cadre of operators, and how we respond to our combat commanders, and how we achieve another of the important milestones for conman assistance in your airports. . >> i think it is certainly worth

emphasizing that unmanned systems are unmanned in name only. father may be no air men on board the actual vehicle, -- while there may be no air men on board the actual vehicle, the operate systems and sensors while airborne, analyze and then forward that up to commanders around the world. while the pilot may not be sitting in the cockpit -- cockpit, they are highly skilled amin. we have embraced this impressive technology, one that is delivering game changing capabilities today. it is one that i am confident will be -- i am confident that will be invaluable in the future. i want to thank you again for being here this afternoon for the rollout of our uas flight

plan. i want to turn it over to the lieutenant to give you a little more than in that perspective before the colonel give you a more in-depth look at this rollout. >> good afternoon, everyone. let me add york -- my thanks to everyone being here. i thought that what i would do up front would to give you some charts that would tell you where the context is. this transformation started over three years ago. a quick rationale for why we did that. we have spent the last 100 years as airmen trying to figure

out how to hit any targets anywhere on the surface of the earth with precision. we can do that today. the issue is, not how to finish a target, but the finding and fixing. by the way, you might not want to strike to achieve a lethal effect, you might want to achieve a nonlethal outcome. how do you do that? >> that equation becomes much more significant. it is more challenging givien the environment that we are in. it is these new challenges and adversaries, when you look back at the 21st century industrial age of warfare we had large, massed formations, it was easy to find.

the challenge was in the finishing. today, the situation is reversed. you have very unique and small groups, if not individuals, that are hidden among populations. it is hard to find but it is easy to finish. the approach that we embark on was a three-pronged moved. we looked at the changes in personnel systems and how we train people and how we develop operators and then we took a look at capabilities and how we could increase our capabilities. we have done a significant number of major muscle movements in these areas. we codify them. last year, we unveiled a strategy which lays out how we will approach the changes for

the future and what kind of shape and fashion and where the emphasis points need to be. some of your at the unveiling of our flight plan the couple of weeks ago which is a process it looks at the way that we will resource the strategy and how we will get to our goals. we have had a series of these. today, is asking how we meld power unmanned aerial systems capability into this transformation. it is not just about the platforms, but about the entire spectrum of issues that have to be addressed. just a couple of highlights to get everybody on the same sheet of music with respect to why

these unmanned aerial systems are such a big deal and what they bring to operations. first among equals is persistence. what it brings to the table is the ability to stay in position or maneuver over large areas for long periods of time. that is where a person in an aircraft becomes a limitation. if you take a person out of the actual vehicle, and as the general stated, the system itself is very much manned and you can either watch or strike. you can conduct and detective operations and penetrations. you can operate in dangerous environments. one thing that people tend to not think about is that we are able to operate the systems remotely which allows us to project power without projecting

as much vulnerability in the context of pushing a lot of human resources forwar capitalized on so well in recent operations is a combination of the fine, fix and finish. we have put weapons on the sensors and so we have integrated sensors and shooters together. the result of all of this is obviously the high demand that you have read about and heard about we have 35 or bets. if there was anyone charts

summarize our perch to unmanned aerial systems, it would be this one. the air force wants to get the most out of the systems while promoting service independence. normally, to do this, we need to achieve solutions and those four areas listed on the chart. you have to come up with operations. all the different levels from all the different services. we have to do with the integration challenges that exist with other airborne systems. we have to wrap our arms around the challenges of operating in challenging the air defense and violence and we have to increase acquisition efficiency and effectiveness and standardization. it is not just about what we need to do today, what this

lapland is all about is how will we meet these challenges for the future? that is what this flight plan is designed to do. we have to lay out these ideas and how we apply this technology is across the board? we want to make sure that these capabilities are integrated with our man the systems -- with our man thaned systems. we can plug and play different pieces of different systems to achieve different levels of capability.

we're interested in teaming up with our sister services to combine with an informed industry to seek -- to get the potential out of this capability that we have. what i like to tell folks is that if you think of it in context of amanda aviation -- of manned aviation, we are about where we were in the 1920's. there was a lot of potential out there and we have to change the way we think about using these systems are across the entire spectrum. with that, let me introduce the colonel who is the director of our unmanned aerial system task force.

it is one of those organizational changes that i talk about. it is a matrix approach so that each one of the different elements haag-- >> he is in charge of that organization. he is a former operations group commander which means that he ran the operation. i am going to anticipate the first question and answer you. you might ask one this flight plan is out to 200047. for those of you who are

familiar with the air force, we were born in 1947, so that is the 100 and -- anniversary. >> he will go into the detail of a specific flight plan. >> good afternoon. i have to admit that i am rather excited to be here. this is an incredible story. what it does is finally provides a visual of where the air force is going and maybe one of the neck steps of its evolution. with vision comes commitment. well we're going to talk about is that this flight plan does not lay out specific solutions. what it does do is address concepts and con -- and

possibilities. it allows us to reach out and such other services. we're able to work together in a more efficient way. we do not do this because it is new, because it is compelling. the general used the example that you do with fatigue. it has various attributes which are not necessarily unique, but there are strengths. to put it into perspective, there is a ground control system where the air crew sits in the pilot and the sensor operator sets. many of us who fly the systems refer to it as our cockpit.

if you think about it, we have made one and g cockpit and always a fresh crew. i can design and aircraft and i can manage for that entire five years with little fatigue. next, you will look at connectivity. that same cockpit has no limitations that you normally have with fitting stuffed in, cooling and power and within the constraints of the fees a lot of the aircraft. i have all the processing power i need and i have all the plugs i need and i can speak to anyone globally and they can speak to me. i have access to every bit of information and there are no limitations as to what i can disseminate. that connectivity is key. you saw it in the commercial will have a predator being flown from 8,500 miles away by a crew

that is speaking to an integrated with a ground maneuver unit, saving lives and executing the mission more successfully. the flexibility and automation, which is also a natural fit, the idea that i can not take over the world, but i am leaving, perhaps spell check save you time. perhaps the auto format beecher as you write your story save to the time of formatting. it is that same concept with automation. you're able to go from point a to point b and loiter. the automate them and therefore, you say you're vital resources. and finally, efficiency. as you see, we're going to drive

towards modularity and automation. it this is key in the fact that it enables common standard interfaces we're not thinking just plug and play black boxes, we are thinking of a larger sense. i will touch on that in a minute. this is just an example. right now, conventional operators are operated by one person but there are some were you have multi crane control. will the crane control is one operator with six crane's simultaneously. right now, we have no fight aircraft control where one pilot can fly up to four aircraft. it is just a demonstrator, but

it has allowed us to demonstrate the tactics and procedures of multi aircraft control and what one person can handle. what sorts of missions are properly for a person to handle? this is the first up towards the future of greater efficiency. mostly aircraft control -- small by aircraft control -- multi aircraft control uses itself to apply it against that portions and maybe loitering at a location and doing intelligence collection or just surveillance. arguably, we have a 50% savings. if you automated even more, but

