when it comes to his commitment to find osama bin laden. -- osama bin laden? >> i do not want to get into it from a pieup here and the effors specifically to root out terrorists. you have seen the president stepped up the pacing in this region of the world, in afghanistan, and in surrounding countries to the point that it has degraded the capabilities of al qaeda. >> hasn't caused any kinds of concerns in this administration -- has it caused any consignconn this administration about voting

in his country? we found the remarks -- >> we found the remarks to be troubling. people that read the remarks here do not understand, based on the notion that what he alleges has fully been investigated. >> but does it concern you that it could permeate other areas? >> the president has been concerned about governance and corruption in afghanistan before the election, during the time that the election was in flux, and on the phone call congratulating president karzai on his reelection. obviously, the team spent an enormous amount of time discussing governance and corruption during the afghanistan-pakistan review that

took place over the fall, over many, many hours. >> why is it important to have it today? >> i do not have the readout on the meeting. as we celebrate easter, the president wanted to have folks here at the white house to share in what is a very important holiday for many. i will try to get a readout with more specifics. >> there was a subset before the whole meeting. >> that is what i was talking about. >> why? >> the president wanted to talk again about the work that the administration is continuing to do. >> on the senses, -- on the census, of one reporter said

that he would not fill out the form. he said that he would pull out his shotgun and see how that little twerp likes being scared at the door and. -- at the door. is there any security for census workers? >> i am sure that people say things like that on tv so that it can be quoted backed by other people. the representation you have been what we colleague representative democracy, i think that is why some like karl rove, who many of us have disagreed with going on many years, understands the

lunacy of ripping up your census form or not sending its and or, god forbid, the remarkably crazy remarks of somebody that would threaten somebody is simply trying to ensure that they are adequately represented in this country. these days, it never ceases to amaze you. usually, it is only a trumped by knowing what someone will say tomorrow. i think lincoln said that it is better to be thawed a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt. i think that would be my advice. >> thank you for giving me a chance to validate lincoln's ". -- against quote.

-- lincoln's quote. [laughter] in a video, pilots can be heard remarking that an individual flee [unintelligible] has the president seen that? do you think that activity on its face is appropriate? >> i do not know whether the president has seen the video that was released on the internet. obviously, is very graphic in nature. it is extremely tragic. for details of the investigation that the defense department and the pentagon did all that around the incident, i would point you over to the department of defense. many of you have traveled with

the president, with this president or other presidents, into war zones. many of you know colleagues that have reported from exceedingly dangerous places in the world. our military will take every precaution necessary to ensure the safety and security of civilians and particularly those that report in those dangers places on behalf of news organizations. >> will there be additional investigation? >> in all honesty, i do not know what has been done previous. that is why i would point to the

department of defense. >> do you have a statement on the decision that came down this morning on net neutrality? related to that, there are two vacancies on the d.c. circuit court that the president has yet to put nominations for appeared why is there a delay? >> i will check -- nominations for. why is there a delay? >> i will check it out. i don't think the white house has an opportunity to fully evaluate the circuit court. [cell phone ringing] is that's a double at the gate? [laughter] i will have a double cheeseburger. [laughter] we have not had an opportunity to fully evaluate the fcc's

decision. >> does it support naturally? >> it does. we are committed to that. we're committed to providing businesses with the certainty that they need as well. thank you. >> thank you for letting so many people ask questions. [laughter] >> i appreciate that pat on the head, lester. [laughter]

>> is booked tv prime time in this weekend. simon johnson talks about the power of wall street banks since the 2008 financial collapse. after that, former secretary treasury henry paulson talked about his memoir. then it is "afterwards." book tv prime time is all this week on c-span 2. first lady michelle obama speaks with the studentcam first prize winner. other student filmmakers from around the country will join in

on the conversation. you can watch it starting at 11:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> this year's studentcam competition asked students to create a five-eight minute video dealing with the country's greatest strengths or hmos that the country is facing. here is one of the first place -- strikes or a challenge that the country is facing. here is one of the first-place winners. >> one of our nation's greatest strengths or the arts. hey there, this documentary is

