Good morning. Welcome to midday on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm very active glad you could join us. Well, it seemed to last forever but it is finally over the Senate impeachment trial is history. And the US Senate is not back at work on other major issues facing the nation and they are. Midday. We're going to check in with Minnesota's two US senators to get their reading on some of the big issues and what the Congress may or may not do about any of those issues Republican senator. Rod grams will be joining us over the noon hour. But during this first hour of our program. We've been joined by Minnesota senior. Senator Democrat Paul wellstone. We also invite you to join our conversation. If you got a question or comment for Senator wellstone, give us a call or Twin City area number is 651-227-6065 1227 6000. If you're calling from outside the Twin Cities, you can reach us toll-free at one eight hundred two for two.282-865-1227 6000 or 1 800-242-2828 morning. Senator is a life kind of back to normal now in the Senate to the anger dissipated and Yeah, I mean you don't certainly it certainly seems that way to me. I just have been you know, living on the floor of the Senate are there on the floor everyday with amendments and intubate and just had a several our committee meeting today on on workplace health and safety issues and you know, it's you know, so it's committee work. It's for me. I love being on the floor. I like the debate. I like fighting it out that way and you know, it's it's been great. I never knew how much I love the life of a legislator. It's it's nice to get back to this enough to run for re-election. I just loves I'm just saying I really do love the work. That's all it's really feels good. I know you've been no late last couple of days been leading an effort to try to amend the education bill has moving through the Senate trying to make sure that the federal money continues to go to a poor skin District. Have you been discourage that there's not more? Democratic support for your effort well know. I know it's interesting. There are a couple of different I mean issues. Look I may ultimately be the one person to vote against the whole bill. It depends upon where it ends up next week, but that's because I think that the sort of core requirements of this Title 1 program, which is really a program for for poor children America. I don't think that it's that any states that allow any school district to be exempt from it because it has to do with high-quality teachers and high standards and all the rest, but actually some of the other amendments passed the member yesterday, which said that the money has the first go to schools that have 75% low income student population or more. I mean, they deserve first priority but here's the problem. The thing that the problem is that this piece of legislation is it's all show and no go call Dad Flex. It doesn't do anything to dramatically improve the opportunities for children. Principles the other day and teachers in and the fact of the matter is you know, we we we got schools with with maybe 65% of the kids who qualify for free or reduced lunch low-income. They don't get any Title 1 money for more teachers from or teaching assist systems for more community outreach for more computers. They don't get any of it cuz there isn't enough resources. So my point is let's get real and get more resources to our schools. Let's do a better job of having a fordable child care so that so that parents are the families get a better break here. And so the kids can come to kindergarten ready to learn. Let's figure out a way of having better after school programs a lot of parents both work and they worried where their children are. I mean, let's talk about making sure that that we over the next 10 years are able to hire women need additional to meet the teachers in the country track really good people into education. I mean pieces of things that splits reduce class size. And I'm I'm curious that this Congress and the Senate and and and I think the Republicans are especially weak on this or not really zeroing in on these issues and frankly, I think all too often the Democrats or him and I think the president's Budget on education is a 10-cup budget going to do a hundred and ten billion dollars over six years from the Pentagon 12.5 billion over this next year, but can't find even 2 billion dollars to increase the education budget and he says education system priority. So I intend to take people on here on children and education regardless of party Ventura says the FED should get out of the education business except for the Takeover the special education costs and fire let you know that he didn't help me fight for more resources for Minnesota, you know, you just have to have some monsters agreements with people and first of all, I think before he came here to watch them out completely. I think they would have came here and I certainly certainly started stalking about I think it was good that he did wait a minute when it comes to the idea program and funding for kids with special problems. We need our resources a lot of school districts are not getting it to the getting the Mandate but they're not getting the resources. That's right. But to Cesar, salad, I mean look first of all, the title 1 program is hugely important to our state very good work is being done and in our school districts get know we've got kids high many schools with high percentage low income children and ask go schools whether or not they don't need the resources for more teacher assistants. They don't need the resources more computers. They don't need the resources for highly qualified teachers. They need the federal that this is critically