let them go autonomously, arguably, there is a greater savings. for modularity perspectives, it is nothing new. these are modulus systems with standard interfaces. that is what we're talking about. right now, we already use different types o plug and play capabilities. we're thinking about multi missions where the aircraft can be bomber one day, a tanker the next day and a cargo plane the next day an intelligence source the next day or maybe all of the above. the idea is that modularity defines the vehicle as more of the payload agnostic platform which enables flexibility an incredible streamlining

certainly, when you look at logistical sustainment, is well- defined. this is potentially were we will go. in fact, mobility command, along with special operations has already been looking at this capability. they have been looking at the same concept because there are some incredible efficiencies from a logistical perspective. so, how did we get here? we looked across all the various missions sets that the airforce has and we sort of rack and stacked them. we looked at shortfalls and gas. if we look at the slide from left to right, we see some dark

black lines. these are programs that already exist. these are programs like the credit to reaper and so forth. you can leave and new platforms, and you can see these insect size and birdseye's -- a bird sized. this aircraft design is critical to success. you can mudge -- my to rise some -- the commodity horizon -- you can modularize them. you can see.

helicopter fighting forest fires and it has steerage on the tail, but the ducks are in the. it can be a cargo hauler one day or a firefighter the next day. we have already begun work, in fact in the initial capabilities document has already been completed and it is be getting its way to the process. that is potentially one to be our test for these concepts and we will see how just some examples, moving left to right, one thing we want to make sure as we consider this as an alternative to traditional dmanned aircraft. they are not the best that for every mission. but potentially, the could be.

we need to consider them. with that in mind, thewhat you e is more of a payload agnostic platform with various types of capability. when you think about it, streamlined and you have this one here friend, you're spending money on the affect. it allowed to a much quicker turnaround time on upgrading your capabilities. throughout it all, commander control is essential. could sometimes be tenuous, as we start off in the infancy. the idea is to have a spiderweb of connectivity where it is not just satellite based, but numerous methods.

different types of frequencies and different types of band with being used. that is the idea. you have to be able to touch it globally. the idea that someone is flying the aircraft 8,500 miles away, they are tied to a particular ground control station. in the future, that will not be up -- the case. i can take one of my payload agnostic vehicles, up load a bunch of bombs on it, partly over a particular area of interest with sensors and bombs and provide it to re joint terminal air control but is utilizing those sensors and phoebe, the kinetic ability of those weapons. one of the aspects of the flight plan is where you have an

aircraft as a force multiplier, we can tack on to it multiples of aircraft as of mentors. if i am flying in a 35, i can carry so many bombs and my formation. perhaps i have to and more of these with me that are doing nothing but carrying weapons forming. it all comes down to the connectivity and the ability, even though you have autonomy and you can choose where you want to be on the scope, that activity allowed to to always get back in control. that can never change. this is just to give you an idea of what we're talking about. there are a lot of actions that have to be synchronized. these are in the flight plan document. this is not a comprehensive list. even the document is not a comprehensive list.

this will grow as we move forward. the idea that it will grow and evolve and get better through that synergy. >in the end, it is about integrating. it has to be fully integrated. the half to have that activity that assures that you're always in control. suddenly, we have to maximize our ability to acquire and develop systems. we think that is best with autonomy and modularity. the flight plan reaches out and provides a vision and hopefully we can team with industry and academia. once again, vision is no

commitment. this is our vision. coakley, a bunch of other folks will get on boar. any questions? >> what are the three main goals for the air force program in afghanistan and pakistan as it stands? you talk about reaching out to the allies. one of the main complaints of pakistan officials is that they feel they do not have enough participation in the program. it is a constant complaint and a public complaint. i am sure you have heard several times. is there anything changing in regards to that? >> action, i am probably the wrong person to ask. >> probably a general? what let me take a stab at for

you in terms of three goals. the first, i suggest to you that our overarching priorities is how can we best interest unmanned aerial systems into the were fighting joint task force commanders priorities? how do we integrate them into his team of operations to meet his overall objectives. that is number one across the board and, across the difference spectrums of were the vehicles can operate second, insuring that we develop the systems, the operators and flexibility to match the increase in demand, and third, i would tell you that to capitalize on the leading

edge technology that we have today, but not get so enamored with what we have today that we do not reach out to the future can move forward, not just take what we have right now and repeated in to the future. -- repeat it into the future. we want to develop a pot becton the turn into a surveillance pot. people tend to focus on the numbers of combat air patrols. they are very interested in motion video. seeing a picture of what they are interested in. right now, the way our systems are structured, is that you have one sensor per vehicle. this surveillance pods will provide kids separate video images to join forces on the ground simultaneously.

the next would provide up to 30 images and the next would be up to 65. from one vehicle, you can send images to 65 different joint folks on the ground. that is what i mean about tried to break away from just thinking about where we have been in the past and capitalizing on technologies in the future. the second part of your four part question, this one probably applies to others that may be out there. this service organizes trades and equips. combatant commands in a joint task force is charged with dealing with operational contingencies and they are the ones that take these capabilities and apply them. i am probably not satisfying to you at this moment. i would have to defer that kind

of question to operational command. >> those that are operating today, they are operating or there are significant air defenses. what happens when you try to operate them were there are not significant forces? >> that is an excellent question. thank you for asking that. it is one that we have become accustomed to operating in battle space that we control. we have control over the past 18 years. this is in a contestant -- a contested and the night air space. this is something that is part and parcel of the concern as we

move into the future. some of the systems that we have today will start falling from the sky like rain. that is part of the plight -- the flight plan. these could be applied to current systems, but as we look to the future, capitalizing on the observable to come up there that is one means among many. the appar>> the way the air fort with at the first time around was the performance before it started using stealth. i thought i heard you use the

word ultrasonic. >> you're talking about building unman high-performance vehicles. >> potentially. we cannot answer that here. we provide a vision and it goes to the process and begins to mature. >> you will start recognizing what the requirements are. we have begun work on those. this will become a requirement. there will be a variety of requirements. >> this is probably for the general. the talk about tankers has gone on for a while. have you guys considered unman that tankers in light of the

upcoming r f p? >> the short answer to that question is no. that is simply because the technology has not matured to the stage where it would be a viable solution this them. that is not to discount the fact that some time in the future, that may be a possibility. certainly, reversing early unmanned system is, the efforts are out there to refuel those systems. that would probably be the first set. you also have to ask yourself the question, as he said, we have to be careful that we do not turn this into a solution for missions out there were does not make sense.

in building this flight plan, we talked about building unbent cargo our aircraft. -- unmanned cargo aircraft. there are some -- you have to take a look at what makes sense in the context of an unmanned system but your building. the question of using the use to bring it down to their breathing, how important do you see that for the next three-five years. >> very.

