Good afternoon. Everyone Wheelock. Whitney is the former head of the investment firm. Now known as Dain Bosworth, he stepped down from that post about 10 years ago and for the past 10 years, he has been involved in the health and wellness field. I just taught management classes at the University of Minnesota the enter the race for governor shortly after Governor Al quie announced his decision not to seek a second term and mr. Whitney. Skip the Republican endorsement process. His campaign has been marked by frequent television radio newspaper and radio advertisements promising a governor who can manage among other things. Mr. Whitney has proposed investing some State Pension Fund money in small business. He has proposed imposing a freeze on total State spending. He has proposed reorganizing state government. Mr. Whitney and his wife Irene have four children. They live on a farm in Independence, Minnesota. Mr. Whitney's appearance today on NPR is his last campaign activity before next Tuesday's primary election mister.Play welcome and thank you for waiting to answer questions from our listeners, even though we're running late today. I'm glad to be here Pat and I have to say that that music was really inspiring. It's just I can't imagine 60,000 people joining together to sing America the Beautiful and if we didn't have a Metrodome there wouldn't be any place we could get that many people together for a program like a wonderful sixty thousand voices and wants it really was wonderful because we are running behind schedule. I'm going to give out our numbers right away. So that listeners can call in right now. We will only be going till about 1:28 today because of the lateness of our schedule, so I'd like to give out the numbers right now. If you have a question for mr. Whitney the independent Republican endorsed candidate for governor in the Twin Cities. You can call to 276 thousand that is 2 to 76,000. And if you live outside the Twin Cities, you can call on our Watts line that telephone number is one 806-5297.0 again that Watts line number toll-free is one 800-652-9700. I like to start out asking you a question. Mr. Whitney in your campaign advertisement to do call yourself a manager, but you have not managed a business in 10 years. Your opponent says in addition. Mr. Lu Weinberg says business management is no preparation to run a state. He says no business as an independent critical press Corps in its basement. No business has to deal with civil service regulations and government doesn't operate with a profit sheet. What makes you think you're qualified to run a government just because you've been a manager in business.I think that many of the techniques that you learned about managing and business are also applicable to the public sector. You certainly can't manage exactly the same way because in a business you do not have a state legislature to deal with I do feel however that the same management principles apply in both sectors. I believe that the absolute number one responsibility of a good manager is to get the best possible people that he can around him and then to get these people to agree on a common goal and then to work with and Lead these people to working toward achieving that goal to me whether you're managing in the private or the public sector while they were managing for-profit or not-for-profit. That's those are absolute requirements and they are the essential requirements that I would bring with me as Governor have those requirements been missing from government in the last 4 years. So I don't think our Affairs have been managed nearly as well as they could have certainly today. We're in the worst Financial mess that we've ever been in in the history of our state and what else Can you say except that somewhere along the line? There has been a lack of good management principles in our state government whether you say it's the fault of the legislature or the administration or whatever the fact is that we are today in a bigger hole than we've ever been in certainly in my 56 years in Minnesota. Okay, the lines lit up immediately. If you have a question to ask mr. Whitney, you can call us. We'll take our first caller right now. Hello. You're on the air. And for not participating in any of the debates and tell him I had the greatest respect for him because nothing was gained in those debates. Thank you Mr. Wong Berg face-to-face. As a matter of fact, he's called you chicken with me. And I thank you for calling me on that, but it's not really totally accurate. I did debate three different times my opponent twice under the auspices of the League of Women Voters. And once again on Arthur nephilim's Minnesota issues program to me that was adequate to cover the differences between us. Carter and Reagan running for president in 1980 from different political parties only debated once and it seems to me that three debates between candidates running for governor in Minnesota from the same party was sufficient. We made that decision and we stuck to it. And as far as I'm concerned those three were adequate the point. Mr. Weinberg makes is that the he says you are hiding behind your advertisements and that you have not come out very much if that were true. I probably wouldn't even be here today Pat. I've made no effort to hide behind my advertising you well know that I've conducted many many news conference is not just in the Twin Cities, but all over the state of Minnesota. I've been traveling the state listening and answering questions for the last six months. And so there is obviously been no effort on my part to hide behind my advertising. Although I am proud of it. It is a way of communicating what you stand for in I'm I'm glad that I've been able to do that. Question for mr. Whitney. Hello. You're on the air. Foresee