russians have taken place are secondary nature. the primary goal from the primary target is the next election. but the elections of the russian consideration, and to avoid any problems here to minimize the opportunity to be able to point out that these elections and the future will be honest or may be dishonest in order to kick the ground from under the feet of those who seek to delegitimize the authority and power in this country i have a suggestion. last year in the summertime when we had those fires, terrible fires in the central part of russia allied traveled to many of the affected regions in order to help people rebuild their housing, and there was a number of very unusual decisions and those that we made were

completely unprecedented. .. that this country will see everything on the internet said the entire country will see what i thought name next to the particular ballot locks to leave at the very matter of falsifications altogether. [applause] i know we here in the studio who individuals who want to carry on the subject of elections. by the way, here's what i would

like to say. i believe that i asked that attention be paid to this. the opposition should be given an opportunity to monitor everything that happens after calling stations. on a full scale. and it can be done using such web cameras, but also needs to be ensured in accordance with the law the local electrode commissions represents represent all the political forces that make up the pilot. i would like to say the following and asking to speak to those who are willing to vote, including for me as a presidential candidate. please do not think that that yes we would both be in. so i need to go get some groceries there goes my country house. no one will do anything except for you. it's only a see you. you have to make up your mind and decide who will engage in foreign policy and represent this country internationally.

who will insure domestic external security and do a social matters and dealing with developing the economy. only you and nobody else. let us stay on the elections. i know that we have here some people who would like to ask a question about that. but then there's alex xavier and i'm asking marika tae bo to let them ask a question. editor in chief of moscow. >> yes, i was there as an observer. here's my question. you've been talking about the opposition, but please believe me. it was not just the opposition. you are now answering to white opposition wants and seeks. but while a response to nearly upset, nearly frustrated and fairness. they believe their votes have been stolen.

the word will search for fairness. i would like you to answer to those people. not the opposition. first i heard he said what about it and i did say there were different people over there. i was happy that i saw how they dynamic energetic individuals who looked like they were intellectuals who were with their position once again. is that a result of the tranter regime, it makes me happy there are such people. as far as the procedure for the resolution, it is well known as set forth in the law. in certain cases where the results have not been tabulated county electoral commissions have the right to recount the votes and add some occasions that is exactly what was done at the command of the opposition parties. but when a line has been drawn, there is another way of settling

such disputes. you have to take into a court of law. of course you have to proceed from the preface that our courts lacked dynamically and the objective. regarding the development on blog "esquire," there's views including that which is opposite to the one which we have here a work veteran. >> how are you? why does she give the microphone to the veteran. it sounds like he will teach it or something. >> it seems to me -- and i will say it straight. and any family, in any house, no matter how good life is, there's always room for improvement. someone isn't happy about something. in these matters can be a result in on this occasion speaking of the elections.

and the city square have a demonstration. the city is working. we add our plants are neck deep in work and already there is a number of orders placed with us for next year. and we work like we've never worked before it during the soviet area, we used to build 2,221,000 square way cars. as of yesterday we build 24,000. we are working about the plan targets and we have a big order for next year as well. so people can see that their employment has a future and they are happy of course. there are those who are unhappy. especially with today's attitude to the individual, and these utility matters, something that has been talked about for six months plus. nothing is in order here and people would get two or three instructions to pay and there is

fraud in these matters have to be dealt with. and those other countries need to be held responsible. people believe in good life and today there are different parties, but we are all united by the same interests of people have a good life. people will be appreciated, so people will be heard and people will not try to hide behind the mandates of deputies, whether it's a local council, district council, regional counsel. there are people like that among us today and attention needs to be paid very quickly to agriculture. not just lip service being paid to it, but it has to be done so are tourists will go to egypt and bring our russian potatoes. not bring their potatoes at two s. from egypt. i am speaking to other russians right now. the matter is that we should not

invite travel to russia. we have been through a lot of trouble. we don't need great revolutions. as of today, i am a deputy of the state and i will do what i can to defend fairness, honesty and i think we will be able to set ends up in a way that people will be happy, so people will be heard and all the leaders, starting with the prime minister and ending with the foreign men will ask questions that the chairman of the government. [applause] >> well, i think what i have said can all be translated into life with the assistance of the chairman of the government. it not really request. it is just one exception. stamp out red tape and deception of the people. thank you. [applause] >> as far as agriculture, i am sure we will talk about that.

i'm sure there will be questions about agriculture during this conversation of ours today. as far as people bring you potatoes from egypt, i'm not anything about that. it sounds very exotic. i have to take egypt is one of the largest importers of our green. in the past decades, there was close to untouchable. we were not importers of green as you know, importing it from canada, u.s. and australia. today we are the third largest exporter in the world and that has never been the case before. of course this is the result of the work and talent of our agricultural workers and last but not least, for he supported the government. and this year we have -- we stored the potential. get another question about the election in downtown moscow, people wore white ribbons in

these ribbons seem to be something like a symbol of the future color revolution in russia. you agree? >> haverty said what i think about these developments on the whole and it seems to me, maybe we should get on other subjects. there are many other interesting subjects. i'm afraid we'll have to keep coming back. >> office upgrade interest, as far as within an color-coded revolutions, as far as color-coded revolutions, everything is clear. it is a well tested with destabilizing society. i don't think the scheme of civilizing society was born and evolved by itself. we are familiar with the events of the orange revolution. either way, some of the members of our opposition at that time were officially employed as advisers to the then president hu jintao. so not sure they are transcending those two russian

soil. when i saw this, people were something on the front of their close. but honestly, although i'm a little embarrassed by it, i thought they were -- they were fighting a, that they were wearing -- that they were wearing contraceptive materials on their chests. i took a closer look and realized it was something else. in principle, my first thought it was great. they were fighting for a healthy way of life. i'm sure russia will support this. this is especially relevant for young people. by the way, the party in russia were these ribbons that the congress. good for them. well done. so the progress, yes. as long as they are within the law. disagreements with authorities are doing, yes because the authorities do not always, far from always, act appropriately

and correctly meet the challenges of the time. often people are in it to fairness and justice in this canon has to be responded to. but to allow oneself to be dragged into some kind of scheme to destabilize society that i think will be incorrect. that cannot be tolerated. also you said in the beginning that many people went into the square, the square in moscow as if demonstrating their displeasure with how the authorities were treating them. a look at one can see on the television screen but some of the readers of the opposition who had asked people to come to the square, they were yelling. sheep go forward. what kind of language is that? can't people get treated like their cattle? the people are unhappy with the authorities, will they prefer to have this kind of authority over their? i think people who did go -- i

know that students who participated were paid very little and that's fine. let them get paid a little. but to allow oneself to be humiliated, i don't think that should be tolerated. as i could pass it forward to our studios, where my colleague is working. dmitri, were listening. >> here in the studios we have a member of the public chamber. please ask a question. good afternoon. we started in the square because this is a topic of the subject and i understand it very well. but we are speaking about the interaction of society and the state, the authorities and the individual. yet seen for yourselves repeatedly that we have been struggling in vain so far to find a common language. yesterday i also was receiving phone calls, which were coming.

i can say the individuals who i directly spoke to were all lamenting that they could not find a common language with the authorities local where they live. i spoke on the phone to natalia kournikova from the village of nova sarkozy and she told me that its 2005 she had been trying to solve the problem of notches she personally, but her neighbors as well, members of the community. they have repeatedly asked for a meeting with the mayor, head of the administration. she said the mayor laughed in her face and says i need come kind of an overseer, a handler to solve this problem. and that is not an exception. ailsa receive phone calls from the moscow region that were like that. i think under these circumstances we should think about changing the interaction between local authorities coming municipalities and regional authorities but members of the

public. you have been meeting with individuals who travel this country. you put out fires in your doings of it as prime minister. why can we convince the local authorities to physically meet with people on the ground. and people say we would like to have a meeting with the mayor, with the head of the municipality to discuss certain issues and decide where to build a bridge to something else. but we don't want things to impose on us. for the people, but without the people. it appears to me that it's time to think about that. the complaints that come to the public chamber, they are numerous and we always ask the question, why do they arrive to the federal authorities? because the local authorities don't want to talk to them. what is your opinion of the format of interaction with the public? >> i was in square and i spoke

to the people they are. people didn't come there because they want to support the slogan. they hadn't even heard spoken. they're attacking the something else, different problems in society. they didn't come out there for no reason. i think everything should be done with the people. and he is at six of ordinary members of the public today appears to me that we have to listen to them and think about how this can be done. i think the suggestion of setting up web cameras that election polls could indeed he implemented, but also municipalities and look at how governors -- thank you. >> thank you for your question. let's be a little more distant as far as time. let's see how the authorities are responding to the member of the public. >> well, i have my own

authority. and keeping time and there is nothing that can be done about that. this kind of behavior is intolerable. you should have let him speak. you want to let me speak here of course. i support you. but this is really an important question. and i know how much tension. i don't think you should be doing it yourself. you have to think about how management needs to be changed. i understand this is not an easy question and matters will be decided as far as the federal government and other members on trade matters, do we have to approach the individual closer than matters he or she deals with on a daily basis. i will respond. i've been looking at questions here on the billboard and one which will you bring back the winter time, the summer saving time. we will talk about that later will talk about single mothers come a very serious matter. retired veterans receive more

than the average retiree. nationwide, the average pension this year will be a house than 350 at first we will end back and this tension will increase the pension significantly by 60% on average. as far as your question, it is an important question. once again i would like to revisit. he paid attention to the municipal level of authority. when i had personal meetings with him and i talked to him, i remember, they are in great detail to share his ideas about strengthening the municipal level of it already and i think that he was exactly right as far as this is concerned because the respa level of authority is the level that people can come is speaking figuratively, reach out and touch. and this is the most important model because directly on its effectiveness depends the effect

admits that the work of -- depends the quality of life -- everyday life of the individual. that is the first thing. the second thing is we have to make sure the municipal level of authority is self-sufficient as far as dealing with the issues that have been put on its agenda and thinking honestly at the availability of financing sources for dealing with these matters, matters that are faced by municipalities is very low. it does not allow the financing of municipalities to affect a late tackle challenges facing them on a full scope. and that is why a government we have now an entire group working under the leadership of the deputy prime minister that is looking into the matter of contributing the powers in the source of financing for dealing with such issues. even in the presence of the resources and opportunities, we

often deal with indifference. and the slogan that these are not there should be put in jail most frequently i agree. although we should not turn it into a campaign mongering. what is very important as the municipal level and this country is elected directly. and of course people misunderstand him a letter. they will not elect for handouts. the oligarchs or their representatives, but said they will like individuals who truly are respected in their community and will be capable of dealing with matters with individuals. i already started the example i talked about before. i have indeed told them that it was a difficult winter.

one of the communities had a problem. one of the pipes burst and they had to go there quickly and do something. so he comes and talks to local authorities and says, let's go to this town. the local bosses know, i can't go there because they will beat me up. he says how can you not go? people are freezing there. so he grabs him, brings him somewhere for where they are are in a helicopter or plane and fly further. this local guy says, excuse me for a moment, i need to use the bathroom. and then he disappeared to the back door. he literally escape and that is local authorities. he was responsible of the hands of local authorities. how can i comment on that? this of course we need our opportunities and we need to be tougher on them, asking them to do their job.

