sometimes you can come into a building like this and think it is all about you or that you are important. that is something that i do not think works well with this job. . as the debate over health care

continues, c-span's healthcare hub is a key resource. the one line, follow the lead is video ads and a lynx, and watch the latest events like town hall meetings and share your thoughts on the issue with their own system video, including video from any town halls to have gone too. there is more at c- span.org/healthcare. st, northeast of the u.s. capitol. it is a 350-bed medical center which revenues 288 million a year. today, we will look at the health care costs with the chief financial officer and online medical records with the chief information officer. here from our set in the emergency room at arlington -- virginia hospital center is robin norman, the chief financial officer. ms. norman, what is your job and

how would you describe it? >> i'm a member of the executive team here at the hospital. guest: my specific focus is finance in the hospital. that is the same as any other corporation. worrying about borrowing funds if we need to borrow. day-to-day finances of the hospital, which includes collecting funds for billing. also includes pay. we have substantial payroll, supplies that we purchase. all of those normal accounting and finance functions you have in any corporation. with all of the complexity of health care. host: how do you remember the coast of things here at the -- the cost of things here at the hospital? guest: it is easy and it is not. with cost at the hospital, we're not making wiggets. not a -- widget. i expect every widget to cost so

much. how much supplies, which specific supplies needed for that patient. allocate the overhead as in any cost accounting system in other organizations. so we're able to determine, down to the patient level, the cost for each service that we provide. >> prior to a patient coming into the hospital? >> no, not prior. i think one thing that is very different about us and manufacturing is, you know, if i were the cfo of a widget company, i would expect each widget x to cost about the same to me. if it wasn't costing the same, i would be unhappy with our operations people as to what is going on, where is the variability coming from, why isn't the process working. in a hospital, we don't make widgets we treat people. when you treat people, there wide variability in cost. certain things you want to do as routinely as you can, you know,

still, you came here, you had a hernia repair and i came here, we're different individuals. i might have blood pressure problems, you might have a different problem. neither one of us may have any problems. coming in, before you walk in the door, we don't know that. my guess is we may not know every underlying condition that could effect that surgery even if we're knowledgeable of our own medical history. host: behind you are a lot of different supplies, it looks like syringes and tapes and everything necessary in an emergency room. do you know the set cost of those things? guest: we know the individual cost of the items. for each emergency, each person that walks in our emergency room, they will be different items. we track those. we don't track every small band-aid. any supply that has a more substantial cost we track by patient. we put a charge through for it,

primarily for knowing how much resource we used on that patient and as a way to help us determine the cost. host: put the numbers up on the screen. we divided them differently for the series. we divided by insured, uninsured and health care professionals. we have the cfo of the virginia hospital center with us to talk about health care costs and reimbursements. here are the numbers ... host: dial in. we will take the calls in a moment. robin norman, is there a set cost if somebody walks into the emergency room? guest: there is an initial charge. we see everything from head falls to coming to the emergency room for that, all the way

through extremely sick patients with serious medical patients. host: what is the base charge? guest: i don't know all of the charges. the initial visit which is an admission, it is wrapped into that number. even the emergency room portion of it can be over a thousand dollars. there is such a heavy overhead, we're prepared for the worst. for the sickest patient, for the disaster patient. but we also do treat people with lesserilness. host: let's talk about reimbursements now. where does the $288 million a year come from? >> the vast majority comes from either the government or insurance companies that we bill on behalf of the patients who come to see us.

we do have some fund-raising activities here in the organization, but they bring us a little less than 1% -- toç offset the funds. host: when you say "the government," medicare, medicaid? guest: yes. host: yesterday, they talked about losing money on every one of the medicare patients? guest: that is right. we pay less than what it costs to provide the service. host: how do you make up the revenue? guest: we have no say in what we are paid from medicare, medicaid. we have a negotiation ability with our insurance companies. we break even or have a small margin. host: the insurance companies are aware they're being overcharged in a sense? guest: yes, absolutely.

they understand how it works. i have been in this business for 30 year, not always at this level. there was a time when medicare paid the full cost. host: no matter what it was? guest: that wasn't effective or efficient from the government's perspective. they changed methodology. the intent was to pay costs until it was a reduced cost. that worked. there was a time when we got paid cost. the last decade, it hasn't been like that. host: so when the government is setting the cost and the rate reimbursement, do you follow the group that sets that closely, during their deliberation? guest: honestly, no. there is little i can do about it. i focus here at virginia hospital, to make us the most effective place we can be. since a have little say in that, basically, when it comes out, i

pay attention for the next year's budget. but typically, we have zero to small increases every year. my costs go up more than that because i can't retain nurses and good stuff. we have a great staff here. they're well-trained, highly skilled. you know, they need to be paid appropriately. and if i don't keep up with that and keep up with the market, and the payment increases we get from medicare over certainly the past several years haven't allowed me to do that, then what i have to do again is go back to insurance companies and get more. host: before we go to calls, as a health care professional, you say you aren't able to affect the rate reimbursement charges. can you lobby your congressman or hhs or do anything along those lines?t( guest: i don't mean to say i ignore all that. a true variety of mechanisms including the state hospital association we belong to, we can and will do that.

we discuss that we lobby and certainly a lot of minds that are on that piece of it, to help represent us. host: robin norman the chief financial officer here at the virginia hospital center. theç first call comes from pau at palmetto, florida, on the insured line. go ahead, paul. caller: i had a spinal surgery done in 1997. i was in the hospital for approximately 36 hours, and i go in 10 years later and i have an outpatient surgery, which i had done four andç a half hours, i outpatient, most of the time inç recovery. the bills were pretty muchok -- almost the same within about $1,500 of each other.

i'm curious how health care can justify -- i know the doctor didn't want to tellko what kindf money he made. but how the health care, how can youñrçq sayçsó? thatçó we ca this kind ofççpç[w3çóçw3 in cost and it be any kind of sustainable? thank you. host: thank you, paul. guest: you know, i think two things, i would comment on first. first, it was 10 years apart. simply, if you think of what happened to salaries even at a reasonable increase of three or 4% every year, that alone would raise the cost. i think the more important point is, in the majority of the cost of a surgery is approximately -- the surgery itself is where the cost is, not in the stay that happens afterwards where you are recovering. yes, you are getting care, you are getting important care from nurses and there is some cost to that. most of what happens in your

surgery happens in the operating room. it is possible, obviously i don't know the details in your situation, but it is entirely possible that there were implants involved, especially in your first surgery, those can be extremely expensive. the impact cost -- even in spinal surgery is $20,000, simply to buy what is going to go in. that adds dramatically to the cost, as opposed to other where there may not be an implant. most of the cost of your care occurs in the operating room. host: next call comes from the uninsured line from edward in newburgh,ççi] indiana. go ahead,v:ççzv edward. caller: ççhello, ms. mynorman host: please go ahead. caller: i have three quick points that i wouldç likeçw3 ç out. i am not going to take too long. i agree with the last caller. the costsçç are ridiculous. this is coming from someone that

is insured. i want toç@g"vemçç you theq perspective from someone that iç uninsured. zudn in aç while. mine, i havet i talked to him briefly. we were in walgreen's. i was like man,w3 what is going on. he looked a little different. he said man,ç iç had brain ca. to make a brief, get to theç point, ok, this man good friend of mine has incurred bills that were almost half a millionçç dolla dollars. and the crazy thing is that guess what he had to get? he had to get on medicaid. because basically, he was a dead duck. i don't mean to sound insensitive, but i don't really see, because we had senator ted kennedy pass away from brain cancer. to me, i think brain cancer is like a deadly game of routet.

hardly anybody gets away from brain cancer. host: if you can focus on what your question is for robin norman. caller: the other point is this. i myself was in a car accident with somebody else. i toreçw3ç a quad risept musc] to i had to wait almost nine months to see a professional. something has to be done. my question is, why do people who do not have health insurance have to pay almost anywhere from two or three times more than the average person who has? i know this is true. a friend of mine and myself went to the hospital at the same time. she had insurance. i did not. we cross reference the bills. her bill was cheaper than mine.

host: thank you. how would you respond? guest: for the most part, the people that have no insurance, we do provide discounts that make what they actually have to pay much closer to what an insurance company will pay. the vast majority people, especially when they have a serious condition cannot ever pay the bill. it is not happen. the date is cannot. we know that. we understand that. we try to work with them. typically, they would get medicated the was possible. we first work with them to get some source of payment. medicaid is usually the most common in that situation. in which case, if they do not have anything else to pay to get the care -- frankly, we would not stop the care or do anything different with that patient even if they never can pay us. that is what happens. that is the way it works, which

is another thing that the insurance companies to subsidize. host: want to clarify. you said someone doesn't have insurance, they pay about the same rate as somebody who does? guest: at least here. i cannot speak for every place. would get paid from should some insurance companies. host: which is still overcharged. guest: still more than medicare and certainly more than medicaid. for most people that are uninsured, we take huge losses. we get next to nothing. because they said -- it is overwhelming. you can't pay a half a million hospital bill. again, i don't know the details of the situation. it probably cost them at least half of what the charges were on the bill, but they didn't get 250,000 from medicaid in that situation. 0gnqe÷ñçd yç[;wçxoo3

ç aboutm3çqmyw3çñçb>çxdç unreimbursed medical costs, that is often fromç uninsured çzvç guest: correct. host:ç anybody that walks in h to be treated? guest: that's correct. host: isç that state or federa law? guest: i think it is federal law. caller: i have managed large programs for employers of large size for all types of employee groups, but certainly medical. one thing i found in my experience is disturbing and not well known is that hospitals very often charge for every piece of equipment in any vicinity of the patient in the

room, in the emergency situation, wharf it may be -- whatever it may be. in some cases, the machinery is brought in, then a charge is put on the bill.ç this machinery or technical machinery may or may not beç ud on the person.ç to make a specific example, which happened toç a childbir there are çós3doctors,w3xdç a, as a matter of fact who countermandç ankçç don't wanç monitors. this is a minor example.ç but usuallyd8 involves at least 15%ç ofw3ç÷ç the billu!ç whk monitor, inç thatç case will charged even though countermanded byçxd the doctor ç

and almost impossible for the insurance companiesçó to prove they wereçó not ççused?ççç] guest:çjf well,çów3 we don't m practice to use fort( things th aren't usedç onç patients. charges for mechanisms is complicated and zvçcomqéex.ç youi] can ççñrwfkimagine,ç jç aren7i]çççu3çmade,]i7joñok. when tlly'reç pointed out, we correct them.çç we don't make that practice hesu at virginia hospital center. since you brought up insurance companies, i would like to go ahead and comment on some of the things from the hospital perspective andi] working with insurance companies. i will do it in this way. i'm going to pretend for a minute that i own a painting company. you walk in my shop, you say i want my house painted. when you do that, you know --

oh, i have x insurance for house painting. do that. >> let's see this particular day, i'm the owner of this paint company, i'm not there. i decide to take a day off. i have a clerk there. that clerk forgets, makes a mistake and doesn't do all the bells, whistles and hoops to make sure we get paid, by putting a call in, put something in the computer. which is different for every company we deal with. even though you are insured and i go out and paint your house and do everything i agreed to and i rendered the care we may not get paid or fully paid because of something called a technical or administrativeççk denial.vomç ççó certainlyq|pç[oçym onew3 mes çç saveççç money inç health ca reduceç the administrative burn that goesçw3 on. there are a number of people tl;ç workç here that do nothingw3 -- charity ççcare.ç

i havew3w3ç paidi];3 people time to help people get medicaid orok qualify for charity. they have to go out and do all the workç to make sure it is te or i can't show it on my financial statements. what happens is we don't get paid and it comes out as a bad debt. either way i don't get paid. to classify it properly there is work to go through. with insurance companies to get paid on the front end and back end, there are multiple people that work here that do nothing but work on that. simplification, theç insurance company reformç thatç would h b it would help reduce that. that is a great way to cost out of the health-care system. host: why are there so many levels of bureaucracy?

