provide services to our citizens, we have doctors who were trained on someone else's nickel. that is not a bad thing. that is a good thing. host: i want to get your reaction to economic news before we let you go. front page of "the financial times." "global fears rock markets. investors sold risky assets and sought safety in the government debt of germany and the united states." what does that tell you? guest: we are sort of having the first major aftershock of the financial crisis of two years ago, and it was predictable. that was predictable both because we had to borrow and spend an extraordinary amount of money here and abroad in order to stabilize the situation, which was done and successful at what was necessary. -- and which was necessary.

but there are consequences to that and we are beginning to see the consequences. but it is also happening because we did not really make the fundamental adjustments we needed to make in the problems that caused the crisis and the first place. host: there is more to talk about there, but unfortunately, we have to stop. the house of representatives is in session. we thank you for joining us this morning. we appreciate your time. we bring you to live coverage of the house. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] children of god. may congress give the lord glory by accomplishing great deeds in his holy name. in the process, may we encourage one another and live in harmony and peace both now and forever. amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings

and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentlewoman from arizona, congresswoman kirk patrick. -- congresswoman kirkpatrk. ms. kirkpatrick: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house the following enrolled bill. the clerk: h.r. 5139, an act to provide for the international organizations immunities act to be extended to the office of the high representative in bosnia and herzegovina and the international civilian office in kosovo. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker, a message from the senate.

the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has agreed with h.con.res 211, recognizing the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the east bay regional park district in california, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? mr. arcuri: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. arcuri: the total program is expected to cost more than $100 billion over the next 30 years to 40 years. the government accounting office says that competition between engine suppliers could have a cost savings of over 20%, a competitive f-35 engine program would reap other benefits such as increased

reliability, improve contractor responsiveness, less chance to ground the entire fleet. chairman andrews and ranking member congressway have stated -- member conway have stated that it will make engines better and save taxpayers money based on the f-16 experience. it is nearly 75% complete. to pull the plug on the program will forfeit funds which have already been spent. competition savings taxpayers money. it's been proven in the other fighter engine program. why wld we write a blank check to sangle supplier for over 40 -- to a single supplier for over 40 years? i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? mr. wilson: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, republicans are leading the char on creative, interactive initiatives that give the

american people a seat in congress. hardworking taxpayers are frustrated by business as usual in washington, particularly when it comes to liberals dragging their feet on bills while continue to rack up on spending. a website launched by deputy chief mccarthy to make voices heard and share policy concepts. i believe this online forum will have more job creation proposals and more concepts on how to cut spending in just one day than the washington liberals have presented all year. i encourage south carolina residents and americans across the country to go to americaspeakingout.com to amplify your proposals on fiscal accountability, american jobs and values. it's time for you to speak out and speak up. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? >> good morning, mr. speaker.

i request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker p tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. kucinich: the thee logan wrote that the great work of our lives is to reconcile with nature. to come to establish a communion with every living species on the planet with all huma, all animals, plants, with the land, the air and the water. as children of a common creator we are part of every living thing. this requires reverence for the natural world. when we look at the oil disaster in the gulf of mexico we learn how far we must journey to reconcile with nature. the false doctrine of subduring the natural world puts us in danger of extinction because it tax the precondition of human existence and because it separates us of the understanding of the disconnectiveness of all life. so we allow to distance ourselves on the oil disaster, from the effects of future generation. nature's god is not just up there but in all of us and when we truly understand the deep gnificance of the deepwater horizon disaster will we be

prepared to take a new directionnot only with our energy policies but with our way of life. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? mr. pitts: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. pitts: mr. speaker, this week the house is going to consider another so-called jobs bill, but what is really in this bill? certainly not many private sector jobs or real help to america small businesses. extending unemployment compensation is necessary, but it's not creating jobs. a delayed fix to the medicare reimbursement rate isn't creating new jobs. billions of dollars to bail out state medicaid programs isn't jobs. welfare payments isn't jobs. we are about to spend $200 billion on a so-called jobs bill without creating any private sector jobs. just a few months ago i polled 16,000 of my constituents, only 12% of them believe that

government policies are making it easier to create jobs. is it any wonder why americans have this opinion? the so-called jobs bill this week permanently raises taxes to pay for one-year tax extension. unemployment is nearly 10%. millions of americans have given up looking for jobs. we need to stop making it harder for businesses to hire and start provide real relief and targeted tax breaks. that would be a real jobs bill. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from arizona rise? mrs. kirkpatrick: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. mrs. kirkpatrick: mr. speaker, on monday, memorial day, folks across america will come together to pay tribute to our greatest heroes, those who fought and died to keep this nation safe and free. we owe them and all of our men and women in uniform an eternal debt of gratitude. sadly, washington has not always done enough to pay their

debt. even now, many native american veterans are struggling to keep a roof over their heads because of their service. they are being denied housing assistance because they are receiving benefits that they have earned with their sacrifices. i introduced the housing act to right this wrong. it makes sure that veterans' disabilities is not counted as income on a critical native american housing act. this program will bring housing to our veterans who have paid -- already paid the price. this house approved the bill unanimously last month so that native americans should no -- not -- no longer have to wait for this justice. i call on the senate to observe this memorial day by passing this important measure. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. johnson: ask unanimous

consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. a new poll shows that 63% of the american public wants to repeal the expensive government-run health spending law. 63% represents the largest opposition to the law since its enactment. it's no surprise as the law forces peopleo hand over their hard-earned tax dollars to buy health insurance or else. as a constitutional conservative, i have to agree with the 63% of american voters who want this expensive, irresponsible, overreaching law repealed and replaced. democrats were wrong on the bill's cost, wrong on the effective and the wrong on the issue of abortion. we must have real reforms and lower health care costs without subjecting us to any nationalized health plan. america does not want neither

deserve government-controlled health care. thepeaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to urge the u.n. security council to reject iran's attempt to continue down the path of nuclear proliferation. mr. quigley: iran would have us believe that the deal they made with turkey was the same that tehran rejected in october. the truth is it's not even close. this agreement would allow iran to keep more of its nuclear materials and maintain access to the dangerous supplies it would send to turkey. the security council must recognize the severity of the threat posed by a nuclear iran. they must choose a deal based on substance over convenience. but most of all, it must remember the safety and security of the state of israel and the israeli people.

in the face of iran's latest diplomatic diversion, it is more important than ever that we levy real sanctions against the nation bent on destroying a friend, the future of israel, our most important ally, depends on it. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. pence: well, after years of being shut out of the debates here on capitol hill, seeing runaway federal spendings, bailouts and takeovers built behind closed doors, the american people finally have a y in. an unambiguous seat at the table. it's called americaspeakingout.com. americaspeakingout.com. republicans have been offering positive solutions to the challenges facing this country in building a governing agenda for this congress, republicans

have been listening to the american people and americaspeakingout.com is a continuation of that process. house republicans are not a party in search of our principles. we know what we believe. we're committed to the principles of economic growth, fiscal discipline, a strong defense and traditional american values. but we simply believe that the best ideas in america come from the american people. that's why we launched americaspeakingout.com. so i urge all hoosiers and frankly all my countrymen, whatever your politics, whatever your philosophy, join us for the conversation at americaspeakingout.com. house republicans are listening. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? mr. cohen: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. on monday it was my birthday and didn't go quite as planned. so one of the things did i is went to arlington cemetery and spent four hours looking at the graves and looking at the

people who wish they had a birthday. i visited the kennedy grave and let the word go forth and i visited robert kennedy's grave and the tiny ripples of hope that can wipe down the halls of oppression. i want to read from one tombstone. where there is injustice we should correct it, where there is poverty we should eliminate, where there is corruption we should stamp it out, where there's violence we should punish it, where there is neglect we should provide care, where there is war we should restore peace, we should add them permanently to our storehouse of treasures. this from the vice-presidential candidate of the grand old party in 1948, the nominee for the supreme court and the chief justice when republicans were republicans. thank god for it. god bless the united states and may god save the gulf of mexico because it doesn't look like

anybody else is going to. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i'm troubled by this administration's commitment -- this lack of commitment of enforcing our national immigration laws. just last week, john morton, assistant secretary of homeland security for the u.s. emigration and customs enforcement said that his agency will not necessarily process illegal immigrants referred to them by arizona officials. in light of their new state law, my district contains two permanent i.c.e. offices and i'm seriously concerned that one of the top officials in the obama administration in charge of enforcing our nation's immigration laws is refusing to do his job. regardless of his personal feelings on the arizona immigration law, assistant secretary morton has an obligation to enforce the rule of law and protect u.s. citizens and legal residents.

