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>> Rep Hackbarth thank you for joining us here today. My first question is can you describe your
district, and how you and your district are similar?
>> I've a very conservative district. My district is very libertarian, a very conservative,
very Republican. I've always been that so I think I fit the District of very very well.
If you look at my district and the amount of hunting licenses that are sold and the
amount of registered snowmobiles and registered ATV and register boats those kinds of things
those outdoor fun kind of things, you will see my district is always one of highest districts
for those kinds of licenses. Those of the kinds of things I like to do. I've been a
hunter and anger all my life I love to 80 be and snowmobile and boat and hunt and fish,
and I think that's why fit my district so well.
>> what is your occupation outside the Legislature? >> I sold although parts for 34 years. Along
with doing that at the same time I was selling automobile parts I became a volunteer firefighter
for my committee I've been doing that the last 30 years and still do that today. I phoned
my own businesses I've had to small businesses of my own all I've been working as an auto
parts salesman and I also taught at Hennepin Technical centers for all while I was a substitute
instructor there. >> what legislation have you worked on in
the past that you are most proud of? >> I think a lot of the Game and Fish issues.
Game and fish, and ATV and snowmobiles and those kinds of things I am proud of the fact
I've taken a lead on those issues. I'm kind of the go to guy on those things and those
of the things on the most proud of the very first bill one of first bills I did at was
creating the Turkey stamp we have Doc stance that Jeff to buy in addition to your hunting
license, we have a pheasants stamp of those kinds of trout stamps so I created out Wild
Turkey stamp. Wild turkeys were just we had a few down in southeastern Minnesota on down
around the Zumbro Falls and the state park and Whitewater State Park and down in that
area but we did not have them statewide now turkeys are everywhere I'm very proud to say
because of the Turkey stamp we were able to transplant at Turkey's throughout the state
and that created the amount of turkeys that we have throughout the state and provided
a very good hunting opportunity for everyone. I'm very proud of that, the very first piece
of legislation I did get passed laws and ice fishing contest bill we were having a problem
with people coming in putting an ice fishing contests promising huge prizes and then when
they would do the ice fishing contest the prices weren't there. We drafted a bill that
passed into legislation that required some bonds and things like that that people have
before that to put on these ice fishing contests. >> why did you initially decide to run for
office as a representative? >> That is one of my favorite stories. I never
intended to run for state representative, it was 1990 and on I was at home as I told
you earlier I worked nights and I was at home before I went to work and there was a knock
at my door and went to the door the lady was standing there and she was campaigning door-to-door
for state rep. We talked a little bit and I asked her some very specific questions,
and she didn't agree with anything that I stood for and I thought this is really odd
I was kind of the Democratic that time and a I thought boy and she was a Democrat and
we just did not see eye to eye on things. I went after she left I went to the phone
book and I looked up the name of the lady who was the state representative at the time
the incumbent she was challenging I called her and she answered the phone and all surprised
by that I said to her can I ask you some questions and how you stand on some things and she said
sure so after the same exact questions I wanted to compare apples to apples. She stood for
everything that I did exactly the same SALT I voted for her and the incumbent won and
the person who was at my door lost. Two years later in 1992 it was a redistricting year
and the redrew the lines I do every 10 years. I read in the Anoka county newspaper and here
was a picture of a woman who was at my door two years previous. It was said she was running
in this do district that was created by redrawing the lines and I immediately got I took action
again which I normally did not do but took action again and I got up and I went and I
looked ought the state Republican Party the phone number and I called and I told them
I said this woman is running in this district I'm reading about it now and who is running
against her because I want to volunteer for that person because this other person does
not represent what I feel and what I think the rest of our people in this area feel.
I want to volunteer for that person. They said we don't have anyone, and I said when
you find someone here's my phone number call me at want to help I can go and put signs
I can drive people door to door I can pass out literature I can do literature drops whatever.
That was the beginning of all of this. >> if you could go back and visit any time,
what time would you travel to and why it? >> This is changed over the years for me.
I thought getting to know Thomas Jefferson would be at was my very first one I used to
talk about all the time I thought that would be very intriguing to talk to him about everything
that he did and how we got to that point he seems like a very intriguing guy and I still
think he's very interesting. All the things he invented and every aspect of that gentleman
was really something everything he did. Then I used to think it was about the civil war
time and Abraham Lincoln and our first Republican President and all the things he was thinking
and would be nice to get to know him. But I think now looking back at different presidents
I don't know if that's not earlier question but I can't relate it back to different presidents
I would like to have known. I would like to know and Calvin Coolidge I think he was a
really interesting guy and not very popular and people don't really think about him, but
at the more I read about him the more I think about him I would really like to go back and
pick his brain a little more and see where he was sacked because I can relate to him
more than just about anyone I think. . .