guest: i could make a cynical statement and say they want to save money. i can make a less simple statement and say they have legitimate reason to know what was done. as the gentlemen who called said, if they made a mistake, that is not right. on the other hand, most of how we are paid is not particular based on the charges. it is based on what their diseases -- disease process was and what the case -- i could charged them and so on paid the same. we are paying a case straight to take care of that. host: in many cases with insurance and medicare, it has really gone off to the side. is that a fair statement?

guest: less than 5% of our patient charges have anything with how we get paid. host: did you ask them if they could waive that magic wand? would you change it back fee- for-service? guest: it was certainly be a lot easier. it will be easier to read a close to how we provide care. -- it would be easier to how we provide care. that would make a lot more sense. it is not what it has evolved to. host: would rather deal with medicare or blue cross/blue shield of? guest: i get paid a little better for blue cross/blue shield. i have to do both. host: next call comes from laredo, texas caller: good morning. what you are addressing is very correct. i have fallen into two categories. i am from medicare.

they take my $96 every month. i went to a town hall meeting and addressed the fact that do we need health care reform. we need to put some controls on the insurance industry? we read licking a c-span yesterday. -- we were looking at c-span yesterday. the insurance companies were getting some money for him for liability. they get money from the senior citizens that pay our medicare and then they have to go get a supplemental insurance. there -- that was between $200 or $300 extra. in texas, i would lose about six different insurance companies with a spectrum from $108 to

$170 as an example. getting seven or $800 social security, that is almost half of the social security benefit paid off in insurance. the other end of it, when you were the administrator at the hospital facility, billing medicare or something, as an example in my own case. i had a doctor that sent a bill for $155 and medicare reimbursed 85. so somebody is taking a hit. that insurance cost me, at that time almost $200 a year. they were only paying 85. so i'm getting sort of ripped. the doctor office, they got ripped. so i think we need -- host: all right. we'll leave it çthere.çw3w3mç çkó

guest: i agree with what hew3 said. that isçç exactly what is happening. içç think insurance reform ar part ofo4/ñ the charges ta]ç i think insurance reform as part of the changes that unnecessary. host caller: good morning. last year my wife was injured. she had an operation that cost $53,000. she had to pay $400 for her tonight in the hospital. the insurance company paid a little under $1,000. what percentage of that went to the hospital and what percentage went to cover people uninsured? i will listen to my answer on the tv. thank you. guest: it is a little hard to answer that. i would say roughly 20%-30% went to cover not only the uninjured

but the shortfall that we will get from government programs. host: what percentage of people walked in here without insurance? guest: in here it is probably about 5% or 6%. host: is that low when you think about a nationwide? guest: we are fortunate to be in an area -- it is expanding -- expensive to live in arlington county. most people have jobs and insurance. that is why. we certainly take all coverage. host: from ohio, and a love, and medical professional. caller: i work at a local county hospital. i am a registered nurse. i have an associate degree. i am looking to go for a bachelor's degree. i want to expand medical career. i was wondering if health-care reform goes through with the public auction, -- option. would it help to pay for the nursing

and the medical professionals and the doctors or would we tend to make less even though we may have bachelor's and master's and degrees such as nurse practitioners? what would that do to the paid to the registered nurses and two doctors and what not? guest: forces are still going to control that. the more education that used to attend, the more you will be paid. we are going to need nurses. we are going to need physicians. if anything, i see a shortage coming as baby boomers continue to aging continue to need health care services. personally, i think education is always a smart career move. host: with your dog be different if you are working for a for profit hospital -- hospital -- would do our job to be different if you were working for a for profit organization?

guest: it may, but i enjoy working at an organization that is so much good for our community. host: would your goals be there? guest: the biggest difference is the focus would be so heavily on the bottom line. we have to run a business. it is my role here as the chief financial officer to be a business person. i certainly have to focus on cost and the same things that my peers in the for-profit do. the difference is -- we are trying to just make a little margin so we have enough to continue to invest in technology as opposed for the shareholders having to also make a profit that returns to them. i think that would definitely change the focus. host: other revenue streams at the hospital -- we talked a little bit about doctors on staff or doctors leasing are renting offices. is that a revenue stream that

you have here at the hospital? how significant is it? guest: it is not terribly significant. it is probably less than half a% -- than 0.5% of our revenue. the vast majority is 99 -- comes from patient care revenues. host: robyn norman is the chief financial officer here at the va hospital. thank you for spending about 30 minutes with us. as he continues our series, looking at hair care -- healthcare through the eyes of the hospital. we will focus on online medical records and electronic tool records. we have for a lot about this on the national levels for years. we will find out what the virginia hospital center does with it and what they think about the debate on on my medical records. first, we talked to some doctors here at the hospital. this is what they are hearing from their patients. rm. >> in the last three weeks patients asked to have imaging studies moved up.

for example, we have set timetable for patients who will need a mammogram or need an mri. the past three weeks i have patients who needed them in january will do it in december. they're worried there will be changed to preclude them from having it done. breast cancer patients have anxiety anyway, baseline. there is anxiety regarding will they have theç ability toq maintain their health with everything they are going through. it is an acute, palpableç feelg in the office. they want to talk about it all the time. i can't blame them. >> certainly it comes up a lot. i actually have a lot of people who work on the hell, are consultants, lobbyists, et cetera, we get into a more professional level of conversation about it. lately issue in the last month,

i'm getting a lot more questions on 69 flu, the anxiety over the swine flu pandemic and when will it impact, who will get the shots. that is foremost. there is a lot of curiosity. obviously health care reform is so nebulous and up in the air and so much rhetoric, it is hard for people to get a handle on it and really know the future. like stephanie said, it causes a huge amount of anxiety. i don't think wet c-span.org/health care. host: as we continue our conversation here at the virginia hospital center in arlington, virginia. 10 miles east, northeast of the u.s. capitol. we are joined by david crutch field. he's here on the set in the emergency room. i hope we're not holding up any people who really need help out there. but we're here to talk about

online health care roars and medical privacy and things like that. mr. crutch field, what is your job here at the hospital? host: cfo vice president. i have information services. i do strategic planning and the hospital's strategic plan. we select systems, implement them and support them after the fact. we initiated the electronic records project in 2005. a search for the system. we included about 200 folks across the hospital. various folks in the search. we chose our system at that time. since that time, we have really been involved in process redesign. so that is really looking at all the patient care processes. all of our business processes and breaking those down and comparing them to sort of industry best practices, if you

will. and streamlining those and getting ready for the emr system implementation. we have been busy. host: if somebody walked into the emergency room here, they still have to fill out information on a clipboard, usually, correct? guest: yes. host: why? guest: good question. information doesn't flow from one facility or organization to another. if that patient is encountered there before. we have a considerable amount of information in the clinical repository on that patient, which can be brought forward. it becomes more of a verification process at that time. honestly, what we're trying to get to is a situation where no matter where a patient encounters, that information from their most recent visit, wherever they were, are available to that provider organization. and that's -- it's a pretty good

haul from where we are today to reach that point. host: do you support that idea, anybody with a visa or mastercard sort of, can go anywhere in the world, swipe it, and off you go. guest: it is a wonderful concept, whether it is a smart card approach or whether information flows from one facility to another through some data standards, if you will, which is reallyçó kind ofç the approach that is being taken now. there are several different ways to do it. preferably, the government approach is to utilize health information exchanges to collect information in standard formats from various facilities and be able to pass that information to the next facility, based on a course obtained information for that patient. host: do you support that? guest: absolutely. do medicare patients have a

smart card of any kind? guest: they do not have a smart card. they have identifiable information that would allow us, if they have been here before, we can quickly locate nem the system and be able to move them along. host: only if here before, not to george washington or george town hospital in the district, six miles from hero so? guest: that's correct. host: we're talking about medical online records e-records, medical privacy. if you have a question specifically about that issue, dial in. you can see the numbers are divided by insured, uninsured and medical professionals. host: if you called into c-span program in the last 30 days, please hold off soiw5 others ca

get çin. what aboutq privacy issues õen it comes toxdç onlineç me records? guest: you have to respect the patient's right tot( privacy. there are strict rules and ç regulations. çç guest: health care information portabl[ portable it includes various safeguards, it mistreated technical and physical cigars to secure information such that only those who been authorized to access that information can access it. privacy is extremely important. we have to always protect patient privacy. the patient has to provide consent and authorization and to access their information. that will continue to be a

challenge. particularly as information moves between these facilities as we talked about earlier. host: is hippa a good thing in your view? guest: it certainly is. it is important to bring organizations along as to securing their environments. there are folks up there who would try to break into and acquire patient records for various reasons. so, it is very important that all cautions are taken to secure the data. host: why would people want to break into patients' records? guest: of this, there could be important to the ip information or other type of information that could be helpful. there are people with ages 1 to go and collect as much in formation as they can predict -- there are people that just want to go and collect as much information as they can.

