and in a couple of hours, radley graham discusses his new book, the failures of donald rumsfeld. "washington journal" is next. ♪ host: and is monday, june 22, 2009. president obama today signs the tobacco bill. we will begin by asking you about jobs and the economic recovery. where are the jobs in the country? specifically focusing on the area where you are calling from. and we will also take your comments by twitter. cspanwj is our handle.

we would get your comments and phone calls in just a moment. here are a couple of breaking international stories. ira andn's revolutionary guard is threatening to crush any further opposition protests -- this after a weekend protest. another from the associated press, this one on the north korea. here is another from iran, rat her -- and they admit a possible discrepancy in the 3 million votes. north korea continues to take an aggressive stance over its nuclear program and international sanctions. the capital reminded the u.s.

today that it has nuclear weapons and when it will strike back if attacked. we will spend the first hour talking about the economic stimulus, recovery, and jobs, particularly those in your locale. a number of articles on the stimulus. here is from the front page of "the philadelphia inquirer." it says many americans expected more new jobs faster. after all that, bill donohue wanted to know "where do i get one of those stimulus jobs?" he has been out of work for 15 months. he was a charter-boat crewmen living in south jersey. he began to call around and called his assemblyman. he called his congressman, and even a u.s. senator. he kept calling. he called the governor's office which referred him to the state labor department which referred him to the transportation

department. a likable person, even got an assistant u.s. secretary of labor in washington to talk with him for 20 minutes on the phone. he learned that many jobless people -- however much success the stimulus has had in slowing the decline it has not yet created all that many jobs. to your phone calls in just a moment. here's an update. the chief congressional correspondent for "the washington examiners'," congress, when spending bill under way last week. what is a head this week? guest: two more spending bills, a tourism bill, to promote tourism, and a lot of committee work on health care reform. the two bills for homeland security funding, and interior environment spending. and it will be the tourism bill

in the senate. host: we will be covering it the senate marked up. this must be the third for the day that they have that? guest: the house cannot with its own bill which is similar to the kennedy bill. it will be marked up this week in the house. it will be the beginning of it every day there will be committee work in both the house and senate on different planets. susan, we will check back with you in just a bit for other congressional news. to bloomfield and west virginia we go to danny on our democrats line. where are the jobs in your community? caller: we are in the appalachians as a we have lost their jobs and they have never really come back. they went away with the coal industry. but you can see what is

happening all over the country -- our jobs have been exported offshore. i don't think they will come back. the same as bill has had no impact whatsoever. we encourage everyone to go to our website. host: what is that i site? caller: jobsfirst.org -- we're trying to get everyone to sign up. we need a national conference against free trade. we need to put tariffs back into place to protect american host: industry thank you. we will now go to miami. this is on our democrats line. caller: i am from another country and have been here 48 years. for many years have seen what this gentleman just said, but i

am in a small business. we do not have a chance nowadays. thanks to the administration of mr. bush -- there is no one else to blame. to tell you the truth, the big companies were getting bigger. the worst enemy in this country is the big corporations -- they don't care about the little ones. we the little ones are the majority. we are the one moving the people, of really doing things. but there's no way to grow up anymore. host: 20, we are asking about jobs. are you currently working there in miami? caller: it is very tight down here, very slow. there is not any minute to go anywhere. people only go if they have the package already bought.

host: here is another call, this one from michigan. caller: hello, i just want to tell everyone to just calm down. the man has only been in office five months, not four years. you have to give things time to work. a live here in michigan. * here are really tough. now if a person like me can understand that we need time for this to work, and i know this might be something strange to compare it to, but this will be like a plan. -- it will be like a plant tour you need to add water and it must have time to grow. that is all that i have to say. host: are you currently working? caller: yes, a worker very

modest job, the front desk of a hotel. i do with the public and the people every day. host: thank you for your call. here's a front-page story -- missing recovery -- missing ingredient is new jobs. experts warn of a long dry spell. he writes that the likelihood of severe unemployment will extend into the 2010 elections and poses a significant political hurdle to president obama and congressional democrats. high unemployment rates would undercut it fundamental argument behind much spending. also, this morning from "the usa today" a story on where the stimulus money is going. the cash goes to distress of

legislators directing corps funds. state getting most of the construction money have lawmakers on the committees. this is a caller from the independent line. caller: of like to offer my opinion. -- i would like to offer my opinion. i'm 49 years old and this is the first time i have called in to any telephone call-in type system like this. host: welcome. caller: i am moved to the point that i feel like our liberty is at stake. i think our government has lied to the people and most in this country are too trusting and too loving to believe it. our government has taken the money and this has been the

