quorum call:

quorum call:

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. a senator: i ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business for up to ten minutes. the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum.

mr. chambliss: i rise to pay tribute to lieutenant ronald l. burgess, jr., the director of the intelligence agency and one of the leaders in the intelligence community and in the united states military. lieutenant general burgess requires this summer after a distinguished 38-year career. during his career lieutenant general burgess has been recognized with numerous awards and decorations which include the defense distinguished service medal, defense superior service medal with two oak leaf clusters, the legion of merit, joint service commendation medal, united states special operations command medal, army commendation medal, army achievement medal, nato medal, former republic of yugoslavia parachutist badge, and army staff identification badge.

as a driving force in the intelligence community general burgess will soon conclude a career marked by exceptional leadership and strategic vision, both of which have significantly advanced u.s. national security interests while also strengthening our national intelligence and military intelligence capabilities during a very challenging period in our nation's history. throughout his time in uniform, lieutenant general burgess has demonstrated an unyielding dedication to duty and innate ability to inspire enthusiasm and commitment to serve those he leads. lieutenant general burgess' selfless service to country and his unparalleled personal drive have been instrumental in transforming defense intelligence into a more capable and cooperative enterprise, providing the critical intelligence required by military commanders and policymakers both at the defense

and national levels. commissioned as a second lieutenant through the auburn university rotc program in 1974, lieutenant general burgess began his career with a series of assignments in armor and military intelligence units in germany and at fort stewart, georgia, where he was directly responsible for planning multiple highly successful national training center rotations, numerous command post exercises, and an army training and evaluation program. lieutenant general burgess was recognized for his meticulous planning and forceful execution of operational procedures which contributed significantly to combat readiness. later, let general burgess held a variety of key staff and command positions, including assistant executive officer to the deputy chief of staff for intelligence, washington, d.c., in 1990 and as the be battalion commander,

25th infantry division from may, 1993 to may, 1994, at scofield barracks, hawaii. from july, 1995 to may, 1997 lieutenant general burgess commanded the 470th military intelligence brigade where he served with great distinction. as commander, he provided outstanding leadership which led to the unit's operational success in support of the commanding general of the united states army south and the commander, u.s. southern command. during this period lieutenant general burgess skillfully integrated a multidisciplined intelligence force into an extremely innovative war-fighting asset while also expanding the brigade's regional focus through more than 150 operational deployments across latin america, the caribbean,

europe, and korea. while commanding the 470th, lieutenant general burgess also served as acting advice director of intelligence and subsequently the acting director of intelligence for u.s. southern command. during this period, lieutenant general burgess guided a continuous flow of intelligence analysis and support of the yearlong tupac amaru revolutionary movement hostage crisis at the japanese ambassador's residence in lima. lieutenant general burgess' support was key to developing the detailed analysis required by u.s. military commanders, our ambassador to peru, and the president to make timely and informed decisions leading to the safe withdrawal of american hostages. following his assignment at u.s. southern command, lieutenant general burgess served as the director of intelligence, the j-2, for the joint special

operations command, or jsoc, at fort bragg, north carolina, from may 1997-may 1999. during this assignment, general burgess' leadership was instrumental in supporting continuous global deployments as well as major exercises and highly complex joint service training events. mr. president, in june 1999, general burgess returned to the southern command as the director of intelligence, or the j-2. among his achievements while serving in that position, lieutenant general burgess led an interagency intelligence effort to create a fuse colombian intelligence capability that enhanced military and police cooperation against illegal global drug networks. lieutenant general burgess led southern command's intelligence response to many challenges, including potential migrant operations, tracking of cuban

exiles, hurricane and earthquake disaster relief, and sustained counterdrug operations in both the area of responsibility and throughout transit zones. from june 2003-july 2005, lieutenant general burgess served as the director for intelligence for the joint chiefs of staff. as the j-2, general burgess directed all source intelligence analysis and reporting for the chairman j.s.c., the secretary of defense, the joint staff, and united commands. lieutenant general burgess served as the focal point for crisis intelligence support to military operations, indications and warning intelligence in the department of defense and unified command intelligence requirements. assuming control of intelligence operations only months after the united states and coalition forces invaded iraq, lieutenant general burgess was at the forefront of providing timely

and insightful intelligence for operational requirements in ir iraq, afghanistan, transitional terrorism, and all developing global issues affecting u.s. interests abroad. in august 2005, lieutenant general burgess reported to the office of the director for national intelligence, where he served as the deputy director of national intelligence for customer outcomes, director of the intelligence staff, acting principal deputy director of national intelligence, and acting director of national intelligence. during this period, lieutenant general burgess played a key role in developing and reforming the intelligence community during an unprecedented period of global change. during general burgess' tenure at odni, his leadership was key during the revision of executive order 12333 which governs all

intelligence activities, the development of the first-ever joint manning document for military personnel assigned to organizations outside the department of defense, critical intelligence community managerial operations were overhauled and innovative human capital practices were implemented under his watch. after completing his odni assignment, lieutenant general burgess was appointed the 17th director of the defense intelligence agency in march 2009. as the vice chairman of the senate select committee on intelligence, i have personally witnessed general burgess' thoughtful and ambitious program to strengthen d.i.a.'s ability to address the ever-changing requirements of military commanders and policy-makers at the defense and national levels. lieutenant general burgess has focused d.i.a. on our nation's greatest challenges, including afghanistan, pakistan, iraq,

iran, transnational terrorism, and preventing strategic surprise elsewhere around the globe. in doing so, general burgess has reinforced d.i.a.'s ability to surge in support of continuing say operations and crises, successfully launching a 24/7 crisis analysis cell at the start of the libyan crisis and establishing an afghanistan-pakistan task force that refined the agency's ability to support ongoing combat operations. as d.i.a., he was celebrating its 50th anniversary, lieutenant general burgess charted an innovative five-year strategy to strengthen and unite the agency's core defense capabilities while also focusing the agency on warning, core mission areas, partnership and performance.

d.i.a.'s new strategy emphasizes best practices to support our war fighters and policy-makers in an era of persistent conflict and enduring u.s. fiscal challenges and sets the path towards achieving the strategy's major theme of "one mission, one team, one agency." as director of d.i.a., lieutenant general burgess has worked to strengthen and improve the joint worldwide intelligence communications system, the secure backbone for much of the u.s. intelligence community, the white house, u.s. combatant commanders, and our allies. additionally, he has led the effort to establish the defense clandestine service which provides enhanced collection capabilities in support of the highest-priority intelligence requirements of the director of national intelligence, the secretary of defense, the secretaries of the military departments, and the combatant commanders. no matter the range or

complexity of the issues, general burgess has always kept himself, his colleagues, and subordinates focused on the fundamental obligations and responsibilities borne by those entrusted with some of the nation's most important and sensitive missions. he frequently reminded d.i.a. employees -- and i quote -- "while much of what we do is secret, our work is a public trust." and consistent with that view, general burgess emphasized at every opportunity the nonthat noashablnonnegotiable need for intelligence professionals to always demonstrate the highest degree of integrity, both personal and professional. he often counseled new employees, senior managers and military attaches headed to new postings that integrity is needed most when it is hardest to maintain. mr. president, while much of what is said behind closed doors

at the senate intelligence committee is classified, i can tell you, my colleagues and the american people that d.i.a. is held in high esteem by the senate intelligence committee, as well as the entire intelligence community, due in no small part to the leadership of general ron burgess. d.i.a. is an indispensable principal member of the u.s. intelligence community and has strengthened its performance as the functional intersection between defense and national intelligence. lieutenant general burgess leaves behind a more flexible and adaptive agency, one that is much more capable of meeting our national security challenges. under his leadership, d.i.a. has earned even greater respect within the intelligence community and continues to warrant congress' strong support and trust. mr. president, while the army and the intelligence community will be losing a leader who has

answered the call time and time again at such critical points in our nation's history, i know that lieutenant general burgess will be happy to reclaim his saturday afternoons in the fall to root for his auburn tigers. and as a bulldog, i continue to pray for him because of that. and that the burgess family will cherish more time with a husband and a father. mr. president, i wish general burgess and his wife marta the very best as he enters retirement. on behalf of a grateful nation and my colleagues in the united states senate, i thank general burgess and his family for his many years of faithful service and for a job well done. thank you, mr. president, and i would suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

the presiding officer: the leader. mr. reid reid: and ask unanimous consent the call of the quorum be terminated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that on monday, july 16,

at 5:00 p.m., the senate proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 662, which is a nomination, that there be 30 minutes for debate equally divided in the usual form, that upon the use or yielding back of that time, the senate proceed to vote with no intervening action or debate on the nomination. the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, there be no intervening action or debate, that no further motions be in order, any related statements be printed in the record, that president obama be immediately notified of the senate's action, and the senate then resume legislative session. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: the senate, mr. president, is currently on the motion to proceed to s. 33 3369. i believe i'm correct. is that right? the presiding officer: the leader is correct. mr. reid: that being the case, i have a cloture petition at the desk on that -- on the motion to proceed to that matter. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: cloture motion. we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules

of the senate, hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the motion to proceed to calendar number 446, s. 3369, a bill to amend the federal election campaign act of 1971 to provide for further disclosure requirements for corporations, labor organizations, super pacs and other entities and for other purposes. signed by 18 senators as follo follows -- mr. reid: madam -- i'm sorry. i ask unanimous consent that reading of the names not be necessary. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum required under our rule 22 be waived and that on monday, july 16, following the vote on the mcnulty nomination and the resumption of legislative session, there be up to ten minutes of debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees prior to the cloture vote on the motion to proceed to s. 3369. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent, mr. president, that

the -- we now proceed to a period of morning business, senators be allowed to speak for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask consent we now proceed to calendar number 448. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 448, h.r. 3902, an act to amend the district of columbia home rule act to revise the timing of special elections for local office in the district of columbia. mr. reid: are we -- have you said we should proceed on this, mr. president? the presiding officer: without objection, we'll proceed to the measure. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time, the senate proceed to passage of this bill. the presiding officer: without objection, is there any further debate i? all those in favor say aye. all those opposed, say no.