the system, again, the capabilities provide you an alternative to a space-based system. you have to have a lot of them for persistence. it gives you elevation allowed to coverage over a wide area. that is a very high priority. >> i am just curious of the vision. has the flight plan taken position on the applicability of these to develop nuclear weapons and if not, why not? if so, what is the position and what is your opinion on that? >> >> it has to be the same answer. we expect them to be considered in all future competitions as a viable alternative, but they may

not be the right alternative. it may not be the right fit. that is not just a material decision, there are other decisions that factor their way into that. but, we're open-minded and that is where this is. you'll get more fidelity had to move along. >> for the combat commanders to have greater trust in the unmanned aircraft in places like afghanistan and pakistan, does the technology have to get better or to the humans have to get better at deciphering the information that the drones are gathering? >> if you would have asked that question two years ago, i was flying f-15s and i hurt my back and had an -- have the ability to get involved in this. i agree with you that there was

a lack of trust and understanding. now, if you look at the theater and help predictor is operating , i believe that the trust is established. the list that is my impression. >> there has been some blow back in terms of some of the strike is doing more harm than good because they sometimes miss their target. for commanders to put more trust in them to integrate them more fully, what needs to improve to not have that happen. it >>be careful with the issue f trust.

it can deliver lethal weapons, but the issue is one of force application when you get there, sometimes they mess. using every means of a forced application, sometimes they miss. the question is not one that is that normally associated with unmanned aerial systems, in fact, i would tell you that historically, it hits what it aimed at over 95 percent side of the time which is one of the morse -- of the more precise means. as long as you have humans in the loop, your board to run the risk of a mistake or an error that was unintentional. >> you had said that your

initial capabilities, what is your timeline going forward? >> it is too early to know where they will actually show up. the analysis is more to begin and take roughly one year. you anticipate towards late summer true o. , who >> that is on the table. >> part of pakistan's

resistance is due to the casualties they generate. yesterday, you had the prime minister with out militants. what is being done to reduce the amount of casualties? >> in every instance, we take it very seriously. as we look towards the future, the systems we developed is all about connectivity as far as communications so we can communicate accurate information we can recognize what we're looking at. >> been here there are services

-- there are services -- it is best to ask the joint task force commanders that question. >> the operation commanders are the ones you need to address operation questions to. >> could you talk a little bit about the applications for personnel, how you organize and trained? pilots have flown aircraft. what does it mean when you have nine pilots that are trained less? how does that change the culture? >> frankly, i do not think it changes the culture. perhaps it does, it evolves the culture. starting from 1947, we have borne through generational changes and the nuances.

we will see changes associated with that. when it comes to the air corps, it is all about skill set. the skill set that was required for and airmen in 1918 changed when it went into 1945. it has evolved. whether it be missiles, cyberspace, space in general, these are all operators that are strongly representing the air force. i do not see that changing. as far as this question about pilots and bob pilots, it is all about the skill set. regardless of the terminology that use, and remember, we're not replacing manned aircraft, they are augmenting manned aircraft.

>> let me amplify that if i may. there is a big difference in terms of the skill set in when your launching a hand-held aircraft that might have a thrill for our direction and all that has in it is a camera to see what is on the other side of the hill. you need to put a 500 lb guided perches in munition in a very particular location to provide close air support to troops. people tend -- have tended to think that these are ubiquitous. it is a very much different level of training required to do those two things. in the one instance, you can take someone with a very minor

amount of training and have them launch the aircraft and flight around and recover it. in another instance, you need someone who is very savvy and where of the situation around them and can coordinate with someone on the ground that understands delivery techniques. it is not a one-size-fits-all. our challenge is to meet that demand, yes, we are moving away from your traditional pilot that goes through traditional flight school to become an operator. we have limited rated inventory and we have increased demand. we are moving towards alternatives to insure that will sell the proper degree and a proper skill sets to be able to operate the vehicles commensurate with the

capabilities that they have. >> could you tell us where this will be in 2004 to seven? >> that is a good question. we do not have that matrix yet. i can give you a matrix of where we are today, but because -- we have not answered a lot of questions. we are in 1920 equipment. i would suggest to you that there is some [unintelligible] >> we will give you a break on that one. >> colonel, is it reasonable to

expect that these will be under consideration as a sixth generation fighter platform? >> we suggest that we just consider unmanned systems as alternatives. whether or not it will be the right fit, i do not know. bucs it depends on your definition. i would tell you know. not yet. let me make that and maybe. i think we have to be careful, here. let me answer what i wanted to answer, 1st. we will go back in touch on that some more. traditional terminology to losha

tendency to keep us at a time of the past. some of you heard me say this before. some of our fifth generation aircraft are not just fighters, and they are sincere platforms that have the ability to penetrate denied air space. we may value some of these things today more for their ability to day and more what the traditional fighter stood for.

and after 35 does not perform the same functions. they are a set of flying since the systems. when you say, can an unmanned aerial system replaces fighter in the future? it depends on how your defining it. if it is to deliver wrote weapons on target, yes. it is to deal with them to , we are not yet to the point where you can achieve be 360 degree spherical situation and translation of that information into action with the human brain. iuntil then, we will still have manned aircraft.

>> in the small uab area, in the flight plan, it looks like you're trying to lay a road map for pushing more into that area. what are you doing to participate in that competition? >> the flight plan has been since away from ongoing competitions. we are aware of what is happening, but this provides a long-term vision. certainly, this is part of that. >> that area has been dominated by the navy and marine corps. >> it is funny.

this discussion is relative to small uas. i think it is a good way to go. what i like about this flight plan is it has been working pretty closely with the services that are increasingly getting on board and. that would be good. >> i wanted to followup a little bit on the questions regarding the use of those today. i know you do not want to talk about the operational details, but to give a general evaluation of how important they have been in the war on terror? >> again, answering genetic --

generically, they have been very effective. >> maybe one more, that was pretty sure. what i was going to ask about the maintenance. there were two options being considered right now. this has been done by civilian contractors. how hard is it to maintain an out urgent is that? >> once again, i think you to talk to the commanders. the total force is the active component. many of this includes civilians

and that is our reality. we do incredible jobs as a team. the flight plan speaks of maintenance which is automated. >> in the flight plan, it describes how it is being done right now. will but the expensive for responsive? >> it makes it clear. i was wondering why you came to that decision. >> it will continue for some time. in some mission sets -- that is something that will decide. >> >> the flight plans notes

been made of capabilities in the future. it mentions the successor. it is looking at the initial flight plan. " i had nothing to do with that. these are our various brainstorming sessions. suffice it to say that this is one of the largest capabilities. they're actually more than that and they are in the flight plan. one of the key areas is

interoperable architecture. >> this goes back to david's question. if you can move away from where we are today, we are highly dependent on communications. that is where we need to go. to an autonomous capability that completely eliminates that will link. i think that about wraps it up. after you have a chance to digest the flight plan, give us a call. let us know what else you would like to talk about. >> >> on tomorrow's washington

journal, matthew lee on foreign policy, also, grover norquist, the president of americans for tax reform and inspector general. also, u.s. policy in afghanistan with larry korb. washington journal begins live at 7:00 a.m. eastern. later, a look at the economic impact of obesity. the center for disease control and prevention released a report and we will have to live here on c-span at 1055 eastern. >> now, a senate hearing on regulating large financial firms. it witnesses include the vice

chairman of the federal reserve. chris dodd of connecticut chairs this 40 minute portion in the senate banking committee. " i am going to go ahead and introduce our panel, even though there in the midst of still being seated. bentsen reinhart has spent more than two decades working on domestic and international aspects of modern policy. he has served in a variety of positions. thank you for being here. peter stevens has served of president of the institute since june of 2004. his career has included buried -- has include various roles. mr. stevens, thank you for being here as well.

