected position for any length of time is necessarily a bum all know it it doesn't come to that in and actually if you pressed people they don't really feel that way they get off there is there's a famous a statistic and that is almost everybody have Horus the Congress but like the congressperson they send to Washington and pol after Pol will show you that they don't like politicians but they like their mayor and so when it comes to a one-on-one a personal kind of evaluation who doesn't have a school teacher that they remove With reverence and gratitude. Well, that's a public servant that someone being paid by a public money who hasn't if you're lucky seen a cop in the situation where he brought a piece of Harmony in a tough situation and and feel good about that and you could go on and on but it's the generic the government the oppressive and sometimes dumb things. We do collectively compared to with the way we treat each other one on one starts to pile up on people talking the shower about career politicians and public service a central theme really of the Ventura campaign as we noted at the beginning and is all of you folks know Jesse Ventura repeatedly stressed the fact that he was not a career politician and Voyager seemed to had a a responsive chord love to get your comments on. What you make of that? What do you think about the so-called career politician? I'm particularly interested in what you think of career politician is what's the definition of Public Service in the rest may give you the phone number again, wait for a couple of minutes though because there are lines are busy right now to 276 thousand Twin City area number to 276 thousand. Side the Twin Cities one. 800-242-2828. George Latimer is with us and first caller is from Farmington, John. Thank you. Play I feel it. I believe it's very important for our politicians to leave the farm to leave their accounting position or their machine shop position and going and serve their their state or their country for a. Of time and then get out and get back into the mainstream and and then bring another fresh person in to do that or career politician who spends perhaps 20 or 30 years in service is is ridiculous and I leave for the most part our forefathers never intended anything like that looks like that to be it's actually shameful for them to spend that much time in there, and we need less lawyers in there as well and more common people before you hang up here or what about the argument that you need some expertise to really work the Machinery of government in to get things accomplished and and if you just serve for a couple years ago home you just now Develop that expertise I believe that was the reason that it was set up this way is so the expertise wouldn't become such a rigorous machine that it turned into a almost a production and you come in and you learn the production it needs to change. That's what makes this state this country. So great as the constant change and so we need to turn over so we don't end up with two party systems where one is so far left and the other one is so far right there meeting together and nothing makes any sense. There is just too strongholds and nothing move. We need to change. This is very important. I think George well, I I don't come down to the same place that John comes down. I never was interested in the legislative that is safe to be elected to the legislature. I I didn't have the patience of a desire to get involved in a process that was at long and so I never ran for anything and legislative level. However, I over the years particular last 10 years of really come to admire the way the a committee and plodding through an issue year after year with with John some changes by the way in the committee. Make up your if you look over the top of levels of the senior people you said while they're all there forever. But you know, let me give you an example John of how much turn over there really is. I wanted to help a friend of mine be appointed to the Board of Regents. So I called her up and said I'd like I hear you're interested. How can I help she said while there are these five committees? That's all right. Let me get out the list and and here I am. Supposedly connected to something or other they were 47 legislators John. I knew 5 by name I knew with a pretty good level of certainty that two of them wouldn't return my call or we're not interested in my opinion and I had I think I had one out of three who actually I reach back some years of affection and respect for each other like all that 1% Is that a lot of that natural ferment and turn over that you call for in fact is occurring all the time. So that's one point. I want to make sure they just moved from one out of one part of political life to another to another so that all of the names change in the people actually change their still kind of involved all the time while they may be involved, but if you look at the state houses, they're moving in and out large numbers. Lot of them I stay on and I and I want to repeat something even though I'm not a legislator. I really there are legislators who chair committees or their staff who really know the information inside and out say something like transportation and I find their very good resources and knowledge and they build up over the years. And and finally I want to make one more comment that is somewhat protective or defensive whichever party has been in in control or whatever. It's been happening in Minnesota. It can't be all bad. We're pretty good place and we survived a lot of changes and legislative and gubernatorial leadership and the fact is jaundice my last a shot at trying to