the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, any statements be print ed in the record as if read. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that the banking committee be discharged from further work on h.r. 2527. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 2527, an act to require the secretary of the treasury to mint coins in celebration of the national baseball havel pavement. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, the committee is discharged and the senate will proceed to the measure. the presiding officer:. mr. reid: i ask that a gillibrand amendment be agreed to, the bill as amended be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, action, a any statements be placed inned record as if read. the presiding officer: without

objection. mr. reid: mr. president, there's a bill at the desk due for its first reading. officer the clerk will read the title of the bill for the first time. the clerk: h.r. 607, an act to repeal the patient protection and affordable care act and so forth and for other purposes. mr. reid: i now ask for its second reading and that's in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule 14. but now i object to my own request. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bill will be read for a second time on the next legislative day. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that that when the senate completes its business today it adjourn until 2:00 p.m. on monday, july 16. following the prayer and pledge, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and at that time i be recognized. that at 5:00 p.m., the senate proceed to executive session under the previous order. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: sow so, mr. president, there will be two roll call votes on monday.

beginning at 5:30 there will be a vote on the mcnulty nomination. following that vote, there will be 10 minutes of debate and then we'll vote on cloture on s. 3369, which is the disclose act. if there is to further business to come before the senate, i ask had a it adjourn under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until >> the senate blocked a bill to give businesses a tax credit for workers giving pay increase of 50 or.

>> well, today the republicans filibustered the bill and pay the debt for a year pretty much. >> what is happening next in the sun at? >> it kind of seems to be a dry run for a broader tax issue for a tax abatement at the end of the month late on the side, might be on the senate side. the business tax bill became broader for a discussion about the bush tax cut with the republicans insisted on getting a vote on amendment that would extend up the tax codes for all payers for a year and this comes after the president calls on congress to extend the tax cuts for those snaky $250,000 below,

just for them for a year. so republicans wanted to distinguish the president's position and called on for info. democrats are reluctant because they wanted to speak to the debate on the small business tax code. >> so why have they been wanting to hold the broader tax issues like president obama's middle-class tax cut and the gop proposal? >> both sides think it's a winner. both republicans say their proposal doesn't raise taxes on anyone. they argued that their president's proposal would raise taxes on small businesses because most file their taxes on their personal income tax. so their argument is basically kick the can down the road for another year or so we can reform the tax code and therefore, to make an equitable tax code for everyone. democrats argument is that

millionaires and people to make more than $200,000 don't need another tax cut. they opposed it in the first case when president bush opposed it and they argued it at the middle class can afford to have a tax increase, so let's keep at for them, but let's hope the tax cut and not get the millinery is another tax cut. >> so what is this tax cut really about? >> well, everyone has election fever right now down here, so basically people are positioning themselves ahead of this election in november. >> what are some of the pros and cons of the size of having a debate and forcing those on most tax proposals? >> again, republicans see themselves as i wanted to raise on anyone. republicans think the economy has suffered from this great degree of spending and if you

run down the spending and allowed the dirt and mortgage to work, therefore the economy will improve. they are trying to make the american public in the case of this administration or democratic senate has spent too much money and it's because of them that the economy is so bad. they want to take away some of these taxes. democrats are saying they want to resonate their message with the middle-class and say that their policies favor then and after the bush administration has put tax increases -- tax cuts in place for millionaires, finally democrats will stick up for the middle-class and hopefully commit them to vote for them in november. >> humberto sanchez is a staff writer for roll call. i appreciate your time. >> thank you very much.

>> today on the floor, susan collins caster type doesn't though. the occasion was noted by the senate majority and minority leaders on the floor. here are theirom remarks. import milestone. her 5,000th consecutive roll call vote. a tenacious accomplishment indeed and represents the work ethic and dedication senator collins has for the people of maine and for the senate. we all know she's one of the hardest-working members of the united states senate. listen to this. since she was sworn in in january, january 3 of 1997, she's been present for every single roll call vote. that's over 15 consecutive years of never missing a vote. senator collins is actually in quite an elite company. recently she passed senator byrd and is now third all-time behind senator chuck grassley and the

late bill proxmire from wisconsin. i know she took great pride also to be in the company of her role model, a woman that played a major role in her decision to run for public office in the first place, fellow maine senator margaret chase smith, currently number five on the list. on behalf of the entire senate, i want to congratulate senator collins for this great achievement. mr. reid: it is a remarkable accomplishment. i hope i don't get in trouble, but i really like her. i appreciate her ability to work with us, work with everybody.

she is somebody who you never have to guess where she stands on an issue, and i admire and appreciate her so much for that. i've worked with her on issues going back for many, many years. i really, again, say i appreciate what she's doing. she has great genes. her mother and father each served as mayor of a small town in maine, a place called caribou. and i have really -- i don't have fond memories of caribou because in my, i think it was my 1998 race, we were, this great mailing that we did, one of my consultants from nevada, instead of having deer, they had caribou on my campaign literature. it took me awhile to figure that one out. i'm sure the town of caribou is

bigger than my campaign spot. her family ran a lumber business. her father was also a state senator. i am confident that susan has learned to be the senator that she is because of bill cohen. i had the pleasure of serving with this good man from maine. i served as a junior member when he was chairman of the aging committee, and he was such a wonderful man. i still talk to bill cohen. and she has many of his traits. as we know, she worked for him. he has been a great secretary of defense. he's just been a good person, and i am confident that her ability to be the legislator she is, a lot of it is attributed to him. she's always been known for her ability to compromise, legislation the art of compromise. and she works with all lawmakers.

i think that the tone that she has set working with joe lieberman is magnificent. they have run that committee with dignity and on a totally bipartisan basis. this is -- 5,000 votes, frankly, a number of us have cast 5,000 votes, but it is ridiculous the example she has set, never missed any votes. i wish her the very best in her many years to serve in the future of the senate. now, roeser tranter as a guest on "washington journal" for

about 30 minutes. >> we turn now to the government program formally known as food stamps, yesterday early this morning the agricultural committee spent on a bill that includes about $16 billion in cuts to that program over the next 10 years. democratic congresswoman rosa delauro put that into perspective for us. what does that mean for the program? >> guest: it is not a question of what it means for the program. it is what it means for the people who rely on the food stamp program every single day. 46 million people are being fed through the food stamp program on a daily basis. let's step back for a second. we are talking about a very, very difficult economy. worst recession we've seen since the great depression. families are struggling, working families, people who never thought they were going to have to feed themselves or their families through the food stamp

program, but that is happening. you chat with any of my colleagues throughout the united states in every single congressional district we are seeing the rise of hunger in the united states. and they give you a statistic from my state of connecticut. one out of seven people in my congressional district of south-central connecticut is what they call food insecure. ..

you know, the nutrition programs which have to do with the school lunch, school breakfast programs. we -- emergency food assistance program, which is how our food banks, food pantries access supplies that people come and said take advantage of, to take the opportunity to be able to get food to put on the table. now, if you have such a drastic cut you are going to see up to 3 million people who are no longer going to be able to access the food stamp program. you going to see children, and finnstrom and toddlers who are not going to be able to get food in the united states of america, bountiful country. it is immoral. it is, quite frankly, and more. talk more about what happened yesterday, but the farm belt,

you contrast what they did. for interest -- for instance, with crop insurance. the federal government picks up roughly 60 percent of the cost for premiums for crop insurance is not include administrative costs. statistic. until the above 46 million people who access food stamps every day. we have roughly 4% of the beneficiaries of the crop insurance program that one-third of the premium subsidies, 26 of those beneficiaries get at least a million dollars in subsidy. that is 26 verses 46 million people who is less than $5 a day for the food stamp program, and it's a dollar 50 per meal. why are we doing this? >> will show our viewers some of the statistics about these programs, food stamp programs. about a hundred and $304 per

month. it's about 15 percent of the u.s. population, one in seven. increased 70% since 2007. spending rose to 72 billion in 2011 upper from 30 billion in two dozen seven. talk about that increase and the reason for that increase. does it all have to do with the rough economy we are seeing? >> it mostly has to do with the rough economy. and really what is so particularly important about the food stamp program, and the way it was designed. when there are difficult times the numbers rise. the number of people who access the program, who are using the program, that number rises. when the economy gets better, when we focus on putting people back to work so that they can, food stamps, we see numbers drop. we are already beginning to see a slight decrease in the

numbers, but it is about getting our economy back on track, about making sure that people are going back to work. people today, many of them who are losing food stamps, many never thought that they would have to use the food stamp program. people who have lost their jobs to no fault of their own who are struggling every single day and week in order to macon's me are, quite frankly and literally to put food on the table for their families. >> let me ask you about that rise in folks who are using it from bloomberg government food stamp rolls are expanding, even at the unemployment level. this is showing a decrease in unemployment levels from 2009-11. yet the number of people on food stamps is continuing to rise. some of the folks concerned that it has become too easy for folks to get access to food stamps. >> but when we talk about the unemployment numbers, the unemployment numbers, many

people will say because they talk about -- unemployment is over 8%. that is not including the people who are looking for jobs. we are looking at probably -- it's a higher number given that the number of people who have stopped looking for a job, people who have been unemployed for, you know, a year, two years, who are unable to find. that me give you an example of the use of the food stamp program in connecticut. a young woman he was with me at the food bank in new haven. she has three children, three boys, 18, 14, and ten years old. branford connecticut. it is a middle-class blue-collar community. she lost her job. this was a woman who was involved in purchasing, pension

benefits, investments. she lost her job through no fault of around. her unemployment benefits today make chernoff eligible for the food stamp program. she got up to a microphone and spoke about her three boys and saying that her family, the eat one meal a day. she cannot afford to put food on the table. she uses the food bank in order to take advantage of that emergency food assistance program, which would be cut if we cut the food stamp program. real stories of people who are trying to feed their families in the united states. at the same time we are providing 26 beneficiaries of a crop insurance program with at least $1 million. there is no threshold, no cap on the amount of money that a

