Wrestling with REFORM

Entrepreneur, Jan, 2000 by Scott S. Smtih

THE FRESHEST FACE ON THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE SPEAKS HIS MIND ON GOVERNMENT, TAXES, EDUCATION AND BUSINESS.

"YOU CAN'T LEGISLATE AGAINST STUPIDITY, BUT WE TRY TO DO IT ALL THE TIME."

HE WAS BORN JAMES GEORGE JANOS EAPOLIS ON JULY 15, 1951. AS A MEMBER OF THE NAVY SEAL SPECIAL FORCES MANY YEARS LATER, HE WAS CALLED "JANOS THE DIRTY" FOR PUSHING THE LIMITS OF THE FORCE'S RULES. WHEN HE LAUNCHED HIS CAREER AS A PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER AT AGE 23, HE CHANGED HIS NAME TO JESSE VENTURA. (HE WAS IN CALIFORNIA AT THE TIME AND PICKED THE NAME OF A CITY THERE THAT MEANS "LUCK" IN SPANISH.) INDEED, IF THERE'S ONE THING YOU CAN SAY ABOUT JESSE VENTURA, IT'S THAT HIS MANY AND VARIED MONIKERS REFLECT THE CHAMELEON-LIKE CHANGES HE'S MADE IN HIS 48 YEARS--AND THE CHANGES HE MAY WELL MAKE FOR HIMSELF, HIS STATE--HECK, MAYBE EVEN HIS COUNTRY--IN YEARS TO COME.

After living with the nickname "The Body" during his wrestling days for his 6-foot-4-inch, 250-pound frame, Ventura called himself Jesse "The Mouth" when he became a controversial talk-show host. As Jesse "The Actor," he appeared in such movies as Predator, from which he borrowed his most famous line for his recent autobiography, I Ain't Got Time to Bleed: Reworking the Body Politic From the Bottom Up (Villard).

Ventura's political career launched in 1990 when a guerrilla campaign resulted in a record local turnout and his election as "The Mayor" of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Then on November 3, 1998, he stunned the political world by generating another massive grassroots response to his Reform Party message, beating two veteran politicians to become "The Governor." This despite the fact he only spent $600,000, much of it raised via the Internet, while his opponents had spent a combined $13 million.

Now Ventura insists on leaving behind "The Body" sobriquet and being addressed as "The Mind." He has certainly gained a considerable amount of respect; among his admirers are Donald Trump and Minneapolis businessman and bestselling author Harvey Mackay. There's even talk of drafting Governor Ventura to add "The President" to his designations in 2004.

Although people's opinions of Ventura vary greatly, there's no denying he has made America sit up and take notice. His fearlessness and independent thinking are clearly refreshing to a large group of Americans who have grown weary of the slick political and business players who typically dominate the headlines. Indeed, his approach may well represent a change in the political and business landscape in a way that will allow small business to thrive.

SCOTT S. SMITH: A year into the new job, are you still having fun, or has it turned out to be very frustrating?

GOV. JESSE VENTURA: I'm enjoying it very much, and I love coming to work every day. It's a heck of a challenge and an honor to be given the trust of the voters to fulfill this office. It's a tremendous learning experience.

SMITH: What are some of the lessons you've learned?

VENTURA: The most basic thing I've realized is that it's easy for everyone to holler for tax cuts, but in government, the law of physics prevails. I only got Cs in physics classes, but I do remember the basic principle: For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. When people say cut taxes, they have to understand that you can't do it without cutting spending. Where you get into the muddy water is when everyone wants you to cut what doesn't affect them.

You can't have it both ways. If we're going to cut taxes, then we have to cut the government's role. My definition of the government's role is that it should do only what you can't do for yourself. That's the mindset I'm trying to have prevail among my commissioners and staff. But it's a long process to change the way government has been doing things for so long.

SMITH: How can government encourage small business?

VENTURA: By being a partner instead of an adversary. One thing I noticed before I came into office was that any time I had to do anything with the government, it was always a headache and a roadblock. We need to make it friendly, to support people instead of punishing those who do the right thing. The classic example is property taxes. If you do the right thing and improve your property; the government charges you more taxes. If you let it deteriorate, it rewards you and you pay less.

SMITH: You used the Internet a lot during your campaign, and your state has one of the highest rates for Internet usage. What should the government's attitude be on Internet regulation?

VENTURA: You certainly don't want fraud, and the Web is a prime place for that. The government should oversee law-breaking, but other than that, it's probably going to be a free-for-all.

I should confess that I'm computer illiterate, but I did have a great Webmaster who allowed us to campaign extremely cheaply. The Internet will play a huge role in future elections.

SMITH: What should be the role of business in education?

VENTURA: Business needs to play a greater part, especially in supporting the public school system. We need to create a partnership between education and business. We need the business sector to voice its opinion on what kids should be learning so when they graduate, they can step right into the available jobs. Technology is the future, so we need to be training them for that type of work. In my opinion, the day of the liberal arts degree is waning.