Question 4:

The Governor of Minnesota will be asked to come up with solutions to a variety of issues that culminate in the tension between the need to protect the environment, and the need to sustain economic development. Solutions to conflicts that have arisen through issues such as the BWCA, timber resources, agriculture, including feedlots, and others will require making difficult choices and creating consensus. What are some of the tradeoffs you see in these rural and urban issues? In your rebuttal please respond to these two questions. Can you create consensus between these divergent Minnesota interests to work out some of these problems. If so, how would you create that consensus?

VENTURA Response to Question 4:

Conflicting interests are a fact of life. Just to stay alive, you must consume other living things. Conflicting interests often lead to fights. When I was the Mayor of Brooklyn Park, I showed that I know how to resolve conflicting interests by building consensus. I’ll provide specifics in my rebuttal to question 4, as instructed by E-Democracy.

In general, you resolve conflicting interests by emphasizing common interests. If a resource scarcity is seen to be part of the conflicting interest, you find alternative resources.

Look at developers and environmentalists. While they often fight, they also have common interests. Most environmentalists drive cars. Most developers like clean air. Let’s talk about the big picture first. Let’s talk about our shared quality of life. Then we’ll talk about what highways we’ll build and what forests we’ll leave alone.

Before we fight over what trees to cut or where to put nuclear waste, let’s look at the big picture. What about using hemp instead of trees for some of the products we want? What about wind and the sun instead of nuclear power plants?

Why don’t third alternatives get seriously considered?

It’s because most special interest groups have found comfortable homes in one of the two major parties. They have been playing the special-interest game so long that they don’t even see the big picture. For them, it’s about winning battles.

For me, as your Governor, it would be about the public good. Once we have talked about the big picture and our common interests, then we can talk about the issue of the day. As your third-party, PAC-free candidate, I can implement this approach better than any other candidate.

Watch for my web site coming soon: