nobody wants to talk about this. it was never on the news again. why? guest: i think because that turned out not to be true. early on in the outbreak, because the h1n1 strain was unusual, and it is technically rna and not at dna that makes up the genome of the flu virus. they thought it was from the viruses, avian flu, and human viruses. they speculated that it could have been made in the laboratory but that turned out not to be the case. that is probably why it was hard for you to get an answer today. host: our guest is been philip alcabes, author of this book, "dread: how fear and fantasy

have fueled epidemics from the black death to avian flu." thank you for being with us today. guest: a pleasure to be with you. .

. . . .no carrierringconnect 2400@

>> give it up for her being here again. you guys keep the blood flowing. i'm very much pro that form of life. i have been an mc here in the past. i'm the cofounder of jack and jill politics one of the top black political blogs. thank you. thank you. i also work at the onion and would be ri missed not to talk about the science channel. the feature. get cable and get t.v. and watch me. we'll host a conversation based on questions you submitted

first. i'll introduce mrs. jarrod and then we'll exmain what we did. first i'll take a seat and give you a guy as little bit of background information on valerie jarrod. you ready. buckle up. she is the senior advisor and assistant to the president for inner governmental affairs and public engagement. she was born in iran and spends the first five years of her life working with president candidate and senator president barack obama. she ran to the senior advisor of the senior campaign and worked on the 2004 senate oral campaign. she has a lot of exappeaperienc

chicago. she was a deputy corporation counsel for finance and development and deputy chief-of-staff. commission of the department of planning and development. chairman of the university of chicago medical board of trustees and chicago 2016 olympic committee. trustee of the chicago science and industry and board of the chicago stock exchange and oh, yeah director of the federal reserve bank from chicago. not only do we have one of the trusted advisors of the president of the united states, we also have the president of chicago. commander and chief of chicago right here ya'll. i'll talk all kinds of smack about daily when he's not here. she's someone that barack obama

has referred as family and she's been described as his most trusted advisor. thanks for sending someone so high up to make the time to be here with us. valerie jarrod. >> thank you. >> now a few weeks ago we asked for questions and we received a lot of questions on jack and jill politics and daily coast, face book, twitter and a few people that still use e-mail also send those in directly. two of those. so we found the people still using 20th century technology the question break-out into to three faces. a lot of people are not quite familiar with valerie's work and how her relationship with president barack obama did. we'll establish who she is and what she does. she's inside the white house and

it's all about transparency so we'll combine those two things and see if we can get her to be transparent from our public aspect perspective and bulk of questions lend on healthcare. equal rights, housing so we'll do a big round of those. for those of you in the room, at home on c-span, what's up c-span? that's my network. that's hot. anyone can throw up your question paced on what we're talking about or not talking about. face book.com/net roots nation. click on the live tab and you'll be able to throw your question up there if you didn't get a chance and think i'm being a terrible irresponsible moderator. you have that option. on twitter.

/tag, nn 09. are we clear how this will work? two people are clear. are we clear about how this will work? all right. then let us begin. wikipedia describes your office in the white house as the front door through which everyone can participate and inform the president. we want to understand your job and how you came to know the obama's and i'll take a line from the movie office space. you'll recognize this. what was a would you say you do here valerie? >> i don't have a stapler. so what do i do? fair question. a variety of different things. my title describe as few things. i head the office of public

engagement. that is really the front door of the white house where every possible constituency group can interface with the white house. president obama's entire campaign was based on inclusion and working with the american people and giving them a venue to have an on-going dialogue to serve that purpose. it's headed by tina chen. i have to find out if she's twittering. i was probably one of the people that sent an e-mail. exactly. trying stack the deck here. office of public engagement. we've had over 3300 different groups come through the white house since we've been there and whole purpose is to be available and transparent and accessible. and inclusive. that's one office.

secondly, i succeed in the government affairs office. we work with elected officials not in congress. the mayor's, governors. county board. state legislators. everyone outside of washington and i'm particularly comfortable because i'm not from washington and don't know congress. my area is the city of chicago and local politics and i understand what it's like, in fact i'll tell you this to digress for a second my biggy frustration working for the city of chicago was the federal government therefore i'm uniquely qualified to give the people at the local level a voice inside the white house and all of the other federal agencies as well and that leads me to two other responsibilities. one is office of urban affairs. president obama created that and we coordinate all the federal

agencies that have an impact to be urban centers around the country. so part of our frustration and the president shared this is you have all these different federal programs that are confusing and there's no way of looking at neighborhoods in a come prohen save way from the federal perspective so our office of affairs is to do just that. in addition, thank you. >> applause is cool. >> so in a ticks to that the president asked me to share the white house council on women and girls. tina chen, shout out to that office. saw men clapping out there too. obviously, um... women are still earning less than men and we have inequities but we did pass lynny ledbetr.

shout out for that. laying around dormant for a while but we got it done and that's one step. part of the what the council on women is girls is doing is a task force made up of prep tenthives from off the agencies and we're looking at all the programs and we have a report due this month to describe every program that touches women and girls and looking for ways to improve their qualities of life and house on the house and senate side to see if there's further legislation we can do. in addition, we have a business council made up of various federal agencies that touch business from the small business to commerce and federal, energy department, u.s. trade representative and we meet often to see whether or not we're creating the kind of environment and this is important, where business can expand and grow and create jobs to get the economy

going again and i probably, what e else can i tell you about? >> i think that's all the jobs in the white house. >> and then seniored a voi sore mean i serve whatever the president asks me to do in addition to that. >> thank you. first question from daily coast. this is from when is it enough. if she's now in the office previously used by karl rose, has it been swept for bugs and more importantly, did you de contaminate it? good question. i tweaked it a little. >> well, funny you say that, we actually did get mild amusement but it was counter balanced. it was also officed by secretary clinton before that so i'm hoping between secretary clinton she balanceed the office of

karl. we did play calming music to level the playing field and give it that zen like quality. >> yeah, okay. now you first met the obama's when you hired michelle in 1991. how did that turn into you being their most trusted friend and professional advisor? that's unique path. give insight to that. brief - but- >> well, briefly, i was major daily's deputy chief-of-staff. i practiced law probably nine and a half years too long. i never loved it and iraqi left a law firm to work for mayor washington at that time. hey! [applause] that makes me feel so good. i tell you why that make please feel good because i was thinking

to the interns or maybe a week ago i said i worked here at washington, blank faces. they had no idea who he was and i realized none of them were actually born at the time. >> kids these days. how dare they not be born. >> how dare they not know they're history is more the point. but any way, i left the law firm because, to be real honest with you i had my daughter. i got divorced and i was leaving her at home every day and going down to the sears tower with this beautiful view of lake michigan and i was sad and i was like i'm doing everything everybody thinks i should. i was fortunate my parents sent me to great schools and i had this great job and hated it. a good friend worked mayor washington and said, come and take a leap of faith.

you can always come back. just come for six months and 8 years later i left city government but michelle was going through a similar experience at her law firm and felt she had so much more to give back and was interested in public service. the chief-of-staff today, worked in the corporation counsel's office and sent me michelle's rest may. terrific. i asked her to come in and we hit it off and through that, i was introduced to her fiance and they got married and our past's have been together every since and we've grown to be dear friends. i love them both dearly and i hope you do too. >> president obama is calm. keeps his cool, somewhat disturbingly calm sometimes and

you've known him well for a long time. have you seen him lost it. scream at people. does he lose his cool? >> i will tell you the truth. since 1991 i've actually never heard him raise his voice. doesn't mean i haven't seen him angry but never heard him raise his voice. i would say when he's his quietest he's probably a little unsettled, but he has this very calming tempura meant. his highs are not high and his lows aren't low. and we encountered this in the campaign, when you needed it most you saw someone that managed to keep that calmness in the midst of chaos and we're in a chaotic time in our country and we want a leader that will stay calm and not fly off the handle. [applause] >> the president said the

following about you. quote, she's family. she combines the closeness of a family member with the savvy and objectivity of the a professional public policy expert. how difficult is it for you to play both roles the friend and expert advisor in the height house now? >> i don't find it difficult at all. i get this question all the time and he's surrounded himself with a team of people he trusts and respects and encourages to tell him what they think. his view is if you just agree with me, why are you here? i want somebody to push me and be honest with me and we have such challenges and i want to make sure i'm making smartest possible decision. so i think the team all has that philosophy. i have a unique rerakes ship

because of the length but if we're watching a movie or something and i'm with their family i'm not asking about healthcare because he needs down time too and needs to know that when he's just trying relax and catch his breath i'm not trying to get him to focus on the pressing issues we have but on the other hand, in the oval office i treat him with due respect and call him mr. president as he deserves as the president of the united states. but the point is his whole team has that philosophy of being trusted and people he respects and people he wants to push him hard to make the right decisions. that goes for you guys too. >> they don't need any pressing on that. i was promised a cage match between you and romin manual. when can we see that? >> we had members to the white

house for a picnic on the lawn. in the morning i said ron, your actually the number one person they want to see in the cage where you throw the ball and they fall down and get dunked, but i have known ron for a very long-time and we've always had a good relationship and i think what happens is the press, particularly the press in d.c. tries to stir up a little mess. i've never had a team of people whom i've worked with that i've had so much respect for and part of what president obama, that calm face. we all hear this all the time in the campaign. no drama obama. he believes if you start having chaos in your administration you can't focus on the american people and i give rom a lot of credit for bringing everybody together and addressing everyone's voice to be heard so when we go to the president

we're giving him our best so there will be no fighting match between us. i strongly need him. >> talking strong smack about rom. then the final question kind of about what your role is during the campaign, week saw you play an and with raise. encouraging philadelphia speech. president obama is black but most advisors are white. what is your presence doing for black americans, for women or anyone else tradition not represented. >> ly say that the president has surrounded himself with a diverse and inclusive team. he said doing in and this was important if the transition to reflect the diversity of the country so we we're hearing all perspectives. he's fortunate to have several tough women advisors and african-american advisors.

my chief-of-staff is here. raise your hand. don't be shy. and so i think we have a good team of people and that's again how to make the best decisions possible and i think he takes great pride and having that diversity in the white house and in administration throughout. >> okay. on to phase two, all right. president obama said he could rely on you to monitor the dynamics in the white house. given this description and transparency mandate, describe both of those. we see things so often through the filter of the a media that could have other motives. what was the transition from campaign mode from wanting power to wielding it and what broadly speaking, more specifically what was most surprising about the transition? >> interesting question. we talk about this a lot.

it is very different campaigning to governing and the president wanted to make sure that we harness that energy you guys saw on the streets in all of the folks so involved in the campaign and wanted to make sure when they came into dpovpt they kept that sense of urgency and change, and that chance of willing to get in there and shake things up, but you have to have an order in government and you can't have everybody going off doing their own thing in the campaign, we encouraged people on the ground to go off and really develop relationships on the ground and we deferred enormously the people on the ground. i think when you're in the white house now the president has to really make sure the voices are still being heard and he's so good about bringing the very junior most staff person into a meeting and giving them an audience and letting them participate by working in a structure. that's been a bit of a

challenge. the other dynamic where i've tried help is we've recruited a lot of terrific people who were not apart of the campaign or with other candidates and we want to make them feel they're on a level playing field and make them feel like family too so i spend a lot of time working with the people who aren't as well-known to everybody else, and give them a voice and a sense of belonging and this from time-to-time. it's worked so well, and we're not going to be able to keep all the energy and terrific part of the campaign unless we change government. that's the real challenge. this is all government. local level in chicago, i know this is the case throughout the country. you find so many people there that have been doing things the same way for a very long-time and you'll come in with a fresh

idea, and they'll say, well we tried that in 1932 and it didn't work and your like what about this way? well, no i'm not sure. and you also find and i want to be really clear about this. people in government that have been hungering for change and all they wanted was fresh leadership because they didn't have a voice for their great ideas. harnessing that kind of energy is really important. let them clap for a while. >> what is - this is a question from jack and jill policy. how has being in the white house fundamentally changed you, the first lady or president? >> i don't think at this age, face it i'm 52 i don't find you change much and certainly they're not that much younger than i, but i think we all have this - just extraordinary awe of the opportunity. there's not a single day i come

to work, that i don't stop and just pinch myself for this extraordinary opportunity to see our country change and to be right up there and have a front seat and an opportunity to participate in the process and so i think we're humbled by it in my wildest dreams it never occurred to me i would work in the white house or know the president of the united states as well as i know our president. so it's a very humbling feeling and you wake up and - i'm scared all the time. i'll tell you this. there isn't a day that goes by that we're not scared, we have to make the absolute best of this opportunity and we have to work really hard but you know you can't do what you did in the campaign working 18 hours a day and i'm going to tell you a bad story. we worked so hard the first couple of months we had this terrific event in the white house. poetry slam.

we were all looking forward it to so i would go to the poetry slam and i couldn't find mike and i said what happened to him. he had gone in someone's office and put his head down and went sound asleep. so we were just exhausted. you can't do that because you're not making best decisions that exhausted so trying get people to take a breather for a moment and balance their lives but you know four and 8 years goes by quickly and so many people are counting on this president to change not just our country but the world, a lot of pressure. >> all right. there have been some dramatic public moments, administration has gone through some wonderful, painful - can you talk about what the mood and process is like with tom dashle is? >> it's very sad. the president is very close to

tom and worked with him in the senate and thought he was uniquely qualified to head this healthcare initiative to it was on a personal note for the president a very sad day, and i think the good news is we've bounced back between nancy and secretary and the rest of the team working on health care, i think we're well represented and i think that's part of the president's strength is that even in the face of adversity he's extremely resilient and you want a president that bounces back. he's not going to say, now what do you do for about more than 30 seconds. he'll come up with another plan and team in place now i think is just terrific. >> when the stimulus started hitting the country we saw the eruption of tea parties. lots of protests, how seriously does the president take what a lot of people in this room know to be somewhat manipulated

situation? what's his reaction when they first started coming out? >> look, you guys the reason he ran for president was because we wanted to move away from that kind of tone and the reason i think so many people got on board and were supportive of this unlikely candidate. if you think about two years back, who knew we would be where we are today and i think if you ask the vast majority of american people they were tired of that manipulation and we're seeing it now in the healthcare debate with a small segment trying scare people particularly elderly people and i have elderly parents. why are they trying scare my parents? [applause] so, i think it's an example of what we're fighting against, but it is there and i think, i think frankly to tell you the truth

they under estimate the american people. i think they're a lot smarter than that and media has been focusing particularly on some of the town hall meetings that have been where people's voices are drowned out but what they have not covered near enough is the thousands of meetings around the country where people like you want to have an honest and clear debate about healthcare and want to be informed and express they're ideas and that's not where the media likes to focus. they like the sensationalism and this is one way, and we were talking about doing pitchs to the office or audience. one way you guys can be helpful is making sure you get accurate information out on the ground. because a lot of people are depending on that sound bite on the evening news or morning show for their news and that's not where they'll be informed. this is back to a retail effort. block by block, person by person and that's where you guys can be

useful in this process. >> final question on phase two, very important issue. do all the black advisors and staffers in the white house eat lunch at the same table? >> [laughs] >> is there a black table in the white house cafeteria. transparency. >> there's not a black table because most people don't even eat lunch. a few of us went out to dinner and normally i have serial for dinner. my mother would be so pleased. we rarely. if i can grab lunch by four in the afternoon. that's good. so there's no black table in the cafeteria. >> good job. you ready for phase three? i see the twitter feed. i know your chomping at the bit. according to the president, you are trusted quote, to speak for

me. particularly, when we're dealing delicate issues. so i ask you president obama, on this transitional tro sees in government. this we got on twitter. how many of the 300 resumes sent to the white house received many serious reviews? >> many, many, many. i cannot tell you the people working in the transition day and night going through the resumes and we've received some amazing resumes. there are many, many people working in administration on the campaign and many had absolutely nothing to do with the campaign but are so talented and everything from senior staff to the most junior people and we are constantly looking for new people and we take those resumes very, very seriously. we made it available to come on-line and send in your resume and we encourage people to do it.

our personnel office takes this seriously. yes, we look at all of those. >> question from face book about lobbyist influence. administration set strict rules on who could work and not. how do you feel about that decision 7 months in, for the concern your limiting the quality of candidates? >> i think there's so many talented people out there that didn't lobby that it has not been an disadvantage at all. we've made a few exceptions for those uniquely qualified but what we ran on in the campaign and in government we have to stay focused on the american people and what's important for them and we can't let special interests that have a hold on washington dictate. this gives you a flavor of the white house. lobbyist were used to be the ones bringing in clients and

i'll meet with just about anybody but what frustrates lobbyist is when i call the principal directly and i hear the lobbyist wanted to bring the person in and i'm like i don't need somebody else to do that and i don't see why they should have to pay you to have access to my office responsible for giving them service. [applause] so i'm not very popular a bong lobbyists and that's okay with me. >> probably a good thing. >> this question is from face book from martha elizabeth. is the president going to call all the blue dogs in his office and give each a piece of paper with the amount of stimulus money and say i want your vote on healthcare. if you're a democrat get in line

otherwise any time you want money in juror district you can ask jim de mint for it? wow. mary elizabeth! >> mary, elizabeth. she has a fan club. >> i was going to say. i'm jealous. i haven't got that kind of applause yet. my goodness. the fact of the matter is i know obviously that's hit a note here, and i know that there is a lot of frustration here and around the country, and i'm telling you, i am convinced this president has it right and he is going to continue to go along the way he's going. he is not one to punish or do any of the kinds of things that perhaps you might want to do in a moment of span the mayty or anger but he'll count on the american people to put the

pressure on their elected representatives because that's way the system works the best. it doesn't work for him to punish from the oval. when you guys get out there - and it's hard work but when you organize and when you, and not just form letters but when you call and - i met a person right as i came in going and having 60 meetings on the hill in the next few weeks with they're elected representatives. meet them in the district. go to the town hall meetings and make phone calls and organize your block and audiences and bloggers and put the pressure on them that way. that's how we'll get healthcare done this year. not quite as much applause, but trust me. it will work. >> this question has a flip side and because healthcare is so - the thing right now. when i ask you, from face book

from adam. the republican senate from house leadership has said they have no interest in bipartisan ship or creating a good healthcare bill. you can read they're tweets. given that they've shown such animosity in governing why attempt to placate them at all? can't you get a good plan done with democrat as loan. it worked them, why can't it work for us? >> it didn't work for them because they're not there anymore so it didn't work for them. thank you. i like you. i mean the whole reason why we're here is american people got tired of that kind of politics and i think that, when you talk about by party son and i know it has a bad name right now. it's not so much working with the elected officials on all sides of the aisle but working with the american people who might be republican or

independent or democrat. that's who we're trying reach and let's face it, i get a little worked up about the healthcare issue and it's because michelle and i worked at the healthcare facility and know how hard it is for people struggling right now and even those who aren't struggling may be struggling one day. all the people healthy and fine today may have a pre-existing condition and when they get dropped by insurance, it will have an impact on their lives so the way we look at it if we want to reach across the country, that's why the president was in montana yesterday in a community not considered typically democrat. he's reaching everywhere to engage the american people because there's not person in this country that isn't touched by healthcare or who right now is not adversely effected by the current healthcare system and it's growing worse every day. that's really the effort to reach out that we're talking

about. [applause] >> okay. this question, kind of touches on the seriousness of the debates happening. there's a feeling there's a substance and a lot of noise taking up air time. from jack and jill politics. do you believe the birthers are a, crazy b, racist or,c both. those are your options. [laughs] >> interesting options. i mean come on you guys. this is ridiculous. of course he was born in the united states. unless they don't want to think of hawaii as the united states and maybe some people don't view that. but i think that, i mean the good thing about our country is everybody crazy or not is allowed to have a voice. that's what we do and i wasn't calling them crazy, i was just

saying everybody gets to have a voice. >> she's good. >> yeah, i thought about that. seriously. of course one person is crazy and another person is sane, i get back to my point from a few minutes ago. i think in all that noise, eventually and the good news is that this week everybody was at least talking about healthcare and not other issues, so i think that, and it's hard to be patient at a time like this when every day is so important, but i do believe that people - because they're so personally vested will take the time to get informed and i also believe that all of this miss information that's going out there, where as everything from the allegation about the youth natuf nicing.

all of this becomes martianized and cast a side and i'm confident that will happen now. we have to take the time to educate people and when seniors are scared to death and they're told the president did a town hall meeting with a aarp, and people were saying, well you know, we don't like socialized medicine and in the next line they said, don't do anything to disturb our medicare so trying educate people about what really is in the various bills that are being looked at by the committees is so important and we've got to get into the details. >> okay. this is about public option. there are related questions. there's a lot of tweet action going on. oddly, fdl on twitter. will the president for regional co-op for bipartisan vote on healthcare reform and is the president prepared to veto a

bill without a public option? [applause] >> well. let me be very clear and i talked to the president yesterday about this knowing i was coming here and i said i want to make sure, this is what i'm going to say and i know this is what you believe. the president wants the public option. he has made that clear everywhere he has gone. but - let's go one step further too. he wants the public option because there needs to be some competition. we have looked where there's two or three insurance carriers compared to multiples and competition works. prices come down when you have competition. he says that from the very beginning. i don't want to fast forward to the end of the process and talk about what he will detail down

the line but he did it yesterday and every day making case as to why he believes the public option is the right thing to do and i can tell, you guys do too. >> cnn director said a majority of americans over the age of 50 appose the proposed obama healthcare plan. those under 50 support it. very widespread in aim and reflects some of the trends we saw during the campaign who was supportive of obama and not. how does the white house handle that knowing seniors have more time and investment in the system as it is? >> that's part of why the president wanted to do the town hall meeting. he did one with a aarp where we had literally thousands of members on the phone new jersey the audience able to ask questions directly to the president. he recognizes and if you look at the miss information out there,

it's no wonder the seniors would be concerned about the plan. he wants to be sure we're talking to every possible age group so they understand what's in the plan. again, this is a place you guys could be helpful. if they understood what was in the plan, they would see how this is going to help them. the whole goal is to make healthcare more affordable and the quality of hair, this is something particularly interesting to seniors is better. we're spending so much money on subsidies of the insurance. have anyone ever gotten a medical bill you understood. i haven't. shouldn't there be a uniform bill so everybody can understand what they're getting? wouldn't it be nice if your parents are traveling and something happens to be having technology so to physician can look and have medical records and transport them back and forth? there's so much wrong with our

system. i tell you can with a quick story. cleveland. we went there because it's a good model of what works. their physicians are paid a salary and get a three year contact. at the end of the year it's renewed based not on the outcome of their patients. are they actually healthier. ir mean, shouldn't that be a test? it's absolutely no wonder that people are ordering multiple tests. often times physicians own the equipment they're using for the testing so let's get the incentives and reward physicians when the outcomes are goond people are actually healthier. let's have a system encouraging people to have primary care physicians where they're having all kinds of this in place. i could talk about the

importance of what healthcare will do for our country but the real challenge is to educate everybody. many times seniors with fixed incomes dependent on medicare are the ones feeling most vulnerable but we have to pierce through the noise and implicate them about the opportunities of healthcare reform. >> want to go to equal rights, civil rights issue. we've got this question in a lot of different forms but a hot point on twitter. how will the obama administration regain it's promise to be an advocate for,lbt americans example by reenforcing the don't ask don't tell policy in the defensive marriage act. >> this is something i care about and so does the president and he's been clear and said this during the campaign and i've been with him in meeting after meeting in administration where he's so chris c crystal c.

he believes don't ask, don't tell is wrong and seeks repeal in congress. absolutely. he believes defensive marriage act discriminates and a lot of people were upset by the brief written by the department of justice and i've talked to eric holder about having to defend a law on the books. they're they have to defend their law. the only way to get out of that is to repeal the law and that takes an act of congress. we're committed to getting both laws repealed but we can't do it without the support of the american people. put pressure on congress to repeal both of those laws and partner with us. [applause] >> we got a lot of questions i

would put under the header of not enough change for candidates that ran on this massive platform of change and also could be put under category of a little too much like bush. why has president obama continues so many of jorge bush's policies. signing statements. prolonged detention policies, keeping the defense department largely in tact? what is, back to this inside assessment and dynamic, why? why is the president continuing so many of these policies, many of which he criticized as a candidate? >> well, look. it's affair question but also i think you have to look at what has he done. from the very beginning he signed an executive order saying we're not using terrorist torture anymore and give him credit for it that because he did it immediately.

it should have never have been done and put our country i think more at risk than if we'd never done it in the first place. he memos talking about the justifying of torture in the transition of transparency. everybody knows what's in the pictures. i think the - this is where he gets very delicate and i know it's touchy for this audience but what he's trying balance as president is keeping us safe, not giving ammunition to people that already had am new nix to be adverse to us. he's trying change the tone around the country. this is why he went to cairo and reached out to the people of iran and traveled to turkey and went to normandie. he's trying set a different international tone and it'll be one to lead to a more safe

country and that requires some balance. i can't - hear you. you know what you got to do is figure out how to get your question on here. we're not going to have shout-outs here. >> this is not a town hall like that. ya'll know what i mean. obviously an important question. he asked is why does he continue to give black water 150- million dollars? >> listen. well we're certainly trying get rid of the no bid contract. the defense department has actually cut the portions of their budget. secretary gates came in with suggestions on how to cut waste and he's taking his responsibility seriously. so i think, i hear the frustration and you don't have to insist, settle down over there, i hear you, but i think

the point of the matter is that you also have to say, we're six months in. i think you have to accept the fact that some things take time and that you have to follow a process where you get some buy in from the people your counting on. do not forget we have men and women who are at risk every day overseas doing the best they can to defend our country. so the president has to balance putting them at further risk with having kind of transparent and open and clear availability of information that you so desperately want. he has to balance national security with transparency and i bet with him. i bet with him and i'm asking you to trust him and i know that's hard because i know how pure you are to the cause, but he also has to keep in mind that he has to keep those folks safe. >> thank you. thank you. [applause] >> just a note on tone.

like hissing is just not cool. we're definitely getting questions and she's here answering them. you may not like the answer but y you're going to get that everywhere. thank you for your home training. immigration reform? this question came via e-mail at america's voice. during 2008, latino voters played and historic role turning four stage from red to blue. it's a defining issue for latino voters and president obama campaigned on a promise for this. how is he going to get comprehensive immigration reform done now. we've seen the dates flip a bit. what's doing on? >> what the president said throughout the campaign and in office is we have to have comprehensive immigration

reform. my top person who is head of international governmental affairs, the question she asked before joining the administration is, is the president committed this and he absolutely is and he's pulled together members of congress, those who are supported of immigration reform and those who are not, brought them together in the white house and began to dialogue. we have someone working hard on the hill to see what measures we can do in the short-term but the real solution is long-term immigration reform. you mentioned the date has slipped. obviously there's a full plate but i think the president multi-tasks and he is moving forward with the immigration reform strategy that will lead to immigration reform. the process is underway. >> thank you. from twitter. some progressives feel it's

important to challenge o a bah ma from the left. how will this president respond to that pressure from the left? >> well, i think he responds well to pressure period. when you say pressure what you mean is engaged american people who want to participate in their government and he's all for that. and so, when you say pressure from the left, what he's looking for is ideas. and i think that's what you mean when you say pressure. so if you have suggestions and you have constructive ideas how to move healthcare reform faster and ideas how to move energy reform faster than we have, ideas for better educating our children to compete in a global marketplace, we're open to that and if that's what you mean by pressure, bring the pressure on. >> you heard it. bring it on. what's the status, this is from jack and jill politics.

what's the status on the women's forum that we haven't heard much about since. when will the plans be announced to the purpose and mission. >> i don't know what your talking about. we are planning - we have an on-going of white house women and girls, an on-going engagement with women's organizations around the country and i would be interested in having a women's forum. we had some and we're hope open to more but i'm not sure what your talking about. whoever wrote, follow up with that absolutely. >> we'll get more clarification. collectively ya'll are smarter than me and that's why we're doing it this way. overseas on foreign policy. in 2004 obama said genocide is on the way and we cannot set by and let this continue. the only concrete action seems to be special energy zoi.

what steps has the president taken to end the long running genocide and war by displacement and starvation. >> president has spoken clear about what's going on in dare 4. it's atrocious. he's on the ground and whole purpose being there is to come back with concrete steps we can take and it should not be just the united states but an international effort. we need everybody focused on dar f or. and it's a top priority of the administration. >> does president have a plan to work towards passage of paycheck fairness. >> absolutely. we're committed paychecks fairness and in the process of working through, there's a lot of support for that in congress. particularly among the women

develop bears d and men as well. more easy one. >> we'll bounce around. during his campaign he repeatedly made the commitment to establish a global education fund capitalized with 2 billion dollars, the purpose of which to close a financial gap to have universal education in developing countries. will he honor his commitment for this fund and will education be recognized as an essential element with the african continent? >> let me ask or answer the second question first. absolutely. clinton came back from a very successful, she's on or was on a trip to africa and education is absolutely essential not just here but overseas as well. the president highlighted this not so long ago and obviously, we are better than a lot of countries around the world in education but we still have a

long way to go here to allow our children to be competitive on a global stage, and i'll digress for the second as i talk to business leaders around the country. they always raise the fact that we're trying so hard to compete and so hard to create jobs right here and at home and most companies would rather have people right here at home, and yet, we're seeing our education standards dropping. the secretary of education who i think i've known for his entire life is so completely committed improve the standards of excellence and it's not just something the schools can do alone. parents need to be involved as well. we need to get our act together here and we have a relationship and a responsibility as well around the world. >> segway to economy questions talking jobs and education. this is from curtis on face

book. what's the cost-benefit analysis, actually before i launch the question, i want to let folks know, you're the only closed an visor to the president that's actually run a multi-million dollar business. a lot of these questions have that knowledge built in so we're expecting some great answers. what's the cost-benefit analysis of trying control dangerous industries like health insurance, too big to fail businesses, how do we regulate the huge pieces of our economy during a bad recession? >> it's a very good question. i think it's more important than ever to regulate them during a bad recession. what we're trying do here is we're not just trying reset the clock back to where we were when the economy was booming a year or two back. that was based on a bubble, a false economy. dependent on credit cards and

businesses going kind of out of control, out of the checks and balances they need. be clear, this comes up when i get pressure from the business community. pressure from the progressives as well. and of course they're pushing back and i say look, if fact of the matter the united states had to come in and take unprecedented action to help support the banks in this country not because we were trying just support the banks but we realize the small businesses and the companies throughout the country are so totally dependent on the banks to survive and the capital they need to breathe and hire people to expand and grow is dependent on the banking industry. the reason it got completely out of control is you frankly didn't have the checks and balances you needed and we just let things run amuck and it was based on a false economy that's not sustainable over the long haul the president had to step in literally from day one and

continue what's begun under bush administration giving banking administration the support needed to pull us back from the presipis. we look at the g.d.p and it's been revised. 6 point 4 percent negative growth and now negative one so we've come a long way. the president want as proper foundation and pillars to have an economy sustainable over the long haul, so that's why we pass the recovery bills to give us a quick jump start to create jobs over the next couple of years but in addition to that, healthcare reduction of cost is a number one way to get our economy going. renewable energy, passing reform to invest in clean energy and economy we need. green jobs of the future. and then back to education, back to education again. what the president is really

trying do is create a framework where businesses can expand and grow and compete in a global marketplace, but we need a regulatory framework so the next initiative coming working it's way through congress and there's already a lot circulating is to provide the checks and balances. the president is calling for a consumer financial manage built. it gets to trying to say we're here to protect you and american people need to have a voice and kinds of regulations that will not just keep us from dangling on the presipis the way we were when the president came in, but where you know you're not going to be taken advantage of. isn't that the kind of simplistic way of putting it but shouldn't you know when you sign for a credit card the terms are not going to change on you. that you're not going to have

exorbitant rates of interest? you know payday loan people will not take advantage when your living paycheck to paycheck. these are simple things the american people have a right to demand. regulatory reform is something we'll ask for your support through congress and will create framework to have a sustainable economy. [applause] . . . .no carrierringconnect 1200

>> will insure less discrimination in health care process? we don't have a lot of people talking about that. >> we are trying to create incentives for the good behavior. that is the simplest way to put it. but in terms of discrimination, the people least likely to have insurance are minorities in this country. we need to provide for people who do not have insurance. small businesses are having to drop their insurance because they cannot afford to make payroll and had insurance. the exchange will provide a mechanism so that people who do not have insurance currently can go in and buy it at a more competitive rate.

the overall philosophy, let's make it affordable so that people can afford to buy insurance. the president said this during the campaign. it is not that people do not want have health insurance but they cannot afford it. let's figure out a way to cut the waste out of the system and make it affordable and make it accessible to everyone around the country. you mention the fundamental underpinning. >> green jobs. a couple of questions. [applause] >> we love those green jobs. we like jobs in particular but we like green jobs. i'm sorry to interrupt. i don't know how many of you know dan jones? -- van johns? [cheers and applause]

we had him at the white house. we have been watching him as long as he has been active in oakland and all of the ways that he has, but created ideas that he has. we have all of that energy and enthusiasm. i think green jobs are important because they are the jobs of the future. van as innovative ideas of working in urban areas to focus on training people who do not have jobs -- you can train someone who does not have a job, create an energy efficient technology, go in and try to insulate people songs and bring down their energy costs. it sounds so simple and doing that on a nationwide scale v is nationwidean is all about. -- and doing that on a nationwide scale is what van is all about. that is the direction that we need to go. [applause]

>> i want the audience to know that we are about five minutes shy of are in point. don't be shocked when we wrap up. we had the next question on the screen. this is from jeffrey feldman on twitter. does the president read the press of blogs -- progressive blogs? and if so, which ones? >> talk about state secrets. he does read blocks. i am amazed by his ability to digest information. you never know what he is reading in the course of the day. he has articles all the times that he has read. and in addition to blogs, he reads these letters that people write him every day. i cannot tell you that probably not a day goes by that he does not mention something that a

person said to him in one of those letters. a part of our small business initiative launched several months ago was in response to a small business person talking about their community bank not providing them alone said that they needed. they simply did not have the liquidity. the president talked to the secretary of the treasury and said, let's figure out how to help this person. this is what we did. we look to the american people. i will not tell you which blogs. but he does read them. he has a computer and i cannot tell you which kind. [laughter] >> one more question popped up on the screen and one i already had from the office. the "new york times" front page today says that obama has a hard time activating his grassroots. what are your thoughts on that?

how much of this ground force from the campaign is able to be activated for calls like health care? >> we are just getting started. i have every confidence in the fact that we can activate the grass roots campaign. i know that those of you in this room have a lot to do with this. we'd need to energize our basing get them involved in the process. they are going to getting gates and -- keep in mind, this is august. we have had a lot on our plate for the first few months. we are determined as we push in the fall to get health care reform done this year. i will say that again and again, off because it is an uphill battle and it will not happen unless we energize our base. we're committed to that. that is where he is and he is taking these town hall meetings across the country and we are confident that we will get this done, we really are. [applause] >> i hope so.

i am sorry, this question just popped up. well the president promised to watch my show? >> that is a perfect soft ball to you. we'll ask him. >> the final question, you touched on it earlier, but i would like for you to expand if you can. what does the president and what do you want from this audience? you have an incredible group people gathered here. what would you ask of us? >> i want to thank you guys for coming out this morning. 9:00 on a saturday morning on a beautiful day is a lot. i take your presence here as an indication of your interest on continuing the engagement over the course of this extraordinary

last few years. we want to harness that energy and want you to -- we share your frustration, we share your sense of urgency. that is something that the president has been committed to. he ran for office and that is why he is doing what he is doing each and every day but he cannot do it without you. i cannot say to you how strongly we depend upon you and your out -- and your network to energize the people, not just for health care but for all the tough issues that lie ahead. we want you to feel that you have a voice. that is why he asked me to come here today, off to convey how important you all are to him, to his administration, and to this country. stay engaged, push us, have a constructive conversation with us. but do not stop coming to the table. we need you, we need you out there, and we appreciate what you do.

thank you very much. you have been terrific today. >> thank you very much. bowery jarrett, public engagement right here. -- valerie jarrett, a public engagement right here. by read up? -- fire it up! >> ready to go! >> we are out of time. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] [unintelligible]

>> you are watching public affairs programming on c-span. i next, president obama speaks at the veterans of foreign wars convention in phoenix. after that, md. congressman elijah commons holds a town hall meeting on veterans' issues. and after that, a rand corporation report on massachusetts's health care system. on tomorrow morning's "washington journal," a conversation on the detainees at guantanamo bay. our guest is scott silliman, a

former adjutant general for the air force. after that, citizens from -- citizens against government waste. and then a lobbyist. his book is "ricochet." "washington journal" begins each morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern. and then, remarks from kathleen sebelius on medicare fraud. over the weekend, the secretary said a government-run health insurance option it is not essential to health care legislation as long as the measure increases competition. live coverage begins at 10:00 eastern. now, president obama addresses the veterans of foreign wars convention. topics include iraq and afghanistan. the president spoke to more than 5000 veterans in phoenix, arizona. his remarks or about 35 minutes.

-- are about 35 minutes. vfw in phoenix, arizona. ->> our next guest is no stranger to the veterans of foreign wars or the veterans. he was born in hawaii, braised with good midwestern values, and received and i believe -- received an ivy league education at columbia university and harvard law school. he served in the state senate for four years before becoming a senator from the state of illinois in 2004. he would go on to co-sponsor the market vfw supported legislation like the gi bill for the 21st century, and he has given us a historic increase in the v.a. health care budget. this is his third consecutive

appearance before the vfw national convention, but the first where -- first wearing the mantle of commander-in-chief could colleagues, sisters, dismissing which guests, i am honored to present the 44th president -- sting which guests, i am honored to present a party for the president of the united states, barack obama. -- present the 44th president of united states, barack obama. [applause] >> thank you. thank you so much. thank you very much. thank you. please be seated. thank you so much. commander, thank you for your introduction and for your lifetime of service. i was proud to welcome your executive director to the oval office just before the fourth of july, and i look forward to working with your next commander. i also want to acknowledge the

gene and sharon and all the spouses and families of the ladies auxiliary. americana's your service as well. -- america honors your service as well. the governor of arizona is here as well. and mayor phil gordon, our host in phoenix. i want to acknowledge the president of the navajo nation. this was not on my original card, but you may have already heard from our, but i want to publicly acknowledge and thank the secretary to eisenhower who typed up the orders for the normandy invasion and is here today, and what an extraordinary story that is. [applause]

members of the veterans of foreign wars, i am honored and humbled to stand before u.s. commander in chief of the finest military the world has ever known. [applause] we are joined by some of those who made it the finest force in the world. from the air force base, members of the 56th fighter wing. [applause] whether you wear the uniform today or war decades ago -- more expected to go, you are symbols of a fundamental truth is not powerful epidemic are military

the strongest in the world, not the sophisticated systems that make us the most to danced. the true strength of our military lies in the spirit and skill of our men and women in uniform. and you know this. [applause] you know this because it is the story of your lives. when fascism seemed unstoppable and our harbor was bombed, you that lacrosse rocki -- battled across rocky pacific islands and marched across europe. my grandfather and uncle are among their ranks, liberating millions interning enemies and allies. when communism cast its shadow across so much of the glove, you stood vigilant in a long, cold war -- in a long cold war. when that cold war ended, and

all the hatreds are merged and new, you turn back aggression from kuwait to kosovo. long after you took off the uniform, you continue to serve, supporting our families and troops when they go to war and welcoming them when they come home. working to give our veterans the care they deserve. when america's heroes are laid to rest, giving everyone of them that final fitting tribute of a grateful nation. we can never say it enough -- for your service in war and peace, thank you, vfw. thank you. [applause] today, the story of your service is carried on by a new generation, dedicated, courageous men and women who i have the privilege to meet and eat every day. they are the young sailors, midshipmen of the naval academy who raised their right hand and

graduation and committed themselves to a life of service. they are the soldiers i met in baghdad who have done their duty year after year on a second, third, or fourth tour. they are the marines at camp lejeune, preparing to deploy in serving in afghanistan to protect americans here at home. they are air men like those today who provide the close air support that saves lives of our troops on the ground. they are the wounded warriors at walter reed and bethesda and across america. for whom the battle is not to fight, but simply to speak, to stand, to walk once more. they are the families that my wife, michelle, has met at bases across the country. the spouses back, during the parenting of two, the children wondering when mom or dad may come on. the parents watched sons and

daughters go off to war. the families who lay a loved one to rest, the pain that lasts a lifetime. to all those who have served america, our forces, and for families, our veterans, you have done your duty. you have to fulfill the responsibilities -- you have a fulfill the responsibilities and how grateful nation must fulfill hours. -- now a grateful nation must fulfill ours. we have a solemn responsibility to always lead the men and women of uniform wisely. that starts with a vision of american leadership that recognizes that military power alone cannot be the first or only answer to the threats facing our nation. in recent years, our troops have succeeded in every mission america has given them, from toppling the taliban to deposing the dictator in iraq to battling rebel insurgencies. at the same time, forces trained

for war and called upon to perform all those submissions. like many years, they've run local governments and delivered water and elections -- like mayors, they have run local governments and delivered water and electricity. let us never forget that we are a country of more than 300 million americans. less than 1% wears a uniform. that 1% of soldiers and sailors and marines and coast guard and have borne the overwhelming burden of our security. perhaps never in american history have so few protected so many. the responsibility for a security must not be theirs alone. that is why i have made it a priority to invest all elements of our national power in defense of our national security. diplomacy, development, our economic might and our moral

example. one of the best exit -- the best ways to meet our troops at wise is to prevent conflicts that cost american blood and treasure tomorrow. as president, by chris responsibility is the security and safety of the american people. my great -- it's responsibility is the security and -- my greatest responsibility is the security and safety of the american people. it is the first thing i think of what i wake up morning in the last thing i think of when i go to sleep at night. as we protect america, our men and women in the four must always be treated as what they are, -- men and women in uniform must always be treated as what they are, america's most precious resource. i have a solemn responsibility for their safety. there is nothing more sobering than signing a letter of condolence to the families of servicemen and women who have given their lives to our

country. that is why i have made this pledge to our armed forces -- i will only send you into harm's way when it is absolutely necessary, and when i do, it will be based on good intelligence and guided by sound strategy. i will give you a clear mission, defined goals, and the equipment and support you need to get the job done. [applause] that is my commitment to you. " which brings me to our second responsibility to the armed forces, giving them the resources and equipment and strategies to meet their missions. we need to keep our military the best trained, the best lead, the best equipped fighting force in the world. that is why even with our current economic challenges, my budget increases defense spending. we will ensure that we have the force structure to meet today's missions, and that is why we have increased the size of the army and marine corps two years ahead of schedule, and have

approved another temporary increase in the army. we have all the personnel reductions in the navy and air force. -- have halted personnel reductions in the navy and air force. [applause] and it will help us put an end once and for all to stop loss for those who have done their duty. [applause] we will equip our forces with the assets and technologies they need to fight and win. my budget funds more of the army helicopters, crews, and pilots urgently needed in afghanistan. the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance that gives our troops did manage. the special operations forces that can apply on a moment's notice. and for all those serving in afghanistan and iraq, including our national guard and reserve, more of the protective gear and

armored vehicles that save lives. [applause] as we fight two wars, we will plan responsibly, but it honestly, and speak candidly about the costs and -- budget honestly come and speak candidly about the costs and consequences of our actions. my budget includes the costs of the wars in iraq and afghanistan. in iraq, after six years, we took an important step forward in june 3 we try to control all cities and towns to iraq's security forces. -- we transferred control of all cities and towns to iraq must do security forces. -- iraq's security forces. it is a testament to all those who have served in iraq, uniformed and civilian, and our nation owes these americans of all who have given their lives a profound debt of gratitude. [applause]

as iraqis take control of their destiny, they will be tested and targeted. those who seek to sow sectarian division will attempt more senseless bombings and more killing of innocents. this we know. but as we move forward, the iraqi people must know that the united states will keep its commitments, and the american people must know that we will move forward with our strategy. we will begin moving our combat brigades from iraq later this year could we will remove all the dates by the end of next august. we will move all our troops from iraq by the end of 2011. for iraq, the iraq war will end. -- for america, the iraq war will end. we will focus on the war against al qaeda and its extremist allies in afghanistan and pakistan. that is why i announced a new comprehensive strategy in

march, a strategy that recognizes that al qaeda and its allies have moved their base from the remote tribal areas -- to the remote tribal areas of pakistan. this acknowledges that military power alone will not win this war, that we also need diplomacy and development and good governance. our ne strategy has a clear mission and defined goals -- to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al qaeda and its extremist allies. in the months since we have begun to put this comprehensive strategy in action, in recent weeks, we have seen our troops to their part. they have got into new areas, taking the fight to the taliban in villages and towns where residents have been terrorized for years. they are adapting new tactics, knowing that it is not enough to kill extremists and terrorists, but that we need to protect the afghan people and improve their daily lives. our troops are helping to secure places for this week's

election so that afghans can choose the future that they want. these efforts have not been without a price. the@ @ @ dman)$$ the false and prayers of every american are with those who make the ultimate sacrifice in our defense. -- but box and prayers of every american are with those who make -- but what -- the thoughts and prayers of every american are with those who make the ultimate sacrifice in our defense. this is not all war of choice. this is a war of necessary. those who attacked america on 9/11 are plotting to do so again. this is not only zero were bridget war worth fighting but this is fundamentally for the defense of our people.

and going forward we will consummate -- constantly adapt new tactics and that every step of the way we will assess our ability to defeat al qaeda and its extremist allies and to help the afghan and pakistani people to build the future that they seek. even as we leave and equip our troops, we have a third responsibility to fill. -- to fulfill. marines, and coast guard men adapt to new challenges every day. but much of our defense establishment has yet to fully adapt to the post-cold war world, the doctrine and weapons better suited to fight the soviets on the plains of europe and insurgents in the rugged terrain of afghanistan. -- this and insurgents in the rugged terrain of afghanistan.

20 years after the cold war ended, this is irresponsib. our troops and our taxpayers deserve better. [applause] that is why our defense review is taking a top-to-bottom look at our priorities and posture, questioning conventional wisdom, rethinking old dogmas, challenging the status quo. we are asking hard questions about the forces we need and the weapons we buy. when we're finished, we will have a new blueprint for the 21st century military that we need. in fact, we are already on our way. we are adopting new concept, because the full spectrum of challenges demands the full range of military capabilities. both conventional and unconventional. the ability to defeat both the armored division and the loan suicide bomber. the intercontinental ballistic missile and the improvised explosive device. 18th-century style piracy and 21st century cyber threats.

no matter the mission, we must maintain america's military dominance. even as we modernize our conventional forces, we are investing in the abilities devilry aren't are forced to the future. -- in the capabilities that will reorient our force to the future. and maybe that projects power across the oceans and operates nimbly -- and maybe then not only projects power across the oceans but i personally across coastal waters. -- operates nimbly across coastal waters. a marine corps that to move more rapidly across many places. in the 21st century, military strength of a measure not only by the weapons are too scary, but by the languages they speak and the cultures they -- weapons our troops carry, but by the language they speak and cultures they understand. we will not build the military

meet and maintain the fiscal responsibility america demands unless we fundamentally reform the way our defense seligmann does business. it is a simple fact -- defense establishment does business. it is a simple fact. every dollar wasted is a dollar weakened on spent to protect our troops or america or prepare for the future. the indefensible no bid contracts that cost taxpayers billions and make contractors which could be exotic products that are years behind schedule billions over budget intrenched lobbyists pushing buttons that even our military says it does not want. the impulse in washington to protect jobs back home building things we don't need as a cost. this waste would be unacceptable at any time, but at a time when we are fighting two wars and cing a serious deficit, it is inexcusable. it is an affront to the american people to our troops, and it is time for it to stop. this is not a democratic issue

or republican issue. [applause] this is not a democratic issue or republican issue, it is about giving our troops the support that they need. that is something that all americans should be able to agree to. i am glad as i -- i am glad i have as a partner in this effort, a great american, a great arizonan, a man who has shown courage in fighting his waist, senator john mccain. -- fighting this waste, senator john mccain. [applause] i am a proud to have searched for a defense robert gates -- secretary of defense robert gates. i have signed bipartisan legislation to reform defense procurements that weapons systems do not spin out of control. even as we increase spending on our equipment and weapons that our troops do need, we have

proposed cutting tens of billions of dollars in waste we do not need. think about it. hundreds of millions of dollars for an alternate second engine for the to and strike fighter. one reliable engine would do just fine. nearly $2 billion to buy more f- 22 fighter jets when we could move ahead with a fleet of new and more affordable aircraft. tens of billions of dollars to put an anti-missile laser on the fleet vulnerable 747s. billions of dollars for a new presidential helicopter. maybe you have heard about this. among its other capabilities, it would that be cooked a meal while under nuclear attack. [laughter] if the united states of america is under nuclear attack, the last thing on my mind is whipping up a snack. [laughter] [applause] that is pretty straightforward. cut the waste, save taxpayer

dollars, support the troops. [applause] that is what we should be doing. the special interests, contractors, entrenched lobbies, they are invested in the status quo, and they're putting the bite. but make no mistake, so are we. if a project is not support our troops or make america safer, we will not funded. if the system does not perform, we will terminate it, and if congress sends me a defense bill loaded with pork, i will veto it. we will do right by our troops and taxpayers and build the 21st century military we need. [applause] finally, we will fulfill our responsibility to those who serve by keeping our promises to our people. we will fulfill our responsibility to our forces and our families. that is why we are increasing military pay, that is why we are

building better family housing and funding more child care and counseling, to help families cope with the stresses of war. we have changed the rules of the military spouses can compete for better jobs and pursue their careers. we will fulfill the responsibility to the wounded warriors. for those still in uniform, we are investing billions of dollars for more treatment centers so that our troops can recover and return where they want to be with their units. [applause] but as the vfw knows, for so many veterans, the war rages on. the flashbacks that will not go away, but the ones who now seem like strangers -- the loved ones who now seem exchanges, the heavy darkness of depression that has led to too many of our troops taking their lives. posttraumatic stress and brain injury are the defining injuries of today's wars. caring for those affected by

them is a defining purpose of my budget. billions of dollars more for treatment of mental health screenings to reach our troops on the front lines and more mobile and rural clinics to reach veterans back home. we are not going to abandon these american heroes. we are going to do right by them. [applause] we will fulfill our responsibility to our veterans as they return to civilian life. i was proud to co-sponsor the post-9/11 g.i. bill as a senator. thanks to vfw members across the country, and leaders like harry mitchell in congress, it is now the law of the land. [applause] as president, i am committed to seeing that it is successfully implemented. for some many, like my grandfather, the original g.i.

bill changed your life, helping you to realize your dreams. but it also transformed america, helping to build the largest middle-class in history. we are seeing the same thing in today's post-9/11 veterans. you pick the school, we will help pick up the bill. [applause] as the veterans start showing up on campuses, i am proud that we are making this opportunity available to all those who have sacrificed, including reservists and national guard members and spouses and children. including kids who have lost their mom or dad. [applause] in an era when so many people and institutions have acted irresponsibly, we choose to reward the responsible and service of our forces and their families. whether you have left the service in 2009 or 1949, we will

fulfill our responsibility to deliver the benefits and care that you have earned. that is what i promise to build nothing less than a 21st century the head, and i picked a lifelong soldier -- 21st century va, and i picked a lifelong soldier to be this fight, general rick shinseki. we are dramatically increasing funding for veterans health care. this includes hundreds of millions of dollars to serve veterans in rural areas, as well as the unique needs of our growing number of women veterans. we are restoring access to the health care for half a million veterans who lost their eligibility in recent years. since there has been so much misinformation out there about health insurance reform, let me say this -- one thing that reform will not change as veterans health care. no one is going to take away benefits. that is the plain and simple truth. [applause]

we are expanding access to your health care. not reducing it. we are also keeping our promise on concurrent receipt. my budget ensure is that are some really disabled veterans will receive their military retire pay and disability benefits. i look forward to signing legislation on advance preparations for the va to the medical care you need is never held by budget delays. [applause] i have also directed secretary shinseki to focus on a top priority, reducing homelessness among veterans. [applause] after serving their country, no veteran should be sleeping on the streets.

no veteran. we should have zero tolerance for that. and we are keeping our promise to fulfill another top priority of the villa, cutting the red tape and inefficiencies that cause back blocks and delays in the claims process -- that cause backlogs and delays in the claims process. this spring, i directed the department of defense and veterans affairs to create one unified, lifetime electronic health record for the members of the armed forces, a single electronic record with privacy guaranteed that will stay with them forever, because after fighting for america, you should not have to fight over paperwork to receive the benefits you have earned. [applause] today, i can announce that we are taking another step. i have directed my chief performance officer, my chief technology officer, by chief information officer, to join with secretary shinseki in any reform effort. we are watching and to

competition -- in a new reform effort. we are launching a new competition to capture the best of the employees. we will use 57 of our regional va offices to come up with the best ways of using information technologies, breaking red tape, breaking through the bureaucracy. we will find the best ideas and put them into action, with a submission, cut the backlogs, slash wait times, deliver benefits sooner but i know you benefits sooner but i know you love for this that is our mission and we are going to make it happen. taken together, these investments represent an historic increase and our commitment to veterans. i 15% increase over last year's funding levels and the largest

increase in more than 30 years. over the next five years we will invest another $25 billion to make sure that our veterans are getting what they need. these are major investments and these are difficult times. the school discipline demands that we make our decisions, sacrificing things that we cannot afford. but let me be clear, our commitments are not just lines on a budget but bonds that are sacred. as a sacred trust we are honor bound to uphold. these are commitments that we make to the patriots to serve from the day that a.m. -- but the analyst to that day that they are led to rest, patriots like a man named jim noreen. he was a child of the depression who grew up to join the greatest generation, a paratrooper in

the 502nd infantry regiment of the 101st airborne. jumping in a bare light -- in a daylight raid, rushing to the battle of the balls whereas -- where his commanding general asked to surrender declared famously, nuts. for his bravery, he was awarded the bronze star. but like so many others he rarely spoke of what he did or what he saw, reminding us that true love of country is not boisterous or allowed, but rather tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. jim returned home and went to school on the g.i. bill. he got married, he raised a family in his small oregon farming town, and every veteran day he spoke about the meaning of service at schools and he did it all was a proud member of the

veterans of foreign wars. [applause] then this spring, he made a decision that. he would return to your points more -- return to europe once more, 84 years old, gravely ill, knowing he may not make it back home. but like a paratrooper he was, he was determined. he returned to the places he knew so well. the dutch town liberated by r g i's school children -- by our gi's, the schoolchildren lined the sidewalks singing sta "the star spangled banner." and then, back where he had served 65 years before, jim noreen passed away at night in

his sleep, quietly, peacefully, the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. the next day, i was privileged to join the commemoration at normandy to mark the day when the beaches were storm and a continent was freed. there were presidents and prime ministers and veterans from the far corners of the earth. but long after the bd stopped playing and the crowd stopped sharing, it was the story of a departed in vfw member that echoed in our hearts. the veterans of foreign wars, their fallen comrades in your communities and country -- they always fulfilled its responsibilities to america, and as long as i'm president of the united states, america will always fulfill its responsibilities to you. god bless you, god bless all our

veterans, and god bless the united states of america. thank you very much. [applause] ["star spangled stars and stris forever" playing] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009]

>> we have some other distinguished guest that i am sure that you will want to hear and we look bollard that as soon as the president is through. >> tomorrow morning, an update on the afghanistan presidential selection and security support. we will hear from the head of the assistance force. live coverage of this pentagon briefing begins at 10:00 eastern. later in the day, a discussion on states government and disaster response. the president of the national emergency management association is that the heritage foundation. live coverage starts at 3:00 p.m. eastern.

>> how is c-span funded? >> the u.s. government. >> private funds. >> i do not know. i think some of it as a government raised. >> it is not public funding. >> probably my tax front -- my tax dollars. >> how is c-span funded? america's cable companies created c-span as a private business initiative, no government money. >> maryland representative elijah cumming hosted a town hall on veterans issues. they talked about veteran employment and re-entering society after military service. this is about one hour and 30 minutes.

>> today we are honored to have at eli j. cummings with us. let me say this, this is a non- profit organization designed to provide veterans in need with comprehensive services that will enable them to rejoin the community is as productive citizens. so on behalf of the board of directors, staff, and students, we want to welcome our special guest to our program. to tell you a little bit about congressman comiummings, he was raised in baltimore, maryland where he still resides today. he obtained a degree in political science from howard university, and graduated phi beta kappa and then with honors from the university of maryland law school. congressman cummings has dedicated his life to uplifting

and empowering the people he has sworn to represent. he served for 16 years and became the first ever african- american in maryland history to be named speaker pro tem. he was first born and as the house of representatives in 1996. congressman cummings is in his eighth term representing maryland's seventh district. he often said that our children are our living message that we send to the future, which we will never see. he is committed to ensuring that our next generation has access to quality health care, education, fresh air and water, and a strong economic -- economy defined by fiscal responsibility. he is a senior member of the house committee on

transportation and infrastructure where he serves as chairman of the subcommittee on coastguard and maritime transportation. he is also a senior member of the house committee oversight and government reform. he sits on both the subcommittees of domestic policy and the post office and the district of columbia. in addition to these three committees, he is a member of the joint economic committee in the house task force on health care reform. is a former chairman and current member of the congressional black caucus, and a co-founder and current member of of the congressional caucus on drug policy. he is also a member of the progress said -- the progressive and get out of iraq caucuses. you conceive of a congressman is a better man. i would rather have my job

instead of his. we certainly want to welcome you to the maryland senator for training. -- marilyn center for training. >> good evening, everyone. we can do better than that. good evening, everyone. >> good evening, sir! >> you got me that time. i what i thank mr. women's -- i want to thank mr. williams for your kind of deduction and all of you for what you have done for our country. so often it is said that our veterans seem as if they are unseen, on notice, on appreciated, and applauded. -- unseen and noticed, he appreciated -- unapprciated, and

unapplauded. join me in giving yourselves a hand. but foley began, please join me in showing our appreciation to the wonderful fire for their inspiring kickoff of this program. since i was in the last time, i don't remember those robes. i thought so. they broke out in those robes. but give them a hand. they were wonderful. my friends, allow me to begin this afternoon by thanking you for coming out. it makes me feel good.

it is one thing when you have left town hall and a few people's joke, but every time that i have come here, i have always promised to come back and i keep coming back, but every time i come here we have always had a good audience. i want to thank all of you. we really have every seat filled. i want to like you do in church. if you have a seat beside you, raise your hand so that some of the people who might want to sit down might have an opportunity. these are empty seats, a gentleman. we might be going for an hour. i recall for you america -- all bomb was inside into what america as you in return. banks are warranted but not nearly enough. my friends, you have served our country and fought to preserve our liberties. now is the time for your nation

to help you. u.s. current health care and the other benefits that you were promised. this much is very clear. what all of us understand is that america has a long way to go before we can mark our promise to you paid in full. we must do better and we can do better, and i think our president and congress are saying that we will do better. our nation's honor and security are at stake. this is the main reason that i returned to you this afternoon. i wanted to report on some progress that we are making in washington and we're keeping our promises to you. many of the things that we have worked on actually came out of meetings and concerns that you have had an request to me, request that you have had in the past. it is my job to take those

concerns back to the congress and be a voice. it is not enough for you just to hear from me. i need to hear from you. you are the ones that are going through whatever you may be going through on a daily basis. many of you have seen some good things work like this center. we need to know about those so that we can encourage other centers of this nature to be established throughout the united states. .

we also have mr. sanford are buckled, regional director for veterans integrated service network 5, serving both maryland and west ridge union. give him at hand, please. [applause] we have mr. dennis smith, who is the medical director for the va maryland health care system, and i told mr. smith, there was an issue that came up about some -- in philadelphia, with regard to prostate cancer in veterans. any of you heard about that? i was just telling dennis a few minutes ago that as soon as i heard about it, as a matter of fact, i read it at 4:30 in the morning and i was in his year to make sure that those things were not happening in baltimore by

the time he got to the office. come to find out, when we checked it out, we were told baltimore has one of the best va medical systems in the country. so i want to thank dennis. give him at hand, please. [applause] ms. angela nash, who is director of baltimore national cemetery complex is here to help assure you that your families are not unduly burden in the future. what we find is upon the death of a veteran, we get the calls to try and straighten out situation so that the family can address the issues that need to be addressed, and they need those addressed in a compassionate and speedy way. we are glad you have been able to join us. give her a hand, please.

and finally, we have on the end here, joanne johnson, a team leader in the baltimore that center, care to talk to you about mental health benefits. she will be sitting at a table in the hall. i want you to understand -- give her a hand, please. thank you. i want you to understand that what we're going to do is -- i will make a brief presentation, then all of us will join in together. there may be some things that are personal and may not be appropriate -- you may nee wanted. so basically, you have an opportunity to meet with these

folks. they are going to stick around. specifically for you, you can support separating ourselves and i will have they address you afterwards. for the rest of you, please hold it, and i hope he will respect that. you've taken an important step coming here to macbeth. as it is declared, it takes the entire community to help a veteran heal. many of you have called my office. sometimes, bureaucracy and other limitations can get in the way of getting the job done, and i have not forgotten the responsibility we all have for

our own lives. whatever obstacles we may face war may have faced in the past, our objective now must be to get the job done. that is why we're here today as a community to learn and to inform each other. i want to report on progress, and then we will go on. with regard to health care, several obstacles may stand the way of veterans receiving care. the department of veterans affairs must be supplied with resources. treating five. million patients in a coming year, including 260,000 iraq and

afghanistan veterans, congress has made it a priority to fund health care and benefits that they were supposed to have and that they deserve. we have no choice but to do that. we can send our men and women like you hear off to war, and we must make sure that not only are you taking care of when you are there, we must take care of you when you comeback. let's make sure that happens. [applause] and i mean this with every fiber we have in our bodies, we must do everything in our power to make you as whole as we possibly can. i have talked to a lot of you, and listen to you, and i think we have got to -- we have this

one thing to have the resources. we have got to marry them so you can get done what you have to get done. i found the biggest increase ever was approved by congress this year. the house appropriations bill 3082 provided a path to restoring and revitalizing the services offered to veterans by adding $14.5 billion in the 2010 budget. in addition, the stimulus bills have another 1.4 billion in increased funding in 2009 to improve the maintenance of va medical facilities, the construction of extended care facilities, and repair of veterans cemeteries. almost as important as the overall funding entries is the certainty with which these funds will be provided.

