This afternoon, the delegates will be endorsing candidates for the Constitutional Law Offices. At least most of them Secretary of State State Attorney General and state treasurer State auditor's office will be filled on Sunday party to the current schedule Maine order a business today though is the endorsement for the US Senate and the seat held by Dave durenberger currently on course durenberger is not seeking re-election. And so we have a wide open Senate race in the state of Minnesota and we've had a lively contest already for the dfl endorsement for the scent of contest and the interesting primary lurking in September as well during this hour. We thought we do a couple of things. First of all, we're going to keep you posted on convention developments as they occur Minnesota Public Radio protocol affordable where I'm standing by and he'll keep us posted through the hour or is itImportant events occur at the convention itself main order business here though is to talk with an wineo who is going to be endorsed this afternoon as the Party's candidate for the US Senate and when is former Minnesota House Majority Leader former University Minnesota Regent. She used to head up the Department of Human Services taught it to North Hennepin Community College when your thanks so much for coming by today. I'm delighted to be here and you have to promise to call me and for the rest of this program. I'll call you and you'll agree that you're going to be endorsed this afternoon to be in Doris this afternoon, but I don't likeCount my chickens before they're hatched been so rough. Actually. I spent all of Memorial Day Weekend voting delegates and trying to make sure that we are going to have the votes to be endorsed and I'm looking forward to getting a decision made this afternoon broadcast live from the floor of the st. Paul Civic Center and Linnea is our guess how important is this endorsement to you? A lot of the candidates are essentially bypass the process two main candidates will be going right onto the primary. I started this process nearly a year-and-a-half ago and at the time that I began I indicated that I was going to seek the party endorsement and that I was going to respect the party endorsements. I felt it was important for me to test myself to demonstrate that I could put together that kind of Statewide organizations the Grassroots support that I believe that I need in order to win the United States Senate election. I think frankly it's a process that lets people who are very committed to who is going to serve in the United States Senate really get to know the candidates were tested constantly at the forums and at the meetings on the issues and we have an opportunity for extensive discussion. So I believe this process is a very important one and that the endorsing step is a major step. I certainly understand that we've got some other steps to go here. But quite frankly having having been competing with some of the people who are now deciding that they're going to to bypass the endorsement. I feel much more confident about our chances in September knowing that we have been successful in the race this far and I think we'll continue to have the kind of grass with support that we're going to need for the primary as well. The delegates here at the Saint Paul Civic Center are truly representative of the dfl party or it's been suggested that these people are Well, there are more committed to perhaps more left-wing than the average dfl ER. I think the people at this Convention represent very much the concerns of mainstream Minnesota as I have campaigned. One of the things that I have talked about very very frequently is the fact that we really do need to take seriously the budget deficit that we have got to stop living beyond our means and an innocent stealing from our children's future. And one of the things that I have been most appreciative of is the fact that that message gets a good response from the delegates to this convention. They are concerned about the kids and making the kinds of choices that will secure their kids a better future they're concerned about health care. I think that's a very mainstream concern when we've got 40 million Americans who don't have health care crime jobs. Those are the concerns that I've heard from the delegates of this convention. And I think those are very reflective of all the people in Minnesota and certainly it's reflective of the participants in the dfl. Our Guest today is an winning the who in later the day is well a ninety-nine and nine-tenths percent certain to be endorsed is the party's US Senate candidate will get to some calls in a minute ago where a convention activity update. Jongro on the stand Secretary of State. She's the only nominee on the floor here for endorsement for Secretary of State again in the dfl convention. Don't grow your blessing. I appreciate your endorsement now. I need your help your friendship your active support and I can tell you this that no matter what happens. I'll be there in September. I'll be there in November working for our entire dfl-endorsed ticket. We're going to elect the Democrat to the United States Senate and we're going to give Minnesota a Democratic governor in November. And I have some news for the commentators and the pendants and those all-knowing political expert if you were so smart, and if you were such great forecasters there be no Paul wellstone in the United States Senate. No, Russ Feingold. No Barbara Boxer and no Patty Murray right here in Minnesota. They tell us that this endorsement process is Dad. We're told the political parties have no meaning anymore. We're told the people just don't care. And while the critics may be partially right it is the people and the platform and the debates that make this endorsement meaningful. System isn't perfect. We know that and it shouldn't be any surprise the world around us is constantly changing. We will change our caucus system. We need to look