beneficiary can get. there is a cap, their is a cabinet, at roughly is around $30,000 for a family of four. if you do not meet the eligibility requirement you cannot access food stamps. >> i want sent to you a clip from congressman frank lucas, chairman of the house of agriculture committee talking about the reason for these cuts to the program and why he thinks they are important and useful. >> we also close loopholes and eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse in the supplemental attrition program. some of the cuts we propose to food stamps are not enough, while others say the cuts are too much. i believe most americans will agree 80 percent cut in food stamps is reasonable. i would like to be clear that this legislation will not prevent families that qualify for assistance from receiving the benefits. we are working to better target

the program and to improve its integrity so that families, most in need, can continue to receive nutrition assistance. >> congresswoman, do you think there is any fraud, waste more abuse going on in this program that needs to be addressed? >> i think in just about every program that we deal with today at the federal level one has to take a look and make sure that there is no fraud, waste, and abuse. quite frankly, and i wish that the congressman had mentioned this, the error rate that is overpayments and underpayments is just below 3 percent, probably one of the lowest rates of any federal program. when you take a look at the irs and people who are paying their fair share of taxes, you're looking in over 16 percent in terms of an error rate. that means that people who are sheltering their income someplace else or just not paying their fair share of taxes in the united states, i think we ought to begin to close those loopholes. everywhere where there is fraud

and abuse we ought to take a look at it. and if we can ship those loopholes down we should. that is not what we are doing. we're going to cut off benefits, up to 3 million people. 300,000 approximately children are no longer going to be able to get a school lunch program. that is taking the food out of the mouths of our children. over half of the food stamp recipients are children. quite frankly, there are children, seniors, disabled, and we are looking at the families of returning veterans who are not having to access the program if we want to take a look at fraud and abuse, less take a look at this crop insurance program. i'm surprised that chairman lewis would not address the fact that we have 26 individual beneficiaries who receive at

least a million dollars in a premium subsidy. and i support crop insurance. i have farmers in my district. what age should be is equitable nationwide and it should be equitable in terms of the cost that it covers. >> we are taking your call this morning and we are talking with congresswoman rosa de laura of connecticut in your 11th term. we will put the numbers up for you to call in. first to go to cape cod, massachusetts. rick on the independent line this morning. go ahead. >> caller: good morning, and thank you for taking my call. congress woman, you made a statement yesterday concerning the advisability of purchasing soft drinks with food stamps, and that is maybe the only way that recipients can fill the bill is of their children. is that really the message that wants to go up to this country? it's okay to step sugar and carbohydrates down against most? speak to you make a good point, and you don't have the full

tape. tell you quite frankly that the channel did not to deal with the entire question. let me take a second. one of the interesting facts, i think you should know, when you go into the grocery store and you're looking at buying what would be a healthy drink, fruit juice, etc., it winds up being probably around $3.49 for a dot -- for a bottle. on the other hand, look at that to liter bottle of the sugary drinks. like $0.79. $0.80. so, look, you are a consumer. you go in and you are, you know, of limited means. you are going to look for something that you can afford and that will fill up your own

family. i don't believe that the right thing to do. we ought to take a look across the board at a strong supporter of nutrition. bring down the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables. maybe we should do is take a look at putting two or $0.3 more on the purchase. what kind of crops are being subsidized. so that it is -- i am not saying that because i am a strong believer that we should address the issue. the sugary drinks are hurting our children, hurting our families. the cost is in the health care costs and the issue of obesity. >> host: well, joseph rights and on twitter to ask who is pushing these cuts? it is important to note that this is not necessarily a republican hit-democratic

divide. the top democrat on the house that committee has actually agreed to these cuts and supported these $16 billion in cuts over ten years. >> guest: well, he has, but i would disagree with my dear friend and colleague here we worked very closely together. the last farm bill, i was fortunate enough to be on that conference committee. we made some changes in food stamps, thereby allowing more people who are eligible to be able to access the program. so we disagree on the nature. >> host: disagree with the senate cuts, the democratically controlled senate cut three and a half billion. >> guest: four and a half billion. >> host: four and a half billion. >> guest: four and a half billion in the senate, and those cuts, yes, because beneficiaries of being cut from the program. the bulk of the farm program is about a farm safety net.

that's about 80% or more of the program. so that where we are cutting, for instance, direct payments, which is what the senate bill did we are helping to mitigate against that through the crop insurance program, another program that deals with -- the prices of crops go up, how we can make farmers sold. and i'm supportive of those issues. we have a difficult time, we have to address people's economic needs. the only group of people who will see a benefit cut are going to be those who are at the most vulnerable, seniors and children who are going to see benefit cuts. that occurs in the senate program in the senate bill which is why opposed to that. >> some info on who actually gets food stamps, 47 percent of children under the age of 18,

this according to the department of agriculture . 8% 860 and overcome a 41 percent live in households with earnings for my job. about $287. >> guest: $134. in any case, we are talking about people who are making $30,000 less. you are capped at 130 percent of the poverty level. >> guest: let's go to denver, colorado. good morning, gregory. >> caller: good morning. how are you? i'm a democrat, and i am so proud of you guys for standing up to this madness going on. this. we need to stand toe to toe. what they put out there, what's going on. i'm glad for the food stamp program, the more people.

people who really need to eat. money to star wars around the world. police the world, but when it comes to trying to take care of our own people, the conservative party has lost their mind. thank god for you guys and keeping it real. keep doing what you're doing. god got your back. appreciated, and that love of my democratic people have. >> host: a question through e-mail from buffalo, new york. i agree with your guest, but no case should go hungry in this country. we don't have the money to pay for this. how does she suggest we pay for it? >> guest: we have to take a very -- and some of that things have already mentioned. let's take a look at the subsidies in the program that had been approved. is it right that 26 beneficiaries of the crop insurance program are paid at least a million dollars a year? there is no cap on income for those individuals.

4 percent of the, again, the beneficiaries of the crop insurance program are people -- 4% are getting one-third of the premium subsidy. let's take a look. when i said that the federal government is paying roughly 60 percent of the premium, you are a beneficiary to crop insurance program. you take at an insurance policy. federal government pays roughly 60 percent of the cost of that premium. in addition to all of the administrative expenses. twenty-six people are getting at least a million dollars. we are talking about $134 a month, a dollar 50 a day per meal, less than $5 a day for the food stamp program for 46 million people. so that is one way to pay for it.

let's take a look at the subsidies we provide to the oil and gas industry. do we think they are struggling? having difficulties? some of the ceos, putting food on the table? i don't think so. we give them $4 billion a year in subsidies. what about those that take the jobs, multinational corporations that take their jobs overseas? create jobs if in other countries, instead of here in the united states. that's about $8 billion in subsidies. what about the extension of the tax cuts? the richest 2 percent of the people in this nation. now, there in fact we could save some money. and weekend pay for some of these other things. you know what we could do as well, help to reduce the tax. >> host: a suggestion from gary on twitter. why not cut foreign aid rather than aid to our own people of? once we can feed our own people we can look got side to help others. i want to talk about who is eligible for this program, if

you can talk a little bit about that. some information for that your's about eligibility requirements and that there are certain requirements to get into the food stamp program, but there is also this idea of categorical exclusion which people are concerned about with stay have expanded too far, too easy for folks to get into that. can you talk a little bit about what those are? >> guest: certainly. mainly driven by the states. if you qualify for the -- for the media assistance program which is -- that it has some of the same eligibility requirements. if you qualify for that program which is, again, and, based. it is for low income for the poor. then you would qualify for a food stamp program which has similar eligibility requirements . >> host: income at or below

130 percent of the poverty line. >> guest: that's right. we're talking about below -- kendis could be well below the $30,000 level for a family of four. it could be below that effort. so there are similarities. quite frankly was states decided to do and what congress decided to do was to say, rather than going through all of the administrative paperwork that one might need to do in order to verify, weekend, in fact, verify through your eligibility for this program that you are eligible, again, for food stamps. if you check with states they would tell you that that is something that has worked to their benefit, and the crossover is so more closely matched. and this has been studied. this did not come out of the blue. congress moved in this direction

and number of years ago. that allowed for this to move forward. >> host: did any of those need to be reined in? >> guest: they have examined that effort, and it would appear that if you are eligible for these subsidies from one program then you are eligible, you know, everywhere else. as i say, i think it is very, very interesting that we cannot place any limitations on upper income people in terms of how what they can access in terms of subsidy. again, i will go back to the farm bill. there is no subsidy that is prevented because of a cap on income, because of a cap on income and crop insurance. you can be a mega farber.

you can make any income, and, yes, you are eligible for at least a million dollars amongst those 26 for a subsidy. why aren't we challenging those subsidy levels? does it strike you as an equitable? what creates a balanced? i want to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in all programs. let us not go to the poorest and most vulnerable, the very biggest economic downturn that we have seen since the depression. >> host: a comment from rob b.j. on twitter. he says, in the air raid in the assistance programs is unacceptable and tell all fraud and abuse is eliminated. pat, don't expand. use your own money for charity. i want to go back to the phone. barnes bill, georgia.