had they to repeat that's very important. people must understand what elections are all about. there is a comprehensive effort to strengthen this how important segment in the power structures of this country come at the municipal of authority. more questions of elections that we cannot avoid, but they agree. in russia, virtually a presidential campaign has started. he like other have submitted for registration, but the question from the site. for eight years your present and able to achieve a lot as prime minister. the question is, if you win, what do you think is the mission that the president of russia, vladimir putin in 2012? >> loafers about, thank you for your kind assessment of what has been done before indeed we have a lot of unresolved issues and challenges. do certain things i consider

landmark and they have been achieved over the previous years. i even wrote down some of the results of the current year, which i will talk about later. but over the past two years come here so we been able to do. we been able to accomplish a lot in the social area and that is key. in the year 2000, even by russian standards and russian candidates are much more modest than those used in europe. 29% of the population lived. 29% of the population lived below the poverty line. can you imagine what kind of state the society within over 10 years? we were able to reduce that number by half. today the number is 12.5%. yes it's too much. it's more than any other countries, but the trend is obvious. it is a positive trend. in 2000 the average wages in this country were 2232.

adjusted for inflation, today the average wages nationally would have to be 7400. this is where we would be if we had just developed in a natural way. however, while the average wages in the country are nothing to write home about, dare not 7400. there are 23,400 provosts. this despite the crisis phenomenon or decline in income population. this is the most important thing. i must've been talking about the strengthening statehood, the strengthening our country's international standing, et cetera. these i believe are obvious things. but even as far as the crisis, if we were to go back to the crisis, we have gone through the crisis thanks to the potential that we had increased economic

output almost twofold over those years because the economy had expanded. it became more stable. we have passed the crisis in a much softer way in 2009 and 2010 and other countries on the planet. even then during that time, we were experiencing a certain real income growth. and i'm emphasizing rao, adjusted for inflation. so this year we will have the economy growth registering at 4.2, 4.5%, where europe is one to 1.2%. next year, pleading zero economic growth. and some of you are going to be in the negative. this is official data. not that we are headed by that. there's nothing to be happy

because this is the part as well. but our ratios are much more stable and better. and there is a very important indicator that we've been working on over the past two years. let me remind you in the early odds, the inflation was 30% and sometimes before that exceeded 100%. now we have a record low inflation level. something unmatched in the history of modern russia. this year we have 6%, which is close to the uk's 5%. of course, we will need to maintain this trend for reducing inflation. we need to target inflation and of course unemployment, which is a crucial indicator of what the state of the economy is. as for his unemployment, we have dropped below the pre-crisis levels. we currently have 6% unemployment using the ilo at fidelity. that is an important indicator

on the health of the economy. you remember how we started out? we had 120 billion in debt and 12 billion in assets reserves. these are very offload. the prime minister made the first step to rehabilitate the system. i'm not only have we maintain this trend, but we strengthen the trend many times over. we of the world third largest gold and fx reserves in the world. we have almost brought them back to the pre-crisis levels. not quite, but almost. and we have what is the minimal foreign debt. we only have 10%. just to remind you, italy is handknotted 45%. debt to the gdp is 32%. in japan it is more than 200% debt to gdp.

and in this country, the ratio is only 10% of which foreign debt is only 2.5%. we have a healthy, sound economy and on this basis we can successfully develop the social sphere, although it has to be done carefully because we have to make sure that nothing is unbalanced. the results of this year is positive. once again adverting mention the gdp will have grown by 4.5%. industrial output up we 5.1%. the real wages are not going as fast as we'd like them to, but this year we do a 2.9% increase in the real wages. we had indexed all the pensions. although last year, we have increased 45%. before nobody did and it's the crisis. they did just the opposite. they froze the pensions and increase the retirement age. we opted for a different

scenario. so this is what has been done. what needs to be done our goals of an entirely different caliber. they are more complex than those we have worked with before. we have to strengthen our political system. that is the first order of priority. we have to expand the basis of democracy in this country so people will directly fielder vocally in the region confederation so that people will have trust towards the authority and so the political system will be self-sufficient and stable and able to deal with external shocks. ngo with the tense to try and get here and insinuate the way here and impact our domestic political processes. this has to be put in it too. went to diversify the economy and innovation and modernization will become part and parcel of our overall policy. of course you need to increase

and improve so that nobody will feel left behind by the government. so these are all the polls that we will have to work on. obviously, if the public decides that it can trust me to do this work, it will be my pleasure to do this work and i will work with the entity as they did before. i bask the cast to please refer your question so everyone can ask questions that the government. earlier i said that we have a member of the state here, attorney andrea mccart. i passed the floor. >> they will not let me take the microphone. just give me a promise that she'll be brief. >> well, the microphone here is the symbol of authority. grab the authority. by way of continuing what you have just been discussing, the

overarching goal in the times we've just talked about what this country was on the brink of a civil war was clear. it had to be dealt with. but today this overarching goal has been achieved. the social expenditures that are growing at an unprecedented pace are causing some doubt, how we will be able to pay taxes that will have to pay so that they will not let editor. the very word stability is already acquiring a negative shade. the important thing is that many say this is a decade of high oil prices and therefore a decade of lost opportunities are missed opportunities. ask a question you were asked 12 years ago. in english it was as follows. who is mr. putin? i would like to translated into russian and say this. the overarching goal of the

presidential candidate -- not the president, but the candidate, vladimir putin bay authority console. what is this overarching goal and whom do you represent? two-minute soundbite this. but as a reason to seek another presidency? >> as far as the statement that the goal of strength and the state and state would have been fully resolved, i could not quite agree. the most important thing is to. look at the caucuses. look at how people from the phenomena. if you let things go a little bit, and many will understand what the difficulties of today our period when people instead of going to a rally in the city square will go and face bullets in tight areas, where they were not think about how much their pensions or wages were increased, but what to do with

increasing unemployment such as in the united states are in several western european countries and what to do with the pension system when you start thinking about increased pensions. we'll have to have a discussion by how much to raise the retirement. almost all the countries around us have done that. i will talk about the countries with longer life expectancies, where the democratic search number of those employed is relatively less and less compared to those who are retired. if the country was forced to do that in my life is a conceit is perhaps even my spirit under the financial institutions. the au pair pensions must you increased tire manage. they are forced to comply. everything has been done, i would not say that. get a great deal has been done

and i said as much myself and agree to needs to be done more to strengthen the system. and the fact this word is beginning to sound negative. it is not it can to marching on the spot, standing on the spot. stability and quite stable development. that is my concept of stability. and that is what was insured over the previous years. and that is well we'll need to be secured in the future. i have heard he told that in the short term, midterm and in the longer strategic term, we'll have to deal with authoritatively different challenges. society needs to be deranged in a different way. in democratic institutions and need to be modernized, both the

social sphere. and to a certain extent we need profound transformations so the country will be both stable and it will be new frontiers. if the people of this country trust me with this job. [applause] >> we have just talk about how the country successfully overcame a 2008 crisis. it is possibly due to the safety pillar represented by the stabilization fund that had been built based on an idea by the former finance minister. the other day he said the second crisis has begun and he and i

are like minded persons. if you win, we bring him to your team? >> well you know, alex cooter and has never left my team. he is a very, very old acquaintance of mine come a close friend of mine. what happened in the government, very many fat tears, that he is not left that far. i only spoke to him the day before yesterday we discussed all these matters. i understand his position on many matters. moreover euston a great deal to strengthen the economy. it is not by accident the international expert has twice adjudications recognized as the best finance minister of the world and i take pride that someone like he worked in my government. once again, he and i met the other day and spoke about the situation of the economy indeed, many things we see differently.

but they are not crucial. they are not a principled nature. as far as a decade of missed opportunities, including where does this come from? let me talk about the mechanics of it. i will reveal that. so, we made a decision to increase pensions by 42% -- by 45% amidst the crisis. some of the liberal economist told me that it cannot and must not be done in the middle of a crisis. we need to save money. and if we were to increase pensions, then at the same time we need to take steps that one way or the other will be necessary at some point. in the area the same pension system. what kind of steps?

for instance, we have a great deal of individuals in this country who are entitled to early retirement. what do you think is the number? out of the total number of retirees is 34%. 34% have the right to early retirement. and i was told that it had to be done now. we are badly increase in the pension side in this step is taken as well. the same applies to several other issues. for instance, as far as the public health, if we are making the step whereby we are issuing 460 billion additionally to the public health system, if we are doing something else, something additional in the education area, they are in this respect to factors we have to take necessary actions so as to reduce the number of institution , reduce the number of staff to make the system more mobile, more interesting. what do we need so many beds in

hospitals in wintertime they are mostly used by elderly, just to spend the winter. what you need to be able to do in a hospital is to undergo trade and. just like in the western hospitals. two or three days and then the next patient. you don't need as many. >> correct. probably not. you have to build a modern health system with proper technologies so that effective assistance can be given to people and effective treatment and care can be given to people for two or three days. and also, there are people who work in that system. well, first they have to provide jobs for them. so is this a time of missed opportunities? you know, politics or the art of the possible and i have always attentively and with respect

listen to those who suggested this particular mode of action. i frequently agree that i thought it was possible. but i never forgot and i will never forget how it will impact the individual, the specific individual, where it will lead to, but sentiment to a rise in society. we need to lay people off in may may 2 by acknowledging atchison public health, but everywhere, otherwise in the middle of a crisis we will send people into the street without a job. is that a time of missed opportunities? i don't think so. we have to work carefully. i once again want to say indeed, we do have certain disagreements, but on the whole in principle, people think in global terms and have a strategic vision of the future. people like here of course made in the current government and future government. there will be room for him in

the ranks. once again to remind you, we have an information center at work, which is correct and communications and that is banned by my colleague, maria. maria, with a great deal of questions and communications. so far we have received more than 1.5 million communications, putting 190,000 phone calls, including tax as well. as far as comparing to the previous hearing, more are interested in the statehood in domestic policies. the skoda questions. how are you? you were on the air. >> hello, my name is dolores. last year you said that the utilities would not grow by more than 15% in you personally oversee this. however, in certain localities in certain regions, the growth has exceeded 50%.

choosing eurocrats are so used to you that they are no longer afraid of you and they do as they please? thank you. >> thank you to? to mayor them? >> well as far as the utilities, it has been discussed here earlier. indeed, this is one of the most sensitive matters for the public and indeed this is fairness and unfortunately have to say that honestly. just to remind you not to pass the back to somebody, but because this is by law and the facts of life. the utilities are the competence as well as they should be at the local and regional authorities. but this is the fact and the mutual authorities when we recently ran into problems in this area, i started racing at his level of the russian federation. i will tell you i will not say i was told immediately to not do

this. do not get entangled with this problem. it is very difficult to solve. as you know, i have an entirely different style of operation. i've know people don't care. they don't give a on his competence includes a certain air. they don't see the difference. they don't differentiate. they what matters do with. that is where they started dealing with this at the level of government. in order to raise the level of responsibility, we passed some of the authority of dealing with these issues for a municipal to regional level. we also empowered these regional and local authorities of government in a way that they can now determine the consumption rate and bring in the so-called management companies and fight terrorists in certain areas. so here is what we've run into.

yes, of course removal of cross subsidies and cross payments. the mix and i will try to be very, very brief. as far as the consumption rate, when the historic setting consumption rate at the local level will be either lower or higher. and i miss to a great extent depends on the level of collections. people will be bypassing the tariff regulations. as far as the management companies immediately at the market their companies affiliated in a pamphlet to say that but it is true. this is the most important goal and this has a number of payers pay for other payers for the public. in this regard what needed to be done regularly in the previous years gradually as the economic conditions allowed, as inflation grew gradually without too much pain for the people, but in a

way that was adequate to the situation involving an economy, terry stated to do is carefully. but when we say last year under the federal utilities fund that could only support those regions that are complying with those terms, including our removing cross subsidies in certain municipalities and regions they did not make the timely decisions to raise tariffs and a gradual way. what happened there? trying to get federal support inflated tears by 70, 100 even more%. and of course we're forced to interfere and bring the bar back to 25%. according to information available to me, all of this has been done. if however we have overlooked something, then please tell us that i will immediately ask the operator to tell me where you

are in this year will set the bar for utilities growth at 15% and another percentage point more. as of now, so far the average -- the average increase nationwide is 13.5%. here today. it is possible that the terrorists have grown by semi. even last year, such municipalities where terrorist grew exponentially, they were not that many. yes, they did tarnish the overall picture, but altogether there were maybe it is a nationwide college in relative terms is not a large percentage. however, as far as the next year, we made a decision to limit the growth of tears by inflation, which means that the

tariffs will grow by six, maybe six plus%. consciously, not because of political reasons, not because we have elections coming up, but because if the terrorists are raised early in the year, the kind of chemistry, feed at the end station. we've made the decision to only allow terrorists to be increased starting in july. once again on a year-over-year basis, they won't increase by more than 6.8%. but the actual growth will not even start until the second half of the year. thank you. i would like to pass the floor. [inaudible] >> do we have any communications a great deal of questions and communications as soon as you give us the floor, will start weeding them out.