at the date of the primary. We need to increase participation at every level of the process. But we also understand that the process is only a means to realize our goal to elect Democrats and what's important to voters is not what's happening at this convention in terms of how many ballots or what the rules are. But what is important to voters is what this dfl party stand for. Imagine a party that supports an increase in the minimum wage. So working men and women can earn a decent living imagine a party that fights for loans for young Farm to get into business for themselves. Imagine a party that cares so deeply about the quality of Education that it fights from our state aid to schools imagine the party that supported sanctions against companies doing business in South Africa that led to a free election in that country. I was there when apartheid was declared add and imagine a party that fought for 21 long years to win adoption of a state women's rights act including gay and lesbian people that party is the dfl. My friends look at this party's record of leadership Linda Berglund on Health Care reform and rest on finances Willard Munger on the environment Dave Minge on assault weapons Paul wellstone on campaign reform Sharon sayles Belton on ethics and personal responsibility and I could call out for half the names in this Hall. So be of good cheer to the critics the Berlin Wall still stands Lennon is safe in his tomb and Nelson Mandela remains in jail for the critics. Our nation is Bound for a Hellion future a slow but inevitable economic decline ever-worsening race relations a nation Without Borders a people without a country they look but they do not see A year ago, you could be fired in Minnesota for being gay 10 years ago the needs of special children were set aside 15 years ago. I had to enter private clubs through the back door 20 years ago many jobs were still classified male or female 30 years ago discriminatory laws cap, most African-Americans from voting 40 years ago restrictive covenants still bar Jews from owning certain property. I can see there is still a world to be one, but as we March the cars to human dignity and social justice, please please do not be lulled into complacency and alienation. Let's remember the ideals. We share not what divides us. Let's look forward to our victories in November. Thank you very much. At Secretary of State John grow speaking at the podium here at the dfl convention in St. Paul Groll course is one of the longest-serving Democrats in any one position here in the state. She faces No rival around the convention floor and is been endorsed by acclamation Gary. Alright, keep us posted Bill Wareham mean while we are talking with Aunt Winnie who later today is going to be indoors does the party's US Senate candidate. We have some callers on the line and let's go to our first session right? Please do thank you differentiate differentiate yourself between your position and Tom Berg. What what do you bring to the table that he doesn't in one of some of the positions at that he has that you disagree with Well, I know Tom Burke from IRS service together in the Minnesota Legislature and I actually think that some of the differences between Tom and I probably have better to find by the variety of experiences that we have had and I think we all obviously have something to contribute but no Thompson attorney. I'm an educator. I've spent most of my life teaching at a community college and my students are very diverse the other young people right out of high school and more frequently though these days they're older adults coming back because they're facing of the need for some job retraining because they've seen them your old job disappear and your company is downsizing I've served as the administrator at the Department of Human Services responsibilities for a variety of programs in the area of Health and Human Services, and I'm particular, I guess I take my experience working on some welfare reform initiatives. Where I had the opportunity back in the late 80s to help develop a program known as the family investment program that is designed to get people on public assistance off of welfare in two jobs and to provide real incentives for work rather than welfare. I think those are issues that are important to this country and certainly would be one that I would want to work on and I know I'm simply trying to get my message out and things that I care about and I'm sure all the other candidates in this race will be doing the same. How important is it that you are a woman and Tom Berg and Tom folliard or men? One of the things that I know initially was the topic of great discussion. When I first got into this race was what I'll call the gender issue and there was a lot of cinnamon Express stop throwing kind as to whether or not this race and this seat should be one that was quote reserved for a woman. I said from the beginning this seat has never been reserved for anybody and that the dfl party has its best opportunity in 1994 in a long time to elect a dfl senator. And in order to make that happen. It's important that we elect a did we nominate an indoor ice the best possible person. and I have been glad to have my credentials my stands on the issues evaluated and I think ultimately we have an opportunity to send someone who is Franklin. Only I think the best candidate and I always feel a little modest saying that but I guess you can't run for these office. If you don't have some confidence that you could do the best job, but I also would say that I think it's important to have diversity in the United States Senate and in the school board's and in the legislature and in the county boards all across this country, I think diversity enhances the the the quality of decisions because you get more perspectives represented and I would just simply share with you that I know I felt the thrill year or so ago when Carol Moseley Braun took a Jesse Helms on on