important can't say we don't need those federal dollars and you know to be just very honest about it. I think it's becoming almost impossible to make it to stay. Ocean between K through 12 in pre-k, and we need a heck of a lot more of a federal commitment to to early childhood development. What happens to Children before they ever get to kindergarten is critically important. So strong strong and frankly, you know, my passion is children and education and I'm going to fight very hard on these issues and when he's wrong, just tell him he's wrong Minnesota. Senator. Paul wellstone is our guest this hour of our midday Program Center wellstone has a meeting coming up about 11:30 this morning, so we don't have a whole lot of time, but if you have a question for the senator, give us a call here 651-227-6006 51227 6000 outside the Twin Cities 1-800. +242-282-865-1227 6001 800-242-2828 Senator you of course announced in January that you weren't going to be running for presidency has your back problems, you know, since then G everybody's dropped out except for Bill Burr. Emily are you concerned that there isn't going to be a more vigorous? Democratic side this year or next year in terms of priorities in the rest for president. I'm giving him his fair. Kind of a fair Shake yet because I think the bill will speak to some of the issues dealing with race and gender and poverty and you'll speak a lot about reforming and I think he will be very strong candidates Spokane both of the vice president & and was Senator Bradley, but I am concerned. I mean, I I actually am doing some writing and some work with Bob former Secretary of vibration. And you know, I'm I'm very interested in it in a kind of in discussion about a family wage which is a living wage which means raising the minimum wage and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit. I'm interested in affordable child care, which means for example a $2,000 tax credit refundable the families maybe within comes up to 50,000 or wherever the break-even point is, which would make a huge difference. I think we ought to have paid family medical leave. I think we ought to be talking to private sector about that because right now, you know the laws you can take up to 12 weeks off when it comes to a sick parent. Child of the things you absolutely need to do for family, but the most people can't do it because they can't afford to take any time off. I'm very committed to Universal Health Care coverage to Family Healthcare. I got to get back to that the insurance industry took it off the table and I think we should put it back on the table and I'm absolutely committed to clean money and clean elections, which is really the strongest reform effort and I certainly want to see you and I'm and I'm committed to the school's I'm committed to the education into the school's which is what we've been talking about and I think there might be a way that I can still working with vibration others not only by doing some writing on this but I can do some traveling organizing and say where are the other candidates and I might be able to do some of that like to do that. That's that's what I'm thinking. South Dakota and Sioux City, Iowa and number Farmers from Minnesota in the office and I or the other day and they were saying listen, what about coming down Iowa and kind of shaking things up and saying to vice president Gore and others. Look it's fine for you to talk about more credit. But you know, when are you going to start about antitrust action? When are you going to start talkin about taking on these Packers when he can start talking about taking on these Grain Company, so I still think I can make a contribution. It's got a couple collars on here while we have a few minutes. Hey, good morning, Senator. Good morning. How are you today? I'm good Tim Johnson from Lakeville Minnesota. And I was just calling because you if you said Governor Ventura is wrong and I apologize for calling for my car and it's not that we don't not wrong wrong wrong. I was talking to that was responding the question about whether or not we need more federal dollars for education in Minnesota when I called in was maybe just maybe we should go if it's not working on the federal level what we're getting from the federal level. Maybe we should try doing without it and if what you're saying is true in that the kids in the poorest schools aren't getting that money. Then maybe we're doing really something wrong and we should throw the power back to the States so that those kids would get that money will know actually I wasn't saying that what I was saying is that I was worried that in this legislation now, that would no longer be the requirement that kids in the media schools get the money first. Actually the way this program is Title one which was first passed in 1965 money does go to the media schools. The problem is we don't have enough of it. So that for example, this would be real relevant to you. Tim. Wilson will get funding for schools with a high percentage of low-income children in urban areas, but then some of the Greater Minnesota communities still have superintendents and you'll have others will have teachers they listen to all we've got 30% low-income population. We could use some additional money for teaching assistants for community outreach or more computers for one-on-one instruction know it's worked well, but we don't have the resources that we need. That's my point. Super mom won't let most of the case through 12 is at the state level but there are a couple of things the federal government does that are critically important and I don't want to see given the fact that these programs exist and are going to continue to exist. I got to fight to get