>> well perhaps we can visit the subject of education because there have been a great deal of questions. here is the first one that came my tax. is it true that teaneck kaunda lackey will become the administration minister? [applause] >> well, based on the response by the audience, the idea supports it. well, tina is a multitalented individual. she has an interesting bright personality. the two had a key ministry, especially such an important, one needs to have both managerial experience and needs to have work in the relevant factor. i'm not sure that tina does have such experience, but of course everybody who wants to work, everybody who can mark i hope will find employment and they will be a demand for them. let's take more questions from the audience.

we have here students at the academy at the ministry and they have a question about people in uniform. a student at the academy of civil defense. please tell me, do you think that's totally foreign of the interior ministry was for ballistic and superficial? what was the point of renaming the militia and two police at the substances the same? >> well, i will tell you honestly, i did not work on this segment of the reform, as the system from the beginning, but what i think is undoubtedly positive is that the salaries have been raised, both for the men and women serving under to ministry of defense and the law enforcement area in the militia or as they call it now, the

police. of course this would make a difference in the sense that it would make it possible for the state to bring them were the individuals because the level of which is a serious fact your are people to make a choice in favor of a certain job. we've heard so many times, what to expect from the police if their salaries are like yams? it was a commonplace. so now they are basing the salaries in the law-enforcement area and the defense ministry. and in a year, in 2012, it will increase the salaries and other weighted sectors as well. people know that we cannot do it as a lump sum or a lump sum basis and on hold the heads of those services understand that, appreciate that. so we will do it on january the first, 2013. and generally speaking, any

structure including paramilitary and military organizations, very different individuals. as part of our society. there are individuals who do their job properly. those who don't do their job properly and people who behave badly and even commit crimes. pannonia sleep this has to be on a 24/7 basis. activities must be as transparent as possible to the extent that it can be due to the specifics of a particular service. it has to be open and controlled a society. but the attitude to people in uniform, including inmates here administer system has to change if we want them to work effectively, they need our respect. and raising the salary is not going to cut it. more questions from your side on the west. i am not trying to set you up, that there are great --

>> well, they really got me with these elections. >> i just can't help it. there's questions and questions about the elections. well, you're not part of the elections. you do not have the listing and you are held responsible for the results of the building. they don't like you. just remember the story of the authority magazine where there was a photo with the caption that said president putin goes -- because we mayor can't repeat it. what do you think about this attitude to you? >> well, i did see the caption. it made me laugh. actually it made me happy it away. first of all first of all, there is nothing new about this attitude. i remember the early 2000 to fighting terrorism and north caucuses. god knows what i heard about myself but i thought about myself. of course our western partners are really bending backwards and

going out of their way. it's really a scary caricatures and captions. but i was been confident and i am still confident that i have to correctly and i'm confident that i am acting correctly now. as far as statements on the ballot, as far as i understand, this particular ballot was dropped in london where people came to vote in the embassy. we do know who is gathered in london and we know why they won't go back to russia. [applause] and their wish to tell me to go to has to do with the fact that they want to come back here. but as long as i'm here, they can't come back and i understand this perfectly well. so therefore, i am not upset and i don't hold it against them moreover. i have called for all russian citizens to come and go. and they came. they heeded my call and i

praised them for it. [applause] >> thank you. more questions. maria, i would like to say that we have today with us a few minutes to your who is the president of the chamber brescia. >> i thought we would not get this far. he is going to go after me again today. >> first of all, keep the microphone and i will comply. i will not train or after the. her stickup will thoughts about opa-locka square development. and they don't have anything to do with the public health. my institute was the closeness to the square and we didn't know how alan. that is why we did gather personnel, neurosurgeons, specialists intensive care specialists and we were ready and people had come from home to

work extra time. thank god we were not needed. i've had two businessmen and prior to that had lived carmelites. they have houses abroad and they -- they are wealthy. so i asked them, why you're doing that? i asked them why they are doing that. they said it's so difficult. we are being strangled by kate backs. what at least they have something. they had the means to give kate backs. >> while many are going broke. many are going bankrupt. and there is a great credit crunch. it is difficult to obtain credit for a small business. that is why they're there. that is the main thing. and all so i did not want to ask this question. i actually wanted to, but then i changed my signed because i

think that what the prosecutors deal with, let them say what is good and what is that because there have been many things said about this and they are not true. for instance, i heard apparently tahiti's people came to the presidents administration and gave tribes so i believe that an office investigation needs to be connected. i think this is nonsense. specific individuals will prove that. we have to let some specific individuals. that was the case. they are asking on central television. target then i did ask on central television. the first question has to do with a paid nature of services and public health. on one hand we have guaranteed medical assistance. everything offered by the guarantee has to be paid for. now there is pressure brought the executive.

should in a fairly strong pressures to increase the paid for nature of the public municipal health service is. am i right? >> yes, it is very important. how do we find a balance. that's the first thing. the second thing is i'm not talking about the quality of medical assistance. that is a problem of professional organizations how to improve that. but a long wait list, especially to see nero specialists. as far as the personnel, we are close to catastrophe. but what we do with nero specialists? now, the salaries have been raised slightly. it was a mistake in the past, but how will that help solve the problem? how do we get rid of the waiting list? thank you. >> may just take a note here to

make sure that i don't forget. as far as credit for small business and credit in general, i will be brief on that subject. of course availability of credit is an extraordinarily important factor, which is one of the key tools of expanding economic activity and economic growth. the availability of credit is continuously by tory. one has to be very careful in this area. the level of credit in this economy on the whole is consistent with other economists. the difference is with china. in china they have a little more credit. too much credit activities dangerous. why? because when they pump money

into the economy, economic doubles the rise. that is they gave mone y artificially. production is inflated. it is not an economic category. for instance in the states right now, credit is available almost for free and all the specialists believe that when will attend and what will it be to? this is one of the threats of the global economy. ..

perspectives is that the central bank and finance ministry have been very careful and they are correct. as far as the small business there are several areas supporting it and putting for the region's, and by way of direct financing from the federal budget i think this year there were 10 billion so the appropriate structure in their regions we have been supporting small business including by the way reducing the tax burden on small and medium businesses mostly tax burden to on a small business and will continue to build the system in the future and carefully without displaying the economy on the whole as well as the pace for nature of public

health and waiting lists of course this is a very important and sensitive matter for just about everybody. >> you are one of the directors directors of the new laws of the fundamentals of medical activities in russia. and there it says everything regarding what needs to be paid for and what needs to be free. that is the first thing. second, where do they come from? college you all know that for sure. it think it was 1993 that the decision was made to pass the matters of providing medical services to the public in the broader sense of the word to the level of the regions of the russian federation. it was not done because this, it was done because the federation simply could not finance the mandates and virtually turned over the mandates without any money. that is where the tragedy lies to finance medicine based on

their specific capabilities and of course those capabilities vary dramatically from one region to another. i can tell you more. where did this lead to become the differential in the financial availability of medical services in the region is 20 times greater. therefore the goal was and consists on translating some of the resources in the center just like it is being done for the mandatory medical system to redistribute these resources in order to even out the availability of medical sources yet we cannot do it abruptly. we cannot be simply taking away money from the with regions to drop the level of public health and keep the money to where things are going very poorly. we have to be doing it carefully, and we will do it in

conjunction with the adoption of the new law on the medical insurance, which has been in effect since i believe january 1st of this year and that he worked jointly on with your colleagues. we will do it on a state-by-state basis. the first stage rinse out in 2013 to be followed by the second stage. as far as waiting lists and clinics, it is a very important matter. i have called the attention of my colleagues to this. i have even sent people to videotape those lines of people waiting outside the doctor's office. it has to do with the financial lack of finance and some of the reasons but that is exactly why we have decided to carry out the next step, the step of modernizing the system of public health. so, in 2006 we made the decision and carry on a program of national projects including in

public health and we identified are most sensitive points, how weaknesses, and we drafted a new ball on the mandatory medical insurance and the new wall with your assistance on the fundamentals of the medical activities in russia. and based on redistributing the resources we have included a new program. i've said many times over this is the best amount of money an additional 460 billion. but everybody i hope knows by now about this that money will have to be used to modernize the public health institutions in the region of the russian federation. the program has become active, and i hope that the public will feel the impact. >> i believe and i hope that the greater degree of the pay for services in the public health

connected to my name. >> everybody knows that the doctor is a strong opponent of the paid for services and i don't know if we are able to provide completely free medicine, the law as of today says what can be provided on the paper basis, what must be free. and i think that this clear understanding is extremely important. basic things undoubtedly have to be free. generally public medicine in russia has to be free. [applause] we mentioned kickbacks. >> yes, kickbacks by business. that corruption that we have been talking about that has to be fought. of course this is a problem for any transitional economy where the business community has to deal with bribery and the level of bureaucrats. the problem exists. it has to be eradicated. we get thousands of calls and

text. your friend senator mccain through twitter says he will repeat gadhafi. is this an empty threat or plan on the west? >> i think it's a great exaggeration because i've met mr. mccain just once and i've heard these statements, i read them. what can be said? citizen said about me. it is said about russia. some people want to push the russians aside so that it won't be in the way so that it won't be in the way of dominating the globe. they continue to be afraid of our nuclear potential. that is why it is a hope, that is why it is such an irritant. also we have our own opinion we conducted the independent foreign policy and i hope we will continue to conduct

independent foreign policy in the future. second, the west is not all the same and we have more friends than enemies and so, mr. mccain is known for it in his name. i think that on his hands there is enough blood of peaceful citizens. i think he just loves or can't live without those scenes of how gadhafi was dealt with on the screens of the whole world they showed how he was being killed. is this dhaka see? who did this including americans struck the column then brought in swaps over the radio that shouldn't have been in their territory. they brought in the so-called opposition members and it was destroyed. similarly without investigation or trial. who says he should have been allowed to stay there? but it should have been done by

the people signing at. yes it is complex. it requires time, but it's mr. mckean as we know was captured and he wasn't just in present, he was in a whole and he spent his years there and anybody would go crazy after that so there is nothing unusual in this statement.

while battling the esophagus cancer. he was 62. mr. hitchens was a guest on c-span's q&a in january. this is just under an hour. ♪ ♪ this week on q&a, our guest is christopher hitchens, contributing editor to the atlantic monthly and columnist for "vanity fair." mr. hitchens is the author of over a dozen books. his most recent illness his memoir "hedge 22." last summer mr. hitchens was diagnosed with cancer. he joins us from his home in northwest washington, d.c.. c-span: christopher hitchens i checked and i interviewed you 20 times since 1983, and i must say this is one of the hardest because you haven't been well. >> guest: not very common know. c-span: what is the current status of your cancer?

