MPR: On Your Own

On Your Own
By Laura McCallum
October 12, 1999

Governor Ventura stressed self-sufficiency as he rolled out the second part of his so-called "Big Plan", a set of goals for his administration. His priorities includes welfare reform, health care and lifelong learning. Several lawmakers say they agree with the governor's philosophy, but note the "Big Plan" lacks details.

The Big Plan
See full text of the Big Planand here more reaction to it.

THE GOVERNOR CHOSE a Chaska manufacturer to highlight the latest phase of the Big Plan. Lake Region Manufacturing, the world's largest maker of guide wires for medical devices, hires and trains many former welfare recipients. Ventura says Lake Region is an example of the way business and government should promote self-sufficiency; the company needed skilled labor, so it recruited inner city and immigrant workers.

Ventura: It is not about being nice, it's about doing what's necessary to make their company work. This is the kind of mindset we need as policy makers, when we set a goal for self-sufficient people in Minnesota.

Governor Ventura frequently touts personal responsibility, most notably when he debated a single mother on the steps of the Capitol earlier this year, telling her the government wasn't responsible for her becoming a single parent.

Ventura's commitment to self-sufficiency isn't new. He often says government should only do for people what they can't do for themselves, and it should provide a safety net, not a hammock. He frequently touts personal responsibility, most notably when he debated a single mother on the steps of the Capitol earlier this year, telling her the government wasn't responsible for her becoming a single parent. In the Big Plan, Ventura says the state should insist that parents parent, it should provide incentives to get people off welfare, and should encourage people to make better health choices - all of which should cut government spending.

Ventura: So much of health care costs could be lowered if we made the right choices out there in our lifestyles, of not smoking, not excessive amounts of alcohol, whatever it might be, eating correctly, exercising.

But while Ventura pledged to create a health-care system for the next 50 years, he didn't define what that would look like. Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm promised to spell out the details later this week, but wouldn't answer specific questions such as whether the plan includes allowing patients to sue their HMO's.

Malcolm: We are not here today with any sort of prescriptive solutions. We're simply saying this is an issue area that this administration wants and needs to focus on because it's so important to the health of the state going forward.

That lack of specifics concerns many legislators, who agree with the governor in principle but see few concrete solutions in the Big Plan. Republican State Senator Claire Robling of Prior Lake says self-sufficiency will require more than the governor's rhetoric.

Robling: The concept is wonderful, and all legislators embrace that. But reaching that level is not a simple process, and will take time. It is isn't something that you snap your fingers and it happens.

Robling says helping Minnesotans become self-sufficient may cost more in the short term; the state may have to spend more on education and training, child care and housing. The Ventura administration hasn't offered any legislative proposals for the upcoming session - commissioners say they don't expect to submit specific legislation until 2001, the next time the governor proposes a two-year budget.

	Sign up to receive e-mail newsletters

	Audio help

	Text: Sm : Md : Lg