mollify you and it is if you're right when you hear the party's convening separately you shake your head and say oh, oh, oh, I wouldn't want to have dinner with any of those people because The left for the Democrats in the right for the Republicans are off the edge they get off the edge, but the fact is when everybody goes to work and they have a piece of legislation offered you see the center start taking hold in Minnesota and elsewhere is what a well so I am not one who believes that the legislature is filled with crazy ideas All Shore you can pick up a piece of legislation that was offered that was purely Whimsical are crazy and you can write several columns about and have fun with it. But when you get right down to the hard work of legislators, and that's why I said it's not I'm not bragging about of the I did I never had the patience for it, but by and large you heard us Wiggum the conservative take it was so it was likely to be the speaker. You heard him responding on a substance of issues. He studied these tax issues for a long time. You may agree or disagree with this conclusions, but they've mastered a lot of information that I would want them to That's before they act Joe your comment place. That to Career politicians got 63% of the vote. The one who is fighting against I got 37. So I I don't think there's necessary BisMan date against career politician weather point. I'd like to make is that how government touches us everyday such as roads such as the safety of our food such as the safety of our environment those things that we have the most exposure to are some of the heart are the really good things that government does and I and I guess I guess I get frustrated when people come down so hard on government sure. There's maybe some over-regulation here or there but the majority of the time and which we are touched by our government is for the way. I see it as being things that really in improve the quality the quality of our life and and in the sense of of a career politicians, I want to make one more point. I have a brother who was in the state. It was in a in a group. For the mentally retarded you severely mentally retarded because of the beneficence of the taxpayers of the state the expertise or some of the legislature legislators. Look at overseeing his facility and overseeing his care that these are the good things that go on and I'm happy that somebody is there who has a lot of experts has been in the human services department who knows how to to to take care of these people who are who are who have no one else to take care of them? Cuz I'm going to hang up. Thank you. Pretty speaks well for himself. Is it fair to interpret the election results? and I don't put words in JoJo's mouth here, but maybe you are the election results are a ringing endorsement of career politicians. well 2/3 1/3. Yeah, Joe did a great job and of course you talk in the wrong guy if you expect me to argue against but most of what he said, that's what I happen to believe and how is it that well, let me play me. I was going to say Joe makes the point that government delivers a lot of good things and then. There are people who are actually administering these programs come up with the programs. These people are doing good things, but I do a lot of people who serve or do a fair number of people who serve in public life lose touch with the common person to the point where they, you know, you have the occasional good person coming up with a good program, but there are a lot of them who just lose lose touch layrite too many regulations and they they come up with Goofy ideas. Some people do lose touch pure and simple they do but some people lose touch of the day, they're elected. They don't have to be there. greater than yours, you know, I've felt they get carried away and think that they've been baptized or christened in the office rather than but I I think the statement voting for Ventura was as I said at the opening was based on a powerful set of beliefs and values and I don't believe they're tranchant. Okay, I believe they're real and I believe they're part of the American tradition. And what do you talk about 30% or 40 or 45% I won't argue with it. Then you get into the individual election choices people make the personality of the guy that got the guy never there. But what I don't accept by the hour I come here just because I can't say no for this hour, but if I don't accept the proposition that the only statement people are making by this election was that they are rejecting career politician. That's not what the election was about except to the extent that career politicians represent too much of what they don't like about the world. Special interest money ieaa acting out of power rather not a sense of justice or common sense. Those are the kinds of things that have come in the public mine to representing be reflected in the individual public servant that they see the elected official who is too much beholding to too many other interest, but that's a piece of the Venture attraction, but it was broader than that much broader than that wreck. Your next worked in the factories for a long time. I was in my union I was in the political action committee and invariably when I would try to get the rank-and-file to get out and vote for somebody and it was almost unanimous that they would say there are bunch of crooks. They're corrupt. Why should I waste my time? And I found that also to be True as the people I work hard for would do things in their own self-interest and would not really have a Rudder or representing working people and I think when they sit when that Jesse says career politician a