the dollars back to our local communities and one of them is the title 1 program and frankly the most important single thing we could do at the federal level. I think is Pre-K that's wicked. What we ought to be doing is enabling families to be able to afford really good child care. We are also be able to we also thought to figure out how to enable women and men who want to work in childcare to make a decent living I can't right now that's ridiculous. Susan your question me that you've been helping get some better services for them from the ins and so I'm really appreciate your support. I want also to tell you I'm on my way to the state capitol right now to talk to some of our state legislators about affordable housing area me some advice. What do I need to tell our state legislators with a lot of immigrants in our state and and the ins got to do much better and you know what Minnesota's greatness is going to be all of the our new populations the new citizens. I mean, I think that will be our greatness in the future. Well, how about you how about using the word crisis thing for the son? I said you want to do something real? I have some Bill call Dad Flex Run do something real don't cut nutrition programs for children. You want to do something real what about affordable housing and not just in the urban areas, but in the ruler is it is it is really getting to be a crisis a crisis. So many families cannot afford affordable housing is absolutely unbelievable. And it's a huge problem. Not just in the city's just looking at that what the what let's look in that rents much less what it takes to own a home but a lot of Greater Minnesota area is a lot of your business. It'll say even if they want to locate in the community, they can't because a lot of the people that would work for them can't find any housing. It's a huge problem and the federal government. We got it. We got to ask Reddit. We've got to provide some incentives for private-sector to to build more housing and this is really I'm surprised. It hasn't been more attention paid to it. I'm glad you're going to be working on at the capital Centre. Where will the money come from for or where would it come from for for the various programs that you're advocating out of the current just spending just going to rearrange my priorities or sorry? I ain't a surplus. Well, I think I think for sure. I'm a little disappointed in in in what's being done with the Surplus. I understand the importance of social security and Medicare which is huge. But I also think that and I don't want the president or anybody to to to to not be committed to senior citizens. I think it's also true that the next Century, you know, we'll also belong to our children and I think it's a pretty weak budget when it comes to children. I think some of what we do with a surplus money more of it what to be focused on on children. I absolutely convinced of that more of it should be focused on children and I was especially would emphasize again the problem of affordable child care, but I mean good developmental child care. I mean really good child care. The second thing is I think that when it comes to the budget, you know, I've always said this to you. I'm still waiting for there to be some focus on all of these tax loopholes and deductions. All of all of what some people call corporate welfare, depending upon your estimate with hundreds of billions of dollars. You can eliminate all of it, but I continued to try to eliminate some of it and say transfer that transfer that for example to Universal Health Care coverage and then third of all this apps and absolute disagreement with your presence talking about a hundred ten billion dollars more for the Pentagon will look anything that goes to improving quality of life and wages for men and women in the military M4 and it's sort of disgraceful that some of our middle of some of our armed service people overseas or receiving food stamps, but that Not the full hundred ten billion dollars a lot of that's based upon still cold war mentality fighting two Wars simultaneously the old Soviet Union wasteful weapon systems that have big contractors pushing for him. And I don't support that. I'd rather put it into affordable child care. I'd rather put it into education. I'd rather put it into an investment in children. I mean that end and by the way, you know, we had here yesterday. I'll tell you talk to you talk to veterans community Minnesota VFW was here. I think yesterday also met with people from the TV a Paralyzed Veterans that are Paralyzed Veterans organization, but also the same with Disabled American Veterans also with Vietnam Vets also with American Legion, they are very very angry because this budget that the present presented to sort of no way to say thanks to Veterans if it's what's called a flatline budget doesn't even take into account inflation and Veterans who is very worried about Healthcare System and and clearly we're not doing what we should so, you know, if you can't find the resources for these kinds of programs to honor commitments to Veterans to to focus on our future which is our children to get things back to our local community for education, then you know, I don't think we really are building the bridge to The Next Century to me. That's our future in Minnesota that country gospel should we eat those are both important questions. And first of all on the on the should we buy I'm going to stick to the principle that I really do believe that there should be a a a a discussion and debate and even vote and I in the United States Senate on this question. I mean, I don't think we should should send men and women and harms potential harms way without without their beam, you know, the Congressional