anything in the way of conservation efforts or businesses that sort of thing and in particular, I'm wondering where you stand on the deposit legislation. Well, I'm not I wish you'd explain the second part of your question a little bit. I think you have a deposit on all beverage containers. And you know, if you bring them back you get your deposit back and if you throw them on the highways or whatever you don't get the deposit back. Somebody else might well obviously Anything That Glitters I would oppose because one of the big things we must do is to preserve the quality of the environment in our state and I would oppose anything that would litter are highways or anyting adjacent to our highways far as jobs are concerned. I spent a lot of time talking about the importance of economic recovery. I think it's the number one issue in the state of Minnesota today. How are we going to put people back to work? And I have a number of proposals on that. It's It would be my number one Focus. How do we build up the private sector? It's why I'm running for governor. And I think I'll leave it at that Pat, but I want you to know that it is the main reason that I am seeking the office of Governor. We will be getting into that during this next 40 minutes of quick question. Would you sign Bantu can legislation at the pass the legislature? Well, it depends on the bill itself. I I just simply would have to see exactly what was contained in the bill. I think it's right difficult to to make a commitment on a something as brought is that without seeing exactly what was contained in the legislation? Okay, another question for mr. Whitney. Hello. You're on the air. Concorde from Coon Rapids and I have two questions one. I would very much like to vote for you in this coming election. However, I find myself in a position that possibly many other Republicans doing an Adele song We like to vote for you but your position on abortion legal size. Can you tell me why I should and secondly as a republican Governor, what do you think you can do as one man to get your programs past and what is probably the Gambia free-spending legislature? I'll hang up and listen to your answer. Well, thank you very much. And I'll try to address both of those my position on the issue that you raised first is simply my belief that the decision to have an abortion should be a profoundly personal and private one made by a mother in consultation with her family and with her doctor and in concert with any religious beliefs that she might have If that issue to you is the most important issue and the issue upon what you are going to vote and you do not agree with me on that issue. I assume that you will be voting for my opponent. In my travels around the state. I find that while that is an issue with some people and it is the determining issue with some are most of the people that I talk to you. I'm more concerned about the economy and will be basing their decision on who to vote for on a number of issues of which abortion is only one. As far as trying to deal with a free-spending legislature, I'm as concerned about that as as you are we have been spending way beyond our means in Minnesota in 1913. The decade of the seventies are spending increased 253% against the total increase in personal income of 179% and an increase in inflation of only 111% My task as Governor is try to lead the way to how we can put a lid on state spending. We've got to somehow bring our spending under control. I think that I can be more persuasive than the present Governor. I have not given up on the idea that we could have an independent Republican majority in the in the house in the legislature. But believe me I am going to keep do everything I can to keep a lid on state spending. We must not raise expectations beyond what the state can deliver that's what happened in the last session. That's why we had severe cutbacks in local government and in school districts and my proposal of freezing major State spending for 2 years would at least give you an indication of a kind of administration that I would be intending to run. I would use every possible means of persuasion that I could to put the lid on state spending. So ultimately we can get our taxes reduced and be compared. Look for new jobs. We have more colors with questions for mr. Whitney and independent Republican candidate for governor. Go ahead, please you're on the air. LOL Okay, go ahead, please I'd like to know major themes of his campaign is to have a governor who I'd like to know in more specific details in the last 10 years. Well in the last 10 years, I have devoted my life to not-for-profit organizations. I was chairman of the board of the Johnson Institute, which has gained a not only a local and Statewide but a national reputation in helping people become aware of to intervene in to help people recover from alcoholism and drug addiction. I have been president of the Minnesota Council on health, which is a an organization of 12,000 minnesotans who are interested in keeping people out of doctor's offices and out of hospital beds. And I also am chairman appointed by governor cui of the governors. Council on health promotion and wellness we are in charge of trying to do whatever we can to contain health care cost in Minnesota. My efforts have been primarily in those three areas chemical dependency health promotion and wellness. I do serve on the board of a number of organizations, but that's where my management experience has been focused in the last 10 years. Also during that time. I have continued to teach a class in management at the school of management at the University of Minnesota. I started teaching that course in 1972 And I have continued to teach it for the past 10 years another question for mr. Whitney. Hello. You're on the air. Who's