he is a senior fellow at brookings and she was the founding director. thank you for appearing here as well. allan meltzer is a professor of political economy and public policy at the carnegie university and is also a business collar. i do not normally have a chance to sit in the chair. i do not want to mess it up too much, but recognizing that, there may be votes that may start even earlier than 45 minutes from now. i would ask each of the panel if they could make the statements relatively short so that we could make sure to get a chance to ask questions. . >> thank you for the opportunity to testify today, even if this is late in the session. no doubt, the american people

expect significant and remedial action in the aftermath of the extraordinary government support to financial institutions over the past year. in my view, the congress to form a committee of existing supervises headed by an independent director appointed by the president and confirmed by the senate. there should be cooperation among the agencies if necessary. the constituent agencies should be directed to draft reports in their areas of expertise for consideration by the full committee. this could include twice a year supports on financial stability from the fed and appraisals from the fdic and the substance of the resilience of markets from the cftc. i believe they are compelling reasons that the supervisors should not be given to the fed.

i work in the federal reserve system for a quarter- century. given too many goals, there would be pulled in too many directions. there is one goal given to the fed and that is the pursuit of stable prices. that is pivotal. congress should be thinking of narrowing instead of broadening that focus. this could foster that over time. that is the opportunity for real long lasting benefits. >> thank you. >> mr. stevens. >> i testified before the committee in march and recommended at that time that the best way to approach systemic risk regulation would be to create a staff of senior

federal regulators. such a body would be best to look across the system and anticipate and address emerging threats to stability. as i thought about the challenge, i told the committee that my model was the national security council. . .

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even if we got anke excites about the economy, this is the moment we've created. it's one thing to say, hey, performs art of an historical election. it's much better to say i was part of an historical election and i was then part of a transform active presidency like no other. that he wants the opportunity that we've created for ourselves. and that's the opportunity that should drive us forward. we need to do as much as we can for as many as we can for as long as we can as long as we are in this moment that we have created. and that's what makes this so exciting. so thank you all for having me today, for letting me talk to you a little bit. i hope you're charged up, and it's great to be with you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009]

>> on this morning's "washington journal" -- associated press reporter matthew lee on foreign policy, also grover norquist on the economy. and the state department's acting inspector general on the cost of operating the u.s. embassy in iraq. also u.s. policy in afghanistan with larry korb.

"washington journal" is live at 7:00 eastern. later, a look at the economic impact of obesity. the centers for disease control and prevention has a new report on obesity prevention, and we'll cover that live here on c-span at 10:55 eastern. >> healthcare legislation will be on the agenda for house democrats this week. at this briefing from friday, majority leader steny hoyer tells reporters that it might not be possible to fin, a bill before the congressional recess july 31. this is about 10 minutes. >> as i have said many, many times, every member of the democratic congress has expressed to me and all of our leaders, and, of course, mr. clyburn, our whip counselor, so he hears from them directly, all of them want to vote for healthcare reform. we believe that we are going to pass a very good healthcare

reform bill. last night we made very significant progress. mr. javier bass ar a, a member of the ways and means committee, moderated and at times refereed, at times cajoled, but at all times elicited the opinions of members on the very critical issue of medicare reimbursement rates. there are regional differences. members have been very concerned and very animated about that, and there have been real differences, as you would expect in an issue of this magnitude. and i am very pleased to report to you that last night they reached consensus. and this morning, they met with the leadership. we went over the language. and mr. basser aindicates that we have full agreement on that issue, and i want to congratulate him on that very, very significant step forward

in the process of reaching consensus. we are continuing to work towards consensus. we believe that the energy and commerce will continue its work in the regular order. we are looking forward to marking up the bill in energy and commerce. that will proceed next week. we are absolutely committed to passing a healthcare reform bill, and we are energized by the progress we made last night and the progress that we are making today. the leadership is committed to that end. i believe our members are committed to that end, and we have every intention of passing a healthcare reform bill and sending it to president obama for his signature by the fall. >> on the floor, you were expressing doubts about whether this can happen next week. can you elaborate on that?

and also, one of the comments that was just made, will you require this get out of energy, or will you bypass? >> we expect the committee to be able to work its will. that is the speaker's expectation, it's my expectation, the hope of our leadership, and more than hope, our expectation. so that we are looking forward to the energy and commerce doing its work. what i said on the floor in the colloquy to which you refer is that i had pledged and the speaker had pledged to give sufficient time for members to review the product of the committee and the product of the rules committee. what i've said on the floor was because of the committee process has taken longer than originally anticipated, as i said, we made real progress last night. these are difficult issues, but the members committed to working on them, that it would

difficult to meet the time requirements by this coming friday. so i do not believe that we'll be able to meet those time constraints by this friday. i said that we might be meeting on saturday and maybe the third or the fourth. we will see how we progress. but i will tell you this, whatever we do, we intend to keep working on this very hard between now and when we come back. we expect to be able to pass out of committee. ads you know, we have three bills. the ways and means committee, of which three of the leaders are members, and the energy and education and labor committee have reported out bills. energy and commerce committee will be the third leg of that stool, then they need to be put together, and we will certainly be working on that, we expect, as we move forward. >> do you agree that we should

delay recess? >> congressman clyburn, the whip, can obviously speak for himself, but we met in the leadership, and i think what we want to see happen is, and we think we're making progress. i want to strells how optimistic we are and how encouraged we are by the fact that we had such progress last night. obviously in consideration of a bill of this magnitude, you have different opinions. and from time to time, you have opinions that differ pretty substantially, and you hear about it and you write about it. but we are making progress h. a great victory last night and this morning from which i congratulate not only mr. basera, but all the people who worked on that. it is my expectation that we will continue to move forward. i've been in discussions with the white house. they want to see us make progress, and they, i'm sure, will join with us when we have a committee product out of the

three committees, to then work with us and bring those bills together. that may take some time. and so, as i said, we may be working on that through the august break. all a last question. >> do you think that the tension stirred up among the blue dogs and things that that has become so inflamed over the past week that that makes it harder? i know you're very optimistic here, but still it seems to come away hot. >> as you know, i'm pretty close to the blue dogs and i'm pretty close henry waxman. henry waxman i've known for 45 years, and i've known a lot of the blue dogs, close friends of mine. you know, in the course of legislative process, you know, sometimes people get animated about their positions, and you would expect that. these are very important issues. this is a critical bill for the american public. we are absolutely committed to passing a bill which will give affordable quality healthcare to every american and make sure that every american has access to that care.