>> guest: i have a tumor in my esophagus wishes metastasized and spread to my lymph nodes, and i am afraid i am not completely sure to part of my lungs and it is stage for. the thing to note about stage for is there is no stage 9. it concentrates the mind a little bit but i have some wonderful oncologist working with me and we are on the verge of a number of treatments some of which apply to me. the chemotherapy is holding us at bay. i apologize my voice is a bit husky today. but that's the situation. so, i have to practice staying alive and preparing to die at the same time, which as my memoir says as a matter of fact you are never a breath away but

it is a bit more vivid to me. doctors in the morning and lawyers in the afternoon. c-span: why did you decide to take us through that germany in your riding in "vanity fair"? >> guest: well, i was wondering whether i wanted to or not come and to make -- i didn't want to make a parade of my condition. but i was very intelligently pressed to do if eight. and i tried to do it in such a way that it wasn't a parade, sort of yellow ribbon tied journalism. i've been told some people have been comforted by it a bit and identified with it to some degree. it is a great subject. everyone has to do this at one point or another.

it is one thing we are certainly born to do. as an extension of the memoir published i was hit with that i felt well, i should keep up the narrative because this is very much a part of my life. c-span: how was your -- >> guest: i should add because of these experimental treatments i've had my genome -- i'm very lucky in this we -- i am able to write about quite exciting new developments in the field on oncology which i hope will surely become more available to more people. it's a rather tantalizing time to have cancer for me, someone of my age because there are treatments i can see the utter just out of my reach probably which is both encouraging and annoying if you like and probably others that are just within it. my constitution is very good with my vital signs are excellent, my liver, my blood pressure is excellent.

unjustly so. but if i can hang on i can and intend to try. c-span: but you just had your gallbladder out and it had nothing to do -- >> guest: it was a couple weeks ago. i crashed as my doctor said. i had a melt down that can happen with chemotherapy. yet i had a crisis white and blood cells as well as my gallbladder. i was in terrible pain. if i had a burst appendix. i was flat out. i've gained some blood transfusion. so, backed. hanging on. c-span: what has this done to the old head? >> guest: the worst of the initial treatment is what is called chemo brain in the tree where you feel foggy in the head and you barely want to read what

the lone bright, and that terrified me very much because i thought if i can't do that, well, and the literal sense i wouldn't have a very persuasive reason to live, and i didn't want to give in to this now. it turns out chemo brain is transitory. i still suffer from exhaustion and i've got it now physically but i'm quite lucid and at least in my own opinion. i could write a column today if i was lucky if i had some strong coffee. i can sit and read and converse, but if anything were to spread in the direction, then i probably would feel that was the end. c-span: what has been the reaction from other people to your condition because you know a ton of people. >> guest: yeah. and i've also been known to quite a few people now and because i had to cancel a book tour just as it was beginning, a rather lavish book tour back in

the summer, i couldn't just do a treatment, had to make a statement as if i were some kind of public figure about why i couldn't keep these appointments. people got in a lot of trouble. i had to say something. so it became overnight a sort of news item and i guess it must have been a slow week. and i imagine partly because of my opinions about the supernatural and the religious life. i also got a lot of attention because people felt well, surely now now would be the country to make a reconsideration, withdrawal from the principles of flight time, make my peace with some church or another and there's a lot of public talk about that. there was a national day of prayer, which it took kindly. i thought it was -- there were other people who lobbied in the opposite direction presuming to instruct in either case it seems to be a bit presumptuous but people can't seem to help that.

and i've had an amazing number of letters from people and i still get them as well as e-mails to my office in new york saying the nicest things, most of them, not all come in and talking to assure me my life hasn't been a waste of time even if it ends prematurely. i'm 62 in april if i make it that far. believe me that's been encouraging. i've learned something from it which is a course like this one of those are important. already known to me but i really know it now. never put off writing. it's always very much appreciated. i'm not asking for someone to write to me that if they have someone in mind or known to them and they haven't got around to it yet it's been a terrific help to me i must say and i'm not particularly what's the word, a vulnerable person in that way.

but this has been very moving for me. c-span: has any of your at least professional enemies coming to you during this time? if they have, what do they say? >> guest: professional enemies i suppose rifles or people who take the opposite view. all of them have been very nice. newspaper columns have written about me, "the new york times," and david brock's major league generous columns and another in the times was an editorial in the times in london i began to feel as if i were reading my obituary because i was still alive. only the nice bits were being printed. and i thought it's nice but of course it gave me a slightly creepy feeling of being a bit premature as well. i don't know how many personal enemies i have. people who just didn't like me in other words or whose nerves i

get. but people who have written to me saying they hope i suffer now and then forever after wife died -- after i have died i would say is small. c-span: go back for a moment because i was quite a series of events. i mean, i have your memoir in my hands -- >> guest: so should every bit. c-span: is, and the first seven pages are all about death. did you have any premonition at all? >> no, it is weird, isn't it? i had a gift from the national poetry gallery in london which publishes a magazine for subscribers about its upcoming exhibitions and there was an exhibition from friends of martin amos who is a friend of mine, a photograph that included mechem and because one of the people featured died while the catalog was going to press, they put hastily in the words in the print next to my name so for the first time in my life i saw the

late christopher hitchens so it does in the expression concentrate the mind. they wrote to me groveling like they thought i was going to sue. they said they've all been withdrawn. only if you got out. i said i want you to send me as many as you have got because it makes a wonderful introduction to my memo which i nearly finished now. so i wrote it is called a prologue of premonitions, the reminiscence, meditation on death. but at that stage i had no idea. c-span: the daily show," with john stewart right around the time you found out. >> guest: that's the day i was diagnosed. c-span: did you know at the time? >> guest: i knew in the morning. i woke up in new york feeling very ill and had to be taken to the hospital. i thought i was having a heart attack. they said it's not your heart.

you can discharge yourself if you want them. we recommend you stay for observations but whatever you do, the next stop must be an oncologist. there is clearly a tumor probably in your esophagus and its spread. so i decided to discharge myself because i wanted to do the show and also good evening a big event at the new york ymca, the 92nd street ymca. i managed to do both of these without showing any ill effects, but i just had the sentence read to me. c-span: let's watch just a little bit of the stewart show. when they see the steno you've got a problem. >> guest: i've never seen it. >> to ward off depression. for ten years a shotgun to the hid. [laughter] >> i was going to say. >> it concentrated my mind.

i got here is a sentence that will one day be in arguably true but for now, screw you, i'm not late. of course it dealt with the argument you get from people that, isn't it a bit soon? i said maybe but there's no choice of leaving it too late. >> i don't think people should be able to decide for you. when you said when you turn 60 i'm very impressed that someone who has clearly from the stories in your book lived. you've lived. you haven't taken it easy on this body that you have. [laughter] yet you don't look quite [bleep] and you should. [laughter] it's somewhat upsetting. [laughter] >> there is [inaudible] [laughter]

so it's starting to get that. c-span: actually as i saw you on the jon stewart sure you looked normal but what was your head telling you? >> guest: point the thoughts and in later the onstage event which also went very well it was at the dinner after that i began to feel i couldn't carry on any more. i skipped through it. at every opportunity between these are was violently sick. c-span: had you any indication something was going wrong? >> guest: i had nothing but dirty country good reports on all fronts. c-span: you're father died a philosophical cancer. >> guest: he did at the age of 79. c-span: had penetrated? >> guest: i mention this in the book. i would have written that have i

found out before myself. but no. i suppose because i used to smoke very heavily i was afraid of is getting in lung. the thing about cancer is you can have it for quite awhile. it's very hard to detect. unless you have an upper g.i. almost everyone and you are looking for it you are very likely to miss it. and it doesn't usually present until its metastasized. by the time i went to the doctor for the biopsy it was very easy to do because you could feel it in the lymph node on my neck, which is not a good sign. c-span: to begin what kind of treatment? >> guest: the treatment of chemotherapy, which made me lose my hair. it's going back with the new chemical in trying, slightly. it made me lose a lot of weight and very tired.

but it was measurably reduced. c-span: where did you have this done? >> guest: in bethesda. c-span: that started what month last year? >> guest: jul. c-span: and it ended when? >> guest: it's still going on. i'm hoping now -- you see because thanks to the wonderful dr. francis collins, the national institutes of health which includes the national cancer institute, who did the human genome project brought it as you know time and under budget, marvelous scientific achievement, he and i have met because we are on opposite sides of the religion debate. we became friends that way. he's a very convinced christian, and we have become friendly debaters and he is to get a kind interest in my case and has helped me at my genome sequence and try to look for a more perfect identifiable match for

any mutation they can find as peculiar to me that can be. so, today is friday the 14th on monday i'm going in and i hope to try that. if i'm strong enough, if my bone marrow is recovered enough. that involves 6 million -- excuse me, 6 billion dna matches of my tumor set against 6 billion dna matches of my blood to look for something that was individually mutated that wasn't in my genes. absolutely extraordinary what can be done now. have to go to st. louis to do it. cspan: why st. louis? >> guest: that seems to be where the project is for finding out how the gene and can be applied to the individual's predicaments immensely. it will be commonplace soon. there's a terrible lack of funding as you perhaps know. i might say a word that is now so people can write their

congressmen. those recent budget a terrible collapse and there is a stupid attempt to limit the extent to which actually existing embrey on nextel's can be used for this kind of thing. and i've become -- i wasn't in any way before this, but i would like to become more than i am an advocate for overcoming these scientific obstacles in medical research. c-span: say you get your chemo treatment at nih? >> guest: no, i've had various tests there but i go to my regular on quote just they bring in, called dr. smith, in bethesda, who consults over the internet with a panel of like-minded experts come and take work out a protocol for me and adjusted every few weeks. c-span: and the "vanity fair" december issue, you wrote about a woman who get to you -- came

up to you when you were signing books. she starts off by saying -- i've got it here in case. tell what happened. >> guest: this is a book to have cancer and it published which i might do, in books after the event about islam. others longline. a woman at the front doesn't even have a book, says [inaudible] she said a cousin of mine had cancer. i said i'm sorry to hear that. yes, and the liver. i said that's dreadful. that's awful. and she said but he got better. i said good. and then she said but he got much worse again. and i said i'm sorry. and she said of course he was a homosexual. i wasn't going to say of course. and all his fans and family were around him and he died in great

pain, agony, incontinence, piercing pain and humiliation, indescribable harder to read and i said i'm beginning to run out of things to say. i've expressed consideration and things like that and she said i just want you to know i know exactly what you're going through. and left without a book. i thought now would she have treated me like that if i was well? of course not. i think we need to reciprocate not by inflicting it on people. i actually have a badge i'm not wearing it. some people do make a huge purveyed of their condition. i've tried to write about it in other contexts pure and i wrote about the national day of prayer and why i wasn't joining it. i've written about the new

treatments and things like that. i didn't just want to write my own diaries. that would be a little sarcastic. c-span: you wrote in the prologue of your book, as i said, a lot about the death. hitch 22. i want to do death in the active and not the passage and to be there and look in the audience be doing something when it comes for me. why? what does that mean any way? >> guest: it's part of life, so i would like to be conscious for it but i thought ideally i would like to be making a speech perhaps or making love or i don't know, sitting with friends or to try a sort of socratic where people gather around and

you try to make a decent fare well. i have had cause to reconsider that now because if this cancer doesn't go into remission it is a very unpleasant way to die. one way to do it is to your own puke for example and it can be followed by all kinds of humiliation. it is that you are going to die or to reconcile to that as wife, it's the sentence includes that you be tortured for a bit before you die. so i now feel a slight bravado about what i said. if possible i would like to be awake and looking at people and if i'm lucky, talking to them. i'm not so sure. it might be as well to sort of

slip away in a narcotic stupor. it might be. but something about that may sound very old-fashioned but it strikes me as a bit noble. it's part of life. i want to get as much out of it as i can. c-span: how much during this period you've talked with about your wife, carol lu. >> guest: well a lot because she has been a great stay for me. she does things i don't like to do. given on the internet, looking at every conceivable ramification of treatment and possibility. tirelessly looking for new doctors and new avenues and things like that, so we talk a lot about that, of losing, about what would happen when i've gone. actually very hard to talk about that. my determination is i'm not going to die there. well i'm not going to die of it

now. i might die with it some years from now but these are possibilities. and i said i'm going to do everything i can to be an experimental subject for other treatments even if they don't work for me. that would be i said in the book i quote a great american scholar who said you've done something for humanity would be a shame to die. that is a high standard. even if it involved protracting treatment unnecessarily i would be willing to do it. c-span: in the middle of all of this a couple of weeks ago, you debated 20 blair in toronto. >> guest: i was debating on other questions. c-span: we covered it and i want to make a clip of you sitting there on the stage and we will come back. >> you don't want your religion

taught to my children in school, given the government subsidy, imposed by a violence come any of these things you are fine by me. i would prefer -- [applause] i would prefer not even to know what it is that you do. [laughter] in that church of yours. in fact if you force it i will consider it a breach. have your own bloody christmas. do your soldering if possible in any [inaudible] and don't mutilate the genitals of your children. [applause] all ret don't you think that is pluralistic i think it is? why is it on my part? why is that? has it ever been honored by the oversight? of course not. and it's a mystery to me. and i will share it with you.