the candidates for proposing a unicameral government to the state of Minnesota inefficiency in a 2000 state government comment on this will happen is that the real people will be grossly underrepresented in that says what happens in the Nebraska at Omaha and Lincoln run the state government and the real people have much less taken it all hang up me to reply. Well that's hard for me to understand why that would be so under my proposal of a unicameral legislature. We would have 135 members instead of the 201 that we have. Now. I do sperm Lee believe that our legislature is too large. I believe it should be reduced. I believe that a large legislature only passes more laws and not better laws and spends too much money. And that's what's been the result of our two houses here that have 201 members between them under my proposal a rural area would have just as much reputa representation as it does now under the one-man-one-vote principle. We would have a situation in a unicameral legislature where every legislator would represent 30000 or so citizens and that would be the same as it is now. I don't see A change in the representation for the rural areas. It would be just the same as as it is today and I would not feel that it would be dominated in anyway by the metropolitan area since half of the population of our state is outside of the metro area. Other calls on the line. Hello, mister Whitney's listening for your question now was increased twice in the last two sessions after no data link for the first time in its fifty-year history that they had back-to-back increases. But I gasoline tax pick up. Okay on mass transit. I just absolutely feel that we've got to make some radical changes in how we are approaching the problems of mass transit. What we are doing is raising the fair every year and getting fewer and fewer Riders and getting higher and higher deficits. It really bothers me that we are not coming up with any Creative Solutions to mass transit. I believe we need mass transit but we must find ways of reducing that deficit in my opinion. The biggest problem with mass transit is that our buses are in spend most of their time in the garage we have At least two-thirds of the time the buses are off the streets and I think that if we were creative as we should be we would find a use for those Vehicles when they were not being used and if we did we could cut down on that huge deficit we have in Mass Transit and we could let drivers work a regular shift instead of split shift and we could keep the fares. I would like to appoint a committee that would consider and propose new ways of using those Vehicles when they were not in use I think it's a terrible waste and something that creative government could do much better at than we're doing today. Now having said that I kind of forgot that that the fund balancing the budget for the highway fund and whether or not we might need to raise the gas tax for a state highways. Yes. I think our highways are a real problem for Minnesota. I believe that perhaps a modest increase in the in the gas tax might be necessary. I would hesitate to definitely commit myself on that. But I I believe that with so much of our economy and Minnesota depending on our farmers and agriculture. We've got to continue to have decent highway so that we can transport our agricultural Commodities in if necessary if it's absolutely necessary. I would support them on increasing our gasoline tax smartest one cent. Yeah, I'd say one sent another question for mr. Whitney. Hello. You're on the air. I'd like to ask me to Whitney what he's supposed to do to contain a Cross Medical Care. We're all aware that they cost of healthcare has been increasing at a rate of inflation and specifically what can we do to curb this stuff rather unfair burden? Unfair I'd almost call it scandalous how much we are now paying for healthcare in the United States of America this year. It'll be three hundred and sixty billion dollars double what we pay for defense. If we don't address this issue of healthcare cost. We're going to end up having to ration it and I'm frightened to death of what the consequences of that might be particularly for a senior citizen my Concentration in my belief is that what we need to do is concentrate on how we get our citizens to take responsibility for their own health do many people have turned their health over to their doctor to their insurance company through their employer and I think it's time that we found new ways of getting people to take responsibility for their well-being. This is something that we need to teach in our schools is something that we need to focus on in are among our employee groups. The reason so many people are sick these days is because of their own careless living habits, but they smoke what they drink what they eat how they handle stress if we don't do a better job of rewarding recognizing and reinforcing healthy behavior. I'm afraid we're going to continue on this path of self-destruction, which is what is causing me to believe that 40% of our Healthcare money is wasted in this Society people are having heart attacks Strokes people are developing cancer and having accidents many of which could be prevented if we had more emphasis on self responsibility for help. That's what the Minnesota Council on health promotion and wellness is trying to do and believe me. It's the one of the top priorities that I would carry with me into the governor's office. Our Guest today is independent Republican candidate for governor Wheelock Whitney we have other calls for Mr. Whitney. Hello. You're on the air. For that all the other candidates for Governor ever released their personal income tax information. And since he hasn't I have to suspect that. He's a just another one of those millionaires who