"art for the sake of work." we have interviewed several professional artist to find out what sets american art apart. in austin, texas, the arts are of the highest importance to the community. this lovely town is the central location for this documentary. a few explanations are in order. what are the arts? arts is defined as the conscious use of skill and creative imagination. in america, there is no shortage of imagination in the slightest. why the arts important? according to stephen shepard, a professor of public affairs at williams college, citizens depend on the arts to get them through tough times. they also provide for the cultural needs of a society at large. in a study done by north adams,

business, law, and health care are men on the fields needing treated talent in society. under the right conditions, culture can pay. >> $5 trillion of american's household wealth evaporated in the last three months. >> is hard to imagine that the arts will be prosperous during the economic recovery. but our first stop is one of austin's most famous pianist. she grew up in south africa. after earning several music degrees, she moved to the u.s. with her husband peter. >> i think it is extremely valuable for people of all ages to be able to use music as a place to retreat from our world come to find a beauty and to find peace and to just enjoy it.

after 9/11, i noticed that students seemed to play the piano in some kind of security when the country was in turmoil. they felt very happy to be able to have music. in this country, over the arts are dependent on individuals giving to a large extent, this has been beneficial and not an official could when i play, -- and not beneficial. i love teaching it and then look to see understandings of me come into somebody's eyes when i am teaching and is a joy to help them, technically, musically, hysterically. >> there you have it. like she said, american citizens use the arts as a retreat and

then economic struggle is both a good and a bad thing for artists for it may provide inspiration, but it does not provide an incentive for corporate sponsors to donate to the arts in the times of economic prosperity. >> we have to have winners and losers in the economy to be prosperous. no one is going to try to do better because no one will get paid for their success. >> our next artist is a glass bower -- a glass blower. we are on our way to his studio, three hours away. on the way, max and i began to talk about howar our economy has done in the past year. >> we have stimulated the economy to grow. in the first quarter of this year, we were down -6.4%.

now we are 2.8% +. that is a swing of 9.2%. so we're very proud of this. >> and here we are, winterly glass blowers. there is next. he holds degrees from the university of texas in austin and the rhode island school of design. >> arts give this nation or any nation is a visual vocabulary. american visual artists, we are constantly trying to reinvent ourselves. sure, this economy means that businesses do not have the money to hire. this is a threshold time. artist who have been successful will be able to make it through the economy. but artist who tried to utilize

the economy to help the economy, they will succeed in the end appeared they will come through this time and have a place in our society. >> in a recent article, on a global scale, the art market has not been doing very well. but in america, the art market is trading. in recent weeks, some contemporary collectors in the u.s. have re-entered the competition. our third artist is the professor of theater at st. edward's university. >> certainly, the arts or the first on the chopping block during times of economic difficulties. in some ways, people look to the arts and people want to be entertained. the arts are restful and inspiring and provide the kind of support that people need in

our economic times. but i do not think that hard economic times are good for the arts. the arts are really more about your soul and your heart rather than things that are lucrative, like money making things. it is not that kind of a feel. they are people with dreams and energy. it is very inspiring. i feel blessed to be a teacher and to be a teacher in the arts. >> in spite of the recent economic recession, the arts are still able to thrive.

>> to see all of the winning entries in this year's studentcam competition, visitt studentca.org. >> the prime minister's labor party is in a tight race with the conservatives. we will hear more about the election announcement tonight. you can sit here on c-span. recent congressional hearings. yoder recalls have called into question -- -- rational hearings on. yoder recalls have called into

question -- on toyota recalls have called into question car safety standards. they will be joined by the president and ceo of the alliance of automobile manufacturers which represents toyota. it begins tonight at 8:00 p.m. on c-span. >> i know with the challenges. we are in a unique position to go to war could what we need is policy makers -- go to war. what we need is policymakers to provide a road map. >> at the news c-span video library, you can research it, watch it, click it, and share it. every c-span program since 1987, the c-span video library, cables latest gift to america.

>> now there is a look at a recent survey taken on corporate ceo pay. this is 40 minutes. lublin, managing editor at the "wall street journal." she is here to talk to was about ceo pay and perks. welcome to the program. guest: thank you for having me. host: the article you wrote last week was based on the recession that says it took its toll on wall street as well as everybody else. tell us about this. guest: what the survey showed was that for the second year in a row, total compensation for the ceos drop. that was not just a consequence of the recession, but outrage on the part of your elders and government regulators over soaring pay. host: it said that bonuses and grants of stock options for the chief executives of 200 major u.s. companies declined 0.9%,