the senate floor when he was trying to pass legislation, that would somehow enshrine again the Confederate flag. and the fact that it was Carol Moseley Braun a black senator from the state of Illinois who took him on and defeated him filled me with a great sense of Pride and accomplishment terms of where this country has come and so I cite that simply to suggest that I think think all our institutions would be better if we had more diverse membership racially as well as gender or just today is only be endorsed by the dfl party as its candidate for the US Senate or broadcasting live from the dfl state convention at the st. Paul Civic Center. Lots of callers on the line. Let's go back to our phones. Yes. I'd like to find out what any committee is winning would like to serve on and what is the topic of the first bill that you will introduce? Thank you. Well, I've been vacated it in terms of committee assignments while I understand it freshman Senators don't always get their first picks the areas that are of particular interest to me or the area is that dumb frankly deal with the finance? I have served as a member of our state legislature on the Appropriations Committee and believe strongly that it's the decisions that you make about what you really need to spend your money on that reveals your true values and I think we've got some real hard choices to make in this country if we're going to address the budget deficit and reprioritize I spend so that the things that really matter like education for a kids and Health Care cleaning up the environment. Safe neighborhoods are going to have the resources that they need we're going to have to make some choices about the things that we're going to cut and that we don't need. I've also indicated though that I would ask to serve on the committee on agriculture because I believe that Minnesota's agricultural economy is extremely important for the state. We don't currently have a senator on the egg committee and it would be important to have a voice for Minnesota agriculture as the 1995 farm bill is being written and so I would ask to serve on that committee. Should I take another color with a question for an when you're high? Hello, hello been a big supporter of yours for a long time because you had a lot of courage and as you said a little while ago about reducing the deficit and not putting all of this on our children this burden and I commend you for that encourage it I guess what I want to do to say is true of the one of the reasons are we support you in my question is is because you willing to put military spending in all the entitlements on the line that they all have to be considered in terms of gods in terms of veterans benefits senior citizens benefits and agricultural subsidies, and I just wondered if you've identified which cut you want to make it or is it still too early, but I really want you to do well today and I know that you said everything's on the line and that's what's important cuz we have to cut this debt in this deficit and everything has to be considered and I guess that's my question. Thank you very much. I thank you for your calling in for your support. One of the things that I think is very frustrating about the way the budget process works right now. Is that before they really get down to even deciding what the fudge is going to be. There is a roughly 80% of the the federal spending that innocence gets taken off the table and I kind of agree that not even going to ask any of the hard questions about that and I think is a result the 20% of the budget that left on the table feels pretty unfairly picked on and and targeted for having to be the folks were going to carry all the burden here. I think one of the first things we need to do is simply a process change. We need to be willing to have a budget process that says let's put everything on the table not because we're going to cut everything but because we need to ask about every single program. Is this something that we truly need and is in fact, this is an expenditure that is really accomplishing the gold that we wanted to accomplish and if we don't ask those questions will never know the answers and be able to figure out how to balance the budget but I think that certainly and the items that you have named their items that are real politically volatile. I understand that but I think it's misleading to suggest that will ever get this deficit under control. It will be able to mobilize the public support to doing what needs to be done. If we're not even asking the hard questions. Would you support two additional comments like those proposed by Congressman Penny over and above though the Customer approved last year and I took the opportunity to examine both of the penny kacich amendments that were offered when they were being considered last year by the United States Congress and clearly that whole set of cut was like some very painful choices. And as I looked through it there was some items in which I said, you know, these are ones that I know I'd be real comfortable with for example, we don't need to know right now. I guess we've got one one polar satellite and they want to increase it to three and I said, you know, that's an easy one. I know there's some things that I could easily agree that we need to Lemonade, you know, there was some hard ones in there as well and example some of the proposals it had to do with the means testing in the Medicare program. Those are real hard one. But again, I think we've got to be willing to look at those kinds of cuts as well if we're going to really address the deficit. I didn't unilaterally endorse the entire Penny Kasich I said before I would endorse a package. I'd at least like to have a chance to be at the table help me decide what's going to go in and what's going to go out. But ultimately I know the budget process that the legislature is such that sometimes in order to get anything done. You have to be willing to tolerate