if i believed that there was a savior for profit sent by god who loved me and wanted the best for me, if i believed that and i possess the means of grace and hope of glory i think, i don't know, i think i might be happy. [laughter] they say it happened and why doesn't it make them happy? [laughter] don't you think it is a perfectly decent question? why doesn't it? because they won't be happy until you believe it, too. why is that? because that is what their books tell them. [laughter] [applause] c-span: when was that? >> guest: it was thanksgiving. c-span: and what condition were you in than? >> guest: well, i sort of kind my treatment so that it would come because i had a lot of notice that the event. so you would come at the end of

the nine usually much stronger. it was a huge event, a lot of money went into fixing it up and getting there and getting security in all this stuff i never liked it much any way but i couldn't. this feeling okay, very tired but physically all right and mentally quite alert. it was the first time he had a debate. c-span: and then you wrote about it in "vanity fair." what was your take on that? you were taking the -- well, you tell us your position and his position. >> guest: i debate with people all the time, all kinds of people. tony blair was new on cosumnes so i wanted to question a bit about that and then you can only do one thing at the time usually in the debates. the point i wanted him to concede was that the evils that

people like myself speak about when we talk about religion, he would always acknowledge and say this was done in the name of religion. i said you must drop that. there is scheduled for rent and authority very clearly in the holy books which is supposed to be the word of god for these people. so to say it's in the name of, you can't just say it's a parody of, you have to face the responsibility. well, in fact, when we were asked by one questioner to say what had been the strongest point made by the other he said that he agreed i was right that the problem is there is scripture authority for cruelty and stupidity in the holy book. so, that is my best memory i suppose. when i asked from the card will

huji recommended to the pope and supportive, very wicked in my view quotation and benign wanted to know whether he thought the pope was the figure of christ or not. it was quite strange he didn't come up to fight me on that. to could not tell from anything he said. he could have been a very weak christian socialist liberal. basically christianity is okay because it makes people do good work, some people do charity. nobody denies that it has nothing to do with the relevance or the truth of the matter. so, he is a man with whom i sympathize and i've known for quite a long time.

it was an interesting debate. excuse me. just have a said here. c-span: the first interview conducted with his 1983. it's one minute and 24 seconds and then we will talk about this. >> when journalists lose their credibility i think journalists have lost their credibility based on their past performances the american people are speaking out now, and i just feel that without any type of checks and balance on the journalists they are doing exactly what this gentleman is doing here bringing forward the newsagent over to the country, report the faults

but don't take a look at the positive aspects of what it really is. >> guest: how do you presume to know the the american people are speaking of? to the extent that you do know or to the extent that you can speak for it you can only know through reading the free press and watching the tv. the truth is the papers are reporting the facts in the ad ministration and the columnist begins today he knows it true public opinion is on the side on this one. but if you want your press to be true, you're going to end up not knowing what is going on. do not prevent me or anyone else from reading them. c-span: you can see how times have changed from the cliff. there you were on the set

smoking. i can't remember when we -- >> guest: it's incredible now when i see as one often does the shot announcing the president's death the whole studio looks like this stretching as far as the eye can see. c-span: i appreciate you calling me data on that show the real stumbling. >> guest: [inaudible] c-span: that's the reason. >> guest: yeah, david lamb. c-span: it's fun to see both of us go back at that time. but in those days you were bravado about smoking and drinking and for the first booknotes bouck we did i went with you to the bar and you had your computer and a glass of something and a cigarette. >> guest: i used to write my columns. c-span: to you think all of this wouldn't have happened without

and that did your father smoked? >> guest: my father was a pipe smoker and reasonably consistent drinker, too and i can't help but think that's what contributed to it. we didn't learn much from his death, my father and i because he was diagnosed and died almost right away. we didn't find out much about -- i know it was lowered down the in what mine was, would it wasn't teaching. c-span: is yours inoperable? >> guest: yes, it can't be cut out. it's metastasized and it is near my lungs and my heart to be irradiated so what has to be chemo and were targeted therapy. c-span: what were those years when your smoking? >> guest: to answer the question of course, i knew there was a risk in the the man lifestyle and i decided to take

it because what it is an illusion or not i don't think it is. it helped my concentration, it stopped me being bored, stop other people being boring to some extent. would keep me await and enhance the moment. if i was asked what i do it again the answer is probably yes. i would have quit earlier to get away from the whole thing. it's not nice for my children to hear. it doesn't sound responsible to say i would do it all began to you but would be hypocritical to say no one would never touch the stuff if i had known because i did know, everyone knows, and i decided it's a wager i'm going to wage war on this bit and i can't make it come out any other

way. it's strange i almost didn't regret it. it's impossible for me to picture life without wine and other things fuelling the company and keeping me reading and traveling. c-span: what over the years as board you? you use that word more than once. >> guest: its advice of course and i think it is one of the deadly sins. it's sort of the feeling that nothing is interesting and i get easily tired of committee meetings or waiting in line,

very impatient. so i'm very happy by myself, i'm lucky in that way and to add an edge but it's been a formula. c-span: during this time how do you pass the time and have you had a lot of pain during this time? >> guest: when i found that there was the goldwater and not the side effects i was becoming worried i was over during the painkillers and i thought i should have been the other way around but i said to the doctors i'm living pill to pill i shouldn't be taking this much stuff. i feel woozy but i like to think of the gallbladder was the cause of that because before that the pain was and, it was quite

manageable. it became unbearable. c-span: how many days ago did you have your gallbladder of? >> guest: eight or ten. c-span: and did you have that a laparoscopic? >> guest: it was over free quickly once the found it. c-span: do you feel better? >> guest: in general it takes a long time to wear off at least it has with me given how weak i was all ready and not much weight and how little food i've been taking. i couldn't have done this yesterday for example. absolutely not. i could hardly get out of bed of. c-span: about 30 years ago, 36 or 37 years ago, a man named stuart from newsweek had leukemia and wrote about it. have you gone back and looked at

his columns? he told the story, he was at nih i think he had bone marrow transplant. he took us all the way through his process. how much more are we going to hear from you about your situation? what kind of things are you thinking about telling us? >> guest: the extraordinary innovations in this becoming available based on the new knowledge of our genetic makeup so some of these treatments are available to some detail and alert the possibilities they may not know about that exist even

for quite hard advanced cases. c-span: any thought of writing a book -- >> guest: what i write it would about facing death and about the struggle for the life and one motivation apart from the others is precisely to see if i can participate in pushing the boundaries back. c-span: have you lost interest in certain things in the world? >> no. of c-span: as you sit here today would be your number one interest >> looking at today's paper i would suppose it would have to be one version know or another of the confrontation with

islamic jihad in particular the serious news in pakistan last few weeks where the whole threat seems to be noticed in a way we haven't quite internalized where the chief ministers of the most important state is in cold blood on the grounds he imposes not even that he has committed blasphemy. so anyone claiming to be a muslim is entitled to kill him and the space endorsement for all in pakistan. so it reduced him badly enough. on the conviction by the court you can find a that in enough in

all conscience or rented by the kronman if you can but now permission to anybody report himself on commission and be the agent. we decided to invest ourselves completely that there are moderates to be found if we can pay them. i don't think there is a prayer of that. especially if we appear to be their patrons. c-span: what about this process of having to face this illness. are you surprised and the reason i ask you went on on some substance there and people give that up when they are faced with this kind of situation. what's changed?

what about this process sampras you? they tell you you've got stage for cancer. are you surprised by this the last six months because he wrote seven pages about def. >> guest: yes well i think the memoir of a person just past 60 has to face that. so, i thought i owed that much to the readers. it hasn't been all that surprising, no. it is a commonplace thing. it's a commonplace thing for someone of my age and previous cuts it is almost laughably

predictable. >> the interesting thing about it is the possible immunity to the treatments that were unknown to those in the outcome of the brickwork by people some of whom i'm very lucky to count as friends. c-span: there are many examples we hear from those who was a doctor or will stay very straight forward things and make life very uncomfortable. there was a reporter in this town, "the washington post" who told me one day he's no longer with us the doctor called him after he had tests and he said you got the big c. i couldn't believe it, but the reason i bring this up is what marks would you give the medical profession in the way they treated you and do they give you hope this can be linked?

>> guest: they give me more than i imagine can be. the event pronounced on my chapters and i've asked them which i decided not to do at first until it occurred to me that it would be very useful for a few like accounting books to have a rough idea because one has to plan for once loved ones. i thought for much real reasons i would like to have a guest. they don't being asked because they don't really know, and the best i got was the following if you took a thousand people, myself, my age, my state of health, my gender today half of us would be dead in a year, of the remaining half others might hope to live more than a year and of that number, quite a number can live a considerable number of years. they can't do better the was

from a very senior person who was expecting the question. c-span: what is your reaction to people like me? become to your apartment, you know why we are here, we want to hear this story to read are you surprised about? >> guest: a little bit, yes, i was, but a lot of it i know has been to do with my stance on religion. a very large number of people have asked me. it doesn't change the attitude to the supernatural and so forth and i said i really don't see why it should i ever thought of it as a particularly searching question and i spent a lot of my life deciding that there isn't any redemption consultation, there is no afterlife, there is

no supervising thoughts. if i were to tell you i've got malignancy in my esophagus that changes everything you'd think i hope the main effect would have been on my i.q.. it is a complete nothing to do. so i've enjoyed taking part and there's a certain element about the nice people praying for me because they are not playing for my recovery, they're praying for my reconciliation and i propose a trade-off. i said what if we secular this stuff going to hospitals and walking around and asking if people are religious when they are extremists and say look we still have a little time would and you live your last days as a free person you will live much

better? used to have every chance to give it up. experience the life of a freethinking thomas person, don't live in fear, don't believe in mythology. of course we don't do that it seems to me and everybody to do it the other way around. i don't resent it because i would like every opportunity bought a lot of it has been to do with that. i don't fothen myself as a public figure. i raise all of that highly. c-span: the booknotes shall we did in '93 is a short clip i want to run this and get your reaction. >> a lot of people it's always been heat and i think the hatred provides often it is a terrific way of getting out of bed in the morning keeping me going and it can be if you don't let it get tough and it can be. in this country people like to

be nonjudgmental when they can be which translates. there's reputations floating around that one wouldn't be doing one's job if one didn't get aged clich. c-span: is it still a good idea to keep people? >> guest: since it isn't really avoidable, i think the question is how to, if you like, turn it to an advantage. one of the things i don't like that christianity is the impulsive love. people pretending to love more than they do and it's coupled with the injunction to love a god of yours and fear. there's something honest to contrast by finding someone completely unbearable, someone like henry kissinger for example. it's a bit like alcohol if you

like. it's a good servant but it is a bad master. i have a completely cooled hatred and contempt for henry kissinger. he doesn't waste my time he just has a bogus reputation and it doesn't eat away at me or keep me awake at night or poison your felmy with a bottle but i can't pretend that it's just a matter of political disagreement. i think there is such a thing as evil in the world sometimes personified and under no obligation to be ambivalent. c-span: change your mind at all about mother teresa? >> guest: one couldn't really hate her because initially she was a prophetic seeker but i detested the instant she had and i can tell you why if you want.