less than 1% to 6.9 $5 million, according to the group management consultancy -- less than 1% to $6.9 5 million, according to the group management consultancy firm. how was the man on the street supposed to feel that they only lost 1% of their salary and are only making $7 million than what they were before? guest: it is better than going the other way, isn't it? host: what does that say to the man on the street, that things are going to get better, that's always are going to come together what? guest: i think what it says to the man on the street is that the man on the street pay has very little to do with what happens to ceo pay. host: how is ceo pay generally affected? is it by performance? if your company does well, are you going to make more money, or

will you make more money regardless? guest: it will vary by company, but public companies, their pay is set by the board. the board looks at different measures for assessing that pay. a lot of it is linked to corporate performance, financial performance. a lot of it is linked to stock performance. the biggest chunk of co competition -- compensation is based on what is happening to the shareholder price. host: 1 ceo of the dish network corp. have the distinction of the harshest drop in pay. he drew a $623,000 salary that was 92.5% lower than his 2008 total compensation even though the company's stock doubled. what happened there? guest: as in many companies, you had situations in which the prior year was even worse, and

in some cases, the ceo had skipped or not gotten a bonus. or in this case, had gotten a bonus the prior year and then did not in 2009. bonuses generally are tied to financial performance as opposed to stock performance. host: you write about the chief executive of general electric, declined a bonus for the second straight year, pushing his total pay lower by 7% to $5.1 million. g,'s stock fell last year. he is doing that -- g.'s stock fell last year. he is doing that as a show of faith. guest: we have seen a couple of ceos doing out where they have refused to take a bonus, or they took salary cuts as their workers and companies got worse in 2009. but in some cases, the game is

back the way it was before. their pay cuts are being restored for 2010. we saw that, for instance, adviser. -- at pfizer. host: we are talking about ceo pay with joann lublin of the "wall street journal." if you want to get involved, the numbers are on the screen. our first call comes from william on our line for republicans out of spokane, washington. caller: i am a disabled vet and i serve this country for capitalism and all of that stuff, but what gets me is if the ceos want to make $100 million per year, fine. but if -- but once you make over $100 million for a year or two years, what do you do with

it then? you cannot spend that in a lifetime. also what irks me is millionaires in congress who are filthy rich, a lot of them, are going after other millionaires, calling them greedy. you've got a millionaire going after another millionaire calling them greedy. and then you've got the little guy like me. let's close all the loopholes for everybody and you pay 10% of your income. it should be good enough for the government. they should start obeying the constitution. host: joann lublin? guest: what is interesting about what he raised is this issue of paying taxes. one of the things that ceos have enjoyed for a long time have been the perks that give them help with preparing their taxes. a lot of perks are going by the

wayside pentico one of them is arnot -- by the wayside and one of them is a financial planning and tax assistance. host: next up is minneapolis, carl on the line for democrats. caller: i am from minnesota and there was a contract there recently for $20 million per year and everyone cheered. my question is about the tax code. i think he said ceo pay is based on performance. who -- i think you said ceo pay is based on performance. i wonder if there are ceos that are paid based on real standards and not just stock. thank you. host: karl i am wondering -- hello? carl is gone. guest: as far as i know, stock

options are not a tax free form of compensation, having been the recipient of them and having had to pay taxes on the benefits. ceos to have well-paid accounts and to find ways to minimize their tax bite, that is true. host: next up is linda on the line for republicans. she is calling from crisfield, md., on the eastern shore. go ahead. linda? i think we have lost linda. let's go to jim on our line for democrats out of massachusetts. all right, we seem to be having some problems with our phones. we're going to clear the calls and let jim back again. in the "wall street journal" last week also, many wall street chief executives took a big pay cut for 2009 but their real

value may have been in deflecting attention from their troops, who enjoyed the largest collective pay on record. sounds like these guys are doing ok. guest: yes, and that article is in today's "wall street journal." very often, the people just below the highest paid executives, their pay goes unnoticed. i take my hat off to the reporters who reported this because some of the numbers are pretty eye-popping. host: the idea is that if you

want to make big bucks, do not be the guy at the top of the pyramid? guest: it probably helps. your name does not appear in the proxy if you are not in one of the five highest-paid officers. host: linda from crisfield, md., are you there? caller: yes, sir. i am a republican. when it is party time, though my heart. -- i voted my heart. but what i'm disturbed about is what they've done to our veterans. our freedom is not free. there have been great prices paid, bloodshed for our freedom. all of these people way up high, these executives making more than the president with these big salaries and bonuses and all, and taking from our