some things that aren't your first choice in your priority. And so I'm prepared to participate in a process like like Congressman Penny and others have done in this last year to Simply sit down and make some of those hard choices and understand that in the end. We're all going to have to accept some of the ones we don't like in order to get the job done big differences between budget every year. Would you support a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget at the federal level? I don't support a balanced budget. I really have looked at that whole proposal on that and I and I I think think past experience would suggest that this is true. The balanced budget amendment has been supported by people like that President Reagan and President Bush folks who always like to talk about balancing the budget, but he somehow never managed to do it and then factoring Administration, we know that the size of the federal deficit of the debt quadrupled from 1 to 4 trillion dollars rather than talk about phony Solutions really delay what needs to be done. I support coming up for the table right now having a lot more admiration, for example for the people who put together something like teni case that she said this is what it really means to balance the budget. These are at the painful choices and cut it will have to be made as opposed to what is kind of this gimmicky. Proposal for a constitutional amendment that is that really doesn't balance the budget who is the Senate in fact is going to be endorsed later today by the party party delegates meeting here at the st. Paul Civic Center. We're broadcasting live from the dfl State Convention today. The Senate endorsement is the major order of business and tomorrow what looks to be a very protracted and probably Lively battle for the gubernatorial endorsement. Let's go back to the phone. So the colors on the line night stay and graduate. Let me do the first radio person here. I have to congratulate and what looks like a success here coming up. Well, I appreciate that but I want you to know it's not over yet. What way the federal government and legislators Senators have been trying to deal with it is to raise the age of which a person would become considered retired and a person like myself take a rocket scientist figure. We might be looking at a 70 year old person have to reset it before you become eligible for retirement. That's a heck of a way to but that is how the pain has been handling. It recently don't want to start a Generation War but quite frankly it's and education matter where we got a lot of folks that are well-off that are collecting unless the other benefits contact door or situation that is really damaged in the budget education situations. Are you going to support Challenge legislation that would raise or continue to raise the age of retirement and would you support legislation? That would be guns getting serious about taxing benefits for people who are all well-armed. I think the approach actually that that President Clinton has supported in Congress has supported that do provide that we would look at all income is income in terms of purpose of Taxation is one that certainly is deserving of consideration. Ultimately what's really important is the solvency of the Social Security System, but I think your question points out. What is a real dilemma in our efforts to to deal with that solvency issue and that is it for some people and clearly want to work until their 70 or 75. I'd like to be out there employed but there are other people who in some cases and grab sativa, not really too much of a choice. They have a health condition. In which they really need to retire as as soon as possible and a to the extent that were able to address those kind of concerns through simply young how many people who want to work continue to work but also are requiring people who have those kind of income to pay taxes that probably also only provides people with a greater choice about their own lifestyle other callers on the line with a question for hello. It is I like to tell you I'm very pleased with some of the answers. I can you answer about choices concerning work. However, I'm concerned that the exclusivity that has been injected into the whole system and the women's political caucus only put women's names on their preferential ballot went out to membership. Although they did have many candidates. I fill out the questionnaire and I go to question answer session. Could you discuss that please? Well, you know I might be endorsed with that. I am speaking today of course is the dfl party endorsement and I have been very committed to see that this dfl endorsement is as open to everyone as possible. In fact, you might recall that last March when it was announced that the dfl party had exploded the name of one of the male candidates from their preferential straw ballot that was going to be distributed at precinct caucus night that it was my campaign it offered the volunteers and the resources to have those ballots reprinted so that every candidate could be listed and would have an opportunity to have their name before the participants in the process. I believe in full participation and obviously there are other groups and organizations where I don't get to write the rules for how they do things and I've always been as supportive Elwood including everybody in this whole process because ultimately cuz I say the challenges to electing to nominate somebody who's going to be the best person to run in at the election in November and help the Democrats. I like the second dfl Senator back to the phone. I'd like in the next senator from Minnesota to strong Democrats will support President Clinton and his program. Should I be happy about your endorsement? Well, then I guess a challenge that I always feel like we're going to get a question like that is you know, I I don't think they want to go to the United States Senate to be a rubber stamp for anybody. I