arizona is under siege with both human and drug smuggling, and it son the front lines dealing with mexico's drug violence that is spilling over into the united states. on behalf of my constituents and millions of americans, i urge president obama and immigration and customs enforcement secretary morton to enforce our immigration laws. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. sanchez: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to remember an extraordinary young woman, a scholar, an activist, miss tran of garden grove, calirnia, who waecently killed in a head-on collision with her close friend, cynthia perez. tan was the daughter of a

refugee couple who escaped vietnam. she graduated from santiago high school, attended santa ana college, transferred to ucla, earned a bachelor degree in american literature and culture, and was a doctoral student at brown university. tan was also a courageous leader who inspired many through her personal story of immigration. in 2007 the u.s. immigration and customs enforcement agency raided the tran home and subsequently arrested tan and some of her family members. representives wrote a letter to then secretary rice urging her to uphold the u.s. policy regarding the return of refugees to the socialist republic of vietnam. that allowed them to remain in the united states. i yield back. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman

from connecticut rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, on may 7, united technologies corporation, the largest private employer in the state of connecticut, announced they were going to take advantage of the health care reform law and extend age 26 coverage to all their employees' families. a few years days later, mohegan casino, made the same decision. mr. courtney: under prior reform, during graduation time, graduating students get a diploma in one hand and a note from their parents' insurer saying they are being picked off. because of th law, they will now be able to use their parents' health insurance. for the voice who is call for repeal i challenge them to tell those families we should repeal that provision and kick their kids off health insurance. in a few days we are going to pass a defense authorization bill which will extend age 26 coverage for tricare so military

families will also be able to ensure -- insure their i kids up to age 26. that's why health care reform was needed in this country. we are providing 14 million young adults with health insurance coverage by age 2014. it is because we took that step we are going to provide access to that population. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. baca: our immigration system is broken. yet there are those who refuse to do anything about it. the misguided arizona law, sd-1070, has made it difficult for families and have started to leave the state. the general atmosphere in arizona is one of distrust, fear, not just for hispanic families but for our communities of color. in the media blatant attacks, hate speeches, negative images of latinos only adds to the fuel and fire. immigration reform is about people, all of us. it's about families, our

neighbors, our fellow parishioners, our classmates, our children. make no mistake, immigration will not go away by just attacking those without a voice. i urge my colleagues, both democrats and republicans, to roll up their sleeves and pass comprehensive immigration reform that will reinforce strong security in our borders, strong sanctions against employers who hire the undocumented workers, and deny our families. we need comprehensive immigration now. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. gutierrez: mr. speaker, here's an excerpt straight from b.p.'s website, quote, code of conduct is the cornerstone of their commitment to integrity. you can't make this stuff up. it goes on to say, quote, great companies are built on trust. trust is earned, it says, through an achievement of consistently high standards of

behavior and care. wait, it gets better. the document also says that among the quote basic rules you must follow at b.p. is to always, quote, make sure you know what to do if an emergency occurs at your workplace. straight from b.p.'s website. well, 40 days into one of the worst ecological disasters of our time, b.p. has yet to meet its own commitment in its website to its own integrity. if the code of conduct is consistently violated, then that employer, contractor would be terminated. the american people should demand no less. today i plan to introduce an amendment to the department of defense authorization bill to begin the process of terminating b.p.'s business with the american people. please join me in supporting my amendment to ensure that b.p. is permanently banned from profiteering from the american taxpayer. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute.

mr. sires: mr. speaker, today i rise to honor the achievements of an expiring student athlete, melissa of cane university. melissa and all-american senior basketball guard finished her career this past march to become the ncaa division iii leader with all-time games played with 128. she also became their all-time leading scorer. closing her career with 1,934 points. and hosts the ncaa all division record for three points with 397. in addition to be chosen for the 2010 ncaa division iii state coaches all-american team, she has been named as the eastern college athletic division iii region player of the year and new jersey athletic player of the year. highlights of her career have been featured in the "new york times" and "sports illustrated." melissa has served -- has boat,

an exemplar student athlete and role model for young girls and women making her family, university, the community of union city very proud. she's an inspiration to many and i want to congratulate her and her family and i look forward to her many future successes on and off the court. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. this past friday the senate environment and public works committee released a report that outlines the economic impact of the e.p.a.'s holding up of perfectly valid mining permits. mr. rogers: this report brings to life yet another -- light yet another example of the e.p.a.'s war on coal that threatens our energy and economic security. the report found that 190 coal mining operations are being held up.

