Thank you Gratis X minutes. Now past 11. Today's programming is made possible in part by The Advocates of Minnesota Public Radio contributors include the McKnight Foundation working to strengthen families and communities and US Bank the Regions Financial partner for 68 years. And good morning. Welcome to midday on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Gary eichten. Glad you could join us don't look now, but it's just one month to election day here in Minnesota 1 months in a couple of days actually on September 15th Motors in Minnesota primary election will be deciding which candidates will actually appear on the November general election ballot most of the attention as you might expect is focused on the dfl primary for governor. There are five well-known candidates in the race. And only one of them is going to be able to move on to November between now and September 15th as part of Minnesota public radio's ongoing campaign coverage will be focusing on those candidates and what they stand for in today. We've been joined by one of the best known of the dfl candidates former state Senator Ted Mondale. We invite you to join our conversation as well. If you have a question for mr. Mondale, give us a call or Twin City area number is 227-6002 276 thousand if you're calling from outside the Twin Cities, you can reach us toll-free. At one eight hundred to +422-828-227-6004 1 800-242-2828. Mondale. Thanks for coming in today. Thank you. Thanks for having me a recent poll indicated that attorney general. Skip Humphrey had the support of plus or minus 50% of a likely primary voters in the dfl primary you and the other candidates were in about 10 to 11% That seems like a lot of ground pickup in the last month. Can you do that? Oh, I think our campaigns on track. I feel confident confident about our chances. One of the things in that pool was 70% of the people weren't really sure about their choices. We've picked up in these surveys and I think what's going to happen is people going to sort this out at the end and I think it's going to be the candidate that's talking about things that people care about that have credible Solutions. It's going to win. I think we're making the case of the wear that candidate and I think Best equipped to go up against Norm Coleman in the fall. So there's a lot of while there's only 35 days left and who's counting but there's there's a lot of water yet to go by and we feel I feel very good about how we run this campaign and where we are in our chances to win. I was reading somewhere that you're planning a pretty significant TV ad Blitz right before they before the election how important is that to your campaign? Well, I think we have a number of things we're going to have obviously have our message on on television. We're have a very sophisticated voter contact issue, you know with a with a low turnout as primary General ER if you need to Find who your voters are in turn them out and in and we'll have that and so really from from a standpoint. We will be the primary voters in Minnesota will hear what this campaign has to say and then then it's really up to them. So I will be heard I think we're running a strong campaign about ideas about issues about how to make government work better for people and I think that's what people want. And so I feel very good about our chances and and we have quite Frank with the resources to run a competitive race here. Are you confident that the after the primary is over? All the Democrats will be on the same page and hold hands blissfully who are November Norm Coleman is a unifying force for for the Democrats and I think there's some real differences, you know, I've been talkin about the others have sort of the old spend and spend philosophy and we need cutting best but there is there are there so many differences in what Norm pushes. For the concealed weapons and issues on abortion and you know that was the stadium subsidies and all of those type of things that that I think you'll see the Democratic party be come together very very strong after the after the primary when you get your interpretation or reading of Reform Party candidate Jesse Ventura as well. Now normally you would I suppose he would be dismissed as just another candidate but he's a generated a lot of support. I was amazed here on these programs that we've done. A lot of people have been expressing support for Mr. Vent or do you think he's going to be a real fact, I've ever going to be a real Factor cuz he's talking about something that that is a politician out there talking to people you can't miss he's talking about people's mistrust of government and I think his solution is wrong. He's saying let's just cut government away and make it non existent to he's called for the end of the Met Council and called The end of this and that I'm running and saying something different I'm saying, you know, we need a better government a government has more tune to people that the that works better for less money. But that sentiment out there is very strong most voters. I think obviously my message of making it work better with Whit given the trust issue was tougher and a man. I think he's connecting and hit he's going to get some boats in this race. What would do you know usually in these races? He's the one guy you don't want to tangle with these forms with them get that bicep going to go with my goodness. I don't want him to put the wrap those around my neck for people who are just tuning in to the race. Why are you the best dfl candidate? Well, I'm an alternative than to the standard dfl candidates. I'm very focused on bringing a new commitment to Minnesota families, and I have laid out a clear. Action of Howell through a continent best strategy we can make government work better for people. That's the same way. I was as a legislator when I was in the legislature is a cut the mosquito control district and don't worry. It wasn't working very well and other programs to invest in cleaning up polluted land and building housing. We're