there are reasons why they do not want to lose control of your patient data. the key is the patient identifiable component. patient-identifiable data. you can use data in aggregate and so forth for reporting without any sort of consent. protected health information is the key. host: my doctor who happensç t be at this hospital carries a laptop with him. he plugs it in from port to port and carries that instead of paperwork and clipboards. is that common now? guest: it is. i have a device here that is now an example of what our clinicians would be using. the approach we take is have this device in the patient room so the physician, the nurse can access it.çéd family more in the care process. so the more activity that is happening at the point of care,

to collect documentation, to involve the family, and also to use it for medication administration is very important to have a device at the point of ca care. host: what does the device do? can you give a quick demonstration? guest: sure. thisç is multifunctional. it --çç one of the main funct in the patient roomç is medication administration. so what we will do is deliver medicatiofs to the patient'si] bedside. those will come on a ringok tha is similar to this. the medsç areç barw3çóqçç cç the mets are bar coded at a unit dose level. those are packaged by pharmacy robot. those come to the patient room. at the time that it is administered, there is a scanner on the side that allows thinners

to scan the medication, to scan the patient, and pull up the original order and confirm that all the right things are there. medication and demonstration in a closed loop type of a system where physicians are placing orders and a vacation administration is happening at the bedside, almost virtually eliminates the chance for medication errors. that is a big problem in hospitals today. host: let's take some calls and see what our viewers want to say. the first calls from the to the first cause from virginia. caller: it morning. i have two questions. my first question is, i have private insurance. all my records, if it was to go public auction -- the other

thing i'm curious about, a lot of colors to not understand that the private insurance is what keeps the hospital's going. it keeps them able to have the sophisticated instruments. [unintelligible] host: thank you. guest: your affirmation on your first question is your information's -- is your information safe with in these health care organizations? generally, the answer to that question is yes. your information is very safe. as i said earlier, hospitals and other health-care providers have been working for a number of years to put in various securities and safeguards to protect the information. quite honestly, it is probably safe in the health care organization as it is anywhere.

host: next call comes from california. caller: thank you. my question is, i understand that when the patient is submitted to the hospital, part of the papers to sign this release for insurance companies to be able to go through all the medical records under the umbrella of medication. with all the talks about healthcare chains and what hospitals are dealing with, would they have access to a person's entire life? i kind of worry about that. thank you very much. guest: the concern there is

valid. however, as it is now, organizations are only maintaining data for a certain period of time. there are 25 years or so of that amount that is kept until we get to a point where it is freely flowing around, it is -- your problem more concerned about that then you should be. as a patient, i think it would be important to read the print in the consent forms, but at that very carefully. if you have issues with that, bring this issue is up with the facility. make sure that you feel adequately protected in terms of the permission said you are granting at that time. host: do you foresee a nationwide sharing system and the near future? guest: in the near future, no.

related to the high-tech stimulus fund. that will help. there is a bubble of the infrastructure investment, if you will that is right now funded out of a $2 billion level by the stimulus package that is simply not enough money to create these exchanges that is really needed to be the intermediary. ç applied for stimulus funds? guest: we have not to date. we plan to. as weç initiated the electroni project, the stimulus funds were notç available. the virginia hospital made the decision to make the investment

in theç electronic records because it was the right thing to do. fortunately, this high-tech funding option came along. we do plan onç applying for the funds. and based on where we are in our project, we're well ahead of the game and should be extremely share. c goingsto payç for it yourselve but now possibly some federal possibly some federal funds could go in to play there. guest: absolutely. it is more than a drop in the bucket for sure. it does not cover the full cost of implementing the system. host: are their source of strings attached? -- are there sorts of strings attached? guest: it is defined by the way the government is defining "meaningful use."

you need to demonstrate the "meaningful use" to get the money. as it is now, that meaningful use criteria is fairly well defined as by the end of the summer. there are pretty clear metrics on how that money can be earned over the next few years. that is fair the well-defined. as i said, we believe that we are well ahead of the curve. we do not have to play catch up to earn their shares. hostcaller: i am on the injured. by an unemployed. -- i am uninsured. i am unemployed. i have installed systems when i was on contract for the health care.

a. nonprofit -- and did not see how -- host: what this pax? guest: picture archive communication systems. you are implementing this. [unintelligible] when the individual comes into the hospital, there are a ton of packages out there. host: the thank you. guest:pacs systems are medical imaging -- imaging systems.

we invested in them a number of years ago here. we are well down the path and the product set. that is obviously -- digital images and been able to bring those into the electronic medical records that form the complete picture of a patient's situation is critical. fortunately, pacs was already in place here. it is a solid radiology system. it was integrated with pacs. we are in a position to be able to leverage that temple and a large percentage of our medical images directly from that into the solution. host: can you define what that is? guest: it is picture archiving and communications systems. that is what it stands for. there are other digital images better taken through this.

-- that are taken through this. digital images are stored vs films and the old way that we use to handle images. it has very high resolution. there are visual images that are stored. they are very large storage systems. host: you might detect a slight southern accent with mr. crutchfield. he earned his bachelor's from detroit state university in alabama. is that your home? guest: yes it is. birmingham. host: you worked as an accountant? guest: not an accountant. i was a consultant. i have been in healthcare. i spent quite a few years with them host: how to get involved in health care? guest: it is very interesting. i sort of wound up and healthcare by mistake. i was in the graduate school. there was an opportunity for a

program in a hospital. i took that opportunity. as i got my master's agree in learned more about health care, i quickly discovered it was where i wanted to be. there were enormous opportunities. a lot of people that work in health care, as you know, like health care because they have a chance to make a difference in people's lives. that was very appealing to me. guesthost: there are lots of cas where people accidentally fallen to health care. we heard that from jim poole yesterday. is that a good thing? guest: you know, i guess so. you've got to -- folks choose health care as well. it the -- there are certainly nurses that you know entered the field because they are very -- because they really want to make a difference. if they choose health care. there are others of us that stumble into it. it certainly has an appeal to a

lot of people for the reason that i mentioned. host: siva from new york on the uninsured line. you are lined -- you are on the line. caller: i was wondering a couple of things. one is, would it be helpful to eliminate social security numbers as identification in hospital and doctor's office and ordered to eliminate motivations for stealing identities? also, would it be helpful to have some sort of tag on the medical records that would not -- [unintelligible] in order to do research for various diagnosis these? guest: that is a very good question. from the stand for the social security numbers, many

institutions have already taken and we are as well, the step of eliminating the social record number as amended by k -- as a major identifier. we are moving in the direction of unique patient and fires, it just as -- patient identifiers, just as t we have national identifiers. they will have a unique number for identifying a patient that is not a social security number. host: who has access to somebody's medical records to has been at the va hospital? guest: u.s. access? it is people, the patient has authorized. it is the physician to care for that patients, the admitting positions, the consulting physicians. essentially, those that have been authorized by the patient. in addition, the folks who provide care to a patient have

to have certain access. what the hippa rules essentially saying is that the information that is available to any individual in the organization cannot be anything more than what that person needs in order to do that job. that is essentially the way that the security is handled it is largely handled at 8-ton level. -- at 8-cent level. host: who let the insurance company? who would have access there? guest: insurance companies obviously have the ability to access certain records and certain information to verify a billing and correct billing. again, it is a business partner type of relationship.

the business partner arrangements in the responsibilities of those partners are clearly defined in that business partner agreement. those connections are provided through that type of mechanism. host: what about when it comes the federal government, what did your medicare and medicaid patients? guest: if you are a patient of medicare or medicaid, you certainly have the right to get access to your information that is in the medical record. today as part of the movement to the next step and some of the things of the federal government is trying to do -- like for meaningful use -- is to provide electronic records. if you encounter at the hospital what is going to be required is that -- which a lot of people can do today and others cannot -- is you should

be able to walk down to medical records and ask them for an electronic version of your patients help record. they are going to need to be in a position to provide that to you. host: it is time for a couple more calls. hope from kansas city, a candy on the medical professional one. caller: thank you. this is a little bitty town. my question is, i agree with you that we need the records. it would go a long way toward helping the cost, because one, you would save the trees. the fact that you can go to one specialist and have certain test done, but he says you need to go to another one, and there you have to wait for that specialist to get all the records that he has done to the other one before

you can see him. if you could have a digital version, you could go from dr. "a"to dr. "b" no matter where he is. guest: what you do in the medical or fashion? he worried about privacy issues? caller: i am a certified home aide. the paperwork i do is astronomical. i do about eight patients a day. it is 5 for six days a week. i do a lot on the internet. i do have some concern over the privacy aspect. when it comes to cost and the social security numbers, i do agree they should not be on the e-things.

give a search and vacation number that eliminate -- there are a lot of people with the same name -- that eliminate some of the privacy issues. host: thank you. guest: i think your point is a very good one. it is a terribly inefficient process. i do not think he would find many folks arguing with that. the fact that it needs to be fixed, too. we are well on our way toward getting to a position where we can move information between facilities. it is terribly difficult and complex. as an example, there are standards that have evolved that will now allow us to move information between certified electronic record systems. this is a huge step in the right

direction. as they begin to work on this to help the client meet the use, they are finding that there is a level of complexity the need and the general framework for communicating that said that is awfully challenging. for example, terminology can be very different from one organization to another. what may be a normal range within one organization, may not be normal for another. there are many different charges at the data level. while be nice to pull over the data from one to another and drop it into an electronic record, the challenges are very significant. the more standardization and terminology in nomenclature that we can move toward and the faster we can move in that direction, that obviously --

those standards will all contribute to improving our ability for information to flow. host: are you also responsible for the technology interface with the insurance companies and with medicare for billing purposes? is the part of your job? guest: anything that deals with the information systems. that is within my responsibility. it tests -- it has been an enormous challenge to interface the many systems. we have over 80 application systems that are separate systems in this hospital. we have over 200 servers and our data center. it is an enormous challenge to utilize the standards that are available. . .

evel of -- the level of coding, as anñi exaópne of ti drg front, today, there are roughly 17,000ñi codes, ñiok.çó there is something coming right around the corner called icd 10, which is a new codingçó system.3 tell have over 155,000 xdcodes. soñ;the deáq&wa+xñi of complexi the coding component is about tó

ñi-. so what you have is through things like icdt or icd 10 and meaningful requirements and reporting and quality requirements and joint commission and all the hoops, if you will, that the hospitals and other providers have to leap through is becoming a very, very difficult to be as successful as you want to be in all you really need that to provide the quality and and and the networks, to allow you to stay on time. host: what does that stand for? guest: that is a good question. i have been using it like that for years. code drg, i forget. host: that came up with the system?

guest: medicare originally. it continues to evolve like everything else and gets more complex with each step. the folks who are sitting around looking at things like the cuts had very good reasons -- codes have a very good reasons. it presents a lot of challenges. host: when medicare comes up with a new procedure or regulation, did they provide the software or technology at all? or did they give the procedure and you have to implement? guest: the regulations are developed and become available, and for most of us and hospitals, we do not develop our own software, we rely on vendors to do that for us. vendors have the responsibility -- and this is including your support sees -- this is included

in the support these that you pay -- bayer responsible for the regulatory changes made to the software, making those updates available in a timely manner. if your in in development mode as an organization, that would be an enormous challenge. >> what is your budget? guest: our budget every year, operating budget, roughly $12 million, i believe. capital budget in total is about $12 million. this will be an expensive year for us because we are bringing a lot of this stuff out this year. we are taking the computers to the bedside, which we think is critical, and it all costs money. it is expensive, but the payoff

is improved and quality care, and it is very safe for our patients, eliminating medication errors. we think that it is worth it. >> later this week, a review of the health-care debate in congress with highlights from house and senate committees and analysis from capitol hill reporters. and don "q&a" sunday, a comparison of health care systems around the world with t.r. reid. up next on c-span, remarks from president obama on the swine flu, also known as the h1n1 virus. after that, a look at politics and issues affecting western states. later, republican national committee chairman howard steel and mike -- at howard university. -- michael steele at howard

university. >> supreme court week starts with the debut of our documentary. here is the producer on the project. >> we're doing our final days of shooting the documentary on the supreme court. we have been doing it for two months, and a different wrensen spaces of the court, as well as talking with nine of the justices about their job, and inside window on how the court operates. the processes of the court and humanizing it. we are describing of -- we are grabbing a couple of final shots today that we will add to the documentary. >> supreme court week starting october 4 on c-span. >> next, president obama talks about age 1 in what -- h1n1 swine flu prepared this. he met with cabinet officers about the topic before giving these brief remarks in the white house rose garden.