don't want to go to the United States send it to be a clone of any other person. I wouldn't ask people to vote for me. If I didn't believe that goes by virtue of my experience in my track record. I had demonstrated that I had the ability to listen to the views of many people to intelligently and lies issues in choices and then make a decision. It was going to be reflective of what I thought would best serve the needs of the people who elected me and I say that not because I have any great fighter or difference of opinion was President Clinton. In fact there so many things that he's doing that that I very much admire. I admire for example the fact that he Put Health Care reform on the table as a major agenda item, you know the first president and nearly half a century to really take this to the people and say we've got to act on this having said that however, I don't agree with everything that President Clinton has proposed as being the best way to deal with Health Care reform and I think that one of the things that I could contribute from my years of experience working in healthcare policy here in Minnesota will be some alternative ways of perhaps doing it better and cheaper giving people choices of their providers and I'd want to work with President Clinton not only on Healthcare got any any other issue. I'd want to be part of a group that was the supporting to the extent that we were able to agree on what are the goals were but you know, I'm not just kind of one of these mindless people that says yes if that's his agenda I'm for it, but I would would want to see those Or we can work together in terms of the healthcare issue. Are you support the single-payer approach that Paul wellstone has been advocating. I am heavy opportunity is the commissioner at the Department of Human Services to run the state's medical assistance program. One of the things that I observed firsthand was the fact that we had a large staff of attorneys and claims Analyst at the Department of Human Services whose job was to analyze all of those medical assistance claims and try to see whether or not there wasn't some other pair of health insurance that might altimate Lee be responsible to pay that for example, is this child on a sec while do they have an absent parent? Who's got a health policy that covers this child. Is this a is this a health problem in a in a medical expense that is derived from an automobile accident where there might be another pair for this claim. Is there some other health insurer that we could Faust the claim off onto we spent hundreds of thousands of dollars. Do you know what every other health insurance? In this state had the same kind of office of Attorney and claims analyst and they were trying to do the same thing. Try to figure out how we could get medical assistance to pay for this for all but we all know them is that millions of dollars are being spent fighting over who's going to pay the bill and it didn't buy health care for anybody. It's one of those administrative expenses that makes our Healthcare System so costly and it's a way that we can save millions of dollars with a single-payer plan. That's one of the reasons that I support that approach aren't you concerned though? That that much government government involvement is going to mock up the good parts of our systems. Are there a lot of people in this country don't have a lot of faith in the government's ability to get much of anything done to say nothing of providing a service. So essential is Healthcare. Well, you're right. I think it's important to note that the the the single-payer plan. No doesn't make everybody an employee of the the federal government and that consumers would still have their choice of providers and that does still provide some element of competition, but I think beyond the benefits and particularly the cost-saving benefits that have been identified through a single-payer plan mediquest is something that has been recognized by The Congressional budget office an independent office that has evaluated all of the various plans and they are the ones that have concluded that have all the proposals on the table. It's a single-payer plan that does prove by the universal coverage quality Care at the cheapest price. I don't think we can afford just the kind of not pay attention to what things cost. But the other side of that I guess I was intrigued by the other day. I saw a news item that indicated that the group of Physicians the California medical association has endorsed single-payer and that is frankly not a particularly predictable endorsement and certainly they're not the kind of folks who are associated with the notion of having the government to take over Healthcare. And I think one of the challenges here sometimes has to figure out what we really mean by Single Payer and I still see it as a system in which the healthcare providers are basically private individuals. They are not government employ. But we have eliminated is all the kind of administrative and paperwork duplication. It is adding so much do I Healthcare System almost certainly will be endorsed by the party as the Party's candidate for the US Senate or broadcasting live from the st. Paul Civic Center. Where what about 1,300 delegates have gotten together for the State Convention and I know they will endorse candidates for all the offices and then some of the candidates and putting and winning. It will be challenged in the September primary by people who are moving on to the primary callers on the line night on your endorsement. Thank you YouTube called the climate change in there for sure. You reduce greenhouse gas emission vent global warming. Question is three part. Where did you stand on the extending nuclear power in Minnesota? Do you support the Clinton Gore climate change initiative? Sterling would you would you support nuclear power long-term is a means of also fuel emissions. Alright, first of all Prairie Island horse