putting in place now way to have cities consolidate their Radio Systems, which must be a five to one cost savings and people will actually emergency medical systems will be able to talk to each other. I stopped in airport that we didn't need and so it's that kind of going in and making government work better for people above cutting in certain areas that we don't need anymore in investing in people that I think it's important. And in this race, I've laid out in my book my proposals for basically cutting 770 million dollars and investing in the new ways of government can help people for senior citizens Investing For 150000 cm. Citizens are there prescription drugs by investing in when I call my go for scholarship proposal which allows students to graduate from high school with a B average and earn scholarships to college a comprehensive crime proposal to get away from our old way of probation anti incarceration policy and actually put the resources into the system to lock up long time offenders, but also to give the police and investigators the resources to get it children very early before they become repeat offenders. So it's that kind of of clear new ways were government can help people but also by funding them by being willing to cut old programs and I think that's an alternative cuz most of the most of Democrats are talking about new ways to spend new money and the Republicans are saying well, we're just going to give you a tax break and walk away I'm saying you can cut taxes if you can make new Investments for people, but the only way you can do it. The only way you can do that as if you're willing to go in Roll up your shirt sleeves and say I'm going to cut this and I'm going to cut that and so I think I'm a real alternative to the traditional spending spending approach. And I think that's what people want. Can you give us two programs that you'd cut a little short while there's the office of strategic planning. We have no State strategic plan. There's some 17 to 25 million dollars a year that the of corporate subsidies that even the Chamber of Commerce says they don't want we have a new board you love this. We have a new board as call the board of innovation and cooperation that pays government agencies to talk to each other. So there's a number of those areas and they're very detailed and lay down in my book where I would cut but it's basically a part of my cuts are employee attrition of investing in ways to deliver Services better state of Alaska not always known for their government intervention intervention Innovation the state of Alaska went to online motor vehicle registry. I took the cost of a motor vehicle registration administrative cost from $8 down to below a dollar. We don't do that here. So there's a lot of things we can do through attrition and investing. I think the University of Minnesota. Is this the best example of getting your course books. Now in one day where we can save dollars, there are straight out Cuts like some of those I mentioned and then there's a number of inflation in corporate subsidies in those type of things real redundancies and government that you can cut as well. And basically I made my cuts very conservatively because as a legislator I've cut government before and I know how tough it is to cut government they Lobby. Well, they know how to Lobby the legislature and so all of my cuts in savings equal to about to two and a half percent of the total budget, but by taking those new Investments out and investing in people and also giving the Surplus back, I think we can really make a difference in and look at the things that people need in their life and be able to deliver for them. And and that's what my candidacies about is not about incremental change. It's not about the same old. Same old. It's about an alternative to what we're doing today. And I think people are looking for that into alternative Ted Mondale as our guests this hour and if you have a question for mr. Mondale, give us a call or Twin City area number is 227-6002 276 thousand. Side the Twin Cities 1 800 to +422-828-227-6000 or one 800-242-2828 Myron, you get the first question. Go ahead please Challenger concept of cutting government spending directly. I retired from government service about two and a half years ago and let me tell you things were getting very rich off them because we had already had to give up a number of positions. I work for the board of animal health. You may think that's a significant matter but it is not its work is extremely important. But if they lose any more positions, they're not going to be able to get it all done and I my day at the health department of health, the revenue department all kinds of other departments are now having problems with too few people to do the work. So if you think you're going to just let attrition pile of money for your for your tax cuts or something you're you're really being very well. My my proposal is is is very different from that. I do take some of the attrition we have about eight hundred million dollars worth of salaries. We pay to state workers over a biennium 2 years about 5% retire over that period of time that's about 40 million dollars. What I propose to do is take replace 2% of that five. Close to half of those workers and then take the other part and invest in technology. Like we're talking about the motor vehicles. I mean why there's no reason that when I go to the grocery store, I can't take money out of my ATM at the same time renew my license place the other day, you know as a legislator, I used to get my driver's license to put in place at the Department of Transportation building. I went there the other day that was closed down. So I came down to downtown St. Paul. I couldn't find a parking spot seven blocks away. I walked there and I found it was a two two and a half hour line to get my license. I should be able to get my driver's license when I get my groceries or at home on my computer and you can save a lot of money. So there's weight. If you're investing in the type