denise is on the republican line. good morning. >> good morning feet. what i would like to say is that basically this is an overall solution from and outside you. i live in america. american indian in me. irish. and i would just like to say that with all due respect the american farmer has just about been put out of business because of the different laws and what not. just keep cutting back. that insurance is very necessary because of that crop is a strike in they have no crop that they have had to pay for an insurance only pays out of their crop is destroyed by some act of god. >> host: what do you think about the cuts to the food stamp program? >> caller: well, that thing of it is it does have to be cut because there are people abusing the system, and they always have. and it needs to be looked into. and then individual type situation, the people who are for food stamps needs to take a

closer look at who they're talking to. >> host: care to respond? >> guest: first of all, thanks you so much for the call. i think one needs to really, as i have said, look at fraud and abuse in every program, and i think, as i said, the other rate in the food stamp program is 38% one of the lowest in the nation. on the tax side with the irs and people paying their fair share of taxes, particularly the upper levels, you're looking at an air raid of a 60%. let me suggest this to you. i think that we can be equitable. i represent farmers. i think that when people have a difficult situation and i am supportive of relief, but i am also supportive of people in very difficult economic downturn being able to access food. now, quite frankly, farmers,

people are buying their products. this was a program that was designed in order to help those who are in need of food. quite frankly people who are on food stamps for an average of ten months. it's a bridge. we work closely with farmers who produce that food that could sold in grocery stores that people have food stamps purchase. so this should be a close relationship. we ought to take a look at the federal program that, yes, are addressing people who need access to food. those that are getting assistance in other areas. make sure that there is equity. at the moment there is not in the equity in the program, and the farm bill came out of the house early this morning. we are seeing that in equity, where the back of the cut is coming from, the food stamp

program, crop insurance program, again, which i support, but it ought to be equitable across the region and equitable with risk as it applies to crops and commodities. >> host: as we go to the next caller we will show our viewers a map of the united states which shows a% of the population receiving food stamps, dark red being the highest in light numbers being the lowest and lost in d.c. having the highest rate, of 226%. waiting on the independent line from raleigh, north carolina. you are on with congresswoman rosa delauro. >> caller: good morning. how are you? >> guest: good, how are you? >> caller: i have a very serious question. a lot of people are talking about food stamps, farmers, so forth. here in north carolina i am a business are really fighting against illegal immigration where people are not asking how good you are but how much you will charge him. well, my biggest concern is the food stamps that they give to

children. i know, and every american knows that most illegal immigrants are sitting -- sending money home to take care of their families. what about the americans in need those jobs. i want the government used the program to make these people tick is going go the work? >> host: congresswoman? >> guest: first of all, i think you addressed a big problem we have in the united states, and that is jobs. that is what we ought to be about today. we ought to be looking at how we create jobs in the united states because we're looking at employment rates. that is no longer counting those who have stopped looking for jobs. we have the ability to look at how we can best create jobs. we have seen the biggest loss in jobs at the state level. that is coming with police, fire, schoolteachers. enormous loss of jobs. we need to focus on in the

congress, and i specifically am very, very concerned about this issue and have initiated a number of bills in order to try to create jobs. take a look at how we try to fix our schools. quickly put people to work in doing that. how are we -- we ought to be investing in our infrastructure, building roads, bridges. the environmental in infrastructure. putting people to work. jobs that cannot be outsourced, that can go overseas. our main focus, and quite frankly this congress and the president's has the jobs bill on the table. and quite frankly the majority in the house will not take up the bell. to move forward on jobs. that is our biggest effort. that is what we need to do. people have a job, they have a wage, they can take care of their families. they can pay their mortgages.

they can set themselves on a strong economic path. >> host: one last call. waiting for a forehand, new york. the last minute and a half that we have. go ahead. you are on with the congresswoman. >> guest: hello. >> caller: good morning. i wanted to address how easy it is to get food stamps. here in new york is absolutely not. we have to provide a document for every part of our life. we have to provide -- my husband is disabled and i have worked every day of my life. i am 64. i lost my job two years ago set. we have to provide every -- we have set -- we have to bring copies of our mortgage, taxes, county tax, town tax, school tax, water bill and, documentation on what kind of car we on. we have to go to our neighbors, to neighbors and have them sign a paper that only two people live in this house. and we get $62 a month.

we live on under $15,000 a year. >> host: congresswoman, and the last 30 seconds if you want to respond. >> guest: your testimony on this issue is you have said more in that minute then i could ever say in terms of what the nature of the struggle is today and the people who are on food stamps. and what people have to do in order to access that. and at the same time there are people getting subsidies from the federal government, at least a million dollars. they don't have to bring them any bills. they don't have to get any verification from neighbors. they just did it. why? why? why are we putting people who are trying at their wits' end to put food on the table, why are we trying to subject them to this kind of -- it is inhumane and in moral, and that does not match the values of the united states of america. >> host: congress woman, thank

you so much for coming in. come back again soon. >> we also talked with texas congressmen michael burgess on today's washington journal. this is about 35 minutes. >> congressmen and dr. michael burgess of taxes, joining us now, day after the house voted for the 303rd time to repeal all or part of the affordable care act. congressman, do you expect a different result this time to mackey said yourself that the senate is probably not point to take this up. >> still, it is important to get out there with the information. people once the supreme court decision two weeks ago. they may not have a particular mindset, but realistically we all essentially no the affordable care act is so flawed from start to finish. this thing was basically the rough draft of the senate that accidentally got signed into law in 2010. so drafting errors, as we learn from the supreme court, new taxes.

clearly people need to be thinking about this. the supreme court ruled. you'll hear from the court of public opinion in november, and it is important for us to keep talking about this. >> i want to read you a headline from politico, this story out just yesterday evening. even as they cheer arrest, republicans fall short on health care promises. even as they cheered the obamacare repeal vote their is a reality check. house republicans have done next to nothing. they promised they would do when it comes to health care. they have fallen short of what they promised the american people they would do when it comes to policy for. flashback to the campaign promises of 2010. gop leaders told voters they would enact medical liability reform, allow americans to buy health insurance across state lines, expand health care savings account to ensure access for patients of pre-existing conditions off and permanently prohibit taxpayer funding of abortion. eighteen months after taking the majority it passed only two of those. your response? >> well, it has been tough because, although the republicans and conservatives of

the house representatives, the senate is an obstacle. clearly the other end of pennsylvania avenue continues to pose a difficulty as well. i'll tell you the truth. i was ready to go with the bill. people with pre-existing conditions, and the supreme court knocked out the affordable care act i would still be introducing that. having to change some things now that the supreme court did not do exactly as i thought they would do. and having to change some things, but i will be introducing that before the end of this month. i hope that can form the basis for some discussion as we get into the fall campaign. look. we were told when the president and speaker pelosi were selling us on the concept of the affordable care act that there were 8-12000000 people who suffered pre-existing conditions if it could not get health care. the actual number of people now covered under the new federal pre-existing condition insurance program is a 62,000. that is not quite the same number. what it demonstrates is that in a large group market this was

not a problem. the open enrollment, you actually -- this drops off as an important. it is a problem in the individual market and the small group market. we can fix that. there is a finite number of individuals in need help. states have risk pools, reinsurance programs, and certainly the bill would now be introducing the concept that we can build on those programs and encourage the states and help the states with that. i think we need to spend the overhead dollars on a new federal agency. if we had just simply spent the overhead dollars on helping states with their existing programs we actually would have helped more people. >> you talk about the bill you're going to be introducing and the criticism that folks that had about this. there is nothing on the table right now to replace it with, and i want to show you a comment yesterday on the house floor from al green, a democrat of texas talking about -- [inaudible] >> i had to read this bill. my constituents insisted that

i've read this bill before voting. my constituents want me to read this bill. this is a replacement bill, and they want me to be sure that i understand the replacement bill before i vote to repeal. so what i would like to do now, for all within the sound of my boys and who are viewing this, i want to read the replacement bill. i shall read the replacement bill. let me just read half of it first. i shall now read one half of the replacement bill. now i shall read the other half of the replacement bill. some. >> congressman, the republicans make a mistake by not having a replacement bill in place and ready to go before these rounds of votes and appealing? >> well, like.

this is the difficulty i ran into with the pre-existing bill. existing law is this. anything that i introduce, the get lawyers of the legislative council office said, forget it, you have already covered that under the president's bill of the president's lot. the problem is a does not cover the people it is intended to cover and costs too much money. i would like to improve. the problem is i cannot because this is standing in the wake. i will help the representative because he is a good friend, a texan, and we share a lot of the same ideas and values. i will certainly be providing him with a copy. there is no shortage. we are bursting at the seams of republican plans. for people who said republicans did not do anything for the years that they were in power, where did this stage terence -- state insurance program come from? my first year in congress, the medicare modernization act of the party program to come into existence in the expansion of health savings accounts, was that not a republican congress and president to sign that bill?

there has been no shortage of republican ideas in health care. the problem is that people don't like to report things. >> well, if you want to call and then talk to congressman burgess of texas give us a call the democratic line, 202-737-0001. republican, 202-737-0002. independent, 202, 638, 0205. illinois. michael on. you are on. >> good morning. back in november of 2011 our chicago tribune, which is the major paper around here had an expos a on who makes up 01%. these top wage earners. and -- the doctor class.

and i hear you guys talk about all this nonsense. every excuse under the sun to avoid dealing with the fact that the medical community makes money way out of proportion to what the rest of us are earning. my wages have been going down over my working career. i actually peaked in 1987. that is when i had my best year in terms of adjusted real dollars and buying power. >> , respectively you are a doctor. i give you a chance to respond.

