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Ken Pentel speaks at SCSU
By Carol Seavey
Published:
Monday, October 14, 2002
Ken Pentel pushed environmental issues and decentralization, clean politics and nonviolence when he spoke to SCSU students Thursday evening in Brown Hall Auditorium.
Pentel is running for Minnesota governor on the Green Party ticket. One of his main focuses is environmental issues.
"In Minnesota right now we import 97 percent of our fuels," Pentel said.
Pentel wants the state to be energy efficient and co-generational. He referred to the Coke refinery's relationship to Xcel Energy, in particular.
Other improvements Pentel suggested for improved energy efficiency are building codes, soft solar, energy efficient windows, lighting, air conditioning, motors, refrigerators.
"We could create 2-10 times more jobs in a 10-year period save 30-60 percent of our energy, reduce our cost of living, and increase our quality of life," Pentel said.
Pentel would also like Minnesota to solve problems without violence. According to Pentel, we shouldn't need violence in television show just because the shock value will make the ratings go up.
"We've got to offer people peaceful solutions in the world," he said.
Pentel does not support being able to weapon concealment and wants to reduce the amount of worldwide weapons.
"I think, generally, we already have too lethal of a world," he said.
In addition Pentel suggested that there should be strong background checks, training, safety on guns, ultimately reduce the weaponry in society, and allow local jurisdictions and police to decide who can carry.
"I think the pentagon creates a climate of fear and paranoia, not only here but around the world," Pentel said. As far as education goes, he would like to make higher education more affordable, first, by encouraging post secondary options in high school so students don't have to pay for college, and second, he wants to make sure student aide is going to more lower-income students.
Pentel also wants more work study money and debt relief for students after graduation to fill gaps in nursing school teaching, local organic farming, reciprocal debt. Pentel also wants to decentralize higher education and keep it from corporatization.
"I do not like the linkage of the corporations on the research leading the research then selling it in the marketplace," he said.
SCSU senior sociology major, Katie Pepper concurred.
"I totally agree," said Pepper "I think it's a huge problem as far as education and research. Having so much biased research; it's pervading everything."
Pentel would also like to reduce the amount of toxins.
"I want to deal with shutting the faucet off and on, know the sources of persistent toxicity and force the responsibility on the companies that produce it to prove to us it causes no harm," said Pentel.
Pentel would also like Minnesota to rethink ways to fight the "War on Drugs." He supports medicinal marijuana, decriminalization of marijuana, and generally wants to look at people doing drugs as a health issue rather than a crime issue.
"They probably haven't had economic investment in 30 or 40 years," Pentel said. "We've got to make sure we create economic opportunity in those areas to diffuse the need to make drugs a commodified situation."
Pentel discussed these issues and other Green Party views with about 30 people.
"There are a lot of things that I would love to see happen," said SCSU senior social work major, Jessica Karpinske. "But, I think that, like with anything, it would take a long time."
