what you want the banking system to look like in five years? the government has talked about how want to have smaller players, but it seems like there is bigger players. >> a boring system. all less exciting. >> big elephants rather than smaller players? >> it's hard to talk about strengthen our system because there are some anythings it went wrong. but one of the great strengths is we have 8000-9000 banks. .

>> i do not think that we wanted to end up with a more concentrated system than we have today. again, because of the resilience from having that large number and thousands of smaller institutions. >> some bankers are concerned that there will be too much regulation and they say that the private sector, in terms of innovation, will always be more fashionable than government. is that not the case? >> it is true that you want to have a system where innovation is a rich and healthy. it will always try to get around regulations. you have to find a balance. we did not the balance right. i don't think you look at the system today, the the the last two years, and so we have the balance right. -- you look at the last two years and you see we have the balance right. we need to have a system less vulnerable to these risks. >> bankers in the audience are

still saying that is going to district that is whether going to. we cannot go back to where we was -- where we were. the damage was to keep. the only path to a more stable system will be more capital in the system, greater constraints more evenly applied. that is a necessary solution that we can do without depriving the economy of financial innovation. we will not to the balance perfect, and i understand the risk of going too far. i do not think that is a risk we case. -- a risk we take. we need to get smarter, better, tighter. >> as a consumer, how my going to be protected? if i'm looking at a mortgage, a security, a collateralized debt, how do i feel like the government is looking out for me now?

>> i do not wish to get ahead of the president, but the basic objective is we want to have a system where there's more disclosure, there is more standardization and less complexity in the products. people are less likely to be taking advantage of during weakness. if you look at what happens in the core proposals under the credit card reforms that congress passed, you can see the basic thrust of the efforts in consumer relations. consumer credit generally was the focus of lots of bad practices and that is poor underwriting standards and poor disclosure. there is a fair match of a predatory behavior and we want to change that. >> we have a couple more minutes so a few different types of questions. review and larry sanders great buddies? >> i think he is one of the most

talented people in the world at sitting around a table with a looking at options, figuring out how to think you're out -- think for options and it is my privilege to work with him. >> if you were the see if -- your the c.f.o., what would you do? >> i sort of and the c.f.o.. -- i sort of am the c.f.o. >> he needs to make sure the president is getting the best and he is doing a great job at that. >> you had a kind of rocky beginning in this job. for the time you were announced as treasury secretary, if you go back and have one do over what would it be? >> that is an excellent question. i'm a little focused on trying to fix this prettify and go back and look at what we did, i think we made the right judgment early.

-- i'm a little focus on trying to fix this at the moment. if i were to go back and look at what we did, there was a very comprehensive program of efforts to try and help the housing crisis, get capital into institutions, and hope the credit markets get going again. if you look at what has happened since that, you have seen a broad validation. the president also in the earliest stage started to work with countries around the world making sure we were doing complementary actions. i think those judgments were the right judgments. now, we're not going to get everything right and we need to be able to adjust and we will keep doing that. think the court judgments were right. >> mr. secretary, thank you for being here. good luck. [applause] >> president obama is in chicago

today to talk to the american medical association about his health care plan. congress begins working on that plan this week. president obama is at the ama's annual meeting to explain it. we have coverage of the president's comments in the 10 minutes at 12:50 p.m. eastern on c-span to. -- c-span 2. legislative work starts at 2:00 p.m. eastern. along the inspector general overstanding -- overseeing more spending and limiting the impact of four lawsuits against u.s. journalists. now, i look at conservative leadership with the senior communications fellow at the heritage foundation. this is about half an hour. >>

>> cumming caution was one of the smartest things that i did. returning after graduated in hitting the pavement looking for that first job was very critical. you see behind me 3 statements with the clare booth institute. i would like to add focus on changing lives. we will talk about how each when you can impact your culture and her country's future. many times when we're at this age and are high -- in our lives, we felt uncertain about what are calling as -- our calling is. you're calling is to make a difference in the lives of people that are around you. when you do so, you are impacting the culture around

here and the country at large. when the issues to focus on today is the notion of heroes. i have done a lot of writing and researching on this subject recently and i have to say that my generation pretty much shows you guys an apology. -- pretty much owes as an apology. in the media and culture, we have been feeding the pop culture. as a representative of the generation that is creating and distorting the images of what a hero really is, i want to say that i am sorry. i also want to say that i have great faith that your generation can change all of that. i received an e-mail recently when i was writing my latest book about the culture and how parents can help take back their families from a teacher of a fourth grade.

when i read the e-mail, i became aware of how much damage we had done to pop culture, pornography, the glorifying a pop icons and sports stars come entertainment figures over real heroes. how much damage had we been doing to the younger generations. this particular teacher had given an assignment to her fourth grade class. the assignment was to write down a type of hero they would like to become. over 50% of the boys put that they wanted to do something related to some sort of crime activity. even one of them stated he wanted to be a hit man. their role models and icons were people like madonna, 50 cent, and rap stars. not one mention a military hero , becoming a politician or a

statesman, not one mentioned becoming someone that would give back to others. i would submit that that is enough evidence right there to show what we have done with the word "heroes." we might have even ruined batman for the younger generations. when i was younger, he was a super hero because he was all doing good in the world. now, even super heroes in comic books are sinister and have something in their past and they become very angry and bitter over that. today's comic-book characters that are created by adults of my generation have wronged those super heroes from the younger ones. my goodness, that man is not appropriate. -- my goodness batman is not appropriate. the latest that man was not appropriate for younger children. we have plenty of heroes to look at around our country.