>> my and, probably peaked earlier than his and danforth the transition downward. why do we do this? one of the things the president did when he was arguing. why vilify the very class of people that you are going to need to appeal to mike if you're going to transform health care of me tell you something straight up. access to health care plan does that mean access to health care. double the volume of people on medicaid. the reimbursement rates are so poor that you don't have physicians seeing patients eye. in my own state of texas' 30 percent of patients to doctors will see a new medicaid patients. what is going to happen when you expand medicaid? those patients who show up in the emergency room the same as they do now. what problem have you fixed? cuny doctors to be our allies, your partners. one of the things i have never understood is line the administration shows to vilify

positions as part of their run-up to the passage of this law. >> do you agree with governor rick perry's ed decision to opt out of some of these health care expansions? medicaid and the pools that are being created? >> i think governor perry is wise to be very circumspect and cautious. the landscape road ahead in health care and especially with the federal partner in health care, very, very uneven, very rocky road ahead. at think the governor is wise to be circumspect. >> we have a chart here with the number of uninsured in the u.s. in 2009 intend. there is an editorial in the "usa today" this morning criticizing rick perry saying he did bring down that number. >> our robust safety net program and hospitals that actually care for individuals to otherwise would not have cared. yet what is going to happen

under the president's plan and the affordable care act and was secretary subereous is doing is those dollars will be run from the safety net hospitals and used for other purposes. as a consequence the uninsured we will have yes, to have less access to care or could have liked to have less access to care and the affordable care act. we have a 1200-mile border with our southern neighbor we have a problem of people in this state without the benefit of the social security number. the president in september of 2009 said no one except people who are legal citizens or legal immigrants will be recipients of the new affordable care act. but, in fact, if you don't do something about the individuals who are in the country without the benefit of the social security number, you have not changed anything. safety net hospitals will continue to be inundated with people who are here without the benefit of citizenship. >> spam on the republican line from waynesboro west region

yeah, you're on with congressman michael burgess of texas. >> yes. you know, republicans keep saying, oh, we have a plan. we have a plan. yet there are never any details given to that plan of what their proposal would be. it. >> let me ask you a question. here we have be affordable care act. as people have talked about, 24, 2700 pages of dense, dense instructions to federal agencies about what to do. when did have been a better approach, and they know is that there were problems in the health care system back in 2009. wouldn't it have been a better approach to take the 57912 things that needed to be fixed and have focused the legislation to deal with those problems rather than this, which actually tells you how you're going to live your life, made so you when you have lived enough life. why did we have to have this type of interference from the pro-government? things they needed to be fixed, some of them could have been done by administrative action.

they did not require 2700 pages of dense federal instructions. i would also say that most people who reject the notion of the affordable care act did not want to see a republican 2700 page bill to replace the democratic 2700 page product. the base what is broken. don't damage the system working for other people. the one thing that people have asked us over and over again, if you're going to do anything at all help put the cost. >> waiting to talk to you on the democratic plan. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> listen. i was listening to their representative, and, yes, i understand that the republicans did pass the schedule d. again, it was done very late at night with a collision of the hammer, so to speak. it was not paid for. on top of that, all that was put

on the credit card. also, i have a comment about the -- you say that there are only 62,000 with pre-existing conditions. >> in the federal pre-existing condition insurance program as of the middle of june. that was the enrollment figure that i was given by the federal agency. >> well, then why does most insurance companies account pregnancy as being a pre-existing condition and will not cover second north third babies if there are a problem. >> practicing obstetrics. the pre-existing condition phenomenon is the problem in the individual market and small group market. people covered under employer sponsored insurance or large crude market, that tends not to be the type of problem that an individual who goes out and buys

and the individual market. why do we provide the protection for the individual market, small group market that has already provided for a large employer sponsored market, and that has been the question that naturally has played to me long before i ran for congress. if there was one thing i could fix, that is what i would try to do, try to make those two markets more similar. now, the issue of someone who then wants to buy insurance, you can understand where the insurance company said, wait a minute. this is a concept of shared risk and rest spread out over time. you cannot concentrate its unless you expect to be in business next week and the next one delivers. so i don't have a real quarrel with the with a structure that. the biggest problem is people need to recognize that they're going to need health insurance. let's help them be able to have access to the type of policies that will actually work for them let's insurance the insurance companies to actually create products that people want.

>> your practice. >> there was -- and ob/gyn practice in texas, but every year i looked around to the best deal from insurance companies. my employees' insurance might change if i could find something that was a little bit better your insurance company actually did see value in keeping you healthy, make sure that she had the periodic screening still make sure you attended to your health. indycar guy will tell you, lead the life of your car if you do that. the scheduled maintenance. we have a system now where you do try to move from year to year to try to squeeze a few dollars of that particular cost on the balance sheet. i long for the day an insurance company would work with me and my business and try to help me provide longitudinal coverage.

>> talk about what he might replace with. what bill does run the plants are blessed with? >> you will have to ask governor romney. >> haven't had discussions with them about it? >> no. your recall, actually, the primary. >> the democratic line. yon with congressman michael burgess. >> good morning. good morning. well, i just had a couple of comments. there respect. i am a disabled programmer. third question, i would just like to ask the representative

about social security and medicare. thank you and i'll hang up and take your answer of the air. >> i guess, if i choose social security and medicare? the answer is no. i am not of the age to draw social security and medicare. obviously as a member of congress i do pay into the social security system. that you pay the payroll tax for medicare, so i am paying into the systems but to not currently drop. he brings up an interesting point of being disabled coal miner, and i have worked with representatives from virginia and west virginia. there are problems for some of the programs that right now benefit people such as sam and trying to work on removing those rough edges. the affordable care acts did not deliver as promised. it was full of drafting errors, and look at the thing was written here. they went down to the white house. the president said it would be transparent and open. around the conference table. a representative standing with

the insurance companies are going to note. it will all be on c-span. unfortunately it won't be. they call the special interests and, wrote the bill. >> let's go to charlene and a republican line from dale, texas. also, once again, your home state. you are on with congressman michael burgess. >> good morning. >> i have a couple of comments and the question. my first comment is after romney was at the naacp meeting yesterday he said, i comment where he said obamacare. then he said -- the next statement was about the chamber of commerce, something like three-quarters of the businesses say that there will quit hiring. well, you know, that was an online survey, and even the chamber of commerce, the u.s. chamber of commerce, of course,

says that that is not really a scientifically done survey. so i kind of waste that y'all would quit using that. my question is -- >> let me stop you for one question. it warms my heart to you use a y'all. please go ahead. >> well, has been hit -- both the bust us sick from eating some food at restaurants in florida. we get this disease called hyper as bora. middle in tustin disease. it affected his immune system to where he actually ended up getting another disease from, guess what, shower head. so now he has an infectious disease. we are self-employed. our insurance went up in the 2000-2001 timeframe way before mr. obama came into office. we had to drop it, so now we are insurance less. says rick perry is not allowing us to buy into a group and my

husband has a pre-existing condition, i'm kind of leaning toward voting for someone that is going to, you know, satisfy my problem here. >> you are actually fortunate because texas does have a group for people with pre-existing conditions. no, it is not pre -- free. probably a little bit higher than a premium on the welcome mat to open market because of the fact that it is a risk low. texas has done a pretty good job of setting this up. why do you have -- develop a new federal program when there are already in a resistance state programs that are working well for people. the biggest problem that texas has with its risk rule is that the amount of dollars at the state is able to put into that is limited. well, a few took federal dollars and supplanted or not supplanted, but augmented the state dollars, yeah, maybe you

ask with a private sector, insurance companies, who wants to sell insurance in texas to participate in a pool, but that is a much more powerful way to produce that arrangement and likely to provide much more in the way of help for someone like you and your eyes and then, unfortunately, this large federal program that has been set up but is actually helping only a few people. what was the cost of the federal program? $5 billion. provided a lot of help to states. >> north carolina, crystal is on the independent line for congressman michael burgess. go ahead. >> yes. congressman, i would just like to know why is it that we are getting -- giving away free health care to iraqis but not for american citizens? thank you. bye-bye. >> as you know the united states ended its activity in iraq in december, so if it was happening it's not happening now. so, you know, again, i don't have direct knowledge that that was actually occurring, but at the same time, if it was

happening it has been concluded. >> frankfort, kentucky, thomas is on the democratic line. >> good morning. thank you for taking my call. my question is about medicare. i am a senior citizen, and i am retired and drawing medicare. currently $96.50 a month is taken from my social security check. one of the gentlemen callers to c-span yesterday said that his premium was going from 9650 to a $247 a month. can you tell me anything about this, sir? thank you. >> that is the first effort of it. he is referring, i think, to the part b premium, the figure. part b is optional, but most people do take that. if there is an adjustment upward on the part of the premium that is likely to occur in the months -- in the first of october. the start of the new fiscal year. i really cannot comment on the

larger increase. that is the first effort of it. all certainly look into it. >> i want to talk about the larger economic picture and you're out look. this is a letter from the associated press. the number of people seeking unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level in four years. a hopeful sign for the job market that the decline was partly due to temporary factors. the labor department says with the applications dropped 26,000 to exhume the it's just that threonine 50,000, the lowest level since march 2008. applications consistently fell below the 3,705,000, it generally suggests hiring a strong enough to reduce the unemployment. if there is encouraging news i pray that it is continued.

the one thing that will bring the country out of the recession of greek people back to work. many taxpayers. that has been indicated by the report. >> the report. >> that is absolutely false. the country is hurting. we all want the country to be bettered. that is the one thing that really strikes me. it does not have to be like that. >> on the republican line. >> really upsets me they don't see that -- participate.

[inaudible] you look at the big piece. that is how much difference there is now. thirty people. they did not increase all the benefits. >> this -- the way it was sold to us how many people would be -- the availability, you know, that would be a ticket. >> you have other people there that are going.

