Candidate Questionnaire for Forum of Fargo-Moorhead Newspaper

Why are you running for Governor?

Because I love the beauty and culture of Minnesota and I want to take responsibility to improve Minnesota where decision-makers of the past and present have not and do not.

On becoming Governor I would transition Minnesota to a mature democracy and a more self-reliant energy and food producing state, utilizing the rich resources and strengthening local economies which would improve the health of Minnesota and the whole bioregion.

What experience makes you qualified?

This is my 4th time to be on the Ballot for Governor

I lobbied on and off at the Minnesota State Capitol for 18 years, and have been preparing for the job.

I feel the two most important criteria for being Governor:

1. Are the initial judgments and mandates of the candidate relevant?

2. Is the candidate prepared to fulfill the role of Governor?

I feel I have the most relevant mandates and I'm ready to serve the people of Minnesota as their Governor.

Issues:

1. Establish an ecology-based economy for Minnesota where we will measure the health of the economy based upon the health of the natural resources. We will move from the growth economic model to a steady-state economy, and from the gross domestic product(GDP) to ecological whole-cost accounting.

2. Establish a Minnesota Currency at zero interest to stabilize the economy and make the currency available for sustainable and socially just purposes.

3. Implement proportional representation for the Minnesota House of Representatives. Move away from single member winner-take-all districts to voting regions, so, “if your party or candidate gets 10% of the vote you get 10% of the seats”. This reflects the values of the voter more honestly

4. Remove Big Money and Corporate interference in the people's Government by full public funding of elections, free airtime, and ending corporate personhood and the absurd notion that money equals speech.

Budget

My budget priorities will reflect a healthy ecosystem, better democracy, and less economic stress for those in poverty. Below are a few revenue streams:

1. Print a Minnesota Currency and/or vouchers to pay for the budget shortfall: $5 billion

2. Go back to the Minnesota 1977 tax rates: Approximately $7 billion

3. Charge a water fee at 1-2 cents/gallon on big users*: Approximately $2 billion

4. A pollution tax from air and water emissions: Yet to be determined

Utilizing ecological whole-cost accounting we cut externalities, such as: asthma from oil, unaccounted for nuclear waste, climate disruption, cancer, and many effects not in the bottom line of our economy. In the transition to an ecological economy there are a variety of positive outcomes, for example in local job creation and billions of $$ recycling in Minnesota that normally leave the state. Then the cost of government and taxes naturally comes down and we reduce our ethical deficit by not dumping our problems on future generations.

*This would mostly be for big users in industry and agriculture not residential small-time users. The DNR monitors big water users and receives a small fee but nothing that would curtail excess water use by the utilities, paper companies, ethanol and chemical manufacturers. I called for this in 2002 and had Boise Cascade on my case.

It's time we closed the loop on big water users.

Education

Look to previous question for revenue.

The most important thing we can do in education is remedy the patterns that have lead us to pillage and plunder the non-human world. This has left ALL living creatures in earth in peril. So, we must be honest and first reexamine education as either a way to subdue the instincts of the young into compliance with the dysfunctional patterns that have lead us to this point or liberate them through adjusting the curriculum and our/their expectations so they are given the information, tools, and practices to literally solve the problems we are leaving them.

I would emphasize the needed shift to a holistic form of education in greater ecological and civic understanding, arts, physical fitness, apprenticeships, and strengthening intergenerational relationships.

We will create a learning environment in Minnesota where higher education is free so we can adapt to achieving the the most sustainable region and mature democracy in the world.

Jobs

A job for jobs sake is not what I will focus on. There are some jobs it is better to pay people not to do because it is costing us more than benefiting us.

Through an ecological economy and a more mature democracy we will be retraining and retooling, creating 2-10 times more jobs in a variety of sectors such as:

• Efficient renewable energy on a house-by-house building-by-building basis.

• Local sustainable organic farming that leads to diversified value-added products.

• Rezoning and construction for walkable, bicycle, train, and bus planned cities.

• Small-scale sustainable logging and value added wood products.

In the transition to an ecological economy we will be investing in less wasteful systems leading to an overall lower cost of living. We then need less hours to provide our basic needs. Less needed work hours will free us up to be whole people, with more time for family, friends, civic and creative time.

This gives you a sense of where I will be leading.

Ken Pentel for Governor

P.O. Box 3872

Minneapolis, MN 55403
www.kenpentel.org