we have our military heroes. i am proud to say that i am a navy wife. my husband is retired from the reserves reached he did not see combat in our married lives as far as adding to get out in the middle of bonds flowing. he was off of the beirut the online -- beirut gun line in the mid-1980s peak -- mid-1980s's. it is going to be up to your generation to finished that job. many of you will be called to serve in the armed services. many of you will be called to save lives in other ways. i would submit to you that he rose our culture warriors to make a difference in their communities and actually give up something in there on life on behalf of others. that is not necessarily their

physical life. heroes are people who are marked by their character, by their noble deeds. all of you have an opportunity to do that. i would say to you, what is it that you would do with your life today and how can you get there? i would offer four simple steps for you. the first is to have a vision. the good book says with that a vision the people perish. maybe that is why our declaration of independence and their constitution start with vision statements. our founding fathers who were well versed in the bible understand the need to have a vision. they understood the need to write it down and to be able to articulate it so other people could catch their version. you are all familiar with it, but i will read from it is because i want you guys to understand the importance of carrying around your own

documents, the constitution and a declaration independence, if you do not have a pocket-sized when you should get one. this is a document, the constitution, that is being challenged every day and being abused every day. it is supposed to be what we go back to. when we go back and decide what those are taking place in this very complex that we iran. it is supposed to be the document that is the guiding light. in the declaration of independence, again, you're all familiar with this. "we hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." that is a vision statement. they went john in the declaration of independence to the clear why then vision statement, for all of mankind, had been violated and why they were forming a new union.

the constitution, again, the very preamble is a vision statement. i read it to you, once again, so you can see the importance of having it, being always able to refer to it if you have it. "we the people of the united states, in order to perform a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and to our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the united states of america." it is a vision statement. the first one is to have a vision statement. " all in a matter times has a vision statement they could clearly articulate? how about martin luther king? he had a dream or one day people would be judged by the content of their color, not the color of their skin. because he had a vision statement, he could articulate a parade because he could

articulate, he could inspire others to follow. ronald reagan had a vision statement. he had a dream that his hope would be that one day the world would be free of the threat of nuclear war. he invented and put forth the missile defense program, which right now is being chipped away at by a recurrence administration. ronald reagan was a visionary. he had a vision of america, that shining city on a hill. what is your vision? what is it that you were called to do? you can have several visions. you have your individual personal visions for your life, your relationships. those above all else are critical. one of the things i try to focus on, especially in my work in washington d.c., is reminding all of these great people like come to town to save the country that if you save the country and you lose your family in the

process, then you have really lost the heart and soul of who you are. at this age in life, before your committed in relationships such as marriage and parenthood, understand what your vision is for those relationships. then, when you have your vision, would you do next, you step into your plan. how are you going to make that vision a reality? again, let's hearken back to this great document, the constitution of the united states. this is a plan on how to run the nation. it is a plan on how to debate issues. this is a plan on how to elect government officials, how to protect this basic inalienable rights. what is your plan that fits with your vision statement? ronald reagan had a plan. what is your plan for your life? as part of your plan, always make sure that it includes role

models. people who are older than you are who have been were you has been before, who you can ask their advice. you are not meant to make a dollar up all by yourself. -- you're not meant to make it all up all by yourself. have always made it a point to have an older role models and then to make them understand the importance of being a role model as well. your plan should always include both. anybody that is younger than you right now has the potential of a viewing you as a role model. what kind of role model are you? always seeking to do both, to learn from those who have gone before you and to be ready to give every day of your life to those who are falling behind you. of course, after your plan you absolutely have to have courage.

the battle that we are in, particularly for conservative values, the timeless values that we now make america work, time is now is like a strong national defense to keep our enemies at bay, italian -- * values like individual freedom. timeless values like the commitment to god, faith, and to our families and to others, the golden rule is a time this value. -- timeless value. if we do our best and if we compete on a fairground, then all of the people benefit. free ideas, free-speech, all of those timeless values. it takes courage to defend those when you come to washington and it takes courage when you go back come to defend those on your college campuses. at the end of the day, each night, when you have been in a battle, if you can put your head

on your pillow and you can say, "they may not have won today, but i put my head on my pillow tonight resting and knowing that i stood up for what i believed in and i was willing to make the sacrifices of. a of" then, you can be proud of yourself and your someone who is becoming a true hero. the last is an undying commitment. in the whole realm of courage, it goes hand-in-hand with undying commitment, courage is not the absence of fear. courage is not even overcoming fear. courage is the act of acting in spite of your fear. that is where commitment comes into a. the men who signed the declaration of independence had great courage, but they also had