>> good afternoon, everybody. before i say a few words about the meeting that we just had, some good news about the economy. for the first time in 18 months our manufacturing sector has expanded, to the highest levels in two years. this means greater production of transportation equipment like cars, electronic equipment like computers, and appliances. it means that these companies are starting to invest more and produce more and it is time that we are on the path to economic recovery. there is no doubt that we had a long way to go, and i and the other members of this administration will not let up until the americans who are looking for jobs can find them. but this is an important sign that we are heading in the right

direction and that the steps that we have taken to bring our economy back from the brink are working. now we just had a good meeting about are going to ongoing efforts to prepare this country for the age when in one flew virus this country. i want to thank john brennan, are cdc director and secretary sebelius and the polish town on and others for all -- all the good work that they have been doing to get ready. when we fall -- when we saw the first cases of this fire is back in spring, i want everybody to be prepared. we know that we usually get a second, larger wave of these filoviruses in the fall, as a response plans had been put into -- as a fluke of viruses -- flu viruses in the fall, so response plans had been put into place. we're looking for a safe and

effective h1n1 flu vaccine. we expected to begin soon, and it will be completely voluntary but strongly recommended. for all that we do in the ad federal government however, every american has a part to play in responding to this virus. we need state and local governments to make antiviral medications and vaccines available and be ready to take whatever steps are necessary to support the health care system. we need hospitals and health care providers to continue preparing for an increase patient lead in to take steps to protect health-care workers. many families and businesses to ensure that they have plans in place if a family member, a child or a co-worker, contracts the blue and needs to stay home. and we need everyone to get informed about the individual risk factors, and everyone to take common-sense steps that

will make a difference. stay home if you are sick. wash your hands frequently. kabir sneezes with your sleeve, not sure hands, and take all the necessary precautions to stay healthy. it sounds simple but it is important and it works. finally, for people who want to learn more about this virus, please go to flu.gov, or talk to your doctor. i want to commend every member of our team. i think we have done an extraordinary job in preparing for this flu outbreak. we anticipate that there will be some issues coming up over the next several months. the way that it is moving is still somewhat unpredictable, but i am absolutely confident that our team that is assembled here as an extraordinary job in preparing for whatever may happen.

we appreciate all of you for being here and i want to publicly thank you for all of your extraordinary helpful work. >> on tomorrow morning's "washington journal," we will talk about the security situation in afghanistan with an aide to general mcchrystal. after that, an update on the swine flu vaccine and a look at

the nation's health-care system from the va hospital center in arlington, virginia. we're joined by the emergency medical chairman. he is followed by the director of respiratory care in the i see you at the hospital. we'll also talk to the chief nursing off -- nursing officer. "washington journal" begins each morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern with your calls. and later in the morning, a discussion on efforts to improve public school performance. we will hear suggestions for changing the no child left behind at. it begins at 10:00 a.m. eastern. next, issues and politics of western states are discussed at a forum organized by the group project new west. harry reid, jeff bingaman, and

tom udall speak at this conference. this is an hour. >> our resources exploited, our quality of life threatened, and our schools neglected. these were the faces of the old west. and this was their message. and for a time, they call the shots in the west. then it grew brighter. change was on the horizon, fueled by new pioneers, new leaders, who emerged with the changing times. dynamic new governors like bill richardson of new mexico, jan in the polish town of arizona, and then the month -- the momentum continue with brian schweitzer is a victory in montana, and the election of cans out -- ken salazar to the senate.

in a new majority taking control of the colorado state and senate. by 2006, with the election of two new dynamic meters, governor bill ritter rough colorado and senator john tester of montana, the west had paved the way for one of its favorite sons to become the new majority leader of the united states senate, harry reid. and new mexico as senior citizen jeff bingaman to chair the influential committee of natural resources. max baucus of montana is the chairman of the powerful u.s. senate finance committee. in 2008, bold change rolled forward on stoppable. with tom udall of new mexico, and mark you got joining the united states senate. and our new president, barack obama. >> hello, las vegas. >> new leaders, and new

challenge, and a new way of doing business, preserving our western heritage, answering our government meets the new challenges of today and tomorrow, and new vision for the west -- pragmatism, inclusion, conservation, energy independence, and protecting our quality of life. ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the new west. [applause] it is appropriate that this summit is being held here at the colorado history museum. throughout our history, the

interrelation of our land, our water, and our people have created an ethic and values that define the west. this will only become more important as we navigate unprecedented political and economic realignments across our states. it will be important to continue to use this at that and these values as a compass, guiding our collection actions forward. i am proud of the rollback colorado have been able to place since i had been governor. we have become a leader in what we first called the new energy economy. we created clean energy jobs by implementing innovative policies that encourage sustainable approaches to the production and consumption of energy. it is truly an energy ecosystem. our universities and research institutions are among the best in the world. they are working shoulder to

shoulder with companies to advanced technologies that will allow us to meet the energy demands of the future. we attracted millions of dollars of investment, public/private partnerships, and most importantly we have done all of this while balancing development and protection, with preservation and conservation. insuring that the preservation of the western landscape and western values for generations to come. the choice of denver for the democratic convention last year, and more recently the signing of a recovery act, was made in recognition of the great strides made by leaders of the new west. the founders or had occurred for realigning -- recognizing the realignment of values and the west. they helped develop strategies to milled policy and politics that address the concerns of

westerners. today at the summit, we began to increase the the understanding of our unique policy challenges, water conversation, sustainable growth, and how those define western policy but also political landscapes. by achieving greater clarity, we will continue moving the new energy economy forward by honoring what makes the west special. i want to note the incredible turn out of western leaders who are participating in the summit. it is important to their role that west plays -- the west plays but also to those individuals commitments to make sure that the voice of the people of the west is heard. watching the opening video, i am honored to call the leaders of the new west my colleagues.

it is a real pleasure for me to introduce an unsurpassed champion of the western landscape. he is the chair of the senate energy and national resources committee. he is united states senator from mexico -- from new mexico, jeff bingaman. please give them a hand and a big welcome. [applause] >> governor ritter starts off with a bang year. it is terrific to be in his state in your state and to see the enthusiasm that is present even additional progress, to see the new west move ahead and involved in ways that make sense for the people of the west. it is a particular honor for me to be here with senator harry reid. harry reid is the leader of the u.s. senate and he is the person that gets things done.

the rest of us give speeches about how we want to see things done and what we support and what we do not support. but when it comes to lining up the votes to get issues across the finish line so that the president has a bill on his desk that he can sign, harry reid is the person that takes that responsibility and does it so well. but we have seen a tremendous change in the make up of the u.s. senate, particularly in the rocky mountain region, and you are all aware of that. video described as well. starting in montana, you got max baucus and now you have john tester as well. that is a great step forward. he is a tremendous addition to the u.s. senate. here in colorado, you folks have made tremendous strides. mark udall, michael bennet, those individuals are distinguishing themselves with the excellent representation that they bring to this part of the country. and in new mexico, i am enjoying

this year by tom udall, doing a tremendous job and as a champion for all the issues that matter to democrats and the new west. there has been an enormous influx or investment in the issues and the energy projects that matter so much to us in transitioning our economy to a low carbon economy. that is part of the recovery act and i am very proud of what we have been able to do there. the public lands bill which we were able to pass under this president's leadership and under senator reid's leadership in the senate, sets aside another -- sets aside wilderness which is so important. we have a lot left to do this year. we have energy legislation pending in the senate. there has been energy legislation already passed

through the house. that is another item to do that needs to be done. of course, health care reform, which is a top priority not just for the west but for the entire nation. ken salazar has been such a tremendous leader as the secretary of the interior. i can tell you it was a tremendous loss when he went off of our energy committee and went to the department of interior. it was a loss to those of us on the energy committee but a great game for the country as a whole. we have a lot to celebrate, we have a lot to look forward to, and this is an exciting time for all of us who are looking to move west -- move the west forward in important ways. let me at this point introduce our next speaker was lieutenant governor of new mexico, diane denish. she has distinguished herself as a leader in our state. she has strong support

throughout new mexico. she had at our democratic party before that, and she has the respect of virtually everyone, democrat and republican, and our state. she is now running for governor of our state and she is well positioned to be the next governor of our state. [applause] and let that, let me introduce our lead attend -- denish or lieutenant governor, --. -- our lieutenant governor diane denish. >> when i tried to talk about the west to people, i try to ask them to think about not just our open landscapes, but the open landscape of our imagination. a r entrepreneurship, of the spirit of the new west, and how they come together is what i

believe creates that unique political landscape for the west. one that is changing and strengthening the democratic party in the west and across the country. in a lot of ways, the new west is just the old west understood, the principles of the old west. like so many people here, i grew up in a small town in the west, in southeastern new mexico. and there were just a few things in the small town that i many -- that i know many of you can identify with. people know what you promise, they note if you deliver, and by golly, if you cannot hide in a crowd. people know whether you are doing what you said you were going to do. and these are the principles that our democratic leaders across the west are bringing to bear. and we're proud of them. whether it is making our state

safer, or delivering on the promises of every state in the west. when it is making sure that nobody falls to the cracks, but being responsible and making sure our taxpayer dollars are spent unaccountably, and whether it is paying attention to our principles even during these very tough economic times, i believe we are delivering and doing the job. i dare say in the west we are leading the way. new mexico's leading the way, and our voters have responded. you know that there -- we but for the winter in the presidential election more than anybody. whether it was 0.5% or 15 points like it was in 2008, we are the

swing state's swing state. we are the bellwether possible bellwether in new mexico and we are proud of that. -- we are the bellwether's bellwether in new mexico and we are proud of that. but they say, there's this little weird, quirky state in the southwest, with a whole bunch of hispanics in that state. they cannot possibly be representative of anything that is really happening in america, could they? right. well what could of widely the first state with native americans, hispanics, and all kinds of cultures all coming together, with an economy focused on energy teach anybody in america about economic times or about electoral trends? will check this out. four years ago new mexico at a republican senator, to republican congress people, and

was carried by george bush. on the day after election in 2008, we had two democratic senators, no republican congress people, and barack obama led the ticket and carried in mexico by 15 percentage points. -- and carried new mexico by 15 percentage points. we must be doing something right in new mexico. that is why we're so excited by project new west, because they are telling us the lessons we need to remember about 2008. more young people registered, more hispanics than ever registered, more first-time voters than ever registered, many of those women who had never, never voted before. we are depending on project new west to make certain that those voters continue to be engaged in the year 2010 and beyond, not just because we want them to be voters and be engaged, but they bring success to the west.