a top priority for veterans would mean the reform of funding process that resulted in 19 at lake va budgets during the last 22 years. that is not right. this year, we got the job done we passed h.r. 1016, the veterans' health care budget, reform and transparent act, with medical related accounts for the last fiscal year. this legislation is an historic reform to improve the care of veterans received in the future. we know that va operations benefit from advanced notice regarding resource allocation. the ability of the va has been hindered to recruit well trained medical professionals, and maintain facilities, and acquire new equipment.

dennis can testify to that. he has hired people to be in the hospital and medical facilities to treat the folks coming in, bought unless he has some kind of notice, that is a major problem. some people may arrive, but the money is not moving as fast as the people are. so what do you have? you have a gap, a problem. thank god that dennis smith has been able to work around that. the va has been provided funding to adequately maintain facilities and continue services. the va maryland health care system is responsible for providing care to hundreds of thousands of maryland veterans. i also note that according to the center for minority veterans, minority veterans comprise approximately.

the mission is to care for people who love borne the battle to honor those who have worn the uniform by providing them with the highest quality health care and benefits possible. however, that mission can only be accomplished if they know the full range of services available. my mother used to have a saying. she said there is nothing like a person who don't know what they don't know. and that is true. a lot of times things are available to us, but if we do not know about them, it cannot do us very much good. and that is one thing i would ask that you do. a small favor you can do for your congressman and all of us is learn about things today, and pass the word on to people who may not be here, who may be going through some things. that is important. and let me pause here to give you a commercial.

on september 12, we will be doing what we call a foreclosure prevention seminar and workshop at woodlawn high school from 9 until 3. a number of you have said you are worried about losing your home's, separate work apart from what you are doing today. and we held one on june 6 and were able to help people stay in their homes. and if you are worried about how to get to your mortgage payment or whether you find yourself in foreclosure, i want you to give us a call. all of those folks on my staff, right here, we have somebody getting to those issues immediately. the last to know what you to do is to sit around and wait and hope and the next thing you are sitting out, you come home, and all of your stuff is on the

front lawn. if you find yourself in that situation, if you have a relative, if you know somebody, please pass the word. and if you are in that situation, do not wait. do not let shame be your enemy. do not let shame be your enemy. too many people are so worried about shame. foreclosure prevention, september 12 -- in the meantime, we get together with the lender and borrower. i want to get to some questions. we must feel better about reaching out to veterans to informally about resources that are necessary.

one of the reasons for the question and answer session that we will be having in just a few minutes is to give you the opportunity to help the va do a better job helping you receive the care you need. basically, what we try to do is make sure and find out what you need, and we want to find out what we can do better to try and address your needs. can i tell you a secret? is your tax dollars. it is your tax dollars that allow this to happen, so we want to make sure they are being spent in an efficient manner to benefit you and your family. before i move on from health care to other important concerns, i will take a moment to comment on the backlog, because i've concern about this. i do not sit on the affairs committee for veterans, but i pay attention to what they are doing because we have so many veterans. one of them is the subcommittee on disability assistance and memorial affairs. a series of hearings regard a

growing backlog in the disability claim process. how many of you have been waiting a long time for the claim? that is quite a few of you. during a hearing on june 9, which questioned if the va could manage 1 million claims, a panelist had this to say. this is what he said. he said, and i quote, unquote weekend, and we must, because we must not fail those who never failed us." 396,000 backlogs and veterans' claims, and the 177 day average wait for veterans to assess veteran benefits they have earned -- that is very important, that you have earned -- that is why congress has provided the funding for some

7100 new va claim processors, and we feel very good about that. there's something about president obama talking about the urgency of now. the urgency of now. when someone is going through some difficulty, they do not have time to wait. the time they are waiting can literally almost to destroy them, if not destroy them. hopefully, with the 7100 added to their ranks to help the process, we will get that back on down very, very soon. and that is our downpayment on the challenges we face. to get the job done, the va must be willing to educate claims quickly and accurately. we must also be open to the idea that veterans like yourselves present options like this one. it is so important that you know what we're going through. veterans and their families

should no longer have to put their lives on hold while waiting for the much-needed assistance they reserved -- deserve, because they went and did job for us, and we need to were firmer -- a firm the favor. you got on a plane, you went to iraq or afghanistan and did what you had to do. right now, we have got to do what we got to do. and when you served, he served without hesitation, did what you have to do. allow me to say a few words about homelessness that veterans face. i tell you, on my way here, a few moments ago, i saw a fellow

up the street, and he was -- he had a t-shirt that said veteran, and a little army cap, and he was over there by the church, the post office. anybody familiar? i tell you, i felt something. obviously, he was a veteran. obviously, he was going through some help. i know far too many veterans are having difficulty with housing. when you do not have a house, what does that lead to? almost as. -- homelessness. the number of homeless veterans is a national disgrace. we know that long-term housing, dental, medical, and health care are central to rehabilitation of

the homeless. in 1993, the va launched a community, is this assessment local education and networking fund. how many of you are familiar with that? let me tell you about it. challenge is a program designed to enhance continuance of services and the regional office and surrounding agencies. in other words, taking the local folks, working with veterans, making sure that they get the services with regard to those who might be homeless. the guiding principle behind the project is that the va should work closely with local community to identify needed services and deliver the full spectrum required to help veterans reach their potential.

homeless veterans reintegration of 2009 required the be 8 to provide comprehensive services to prevent veterans homelessness. this also authorizes the reintegration program through 2014, which provides grants for job training, counseling, and child care. how many of you are looking for jobs? how many of you do not have a job right now? you seem like the same people. about same number. we expect information on how well the program is working. the challenge of jobs, we know that a central issue to ending

homelessness is a good job. a lot of people did not realize how important a job is. a job is important. when i was practicing law, i practiced for many years, and a lot of domestic problems were there. they had to do with somebody not being able to have a job. the couple did not know that was a problem, but it was underlying everything, and most folks, men and women, want to work. they want to contribute, and my right? correct me if i'm wrong. most men and women want to work. they want to contribute to their family. not to have a nice lifestyle. they want to be productive. particularly, i would imagine, folks that have been veterans, is probably even more special you contribute, because you have already contributed substantially. obtaining additional trading is the best course to a job, but

let me not kid you. we're going through difficult times right now, and you probably know it. i stood on the oversight government reform committee where we investigated how we got into this mess. let me summarize really quickly, because i do not want to get off, it was about greed, dishonesty, about people letting other people down and not giving a hoot about all of us, but about themselves. we will deal with that. in the meantime, the economy for the entire world almost has come down. ladies and gentlemen, let me say this. you know it better than anybody

else. this is a great country. you know this is a great country because of the greatness of the country, we will get through this economically. the question is, not whether we can get through it, the question is, how will we be standing when the sun comes up? that is the question. will we still have our house? will we have a job? will the company work force still be in existence? will our child have been able to go to college? will we still be married? what questions and with all of these economic issues. a lot of pressure. all i'm saying, part of why we are here today is we're trying

to make sure that the benefits that usa has paid for, that you are paying for, that you know about them and that we're able to hook you up with the benefits. because this is bigger than you. and you know it. this is about your dignity. that is what this is about. i am almost finished. i do not want to get too riled up here. one of the things that made me so mad, i will never forget when we went to walter reed a few years ago and i was part of the initial group that went there and saw our veterans who had

come back from iraq sitting for days, sometimes months with nobody to care for them and guide them. that is just not right. so anyway, let me say, i hope you'll take advantage of this, what we call it post-9/11 gi bill. it allows veterans to receive college education benefits. i know that college is not for everybody. some people say, i've had enough education. i'm not going to college. that is fine. but there are people in this room right now who would make a great teacher. who would make a great medical person. who have the compassion, and i am begging you to take advantage

of these benefits. as far of -- we have in it -- just listen to me. i beg you, please, please, do not mistake a comma for a period. please. listen to me. you all bring something to the table and a lot of people do not bring. you have been faced with danger. you have been faced with difficult circumstances. and we need your experiences combined with education. we need you. how much will we have to do to see these kinds of men in those

positions? we are trying to do positive things. am i right? this post-9/11 gi bill began august 1, august 1. it allowed veterans to achieve a college education, up to four years of benefits, including statements for housing and books. you cannot beat that. another program wanted to mention is the recovery act. the president is funding the most pressing infrastructure needs of the va. our goal was to fund projects to create tens of thousands of new jobs, and we also wanted to take

another step in keeping our promises, like a tax credit for businesses hiring unemployed veterans. so, we have got to get our economy back functioning because we have mechanisms that will help if people are hiring. but you have to make sure they are hiring. people receiving unemployment benefits for more than four weeks before they were hired. we also provided a stimulus payment of $250 to all disabled veterans receiving va compensation. how many of you got that? the va is looking at a problem with its initiative, vrne

carried it is designed to work with coming home to work. it is supposed to help service- connected veterans to achieve their employment and independent living goals as a result of growing demand. the va outsourced the services to contractors. however, the va now says its contract was cancelled as of july 20, 2009, 10 days ago, because of a contractor's failure to meet performance standards. are you familiar? as a result, hundreds of veterans in need of rehabilitation art trying to receive the services they desperately deserved.

it insures that new contractors are capable providing services for veterans. i intend to work with them to assure that we succeed as fast as we possibly can and we go forward with the urgency of now. if there's one word that my staff will hear me say over and over again, it is urgent. deal with this urgently. we can not get caught in a culture of mediocrity when it comes to you. now it is time for my experts to join me. i will introduce them again. dr. george, director of the regional va office, mr. sanford garfunkel is the regional

director for integrated service. dennis smith, medical director for va maryland health care system, and the director of the cemetery complex. and she will go to the side and do whatever you can to address your problems. people have come to me and called me, and i see some of you in the audience. i want you to listen to me carefully. ladies and gentlemen, we have one life to live. did you hear me? this is it. this is it. this is it right here. and this is no dress rehearsal. and the thing that has hurt me, brothers and sisters have come to me and said, congressman,

something is going on in my head. i do not understand it, and i am ashamed to get help for it. i am not the man i used to be. i hear that over and over again. and they worry that if they reveal it, people will say that, no, he is not right. what i'm saying is that it is so important that we try and address these problems. we have tried every way we know how. we try to keep disinformation confidential, and if you listen

to a program, there were so many women that came on that program and talked about the men in their lives who were just phenomenal. great man. strongmen. they said that they wished they would have just gotten some help. they were so ashamed. i thought, here -- i have not come here to ask you to get help. i am begging you to get help. it is bigger than you. it is bigger than you. you did not ask for whatever you may be going through. you gave. now we have to give back to you. again, if you have those kind of concerns, but addressed and so

we can do everything in our power, because we need you. we need you. we need you being the best that you can be. so we're going to open it up for questions right now. i have my panelists. if we could get started now. questions. [applause] there is a microphone right here. why don't you all come up? by the way, this is on c-span. it is not live, but they will be taping it. i want you to be brief with your questions, and do not forget, if you have a personal thing, let's deal with it on the side. thank you. >> in 1971, i done to tours in vietnam.

i had symptoms of post-traumatic stress. i did not know. guys started out with a group for veterans in 1971, and i attended the group. i did not know. i got worse, and that group was not going to help me, so i disappeared for three years and was isolated. it was not until 1990 i was first diagnosed. i have been on medication since then. i file claims five times for ptsd. i recently went with my records from north carolina in which i was diagnosed as chronic, and i asked the service of the search, well, if i m chronic, why have on my claims been approved?

their response to me was that the va does not know where i got it from. i filed again, even with the board of veterans review, but my own records somehow disappeared. that was in 2000. >> ok. we are going to work with you and try to figure that out. >> thank you. >> you might be prepared to come up to the microphone. c-span needs to be able to do what they are doing. >> hello.

i had something similar to him, but mine is totally different. i was on two services, but they have no record of me. but they give me a paper. but i get medical care here. my question, i have a good primary physician, but it takes two months to three months to see him. >>, appear. >> c-span, you need this, right? you need this. talking to these mikes.