of technology to deliver Services a better for people you can also find some savings. There are some cuts that I would make I think that the that we got to stand up and prioritize where we need to put our money and yes, you know if I Had a job at the office of strategic planning. I'm probably not going to vote for Ted Pinedale cuz he's a threat to my job. But I think also if you're a senior citizen, you can't pay your prescription drug cost or if you're worried about how you put your kids through college. You might consider my candidacy because I'm I'm going to come up with the dollars to be able to deliver those deliver those things. But I think that that my plan is balanced. It is rational and I think the issue in this election is not how to get more money to government the issue in this election is how to make it work better. And that's the type of proposals that I'm bringing forward. And so I would disagree with you sir overall would State spending under a Mondale Administration increase from where it is now, would it stay the same or would you actually spend less? Well, the there are some extra dollars coming in with the tobacco settlement that are there and so all in all though I think would be pretty close to a wash. I may be off. A hundred million dollars of sounds a lot, but I would be giving back the struck. There's a structural State Surplus today somewhere around 240 million dollars a year or 500 million a buy-in. I would give that back by reducing taxes permanently, and then I would take the 770 million dollars in cuts and redirect them and also some of the tobacco money. So overall there maybe overalls pretty close to the overall overall levels you take the back of money in in the in the Surplus out Ted Mondale is our guest this hour again to 276 thousand if you'd like to join the callers on the line to 276 thousand outside the Twin Cities one 800-242-2828. That's the number to call if you're calling from outside the Twin Cities one 800-242-2828. Just one month to go before the primary election. David your question, please professionals were pretty easy Target and I drive around the state and I hear the governor thing very negative things about them including they make too much. They should get jobs outside of government etcetera. But in state service, my understanding is professionals give up alot to serve the people and they do deserve a living wage and they do deserve it. Perhaps not competitive with the private sector at least something reasonably compared to that. I was wondering if the senator would be able to tell us how investing in the Professionals in the state that provide very technical essential services will be handled in his administration. Why I agree with you and I I think it's very important that we have a government that people trust and that means trying making sure that you have stopped level of a people that you can attract into public service. One of the problems that the people talk about is that you can't get to the expert in government cuz there's all these layers of bureaucracy. Those layers are not the workers fault. We have set them up that way so that I talked to many state employees or frustrated cuz they know what they need to do their job better. But it but the rules are in place don't allow them to do that. I've been supportive for instance of taking the Caps off of salary for school district administrators knowing how important that is and seeing that we're having a hard time recruiting top people in the state because we can't pay people that the right kind of way. So I think that the job and I quite frankly also I know that there are a lot of jobs in government that require a higher level of dedication police officers for instance or put in their life. The line for us a people that work in prisons wasn't what a year year-and-a-half ago. When what do you know $7 an hour rental, you know people who are driving a confederal convicted felons around they stop for a Burger King or something in the convicted felon, of course got away in the first thing they did was yell go to somebody's house and trying in and then been burglarized them and try and get away. So I understand that the role of government is different and for people to take those higher risk jobs. I need to be paid. What I'm saying is that there's a whole level that we need to prioritize where we spend our dollars and we need to spend them wisely and you're not going to get it just by underpaying government employees out to be paid for the job that they do but if the if there are what government has to do is prioritize where it's dollars go and I need to prioritise controller all spending I believe in the future. It's going to be the skills that people have is going to be the key determinant on how well they're going to do. Which means You need to make new Investments. I believe in early childhood education. You need to make new investments in in K-12 and in higher education and I think a big issue is its job training for people once I had their job and if you're talking about welfare-to-work, it's how do you how do you not just put people in job but get them into a steady career where they're going to have benefits and retirement that calls for reprioritization. What I'm saying is to do to do the things that are essential to strengthen families to build communities to give people Economic Opportunity. We have a duty if we're really Progressive to cut out things that are a lower-level and invest in those people and it's a better strategy for those who say we got to go to the taxpayers to come up with the money or say we just can't do it. And so that's what I'm about an end. I think that's a progressive way to do things. I think that's what people want. And so I've laid out in my book when I'm going to cut and where I'm going to invest and I think that's what the voters of Minnesota deserve Michael your question place. Microphone so I might break up this distribution of wealth not only in the state of Minnesota. But nationally it seems that the death