biggest rip-off. they have stolen our money. i am sure there are many people who would agree with me. host: are you working? what is your employment situation there in fort lauderdale? caller: the money was stolen. it just like it was still in in iraq. caller: good morning, i lived in north carolina. we are without lots of jobs. they took away the furniture industry. working on the tobacco -- everything we have has been assailed by the government. i am very proud of the iranians and what they are doing right now. the freedoms and liberties we have had in this country we are throwing away. those people are dying to retain them. our economy is part of that. it did not begin with the

present administration. it has been going on for years. people better wake up. americans are getting fed up. host: maryland on our democrats line. caller: we are holding our own. the bulk of the stimulus package goes to the banks who bought one another out and eliminated jobs. they should have put the money, most of it toward infrastructure which would have created lots of jobs. another thing, look, the money should have gone toward single- payer health care because health care is the single issue that kills our manufacturing industry because many of the small businesses in major ones

in the area are being destroyed simply because of the cost of insurance. insurance companies are wrecking is. and that the doctors who make exuberance salaries. kickbacks from the insurance companies. they are the ones killing us. we need to get a handle on it. host: are you working and does your employer provide your health care? caller: i am working and yes he does. the premiums have gone up significantly in the past couple of years. he has had to reduce coverage for each of us. i tell you, right now we're just hanging on by our fingernails because work is getting very scarce. host: what kind of work? caller: i am an electrician. host: thanks for calling in.

this legislation has been taking effect. this story says that lingering unemployment means a ton of pain in the pipeline. while many forecasts project unemployment above 10% next year. some predict it will not return to pre-recession levels of roughly 5% until years after that. obama is likely to be confronted with defending the effectiveness of his economic policies. grand prairie, texas is next on our independent mind. caller: i have been out of work for about three and half months. the economy here is getting worse and worse. the jobs are going to immigrants standing on street corners because the employers do not have to fight the overhead for the work force commissions --

then i have to pay the up- charge. they can pay an immigrant below minimum wage. that is the solution to the whole problem i am a delivery driver. host: you have been out of work for three months? caller: yes, my job at cut because of the economy. they said they had to cut back. they could not keep up. the deal is, i am trying to tell you, if your listeners will listen, if they would send immigrants home -- they would create jobs in america for americans. host: here's a front-page story from "the baltimore sun" that concerns and immigration meeting coming up. it says lawmakers will gather this week for working session on immigration reform, a

meeting highly anticipated by latino leaders eager for a president obama to honor his campaign promise to put millions of undocumented workers on the "a pathway to citizenship." many democrats believe they may not have the muscle to pass such a measure, at least not immediately. we're joined this morning by the chief congressional correspondent, susan. over the weekend some poll numbers came out concerning john ensign whose approval rating in nevada has plummeted. it has fallen to a market of 39%. that is opposed to 53% favoring him back in may. why is his position so important for senate republicans?

guest: he has stepped down as since he came out last week to announce he had an extramarital affair. he is not in leadership now. he does not face an immediate election challenge. there's time to recover politically, but republicans are vulnerable now. they are in the minority in the house and senate and do not have the white house now. something like this does not help. the republican party has time to recover. there is some evidence that people are willing to take a look at the republican party. the fund raising has been a bit more robust. there are more encouraging poll numbers about who defines themselves as conservative rather than liberal. but what happened with the senator from nevada did not help. host: you read about this over

the weekend. it's as green shoots or false spring for the gop? so he is out of the chair for the senate campaign committee. who is in? guest: i think that john is the likely successor -- there are no others immediately. he is someone who ran against tom daschle successfully. that was a few years ago. he is an up and calmer. -- and comer. so was the john ensign said this was a big surprise when he had to step out of leadership. there are no real leaders for republicans now. mitch mcconnell has tried to position himself more in the public eye.

they are absent a figurehead. there is no one in the white house from their party. they are trying to reform into a stronger version of themselves. host: susan ferrechio of the examiner, we will check in with you in about 15 minutes and go deeper on some committee meetings on health care. good morning to chris on our republican line. caller: all right, here in miami iamb looking in different fields for jaws because i am currently unemployed. the number of jobs available here in miami is pathetic. -- i'm looking in different fields for jobs because i'm unplugging of the number of people looking is 10 times more than the job opportunity out there. as far as how i feel about the

situation now, i am against all these bailouts. bailing out for instance, general motors, and spending to help the economy may sound good, but when you think about it, for instance with regards to general motors, all we're doing is keeping a company and its bad assets in the country. instead of letting that company fall, we are now forcing the american people through these bailout bills and our tax money to accept general motors. we do not want them. that is why we're not paying for their products. the government says that we have two or else jobs will be lost. companies go under all the time and jobs are lost. yes, it would be catastrophic for jobs to be lost. but in the long run, and that is

unfortunately where economists are not focusing commit it will be worse. these companies being bailed out and nationalized -- it will only bring us down in the long run. host: what about the money from the stimulus package. are you seeing the effects of that, and the highway spending, or other in your area? caller: i don't notice any big improvements in my area. i have noticed some of the interior is asian and some places. -- deterioration in some places. host: here is another view from pennsylvania on our democrats line. caller: good morning, i live in a small town in western pennsylvania and just recently retired. i have had time to look over things. i am interested in our county and hello will grow.