>> we do see walking in emergencies the day they happen. so please contact us and we will get it sorted out. thank you. >> did you see what just happened? that is why we are here. that is what we are here. do you see how he raised the issues? he did not have to. it is personal business. but let's knock several birds out with one stone. if you have a similar issue, like mr. hamilton's, she is the lady you are going to see as soon as you are finished. so if you have a similar issue, you do not have to come repeated. i appreciate it, but that is not

the way we will handle that. >> this is for the director. i recently completed a tour of iraq and i received a dislocated jaw. at the time, there was no pain or discomfort. but when i came home, i started noticing i was having problems with my jaw at night, things like that. when i went to the va to go to the doctor, and i actually got to see the dentist, i almost got a place to put in my mouth, but then they said 180 days was up and i did not qualify and they could not give me services. and i was trying to figure out why -- i mean, because i did not do that dental peace within 180 days, i did not have anything wrong with my job then, it was not until later on, but now i

get to running around to get dental work i need for my job. >> i did not understand exactly the issue. what we have to do is get details. but i thought they changed that. they did not? because you present yourself within 180 days, we should be able to work with you. we will work with you. we will work it out. >> to all of you, what we are going to do is -- i have a great staff, and i want you, and i have no doubt that dennis smith will do what he said he is going to do, but -- [laughter]

if you do not receive satisfaction, get a hold of us. these things are urgent. you have got to be able to -- your mouth as important. you have got to be able to do things. like to chew. [laughter] yes, sir? >> what i'm going to address this, i have heard a lot of what you said and talk about, and i am all for it, but there is a lot of us out here that were left out five years ago, 10 years ago. when i got out of the service, i had a good job. i've worked a good job. but then my disability allowed me not to be able to work my

job, and they said i was not eligible. just because i'm being persecuted, just because i did not need your help before, you will shut me off now? you sit down and say, we cannot help you. there are many of us here who observed, and all we get from you is, what can we do? we only help the young. what is this? it did not take me long to get down there, to get shot, to lose my eye. [applause] help us. do not forget us. >> i was talking about

afghanistan and iraq, and i had to change that, because some of you all -- [laughter] first of all, do you want to deal with that, and then i want to address it from a congressional standpoint. but me say, i agree with you 1 million%. i've back to figure out how to make that happen. >> i think what we need to do is sit down with you and see what we can do with regard to your job search. i cannot change regulations or the eliminating. . you are talking about roles and regulations. but there are still resources available at the vienna -- va, and counselors to help you with your job search. why not understand what you're trying to say?

>> i had my own business in home improvement. i would like to do rehabilitation location, but you have a 12-year stop on it. i cannot do my own thing anymore. >> let me just say this. that is something -- i want to thank you for bringing that up, because i was thinking about this earlier. we have to take a look at that. what you said is that there are sets of circumstances which put veterans who have been away from service for more than 12 years in just a bad a spot or worse as

somebody who just came back from iraq or afghanistan. got that. got that. now, we will work on that. i will do my part. i will do what i can. the other thing is that in our stimulus bill, there is money for retraining. i'm not so much concerned about the retraining. i want you to have a job. listen up. our office will try to work with you along with these folks to get that training. but the military peace, we will have to revisit that. in the meantime, you have to survive. i understand. i do not know whether you have children or a family, but they have got to survive with you, we cannot let you fall. so they will work with you, and he will work with you, and other people falling in that category will work with you.

crystal, raise your hand. she deals with those issues. she will also -- do you have cards year? she will work with you. but we also have to have a long- term solution. by the way, what you said about the 12-year thing is apparently something veterans are going through throughout the country. so coming here and even saying that will hopefully bring change that will benefit not only you but other people. >> would you make yourself available to sit and talk with a counselor so we could consider claims for an increase, something looking at your particular disabilities and our compensation program, so there's something we can do? do not leave tonight before you talked to staff here getting

ready to work with you on a potential claim. all right? thank you. [applause] >> i know he did not say this but if you find yourself in all life third in stance -- a life circumstance like mr. beckett, you might want to do the same thing he advised mr. beckett to do. do you have me? ok. >> you were talking about our families. my situation, beside the fact that i have three daughters under the age of 18 -- >> i have two. [laughter] >> the va health system has been

great, but one reason i am here is because i am so far in debt making sure my daughters and fiancee have gone the care they need outside the system. my youngest is only year-old. we are just -- her birth was over 20 doesn't dollars that we did not have. i lost my job shortly before she was going. i am in no way paying that money back anytime soon. so what i'm asking is, will be va help veterans and families?

>> this is one of the main reasons we need the kind of health care reform the president has been pushing for. we want to make sure we create a situation where all americans have access to health care. not just whether you are the spouse with the family of a veteran -- we want all americans to be in that position. we are in a situation right now -- i was not one to talk so much about the bill to the house and senate right now, but i think it will open a door for more people to be covered. as a matter of fact, i know it will. sadly, we have in our nation today is an insurance industry

which is pretty much taking advantage, i think, of a number of people. you have people where if you have the condition, you have a problem. you know that. you elected insurance, not unless you have a job. if you get certain elements, certain cost this will drop a -- certain companies will drop you. deductibles are going up much faster than people are being paid. one of my colleagues was talking the other day about his daughter who has epilepsy, saying that if it was up to congress, it would be impossible to get her insurance. at the same time, we have an inefficient system. in other words, we are spending 50% more for health care in our

country, but we're not getting the kind of results we need. so that is why president obama has spent so much time on this issue, so that we will be able to create situations were all americans have access to health care. in the meantime, we have to address those issues, a folks getting where you want to go. we have got to address the issues of private insurance companies, and that is why we have this thing in the bill called a public auction -- option. it is basically another type of insurance plan whereby people can get the benefits, and the government competes against other companies. how this will work out in the end, i do not know. these bills are still floating through congress.

the house has passed, with three committees. we do believe this legislation is one to open the door for people like the relatives, your fiancee and your children. they will get health care they need. in the meantime, we have to get to business with regard to making for veterans get their folks taking care of properly. veterans' benefits are not your help insurance -- your health insurance is not affected at all by any legislation going forward. >> i am wondering why the system cannot see my direct family members.

my direct family, my children -- why can't they take care of my children? >> the lot does not provide for that unless you're 100% connected. even if it passed a law tomorrow, we would not have the capacity immediately. we do not provide pediatric care, because we did not have children come. if all this that we need to provide some new services, we would need to expand. the law provides for veterans, not necessarily their families. i wish they could.

>> our family suppers just as bad as the service members. >> i agree with you 100%. >> again, hopefully -- we have to go to the next question, but that is a big, broad question, and just hear me out. even with what we were trying to do right now, people try to swift boat the plan. you understand that. right now, as we are speaking. and we're trying to come up with a plan by which their will be an affordable system. i think one of the best bets is to try to help to push your congressman, that is me -- you are already talked to the choir -- you are already talking to the choir.

i cannot know how many of you have operated small businesses, but let me tell you -- almost half of the people -- anywhere from 46 million to 68 million people each day with no health insurance. 0. that is a shame. for one of the most powerful countries in the world -- i hope you can relate when i say this. we in america are the greatest country in the world. but one of the things that made us great is our moral authority, backed up by military authority. that is about how we treat each other. there is no reason -- and you know what i'm talking about. if i asked everybody in this room right now how many of you

know people in the last five years, people lose funerals you have gone too, who you look at them in the casket and you say to yourself something went wrong -- how many would say something? raise your hand. that says something right there. we can do better. this is the united states of america. i hate that you have to say the words you are saying, but all we can do is try our best to get through these plans for you and your family. remember when i said. you are dramatizing what i said before. i am sure that if you had a choke this -- have a choice, he

would rather have your family have health insurance than you have it. and i understand that. i get that. but i do not want you to have that choice. we are dealing with difficult forces. and when we talk about small businesses, about half of the folks are either the families or people who work for small businesses. they do not have insurance because the premiums are too high, the cost of insurance is going up faster than their paychecks. so you are talking about money coming directly out of your checks, and when you are being denied certain services, it is not unusual for people to call and say, you need to help me. man, they will not give me this, not that.

and we've got to fight. we can do better than that. i think that is basically what our president has been saying. we are better than that. and so, again, thank you for raising the issue. we are going to continue to fight. >> good evening. i'm patrick cunningham from the vietnam era, and when i came to be a vet, i found out i had posttraumatic stress disorder. >> just hold that. if you do not mind admitting it, how much of you believe, not you know it, but you believe that you suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

ok. all right. >> and i was sent to the in- house program for six-weeks at the baltimore va. while in there, i was put on the roll is being outpatient, and by benefits counselor told me they could not do that because i was in the care of that dna and they had to put me down as inpatient -- i was in care of that va and they had to put me down is impatient. and also, i was awarded 30%, but i do not think that was a fair settlement because of the fact that i lost a whole lot of things in my life because of this problem that i did not even know i had, and it did not know why i asked the the way i did.

i lost two wives and my home and everything because i was so out of control, all within myself, and i did not want to be around anybody else. i destroyed my whole life. i'm doing a lot better now. i'm still going to outpatient treatment, and it is helping me a lot. >> but you feel like you need to continue. >> yes, sir. >> let's see what we can do to try and resolve that. >> thank you, sir. >> thank you so much. with the gentleman who was the last person out there, that is going to be the last question. we have a time issue here. mr.