of the high-end you get bigger and bigger pay package getting much past the maybe a dollar or so above minimum wage. How can you address this problem in Minnesota all the hang up and listen to the previous question. I think the biggest issue one of the biggest issues in the state is how do we succeed? How do we make sure more and more of our citizens succeed in the in the changing economy forecast for say that in Minnesota. We're going to be about 250,000 what they call skill and knowledge base workers short 250,000 high-paid skill and knowledge workers short for what are economy could produce in about the Year 2005. That means that the kids are in school. Now, there's a concern that not enough will get out with the skills training to get very very good jobs. That's why Through my continent best strategy. I want to invest in the type of things. I like this college scholarships like the retraining for workers that are halfway through their career like the things that that that that will help our K-12 education system perform at a higher level that we need to make those areas because that's the key determinant in the future about how well somebody's going to do and while Government Can you know, raise our kids and government can make parents better and government can take kids work hard there ways that we could create incentives and tools if you will to help people have a better shot of making it and I think that's the the central challenge of our time one of the things you've raised some questions about the profile of learning program. What should I buy? My understanding is was set up to make sure the kids when they get out of school already to deal with this Brave New World at leave that were entering shouldn't we just proceed with that program now, it's all in place. All the districts have signed up and see if it Works out and then if it doesn't work, you can always change it while we have a number of things going on today in in our schools in a lot of them are very very good the concept of the graduation rules a good one. We caught thousands and thousands of kids that were going to not make it in the world. And now we have the time and the ability to focus on education gives us a way to gauge how we're spending our money. We spend a lot on education. I think the problem is philosophically is we're heading down a road where the state and Anna in a group of bureaucrats frankly in a room or saying here's how you teach our kids. We know better than you parents. We know better than you teacher We Know Better Than You principal what the kids need to do. Well that the great example I get all the time is Teachers come up to me and they end of the state-mandated a program for for 4th and 5th graders who don't know how to read to teach them self esteem and the teacher say to me know. Why did you give me money to teach 4th 4th and 5th graders self-esteem when you weren't they What the resources and first and second grade to teach these kids how to read and and so I think that we're getting into a mode where every year the legislature sends down a new directive sometimes funded sometimes not but with the idea that we can better teacher kids. I think we need to go a different way. I think number one. We need to have higher standards than we do today because you need to understand that that Brad will we have in place is really a test at the bit about the six arguably the seventh grade level. We need a graduation rule. That's like a warranty that our kids are getting the training. They need to go on to work in a career or on the higher education. Then I think we need to flip it around and go back to the school district and say what do you need flexibility resources? Is it social services do you need to do to get ahead and most of the suburban school districts? And I know Saint Paul will say we need class sizes Denfeld High School in Duluth will tell you that they need technology. They're competing with the Edison schools and they don't have computers. I thought so but it's different for every area in in in some of our schools in St. Louis Park. So where we had more social problems in the others. We put a social worker in the room that's bringing the Human Service delivery system into that school that's working. We don't necessarily need it on the other quote other side of the park. So each school district has different the jobs of our teachers. An inner parents there is a door upon which every child can walk through to learn and and in our jobs as parents and and in the jobs of teachers are very difficult and much tougher than it was many years back, you know, when it when I was a kid, we used to go to the park and ever after school and everybody would play together. And you knew you had even in Washington DC when we when we were there for a while and then you come home at 6:30 and you were taught your values at the dinner table and and you know, our parents jobs were assimilating us into a society that seemed to make sense and we're sending is proper messages today as young parents we feel our job is to keep our kids away from society because what you hear on television and in other areas certainly not on public radio, but what you hear about is in the states telling you you can get rich quick you buy a Powerball ticket sex drugs violence that type of thing it is what you hear and some weed Can parents were trying to spin a a different web with our kids and it requires of a different set of resources. We know what's best for a kiss and weed the schools need the flexibility and the resources to be able to do a better job, but it's going to be up to the parents and up to the teacher to make this happen. Let it happen and and I think that you put those resources are left the district come forward now Richfield District 4 in since it was one of the test sites the profiles of learning they've been working with it for five years. They say they like it if they need the resources to put the profiles and play SOB if that's what you need to succeed. But I think each school