doesn't pay taxes. Could you respond to that please? Well, I'm not that smart. I'm not found a way not to pay taxes. I I think that the laws that we have in Minnesota on disclosure are very thorough. In fact, they're about as strict as any state in the United States. I have disclosed as as you are required to do in Minnesota by law every source of income that I have and every asset that I own if I intend to comply by the laws of the state of Minnesota. Of course, I do file a joint tax return with my wife. I consider it an invasion of privacy to disclose my full returns and then an invasion of her privacy. I don't know. I know there are a lot of curiosity Seekers who would like to know every last thing about everybody but I don't consider that to be if there if there was a need for that. I'm sure that the legislature would have passed a law in that regard as far as I'm concerned. For those of you who are curious. I pay substantial taxes at both the federal and the state level I have for the last three years, which is the. That others have disclosed their returns and I add and saying so I really don't think I've gotten my money's worth but I do pay substantial taxes at both the federal and the state level. Another question for mr. Whitney. Hello. You're on the air. Yes, Man And many were elected to represent the people in their colony at other levels the district and find me the state and in addition to that committee spent hundreds of volunteer hours to go over resolution submitted at these caucuses and these related to many subject subject including economic problems and other problems to which you refer. Finally over 2,000 delegates attended the State Convention and I guess I'd like an explanation as to why you felt you must buy pasta press. I bypass that process because I did not feel that I had adequate time to organize before the precinct caucuses that you referred to Governor Qui announced on January 25th that he was not going to seek re-election. The precinct caucuses were held a few scant weeks later. I have been through the endorsement process. I know it well and I believe in it. I know it begins at the precinct caucuses. And from there you elect delegates to the County district and state convention quite honestly in the very short few weeks between his announcement and the precinct caucuses. I did not have time to get supporters and friends out to the precinct caucuses to get them elected as delegates. I decided because of that short time that I would go directly to the primary, which is a part of the law and a part of the process in a He and a number of other state officials immediately endorse the lieutenant governor and said told everyone that that's who are candidates should be I did not think that that was a good idea. That was an additional reason why I did not seek party endorsement, but I did feel that there should be opposition. I felt that with the short time that was left for me. I couldn't provide that opposition within the endorsing process. So I I also don't believe that someone should run in the endorsement system. If they fail in that they should then run in the primary. I thought it would be much more honest. If I said right from the beginning as I did when I announced on March 15th that I was going to run directly in the primary. I believe that in the future that the majority of Republicans are going not going to be satisfied to let a a small number of people select the candidate of their choice. I think that if the on endorsed candidates win the primary on Tuesday that there will be some changes made in the endorsement system. I have some changes that I would like to propose that I will not go into now, but I do believe that the endorsing a process is a good one. I think the party has a responsibility to recommend candidates to the Republicans at large. I do think the primary date should be moved backwards some so that we'd have more time between the primary and the general election, but it's not because I don't believe in the endorsing process that I decided to run directly in the primary is because I did not have enough time to use it properly everyone over the way it was intended. Everyone else seemed to have enough time to to run in the primary and is it possible that also you would not have been endorsed by the delegates to this Republican convention because of your philosophies are or shall we say more liberal than the candidates who were running? Well the everyone else that you Refer to Pat are now all on the sideline because they attempted to Buck a process that they to did not have time to use effectively. They're all sitting now awaiting the outcome of the primary. I think they made a mistake and in doing it the way they did because I think that was a stacked deck. They decided that they could Buck the process and more power to them. I think everyone should have a right to choose the way they want to go in the process. The primary is a part of the process. I respected their right the right of Glen Sherwood and Bob Ash back and Paul Overgaard and the right of Dave Jennings to seek party endorsement, but I would ask for the same respect in my decision to running the primary because that too is a part of the process another question for mr. Whitney. Hello. You're on the air. Clash API television media campaign good. I'm a substance is not been an issue-oriented media campaign why you have on many several occasions refuse to debate? Mr. Weinberg uniform which would allow the voters Minnesota a chance to really pin you down and understand where you really do stand on the issues. I've answered that question earlier on the program. I will answer it again. I debated the lieutenant governor on three different occasions, and I've held Umpteen press conferences both in the metro area and