wasn't a member of the legislature. So I didn't have a chance to vote on Frye Island, but I have tried to every form where this question has come up be very clear that had I been a member of the legislature that I would not have voted for the dry Cask storage at the Prairie Island. I think that it is so important that we send some really strong messages about the need for an alternative energy policy in this country and that needs to include dumb and these are some of the things that I think would be included as part of the clinton-gore initiative in terms of reducing the greenhouse gases. Cuz of course one of the things that that we know is that that that to Simply replace nuclear power with coal-fired energy. For example, ultimately has some pretty severe environmental cost itself and the so I think that we need to be much more aggressive in pursuing the cleaner forms of Energy and providing incentives for wind and solar and in some cases, you know areas that we've actually made a good start up back in the late 70s and early 80s and then when the young the federal interest and support for that died out with the Reagan Administration, we saw that we had begun to achieve their really fell away. So I I think this is an area in which we're all going to be challenged because the other critical element, of course to reducing the greenhouse gases is conservation and that means that we need Transportation policy that is going to draw strength and courage Moore public transportation. We need standards for automobile emissions that I'm going to reduce those up pollutants that go into the atmosphere and so many other ways. We need to be conserving The Intern Send it to spend today was a member of the US Senate. What would you tell the federal government? But would you would you have a federal government do about existing nuclear waste? So essentially force it on Nevada to put it at Yucca Mountain or what do we do at the stuff that's already sitting out there. I think the position that the state of Minnesota has been placed in is it is it truly is an intolerable situation and its and fortunately it's it's mirror at all around the United States because we see these nuclear plants that are increasingly aging and that spent fuel it needs to go somewhere and what we know of course, is it back in the 1950s? It was the Federal Government. It was out promoting the construction in the development of nuclear power as it was at that time described as I clean safe source of energy and given to you the federal government's role in in developing nuclear power feel very strongly that the S. This is a federal. To come up with a site for the storage of repository for nuclear waste and wait to take take all the nations waste I think ultimately that the alternative to saying that we're not going to force anybody to take it instead. We just going to say will the states in on each be individually responsible. The net effect of that is it there are states in this country that utilize nuclear power that I think we would all agree that when we look at the geological formations. When we look at their proclivity to earthquakes the underlying aquifers and and and water resources that we would agree. These are not good places for nuclear energy and just because they happen to be in a state where it was produced not necessarily the best interest of the hoe. United States to have the nuclear waste left there and certainly I always prefer incentives positive inducements to see if we can get somebody some state to come forward and say Yes will take it. We've agreed that the geological studies indicate that we're probably the best site for it and we'd like to get something for it. I don't think that's unfair to ask somebody who takes that kind of a burden to have some kind of competence But ultimately if it takes some some kind of a decision that we're simply going to say, this is the place it's got to be here at the only way we're going to get it done. Then I think in the interest of our environment we've got to do that we can't just let these nuclear waste sites to liberate all around the country is there doing now is go back to the phones are the colors on the line with a question for an wynia. Hello. Hello there in a Minneapolis Star Tribune paper this morning. They had a pool and you only had 8% approval rating 7% disapproval rating. Isn't that a big question of your electability? This phone will actually I think the question that most people have asked is whether or not. My name recognition is as high as it should be and I I obviously would like to be better known but the thing is that article in the Star Tribune pointed out. There are many people who were all the Bentley successfully elected to the United States Senate Paul wellstone David durenberger who have started out these races with name recognition that is every bit as low as mine. And I think the thing that all three of us had in common was that we've never run for public office on a Statewide basis before this is my first campaign to get out and meet with the people of Minnesota. I've been doing that clearly within our dfl endorsement process and am encouraged by the kind of support and enthusiasm that I have received as people have got to know me and I simply feel that we will go forward in a very positive and strong way into the primary and I look forward to meeting more and more minnesotans and feel a high degree of optimism that as we do that that my name recognition is going to increase and then I'm going to get more and more support for that primary and general-election. Hello. I was very pleased to hear you're concerned about the federal budget deficit and one of the causes of course of the next episode of one of the main components of it is off. Military spending. Then. I was quite disappointed to have voted for Paul wellstone only to hear him say explaining a vote for the submarine base in Groton, Connecticut. How you can't really stop something