authorization. I I would like to reserve final judgment on that. I must say that without an agreement and I visited several years ago. I think it's very frightening what could happen? It just could be an all-out bloodbath and if we were a small part of the Impreza talkin about four or five thousand soldiers of a NATO peacekeeping force, maybe but I would certainly want to know exactly what all of the parameters of this were as to what including sore for how long and when we be leaving and exactly what the situation would be in exactly what the serbs have in mind. Will they also have they also have troops there or not? I mean, it's just there's too many gifts for me to give you yes or no except to say that I understand why we why we could be making a positive contribution, but I'm also worried about it and want to know more and want the Congress to be involved in this decision time for one more question. Do I do normally get the last question for Senator wellstone health insurance and I'd like to know what you're going to do. I'd like you to elaborate that you made a couple of comments about it, but I'd like you to elaborate a little bit as to how we can get that subject back out on the table back out in the open and make some Headway on this, you know, if we could have cheese that we could potentially save ourselves about 300 billion dollars a year in a class that are associated with our present so-called system that six or seven years ago President Clinton called broken and that it was time them to correct it. I mean there is a lot of other costs associated with that like job lock Ryan ability to move from one job to another Advantage of economic opportunities because of pre-existing conditions. So well, first of all, I am mean Norm to two things. There was a piece the other day in the New York Times, I think on Sunday to point out that now with smaller businesses are more than 50% of the employees no longer have any health care coverage and that's not because small businesses don't care about their employees. They can't afford to cause so this is now it's interesting. This is really moving. I mean all the problems that we talked about three or four years ago have deepened and worse than I think that this is a sort of a political power problem. I mean the insurance companies took it off the table and I think you have to have a pretty galvanized citizenry in a lot of Citizen politics taken on money politics in order for us to pass this but I think if it's done the right way, you are absolutely right, especially since surance industry did not play the same large role it plays right now. We could save a lot of money by way of Cost Containment and The cover people I would like to do it in a kind of decentralized what I'd like to talk about it as Medicare for all but I would actually like to see States. I'd like to set some national kind of standards that is to say what the package of benefits would be as good as what we have in the Congress that family income is protected so that so so that we understand Richie Wellens of the middle class that peep the people don't pay more than 7% or whatever monthly income from their health care premiums and it's lower for low-income. I'd like to make sure there's patient protection and then I'd like to sort of state of States. Look if you're willing to have Universal coverage over for 5 year. Whatever would be then Federal money comes on a 75/25 matching basis and you decide how you want to contain costs and you decide the best what you want to deliver the care and let's see what happens. Some states would probably go to Single Payer and have one pair and wouldn't have the insurance industry other states went. I think we can do it in a in a way that that makes a lot of sense. Diddy has become the one of the big issues again. It's not kind of on the floor of the Senate right now. It should be but I'll tell you it's in the living rooms and kitchens of families in Minnesota to cross the country. I know you got a meeting with Richard Holbrooke coming up. I sure appreciate your taking the center doll is going to be meeting with the coast of ours and I think the Richard Holbrooke is going to be meeting with milosevic. You know that I met with mimosas itch when I believe it or not several years ago, and I don't know if it's 8 or not but it's the only person that I never shaken hands with and the reason I didn't is that I had spent so much time in these refugee camps and it was just horrible to see what it happened. And when I went to do his real quickly you lied about that. The crate I met this courageous group of people at a radio station called. They were prickly milosevic and you know, they were just did everything you could to shut them down and people were followed and people were detained and people will arrested and they were so courageous and the one request they made to me is they said when you meet you know, they'll be TV and everything and we don't want to get to shake his hand and legitimate them or legitimize him. So I didn't because those people radio people journalist Gary they were they had the courage to notice to speak up credible people have people like that all over the world that date did the people in these different countries where they know the government is repressive. They know they can be rounded up and in prison for years and other family members can be rounded up and God knows what can happen to spouses and children and they still Have the courage to speak up at unbelievable there that there aren't they are truly the most, you know, my heroes and heroines. I cannot I am so in such awesome people will listen. Thanks for the interview over the noon hour today, Minnesota Republican senator Rod grams.