the very reason she is celebrated is the apparent concern for the poor boy, the poorest of the poor she obliges us to say. the certain cure goes under the name the empowerment of women. the works everywhere, bangladesh, singapore, you name it, give women control of the reproductive cycle get them off of the animal routine of breeding, and the level of poverty will decline sharply. it's never known to fail. it is a consistent finding. for an example, opposing the only thing that works all forms of proof control and abortion she called murder. said that was the main peace in the world that's basically it

plus the reputation of sanctity she got was nonsense but one could add was her friendship with those like charles keating, she took money and refused to return at. bless them and returned and gave sanctions and it goes on. her affect. one story in my book is very short title six has direct accusations and that it has been reviewed by every paper in the world and no one has appointed a must take, not one and half of what i say is true then none of what is commonly believed about her is true denise to this.

what people -- >> host: what would you do with henry kissinger decided to call you and try to bury the hatchet after all these years? >> guest: it would be extremely interesting that one of the reasons i detest him as i sort of know that wouldn't happen. he wouldn't even agree when i is writing a book about him to have questions in writing let alone to meet me. he has made it a condition when he appears on television programs he not be asked. a looker notice from the producer, several, the national press club appearance agreed he not be asked about the book. never mind his attitude towards me. if i was him i would have pretended to is this guy hitchens i don't care? but more important if you think about the things he has been found out as having done, mali and vietnam, chile, the bangladesh, for himself and his

criminals, we have people from the period, mcnamara, the brothers, others, who in their books try to make some kind of restitution. we sort of suspected at the time that it was bad, maybe worse and we are sort of sorry and we have some evidence we feel we should share with you as some disclosures of the time. ..

are there things you want to do? and, have you gone through that process? gasquet they don't tell you what much these will be. c-span: what if you knock down? >> you probably remember the late congressman had the same thing as me, died recently. before he died he had for five cancer for years and i've done a lot of traveling. and then he got word that it was back in probably that was set. and he made fairly short work are dying. this was a few weeks ago. that is what i need to know. the great last in the nls events is the inability to travel. i got to try and kill for thanksgiving. i wasn't too hard. i've been to california with a

private plane. very kindly it was sent to do a speaking engagement in the tni. i finally got to see little big horn which had always wanted to. and the wonderful national park. now he got three american states. the dakotas to nebraska. i've done all the others plus puerto rico. c-span: any plans to go back to your homeland? >> guest: is rather sentimental. has anyone said are you sad? i can't bear the idea of not going back. at least once. i couldn't do it now. it have to be so im on what they call a chemo holiday. c-span: we are out of time and i think the best way to end it is to say i'll see you in a couple years. >> guest: thank you very much. it is brian, it's not?

>> author christopher hitchens died of pneumonia while battling as possible can there. he was 62.unfortune >> i awoke this morning to unfortunate guinness. a friend of mine and one of the world's most brilliant writers

and analects, christopher hitchens estimate yesterday. christopher hitchens was a brilliant man who was a writer and a provocateur.have agreewith you may not have disagreed with him. i think everybody knew thater wl christopher hitchens was well-versed on the subject of which he spoke and could express it in a way unlike any other. ta i don't think there was a more erudite, knowledgeable individual on the face of this earth. he has lefthe us. me hes a to me he was a good friend. head made my visit to washington herere it easier. to his friends he was loyal,d f. gracious and kind. to list those he was a feared enemy, a feared foe. the world was lucky for hisr being here and i was lucky for my life intersecting the case. the world shall miss him. a life well lived.last

rest in peace, my friend. be not i just heard over thef past several hours of the passing of a good friend of mis who was one of the greatest sas of our time. when i heard the news that christopher hitchens passing, i an struck with what a dedicated and patriotic individual he wase i suspect that he would've disagreed with my friend on the issue of dealing with radicalra islam, but it's one of the things that brought the two of us together.last and he and i over the lasta decade plus has spent a great deal of time talking about that and other international policynk issues. what if one looks at the peace -- the series that he wrote in "vanity fair" as he was diagnosed with cancer, they are very, very powerful and again,n

christopher hitchens and iue didn't agree on every issue, but i always enjoyed the exchanges in time i was able to spend with hid then of coursed have beenin fascinated by his works. i think the world is a better place for christopher hitchens having lived. obviously we are sad by his his passing. i want to say to his wife and daughters, that our thoughts -- i hate to say prayers when it comes to christopher because he was a very committed atheist, but i will say that our thoughts and since we have done, ourhens prayers are with the members of the hitchens family and to say thathi his works because he wasu such a great writer will continue for years and years to calm she fascinate and intrigue and create the kind of intellectual curiosity that is

necessary. t like to say i'm saddened by the passing of my friend christopher hitchens and certainly have had my life improved and other items having lived. and i think my friend for yielding. >> author christopher hitchens type or stick them on your way battling this optical cancer. he was 62. >> today the foreign affairs subcommittee on terrorism, non-proliferation and trade examine the of energy searching for sources and more stable areas in countries such as canada. the main focus of the hearing was the keystone xl proposal delay. when energy expert who testified to the u.s. can't afford not to capitalize on canada's oil sands from an economic and energy standpoint. this is an hour and 10 minutes. the >> this hearing will come to

order. the title of this hearing is changing energy markets and u.s. national security. energy has become a national security issue here in the united states. one of the realities that we have to explore is the impact the energy has signed so much -- so much of the trade issues, terrorism issues, even in non-proliferation issues. holidays are in the orbit of the responsibility of the sub committee. but this week, this house passed sanctions and battery and energy sector. a nuclear armed iran would hugely damage security in the persian gulf. it is just a reminder to us that the role played by energy. the reality that the united states is in a competitive situation competing with china.

energy prices in china are 20% higher than energy price is here in the united states. and yet, the question is going forward, are we going to be able to to access energy at a lower cost or are we going to foreclose those possibilities? we sit here today at this at a time when you already have layoffs in the united states related to the oil pipeline coming to keystone pipeline project. last week, 60 americans lost their job as a result of the president's decision not to give the green light to go ahead with the keystone project. we sit here in the united states today. some of my colleagues are recently talking to the canadian embassy here. we saw the reaction of prime minister harper after the president made a decision not to go forward with the keystone pipeline. in that reaction was to embrace on term strategy of looking to

asia for exports from canada. we know hu jintao has oppression has been meeting with prime minister harper about the idea of having the oil from alberta shipped not here in the united states, but instead transited to china to chinese refineries. and what china seeks here is to reduce its cost of energy. we compete with china. it is going to impact jobs in the united states if energy costs go down in china as the l. and if energy costs go up in the united states. so, we have an opportunity. the united states has this opportunity if you read the financial press a eating a natural exporter if we are able to access. north america can do this with we can access the oil sands from

alberta if we go forward with the keystone pipeline. for the first time in 60 years, our country would have the opportunity to be independent of the current circumstances, where we depend upon the opec cartel, where we shift our dollars, our petrodollars into that market. and we should ask ourselves at this point in time, are we better served recirculating those dollars, sending those to an ally, where 80% of what we spend in canada according to economist i sent back here in the united states, or are we better served for closing that option, allowing china and canada to cement the deal that hu jintao is working on, which would allow the resources to go to. to china and to continue to be

dependent on sending our petrodollars into saudi arabia and into venezuela to other states that are either unreliable or hostile to the united states. we can continue with that trade imbalance with respect to the opec cartel or we can have our dollars staying home, not being shipped to saudi arabia and venezuela appeared from the standpoint of american jobs, we can create jobs here or we can create those jobs in china. that is their decision. right now the president is making a decision to lay off american. 60 haverty then made off as a result of this decision and instead have those jobs go to china. you cannot american jobs if the u.s. government and state governments will assist. there's a reason why

unemployment is under 4% in north dakota. and that is because of the booming energy repair. that is because the has yet to find a way to shut that down. but not only does that do not fit dakota, it is also benefiting pennsylvania and other states. greater u.s. manufacturing competitiveness is a major issue for us here in the united states. the explosion in natural gas production has given this united states an advantage here, but only if we can access that advantage. if we curtail that, if we shut off that possibility, then we are not going to be the beneficiaries. the things are only going to happen if those in washington who make these decisions and our state capitals let them happen. i'm going to go back to the

keystone pipeline, a 1700-mile extension that would transport 830,000 barrels of oil per day from alberta to our refineries here rather than in china. by the chamber's estimate, we note that the estimate of 20,000 direct jobs. by the chamber estimates 20,000 indirect jobs in the united states. and yet, we face delay after delay another suggestion of delay until the next election. well, the chinese are now waiting. and if the energy is then piped to texas refineries throughout the midwest, it is going to go instead to china. and i just would conclude with the concept for the argument that prime minister harper made after the administration rejected his decision.

he was very disappointed and he lived up the argument that the book long long range to china and to asia. and we can only hope president to bomb it drops his opposition. i turn now to the ranking member for his opening statement. >> mr. connolly, which elect to make a statement? >> thank you, mr. chairman. and i think the ranking member for his graciousness and ought to thank them for the opportunity to address national security issues is interrelated. given the promise of the debate about the keystone accel pipeline in the house pair of tax bill, like you mr. chairman of going to focus my comments on that issue appeared the international agency recently issued its world energy outlook, which contained one notable piece of good news. u.s. dependent on foreign and particularly middle eastern oil is projected to decline. in contrast to china, india and europe. according to the iaea the

primary reason for the decline is the adoption of aggressive vehicle deficiency standards, which will increase corporate average fuel economy standards to 54.5 miles by the year 2025. they protect the increase also will make a contribution to reduce foreign oil dependence though according to the iaea, that could increase a much smaller impact than actual vehicle efficiency standards. proponents of the keystone accel pipeline have argued it will increase u.s. access to canadian oil. while this position has intuitive appeal, it deserves further examination. five major oil pipelines already transport the soil to read from canadian tar sands into the united states. these biplanes now terminate in oklahoma, illinois and michigan provided much of the united states is an ample supply of oil. in fact, industry analysts that

the pipelines are produced in oversupply of oil in some parts of our country, creek and the gas prices for some americans are diminished oil company profits. the keystone pipeline would provide an export outlet of canadian oil, actually reducing supply in the midwest by allowing oil companies to sell higher-priced markets elsewhere in the world. in the abstract members of the committee could agree boosting production in environmentally responsible manner will be beneficial as far as says it could reduce our dependence on opec oil. we discussed the subject of this committee and as i stated at the time, i support efforts to do boost domestic consumption. therefore to advance the pipeline came to the house for, i introduced as they said they would here come a simple amendment requiring that oil to be used in america. that amendment would have insured americans enjoy affordable gasoline and national security benefits as a result of the tarzan oil production.