i am confident that the blue dogs, who have all told me they want to vote for healthcare reform bill. now, they have certain opinions as to what that bill all looked like. mr. waxman clearly wants a health reform bill, so i'm confident in that context, with everybody wanting to accomplish the objective, that we can do that. >> mr. hoyer, i know you're confident, just talking about the blue dogs, but mike ross said that he did not see how -- things are broken down, and this whole thing when you were here and you talked about the agreement and that was supposed to help with the blue dog negotiations, obviously none that have happened. >> let me first of all say that mr. basera is to be congratulated. why? number one, he does an excellent job as vice chair of the caucus. but as well, because there were

very strong feelings in that room, believe me. and you saw those expressed to you from time to time in terms of very strong feelings about the rates that medicare paid. and the regional discrepancies that existed. very strong feelings, animated feelings. and they were resolved. so i am confident that, based upon that, we can resolve these other differences and bring us to a position where we have a bill out of committee and three bills ready to be put together and brought to the floor. i want to also say that i think your premise is incorrect. i think mr. basera would say that as well. i think the agreement that was reached by mr. basera is helpful to the blue dogs. now, was it what they were seeking per se? no, they have other issues that they're interested in as well. but i think mr. basera's work and the agreement that was

reached certainly is of help, and i think that the blue dogs felt it was a positive step. it was not the step for them, about the a positive step. >> are you done with your work until the bill is done? >> we're going to work until the bill is done. that does not mean we're going to work in session. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] >> the healthcare bill likely won't see action in the senate soon. majority leader harry reid says his chamber won't dabt a healthcare bill until the fall. but it's still possible the house could consider a bill before leaving town for the summer recess. house democratic caucus chairman john larson plans to hold a meeting today, monday, to go through the healthcare measure section by section.

according to congressman larson, he says that scheduled afternoon and evening meeting will go as long as necessary to answer questions members have. >> yesterday, sarah palin officially stepped down as alaska governor. roughly 18 months before the end of her term. earlier this month, she announced her intention to resign, citing ethics complaints filed against her and personal attacks against her family. yesterday afternoon, she transferred power to lieutenant governor, sean parnell, at the governor's annual picnic in fairbanks. here's that ceremony, courtesy of ktuu-tv in anchorage. >> i thank you, united states military, for protecting the greatest nation on earth. together we stand.

and getting up here, i say it is the best road trip in america, soaring through nature's finest show. de nali, the great wurnings soaring under the midnight sun, and then the extremes in the winter time. it's the frozen road that is competing with the view of ice-fogged frigid beauty. the cold, though, doesn't it split the chicacas from the sourdoughs? and then in the summertime, such extreme. about 150 degrees hotter than just some months ago, than just some months from now, with fire weed bloom ago long the frost heaves and merciless rivers that are rushing and carving and reminding us that, here, mother nature wins. it is, as throughout all alaska, that big, wild, good life teem ago long the road that is north to the future. that's what we get to see every day. now, what the rest of america gets to see along with us is in

this last frontier, there is hope and opportunity, and there is country pride. and it is our men and women in uniform securing it, and we are facing tough challenges in america with some seeming to just be hell-bent, maybe, on tearg down our nation, perpetuating some pessimism and suggesting american apologetics, suggesting perhaps that our best days were yesterday's. but as other people have asked, how can that pessimism be when proof of our greatness and our pride today is that we produce the great, proud volunteers who sacrifice everything for country? now, this week along, sean par zphell i, we were on fort rich, the base there, the army

chapel, and we heard the last roll call and the sounding of taps for three very brave, very young alaskan soldiers who just gave their all for all of us. together we do stand with gratitude for our troops who protect all of our cherished freedoms, including our freedom of speech, which, par for the course, i'm going exercise. and first, some straight talk for some, just some, in the media, because another right protected for all of us is freedom of the press, and you have such important jobs, reporting facts and informing the electorate and exerting power to influence. you represent what could and should be a respected, honest profession that could and should be a cornerstone of our

democracy. democracy depends on you, and that is why -- that's why our troops are willing to die for you. so, how about, in honor of the american soldier, you quit making things up? [applause] and don't underestimate the wisdom of the people in one other thing for the media, our new governor has a very nice family, too, so leave his kids alone. ok, today is a beautiful day, and today, as we swear in sean

parnell, no one will be happier than i to witness by god's grace alaskans with strength of character advancing our beloved state. sean is that. craig campbell has that. i remember on that december day, we took the oath to uphold our state constitution, and it was written right here in fairbanks by very wise pioneers. we shared the vision for government that they ground in that document. our founders wrote, "all political power is inherent in the people. all government originates with the people. it's founded upon their will only, and it's instituted for the good of the people as a whole." their remarkably suck sit words guided us in all of our efforts in serving you and putting you first, and we have done our best to fulfill promises that i made on alaska day 2005 when i first asked for the honor of

serving you. remember then, our state so desired and so deserved ethics reform. we promised it, and now it is the law. ironically, it needs additional reform to stop blatant abuse from partisan operatives, and i hope the lawmakers will continue that reform. we promised you that you would finally seal a fair return on your alaskan-owned natural resources, so we built a new sexoil gas appraisal system. and this is an equitable formula to,er in a new era of competition and transparency and protection for alaskans and the producers. aces incentivizes new ex-plorks, and it is the exploration that is our future t. opens up oil basins and ensures the people will never be taken advantage of again. don't forget, alaskans, you are

the resource owners per our constitution, and that's why, for instance, last year, when oil prices soared and state coffers swelled, but you were smacked with high energy prices, we sent you the energy rebate. see, it's your money, and i've always believed you know how to better spend it than government can spend it. i promise that we would protect this beautiful environment while safely and ethically developing resources, and we did. we built the petroleum oversight office and a subcabinet to study climate conditions. and i promise we'd govern with fiscal restraint so as not to immorally burden future generations, and we did. we slowed the rate of government growth, and i vetoed hundreds of millions of dollars of excess, and with lawmakers, we saved billions for the future.