>> they are competing for that same sector of health care. nothing done to affect the supply of physicians, availability of health care, and that was the point was making earlier about the -- by reducing the number of uninsured by just a presidential she -- she got of expanding medicaid, there is no place for them to go today. where are the additional 15 billion going to go? >> stephen baltimore rights and on twitter, would like to ask the congressman how someone who works for minimum wage is supposed to afford insurance without some kind of help. >> you know, there always have been options. and the, you know, the on-line group e health insurance has always offered a high deductible policy in several age groups that is eminently affordable, but the difficulty, of course guy is the working in the

minimum wage jobs without benefits. if we improve the job market, if we improve the job possibilities in job choices for an employee like that, that ultimately is going to be the solution for the problems. not setting of another government program where he is that the women the back in the call of this congress or a future congress to decide. look at today to say the affordable character has gone from a price tag of just under a trillion dollars over ten years. if you move that when the today the total projected cost by the senate finance committee is to 6 trillion. the end of this year were going to have a financial cliff that we all roll over. there is likely to be another debt limit discussion with all the good feelings of august august 2011. there are going to be problems. there are going to be financial problems. the road ahead is rocky. you cannot necessarily count on that benefit you have been given by the government today to be here tomorrow because what is

going to happen with these decisions that are going to. what about the department of health and human services? what plans are the making for the seven to 8 percent reduction across the board in the discretionary spending levels january 1st. this is not speculation. this is a law signed by the president in august of 2011. this is going to happen. what would happen if -- what would happen to those benefits that a person has been counting on have suddenly everything is reduced seven to 8%? benefits would be at risk. this is the problem. people need to wake up and look over the horizon. they're big troubles coming. >> a lot of headlines about the number of times that the house has voted to repeal part or all of the health care bill being the 303rd time yesterday. ron from colorado, one not work on a related issue like to reform. you do not need to repeal sense tort reform was excluded from it.

it will not solve the cost of health care problems. >> recent -- legislation going back to my first year in congress. even with the republican majority. the majority leader. that has been a problem. realistically it belongs in the purview of the state. texas has done a good job with copying some of the medical injury compensation reform act of 1975 and the the state of california. we have caps on noneconomic damages. a little bit different from california. it is working. counties that did not have an e.r. doctor now have one because of liability climate has improved. it does need to be tackled by the state. unfortunately there are states that will not taken up. there may be another way to look get this. medicare is a federal program. is there, perhaps, a way to provide a bryant 55 liability relief within the medicare program itself that obviously is

already existing in all 50 states. .. to beat back his charge and you will be all to do that, but it certainly will mess up your life for a long period of time. why do we not improve the environment when all of this was going on? >> host: five minutes left talking with congressman michael burgess.

practice medicine for 25 years in north texas, ob/gyn. we will go to illinois. tomas is waiting on the independent line. good morning, thomas. >> caller: good morning, congressman. dr. congressman. just two things. just go all just by not that dr. is better than congressman. go ahead, it's better. >> caller: two things i want to say. one is that people who are pregnant can get individual insurance. i'm an insurance agent. not only expectant mothers can get insurance, but fathers can't get insurance. the second thing is you're talking about 50,000 people covered under their preexisting condition insurance. >> guest: correct. >> caller: that is something in congress because there's a cap on the amount of insurance.

if congress put more money into it. >> guest: that is exactly the point. thank you for making it for me. why spend the money and sending up a federal program under the affordable care act, but why not help to states that the risk pools, ranchers programs are rather base to help you with that problem? the $5 billion that we spent setting up the new program could have been vastly better use by hoping people -- helping states who are already helping their citizens with existing risk pools and reinsurance. >> host: frank from oklahoma city this morning on the democratic line. good morning, frank. you are on with congressman. >> caller: thank you very much for protecting my rights. i want to ask congressman. i'm a retired federal employee and i've worked for the post office for about 27 years. they've paid about 70% of my

premium and i was just wondering if that was one of the reasons that the postal service is having so much financial problems. and like that congress lady said before, i think that might be a good place to find some money if they would pay their full share. thank you for taking my call. have a blessed day. >> guest: the question is this valid one. with federal retiree son can can to help in the face, you can't just start because people are going to be hurt by that. i daresay the collar would be hurt by that. yes they will have to be things happening in the united states postal system because the money is just not an accessible. at the same time i don't know if that's exactly the thing most people would be looked into. >> host: one more call from louisville kentucky. run with congressman burgess.

>> guest: good morning, congressman. i am a health care professional and there are great areas of concern in this bill to me, one of which i don't need has been discussed very much, probably because a lot of it hasn't been ironed out yet. and that is the independent patient advisory board. i would like to know if anybody knows seattle when we are going to be all to see who was on it, are we going to be able to know if they come from, either medical people? i heard there will be sss and people from academia. i would like to be a legacy that process and read about the folks that will be deciding what types of -- >> host: congressman, chance to respond. >> guest: section 33 or four of the affordable care act shall include national recognition for

help finance, economics, of the city management, and reimbursement of health facilities at the very last comment osteopathic mission. you know, they don't get a lot of credence to whether putting health care -- actual health care people on this. they want people from think tanks, certified smart people, a common menace that were not really so much interested in people who work in the trenches and someone who is working on trying to deliver care to people. the other answer to your question, when will you know what assisting people are? they are appointed by the president. they are likely not to be appointed until after election day. you can use your judgment as to why that would happen. but we have secretaries but we have secretary sebelius has come to our election specifically can you give us a list of people who are fitted for this position, they tell you know. they want to tell you after november 7 because it might affect how you felt.

>> host: are you continue to push to get to you? or is not going to happen? >> guest: the more we set out -- here's the other thing, all these people have to be confirmed by the senate we know how difficult that is then what post they can place on folks. the majority of the board can be appointed by a recess appointment and not actually can constitute a foreign. they can be appointed by recess appointment and meets and render decisions without the congress. that is a big danger for setting up the board. >> artery in her opinion with

macgyver and with the magnolia accent you know, and she thought the dominoes start to fall during this time. by 1979, she was a full-fledged position to carter and what she saw carter is in that appeasement and particularly crucial in this respect in 1979, she saw the fall of the shot and the fall of nicaragua on a couple of lacerating experiences for her in people like her. >> the political woman behind the reagan cold war doctrine. at 10:00 a marine sniper and author of chart had unlicensed leaving the military. hotels, hospitals and jails, all part of booktv this weekend on c-span 2. >> the campaign collection is about 100,000 that goes from the very beginning of the nation and goes right up to the presidency. that is important for us because

so we try to do is keep the large tradition fall and document and then reflect the larger story of american democracy. >> when you think about side react is, let's put them into five groups. you have nationstates, cybercriminals, hackers, activists and terrorists. not all of those are nationstates.

so when you think about deterrence theory, you are not talking about just nation not nation deterrence theory. you have other non-nation state actors that she now has to consider. and in one of these attacks, you may not know who is doing it. who is attacking your systems? either way, the outcome could eat the same. it uses the financial sector or the power grid for your systems capabilities for a period of time. doesn't matter who did it, you still lose that. you've got to come up with a defensive strategy that solves that. >> the supreme court's health ruling is a topic at this year's western conservative summit in denver.

william van eyck, former education secretary under president reagan question the course credibility when it upheld the affordable care act. before mr. bennett's talk, rick santorum addresses the koran and video coverage. >> now, if you're anything like me, and i know i certainly am -- [laughter] you are tremendously impressed that summit 2011 former pennsylvania senator rick santorum was part of last year's terrific doubleheader on opening night, along with the governor of texas, rick perry. if you're anything like me and you live in colorado and participated in our caucuses in february, you are gratified to help senator santorum in a dramatic but this conference is. if you're anything like me your cm folly unchained -- the

following two plays iraq obama with the conservative minded republicans such as mitt romney. we are very pleased that senator sam turin has set up this video message to the senate this year, since he and karen had hoped to attend in person, but they're in a well-earned family week. let's hear now from senator with rick santorum by video. >> i am sorry i can't be with you at the western summit. i welcome the response i got at the senate and more importantly, i want to thank all the folks in colorado for the wonderful surprise and all the states that we ended up winning. we won 11 of them. i know many was more of a shock and did more to boost her campaign effort than our winning in the caucuses in colorado. so to all my friends and

supporters out there, i want to say thank you so, so much for the opportunity to have our voice be heard with the election process. that's one of the reasons we start the patriot voices, which is a website to make sure that conservative voice continues throughout the election process as a campaign for candidates all over the country to make sure the conservatives are nominated and make sure the voice on the issues that she brought to the board, issues the family, freedom and opportunity and making sure we stuck to their traditional and principles of this country. this will be front and center as we hope and republican financed general election and matt romney

to the senate candidates across the country, so we hold their feet to the fire. the voice of strong conservatives and to encourage you here in the western conservative. out west we have some engaging primaries that i have been involved in, the communities involved and of course the type generation fight their needs and those of you necessary to get the majority from a strong majority to work with mitt romney to make that happen. thank you for the opportunity to be here today via video. thank you for audio organizers to put this together. this is the most important election in the history of our country. it is our watch. at the time when the use of power and immigration and he

said congressional authority and everything from trying to underline the family on gay marriage and this president is someone who has to be stopped from doing great harm and destruction to this country. this is a turning point. a nature support to make it happen out west. i got a great election cycle. we cannot let that happen. so i encourage you and to enjoy petri voices to get involved in this country and to make a difference in this election cycle. thank you all very much and god bless you. >> senator rick santorum, not leaving the battlefield at all

and continuing to fight under new colors for you, conservative agenda. i was thinking what they called a mass transit system. that may have been filmed in a septic station. i am not sure. it is kind of what happens when you still have good intentions of getting word to your friends on the west. we want to thank matt alber for getting this out so they can hear rick's important message. speaking of hearing things on clear, lots of us in colorado it happened on for a brave without seven k. 10 u.s. radio k. tmc 1410 and the wholesaler radio network which will be very well represented at the summit today

because we have another ceylon host. hugh hewitt, that is friendly arrival -- i'm not sure whether the rivalry of the friend part predominates at any given day, burgess absolutely delighted that william jay bennett across the field network is our alleged speaker and i want to give a moment to a great friend in western conservative summit from the very day we began creating the summit two and a half years ago. the general manager of knus, please welcome our great friend, brian taylor. [applause] >> thank you, john. appreciate all the work you do

and also senator armstrong, thank you very much. i think the first time in was around the u.n. dinner table, but certainly has grown to quite a division and we appreciate that. big week in media, not only such great news, the combined things with the fires and health care decision and the president coming to town committees are the kinds of things we all live for. did he say we were the 56 state or 57 state? i'm not sure. [laughter] my 90-year-old mother says that we face in a nice, so i had to think about this. rose garden is looking good this year. obviously his golf swing has really picked up. last night i like his dog a lot, bo. and you know bo has papers.

