Changes

As governor, Ventura spearheaded a sales tax rebate, with Minnesotans receiving a tax-free check in late summer for every year of his administration and was influential in reducing class sizes through [[education]] funding. Ventura advocated turning the State Assembly and State Senate into one unicameral legislator. A third party governor working with a Republican controlled Minnesota House and a Democratic controlled Minnesota Senate, Ventura vetoed 207 bills. <ref>http://www.leg.state.mn.us/LRL/Vetoes/vetodetails.asp?searchtype=gov&veto_gov=6</ref> He vetoed a bill that promoted recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools, saying "I believe patriotism comes from the heart. Patriotism is voluntary." <ref>http://www.astrotheme.com/portraits/CrK8Bgm67b2B.htm</ref> Additionally, he participated in trade missions to [[Mexico]] and [[China]]. In 1999, Ventura had a public disagreement with erstwhile Reform Party leader [[Ross Perot]] over Perot's control of the party and with [[Pat Buchanan]]'s seeking the party's 2000 nomination, and Ventura took the Minnesota branch independent of the national Reform Party to become the Independence Party of Minnesota. In 2002, Ventura appointed his fellow Reform/Independence Party politician [[Dean Barkley]] to the U.S. Senate to fill out the remaining two months in the term of the deceased [[Paul Wellstone]].  

As governor, Ventura spearheaded a sales tax rebate, with Minnesotans receiving a tax-free check in late summer for every year of his administration and was influential in reducing class sizes through [[education]] funding. Ventura advocated turning the State Assembly and State Senate into one unicameral legislator. A third party governor working with a Republican controlled Minnesota House and a Democratic controlled Minnesota Senate, Ventura vetoed 207 bills. <ref>http://www.leg.state.mn.us/LRL/Vetoes/vetodetails.asp?searchtype=gov&veto_gov=6</ref> He vetoed a bill that promoted recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools, saying "I believe patriotism comes from the heart. Patriotism is voluntary." <ref>http://www.astrotheme.com/portraits/CrK8Bgm67b2B.htm</ref> Additionally, he participated in trade missions to [[Mexico]] and [[China]]. In 1999, Ventura had a public disagreement with erstwhile Reform Party leader [[Ross Perot]] over Perot's control of the party and with [[Pat Buchanan]]'s seeking the party's 2000 nomination, and Ventura took the Minnesota branch independent of the national Reform Party to become the Independence Party of Minnesota. In 2002, Ventura appointed his fellow Reform/Independence Party politician [[Dean Barkley]] to the U.S. Senate to fill out the remaining two months in the term of the deceased [[Paul Wellstone]].  

Ventura appeared to enjoy the notoriety more than the job. He did an interview for ''Playboy'', guest-refereed a pay per view [[WWE|WWF]] wrestling match while he was governor, and wrote his 1999 best selling memoir ''I Ain't Got Time to Bleed''. In 2001 he also allowed himself to be hired as a commentator for the short lived [[XFL]]. <ref>http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200201/28_khoom_jessereview/</ref> Ventura believed [[prostitution]] should be legalized and called organized [[religion]] a "sham."  In an effort at damage control he then specifically attacked "fundamentalist fanatics" who he claimed thought "everybody must believe the same things they do."  He gave no examples.  He was also appalled that "there are lots of people out there who think they know the truth about God and religion."  

Ventura appeared to enjoy the notoriety more than the job. He did an interview for ''Playboy'', guest-refereed a pay per view [[WWE|WWF]] wrestling match while he was governor, and wrote his 1999 best selling memoir ''I Ain't Got Time to Bleed''. In 2001 he also allowed himself to be hired as a commentator for the short lived [[XFL]]. <ref>http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200201/28_khoom_jessereview/</ref> Ventura believed [[prostitution]] should be legalized and called organized [[religion]] a "sham."  In an effort at damage control he then specifically attacked "fundamentalist fanatics" who he claimed thought "everybody must believe the same things they do."  He gave no examples.  He was also appalled that "there are lots of people out there who think they know the truth about God and religion." In an interview with [[CNN]] anchor, [[Piers Morgan]], Ventura stated that he was an [[atheist]] and compared believing in God to believing in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Clause.

He also caused controversy when he commented, "Those streets in St. Paul must have been designed by drunken Irishmen." Although riding a wave of popularity when he first came into office, by the time of the next election that had changed. The [[economy]]  had weakened and his governorship was plagued with embarrassments. By the time he left office in 2003, his job approval rating had dropped into the teens.

He also caused controversy when he commented, "Those streets in St. Paul must have been designed by drunken Irishmen." Although riding a wave of popularity when he first came into office, by the time of the next election that had changed. The [[economy]]  had weakened and his governorship was plagued with embarrassments. By the time he left office in 2003, his job approval rating had dropped into the teens.