i promised that we'd lead a charge to forward funding education and hold schools accountable and improve opportunities for special needs students and elevate training, and we paid down pension debt. i promised that we would manage our fish and wild life abundance and that we would definitely the constitution, and we have, though outside special interests sb groups, they still just don't get it on this one. let me tell you -- alaskans need to really stick together on this with new leadership. in this area especially. encouraging new leadership, got it, stiffen your spine to do what's right for alaska when the pressure mounts, because you're going to see anti-hunting, anti-second amendment circuses from hollywood, and here's how they do it. they use these delicate, afternoon i, very talented celebrity starlets. they use alaska as a financed raising tool for their

anti-second amendment causes. second strong and remind them patriots will protect our individual, guaranteed right to bear arms. and by the way, by the way, hollywood needs to know we eat, therefore, we hunt. i promised energy solutions. and we have a plan calling for 50% of our electricity generated by renewable resources, and we can now insist that those who hold the leases to develop our conventional resources, that they do so now on alaska's terms. so now, finally, after decades of just talk, finally we're seeing oil and gas drilling up there at point thompson. and i promise that we would get

a natural gas pipeline underway, and we did. since i was a little kid growing up here, i remember the discussions, especially the political discussions, just talking about and hoping for and dreaming of commercializing our clean, abundant, needed natural gas. our gasline inducement act, that was the game changer, and this is thanks that our outstanding gasline team. and the legislature adopting this law 58-1. they knew, they know this is the vehicle to drive this monumental energy product and bring everyone to the table, this bipartisan victory, it came from alaskans working together with free market, private sector principles, and now we are on the lode to the largest private sector energy product in the history of america. it is for alaska's future, it is for america's energy independence, and it will make us a more peaceful, prosperous

and secure nation. what i promised, we accomplished. we, meaning state staff, amazing commissioners, great staff members assisting them, and conscientious alaskans outside the bureaucracy. many volunteers who just stepped up to the challenge as good alaskans, but nothing, nothing could have secureded without my right hand man, chris perry. she is the sharpest, boldest, hardest working partner. chris is my right hand man, and much success is due to chris. so much success, and alaska, there is much good in store further down the road. fwout reach it, we must value and live the optimistic, pioneering spirit that made this state proud and free, and

we can resist enslavement to dig, central government that crushes hope and opportunity. be wary of accepting government largess. it doesn't come free, and often accepting it takes away everything that is free. melting into washington's powerful, care-taking arms will just suck incentive to work hard and chart our own course right out of it, and that not only contributes to an unstable economy and dizziness partial debt, but it does make us less free. i resisted the stimulus package -- [applause] i resisted the stimulus package, and we have championed earmark reform, slashing earmark requests by 85% to break the psych he will of

dependency on a stifling, unsustainable federal agenda, and other states should follow this for their and for america's stability. we don't have to feel that we must beg an allowance from washington except to beg the allowance to be self-determined. see, to be self-sufficient, alaska must be allowed to develop, to drill and build and climb to fulfill statehood's promise. at statehood, we knew this. at statehood, we knew this, that we are responsible for ourselves and our families and our future, and 50 years later, please, let's not start believing that government is the answer. it can't make you happy or healthy or wealthy or wise. what can? it is the wisdom of the people and our families and our small

businesses and industrious individuals, and it is god's grace helping those who help themselves, and then this allows that very generous, voluntary hand up that we're known for, enthusiastically providing those who need it. alaskans will remember that, years ago, remember we sport the old bumper sticker that said, alaska, we don't give a darn how they do it outside. remember that? i remember that and remember it was because we would be different. we'd roll up our sleeves, and we would diligently sow and reap, and we can still do this to carve wealth out of the wilderness and make our living on the water with strong hands and innovative minds, now with smarter technology. it is what our first people and our parents did. it worked, because they worked.

we must be prudent and persistent and pressed for the people's right to responsibly develop god-given resources for the maximum benefit of the people. and we have come so far in just 50 years. we're no longer a frontier outpost on the periphery of the world's greatest nation. now, as a contributor and a secure of america, we can attain our destiny in the promise of our motto, north to the future. see, the pressing issue of our time is energy independence, because there is an inherent link between energy and security and energy and prosperity. alaska will lead with energy. we will prove you can be both pro-development and pro-environment, because no one loves their clean air and their land and their wildlife and

their water more than an alaskan. we will protect it. yes, america must look north to the future for energy end pence and for our strategic location on the globe. alaska is the gatekeeper of the continent. so we are here today at a changing of the guard. now, people who know me, and they know how much i love this state, some still are choosing not to hear why i made the decision to chart a new course to advance the state. and it should be so obvious to you. it is because i love alaska this much, sir, that i feel

that it is my duty to avoid the unproductive, typical politics as usual, lame-duck session in one's last year in office. how does that benefit you? with this decision now, i will be able to fight even harder for you for what is right and what is truth. and i have never felt that you need a title to do that. so as we all move forward together, let's vow to keep championing alaska, to ad very invite responsible development and smaller government and freedom. and when i took the oath to serve you, i promised -- remember, i promised to steadfastly and doggedly guard the interests of this great state like that grizzly guards her cubs.

as a mother naturally guards her own. and i will keep that vow wherever the road may lead. todd and i and track, bristol, tripp, willow, piper, trig, i think i got them all -- we will forever sob grateful for the honor of our lifetime to have served you. our whole big, diverse, and fun family, we all thank you. and i am very, very blellsed to have had their support all along, for todd's support. i am thankful, too, i have been blessed to have been raised in this last frontier. thank you for our home, mom and dad, because in alaska, it is not an easy living, but it is a good living, and here, it is impossible to lose your way. wherever the road may lead you. we have that steadying, great north star to guide us home. so let's all enjoy the ride, and i thank you, alaska. god bless alaska, and god bless

america. thank you, guys. [applause] >> thank you. thank you, governor palin, and thank you again for your service to this state. at this time, supreme court justice daniel winfrey will administer the oath of office to our new governor and the temporary oath of office to our lieutenant governor. >> i, sean parnell. >> i, sean parnell.

>> do solemnly swear. >> do solemnly swear. >> that i will support and defend. >> that i will support and defend. >> the constitution of the united states. >> the constitution of the united states. >> and the constitution of the state of alaska. >> and the constitution of the state of alaska. >> and that i will faithfully discharge my duties. >> and that i will faithfully discharge my duties. >> as governor of the state of alaska. tall a as governor of the state of alaska. >> to the best of my ability. >> and to the best of my ability. [applause]

>> i, craig e. campbell. >> i, craig e. campbell. >> do solemnly swear. >> do solemnly swear. >> that i will support and defend. >> that i will support and defend. >> the constitution of the united states. i'm all of the constitution of the united states. >> and the constitution of the state of alaska. >> the constitution of the state of alaska. >> and that i will faithfully discharge my duties. >> and i will faithfully discharge my duties. >> as delegated to me pursuant. to >> as delegated to me pursuant to. >> alaska statute. >> alaska statute statute. >> 44.19.026. >> ok, let's try this one, 44.19.026, sir. >> as temporary substitute for lieutenant governor. >> as temporary substitute for

lieutenant governor. >> to the best of my ability. i'm autopsy to the best of my ability. >> congratulations. >> thank you, sir. >> governor parnell and loont governor campbell will now sign their oaths of office.