lot of the working people Factory people think corrupt politician. Okay, and what they see is of when they see when you say special interest that take corporate interest. So there's a lot of euphemisms out there and I really think there is a core class base to this whole election. I saw a factory people who I could never organized Jump Right In and ready to go and I appreciate what the mirror saying because there's a lot of very good people who work very hard and are very conscientious. You take for granted the services that we have. We don't realize you know, we probably understand what's going on. But there is that especially from the lower end of the spectrum people keep the here pay high for their for their housing. Don't make a lot of money. Those are the people who'd you can't get out the vote until you get a Jesse Ventura because they think he's going to represent them like almond says tax break. We think we have for the rich when Jesse says tax break. Yes for me. And so there's there's a lot of undercurrent that I think it's missing in the whole debate and Ventura even said yesterday. I think it was this was a victory for labor against management. And no career politician when you hear that that that stands for a lot more than just the fact that sell you that some person would have been in office for 20 years. You get somebody like John Marty who you know, and they won't let him get very far. OK. I know a lot of Union people were mad at the union because they went and they supported some guy some County attorney and didn't contact him. They wanted John Marti again. And I think that says something about working people cuz look at John Marty. Let's move on to another caller hear lower your next go ahead place and public servants there be recognized or whatever just like we are and they've got people that they have to report to and when I was old enough to vote 1980 my dad took me by the hand took me to the pool. Let me go to work until I voted told me who had to vote for pulled and you know made sure I didn't vote for Reagan and stuff. And I looked at myself for years later. And Reagan was in office. I said, hey, this is good for me. So then I voted for the guy and I don't think a lot of us out here. I'm 37. Don't even understand the dfl or democrat or republican. I'm not sure what all did he even stands for when Jessie came along? And he's a big guy and I watch the debates and I watch the reruns of the debates on Sunday. And I heard when the women were asking the questions about these programs to help the kids Head Start in that type of stuff and first Humphrey got to speak and then Jesse said my parents didn't need this help and I'll call him and could do was agree with him. And these politicians are doing all right, I've written to a few of them written to wellstone. And one thing I notice is the people voted for Jesse aren't saying bad things about these politicians or not. I haven't heard it on the radio today where we've said anything bad about the politicians or what they did. Although after the vote. They said a lot of things bad about Jesse right before you run their Lloyd when when during the debates, for example, Jesse would turn to the to the other two candidates in and he would point out that you know, they had they were career politicians and that he was different. He is in the private sector and so on and and Forward offering himself serve and then I need to go back to private sector. What did you hear? What what was Jesse saying to you at that point when he did make that statement that he's not the bureaucracy and he's not going to just come in and and listen and and get the vote or get this to pass. He's going to believe what he believes and talk to people and people in his family and stuff and they know that isn't the way it should be and he was going to stand up against with the majority wanted just to get the vote through okay. Interesting how to words in this case career politicians. It's not that they mean so many different things to different people but they clearly represent more than what you think. They might represent. Yeah. I think he was very incisive and insightful and his use of words. I wouldn't say diabolical but loaded he was able to be very simply and convey a lot to a lot of people like the last two people to talk to us. Aurum how rampant the first call I just now was talking about corruption and a lot of people even after they get elected they may start off with a with a good intent, but ultimately end up doing sayings. In our own self-interest rather than the public interest. Does that happen often? Well, you are as much of a student of Observer of that as I am in Minnesota, it's pretty where are we? What about this? I mean if you want talk about here, I'm not not that corruption is something I would have you would ignore but you cannot look at the 25 or 50 year history of Minnesota politics either party or Independence and look at local and state levels and all that and really make a case that not only most but that even a lot of them were corrupt in the in the in the real meaning of actually taking money in exchange for your vote. I mean, but what you do see how it is the power of money influencing their desire to stay in office and the desire to have more power and so the power of money from special Trust at all levels including the state level is fearsome. If you looked at the millions of dollars a tobacco industry had spent in and all levels of state government that's coming out more and more and you could go on and on it doesn't have to be tobacco industries that have huge amounts of money at stake are spending huge amounts of money