district is is different and I think the key issue is we got to trust that our parents and our teachers know a lot better than the than a five or six people sit in the room st. Paul have had a better the education. I think if we trust it that way and give them the flexibility and give them the resources. We're going to have to turn out we need we have to buy take a break here. But one quick question you raise the Powerball issue you want to get the state out of the gambling debts? Let me say that's enough and I obviously very concerned about making promises. I can't keep I voted to eliminate the lottery cuz I thought that the state saying gambling is a good thing as doesn't make sense. I will admit here to all that that are there is that I don't I didn't have a revenue source to fill it in and in my book, I don't call for friending it but I think that that is parents having government say, you know buy a lottery ticket. It's a good thing is troubling. I guess this hour is former state Senator Ted Mondale. He is one of the five D flr is running for governor and voters of course will make us election September 15th about a month away great opportunity to find out where Mr. Mondale stands on the issues. Let me give you the phone number. All of our lines are busy right now will get some more callers in just a second and then you'll be able to get through to 276 thousand or one 800-242-2828. I'm learning Benson on Mondays All Things Considered our campaign 98 focus on the issues continues with a report on Welfare, reform ideas of dfl gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton, you're going to reduce welfare costs in the long-term. You're going to have to increase your welfare spending in the short-term Mondays All Things Considered weekdays at 3 on Minnesota Public Radio k n o w FM 91.1 in the Twin Cities documentary fund is provided by Phyllis Taylor in memory of Walter stremmel Sunny to partly sunny skies across the state today really quite a nice summer day not as humid as it's been highs today our forecast range from the upper 70s in the Northeast in the arrowhead to the upper 80s out in Western Minnesota right now in the Twin City area. We have a sunny sky and 77 degrees. Dfl gubernatorial candidate Ted Mondale is our guest this our lots of callers on the line with questions for mr. Mondale. Let's go to Ruth your next. I don't hear you very well. Well, go ahead and give you a question. You're coming through loud and clear his public transportation. There isn't any from here to anywhere and this is true of a number of out-of-state cities International Falls happens to be a terrible example, I'll hang up and listen. Well, obviously transportation is a big issue in International Falls and I am certainly a big issue here in the Twin Cities as well. We have a huge transfer Transit dependent population. The good news coming out of Washington is is we're going to have a 40% increase in existing Transit revenues, which should allow us to move forward to meeting Transit needs all across the state. And so we we need to look at how much money that is and where it where could I go? I think we need to get past that we had a real Log Jam down here in the legislature with the you know, people from the Twin Cities getting in fights with people from out state were fighting over formulas and and the governor really hasn't weighed in. I think that we one of the things I want to do is Governor's is is move beyond that debate and come forward with a very comprehensive Statewide Transit policy one that links in with our development policy as well. And so that France independent people and others would like to use public transportation can do that all across the state. We're going to have to come to agreement to to say what that is. The good news is there are dollars available significant increases in the in the revenues that we get from the federal government available and will be available to us in the next biennium to put that together. So I think hope or certainly money is on is on the way Joanne your question place. I'd like to ask you, got to taxes. I understood you to say about a week ago that you are in no hurry to cut the property taxes are before on the property tax system and I understood you to say that you want to see more accountability and a part of local governments. Would you please expand on the idea of accountability? Well, let me say this my tax cut proposal is pretty clear. I in 1991 we the legislature and I voted against it increase the sales tax by half a percent that's about a quarter of a million dollars a year and $250 per family to create what was called a local government trust fund to pay local governments for basically providing services to people and what happened is a trust fund was never put in place until we get higher local property taxes in the higher sales taxes. And I think that was a real breach of trust in and I think for 4 because of regressivity of that tax and because of I think really break in the public trust in the need to build that trust up I would I would push in that area. We put in place a property-tax system many years ago based on what I believe to be a flood principal and that principle is that we can continue to increase spending and at the same time reduce overall taxes. And so what we do is we spend down if you will to reduce taxes people be interested to know there's going to be a reduction on a significant reduction in the amount of tax is charged to building owners in rental property owners, but it's not really reduction in the money to local governments. So say the IDS Tower, I don't know how much it spends. It was wait, you know 10 times higher than what a significant same office would would pay and say Seattle they're going to have Signet the owners and they're in the renters in the IDS are going to see a significant drop their taxes, but the state's going to pay for that money to local units of government. I think we need we put in place and I supported early on What's called the price of government