we have been affected by the coal industry. -- and how it will grow. things have been slower, probably slower than on the national norm, but stimulus money is coming into our economy. there are construction jobs, bridge repair, and others coming in. i have been doing volunteer work with some local agencies within the county. there stimulus money is just coming in. it is just arriving in this month of june. i believe the fiscal year ends june 30. some of those payments were ju're just now receiving that wl create jobs, but will not be high-paying jobs and will not pick up everyone who is applying for them, but they will provide a stimulus to our local economy. so, i think the economy will be slow, and i also think it will

take patience on the part of all of us. i am retired. my husband is retiring. we are in a different position, but i do think there are pockets -- i just visited my friends, a marine corps captain in jacksonville, north carolina. his job is almost recession- proof. carl dealerships are having trouble there, but that is nearly recession-proof. you still see a great deal because of the effect of the large military installations there. it will take more time. the stimulus money is just reaching us. for whatever reason, i don't know. but it is coming in and county bridges are being worked upon, county roads are being repaired. but i think that it will be a while. host: thanks for your input this mine. just following up on a couple of her comments.

this article is on where some of the stimulus money is going. cash goes to the streets of legislators directing the core funds. most of the $2.2 billion for the army corps of engineers construction projects wawill be spent in the home districts of members of congress to oversee that funding. two-thirds of the money will be spent in states or districts represented by members of the house and senate appropriations subcommittee staff director of the corps of engineers spend its money. they're spending it in 43 states. it will fix water and sewer lines, dams, reservoirs, levees, and harbors. california, mississippi, illinois, texas and florida all have lawmakers serving on the preparations committees. the seven states -- the only ones, not getting this money

include michigan. she brought up the issue of the end of the fiscal year. it writes that the states are turning to last resort in the budget crisis. even officials in the same party are fighting as the deadlines loom. with the economy in a freefall, governors are proving program cuts, layoffs, into a smaller degree tax increases. all but four states must have new budgets in place less than two weeks from now. most already predict shortfalls. to georgia, good morning to richard on the independent line. host: calle

caller: good morning, the jobs that did not go overseas have been taken over by illegals. this administration has no intention, no feasible way to create a viable economy that could sustain a married couple with a couple of kids in school or college. these jobs my, this in this package might buy you a cheeseburger and on the 99¢ menu at mcdonald's, but will not maintain our standard of living. if you notice the two industries -- health care and education. both are heavily subsidized by taxpayer dollars in new both will be taken over basically by the government shortly. that will be until american

people wake up and get rid of these un-american people running the country. the front page of this paper has a cover story about their stimulus spending in georgia. kansas city, good morning in kansas. this is the democrats' line. caller: good morning, our jobs are overseas. on january 10, when obama was elected we had 157 jobs and on january 12 but they disappeared.

cnn was running aboard showing all the american companies that all of a sudden in two days no longer employed americans. they moved those jobs overseas. now we're left. those 157,000 jobs, it just began a free fall. host: were some of these jobs in your area, and kansas city? caller: i'm 60 years old and retired in not looking for a job. host: here is another story concerning education. duncan is warning advocates that inferior charter schools harm the effort. it says the obama administration has made opening more charter schools a big part of its plans

for improving education, but the education secretary will warn advocates the lotus quality institutions are giving their movement a black eye. they allow too many second-grade and third-race schools to exist he said. he is scheduled to deliver remarks today. the economy has improved the savings rate. tap the consumers rediscover the concept of thrift. the share the savings rate rebounded. in april 2009 it was up to 5.7%, a sharp rise from just one year ago. but the to cleveland on our republican line. -- let's go to cleveland. caller: i have seen a little infrastructure improvement, but it seems like a small amount.

our road system is over 60 years old and a water system is over 100 years old. they could have spent more to help that. the biggest thing to hurt us is the loss of industrial manufacturing jobs. all the so-called economic experts the said it would not heard anything have been proven wrong. china has built itself into an economic superpower through industrial manufacturing. go to your local hardware store. hardly anything is made here anymore. until we get off this disastrous free trade policy i don't see things getting better. the have to put a cap on immigration. we think letting more people into this country