the research of project new west is vital to everything that we are doing. but there are a few lessons that we need to remember, and we will be hearing more about some of these letter from t. boone pickens. but the new energy west is coming, if it is not already here. this is the new energy west. new mexico is the leader in wind and solar. we are also doing the newest research on biomass and biodiesel, we're getting the best and highest use out of our traditional sources of energy, oil and gas. the new west is so vital to america's energy economy and our energy future. that is why we are lucky that have senator bingaman has had the energy and national resources committee. western states were founded in the small d democratic time. voters want us to honor that.

and i think that we're doing that in the west. they want us to listen more. they want us to be around. they want us to be in their communities, and they want us to do our business out in the open. and in new mexico, we have a new transparency agenda that is leading the way on that, but there is another phrase that is a bit over be used but it is important in the west, and that is what we call a way of life. new mexicans know that conservation is not some eastern, liberal scheme that just came around. it is how we protect what is important to new mexico. and to the west, whether at the family's ability to go out and hunt and fish, or if it is making sure that our communities are safe and protecting the quality of life. in the west, the most important thing we do is we understand the

balance, because that is what western leaders are doing, creating a balance. balancing the needs of conservation with resources used for energy and recreation. and at the same time, being innovated in finding what the new energy sources are. and we preserve pristine, open spaces in new mexico. at the same time, we created a coalition of ranchers and environmentalists, coming together to foster a progressive public/private land stewardship program in new mexico. in the west, we create that balance by doing one thing -- we bring people to the table. the ranchers, the environmentalists, the preservationists, but government agencies, public/private partnerships that really, really work. whoever the stake holders are in

the west, we come together to find the important thing, and that is the solution for the common good. the west is the land of possibilities. and there is no better example of possibilities, then the man i am about to introduce, one of the young best and brightest stars in new mexico. i am proud to had been on the ticket with hector balderas, who at the age of 33 became new mexico's state auditor, and the young to statewide hispanic elected -- elected official in america. as state auditor, hector balderas has been a key part of the effort that is near and dear tim both of our hearts, making sure that mexico does business in a way that is more transparent. he has gone to battle against waste, fraud, financial abuse. from what amount, new mexico, population 310, to providing

regulatory oversight over more than $60 billion in assets, hector balderas as a story to tell. please help me welcome to mexico state auditor hector balderas -- new mexico state auditor hector balderas. [applause] >> good morning. we have got to get excited. is this the west? good morning, ladies and gentleman. i am hector balderas from white and down, mexico, 310 people. -- wagon mound, new mexico, 310 people. i can see the profound changes in the west. it was just in my lifetime at one point, where latinos were not counted as citizens. it was just in my son's life time, bill has now turned 12

years old, in which we have doubled the voting population of latinos in this country. it is in my lifetime and my son's life time at which we have just experienced, not just barack obama testing my son at mile high stadium, but the most diverse collection in american history. and what does that mean when we are trying to convince latinos that they can be part of this american dream? the most populous -- the second most populous group, the fastest minority group in the country, what are we saying to our community of latinos, that this -- that they can be part of this american dream? yet they make the most the first election in history possible, for the first time in our experience we can be proud of a supreme court justice, sotomayor. [applause]

these are exciting times. these are exciting times because we are understanding that the west will determine and define the american dream. and what the subcontinent of the great american story is, is that latinos in california, caller, texas will also be at the forefront of those dynamic changes. i am just a small reflection of the great dynamic hispanic community, one that can say yes and register young hispanic voters, but as a member of the board of latino officials, we have doubled from 3000 to 6000 national, local, and statewide leaders in this country and we're ready to join project new west in this great analysis, this great discussion, this great the scores of truly defining the american dream for the american west.

thank you very much. now i get to transition over to someone who i would first describe where i am from introducing someone from the rabbit county. in the west, we also have great rouots. my grandfather was awarded the bronze medal of honor. as i of in my career, i kept on -- i kept my eye on the salazar brothers, making history for the hispanic communities. as i followed their careers, i learn more about them, but they served as greek patriots, with strong roots in southern colorado -- but they served as great patriots, with strong roots in southern colorado, but a role model and gold standard

leaders. i would like to introduce someone who is dear to my heart and making profound changes in the great west, let's give a warm welcome to congressman salazar. [applause] >> thank you very much. let me just take a quick and brief moment to introduce someone who is a great friend of mine, who hails from the great state of arizona, the chairman of parks in the national resources committee, congressman grijalva, would you please stand up? my, my. remember 2003? in 2003 when i announce that i was running for congress, colorado's third congressional district, i remember traveling

around the state and we were starting to organize the counties and met in mesa county in grand junction, colorado, and i was looking for a few democrats. [laughter] well, i encountered three. so we decided to start organizing the democrats in mesa county, so we got together and we met in a secluded farm house with the curtains drawn, and tried to figure out a strategy, which way we would move forward. and shortly thereafter, we started walking the streets and every now and then in mesa county, i would run into someone and they said, "you know what? i am a democrat." incredible. today we have quadruple the registration of democrats in mesa county. we're very proud of what is

happening in mesa county. i am truly proud of what happened in 2004, when both sectors salazar and i were elected -- senator salazar and i reelected. we were the only two pickups from the west. it was in the house of representatives, myself and colorado's third congressional district, the only two democratic pickups in the 2004 elections. i am truly honored to be able today to introduce someone who has been a champion for the west, someone who is one of the most beautiful human beings that i have ever met in my entire life. but you have to understand him, and to understand harry reid, you must look to a small mining town, searchlight, nevada.

searchlight is where he watched his father would work as a hard rock miners. it is where he attended the school with one teacher for eight grades. it is where he learned nevada's values of hard work, opportunity, and independence. today, harry reid is the majority leader in the u.s. senate, the man who commands the respect of colleagues from both parties, and a powerful at a fort nevada's middle-class families. every day, senator reid position to work to deliver meaningful results to nevadans. but he still lives in searchlight, nev.. and he is still guided by a lessons and values that he learned there. the las vegas sun newspaper summarized his story by saying that he has gone from underdog

to the senate's top dog. senator reed is leading the way on solutions to keep nevadans in their homes into in the foreclosure crisis, which is weakening their state's economy. he is a leader on reducing the cost of health care, while increasing the number ofn numbers to have medical insurance, and he is working to create thousands of good paying jobs by making the state a leader in renewable energies. reid has brought hundreds of millions of dollars to help make nevada state -- sector. it puts more policemen on the streets and make sure that nevada's military bases have everything that they need, and is being used to build up long overdue veterans hospital. as an avid sportsman, he is a longtime champion of nevada's outdoors. he created a national park, nevada's only national park, and

a summit which brings political leaders of all stripes together to bring common clarity. he is working to preserve nevada's outdoors by developing solar, wind, and geothermal institutes. and take it from me, to end the discussion here about the new west, it includes harry reid. and on a personal letter to -- and on a personal note, senator reid has been to the salazars not only a mentor, but a father figure. and so today, ladies and gentlemen, please help me welcome the man, the net, a legend, senator harry reid!

-- the myth, the legend, senator harry reid! [laughter] [applause] >> before going to sleep last night, i called my wife and renown -- in renoo. i've been waiting all my life to tell the story to someone. [laughter] anyway, my youngest boy has four little girls. the oldest is 89 and the

youngest just turned 3. -- the oldest is eight or nine and the and this has just turned 3. and my son and his wife had just given the responsibilities. they have to help take out the trash and with the dishes and pick up the toys. each week they get a little more for doing that, so much each week for doing their chores. ella who has just turned 6 has just reduced. my son sat down and talk to her, ella, what is wrong with you? why are you doing your chores? she said, dad, i don't need the money. [laughter] not bad, huh? john, thank you very much for that introduction.

the story of america and is the story of the american west. as america has grown and grown, so has the west. as america has changed, the west has evolved just as dramatically. lands that were once frontiers are now cities on the front lines. where land was once dominated by homesteads, it is now dotted by energy-efficient homes. the old west has given way to the new west, but one thing has not changed -- for thinking americans are still coming west. we live and work in the fast- growing country of the west. more and more of the sport- thinking americans are progressive politically. it's no coincidence that the growth of the democratic party and the growth of the democratic majorities in congress happened simultaneously.

america still associates the west with opportunity ended venture. america knows the west for its independence and for its common sense. lately we have been fortunate to see these traits in more of our leaders. the good people of colorado sent good democrats to represent them. so have been the mexicans, and of course the month tannins -- so have the new mexicans, and of course the montanans. it is critical for the future of our region and our country that the senate of the energy and environment committee, jeff bingaman, and the chairman of the public works committee, barbara boxer, come from the west. we should all be proud that caught our eye, montana, and new mexico have each elected democrats to be there governor. you could not say that just a

short time ago. you certainly could not at the beginning of this decade. democrats also have the governorship in oregon and washington, and back in washington, president obama knew that he was doing when he drew nearly half of his cabinet from the west. they could better tackle our broken immigration system that janet palatine know, who served so ably as governor of arizona? -- janet napolitano, who serve so ably as governor of arizona? knew better than no ball prize winner steven chu, who state -- who came from berkeley, california to lead us into energy independence as it -- secretary of energy?

