What one accomplishment as a U.S. Senator do you derive the
greatest sense of satisfaction from? What would be the one most
important thing you would try to accomplish if elected to another 6 year
term?
............................................................................
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 1996
Subject: Debate
I would like the gentlemen to give their opinions about the relevance of
the deficit/debt. Does it ever have to be reduced or eliminated? What is
the worst case scenario if it is not? Is the reason that it is not taken
care of due to the political difficulty of cutting spending?
Please do not use this as a tool to tell us what a wonderful job your
party is or plans to do, just address the question.
............................................................................
Date: Sun, 20 Oct 1996
Subject: Importance of Free Trade
To the U.S. Senate Candidates:
Do you support free trade (reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade)
within North America ?
............................................................................
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996
Subject: Question
For the two senators, please give examples of past positions on the support of
Israel. For Mr. Barkley, please give your position on this issue and how it
might differ from the other two candidates.
............................................................................
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996
Subject: Question
To the Senators; please give specific examples of the federal dollars that
you have returned to Minnesota. This might be viewed as pork but someone
has to get it.
............................................................................
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996
Subject: Question
As a moderate, I am concerned about political extremes. Please give specific
examples of centralist issues that you have championed, or expect to champion
in the senate. By the way, opposing an issue and then voting on it at the
last minute is not being a champion.
............................................................................
Subject: Freedom to Farm
What kinds of farming are exempted from the "Freedom to Farm" law, why
were they selected, how will this law affect the future of small farmers
and why is preservation of the "family farm" necessary or good?
............................................................................
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996
Subject: Debate
Setting aside the high level statements such as "balanced the budget" or "shrink
the size of government", please give us a more specific vision of what your
personal agenda would be in the next congress.
............................................................................
Subject: U.S. Senate Debate Question
If elected, would you support use of nuclear weapons on another country?
............................................................................
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996
Subject: 100000 NEW COPS
Senator Wellstone
You have been saying on your political adds that President Clinton and
yourself have put 100000 new cops on the job. Awhile back VP Gore said there
was only about 20000 or so hired with the present funds. Who is telling the
truth?? how many have been hired? I can't see an additional 2000 cops in MN.
if that would be our share.
50 states divides by 100000. The MN State Patrol had to send additional
troopers to
the city of MPLS to assist the PD. If there is a truth in advertising, it
doesn't seem that the present administration is telling the truth ? I want
the real answer not the political one !!
............................................................................
Subject: Questions for candidates
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996
The growing disparity between the rich and the working class is now greater
than at any time since immediately before the great depression. What must
be done NOW to restore the health and viability of the middle class and
hope for those now living in poverty?
............................................................................
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996
Subject: "Who decides" literature
The Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party produced and mailed a piece
of literature asking "Who decides" if our food, meat, air & water are
safe, and who decides if our teenagers should smoke? They answer their
own questions for each candidate. For R. Boschwitz, they say, "The meat
industry decides; the polluters decide; the tobacco companies decide."
For P. Wellstone, in all three cases they say "we do."
I want to ask P. Wellstone, if the "we do" response implies. Does it
mean that the people (perhaps DFL members) are better able to determine
the safety of meats than the meat industry?
For tobacco smoking among teens, the literature seems to imply that FDA
efforts to stop tobacco advertising is an important safety issue. I want
to know from each candidate how far should the federal government be
able to go in regulating the lives of people? Is there a point where the
government should override personal responsibility?
............................................................................
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996
Subject: Freedom
How will the passing of laws and amendments that will eliminate choices
we currently have actually give us more freedom?
............................................................................
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996
Subject: Social Security
I'd like to know how the candidates feel about: raising the age for
social security to 70; removing the cap on withholding of social security
taxes and/or means testing for receipt of social security benefits
(example: anyone with income of $100,000 a year getting only 50% of the
benefits they would otherwise be elligible for).
............................................................................
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 96
Subject: Participatory democracy
Most citizens seem to have given up on the politican process. How do we
get people to take an interest again and gain trust in our government,
elected leaders, judges, etc?
............................................................................
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996
Subject: Rudy B.