and that cannot help but not so much corrupt an individual to take money straight out that happens too often, but it rather means that their ability to really be independent and stay in touch with people and their needs and make the hard judgment that are best for the public good are going to be impaired and I think we have a lot of evidence of this the way that we have paralyzed around we cannot get the Republican majority and the Congress even to debate the very thing that Jesse Ventura got elected on and that is I'm not going to take any money. From special interest we can't get them even debated in Washington. So corrupting is a power of money. And this is what wellstone ran on. This is what I find gold tried to dramatize a by not accepting it those are heroic but lonely statements being made by people within the major parties or McCain the Republican from Arizona, but the majority of both those parties are not really committing themselves to to change that but I don't even think when Lloyd when Lloyd spoke. I don't think he meant to say that most of them are on the take meaning that there I don't think that he was saying that at all and I don't believe that we're talking this hour about career politicians what that term means what at what it says to you and public service hear your thoughts on public service weather most people who run for elected office ought to serve a couple of years. Go back to their regular business whether it's okay for people to continue to seek re-election and stay in office. It was called to 276 thousand outside the Twin Cities one 800-242-2828 former st. Paul Mayor George Latimer is with us. Mr. Latimer has served in all kinds of functions at all kinds of levels volunteer basis. He's been elected as mayor many years. Did you serve 12, you know that gives me a chance to agree with one of the callers 14 years from 76 to 90. They were the golden years after I sent that I was being defensive but the other day I was talking to a couple hundred people about Crime Control and I remind a lot of went after Minnesota. I reminded him. I've been in in the mayor of st. Paul from 76 to 90 and I said, No, I had a wonderful time. I thought it was terrific. But it just lately. I've learned that indeed during all those years St. Paul was dead. And therefore I would probably dead and I never even realized something good happen Sumter item after all back to life. But anyway, that's part of the hyperbole a running for office, I guess but I want to make a point now that I'm through kidding around and it is I was married 14 years. I really did enjoy it the whole time but the fact is probably eight to 10 years is as long as I should have been there. And I say that in retrospect I didn't consciously stay on longer than I wanted to be but I think John and a few of the other callers have made a point about staying on and I'm not going to start beating my breast and say I lost touch with people and all that is pretty hard to lose touch with people if your mayor it really is. I mean, they're there right there on your face and it's fun is no escaping it but in truth you can get stale if you can get a little bit trapped by your own history and I would be open to the idea of advising people after 8 or 10 or 12 years to move along. I feel the same way about CEOs of companies in the private sector. I've been on a corporate board since and I think at 8 to 10 years is probably time to move along. I don't know if that means term limits but I love the point John the first caller made. I think that was the first caller about staying on. Online is a mistake. I think you're Samaritan that let's get back to the phones here. Chad joins us now. Go ahead Place Highway 59 sitting at a payphone right now. By the way, George I get live in Saint Paul and Jake Paul the first time Norm Coleman ran for mayor. The dfl endorsement against schaible, but that's not the reason I called. I just happened to mention that because I heard you say that a minute ago regarding term limits. We already have and that is if we don't like somebody we can vote them out. That's what it's all about. That's what happened two days ago and I don't believe that the the swelling for Jesse Ventura had anything to do with a vote against career politicians. It was more a vote for the person who ran right up the middle. No and runs just come straight up the middle and one in Jesse Ventura. It's the people who voted for him. A lot of it was quite frankly and then there is in fact, we should stand by there's going to be some great theater in Minnesota. We've got we've got to be Venture for governor. I'm kind of a career politician myself, but I get on the Becker County dfl chair up here. I'm out today picking up Humphrey signs and Collin Peterson sign. That's what I'm doing on Highway 59 and I'm going to be standing by I'm going to be Santa by cuz it's going to be very entertaining with with Jesse Ventura governor with with a great Statesman like Rodger most in charge of the Senate and now the house has been turned over. I mean we should all stand by that does not tell me that there's a vote out there against career politician. I said all that in one big breath. I'm going to rest. Okay, let's move on to another color Michael. That would be you. That place by Gary and George my big thing I think about about the term limits are true politicians is is that the Democrats and Republicans now that now that we do have Jesse and I voted for him. You know, they have to realize that there's people out there that that really really believing in their there's tied to their special interest and it's just it's just ridiculous. So your your concern