the better than eric shinseki, a retired army four-star general, who was born in hawaii, to lead the department veteran affairs? by the way, despite what you hear, barack obama was born in america. [laughter] and of course, the better to preserve our national treasures in colorado's own ken salazar? -- banned colorado's on ken salazar? -- than colorado's own ken salazar? we are friends. i know that can mrs. representing the people of colorado ofken m -- ken this is representing the people of colorado -- ken misses representing the people of colorado. that is what the salazars are

all about. i miss him very much. on a daily basis, i miss ken salazar in the senate and i am glad he is where he is. and i think that frankly there is a part of him that says i can wear my cowboy hat now whenever i want to. [laughter] can is a true son of the american west. the salazar family settled in new mexico 400 years ago. for centuries ago. when they move to colorado in the middle of the 19th century, they claimed some of the first water rights. they grew up farming, the salazar boys in the same colorado land that ancestors had formed and wrenched for centuries. -- farmed and ranched for centuries. i did not have a television or

telephone. salazar's did not even have electricity until 1982. i at least have electricity. we're so fortunate that have dedicated leaders at the helm as we work to get our country back on track. as you know, it was not always this way. you're surely at the vanguard of a new age. it was a time when the west had a little political pull. in the 1980's, but picked nevada to become the nation's new nuclear dumping ground. despites hazards to this terribly from a deadly product, it went forward. it went forward without any concern about this and -- above being carried to the city of denver. senator bryan came to naught -- senator bryan and i came to denver many years ago. the city council said that they did not want coming for coming -- what it coming through

colorado. the yucca mountain project was on track for many years. the entire west became more powerful and with the leadership with -- what the leadership of iraq -- a president barack obama, but unable to stop this dangerous idea. i am happy to say unequivocally that it is not good. -- we have been able to stop this dangerous idea. most everyone of you were here that unforgettable might reignite in this great city when barack obama accepted the party's nomination. denver was a perfect host for last year's democratic national convention. this city in our party shine brightly on the national stage. and it 2008, for the first time, nev. determine -- nevada determine who would be elected.

on that date in january 19, 2008, we registered a record number of democrats and began to change the color of the electoral map not only in nevada but the entire west. president of candidates were forced to to understand and addressed critical western issues such as water and public land management. remember, nevada is 80% owned by the federal government. they knew i are growing water phase is populated by americans who want the leaders in this room that will fight for western by hughes, who will preserve the outdoors, who will protect our right and our ability to hunt and to fish. they knew the road to the west wing does through the american west. the last time i saw barack obama, before he was our president-elect, was the saturday before election day in

las vegas, nev. but the coronado high school. it was in a remarkable hours of that remarkable campaign. but on that date, what i found most remarkable was that it was our nominees 20th trip to nevada. since he began his improbable journey to the white house, it has paid off. nevada -- nevada, new mexico, colorado went from red to blue. people deserve a lot of credit to rise to the challenges that we inherited. we have a significant set of thing, says the first roosevelt administration. we are immensely proud of the successful economies to revive our economy, protect our environment, demand equality, and ensure progress. western democrats have enjoyed stunning successes of the last few successes -- election. but this is the time to rest on our laurels.

that is why we are here in denver. now was the time to build our success, strengthen western democrats, build a deeper bench of canada's, and bring the western issues to the national stage even more so. -- a deeper bench of candidates, and bring the western issues to the national stage even more so. two portraits hang over my desk in my capitol office. one side is up painting and to jackson. the first president from the american frontier, and a man who by no means perfect but helped to shape today's democratic party. on the other side haynes a portrait -- hangs a portrait, the most famous picture ever painted of samuel clemens, who came to nevada and became mark twain. mark twain worked as a mutt -- as a minor and a reporter in nevada, and kind of a bomb. as a writer in california and nevada, he helped tell the story

of the west. as well if not better than any americans. i look at those pictures every day and i think about them. today i let out and see our next leaders of the west -- i looked out and see our next leaders of the west. i thank you for all that you do for democrats, for the west, and for our nation. thank you for leading the age- old call that we know so well, go west, young man. yesterday, i was in albuquerque and i spent the most pleasurable 45 minutes that i have had in a long time -- it was really wonderful. i spent 45 minutes with the last surviving member of the kennedy cabinet. almost 90 years old, stewart udall he can hear very well but

he talks great. [laughter] we had is that that was so much fun. better than any movie that i could go to. listen to this -- my only regret is that i did not have more than 45 minutes to spend with him. but i will, i will talk to him to finish some of the stories that he started. one of the rising western democrat is the junior senator from new mexico, tom udall. in a short time he has been in the senate, he has impressed everyone who has worked with him. 10 years as a new mexico's attorney general, seniors and the congress of the united states, and what accomplishments have i had? i helped as much as i could. i cajoled, i threatened, i beg that he would run for the senate. and he did. and what a superstar he is.

he has done the things that i would expect him to do, he has a great a lineage, coming from that coming udall clan, his uncle moe, who i served with in the house of representatives. but not only have i found him to be a terrific senator, a great leader, and a terrific friend -- let me introduce to you senator tom udall. [applause] >> harry, thank you for those very kind words about my father. i know that he really loved -- my dad really love to visit with harry reid. they both shared these western values, and they were both born

in western towns, very small western towns. searchlight, nev., and my dad in st. john's, arizona. i know that my dad really love that. harry reid and jeff bingaman are so modest. they did not even mention the one thing that you should really know that we did. on conservation. in this new administration, at the never -- at the very beginning, called the public lands bill, 2 million acres of new wilderness, at this instant a national conservation system, on and on and on, but to read the bill. and it was jeff laying the groundwork in the senate over couple of years, working very closely with harry reid, and that is the kind of thing that i think democrats are going to produce for the west. and we all know, we heard

earlier today about how we're going to be about the clean energy future and a -- and focus on jobs. we have a wonderful opportunity here, because we have an abundance of these renewable resources. seller, wind, biomass, and our forests, geothermal, we have the ability and out here in the west to supply the energy for the entire rest of the country. and we're going to do that, and that is a part of our future. but why is it important to do it? just one will store that has captured me, talking to scientist about the west. if we continue business as usual, carbon dioxide emissions, we're going have twice as high a temperature in the west than anyplace else. so it is could be twice as how here.

-- as high here. if you look at the computer models, it is the equivalent of putting of -- you know how you drag things on a computer screen, pulling the new mexico 300 miles down to the south. if you have been down there, you're down and to walk, mexico -- chihuahua, mexico. they don't have any forrest down there. the effects would be dramatic. we would see those bubbly alpine meadows that you love and colorado and that we have in northern new mexico, those would disappear. you see dramatic changes in agriculture. those the kinds of things that we do not want to see change. and if that happened, that would be the end of the way of life, and i think that that is true for what global warming will do too many of our western states. so we are here to stand up to

make sure that that does not happen. and make sure -- [applause] that the west and its values in its duties are protected. now it is my distinct honor to introduce to you a wonderful, charming woman by the name of the chill and our -- jill hanauer. this started at her kitchen table. she has a wonderful story. she grew up on a blueberry farm in michigan. i said, blueberry farm in michigan? how did you get an attraction to the west? she said, as a kid we would get into the car and drive west to ski. this was before skiing was a big thing before it was cold. as soon as she hit the west, she saw the landscape, she saw the mountains, she fell in love with it.

she said, i am going to live in the west and i'm going to raise my family here. her two children are here with her today. and she has done that. what she has tried to do with project new west is to make sure we protect the values of the west. and asked her, in introducing her, what can i say how about you? she said, this is not about me. this is about the west and of values in the west. so make sure and emphasize that this is not about johann hour, but it really is, in a way. -- jill hanauer. .

i want to thank all of you for making history today. it is not about having the senate majority leader. it is by having state legislative leaders. it is about having county commissioners. is not having mayors, auditors, and so many different elected officials to meet each other for the first time. thank you so much. people look coming together to learn about this realignment in

real time. it is not that we will look back and read about in the history books. we are going to remember learning about it today. i want to thank all of you who a year. there are over 400 people here today representing 16 different states to do this is the face of the new west as we enter the new decade. where young. we are old. we are politically, culturally, socio-economic the dippers. -- diverse. we are activists, strategists, donors, those who care and love this region. our goal is the when you leave on friday he go back to your communities and your states with new tools, new strategies, and most importantly, new collaboration's. you will get energized and bring that in.

we will mobilize as to move into the new decade and elevate issues if we care so much about and elevate our leaders in this region and the national dialogue about the direction of our nation. that is what we are doing today. we were launched in 2007 in our kitchen table with a lot of folks, volunteers, staff, people who are staying home moms. this was a labor of love. it was authentic and organic. the goal is that we believe the west offers democrats and progresses the best opportunity for growth in the nation. again, with all those activists, we had some of the nation's top strategist joined together in this conversation to help develop this.

we -- the effort will not only continue and grow unless the understand who is the western voter. what is our priority? how do you talk about those issues? how do you reach different audiences in demographics? that is exactly what we do. there is a fundamental reason why this realignment has occurred. it is not a red to blue realignment. that is too simple. it is not represent to the western poacher is. the western vote does not make policy decisions ahead with a partisan lines. they you are looking for leaders that are authentic. they are looking for leaders who may pragmatic decisions that will affect their lives. that is what these western leaders represent today. the monte thank you of our being here. i want to introduce somebody who every day just embodies that kind of pragmatic and authentic western leadership. this is someone who is loved by the city of denver.

he is respected in and to wrap the state of colorado. that is our own mayor, john. >> thank you. thank you for putting on such a wonderful event. what to sum up a little bit about what has been set. there is a different way of thinking of things and doing things in the west. when the first applies to be the location for the democratic national convention, a lot of people thought our city is too small they do not have enough police officers. they do not have the capacity to put on a world-class convention. what we did have, and i think this is pervasive throughout the

west, we have the capacity to come together. we brought firefighters and police officers from wyoming. we had over 107 different agencies of first responders that came together and work to make that its success. we had over 15,000 volunteers came forward and said, how come we make this the greatest invention in history? how can we make this the green this convention in history? we are committed to the level of collaboration. the things and make it work so powerfully and transparency -- we are going to open the process and let people understand why we make the decisions we do. then we will hold ourselves accountable. when we make mistakes, we will admit them and explain how we will rectify them.

that attitude toward good government and making sure that we use evidence based solutions to find innovative answers to the town does that faces, has a lot to do what the west is different from the rest of the country and not caught up in the old partisan battles and why we have been more successful. i think that is what this summit is all about. it is not even so much about the democratic party. it is about a new way of thinking and in delivering what the public has every right to expect but that is good the government. it is about thinking of different types of people that should be in leadership. i am not sure. my old chief of staff, michael bennett, who cannot be here today, i am not sure the last time we had a former big city public schools superintendent in the u.s. senate bid i can guarantee that he will add tremendous fight. i want to know thank the summit

for being here for recognizing and distilling that essence of what the west to bring to the national debate. there is also it -- in the tax revenue. others of you -- [unintelligible] i would like to invite all the leaders of the new west, all the party chairs, and elected officials to come up for a photo. start coming on the. want to finish up until one antidote. come on up. i spent 20 years in the bar business, so i spent time talking over commotion. a lot of issues along -- a round of balloting congestion are about to fund regional areas. and is around sustainability. when i was first running for

mayor, i never ran for student council or anything, my staff thought was an impossible effort. i refer them to a story from the denver post about a public speaking professor who is talking about the importance of the best and worst of times. words get power by their proximity. she asked a class with the opposite of despair was. 1 for students said, joy. use offices. you want to feel -- you want to reduce offices. you want to use despair and joy in the same sentence. [applause]

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] >> you are watching public affairs programming on c-span. next up, chairman michael steele. year, president obama on h1n1 swine flu preparedness. >> tomorrow morning, and the fed a supreme court case involving "hillary: the movie." its release coincided with the 2008 primary season. the court will we hear the case later this month. the ruling could have an impact on corporations spending money on political campaigns. it begins and 9:00 a.m. eastern

on c-span2. >> now i town hall meeting with republican national committee chairman michael steele. this took place at howard university in washington, d.c., one of the country's historically black universities. >> good evening. i am the vice chairman of the howard university house republicans. >> i am the president. >> we would like to look me to the freedom town hall meeting this evening. i personally like to congratulate the chairman ste ele being the first african- american to lead the republican party. [applause]

>> i'm truly honored to participate in this historic event. stein gives us the opportunity to come together regardless of political affiliation. although we may not share the same views, we would like to have a constructive and civil discussion tonight where everyone is treated with the utmost respect. for the question and answer portion, questions or already submitted. upon engines, you are given a white sheet of paper were you able to write down your questions. when you are finished writing, raise the paper in the air and some will collected. now we would like to turn this over to the master of ceremonies. the director collisions for the republican national committee.