When you get some time, probably after the upcomming election I would like to
talk to you about certain issues. If you have your own e-mail address, that
would be great to contact you, or you can call me at 497-8397, here in St.
Michael, MN. I hold a degree in Political Science from the University of
Wisconsin, and I'm currently a laid off Electronic Technician from Honeywell
Military Avionics. I have supported you since comming to Minnesota. Thank you
for your time and I look forward to talking to you soon. Sincerely....
............................................................................
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996
Subject: Question for e-democracy debate
For all candidates: As technologic developments make available greatly
increased electromagnetic spectrum band widths and frequencies, and the
major cable operators such as Time Warner, Turner Broadcasting, Fox News,
and now Microsoft NBC jockey for influence with lawmakers to gain
advantages to control what is seen and heard on our cable systems, who
do you think should control our "airwaves" and how can that best be
regulated?
............................................................................
Date: Wed, 23 Oct 1996
Subject: Debate
Senator Wellstone, how do you personally feel about the "attack" ads labeling
you as "embarrassingly liberal"?
............................................................................
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 1996
Subject: Growth? are we homo sapient sapiens or homo insatiable?
After reading the droolings of the entire field of candidates for question
one, I'm concerned that the putz that will ultimately represent me lives an
essential lie.
The world and it's attainable resources are finite, and if we keep on
growing, be it through sheer numbers, or the amount of energy and material we
consume per capita, there won't be anything left for anything, much less
anyone.
Remember, what these morons refer to as the economy is simply that portion of
the environment that humans have exploited--our niche so to speak. The fact
that we've found ourselves in posession of a cognitive device that allows us
to scrape more and more energy out of the environment, energy that wasn't
just sitting there, but was supporting other niches, doesn't necessarily
imply the wisdom not to grow. Bantering on about unfettering the economy puts
us in the unenviable position of a sore throat virus--we grow in lovely
progression until the field of cells we infect are all dead and then...
Humans, thus far have devised no way of "sneezing" ourselves into new
ecosystems. Anyone interested in the comtemplating the enormity of the
problem of getting around trashing the ecosystem via interplanetary travel or
"growth" in the good 'ol manifest destiny sense of the term can read Francis
Crick's Life Itself. The book has it's problems, but it gets the difficulty
involved in interstallar travel down pretty well.
90+ percent of all the species that have ever graced this planet have a
single thing in common, they're extinct. The answers to question number one
lead me to believe that any one of the candidates would gladly lead us down
that path, all the while calling it growth.
Vote for a fool and become one, I wish there really was an alternative---but
Barkley, Carlton, and Hanson all banter with the best of them.
A voice from the silent majority.
............................................................................
Subject: Questions for candidates
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 1996
If people were paid according to their efforts, migrant farm workers would
all be driving Cadillacs. If they were paid according to their
contributions to society, teachers and nurses would be as rich as rock
stars.
What have you done, and what will you do if elected, to ensure that the
people who actually perform the work that keeps America great will receive
their fair share of the rewards?
............................................................................
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 1996
Subject: To Rudi Boschwitz, candidate for US Senate
Mr. Boschwitz;
As a member of Common Cause, I'm concerned with the integrity of
the political process, and election campaigns in particular. I have a
copy of Common Cause's "Clean Congress Commitment" which I would like to
have all candidates for office sign. Here is the first part of the text:
"I believe that comprehensive campaign finance reform must be passed by
the 105th Congress; and,
I believe that as a Member of Congress I must take personal
responsibility for my own actions until such campaign finance reform is
enacted; therefore, ...
...I will not accept campaign contributions from lobbyists;...
...I will not attend any fundraising event where political party soft
money contributions are solicited or raised."
(there's more, but this is the gist)
What are your thoughts on this issue, Mr. Boschwitz? I will be
contacting your campaign headquarters this weekend to get your schedule
and try to find a time to talk to you in person and ask you to sign the
pledge. You may contact me at jennym@minn.net.
............................................................................
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 1996
Subject: US Senate race
Question for candidates: What do you think of the ADA (Americans with
Disabilities Act)? I have heard some elected officials, including a MN US
Senator not up for re-election this year, say they want to eliminate it,
citing people who abuse the system.