which basically is a calculation of how much how many dollars out of the what percent of the dollars out of the economy are going into state and local government services worry about 17.4% Now, I think we need to get down to 17% there before we get into Mass property tax reform. We need to build a mechanism within our local units of government where buy a were making our policy and infrastructure structure decisions of the gather and also Investments and local governments need to be the same. Let me give me an example when the city of Saint Paul decides to leverage all its death to build a hockey stadium in to build a to move a company from Minneapolis / st. Paul with Ohio, very highly leveraged. The question is is that in the state's interest and I would say it's not in the state's interest to build a hockey Stadium. It's not in the state's interest to me. What company from Minneapolis to st. Paul and that we are reduced local government made by that percent so that if the city wants to go out and do it great at the taxpayer-supported great, but let's not support. Let's not support projects that are outside of what we believe to be a prudent and could stay policy with with additional tax dollar subsidy. So I think we need a price of government with teeth. Those are two examples where I would think large expenditures are out of out of line of what the state policy on Abby. And that's how I think we can control spending rather than focus on the sales tax when up the wine out of cutting the income tax lot of people a lot of the candidates support that perhaps if the lowest level they're so everybody gets a little bit of a tax cut the sales tax have sent here. They have sent their it seems like nobody would notice. Well everyone's pollster tells you to say your for income taxes. But I felt again I felt that the sales tax was the most regressive know somebody coming off welfare to work is paying the same amount of taxes as the CEO of a successful company. I don't I don't think that's right. And I think also that this was something that government promised we promised it. If you increase your promise when we increase the sales tax and again, I voted against it at the time but when we increase the sales tax for doing that because we're going to reduce your spending at the local government level. So they have since it was just a shift of the call earlier said, you know, why are you not for a significant property tax reform the the very reason that that I'm for reducing that taxes. We don't have a mechanism in place to stop that shift. So if you reduce taxes on one side with the same philosophy that you can spend more to reduce taxes and always pops up somewhere else. It has to you can't reduce taxes. By spending more. The only way to reduce taxes is to reduce spending and we have to control government spending and we have to show to people that government can prioritize work dollars go and the government control its own spending and we need a price of government law with it with a mechanism ISM in there to do that to rebuild people's trust in government Rebecca your question place if elected, how do you feel you could benefit the gay community? I'll take my hands off the I think you or I was very supportive of the I think I was a co-author. I need to check that of the workplace expanding out the Discrimination laws include gay and lesbians very much contrast with where Coleman is about repealing that law of this was put in place for a real reason and I think that we we can't go backwards and we can support discrimination people that are gay and lesbian or being discriminate. Against and that's wrong in our lost is starting to change the nation and in that was a good thing. I believe in you know, I've said that the the Doma Bill if it came to my desk that I look at it. I think that's unlikely and I think that issues going to be decided in the courts. This is the one that shows the state will not recognize and I think it's obviously that passed through a very easily I'd if it got to my desk. Certainly sign it but but I think that issues going to be resolved the chords. I think what we need to do is I think we have my what I think it's two areas that that I will pay a lot of personal attention to one. Is it domestic Partnerships? I think people that that share the financial burdens of Life be they straight or gay I think deserve a better recognition for for what they do. I think also there's this issue of of teen suicide out there. There's a University of Minnesota study that said of the third of the gay and lesbian youth actually attempt. I just talked about it, but Attempt suicide and I think we need to deal with that issue as well. And if I might add a third Minnesota's in a good place to bring about a waiver for people that are that are on a child that have HIV as opposed to AIDS a lot of people now to be able to get the kind of drugs that will work for some people to to give them a longer life and productive life. They have to basically become disabled. We have to quit your job withdraw from society get the kind of drugs you need and I think we're we have an opportunity here in Minnesota. Bring that way for so I will fight for the for the laws that we have in place. I'm going to move forward and in and domestic partnership and move forward with with the pharmaceutical waiver and dealing with the issue of suicide. Susan your question for Ted Mondale, please. Cancer neck seem very concerned. And how do you answer that? I'll hang up and listen. Well, actually that's my oldest child is in public school my youngest child. We're going to we're going to put her hold her back here before she goes to school in my youngest child. There's no public school to go to so we're very committed to Public Schools. We're sending our kids to public school, and and that's so your information is incorrect. Pay your question, please The perfect segue actually the bi question. I'm a mother of two high-functioning autistic children. And what frightens me right now is there such