obviously benefits evaporate if oil company simply export canadian oil, more expensive markets in china or europe. i was surprised and disappointed, mr. chairman, the house majority rejected the simple amendment calling into question but is underlined the push to approve the keystone pipeline. alberta energy minister said, if there is something that can be up in it would be this year before too long we are going to be a landlocked in. but canadian oil companies increase profits in selling oil overseas, such exports come at the expense of american consumers and american national security. if we are in conceptual agreement that there is a relationship between domestic oil supplies and national security, perhaps we should acknowledge the average in oil overseas would undercut those benefits. proponents of the pipeline have argued it will create jobs. i ask unanimous consent to enter

into the record a "washington post" fact check article noting that many job estimates offered by prominent elected officials have been wildly exaggerated. in reality the pie plate will create -- will produce at most some 6000 annual temporary construction related jobs in this view has 50 permanent jobs. compared to the half million public-sector jobs lost in the recent recession, this is an anemic job whose steadfast. irrespective of whether one is the climate change science denier or acceptor, surely all of us can agree the additional oil transported by the keystone pipeline should stay in the united states. an absent legal guarantees likely will not. with that i yield back. thank you, mr. chairman. >> we will turn out to mr. johnson of ohio. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i'd be happy to yield back a minute of my time to the

chairman. >> i appreciate the gentleman yielding. the difficulty here is china has dirty invested 10 billion canada's oil sands. canada's prime minister as a result of this decision by her president desired effect the necessity of making sure we are able to access asian markets for our energy products is underscored by this delay. the question is not if we bring these products to refineries here in the united states -- i mean, the economics are such and i'm just going to quote from the department of energy. the department of energy says that gasoline prices in all markets served by these refineries because we're talking about the keystone pipeline project, which decreased gasoline prices would decrease

in the gulf coast. gasoline prices with decrease in the east coast in gasoline prices would decrease here in the united states in the midwest. not everybody agrees having the following price per gasoline is necessarily, you know, depends on your perspective on this, but i will tell you this. i'm a competitiveness standpoint, from a stand point of creating jobs here in china, this is an important issue in a deal to mr. johnson. >> i also appreciated this is here today. the lack of stability surrounding our energy markets today and potential for greater instability in the near future are not only continue to stand to stunt the growth of our economy, it will jeopardize our national security. by importing oil such as saudi arabia and venezuela, the rest is funding the spread of

terrorism that stands in stark contrast to our policy objectives. as the world increasingly looks to the west, we have an opportunity to alter and spur growth in our struggling economy. thanks in part to breakthroughs, the united states is on track to become the top global oil and gas producer by 2020. in fact, the u.s. tops russia and combined energy reserves including oil, coal and natural gas. more than 9.2 million u.s. jobs are dependent on the oil gas industry. shale is a huge part of the energy potential, particularly my district of southeastern ohio. exploration of our solace in utica shows in this part of the state is a game changer. not only for energy development independence, but job creation. more than 200,000 jobs are

expected to come to ohio in the next four years alone as a result of developing these deposits. there is a major growth and development happening now in america's energy there. something that can turn our economy run of 300,000 jobs to americans in need of a paycheck. however, high tax rates at the very real potential to destroy these robust ambitions. we have seen this most recently in the administration's refusal to approve the keystone xl type in. the project is a no-brainer for job creation that would also sit acutely decrease dependence on hostile foreign sources of oil. there is no logic to the administration's insistent on refusing a permit for this project. the united states doesn't have to be on the receiving end of opec's decisions. we have great potential in all the resources we require to secure our own energy needs. we can actually be the nation

late in the global energy transition to the west. the question is, will we have the leadership to take control of our future and make this a reality? thank you, mr. chairman. and i yield that. >> mr. sherman. >> thank you for holding this important hearings. the effective energy on our national security cannot be overstated. i know that most of the comments here have been about the keystone pipeline. i think these hearings are far broader than the impact is far more significant in this pipeline. to address this pipeline, i think we have to take a look at environmental concerns about how that pipeline should be built, the route it ought to take and why it is bypassing the market of the midwest to go down to texas, which is the one part of the united states saturday has more oil than it can consume.

i realize that there are some in the environmental movement to believe that if this typing is built, the carbon on on the petroleum under the ground of canada will not be burned mixed with oxygen mountains and send it to atmosphere. i think the opening statements have made it clear that at some point canada will find a way to exploit this resource, whether it through the united states whether it through the port of vancouver to the world markets. however, we shouldn't think that's automatic or easier keystone is going to go away next week. there are environmentalists in canada. i have met them. and they are no more excited about the building of an east-west or pipeline through canada and our american environmentalists for the keystone pipeline.

energy really comes down to two separate issues are somewhat separate issues. and that is, how do we generate electricity in how to remove our vehicles? this is sometimes walk together as one issue is that we have a national security crisis, how are you going to generate electricity? now, we have a world environmental crisis and global warming when we burn coal, which we do to create about half of our electricity. so one energy market is for electricity. and the other is for moving vehicles. and it is moving vehicles that have been the national security crisis because the world doesn't sound a better system yet been petroleum and petroleum for reasons that have not been explained to me is in all the wrong places, at least that

which was exploitable by the technology existing here. crude crude oil prices have quadrupled and now stand at $94. opec is now being handed by a senior commander of the revolutionary guard corps of iran. i think this illustrates the fact we have a national security problem when it comes to vehicle propulsion. i've been a strong supporter of international and domestic research, as to cooperation with other countries. we have is one model the u.s.-israel cooperation act, in which those countries but at the same amount of money for joint research projects and have a strong incentive to bring the world from petroleum. in contrast, the subcommittee on asia and the pacific had hearings for $4 million program

to give foreign aid to china to hope that with its energy problems and help it meet its carbon emission objectives. i think cheney's carbon is chinese problem unless they checked they have enough chinese dollars to pay any for americans to ologies they think necessary to do with the issue. so i look forward to hearing from eyewitnesses chiefly tallow prepare a vehicles without greater power, enemies of the united state and finally, i want to echo the gentleman from virginia that a pipeline bypasses america's midwest markets and takes oil to ports in the united states for possible export may not be the best way to secure our national security. i yield back. >> i thank the gentleman. we will go nuts were piano.

mr. neelesh nerurkar is an energy specialist at the congressional research institute where he helps members and our staff understand the complexity of energy market and energy security and international energy issues. prior to being the crs, hanoi's global energy markets are a major energy company. mr. robert and nellie is the founder and president of radon group, an independent energy consulting firm whose their several positions in the energy industry and in the previous administration. mr. nally served as senior director for international energy on the national security council. mr. martin durbin is the executive vice president for government affairs at the american petroleum institute. he is responsible for the policy. they have 450 members, ranging from the largest oil and national gas companies to the small and independent companies. he worked on the hill as a staff

member in the senate and the house. mr. seven as director for the analysis of global security company thing tank for energy security and served as an advisor for the united states energy security council and is cofounder. we welcome all of the witnesses to this a committee. you all have five-minute to complete your written testimony, which we have for the record anyway. and we will start with mr. nerurkar. >> thank you, chairman royce, distinguished members of the committee. an energy specialist with rational research. we appreciate the opportunity to testify how markets are changing. no series takes no position on questions posed by developments.

i'll discuss three main points from a written testimony. how markets are changing, how this affects oil concerns and how this affects a broader set of issues. first, rabid energy intensive economic growth in developing countries has raised global energy demand in years. economic growth is the main driver in energy production is been able to keep up with demand the previously prevailing prices. this contributed to rising energy prices for oil gave rise to energy security and economic concerns. production of capital-intensive peer projects have longtime think of these geopolitical constraints. oil prices fell amid economic downturn than two dozen eight and rebounded. demand for developing countries pushed global consumption to new heights in 2010 and 2011. the higher prices have motivated investment, technology developments and policy incentives which have contributed to increasing energy supplies for new complex or expensive resources around the world. a number of samples come from the u.s. and elsewhere in the western hemisphere. for dense, tight oil in shale

gas production, ethanol production come up reseller resource in canada's oil sands. turning to the oil market, the work is 80 million barrels a day. 40% of met with oil from opec which includes mayor oil producers in the east, africa and south america. the world largest nonprofit producers or russia in the united states. the united states sells the world's largest oil consumer and importer. the import of 45% of u.s. oil consumption down from a peak of 60% in 2005. net imports declined by 4 million barrels a day in six years. nearly half the clients can contribute lower u.s. consumption, a result of economic downturn and high oil prices. the rest is higher domestic reduction and other liquid fuels, particularly crude oil and ethanol. the largest crude oil production has taken place in north dakota and texas.

north dakota's formation is rapidly increased in recent years enabled by technology advances and horizontal drilling and fracturing. and all production has been supported by federal policy and among the largest declines in production have been in alaska and california. despite lower u.s. imports, u.s. imports from canada have increased by 20% between 2005 and 20 11 a debate growth. accounting for a quarter of u.s. imports, canada's largest sponsors of oil. meanwhile, import volumes have fallen. countries continue to account for half of u.s. imports. most comes from members outside the persian gulf in venezuela and nigeria for example. there's a broader set of issues to consider. i'll briefly cover three. first, the impact of high energy prices and investment, technology to government policy incentives are limited to oil. they drive rapid growth. also, joint technology

innovation of increase unconventional national gas supplies to keep u.s. gas prices for. show gases changed the u.s. national alex so much so that some come to be stopped at a liquefied natural gas exports. other countries look to see if they can regulate the show just experience. second, sent energy sources involve environmental and fiscal trade-offs. for example, the use of fracturing to recover castro has raised concern about the risk and some are concerned about the greenhouse gas emission from transport and refining. they are also fiscal trade-offs cammarata energy sources require government support. for instance, tax credit for ethanol. finally, the oil markets globally integrated an event anywhere can affect races everywhere. for example, you know the united states imported little oil, the crisis considered whether his imported by ship, pipeline are produced at home. foreign oil market disruptions

could continue to affect u.s. oil prices if the assert to produce as much as they consumed. in conclusion, rapid energy intensive economic growth in developing countries continued it, which in turn enabled new sources of energy supply growth. however, some of the sources of higher commercial environmental and ethical costs. domestic oil supply growth remains connected to global oil market for supply disruptions continue to cause economic and security concerns. i thank you for the opportunity to appear before the committee and happy to address your questions. >> thank you again. we'll go to mr. meg nally. >> chairman rice, members of the committee come to thank you for allowing me to testify. i also like to make three points in my testimony submitted to the record. one common new energy supplies and a hemisphere will have real benefits if we allow them to be produced. to come even if we produce more

oil and gas here come we will still be connected to a marketable has vital national security interests in and around the persian gulf. three come the risk of oil price spikes must not and need not be an excuse to avoid interrupting iran's oil exports. the loss of iran's exports can be offset by tapping strategic reserves. a nuclear iran would possess far great -- would pose far greater a longer-lasting risk. to the first point potential new in u.s. western hemisphere oil and gas supplies could come for real benefits. whether we realize will depend on future regulatory fiscal policies. those benefits include the import dependent to strengthen economy is resilient and reduce me to borrow abroad. new supplies anywhere outside the middle east reduce total sql vulnerability to volatile part of the world. on the road may be able to use best new show gas deposits to displace imports through fleet electrification. to revitalize domestic chemical effect your and exports reduce

leverage over western europe. even if we sharply reduce oil, our economy and national security will remain tightly linked the global oil market, especially to trends and events. oil is a fungible commodity way they treated in a global market. as my colleagues had come a disruption or pray shack anywhere means the prey schuck everywhere. lower oil improves economic science but will not insulate us from shocks. eia projects imports will fall to 42% of demand by 2035. oil and paid in 1973 when we had the first shot. the persian gulf amounts to about 15% of imports and is expected to stay in that level through 2035. even if we didn't imported drop in the middle east, vital national interests would remain. the middle east and the persian gulf is and will remain the world's most important energy region. as of 2000 idaho 56% of urban oil reserves, nearly all in the

persian gulf. mentally shared global production will rise from 28% to 31%. the higher market share and higher prices, middle eastern oil producers are going to room trying and trying in revenues. we must remain engaged in the region to ensure the windfall is not meant, threaten us or our allies. another is to make sure china and india sign dependence on middle east oil for mentioned earlier does not lead to strategic competition or conflict. international energy sees china's import dependence headed over 84% in india is over 92% by 2035. u.s. foreign policy can and should be to share the costs, burdens and responsibilities of protecting the close of series with other friendly and capable importers. such exist to some extent already such as multinational antipiracy patrols. for the foreseeable future, only the united states can play a leading role in guaranteeing stability of the persian gulf and this brings me to my last