throughout the state of Minnesota. I've made hundreds of speeches before every kind of audience. I stood for 8 days out at the State Fair of giving everybody as far as I'm concerned anyone who wanted to ask me a question and opportunity to know where I stand on the issues. Maybe I have run a more of a media campaign in my opponent, but I'll tell you this served. I've been in Dorst by the Saint Paul Dispatch and Pioneer Press and by the Saint Cloud Daily Times and buy the papers and red wing in International Falls and in Rochester and that was not on the basis of my flashy ads that was on the basis of my views on the issues and the and the proposals that I've made to help the state of Minnesota. I've made those in many different places before many different audiences and I'm proud of the But I'm not in any way tried to hide from the people or from the media. I've been available from for the last six months and I will continue to be so after the primary another question for Wheelock Whitney the independent Republican unendorsed candidate for governor. Hello. You're on the air if this is the regionalism. Which I have read quite a bit about in this other guy that had been on earlier that it takes away. Our small community rights is absolutely right, and I was also I want to know if he belongs to the advisory committee governmental relations. Thank you. The answer to your second question is know as far as the regionalism is concerned that is not what I have in mind. I have in mind shrinking the size of our state legislature from the present 201 members to 135 members. I I also under my proposal would eliminate the state senate. We have too many politicians in Minnesota. We have too many members in the state legislature. It is too costly. There's too much staff. I think we could get a reduced legislature. I think it would cut costs and I believe it would bring about better laws and we could we would spend less money and I and I it's my opinion that you in Painesville and Stearns County would have just as as adequate representation as you do today in a unicameral legislature as you do Under the two houses that we have. Other questions for mr. Whitney. Hello. You're on the air. Brittany one I'm very much like to vote for you. But I have a couple of that's why I'm asking these questions. Why should an unemployed educated person who is now unable to find work vote for you having the affluent status that you do have and also with your campaign stressing so much on Your Man karaoke skills neglected to point out before that. You're on the twins board of directors. Will you leave the state the same status of twins are now listen to your answer. Thank you. You got me on the twins. You're absolutely right. I am on the board of directors of the twins. I'm not proud of the way things are going this year and I am Matthew I have I have absolutely no answer for you. I would sure hope I could do better than the than the twins, but I do have my twins tie on today because we shutout, Kansas. Yesterday and wait till next year as far as why you should vote for me because you're unemployed. I think you should what my affluence has nothing to do with my ability to bring new jobs in the private sector. I think you should look at the things that I'm proposing to put people back to work at the Minnesota Enterprise fun at the Minnesota 500 campaign at the proposals at my running mate Laura Scranton. Can I have made for the rural areas? I don't I don't see why my affluent should bother you in terms of whether or not I'm confident or qualified to get people working in Minnesota. I'm a product of the private sector, I believe in in the things that we need to do to build up the jobs in the private sector. It's the reason I'm running for governor. I hope you'll vote for me on the basis of the fact that of all the candidates running. I have a better experience and a better chance of getting people back to work because that's would be my number one Focus as governor of Minnesota. Let's take another call right now. Hello, you're on the air. Yes. I would like to ask. Mr. Whitney. What do you think of pari-mutuel betting would you favorite in Minnesota? And if elected governor, would you encourage it? I I'm happy to answer that question. I am supporting the para Mutual bill and I will be voting for it. I believe that horse racing is a legitimate business. It is held in 32 states in the United States today and the objections that I hear to the para Mutual Bill R1, it would increase crime in Minnesota and too it would tend to make people not pay their bills. I don't believe that I think if you went into Nebraska or into South Dakota or any of the other states are Illinois and said that that was something that would prevent you from wanting to vote for para Mutual. I think they laugh at you because it does it there's no record to prove that. It doesn't crease crime or that people don't pay their bills. I think it's a legitimate business. I think it would be a tourist attraction for our state. I think it would add jobs to our state and While it certainly is not going to solve the economic ills that we have in Minnesota. It would be a boost for our economy. And for that reason I intend to vote for it and I hope it passes and if elected governor in and if it does pass I certainly would do whatever I could to encourage the lot to become effective so that we could have that we could have the benefits of this new tourist attraction for Minnesota 22 minutes past one. We only have about 5 minutes left. I'd like to ask all our listeners to keep your questions brief will try to take as many as we can. Hello. You're on the air. Go ahead, please go ahead. Yes, mr. Whitney. Yes, sir. I'm calling from New London and my question is this. Judges in Minnesota have not had a salary