What question would you still like the candidates for governor to answer?
Posted at 5:00 AM on October 20, 2010
by Eric Ringham
(23 Comments)
Filed under: Politics/Government
Each Monday, we've been asking a question about an issue that's relevant to the Minnesota race for governor. We've got two Mondays left before the election. Today's Question: What question would you still like the candidates for governor to answer?
Comments (23)
Why legislators think they deserve to have pensions for being elected?
Please address the Unconstitutional Criminalization of Hemp/Cannabis/Marijuana, THE WORLD'S MOST VERSATILE PLANT. Do you understand that, especially given overwhelming evidence as to its safety and usefulness, Hemp/Cannabis/Marijuana should be a plant that is cultivated by whomever for every good use? Do you understand the history of Hemp/Cannabis/Marijuana in America (indeed, the World) , the Unconstitutional nature of the Criminalization of Hemp/Cannabis/Marijuana and how it has cost dearly our environment, economy and ethical involvement with Life?
Which one of you is lying, which one is niave, and which one of you is delusional?
I have a bumper sticker that reads: "More Jobs? What about less people." I'd like the candidates to comment on overpopulation and its connection to all the problems we as a state and a nation are now dealing with - problems such as: greenhouse gasses, lack of jobs, infrastructure overuse, the strain on social services, gas and oil prices, and so on. I don't see anything changing until we stabilize or decrease the population in this stae, in this country, and in the world.
Also, Sylvia Cordwood was quoted in the Indianapolis Star as saying "My opinion is something that is true for me personally. My conviction, however, is something that is true for everyone - in my opinion." If one cannot prove a statement to be a fact, they have an opinion. So many politicians and pundits make statements that cannot be proven, and call them facts instead of opinions, because the opinions are connected to personal convictions. Can the candidates tell the difference between what are opinions, and what are facts. The candidates, and the rest of the population might find it easier to resolve conflicts, and be less vitriolic about it, if they could tell the difference, and were honest about it. As Eric Severeid said "Trust more the person who is occasionally in error, than the person who is never in doubt."
BEFORE election day will you fully disclose your funding sources and amounts?
And will you fully support mandating this disclosure?
(Its was bad enough before with campaign finance reform going no where, and not a GIANT step backward occurs where the 'people' right to freedom of speech is superseded by a elite few who ALREADY have power and can ALREADY speak louder then the average person on the street....
We just slipped into Plutocracy and no longer a Democracy. )
It is illegal for the states to accept anything other than gold and silver coin as legal tender according to the constitution. Why do states accept worthless US Federal Reserve Notes that the US Treasury must pay interest on to the US Federal Reserve for using our own money. The US Federal Reserve is a private, secret, foreign owned charter that is not America, not Federal, not US, not a bank, and has no reserves. Why do states violate the US Constitution and accept something other than gold and silver money which has caused 1,000% price increases and only 500% wage increases since 1971? What can we do to force states to go back to the Constitution regarding gold and silver money?
For Tom Emmer: You’ve stated that you can reduce state spending by 20% just by combining state agencies, and you’ve repeatedly asked “Why do we need a Department of Corrections AND a Department of Public Safety?”
Public Safety runs the State Patrol and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which does DNA and fingerprint analysis for police departments across the state. Corrections runs the prisons.
Which of these functions do you want to eliminate?
What changes to government will you make to help individual Minnesotans be able to compete in the global marketplace?
Do you believe that the state of Minnesota should be run as a small country competing in a global marketplace or that the state of Minnesota should be run as a small part of a larger country?
For Mr. Emmer - As a republican Governor replacing a two-term Republican Governor who endorses your candidacy, what are three specific "redesigns and reformations" of government you will make that will improve life for the struggling middle class in Minnesota?
what are your ideas on turning the economy around getting business going and making the twin cities a great place to live and work?
(minnesota miracle?)
Serious suggestion for Monday's question to the candidates: What parts of your stated position are you willing to compromise on for the sake of getting things done in Minnesota, and what parts will you stick to regardless of the opposition you may encounter?
To all-- what is the difference between "unallotment" power and monarchy? Are you in favor or restricting the Governor's unallotment power?
To Emmer-- you say you're a religious person that "believes in life." How does that relate to your proposed human services cuts-- especially healthcare for the poor?? Isn't there a moral obligation to care for them beyond T-Paw style cuts?
Can you summarize your position in one page of plain text (letter size paper, 1" margins, 12-point Times New Roman, single-spaced, full sentences, logical paragraphs, standard American English, not bullet points) without demonizing your opponents or their positions?
Will you ride tall?
Will you shoot straight?
Will you speak the truth?
∑
DTOM
To all candidates:
If the legislature passes a budget that is balanced, but does not match your preferred solution, will you sign it?
If you don't sign the bill, what is your 'Plan B'?
A question to Mark Dayton and Tom Horner.
Even without all the new spending you are promising, your budgets don't add up!
So, how can you promise more government goodies to everyone and still think your budget balances?
It doesn't matter. We hardly ever get a truly candid answer from any political candidate, and on the rare occasion that we do, that honesty is rewarded by disingenuous criticism and manufactured outrage. There's a tacit Miranda warning that all aspiring politicians are aware of: Anything you say or do can and will be wrenched out of context, deliberately misconstrued, and used against you in malicious attack ads. Our elected leaders aren't the problem. We are.
What is your name?
What is your quest?
What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Whatever else can be said about our problems right now, they are not novel or unique. I can't think of anything to ask the candidates that hasn't be asked by now. If they didn't answer those questions before, they're not going to answer them if I ask.
We have two serious problems, a growing budget deficit and unemployment. I feel the quickest way to close the budget deficit and improve the job outlook is to promote a strong economy and fiscal responsibility in the allocation of the expected tax revenue. How can you improve one without hurting the other?
If the United States is in a global economy, knowing a language besides English is essential. What second (or third or more) languages do you speak, and what are they?
Mark Dayton - Why do you believe the economy will grow in MN when you are penalizing success and rewarding failure with your tax and spend policies? What executive deicison maker in their right mind would relocate any business to Minnesota vs Texas given the very high personal income taxes and other regulations you have proposed?
Please do not give me that quality of life crap, when you are wealthy, you have a great quality of life wherever you live.
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