Governor Carlson's response to the first E-Debate question: As a Republican, I truly believe that the family is the first level of government. I believe that families should be allowed to live their lives with as little interference from the government as possible. Stronger families will lead to stronger communities. However, I also believe that schools and other government institutions do have a role in fostering and encouraging moral and ethical behavior. I am deeply concerned about the decline of moral values in our society. We know, for example, that our growing rate of juvenile crime is related to the increasing number of children growing up in broken or dysfunctional families, I believe we must reform our current welfare system that penalizes families who want to stay together; I believe we must do more to require parents to live up to their child support obligations and I believe that we must start to emphasize programs and policies that encourage families and individuals- to take personal responsibility for their actions, Specifically, I have proposed and will again submit a welfare reform package called "Workfare" which requires able bodied adults to work if they are going to receive any benefits. Our current welfare system creates dependency, and the focus is entirely on receiving welfare checks. This system has failed. Welfare in Minnesota must be changed to a system that helps people get off the public dole and recognize the value of work and independence. Another indication of the breakdown of civic values in our communities is the rising violent crime rate. That is why I have been proud to support and sign tough crime legislation each of the last three years. These crime bills have increased the sentences for violent predators, outlawed stalking and provided more money for prison construction. Punishment is the only effective deterrent to crime. We must insist that if someone commits a crime they are held accountable for their actions and punished. My 1994 proposal included a "three-time loser" provision that called for a minimum 15 years in jail for those who commit three violent crimes against a person. Unfortunately, the DFL-controlled legislature, including Senator Marty, vetoed this proposal. In addition, early childhood education will continue to remain a top priority of my administration. Since 1991, state funding for Head Start has increased 50% or $10 million. Child abuse prevention, child support enforcement, parental education and the school breakfast program have also received substantial funding increases. In addition, I proposed and signed into law funding to artist block watch organization., and established a violence prevention clearinghouse with the Department of Public Safety. The Minnesota Children's Initiative, largely under the direction of First Lady Susan Carlson, is reforming how family services have delivered and created an $8 million grant program which gives communities incentives to work together to serve families more effectively. Clearly, there are problems in our communities that need to be addressed. The government must enact policies that will encourage families to stay together, help people to get off of welfare and show criminals that they will be punished. If we all work together, we can halt the moral breakdown in our communities.