the commitment when they put their hand, when they wrote their name in pledging their sacred honor. would you pledge your sacred honor to? what is your commitment, your word, your body? when you give your word and to make the commitment, others need to be able to depend on you especially if you seek to be a leader. there is one story that i find very inspirational that i will use as an example of commitment that i will be happy to take your questions. this is a story from the 1992 barcelona olympics. there was a british runner who was poised to win the 400 meter race in the olympics. he was in barcelona in one of the semifinal heat. he was running well. he was running fast. of a sudden, great pain engulfed

his face as he fell to the track when a previous injury burst forth. the whole world watched as he stood back up to his feet and in great pain and agony, he started limping toward the finish line with all of his dreams dashed of not just winning the gold. what really happened that day was even more important than that rendered it. that was the panning of the cameras watching the crowd, a figure making your way through the crowd, fighting the security with the same determination that he was making to the finish line. this person was making their way down to the track. the whole auditorium stood up and applaused -- in applause as

he beat of the security guards and ran up to the man as he put his arm around their son. together, the two of them made it to the finish line. his words were i did this for my son, i did this because of my commitment, not just to the race but to him as a human being. we started this together and we're going to finish it together, too. i would submit that in whenever you're calling is, the way to be a role model and a true hero is by practicing all of those things, especially your undying commitment. [applause] i am happy to take any questions if any of you have them about culture, family, medium, vision,

etc. >> i just wanted to see what you thought about this. i noticed you talked about the word character. is something that our society does not seem to value much anymore. i think the most two influential people in shaving summons character is their parents. what you think about that? >> as a mother, by the way i have two children that are in your age range. i have a son who is 21, who is 20, and my daughter is 16. my greatest calling, for a woman who becomes a mother, is to put everything she can into this precious lives that were placed into her arms. that is the greatest calling of dads, too.

with a tremendous response ability to shape the character every single day and to make our focus. my books are all about that commitment, every day. i want my kids to know that i know -- that i love them enough to challenge the status quo every day. i built into them very purposely those character qualities. let me just quickly say, too, that i know it is very painful but in our nation that for every 100 babies that are born, 60 are born into a broken family. in 1950, for every baby -- for everyone did -- for every 100 babies that were born, only six were born into a broken family. now that number is 60. now, perhaps that is a thing you deal with in your life. when a degree collings in our lives is to learn from our pain and overcome that and about that

we do not repeat what caused the pain to west. each day is a new day to start over again and to understand the passing on of character and commitment. that is very important to our kids. i would say, one of the growth experiences of my life and one of the most joyous things in life is being in a marriage where i know my husband is committed to me. i know he is watching my back. i know i conflict trust him. -- i know i can fully trust him. the to become the the person -- you can become the person who is fully committed to them and become a person they can trust and rely on. you can be that kind of person, too. >> i admire your ability to juggle your family and writing numerous books. how would you inspire that women at our age to do that?

if that we allocate time as we grow up to juggle of these numerous things? >> inject tear version of your life -- it gets back to your vision of your life. is your vision includes one of children, there is a season in your life were you need to be there for your small children. i would say to your generation, you are the luckiest ones on the face of the earth to be able to do both because of it -- because of modern technology. there is no reason why many parts of most jobs can be done in a home environment. it does not apply to most jobs, but almost any job you can main -- name, there are portions that can be done at home and that works for men and women to. i encourage businesses to offer more flextime to their employees voluntarily, more opportunities

to telecommute. someone in this room and maybe the person who invents the next technology that even less families get closer and spend more time together. it is always a mission of priorities. i consider it the greatest thing in my life to be able to shape someone else's life. sometimes that means taking a backseat to opportunities. many of you will be called into the non-profit arena whether or not you have children, whether or not you married. you're giving up financial incentives, too, many times. people who serve in the armed forces do that as well. it is understanding what your priorities are and giving to your family in a knowing at the end of the day, my goodness, i bet all of your parents feel this way. how many of you had 20 moms and dads when you went off to college? -- how many of you had whiney mons and dads?

it is a great privilege to be a mom, but it is a great privilege to be able to contribute both ways. >> i am from the university of virginia and as college students we often face the hook-up culture and how traditional relationships are not valued. how do we stand strong for our values without feeling left out? >> secure allies in the battle. many times i get emails from parents or college kids saying they feel like they're the only one. even if you are the only one, you must stand for what is right. you're not the only one who believes in the modern value of virtue. look for people who share your values, form friendships with them, create your own culture. it comes down to commitment in relationships and watching each

others' backs. surround yourself with people who believe like you do and you become the force for good and changing the culture you are in and set of having it feel you've -- instead of having its make you feel separated. when the great strategies of war is to make your opponent feel isolated and alone like they're the only one because there's a tendency to give up, give in, and run away. >> think you. >> -- thank you. >> my question is about your comments on how media has had a damaging effect on our culture. i have a passion for using media as a positive influence on our culture. i was curious what your thoughts are on how conservatives have been using media and what kind of improvements you see taking place in the future