a lack of priority for special needs children with developmental disabilities and what we've discovered his early intervention makes his children eventually the future taxpayers and people who can hold jobs and right now there's the lack of qualified Educators the ones that are talented and very few and they're underpaid and wondering what your stand is on that. And is that a program you foresee potentially cutting pigmans around here. Thank you. I think we need to make a commitment and continue to make a commitment to all of our children. I think Minnesota has done a pretty good job. But if you look at how we are going to meet the workforce needs of the future. I know that's not a very soft-hearted way to look at it. The disabled Community is is is really want a really untapped resource. Is it a lot of employees are understanding one of my proposals is to invest rather heavily. In fact, I think it's safe to say that a third of my investments are trying to to expand out early childhood education so that we have expansions and child care but we bring a developmental piece into the early childhood education. So that should so the children can get the kind of training that they need early on we've seen course every parent knows what we've seen studies that recently that confirm what we already know that the you know that you did that the human brain develops very very early and investing resources are important in and making sure that that all of our kids get the kind of training I need is very very important and sometimes expensive and I think that's why you have to be willing to make the cuts and certain programs to make the investment. We need in our kids and it's about skills training and it's about all our kids. I have you in any concern at All of them there is a lot of attention being focused now and the kids who have not been a parent who having trouble in school for one reason or another are you concerned at all that the other kids who've actually done pretty well in school and the gifted and talented kids is there caught that they're going to get ignored but I think that the let me see a couple things on that. I think that again if we trust our teachers and parents and give them the resources and flexibility, they need more and more kids are going to get to the training and skills. They need in the future and I think we have to inherently trust in in that issue certainly better than 10 or 15 people in room is Saint Paul figuring it out means human nature people want to do the right thing. I think that there are we need to make sure that are incentives are right in government. I think people are going to do a lot of people are going to do what they're intended to do. And I think the role of government Jimmy Carter used to say this is the role of government ought to be to make the ten-cent people to do what's in there. What's good and make it tough for them to do what's wrong in so why we need to create incentives in the system like my college scholarship proposal. I mean basically it's different than the others and it's more fun than the others. But what I'm saying is that kids can earn a scholarship college scholarship by graduating with a B average in high school and committing community service that says that any child of matter who they are or where they're from that they can earn it themselves and it's it's I picked us up from what what's been in place in Georgia. It's worked. Well and one of the great things about as it's crept into the peer pressure of these kids is an alternative to drugs in the in the in a negative lifestyle that you actually can make it yourself and go to the University of Georgia are here at the University of Minnesota. And you can earn it yourself. That's very very important on the other hand. Now, we have a crime policy this Pro probation and anti incarceration in 1997 in Hennepin County half of the top level drug dealers. Now, these are people who are making a real Prophet. I think the story this weekend in the papers about that St. Paul game that was put in place that they are bringing in $250,000. Untaxed by the way of Revenue a month that's real money that the top-level dealers half of them after they were convicted. We're out on the street again, you know, so what are we saying to young kids about what are values are cuz a lot of young kids see very early on that. Nobody in their Community is getting going on and getting the skills training they need and they're seeing the kids that have the money of the ones that are dealing drugs and we tell them that that is not okay to deal drugs yet. They're back out on the street the next day. So I think it's very critical to to to believe that most people are good people that most people going to do. What's what's in their best interest and that governments philosophical role has to be to step back and create the incentives of the people have the opportunity to move forward with some responsibility. But also if you're heading down the wrong path that this is going to be a bad place for you to go because what's driving or crime is is money and if you live in a neighborhood where there's drug dealers out on the streets and I was out on a National Night Out in St. Paul and we walked right down the street and then the lead organizer there was yelling at a bullhorn at the crack dealers in the police were telling me that usually they get rocks thrown at him and we're really appreciative that that won the TV cameras what they are and made me feel safer. But what this stuff is going on in our neighborhood children and families and communities can't succeed. If that kind of illegal activities going on in the neighborhood, so it's not just about schools. It's all of these issues are linked together a linear question post. What has been answered several times while I have my second question, which is have you been following this computer glitch that everyone's talking about for the year 2008 you have what is your assessment of our state's municipalities and businesses? And do you