[laughter] [applause] well, thank you so much. we are just so proud to be a partner at this event. salem communications is the broadcasting company and we are the parent company of 710 knus and some of the other radio stations in town. we are primarily a broadcaster and conservative value content for about 100 across the country in the fight 94.7 k. r. k. s., 997 for has been in the community for seven years and we're proud of that. the relationship we have with 710 krks is part of our family. other parts of the salem broadcasting i want you to be aware of that is part of us as we do on your content like hot air.com. anybody signed up for hot

air.com? away. my mother was in the room. also, publications like townhall magazine is part of the salem communications family. we want to take a moment if we could. i would like to throw out a little commercial for the fire victims. one of the things that is so tragic to have to see what's going on. as general manager. if you're a business owner decision-maker, whether to throw out to you if you would like to throw out a thousand dollars to the red cross, i will match you. [cheers and applause] my staff come and meet you will produce commercials for you. will write them and put them on the air as you can get a thank you out of that. i want to encourage messily can help the deck and suit the

situation. one of the exciting parts of the job you get us to interact with some of the host that can be here every day. one of our newest programs we are proud of to have on the station of steve kelley, lunch time denver broadcaster joined us on the air. [applause] i think he will be up a little later. also hugh hewitt, great fans speaking here tonight as well. dennis prager, michael medved and of course our great friend bill bennett who is quite a guy. i really appreciate the present study brings to our staff. he is a very conscientious man, but when you put them all in the room together, you can imagine everyone gets along. but when bill comes in the room, everyone stands at attention. he's definitely the man's man. even my own staff when he came in to get his broadcast, they

were all ready to serve. i think he was going to plunk them on the head like millinery are sent pain. if they got out of line that's for sure. he certainly does colorado. bill has done a number for teeners. i'm amazed how he keeps that part of the challenge. i think we all appreciate what he represents undervalue he communicates through his books and various commentaries. so i just want to take that time to introduce a premier storyteller, author, historian, mountain climber, family man and tran, dr. bill bennett. [applause] >> thank you, thank you.

>> i was trying not to be impolite. i was having brian along because i have to be done at 11:40. good afternoon, western conservatives. good afternoon, western -- [cheers and applause] i was a secretary of education in a department i try to abolish. that is interesting. people asked me when i got the job, must you exist? i said no, i need not exist. thank you, brian very much. the folks at knus treated me very well i am so glad brain introduced me. he's a proper sized van and i appreciate that. [laughter] andrews will be back to criticize me in a few minutes and that is fine, too. i will do it before andrews does. for those of you don't either 6,414,000 in colorado. i've climbed 33 of them.

[applause] most of them were in earlier days, but i was on 13,000 on most and buena vista. the only thing i can tell you is an icon for 14 bilayer, all i can say is that not knows best and client. john and donna anders have been great teachers of mine and fran and i'm honored to be here with you again. learned a lot from each other. bill armstrong, one of the first people elaine and i hooked up to wanting to be in washington. they're a good random women in ashington. they are not in oversupply. we do not have too many of them, but they are there. there were people whom i looked up to and tired and still do. great to see tom winner here

today, great teacher. john mention about a hundred commentaries after john roberts hughes is probably the best and will get into that. friendly rival. there are three kinds of friendship. friends you have that are useful. they encourage excellence in you. as a friend may our better human being. most of all the third i am happy and proud to call a friend. i want to talk to you about what happened on thursday in what it means to all of.

talking about the supreme court decision. if you don't mind, we have to talk about this. we have to get through this and we have to realize what the challenge is. i put myself to a fair number of arduous activities in addition to going on for team spirit i worked for cnn. so maybe brian's mother can watch that, too and doubled the viewership. [laughter] bill o'reilly was at my house for dinner the other night. last not know, it's fine. it's fine. there were lots of people there. i told bill o'reilly once, i love watching fox. but any conservative can be on fox. i'm on cnn. so i parachute in behind enemy lines twice a week.

it sits on a panel of 14 people to get forward saying. he said maybe was sean hannity. sean hannity says very courageous of you, bill. they are an anonymous at the u.n. very you. no one is watching. what happened thursday was a travesty. i cannot tell you how disappointed i am that john roberts. i cannot tell you how disappointed i am. [applause] and i'm going to tell you why. because i know him. i have a lot of friends of his, friends of mine. i had dinner with him, i did make them public. i'm going to do that, but i expect them to some people who were in the business of advising people who are betting because in 1990 i heard the name david souter and i read up on david souter. i was a drug czar at the time

and i called my friend bill kristol appeared yet been made chief staff of the department of education. i called dylan said what to think of disappointment? i said i'm not so sure. so bill and i went to see and i have mid-level position. does the weekly standard, chief of staff staff for david quayle. so we went to see johnson and said what's the problem? were worried about souter. what are you worried about? is that i'm worried about a guy who lives at home with his mother all the time. frankly i'm just a little bit worried about that. it's not that he needs to live at home with his mother all the time. the opinions don't seem to be those of a conservative. i'm not revealing anything i haven't talked about before. he said warren rudman pouches for him. warren rudman? he's as close to being a democrat as you can be and still be a republican in the states.

we were right about souter. he turned out to be one of the most liberal justices of the supreme court. now, i told you about cnn. i watched cnn this morning. they had two financial people sane conservatives have it all wrong about obamacare. it's going to put money into people's pockets. i don't know who -- who's going to get money about this, but this challenge has to be taken out, along with a host of other challenges. i then watched -- be ready for this. you do for me, you heard a panel on msnbc. i'm late to do all sorts of things for you all. i'm going to go there so you don't have to. you're welcome. [laughter] that's what offensive tackles are made for her. it was a major problem in my job

as chairman of the national endowment and secretary of education for making a drug czar for bush. everybody thought it was my security. [laughter] you just look like a big irish cop. i said that's a great way to look, you big irish cop, especially in washington because people need to be arrested more than they need the humanities frankly. but on msnbc this morning, here was what was said. this is what was happening, this is an example of how republicans and democrats can work together. we've been hearing how bad gridlock and what a terrible thing it would be if we could work together. there's something wrong about working together. john robertsflushing the decision of the obama administration.

there were two defenses in the first hours of this by two of my friends, good friends and neighbors double here for me. i've are the witness stand, but they'll hear from me. charles krauthammer and george will said both authors was doing some being honorable, defending the institutional integrity of the quarter. he's got two jobs, constitution on the institution. i don't see anything in the institution of the federalist papers about an institutional responsibility. [applause] always be there -- read their columns. they're good men, while in the columns. all i see his fidelity to the constitution. the argument goes in your going to hear, while he was planning seats for another day. being tough on the commerce clause so you can't use them to

make government paper. if you cannot do it through taxation that made the necessary and proper on the other causes. by the way of the man is reelected, he appoints another justice or two. doesn't matter what chief justice roberts believes, what is true and i believe sorry. but here's the going power. the notion that sampson of institutional integrity of the court requires him to find a way contrary to his reading of the constitution. hamilton, jay, madison would've all been appalled. well, the worry would be better defined against the president that he would be seen as a politically motivated decision and people would regard the decision has political. the chief justice of the supreme court and other justices of the supreme court are to have no regard for politics whatsoever.

[applause] but it's not good to antagonize people. sorry, that's not exactly the way you want to write it. it's not good to antagonize liberals because you sure as heck antagonize a lot of conservatives that that decision. if the issue is the credibility of the court it took a beating as saturday with a lot of americans. if only responsibility, justice of the supreme court hadn't render an opinion with intellectual integrity, with no calculation of politics, based on the constitution, based on the breeding of the constitution. dataset. i was just looking at my iphone. "politico" today, leased or in the post and elsewhere may never know the answer to this question, but a lot of people think reading the language very closely that john roberts

originally was speaking for the majority and is composed of robert and scalia and alito and who am i forgetting? and kennedy. why am i forgetting candidate? gosh, he does so well this time. that was a five, four majority and he switched. this is a big story. if you read the opinion, one has to know why he switched. no one has yet to my knowledge. you i'm sure we'll comment, has mustered a good cause too shall argument. the only arguments mustered our political and that shouldn't be the case. as he himself said, robbers it's unconstitutional so we read it as a tax. it wasn't written as a tax.

they vociferously denied those attacks. nowhere else is that attacks, so the defending of the minorities, alito, scalia and thomas i great deference is to be given to the legislature in applying the constitution to legislation before it to approve it, soviet. the judges at the justice says may be creative they may be sympathetic and may be inclined for this at a judicial comity and the legislature to regard ambiguous language in the direction of the legislation. but as they said, the court cannot rewrite the statute and that is exactly what happened

yesterday. it was a blow to the american republic can. it was a blow to the body of politics. images that couple more things about it. a little bit of history not stop so we can do questions. on the political basis, one of the disappointing things we do here is barack obama has been a downward spiral. almost everything he has done. it's lately been perceived to be run by the american people. and robbers saved him from that penny saved them from it by making a decision which disempowers, which doesn't make any sense. now you will hear this as poker or profane if you're following the web and we see another step

forward at this obama carry legislation. i have a lot of angry e-mails from members of my listening audience who somehow got my personal e-mail and their matters how. okay, so am i. but as time to channel. it's time to channel into action because we now have such a clear direct is chief justice robert said the court is not here to insulate the american people from the consequences of its political decisions. that is correct in the american people in my view made a terrible mistake in electing barack obama. let's hope they seem not and will correct that. [applause] one might also say that the court is generic to protect the

american people for the bad consequences, the court is also not there to calculate in rendering a decision based on a constitution. it should do a solemn duty. while where matt, what's channel it unless channel it in the positive direction. this is a bad thing that happened. it is not the worst moment in american history. it's not the worst place we've ever been. i don't like it and i didn't like it friday. i said to my audience and people were saying, this is really bad, what are we going to do? stew for a day. sunday, got up go to church and then go to work. this country is survived to treat depression. to describe the eve of world war

ii when we were not ready. especially know this. they survive 1968, caught in my history book the horrible year, year of death and assassination, despair for a curator at america. that's an even worse time than right now, in other time worse than today. the first two years of the obama administration were a worse time. that's when the monstrosity was passed and that's when he had a majority. had the house, everything. we are better off now that we were then. so there is work to do, plenty of work to do. think of the spirit of 76, which i hope you all do on wednesday. i will do it on tuesday. because the boys have to be back