>> good evening. how are you? we are so excited to be here you have received us with a very warm welcome. chairman steele is very excited about doing a freedom tour. i would like to just say another thanks to vote katherine and emma for the warm welcome. we appreciate that. [applause] we have a lot of distinguished participants here today in terms of the faculty. we just want to make a couple of acknowledgment before we get started president, we want to say thank you for allowing us to come to your great institution. dean donald son, chairman frazier, chairman harris, mr.

jackson, mrs. reed who is very gracious to as outside, mrs. edwards, and regional want to leave out brian smart to has risen to leadership as the president of the howard student body. let us give them a round of applause. on the stage, we have three students who will interact and -- with chairman still throughout. i want to acknowledge them. branting cooper, thank you for your leadership and toasting as. you worked diligently to pull this together. taylor, thank you so much. schuyler johnson, thank you. one of the things we would like to do is to get on the road. we are headed -- we are

headquartered here in washington. we like to get out into communities around the country. that is one of the reasons we are so honored to be here today. in doing so, one of the chairman's top priorities is to be able to talk to young people. he loves to interact with their intellect. -- and to be able to engage you in the dialogue. civic participation is a very important activity in our country in terms of how we are founded. as african-americans, and is a privilege the we have not always had. it is important to take the opportunity to do that. as we bring chairman steele forward, we want you to know becahe is here because he wantso dialogue with you and your the things you are thinking and to share prospectus with the. as you are reticulating through

this university. he has been a trailblazer on many fronts. the political scene is one where is he has definitely made a great. as governor of maryland, he ran a very tight campaign for the senate in maryland and has been very involved in politics and the political -- and the republican party. today he stand here before you as the first african american to serve as the actual chairman of the republican national committee. i call him the man of steel because the steps that he is taken have required to have a very stern and city course the bill as you can imagine, the different leaders set to read about, issues are not easy to

walk in in trouble is in. i want to turn it over to him. you have a great opportunity to dialogue with a phenomenal leader, and a man of great wisdom, a man of great compassion, and i welcome you to the podium. >> thank you very much for the. how's it going? it is wonderful to be back here on campus. i had the privilege to spend time on this campus as the county chairmen from prince george county maryland. i served six years as the chairman of the party. a lot of people were surprised there is action republican party in prince george's county. there is. i served as the state chairman.

i had the privilege to come here. also, as the national chairman, i come back. before then, as it did to the governor of maryland but it having the opportunity to come here to this campus. why this is special to me is because this is home. i do up literally about 2 miles of georgia ave. ichor on eighth street. i was part of the eighth street crew. we can talk about that later. my sister gave us that name. it was just the two of us. [laughter] we were rough. i grew up there. d.c. is my home. it has a very special meaning to me. certainly, this is where i began in politics. believe it or not, i began in

washington, d.c. as a 17-year old republican. i remember when my mother -- when i told her -- she said he got there by now you want to do -- and that culture, this is right before the 76 election, and i wanted to be a republican. she looked at me and said, why did you do that? that has been kind of the story of my political career. why're you republican? this conversation is not just about that. it is not just about being a republican or a democrat. it is about being engaged in one of the most exciting times of a life and one of the most exciting times in the history of our country. before i get into that, i would want to send out a welcome to

our national committeewoman hear from the district of columbia, former chairman of the party here, besse vernon. thank you so much for being here. i certainly send my regards to bother people. -- to bob cable. the party here in d.c. has been one of trying to get going and in dealing with the particular changes that happening. i must admit, it has been consistently betsy has tried to find ways in which we can engage the entire city. in this important from uptown to downtown. i appreciate your being here. certainly, it to president, it was a real honor to meet the president and to congratulate him on his tenure.

i'm really grateful to be here with pawlenty. way to begin? -- where to begin? i have to microphones. i do not need this one. where to begin? hello. how're you? you are reporter. [laughter] the times we are living in right now is all about you. president obama recognized it. a lot of folks are beginning to see it. the question that we have to talk about today is not it is the particular issues, but what it means. whether you going to do when you walk out of this institution?

-- what are you going to do when you walk out of this institution in four years or next spring? how're you going to engage in the marketplace of ideas? what is going to be your legacy of creating a pathway for the next generation, particularly women who walked through this institution. they stood on the steps at a douglas hall. the question is a very important one, because right now, you are watching the nation go through the pains and excitement and frustration of change. not just the kind to heard about in the campaign, but the kind that comes from the people who are emerging into something else and doing something different in their economies are shifting back and forth. opportunities that were once plentiful are now limited. resources that were a couple are

now limited. ideas that were -- ideas are going to be the springboard for your generation. as a young man in this city growing up, is important for you to understand and appreciate how i got here. my mother was a sharecropper's daughter with a fixed-rate education. -- 5th grade education. my father was an alcoholic. he was not a nice man. he died and left us alone. the question becomes -- they all say that michael steele should have a different path. i should not be here. those of you who have similar or like king circumstances should not be here as well. the difference calls for deep

oil is down to what you decide to do and what others were part of your life -- what the difference foils down to is what you decide to do and what others who are a part of your live like you do. and became the first african- american to be elected statewide in the state of maryland. defying the odds. then running for this job and having to work through 6 ballot to get it. defying the odds. as you prepare your first year or your last year at this institution, the question is, how are you going to prepare yourselves to defy the odds? how are we going to take those necks steps into an economy where there are no jobs and into an economy we have to make choices on health care, we have to make choices about whether or not to start a business. and how you are going to engage

with each other in the broader community. a lot of folks thought i would try to convert you to become republicans. that is a bonehead idea. that is not how i got here. i got here because i was alive to do the one thing and use the one thing that mattered most, my mind and think for myself and decide for myself where i wanted to go and do. this dialogue and opportunity is to engage. republicans do not do this. we do not do this. we do not come up into the neighborhood community. we do not actually engage in dialogue. when i became chairman and made it clear that this chairman and leadership would not stay stuck on capitol hill on first street and not get engaged with the communities, not talk to people,

not take the hits that people want to deliver. but not share the ideas, not talk about the future of our country and generation. if you want to know why i am here, that is what i am here. i drew up the street. it is important to be here to show you that from eight st. nw to this moment can happen. you are now poised to make it happen for yourself and your community back home. that was the message of president obama. that is my message today. did you everything that at this time you would have to african- american men sitting atop the political class structure of this country? one democrat, one republican.

both with competing views and interests on government. both with competing views and ideas. both a reflection of the african-american community. how powerful is that? what a story. what a legacy to be part of. it is not about us individually. it is about a legacy that it has taken for us to get here and. i had a conversation with a friend was complaining about the fact that things were not going quite the way he thought they should be going. he said, the man is like beating us down. he is not giving us that. i said, we are the man now. we are at that point where we have been empowered through the

vote, yes, but also through that legacy. -- legacy to make decisions that will change the course of a country. what i like to talk about is what does that look like for you. what does that feel like for you? what do you want it to be? do you want to really fall into the stereotypes or do you just want to do something like my monty python group says, something completely different? i asked three of your colleagues to sit up here and sort of -- and give us some of their thoughts and ideas. we have many students in the house from across the city

tonight. it is a cross section. there are democrats and republicans, blacks, hispanics. we have a chance to say something that will fully will feed the mind and give us some fresh perspective on some things. i have never approached this opportunity as a chance to convince you or you are you or anyone else to do what i do or believe what i believe. that is not what this is about. appreciating that there is a diversity of opinion, some of which she may be surprised to find you agree with. others would you say, there is no way in heck i will follow that. that is fine. to engage in the battle of ideas so that we can all move this country forward is what last year's election was about. for the first time, this generation to a cold, engaged, and spoke.

-- took hold, engaged, and spoke. do not stop speaking. do not stop sharing your ideas and engaging the elected leadership of this country, whether political like myself or government officials with the president and the congressman who represents you hear it and at home. so, what is your expectation when you graduated? anybody want to take a quick start? the you have a microphone for them? i think it is important. we have a lot of folks here. we have cnn. we have c-span. we have a fox. i want america to hear -- we have howard tv? we have cbs. showtime? [laughter] showtime, what are we doing?

we want folks to hear a the labette about -- a little bit about what our college folks are thinking of it -- about. any thoughts? >> good evening. my apologies. can you guys hear me? hello? good evening. my name is schuyler johnson. i am an economic major and political science major. my expectation after college would to be in the next year preferably come is to be a u.s. economist and to bring bilateral relations between united states and china. my goal is to have a job, actually. [laughter] >> i'm not dumb. do not go anywhere. -- i am not done. do not go anywhere.

you want to improve bilateral relations? looking at that from an economic statement, but this time i will be a big dog. how do you see that coming about? how do you see yourself taking those steps beyond howard university and the education you got here? is a graduate school? is it going right into service? what is the mix? what are the options that you see? quite softly, i will attend law school or -- >> hopefully, i'll attend law school. i want to bring it back to my community into a broader aspect of the night did states to be able to be the voice of not only the african-american community, but the voice of my generation. that's a hopefully transpire into a bigger voice that will influence not only america but also the world in respect to

china. >> excellent. anybody else? >> i am a junior at the george washington university. i am sitting history of political science. by merging from ohio. i hope to go to law school. i want to pursue business law. >> more money? >> yes, sir. >> if you get out of business law, is a law firm or doing something else or starting your own? >> i would like to do contract law. >> excellent. how about you? >> i am a double major in french political science. -- french and political science. i plan on attending law school. a couple of more years of school. a want to get into politics. >> god bless you. what i'm coming for your job.