have a plan if they need for a plan for the starting from the governor's to make sure that we don't all lose power and Fries that first week and I'll take my hamster at their thank you. It's interesting you bring that up a lot of the business CEOs are very concerned about this issue the fellow that took my seat to Steve Kelly. Very bright Navy person is his heading that up and is holding hearings the summer in in talking to him. He told me two things. He said one is he believes the state has invested the resources for the state to be able to solve the problems. He believes that most of the business Community are working at it. He doesn't think that local units of government are up to speed and he's very concerned about that and he's now Quite sure whether the federal government's going to get it right. So that's a trust Steve. I think that's where it's at. The state has the efficient money. Hopefully it will help get our local unit of government doing that. I I don't think that we can underestimate how big a problem this is and it's certainly something that I'm attuned to and something to have government deliver for people we got to be be on top of don't have a lot of time left but a few other issues here. I'll do you think President Clinton should intervene in this Northwest Airlines labor dispute should should there be an effort made to block a strike by Northwest employees? Well, I think that would be highly extraordinary obviously to have the president come in and then block something like that and I I don't really know what his authority is and why I think we got to let this process carry out. These workers went a long way to sacrificing to keep that Airline afloat this community. That are aligned and in that Hub to be a float in the future and be strong in the future. I think there's a number of days yet is that we've got to let this collective bargaining process roll out. Obviously, there's a lot of problems but I think we need to before we start calling in the National Guard or on those issues. We need to let this process roll out. This is I support collective bargaining. I think it's very important. I think we got to let this process roll out and see what comes up AFL-CIO president Bernie brommer very critical of you for your boat on the workers compensation issue a few years ago. If you win the nomination, are you going to be able to patch up your differences with labor? I would think that would be very important to do trying to win a November. Yes. I I've got a lot of friends in the labor movement and we're going to put it back together quickly, you know two issues on that. You know, he would come to me the are our disagreement comes a basic philosophy him and he used to come to me and say Ted, you know, you gotta here's what's wrong with our society. Vets that do you know the Vietnam War got in the way the Great Society we got to get back and we got to get money into these programs that probably sells well that was meant to some of his membership. But you know, I said know things are changing and we need a government needs adaptive currently to deliver and the other issues. That was this workers comp issue when you know, Paul Tsongas used to say this is the most liberal thing you can do for someone is is is is allow them to start their own business and and workers comp was destroying small business in the state 60% of the dollars that were paid out never got to the injured worker got eaten up an administrative costs and fees and to say that you can't do better than getting 60% out back to the Injured Workers wrong. And and so will we have to see how the changes come out we'll have good data for that about to say you can't do better is wrong and I think is really unfortunate that mr. Brommer didn't feel like he wanted to be a part of that settlement the teamsters were in there the whole time and I think you can see that are wrecked. Comics in the state are doing a lot better. You have to have a strong small business sector in a state to give people opportunity and it in if you've got a problem one of the one of the things you have to do is you have to fix it the best way possible in it. And so I think that was necessary and I think he he's out of line great race for governor this year in Minnesota. You think people would be all fired up about politics the experts say hardly anybody's going to vote this year. What do you do to his fur interest? Very simple I think in this is a very important question both of the horse race questions that I'm getting another way. You look at the issue voter turnout down highest level of distrust of government the higher than the Vietnam War and the whole civil rights issue when the politicians get together, they come up with commissions to try and teach people how to be better civilians basically Civic license and what they're saying is is a people are failing politics. I believe it's a I think our politics are family people. I don't think we can show we can control our spending. I don't think we deliver services that well and I don't think we can show that we can prioritize in and give people that the assistance they need in the future. So my response to that is to be honest with the voters. I know some Snicker at me but I put a book out saying where I'm going to cut where I'm going to invest in some book that I can be held accountable as governor and say hey here's we're going to go. So I'm trying as a candidate to rebuild the public trust by being honest with the citizens about what we're going to do and I think that's the most important first and most important thing that we need to do. Especially might I say for the for the Democratic party. Thanks a lot for coming in today and good luck to you. Thank you. I guess this our dfl gubernatorial candidate Ted Mondale course our coverage of the primary race will continue right on through the September 15th primary and then we gear up for the November general election 5 minutes now before 12, this is midday on Minnesota Public Radio. time for The Writer's Almanac