♪ [applause]

>> to many of you, the name craig campbell may be somewhat new, but i can tell you that the lieutenant governor is not new to state service. he has served as commissioner of the department of military and veterans affairs and as adjunct general to the alaska national guard for a number of years. he also no stranger to local government, having served on the anchorage municipal assembly for a number of years. so now it is my accomplish tour introduce alaska's new lieutenant governor, the honorable craig campbell. >> thank you. i want to thank you all, everybody here, for coming out today. what a gorgeous day, but it's the typical summer day in fairbanks, isn't it? it's a beautiful day. it's more beautiful, though, today, especially after what you heard from governor palin about what the future's going

to be like. we are witnessing an historic moment for alaska, where the power of the executive branch is being transferred from governor palin to lieutenant governor parnell, now governor parnell. at the same time, the loont government seat is be filled by the disappointment process, which is ongoing as we speak. this past monday, the house judiciary committee met for an informational meeting always the prelude to a full joint session of the alaska state legislature on august 10, and that to confirm governor palin's appointment for the succession which fills our constitutional duties to appoint, subject to the legislator's confirmation, the third in line should there be a transfer of power. today is part of that process, i am honored to accept the position of the temporary substitute of lieutenant governor pending that confirmation by the alaska state legislature on august 10. my remarks today will be brief.

i would like to start by thanking former governor, frank murkowski, for appointing notice serve as the commissioner of the department of military and veterans affairs and as the general to alaska. i've enjoyed the four years that i worked with governor murkowski and appreciate his willingness to allow me to be on his cabinet and to serve at a state level in the great state of alaska. it was an important position to me. i think i did a good job, and i think that was confirmed by many very appreciative comments when i talked about sarah palin. sarah palin kept me on as the commissioner, kept mo as the adjunct general. now, it is true sarah palen and i had known each other years. i saw her on the city council on wasilla, a young lady who wanted to make sure his community was represented by a voice. i've seen that grow toward today, governor palin has stepped up to what she wants to do for this state and for our country and for all of us in alaska we should be very honored and appreciative of what she has done.

some in this crowd may never understand what sarah palin did, but what she did is greater than herself. it's for our state and our country, and this lady is going to go far and america's going to be very appreciative of what she brings. and let me tell you why i feel that way. during her term as governor, we had the opportunity to work together on some very difficult issues. she advocated for state crofle our national guard and demonstrated tenacity in the face of federal attempts to limit the power of the governor over her own national guard. she was a leading voice in what made congress reverse their mistake and return to governors full authority of the national guard. that's sarah palin. govern, no as you leave office

today, please know that your cabinet greatly values the service you gave to us, the leadership you provided, and all you've done for the state. you will be missed, but you'll always be loved. and now i would like to congratulate governor sean parnell, our new governor, the 12th governor of the state of alaska. the citizens of alaska made a great choice when they selected sean parnell to be our state's lieutenant governor. and who would have guessed that, just 2 1/2 years later, we would be standing here to trance nation power to now governor sean parnell. as he takes oath of office today, he is absolutely committing himself to the leadership that this state needs to move the agenda of economic development, jobs, prosperity, and freedom to alaska. as governor san parnell, you will do an outstanding job. i've worked with you and seen you for a number of years.

in fact, this audience may not know i worked with your father on the anchorage family, and i watched as you worked through your legislature to what you did on the governor's staff, and i'm going to tell you, this state is gaining a great statesman. you're always pointed in your direction and guidance, clear in what you expected so that the governor and the staff understood it, and you were always very care to feel make sure we understood we have to keep alaskans in our heart, small government, economic development, education by the foundation to make alaska strong, so thank you. i am ready and prepare to serve with you, sir. i am excited about the prospect of now serving as loont governor pending confirmation with governor parnell. we share the same agenda for alaska, and over the next year and a half, you will see the parnell-campbell administration work on economic development and the agenda set by governor sarah palin. in addition to my wife here,

who's with me on stage, my youngest daughter, her husband, and three granddaughters are down there, thank you very much for being here. our other daughter -- our other daughter, melanie, is a nurse in california. you know california's got some economic problems. she said she had to work today so she couldn't come up to this. god bless economies. she's there with our other grand darbgs emma, and i know we're in their hearts today. in closing, i would like to thank the fairbanks community for the tremendous hospitality you provide to my family and myself this weekend. of course, most of you know, i was the vice commander at the 168th air fueling wing, represented down here, good members of the air national guard. i've been in fair banks and worked in fairbanks. i love fairbanks. it's where our state started through the constitution. it's the rice place to serve today in this change of government. god bless you, fairbanks. i look forward to the future and working for alaska.

[applause] >> thank you very much, lieutenant governor. i first met sean parnell when we both served on the house finance kept. that was back in 1993. over the years i've appreciated his calm commeen or, and more importantly, his sense of fairness. as we grappled with tough state legislative decisions and state fiscal policy. he brings to the office a wonderful suite of experience to the job. having served in the house and the senate in the legislature, practiced business law in the private sector, served as a deputy commissioner in the state division of oil and gas, and, of course, as lieutenant governor. just as a little aside, in

trying to figure out exactly how this changeover would take place, the governor, then lieutenant governor, gave me a call and indicated that after having the attorney general's office really look into the matter, the interpretation, it could go two dmpt ways on whether the legislature really had to be involved and give that confirmation or not. but having looked at those two options and knowing they could tip either way, the governor chose to go with full legislative involvement. there was no need to pit one branch of government against another. there was a sensible process to move forward with, and that's what he chose to do. and i think that will mean that this transfer of power will, in fact, be seamless. although many of you do not know him, i do, and i know that he is up to the task. he served in the senate finance committee as the head of the operating budget at the time when we were finishing up what we called in the legislature the five-year plan.

that was back before oil took off. that was back when oil was $9 a barrel, and we were -- we were way underwater. the legislature had decided to put together a plan to cut the budget over five years, to cut budget a quarter of a billion dollars. and sean had the very difficult task of serving in the senate finance committee during the last two years of that five-year plan. and if you think the first couple of years were tough, the last two were extra tough. he was up to the task then, and i can assure you that he is up to the task now. so as we have this transfer of power, as the reins of power are turned over to sean parnell, i feel very comfortable having known him the length of time that i do that he's up to the task, he has the personal strength, he has the dedication to public policy that you need to demand from a governor. so please help me welcome a man

and respect, the next governor of the great state of alaska, sean parnell. [applause] >> thank you, alaska. as alaskans, we've learned through the years to expect the unexpected. we're resilient. we take what comes, we face our challenges squarely with determination and an eye toward victory. governor palin, general atkins, lieutenant governor campbell, family and friends and fellow alaskans, i am honored to stand before you as your governor. alaskans, you are my witnesses. i've given my pledge, and that's my promise to serve you. i've pledged to follow in the footsteps of remarkable people and to lead with integrity and with vision.

lass slass from the great land. and make no mistake about it, we are great. we're the largest state in the nation. we're blellsed with lush, green forests and soaring peaked, crystal-clear water, minerals and sexoil fish and game. alaska is indeed a great land. and alaskans are a great people, to ensure the preservation of the great history, passing their culture from one generation to the next. from the earliest days when alaska's first people settled the land to the gold rush of the late 1800's, to statehood and even today, our people have sacrificed much, and they have contributed much to our state and our nation. alaskans are -- you are a great people. alaska still has much more to offer. both our people and our nation, and given today's economic climate, the stakes are high.