that will affect jobs in someone's legislative district. What is your feeling about what we can do with military spending in that part of the budget? Well, I think one of the disappointments that that many people including myself feel is it as we have looked at the Clinton military budget that we have seen that frankly. It doesn't show any reduction from what had been proposed by the previous administration and the part of that budget that gives me the greatest concern is the roughly fifteen billion dollars in it right now that is focused on the research and the development of new weapons new planes new submarines, and I simply an implications it is that if we go far with that that investment the basic research and develop and build all of those things were going to be talking about an expenditure of not 15 billion dollars, but hundreds of billions of dollars and I think that that's an area. For example I said, I don't think we really need to go forward with the development of the Centurion submarine. I don't think we need to do the the the new fighter planes for the Navy and the Air Force right now. We're not in an arms race with the Soviet Union. We have a very strong Edge in weaponry and there are so many important things that we need to be spending our money on. The the rebuilding of the infrastructure public transportation cleaning up the environment if we're going to talk about the military budget is nothing more than a jobs jobs budget something we need to support because it creates jobs. I would suggest that there's so many worthwhile things that we could be spending those dollars on that. Yes also create jobs, but but provide things at this country really needs and that's that's the approach that I would favour program. If they don't open up their facilities to International inspection. The president now says it's time to do take a look at some sanctions. The North Koreans have indicated that you can have a sanctions amount of an act of War. How far do we push that issue? Can we go to war with him? Well, certainly I'm not going to Advocate at this point in the process going to war with anybody. I I favor very much seeking peaceful solutions to conflicts, but I would I would say Gary but I do think the issue of nuclear proliferation is one of those areas that the United States should have a special interest in in terms of international Affairs in a week. And I know there's a lot of of uncertainty right now as to what is the United States role as quote the world policeman and I suspect that most of us recognized that no matter how angry we are at some of the things that we see going around the world. That is simply not going to be possible for the United States to be a presence and every single country stopping every terrible. Tri-City that happens but one of the areas that I do think is of use of special concern to the United States is trying to stop the full information of nuclear weapons, and it's not just a problem in terms of North Korea. You see it in the breakup of the old Soviet Union and the nuclear weapons. Now that have been dispersed and the the fear that those can fall into the hands of people that frankly are folks that we don't even know much about some of the things that we do know about them. They make some of the people in the old Soviet politburo look like conservative and I think the United States should be especially concerned. So so in that sense, I appreciate the fact that President Clinton appears to be trying to stake out a roll here at strong cancer. See what kind of pressure seeing if we can get for example the Chinese To work with us to exert some pressure because I think it's important to have allies in that kind of of an effort if we're going to ultimately successful in getting the North Koreans to submit to inspections we have time for at least one more call her with a question. Hi, thanks for taking my call. I'd like to ask if the general agreement on tariffs and trade should come before her if she's a senate would she support that tree? And if not, what kind of modifications would make her a supporter of it? What what is it the concerns that I that I have begun to talk with people about on the on the Gat treaty is particularly how it's going to affect agriculture in Minnesota and I'm in the process of talking with people about that generally on trade issues. I have been very concerned that we that we not undermine good paying jobs in this country that we not undermined family farmers and it certainly is as one of the conditions that we should seek to include as part of trade agreements or agreements that protect workers and their right to organize and to get better wages that we seek International agreements to protect the environment. So that trade and international trade doesn't undermine those very important goals as well. So those would be some of the questions that I would be want to looking at and ask is I would examine the GATT agreement and we are about out of time here before you go though at first, I'd like to thank you for coming by today taking time today before your your coronation later the contest and I want to have some excitement here. Even your even your opponents of conceded the endorsement of this point so are congratulations in advance. I think I do have a kind of an off-the-wall question. If you had to pick out one member of the Senate who who you'd like to emulate assuming you got elected. Who would it be with Patty Murray who was the she's a newly elected senator from the state of Washington and she of course campaign is the mom in tennis shoes. Someone who was going to just take some good common sense to solving the problems of his country. I think that's a pretty good recipe for getting things done. And I certainly as I said earlier, I don't want to be a clone of anybody, but I do tend to like the kind of common-sense approach to get Thanks. Okay. Thanks so much for coming by I sure appreciate it. Thank you, Gary.