here isn't so much with how long people serving in like that. But the fact that so many of them in your mind are beholding to whoever supports them that they stay there that the more entrenched we become they spend more time getting re-elected then actually serving the people. So let me offer a mile defense for the very people that I've been joining in beating them up with the rest of the colors and that is at the talk about the special interests a wag would say that your for the special interest but I am for good causes and the fact is that many people who vote exactly the way the special-interest want them to have a passionate feeling on exactly that issue and it's exactly the way that special interest wants them to vote. So it's a cause and effect is open to doubt another word. So let me give I'll try to pick an example of neutral like farming and then something that's not the back or something evil. But if if you believe in that the rural community and you believe in farming and you believe that there are external forces that making it possible for a small farmer to make it and you go to the state house. You're going to look for every way you can add to keep big money Factory corporate farming and anything else that seemed to get in the way of the small farmer making it and you might even come up with a bunch of a programs or subsidies or whatever even though some intellectual will explain that in fact that will really be the ruination of that particular crop farmer, but you make it and what I run into an awful lot of legislators and people who played pass Late on certain causes and it happens to be that they're also special interest who have every reason to support that cause and they line up. So I'm trying to be a little bit more fair because we haven't had anyone speak in behalf of special interest is sour and that's my that's my last attempt to do. So, enjoy your next. That's coming out of this election being an educated woman over the age of 30 who is a full-time mom and holds down a white collar job. I am really enjoying watching some of the system squirm. That's the primary reason that I voted for. Jesse was. I am tired of not wanting to vote for any of the candidates that are available and in regards O2 putting the farmer or The Machinist or the common man into office for a short-term regardless of their Grand Theft thanks that that brings an interesting point. That's the people are ignoring. I'm hearing a lot of people running around. Doubting that perhaps maybe in four years our entire state is going to be in the sewer. Well, that's ridiculous. When you stop and think about the fact that we did not hire Jesse Ventura to be God. We hired him to be our governor and he has to work for the people. He's he's not just out there a loose cannon running around. He's got a passing through the proper channels and I think that by putting lay people into office you take the best ideas from those communities and those Ordinary People and you put them together with the balance system that will weed out the idea that may or may not work and I think the chassis appealed to us, and people is it we want to be heard and understood by government. And in addition to that. I think that's simply by his physical appearance. He just represented strength and power and Andrea Lee He's kind of that almost a wholesome feelings to the election. Is it all that tough to be in this case Governor mean really? Well, since I failed to get there, I'm not expert on that. You just came up short in the camp in the running for governor. But I mean realistically I do you know it through the campaign Jesse Ventura repeatedly referred the well, this is not like doing major surgery are going to head John najarian running. I hate to be so agreeable, but there's a lot of wisdom on the airwaves this morning at least with Minnesota Public Radio because I think every call her and the last of the woman who just called I really agree with her. We have all kinds of checks and balances. First of all. Jesse wants this state to do well in the people to do well just like any of the rest of us a lot and he's he's not going to go out there and try to hurt us. Secondly you there a lot of ways at Asda is it really said that we have of checking and balancing and that kind of thing. And then finally, I agree with the implication of your question Gary and that is That's why I never felt overburdened. When I was in office is that you get the best people, you know, you can get ya reach out to as many people as you can listen truthfully and hard you collect the best ideas. You tell people what you think you ought to do and then you do it and it really Jesse is right and I've always believed and I've been arguing this for forty years. I've always believed it and he's got plenty of intellect. So it's not a question that we're reaching down the IQ but it doesn't matter the point. The woman made the point I want to make is that we are democracy does not depend on having a superhuman Elite intellect. A person in one place or another really depends finally on all of us who are looking out and checking out things and and in fact pure intellect is probably less important than all the other qualities in a leader. I got a plain-spoken s sympathy for people the ability to represent the best of people feel about and and if you pick the right people and then act on people who are not the best you don't get out. Let let me make the the final Point make me let me make my point by quoting somebody there was a letter that went back and forth between Felix Frankfurter a Supreme Court Justice later on and Holmes who preceded him as a Supreme Court