to quantico on wednesday so i at lieutenant son is bring up the whole squad to have a bbq at our house on tuesday. [applause] the whole squadron your kids a marine. he's not in the air force. okay, sorry. squad. i am learning. the spirit of 76 will cover next tuesday and wednesday. what's the spirit of 2010 govern as well. you are part of what happened in november 2010. let's do it again in november 2012. look, a couple final considerations. we have a good, very smart, very decent, very optimistic, very

energetic and aggressive candidate for the president of the united states come a perfectly good, smart and decent man. my wife knows mrs. romney of hers i heard those stories. i am with you 100% because i told my one-time friday hose, rick santorum do with 100% and he says 102. we got a caller saying brick, brick, we love you. versus ari dropped out. how can i bring myself to romney? rick said if i can come to romney, you can come to romney. [applause] do i think about the future? you know, the best way you think about the future is to think of richard cades, grandchildren, think about her of their progeny after. think of marco rubio. think of chris christie. think of nikki haley. he got my one-time intern staff

assistant used to carry my coffee and my books, paul ryan. now i go around saying i know paul ryan. i know paul ryan. last night we hiked by the way last year in colorado, buena vista. i think i was that close in i think i was that close in getting him to run, but i ran out of steam on charbonneau peak and he went ahead and that was it. i lost the argument. we have a great bad. we have a lot of people coming along with a lot of great leadership and i'm very optimistic, very optimistic about it. the other thing when the great budgets of my life connivance though blessed because i have the opportunity to rate. i've read it because i think our major problem, someone said if

you can identify one major problem in america right now member and secretary of education so i may be biased. our young people don't do what this country is. they do not know. [applause] misery and inhumanity which is human history and american achievement and is high and like no other. they don't know. they don't ought to say in all this debate. the other thing i learned is we sometimes have to be pushed right to the edge, but we come back during those periods of american history. i mention examples of that. you know what i see? i see the antibodies taken in and people waking up that were

not going to get more people to wake up by being angry and bitter. join us in the things we care about. the governor of arizona, my gosh, what a past we have come from in the president of the united states needs of the present as mexico three times before he meets with the governor of one of his own sovereign state. [applause] i sat on the radio people checked it out, i said i challenge you to compare what lincoln said about south carolina on either the succession about barack obama has said about arizona. lincoln was not as hard in south carolina as iraq obama was on arizona. you want to push yourself and mumbled, mr. president, then act

in that mold. if you want to be that person, then be that person. then they close back to america and what it is. this is, as lincoln said i'm kind of put my books had. in 1862, after the bloody battle of nt's outcome is so the bloodiest day, and he said we shall nobly save or mainly lose the last best hope. and i became secretary of education, my wife can i mention she's a school teacher said to teach classes around the country. jury teacher. go teach. acetylene, the secretary of education united states. i don't do retail. i do wholesale. she said duke at retail and

you'll do better wholesale. [laughter] going into the schools you may consider hallmark here but it should do your homework before you make your pronouncements. i said none of the other guys do, why should i. well, she was right. i went to an hundred 30 schools around the country, taught classes, had some great funny stories. one story, san diego class, junior, young woman said you really loved america, don't you? she said my mother was very fast times. any other scholarships and i made to the cabinet the united states. i'll give that to barack hussein obama. tonight he was the did in chicago, one of the few things who said i agree with what he said nowhere else is absolute we write about that.

whatever you think of this election, there's press all over the world and america will never do this. they will never elect a black man president. bob, baloney. you know that's true. i know that's true. we got the wrong one, but the notion of race doesn't matter. colin powell would've been a very possible candidate. he's more liberal than i am, that would have been a very plausible candidate. i told her about my life story. i don't think that happens everywhere. said that i have a test. every country has a thin one test is when you read the case when did they ran and? in or out. i said we raised our gates. we don't raise down our gates and everybody ran saying. what is it they want?

are not irrational. something good is going on. that is the cades test. over time and my son service and other things there's another test. and i remember we went into in iraq, hearing the stories, apparently a number of the iranians were saying u.s. air force come here next. if you are in some terrible, terrible pour commiserated godforsaken place, horrible pour commiserated with some tech teasers on your neck someplace in the world, you see a group of men coming over a hill in uniform and they are carrying the flag, you hope and pray as the flag of the united states of

america. [applause] that's the lesson our kids need to learn and chief justice roberts is to learn the simple fact week the u.n. declaration of human rights and all the other u.n. documents they use to issue their proclamations. see if the language is. the language of the declaration is that the accolades. they are the most imitated political documents of the face of the earth. the most imitated documents on the face of the earth. on my final, and it's chief justice roberts, you should've sacked sooner. thank you very much. i welcome your comments.

[applause] >> all right, bill bennett. when he comes about and found that summit, and as it has been climbed. and now you have the experience when he rouses a political summit, it knows, we know that we have been roused. we have our marching orders. they bring to light up in their understanding mike sunnyside of the hall. if you'd please come to the mic to put your question so that our c-span on the end there lifestream audience watching us right now can be in on the discussion so dr. bennett knows whose question he is taking. i don't see the first question. i will go immediately to the second question. all right. here we are. thank you.

>> thank you, dr. bennett for being with us today. my name is kathleen conti. my question for you is, we can overcome obamacare by turning around the president of the united states and the senate. how can we overcome the precedent that was that for us by the court when they set the president saying that we have taxing authority over behavior quite >> great question. you can do with it better than i can. maybe you can ask him tonight. i don't think people have questioned the taxation power that the government has been the congress has. we settled this week that the constitutional amendment about taxation. i listen to rush the other dan rush was talking about interstate commerce because all

liberals need to do now is just used taxation. there is one good thing about the same power over again. they are remarkable sensitive to it. they don't like it. they didn't like it before the tea party and they don't like the occasion of this tea party. if you think i'm wrong, tell me wrong for the obama administration said it not attacks. it's absolutely not attacks. if that confidence by calling it a tax is a winning decision, why didn't they do that? you know why because if they called it a tax that would not have passed. so they back off from calling and attacks because that wouldn't pass and the only guy who called it a tax immediate difference was the chief justice. that's a crying shame.

they didn't have the guts to do it for the candor to do it the chief justice didn't have the authority to do it but he did. the congress as to which the people react as you know because they don't like it. >> i have a questions and that is my next? >> you're too far along to stop. >> the thing that upsets me the very nosed is that we have conservatives seem to whiling to let the liberals have the moral high ground. for instance someone will say we as liberals want to help the poor and that makes us more moral. i would love to hear conservatives come back and say, well that depends on how you get the money to help the poor through persuasion or coercion. >> don't even go that far.

never yield the high ground of compassion. never, ever, ever. they don't deserve it. [applause] >> but how do you make a quick argument quite >> you want a quick and dirty argument? there's a difference if you're coming out of church or in a bar. if you're in church on make it longer. if you're in a bar, how come conservatives give more time, money, blood treasure and everything else to the point that liberals do? liberals are prepared to the last man to give other people's money to the poor. conservatives get their own money the poor and their own kind to the poor. my wife runs the best friends foundation. teaching abstinence for sex, drugs and alcohol. how many liberals are involved? if you write checks from a distance. it's all conservative people who give their heart, time to talk

to these kids and mentor their kids. what a liberal policy do for the poor? which is welfare policy to the black family in america? it took one big set towards destroying the family. as you heard this term in the most valuable is whether that child grows up in a family or not. this is still an amazing society. one statistic to remember. if you remember in america, but she graduate from high school, get a job or three girls or women, married woman who has a job and don't have babies before you get married, you have a 2% chance of living in poverty and 85% chance of living above the poverty level. it's amazing that america still makes possible. liberalism has made it harder for people to adhere to those conditions because of what it

teaches. were talking about personal responsibilities, collective responsibility. that is over talking about. we're talking about that being in the heart in so doing every of the high ground. our member john come to you and go back. you want school choice than anyone else in the world? those crazy right-wingers. no, inner-city minority kurds. go see waiting for superman. who wants to be delivered from bad schools for people to separate the most of it. >> one over here, please. >> hank schieffer from pseudo-springs. is it enough to just win the senate or do we need 60 votes? >> can you give un's extra time tonight for everything am not sure of? i think you can do this through

reconciliation. is that right, john? they did it through reconciliation and you can undo it through reconciliation. you can also present romney take a page out of barack obama spoke in seattle like this though. i'm not going to enforce it. no, no, no. that is not what we do. president obama divisive immigration. a funnier one who said romney would get up and they have proven capital gains taxes. last month tom coburn will have something like that. there is one they learned from liberals. someone told me once, we do a great job in counterterrorism. maybe the only guy who do it better as israelis. maybe we should subcontract the vetting the supreme court candidates of liberals because they are guys don't vote.

they stay locked all the time. they go to the left. i'm sorry. i know what it is. i know what it is. it's washington. thomas mann says to rich, the bible says -- you got to tell that the bible says. i'm a catholic. what do is to train a man -- to gain the whole world and suffer the loss of a soul. father andrews, thank you. [laughter] i'm on my way. when are you going to become a christian? i am a christian. i'm a catholic. i repeat, let's not do this. we were here before you were. [laughter] and that's fine until a jewish

cause. but you put liberals on the bench, they say liberal, right clicks to maybe we should have sent in to bat. churchill it has a great phrase, keep shape. so i think we can do this through reconciliation. but i'd like to see it repealed and replaced and see a really solid program and its staff. i've been a little hyperbolic today. i want to apologize to mr. souter. david's mother, maybe the reason she wasn't at home. no, no -- [laughter] know, entirely appropriate. i just -- i've been asked this a lot time i'm asked to vote for you to censor conservative conservative. am i done? >> i just want to assure you

folks, he had lunch with donna and me. didn't eat much lunch, but the beverages at our table with the same assign uris. this is bill bennett cold sober. bill bennett, we love you. [cheers and applause] >> are at the sec breeze, they refer to as has been an nominally independent, professionally run and