point. the iranian regime's pursuit of nuclear weapons poses a grave, clear and present danger to national security including risk of economically damaging oil price spikes. we, especially you face a dilemma. only interrupting iran's crude oil exports is likely to change tehran's behavior, but that step because the price spikes that could hurt reporters that even motorists. iran exports 2.2 million euros a day, total spare capacity is about 3 million barrels a day. as my colleague said come we found it would have been we lost 1.7 million barrels a day, gasoline prices up to $4 a gallon. the alternative would also cause price breaks. if military options are not used to hearing will probably get nuclear weapons. this outcome poses the biggest and most enduring risk not only to national security, but also oil price spikes. some believe a nuclear armed

korean could be contained and deterred the soviet union was during the cold war. even if containment worked, the cost and danger strategy. early decades provide a nearly catastrophic. i got oil prices will remain stable after israel, saudi arabia and iran test nuclear weapons and state their retaliatory doctrines. much less continue to fight proxy wars and conflicts for millennia of religious, ethnic or cultural hostility. kareem's pursuit of nuclear weapons is likely to raise oil prices one way or the other. officials could manage this oil price risk by adopting a quarantine and release strategy. we would halt all or most of iran's oil exports for offsetting supply us with a drop -- drawdown in strategic stacks stacks of higher saudi production. strategic stocks are a large, secure located in consuming regions. they're an important tool that can protect the economy while we

raise the cost of the rain machine for illegal and dangerous weapons quest. short of a military action, quarantine and release may be the last option to avoid a nuclear iran which would pose the biggest risk to national security as well as oil prices. thank you. >> thank you. mr. durbin. >> good morning, mr. chairman, members of the committee and thank you for the opportunity to testify. as the title implies there's no question global markets are changing curb the u.k. members operate an investor on the world is growing like nations at a rebalancing of energy markets is occurring and enormous new potential reserves both on short and deepwater entry geopolitical stability the western hemisphere is quickly becoming a bigger player in the global energy stage. for today's purposes all that my comments to opportunities we have to enhance our energy and national security right here in north america.

in some parts of the u.s. as has been noted already, oil and natural gas development is booming. a total u.s. crude oil production remains constant is 2010, gulf of mexico offshore and alaskan reduction has dropped. this has been on that mean that they increase production on short north dakota and texas, almost exclusively and not federally. the increase in domestic onshore production with an overall drop in demand has led imports to decline during this period. the factors were enormously energy rich nation and we should be taking better advantage of those domestic energy resources. to highlight the point the consulting firm calculated benefits of expanded domestic development this year in a study conducted for api. it concluded america's oil and natural gas industry can create 1.4 million new jobs by 2030. 1 million could be created in just the next seven years. the same study showed a line greater production in the u.s.

can generate an additional $800 billion to federal local treasuries by 2030. that won't raise the debt, but it's a nice down payment. it doesn't end there. in 2010 industry directly contributed more than $470 billion to the u.s. economy and spending, capital investment, wages and dividends, more than half the size of the 2000 federal stimulus bill. as thomas happens every severe without enacted congress at no cost to the taxpayer. the keystone pipeline is an example of energy project that will enhance our national security. now in its fourth year of review, keystone excel will create thousands of good paying jobs for american families and as the labor unions his numbers will directly benefit from the project testified last week it's more than a pipeline is a lifeline is tempted to say this, highly trained productive workforce on this project. it's worth noting the keystone excel pipeline will not only be an outlet for oil in canada, the

production we see in the planes dates in north dakota and montana. looking to canada, it's more than one pipeline project. 80,000 americans are currently employed because of oil séance and according to the research institute we stand to create additional 500,000 american jobs by 2035 and spare $775 billion in economic activity. already at least 2400 companies in 49 states involved in the oil sands either by providing supplies and services in canada or expanding systems in the u.s. another fact is the chairman noted. forever to the u.s. spends on canadian products, canada returned 90 cents to purchases to purchases of u.s. business services. he simply don't see the level of return with other trading partners. we also have to think broadly about our energy future. d.o.e.'s energy administration forecasts the worldwide

consumption of energy is expected to grow nearly 50% by 2035 in the u.s. will require 20% were energy. the project renewables will meet only 13% of energy demand while in gas will continue to supply 55%. the choice is not between fossil fuels and renewable fuels. we need all of it. in fact her companies have invested more in research than the federal government in nearly as much as all other industries combined. growing with nobles will continue to be important for secure sources of oil and natural gas would be essential. canada is already her number with fire the projects i keystone we have the ability to significantly increase canadian import, which is already making up declines in imports from mexico and venezuela. cambridge energy research could supply 5 million barrels of oil a day to the united states in 2030. one of four barrels americans

expect to consume. by expanding access to domestic resources, strengthening energy partnership with canada and increasing domestic biofuels used, it is possible we could reduce all of america's liquid fuel needs by 2026. in closing, oil and natural gas will continue to be critical to meeting energy needs so we can choose to save the response we produce more north american energy creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs and generating billions in new revenue augustana much is a much as other countries produce resources that we will then have to purchase. thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you. >> good morning mr. chairman, members of the committee. i'm honored to represent the united dates energy security council which includes former secretary of defense, state, interior, transportation, homeland security, agriculture, navy and air force.

alan greenspan from the national security advisers, directors of caa, flag officers had formerly titled officers from shale oil and kraft foods arc earned about our growing dependence on petroleum and the impact on our national security and economic well-being. as was mentioned before, earlier this year, the department of energy announced u.s. import of petroleum declined from 12.5 million barrels a day in 2005 to 8.6 this year. dropped from 60% to 46% to 30% reduction in the level of imports in just seven years is a remarkable achievement. some of this is due to the recession, but most is due to as mentioned fuel efficiency and even more importantly, significant ramp up in domestic production enabled by technologies. so far so good.

while america's oil imports dropped, for oil expenditures climbed by almost 50% from $247 billion in 2005 to $367 billion this year. the share of oil imports in the overall trade deficit occur from 32% in 205251% this year. worst of all, the price of a gallon of gasoline increased by 65%. despite the lower demand, u.s. drivers spent this year gasoline more than any other year before. so yes, we have become more self-sufficient and more efficient, but at the same time we have become poor and deeper in debt without becoming more so-called energy independent of less prosperous. what is wrong with this picture? clearly something is wrong with her method.

being self-sufficient in oil does not shield him economy from oil shocks. the price of oil spikes the specs for everyone. by 9% comes from the persian gulf get the economy is always very vulnerable when things happen there. the finest live remains the only source of energy to participate in a transportation fuel market, those who control the wind shear production reserves will rule the day. particularly referring to opec, which is taken to a 79% of global conventional euler was there produces today almost the same number of barrels they did 30 years ago. even though the world economy more than doubled sense. the air of spring created a situation which the chiefs of the government has got to liabilities as june of $150 billion, keeping the people happy so they don't end up like mubarak and the other leaders. who is paid for as? we pay for this.

if i need to be said that while we had this conversation in the united states about reducing entitlement programs to hard-working americans, when title programs in kuwait and the united arab emirates. what is wrong with that method if they fail to address the root of our energy vulnerability and that is oil's virtual monopoly of a transportation fuels. this monopoly is enabled by the fact that for the most part are automobiles are bought to fill some made from oil. since 2005, roughly 100 million new petroleum only vehicles with over u.s. versus an average lifecycle of 15 years. by allowing this to happen and we locked ourselves to petroleum for the next two decades with all applications. congress can break spiritual monopoly with the stroke of a pen by enacting the open field standard act, which was introduced earlier this year. this two-page bill would ensure that cars sold in the united

states are open to feel competition so drivers can compare prices per mile and make choices between gasoline or diesel and a whole variety of non-petroleum fuels. as indicated in my written testimony, it would also open letter to methanol, an alcohol fuel provides most economic way to introduce our abundant natural gas resources as alternatives to petroleum in the transportation sector. mr. chairman, this time 200 years ago, napoleon was preparing his army to march into russia. at the time, thought was the most strategic commodity. salt deposit conferred national power. salt is the achilles' heel of the war machine. if that isn't strategic commodity ended with alternative ways to preserve food by canning and refrigeration.

the poets disaster russia campaign was the last time in history that saw played a role in world politics. today we consume in import assaults another yet i doubt anyone in this term is concerned about our sole dependence or where our salt is coming from. petroleum occupies the same strategic ground and the simple legislative fix it is zero cost to taxpayers in the u.s. congress can deliver to oil the same fate humanity delivered to salt. so let's get it done. thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you very much, dr. luft. let me open with a few questions for our panel here. in the near future, china is going to make up a third of the oil demand growth and that need has driven their foreign policy around the world. we have seen that whether it is an sudan or in burma for central

asia. we have seen some of the consequences as it is all about resources for beijing. and i would add, where china goes, correction also follows in terms of derrick todd to have access to this. well, now they are in our hemisphere. now china is here. they've established a working group on energy and chinese companies have invested 10 billion in canada's oil sands. now, this is my perspective on this, but it seems to me that the obama has laid out a welcome not for china with reese to the keystone pipeline project and the decision not to go forward. and i base that partly on the reaction in canada. or if any of the members of the press would like to talk to the canadian embassy about this,

this really paint the canadian government. it just stays that there the obama administration announced the keystone delay, canadian prime minister stephen harper met with china's hu jintao and harper was painfully blind. what he said was quote, this does underscore the necessity of canada and making sure your that we are able to access asia markets for energy products. that was his quote. those remarks spurred headlines around the world. reuters said asia a priority for canada after u.s. delays keep going. and in "the wall street journal," canada shop soil after pipeline all. and it is a halt. i had a press conference not

long ago with a representative of the pipeline company that is making that said last week, they laid off 60 of their employees and there's more layoffs coming as a consequence of this decision. and indeed, there are now canadian proposals to dramatically increase the capacity for oil from alberta to reach the canadian west coast in order to be shared shipped to china. these plans are being sent with a view towards diversifying a way from an unreliable partner, the united states. and instead, they are looking at china. and this is all being planned with a long-term focus on the chinese market in mind. now mr. gergen, canada is not

waiting around. i wonder if you share my concern. and i would ask how assessable is canada's alberta oil market to the chinese market? >> mr. chairman, thanks for the question. i'm not sure i can give a clear answer on accessibility of china to the canadian market other than to say as you pointed out, they have made significant investments in the oil sands. i don't think that's any surprise. it has been pointed out if commanded a dozen enormous resource you're sitting on top of. they will find a way to get this to market. our focus in the api we shared disappointment to the decision of the delay of the pipeline, but we are today utilizing oil sands of canadian energy resources to a great extent and

i think it is in our national interest, energy interests, security interest to enhance that even more. there is no question that canada is going to find outlets for the oil sands crude and we just believe there're too many benefits from a job creation and economic growth, energy security and national security to bypass that opportunity. >> let me follow up with a quote from the u.s. department of energy, the study they commissioned. and this is their conclusion. if pipeline projects to the reddish columbia coast are built, they are likely to be utilized. this is because of the relatively short great distances to major northeast asia were it and future economic growth there. and because of increasing ownership interest by chinese

companies, especially in oil sands production. such increased capacity would alter global crude trade. canadian kurds would be quote lost from the u.s.a. going instead to asia. they are they would displace the world's balancing crude oil of. middle eastern and african nominally overpack, which would in turn moved to the u.s.a. the net effect would be substantially higher u.s. dependency on crude oils from those sources versus scenarios or capacity to move canadian kurds to asia with limited. so we have a choice. and i would ask you, do you share this analysis