Justice may had a long series of letters. So homes didn't know Franklin Roosevelt. So he wrote in you know, they were patricians home was quite a patrician. What about this Roosevelt over in New York the Vita know what he's talking about, you know, he's talkin homes, very skeptical of Roosevelt and Frankfurter wrote back Roosevelt is a second-class intellect. He's at First Class character and he'll be a great leader and you know Frank at Roosevelt. I think got the lowest grades ever recorded at Columbia Law School, which is very gratifying for me to know because I went to the Columbia Law School and somebody told me that so therefore his had to be pretty bad. But it but he was not a brain person but most people would say that he served pretty well during some pretty tough times and it's because of all the other qualities we talked about in the same way with the governor's I think about the governor's to be serviced the well in the end they were none of them were dumb but on the other hand, they might not have had the highest IQ, but they knew how to pull people together and get things done like your next quiet place. I'd like to say first all of that if anyone should have been a career politician Muir Latimer, I think you probably called find that I'm also curious if Numerica comment on what you think of requiring citizens of the United States? What's Day After High School to serve two years with other local or state government agencies or whatever and that thereby giving people an opportunity to get involved understand. I mean to to know what's going on with them and I've had a little bit of opportunity to participate in such thing and it is it it's different. It's not like going to a business meeting and where you sit down and everybody can talk or whatever. There's order there is minutes. There is no certain way to conduct these issues and I'm just curious if they required service to the government on the part of everybody would be a good idea. I would not support anything as specific as a saying that each of us should serve two years for government. I would be very supportive and open to an idea that said All young people should serve the country in some way for two years. We could sit should serve the nation and some might serve in the military some might serve in government. Some people in military is government come to speak of it, but I would not you see it my belief about learning and volunteerism is that we have to have respect for individuality of intuitive people and some people would spend hours feeding the people at Dorothy Day Center others would be serving by cleaning the floors at Dorothy Day Center and other people would be happy to serve in the military or in the National Guard and I think that all of these are useful needed things but that each of us has a little bit different and I have students every year at McAlester who I take into the communities. We've been working on the east side where 40% of the Ramsey County welfare case load isn't Eastside. We've been there now for five terms or two and a half years and the students for moving different ways several of them are tutoring kids $7 at helping families a regroup after a separation or a battering and think of that kind of other people one group for David lanigan's class are spending the whole term devising a business plan for Payne Avenue in response to the East Side neighborhood Development Corporation new going to give them that well, that's a long way of me saying that you have to give the opportunity to learn and to serve in a very Broadway. Some people would like to plant flowers. Some people would like to plant cabbages. We need both and the way out of it let them get on with what attracts a lot of time left. But if you're just joining us were talking this hour about career politicians and public service. Malaika interested to get to some listener thoughts on public service and whether people ought to spend their life serving me an elected office in the like or whether we really should do a focus on putting a couple years in going back by George Latimer has joined us this hour to a share his thoughts and our next caller is from a map to Hyatt Place when I cast my vote on Tuesday. It was not I did vote for Ventura and I did not cast it to throw anybody out or really to reject the other two parties. I've been active in the dfl for a long time and I just felt that there was no place for me in the dfl anymore. I considered myself a conservative Democrat, but the Republican Party didn't appeal to me either because of a lot of the very right-wing think issues such as abortion in the role that The Christian element plays in the Republican party. I'm also a veteran I can I'm going to be graduating from Hammond in the spring. I'll be attending graduate school. So I do consider myself well educated and I don't think I fit with a lot of people thought would go and vote for Ventura. But I do also think that career politicians play a very important role you mentioned to FDR before obviously, he was a career politician maybe the greatest politician of the 20th century was Winston Churchill and he was active in politics in his country for over 50 years. So I don't think that when people go to the polls, they should vote against a career politician just because he's a career politician you have to look at the issues. You have to look at his his his competition and you also have to you know, Find out where you stand on things I'll hang up and listen. Let's move on to another caller who joined just from Duluth Joe moderator. I am a native hear born and raised combat veteran World War II professional I've retired and I