i want to give back to the community. >> to give back to the community. what do you want to give back? >> money would be great, but more so my mind. you can move mountains more with my power. >> the opportunity to be an example of how we continue the legacy that started a long time ago that creating a path which opportunity? >> exactly. >> once you do that, what do you do with the robot sector in the way? what do you do with the lack of a job opportunity or the lack of your ability to create a job by starting your own business? how do you deal with the frustrations and the challenges that will, when the global marketplace is changing so rapidly? how do you see yourself as a young man stepping into that, making a difference, and try to

push against that kind of pressure? >> just taking an example from you and president obama, not giving up. we have to move forward. who we elect into office is very important. it that affects our lives. i think those two ways. >> does anybody out to have an expectation? -- out here have an expectation as you get ready? why do not you leave these hallowed halls? >> hello. i am a junior political science major. i plan on attending yale law school. eventually, i like to become a senator. [applause] >> that would be a democrat

senator, right? >> yes, that is correct. i am bipartisan. >> that is a good point. what do you think happens when you are offered on the pathway toward becoming the next u.s. senator from maryland? i'm a resident. i'm a republican. he may say some things that i agree with. a lot of it i'm kind of suspicious about because well, you know how democrats are. right? that is the mindset of politics. you win. right? you are standing up there at the senate chamber with your hand and the bible and your hand in the air swearing in the office. what should my expectation be of the leadership? >> yes exposition -- expectation is to be diplomacy.

i am bipartisan. it is not about a party. it is about the people. i want to go into politics to a public servant. i think that aspect has gotten lost, being a public servant. >> i do not to beyond the spot, but you are an elected official. [laughter] here are now in the middle of a national debate. -- debate on health care. [applause] it is a very good in a very important debate, regardless of where you are on the spectrum. you represent me and mine and a whole lot of other folks in the state of maryland who have various views and opinions. as an official, where do you think the line is drawn between what you believe personally as a u.s. senator and what you should do as my elected representative? >> well, i believe that my

beliefs should guide mean, but i should also take into consideration the opinions of my constituents. they are the ones to gave me my job. i am working for them. budget by my beliefs -- i should give them my believes and i wanted their infant. mix it together. them can come up with a resolution. >> would you share that lesson was some of the folks around the country? they have lost the sight. whether you are republican and democrat, it you have responsibility as an elected official representing the people in this room and across this country, you have to first respect the fact that they put you there. >> yes. >> then you have to negotiate literally sometimes your personal use with the reality on the ground, that may be in the state or the district that you are from, the general collective is over here and you are over here.

you have got to navigate and work your way through so that at the end, you come to a position where the people in your district or your state respect the fact that what they may disagree with you and why he may cast a vote they disagree with, that they know that on this issue you are going to be true to yourself and you are going to be true to them and carry forward in a way that they can look to you and go, okay, i understand. one challenge you will have in your leadership, whether it is political, business, no matter what, running for household, is being able to understand where that line is and doing what you need to do to bring everybody to some sense of consensus. the debate we are having right now on health care is lacking the simple approach toward not above partisanshi .

in washington, bipartisanship is it you get something, that means i have lost something. unless i am willing to get that something up, i'm not willing to be bipartisan. if this consensus. both sides realize that what is at stake is not my reelection, is not my personal interest, it is the people who sent me to the nation's capital or to my state capital and the expectation that they have and i'm going to represent them in this fight. i'm going to work toward some level of consensus on the issues. that is a challenge. what you see now -- and why the and people have reacted the way they have and why americans have reacted the way they have -- is because they have moved past this a battle. they wanted to see leadership actually engage.

the frustration a lot of folks in washington have is that you still have this tension. -- between democrats and republicans. i'm a partisan fight. i am as partisan as the next book. i love beating of democrats as much as they love beating me up. when you are talking of something that is going to impact your parent and you, your children, that changes the dynamics. the question becomes, how do we begin to engage in a way that young people where you can begin to insert yourself into this discussion and not get caught up in the back and forth. what is at stake here is a nation of debt, a nation that is lurching towards a new definition of the role of government, and it is a fair and honest debate between liberals and conservatives and

republicans and democrats. your voices are a very important part of this. you can sit back and be partisan and say i believe we should do this for this. that is great. then ask yourself are you moving the ball? are you really taking this to where she is talking about, where and her leadership as represented in our state, her goal is to try to work toward some consensus so that she can at least the chief ultimately what people think they are going to get? sometimes you have to give up something to get something. that is part of this discussion. i do not know how does one to turn out? do you? >> i am not sure, but i hope it will turn out good. >> i hope so. who also has an expectation? yes, sir? great, thanks. how are you doing?

>> great. >> what is your name? >> jerry garland. i am a sophomore history major upon graduation, i plan on entering law school. i'm undecided on where i want to go. >> at georgetown is good. off the top of my head. >> the sky is the limit. my main goal is to choose a career in public service that will impact the people the most on the local level. you know, to instill an idea in them of you can make it. >>right. >> always check to find the good in the situation and see what you can learn from it, and not go. >> we all have the ability to

pull ourselves by our own bootstraps if there every once in awhile, you need to bend down and help somebody else part of the legacy in the african- american community in particular has been that. reaching back and pushing forward. you will find as you matriculate through this institution and start walking to the various stores that you have outlined for yourself and others have, that you will run into it to kind people. it is going to be the person that will stand in the door and go, what do you want? i do not know the . who do you know? what do you want to do? why do you want to do it? i will think about it. i will get back to you. the next person you are going to run into is the one who's gone to stand there with their boat jammed in the door and tried to assure you through and punish in

as many people as they can to empower your generation. the question becomes what we talk about career choices, what role do you want to play and how do you play it? part of your time at school is to teach you in training to do that, to be the person to reach back and push forward. i wish you well. your generation -- hopefully, your generation can step up bank take a leadership role. there are challenges. there are challenges about where we are as a community. when you look at the youth criticism -- we the that the rate for drugs and prison -- [unintelligible]

it is certainly rocky. what i hope you appreciate its that it is a lot. in fact, you are already so empowered by the fact that you are here to become a lawyer, to reach back and help others, and do it however you want to do with. i spent a lot of time as a to make governor of maryland visiting with 13-17 year old young men in the baltimore detention center. my frustration was not so much that they were there, it was everyone was telling them that it was all they could do. this was it. i remember sitting there and talking to these young men, had the privilege of asking my body to come in and visit, we had

rev. run come in and talk to these young men about [inaudible] [no audio]

[no audio] hello, i'm hanging in there. it is so nice to have the. >> i am the second year dutch girl student. >> what is it? >> after i finished school, hopefully 2011, alibied to enter into -- i'm going into my 19th year of school. during that time, i only have

two black instructors. i think that -- that a speaks freely about the disparity of blacks and not only grammar school of higher education. what can we do to help increase the numbers of more african- americans in education to alter the perception of educating the masses. >> that is a very important question. nice to me to. how're you? welcome. good to see you. that is an important question, because there are two pillars if you need to appreciate -- that you need to appreciate. once is education. some people think you can

survive with one and not the other. you probably could. i think it is important to appreciate the need both. if you got that educational foundation and that cover and place, and then your ability to do the economic thing is wonderful. this community, our community, can afford more than one bob johnson or oprah winfrey. we can afford more than one individual who rises above and creates wealth. in a lot of folks are giving me a hard time. -- a lot of folks are giving me a hard time when i was talking about hip-hop republicans. i think a lot of people just went to a stereotype, black and white. it was interesting their responses, because what they

were saying was not talking about republicans walking around with the hold bling thing and pants -- that was not it. it was not glorifying what many in the community have been pushing back on in terms of the violence and all the other aspects of some of the music. it was about the ability to create wealth. it was about the ability to create a legacy wealth. you have a generation of african american entrepreneurs who are creating incredible wealth. they are investing it back into themselves and into the community. they are controlling bad wealth. how are they doing it? instead of the publishing or record company owning the rights to the music, and they own the record company.

that is a big difference. instead of someone else controlling the decisions they are making when it comes to their bottom line, they are the determiner of what the bottom line is. it gives us a very interesting challenge when you talk about education in particular. to get to the point, you are going to need that foundation. it is important to have us in that process. one of my frustrations as a chairman is that when i look around for folks to help build our teams, i do not see a lot of folks that look like me. right? it is a real frustration. it says the party had done what it needs to do to engage you and others to be involved in, to be a part of this effort this relationship between the

republican party and a black community. it is also true for someone like you has been -- to has been in school for a long time. it is a symbol of black progress in education. hopefully, to also be an example for a generation behind. there are more than 36 black republicans in the country. the party has ever engaged in a way in which we invite them to be a part of the representative family at a national convention.

that is going to change. i do not know it will look like. it will change. similarly, when you are talking about education, what can we do to begin to educate our own? how will we bend down and reach back to do that? we need those role models. it is tough right now to find them. they are not there. they are not there. it is going to up to you and your peers to begin to change that dynamic. i do know if you are ready to do that. the future is such chaos that it is not very clear. -- it is not very clear whether the job will be there, with the opportunities will be there, and that is why it is important that the all began to engage right now in this great national

debate about the direction in the country -- of the country and the consequences to you and your family as you move to this institution. there will be consequences. indeed will be big. -- and they will be big. in some cases, they will not be pretty. you are a generation of young people who have never seen inflation. you have never seen double-digit interest rates. your college loan probably max out at 7% or 8%. maybe 9%. you are not spending 15%-20% on that money. that is a real prospect. why? because of the way the economy

is changing and how we balance right now the flow of funds, the creation of debt matters. it is not as a political game. it is not just michael still an barack obama going back and forth. -- michael steele and barack obama going back and forth. there is a real discussion of how the next generation of teachers will get paid and entrepreneurs will create legacy well. that is you. that is not 20 years from now. that is literally 20 minutes after you graduate. of what you are engaged now in getting this education -- that will lead europe ability to create wealth, think about -- lead to your ability to create wealth, think about what will be to this. i have my philosophical perspective. the republican party believes

firmly that the government has a limited role here, that you are the true engine of wealth creation. how many of you know or new that over 70% of the jobs in this country are created by ibm, xerox? small business. that is you. when you wake up and say, i think i'm going to do that thing that always wanted to do and start my own business. you are going to go paulson papers. you are going to put money in the bank. you may or may not tell your spouse to to cut a second mortgage. i have been there. -- took out a second mortgage. i have been there. you are going to take a risk. your money, because it comes off of your property --you have to ask yourself, how much of that you want the government to take from you?

how much of that do you want the government to control? that is part of the debate we are seeing unfold today. in my coming here, it was to discuss relates the discussion to engage this generation and the battle of ideas, yet, but also thinking about what the future will look like to you. i think it is a real great opportunity, irrespective of party differences and party lines and all of that. it is a chance for you to be involved and engaged in a way that is unprecedented that we have not seen. this matters to you. whether you like it or know it or not. yes? >> we have a couple of questions that were written ahead of time. we are running a little short on time. we want to take a couple.