increase since 1979 and recently many highly qualified people have left the Judiciary because of inadequate salary question is would you support a substantial increase in judicial salaries? I'll hang up and listen. Oh, I'd sure like to say yes, of course because I'd like to be able to say that I support a substantial increase for many others underpaid public servants and there are others of course my focus I have to be honest about it is going to be to try to develop more resources for our state so that we can in fact be able to give people the kinds of income that they want and that they deserve right now. Minnesota is short of money. The next governor of the next legislature is going to inherit a deficit of a billion dollars. If I said on this program that I would automatically and immediately support a substantial pay increases for judges. I wouldn't be telling the truth because there wouldn't be any money to pay the substantial pay raises with but I can tell you that I'm going to I do favor increased salaries for judges and for teachers and four other. Golden state and government and working for the public sector, but right now my focus would be on how we can get jobs in the state so that we could get the resources that we need. We've got to handle this budget deficit first. We've got to get new jobs. Then we can have the things that we all want a better education more alcohol and drug programs more care for the elderly and a better highways and some of the other issues that have been raised this afternoon another question for mr. Whitney. Hello. You're on the air. Whitney used to post a freeze on state spending. It doesn't take into account program to Minnesota. So shown overwhelming support for in the past of primarily education analyst and opponents the lake or predicting devastating results huge property tax increases severe program Cuts in a general decline in our quality of life in order to propose. If you must have evaluated the consequences, what will they actually be in? How can you justify them? Excellent question. My proposals will not automatically increase property taxes. They will not automatically increase tuition at our higher education facilities. I objected that kind of thinking I think that that's what we I would call business-as-usual Politics as Usual that we will just continue to spend at the same levels that we always have at the past. I think that we must hold the line on major State spending I have I have recommended as far as education is concerned that in the 1984 school year that we increase expenditures 11.2% because that is what the legislature has promised the school district. I have also indicated that we should freeze it the following year and only permit a 5% increase in the two years after that we must Control our spending we must control it at both the state level and the local level. We must find better ways of doing things for less money. We must make every dollar stretch. I think that that is got to happen at state government. It's got to happen at local government. It's got to happen in our school district and at our institutions of Higher Learning somehow, we've got to change the expectation that every year there will be more that will have more buildings that will have more programs that will have more people employed. It simply is unrealistic and I have to say quite honestly if the state were a business and I were in charge I would be recommending cutting it 10% not just freezing expenditures at their present level that of course, I won't do in none of my proposals have I recommended cutting anything. All I've said is that we must freeze. We must have put a lid on spending. We've got to find better ways of accomplishing our goals with less money. Another question for mr. Whitney. Hello. You're on the air. Shops for this $56 for permanent make a $10 tip stand up with $152 and we can tip and the waitresses. How can you get them to pay income tax on tips would like to know? Well, I think we do our getting some Revision in our tax laws. I'm like you ma'am. I don't like people do get by without paying taxes no matter whether they're getting in the way of tips or whether people have fancy lawyers who give them all these deductions and tax evasion. I believe that we've got to do everything we can to make sure that everybody pays taxes. I think there should be a minimum tax for everyone so that there aren't people who don't pay taxes and I and I would try to do everything I could as Governor to close these loopholes and two Discover people who are cheating or trying to get by without paying taxes. I don't like it any better than you do. This will be our last question for mr. Whitney. Hello. You're on the air. Keep it brief, please. Yes, go ahead 2 for the state to increase the opportunities for disabled people to find employment. Aye aye aye sir. I think that your Touching on an issue that to me is a very important one. What we must do is to try to create more jobs in the state. What we would like to do is to try to get the disabled people to work or they can improve their self-worth where where they can add to their income and where they could continue to live in in community-based facilities and I can only pledge to you that my effort is going to be to try to promote new job opportunities for this state and I will continue to try to help the disabled because I think that having the disabled in the mainstream of at the economic life of our state is a very important priority. Thank you to all of you who called in and our apologies to those of you who called but could not get through. Thank you to Peggy Squier for handling the telephone traffic and to read Olson for technical Direction. And of course, thank you Wheelock Whitney the independent Republican endorsed candidate for governor.