am particularly incensed at the arrogance and the ignorance the Spade displayed by a local politicians when they shot Jesse winning the race. To regard an attempt by every citizen of the United States of America to Aspire to be the governor and to have the group that we have here in our area. What is 87 years old? He's fine man is that the best we can do one has been in trouble with his telephone card run is an immigrant who has never had a job in the private sector. He's a socialist. And say can look down their noses that a man was accomplished with Jesse has and there's one other thing we missed. I have talked to at least a dozen people who were scared off of voting for Jesse because they couldn't stand the thought of our friendship. Thank you very much. Okay. Well, thanks for your call. We don't have a lot of time left here George, but do you know what about the reaction from the parties in the activist to the the Ventura victory and it's been all over the map? Of course. It's a it's an individual thing. But they're there was this that suck it and part of it. Of course is that nobody expected he was going to win but also part of that seem to be disbelief that any person who was just a kind of a common citizen should be able to wrest control of The reigns of government from our hands is that an accurate representation of part of the reaction that we've heard this week. I don't I don't there maybe get out of the elitists by definition don't deserve to feel like I meet us there are always Among Us and I Do are some along the way who felt that way and did not feed him seriously, but I think most everybody was shocked by the win. I was shocked by the win but I was never a contemptuous of the run and I just count myself as one Citizen and I think I think by and large that the vast majority of minnesotans including the vast majority of those who did not vote for him did not view him by the end of the race. You could not view him in any disrespectful way because the man handled himself well, and I don't need history to remind myself that I I wasn't a tenth of that all the debate do a lot of fun and I didn't watch him all but I watch about three of them and I remember distinctly going in and talk into my office mate and saying, you know, Jesse Ventura is not just the one liner. He has a Clear Vision of of where he stands and the reason he's more effective is it he's not trying to accommodate things that he doesn't believe in and so he doesn't have a blurred vision. I don't I know it's it's kind of fun for people to say all the elitist have been blown up whether or not many of them out there. I mean there is a percentage of always be there in a think they're smarter than other people but I don't think most people by the end of that race thought of him as a buffoon or wrestler are only arrest there anything else. Let me ask you that she or a low-ranking elected official not a superstar by maybe you're serving on I don't know a County Commission or something and you worked hard and you've been trying to do the people's business should those people look at this and say well gosh, It's not worth it. Nobody cares and they all hate us anyway, not at all. Not at all. One of the many callers. I made the point the Collin Peterson the dfl chair from Becker made the point that even re-elected with 75% of the vote. Congressman vento's just been re-elected now for I think the 20th year, I believe Martin Sable. I mean what I said earlier that we may have a generalized disrespect for politicians, but think the world of our Congress person. I'll tell you again as one citizen I have I have a half-dozen people that I have elected for a number of years and I I feel good as a citizen there representing me and their career politicians, but I like him and respect them and I trust them and I think a lot of us feel that way about the individuals who represent us. We're out of time unfortunate labor. Appreciate your coming by today. Thank you very much. Carrie Palmer St. Paul Mayor George Latimer joining us in and I'd like to thank all of you who been listening is sour, especially those of you who called in try to call in with your comments. Always good to hear from you a big big story. Probably. Well. I don't know biggest political story. We've had around here in a long time certainly the most interesting and you can assume that we will continue continuing coverage of lots of coverage here of the transition to the Jesse Ventura Administration again, thanks for tuning in today reminder that programming on Minnesota Public Radio is supported by the Pillsbury company Foundation caring for the community by giving kids a loving lift. That's it for our mid-day program now coming up next we're going to catch up on some news headlines and then we'll head off to a Washington National Public Radio Ray Suarez will be along with Talk of the Nation. So that's coming up right after news. Again, thanks for tuning in today little uncertain what we're going to do tomorrow, but I hope you'll be able to join us. I'd Lynne Rossetto Kasper this week on The Splendid Table. It's a conversation with restauranteur Drew nieporent about how to run a world-class restaurant that Saturday at 2 and Sunday at 7 on Minnesota Public Radio k n o w FM 91.1 you're listening to Minnesota Public Radio. We have a cloudy Sky 33°, I can tell you I found 91.1 Minneapolis. And st. Paul The Weather Service says it's going to be cloudy all afternoon with a high temperature in the mid thirties about where it is and I partly cloudy with an overnight low near 20 and then cloudy skies are forecast for the cities tomorrow with the high in the mid to upper 30s.