time is of the essence, and you have my commitment. you've got my commitment to work with you and for you, to position alaska's economy for growth and our children and our families for opportunity in the future. on december 4, 2006, governor sarah palin and i swore an oath to the state of alaska, we did it over at the carlson center. i placed my hand on the bible just moments ago and pledged once again to uphold the constitution, and to be here in fairbanks today, it brings us back full circle. for just over 50 years ago on a hill not far from here, our delegates wrote alaska's constitution. today we peacefully transfer power, a transfer he visioned by those delegates, and i am delighted that a few of those visionaries remain with us. people like former lieutenant governor jack coghill, who is with us today.

we thank these wonderful people, all the constitutional delegates and their staff for their lasting service, for their determination, and for their love of alaska. today i also want to honor and say thank you to my friend and our governor, governor sarah palin. i want to say thank you -- i want to say thank you to todd and the palin family and to the heath family. i am thankful to have served alongside such an honorable and good and decent human being. from the beginning of her administration, governor palin set about to restore trust and build a future for alaskans. she stood up for all of us with respect to the gas line, resource development, energy, education, and more. so i want to thank you,

governor, thank you for holding fast to your principles. thank you for your enduring faith. thank you for your love of alaska and your love for alaskans. let's hear it for governor sarah palin. >> and i want to say thank you to lieutenant governor campbell and to anne marie, thanks for being willing to step into this new assignment. thank you so much. craig, your conservative voice on fiscal issues, whether in the cabinet meetings and before, your military service, your guard leadership, i just want to say thank you, i appreciate all that and respect that about you. i look forward to being a working team with you as governor palin was with me. thank you.

the year, the year was 1954, and that vessel that sits behind me, the -- it made its final journey. for a generation, this mighty water craft connected our interior river communities, but by 1954, time had passed the river boat by. the modern aviation age and other transportation infrastructure came to alaska spelling the end of the river boat era. there are more efficient ways to move people and goods around our vast state. the river boat went from a vital economic link to a museum piece. as alaska embarks on its next 50 years of statehood, we face a critical question. will alaska move forward or will time pass us by? how do we create a strong economy for the next half century? how do we as people and as families, how do we thrive, how do we not just survive? well, first we affirm our core principles that all are created equal and that life and freedom

are precious, that all political power belongs to you, the people, and that as alaskans, we own our state's vast and abundance republican sources. in affirming scomplife freedom, retake time to honor our military, guardians of these precious rights. alaska has almost 10,000 men and women deployed on foreign soil at this point, thousands more are serving on our soil, thowls more still on families and close friends. our alaska family, we acknowledge and we honor the sacrifices made by these many today and our veterans. so thank you. thank you to the men and women who selflessly serve our nation and all of our people. having spoke ton our core values, i now turn to our two priorities, the economy and our families. on economic policies, i will not be constrained by a short-term view of our economy, but instead, i will work for

alaska's future. many of us feel the uncertainty of today's global recession. many here feel the weight and many of us feel the weight of high energy prices. alaska is not immune from the economic down draft, and we will continue to weather this storm for some time. in our rural communities where the sub cyst ens and cash economy intersect, alaskans struggle to pay for gas just to get to their fish camps to operate them. and there they experience thin runs, leaving people concerned about food for the winter, and good paying jobs in rural alaska, there are too few, too seasonal, and too few permanent. in our urban communities, businesses are stretched. people spend less and jobs are impacted. but amidst this news, we're not going to stand idle. we will position alaska for investment and for growth, and we will train and educate more alaskans for jobs. state government is going to do this by maintaining a stable tax regime, and we should not -- we should not be nick and he will diming alaskans for a few

more cents at the pmp by increasing fuel taxes. we will be disciplined in our spending and focused on results for you. by doing, so the well-being of our people depends on cheaper energy, and thanks to governor palin's leadership, wf a team working on instate gas options for alaskans. we remain committed to that work. we will continue driving hard to assure alaska's resources, power alaskans' homes. we completed an assessment of energy republican sources and opportunities close to our villages and cities. what this means, it means that cheaper energy is within our reach. it is our challenge to band together, to evaluate those resources identified in that energy inventory, and take charge of our energy future. it's in our hands.

next, i'm happy to report that the economic opportunity of a generation, it lies closer than ever. today, credible entities pursue a natural gas pipeline. we're just 2 1/2 years ago, they were all high centered, motionless. i will continue the sound course set by governor palin and the legislature and put the interests of alaskans first. but it's want just about big mega projects. it's about other resource development and service industries, and it's about the backbone of our economy, our small businesses. i know the challenges that our small businesses face because i've been there. i ran a small business near alaska for years, as did my parents before me. i will work to reduce costs and increase opportunities for small businesses and to help our entrepreneurs keep more of what they earn. 10 years from now, i want it said that alaska inspires and grows dreams.

i want it said that, in alaska, our young people can see and seize opportunity for themselves. i want alaska to be a place where owning a small business leads to greater financial security and where larger businesses look at alaska as a great place toen vest and create more jobs. but still, i recognize that our future is not just determined by the economy. the health and restoration of our families, that also determines our destiny. and alaska families feel the strain. walk into any title one-funded school and you will find kindergarten teachers trying to calm children traumatized at home. visit a domestic violence shelter and see women and children suffering. understand the hardships in the interior and in rural alaska, where hidden fuel costs skyrocket. attend a high school graduation. you know, attend a high school graduation and ask yourself, where did all the freshmen go

who should be graduating here today? why are we missing so many? well, clearly our young people and families are challenged. government can't solve every problem, but in the last 2 1/2 years, our administration has increased financeding for domestic violence and sexual assault programs. we've brought nonprofit resources together to feed those who before were forced to choose between paying for heating oil or food. and we've worked to provide fuel costs relief. we've taken major steps in improving education. but you know what? there's still much to do. here's my vision. for our families. i want alaska to be a place where every child has a safe home or a safe home to go to. i want alaska to be a place where every child has the right to earn his or her way to college or job training so that our graduation rates improve and they graduate ready for work. and i will assure that alaska continues to help the neediest among us, whether younger or

our elders, from public and private resources. let me close by asking this crucial question once again. in the next 50 years, will alaska move forward or will time pass us by? will each of us be a vital player, or are we going stay on the bunch? will we just survive, or are we going to choose to thrive? here's my challenge to you now. is the your face and hand to alaska's future. don't even walk. run with me to take responsibility for it. be involved. this is your state. these are your republican sources. take heart, be strong and courageous. lean into your role in this alaska family, because together we can make a difference. like those who have served before me, it i am firmly convinced, as governor palin said earlier today, that alaska's greatest days are ahead. that's because i believe in you, and that's because i know that our good lord is not through with us yet, so god bless you, alaskans, and god

bless the state of alaska. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] .