these mines are expected to produce over two billion tons of coal, and 81 small businesses rely on these permits to keep their doors opened. the e.p.a. is jeopardizing one out of every four coal mining jobs, and over 162,000 indirect jobs in appalachia. enough is enough. with nearly double-digit unemployment throughout the appalachian region, the obama administration should tell its e.p.a. to stop its political attacks on coal. now is the time to put politics aside so thousands of citizens in appalachia can return to work. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from maine rise? ms. pingree: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. pingree: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i want to talk about h.r. 4213 and the impact

it will have on an economy that may be improving bu has not gone far enough yet. this important bill will put the folks in maine back to work by increasing investment in our communities and businesses and by closing tax loopholes. because of this bill, small businesses are the backbone of our economic recovery will have increased access to credit. the build america bonds program will continue to allow towns to invest in improving their infrastructure and provide good-paying construction jobs for many americans. in my home state of maine, extending the research and development tax credit helps important businesses like idex to grow and devep innovative new products, and i'm proud to say this bill also cracks down on tax loopholes that allow hedge fund managers to avoid paying income tax on much of their salaries and multinational cormings don't avoid paying taxes by shifting their profits to offshore tax hachese. closing tax loopholes generates billions of dollars to pay for

the provision that is create jobs in our community. i look forward to voting yes on this important bill. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i thank you, mr. speaker. yesterday, mr. speaker, we heard some revisionist economic history that mike even pinocchio blush. our friends on the other side of the aisle sometimes want the public to forget. we inherited an economy in free fall last january. mr. connolly: g.d.p. plummeted a -- 5.4%. this congress took decisive action to halt that downward spiral. known as the great recession. those efforts are yielding results today. fostering 290,000 jobs. last month, 600,000 jobs so far this year. on track to create more jobs this year than in the previous eight years under their rule. in my virginia district alone we created 4,000 jobs last month and saw the umployment rate

drop. the national economy has posted positive growth in each of the last three quarters, jumping 5.6% alone in the first quarter. mr. speaker, our republican colleagues continue to advocate for the policies that previously drove us into an economic ditch. we have chosen a new path and it's those actions putting americans back to work today. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlady from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise to commemorate the asian-pacific american heritage month, and remarkable contributions of the community to our nation. i'm a proud member of the congressional asian pacific american caucus and my district includes some of the most robust and active filipino and chinese communities in america. for centuries our nation has been strengthened by the ennormous courage from immigrants across the globe and

the asian american pacific islander community is no exception. ms. speier: i know firsthand how weaving values and principle from our cultures into our national fabric makes our country great. the heroes of the aapi community represents the very best aspects of american life and their contributions have been invaluable to my district, the state of california, and to our country. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky rise? mr. yarmuth: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. yarmuth: mr. speaker, when the supreme court handed down a decision in the citizens united case which allowed corporations, including foreign corporations, to spend money to advocate candidates in american elections, many people might have thought this was an abstract threat. but the events of the last month probably should convince them otherwise. last year b.p. oil made $14 billion in profit. if they took 1/10 of that profit, $1.4 billion, they could

spend $3 million in every congressional district for every election. it might be less expensive for them to buy congress than it would be to pay the damages that they have done to this country. rand paul who is running for the senate, he said president obama was being un-american when he said he wanted to keep his foot on the throat of b.p. oil. you think rand paul might be getting some campaign expenditures from b.p. this year? the damage that b.p. oil has done to our country is not nearly as great as the damage which the citizens united case can do to our democracy. we need to pass the disclose act and put limits corporation's ability to influence american elections. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection on clause 6 of rule 20. record votes on postponed questions will be taken later.

for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >>r. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.res. 1347. the clerk: tort the title 69 resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1347, resolution honoring the workers who perished on the deepwater horizon offshore oil platform in the gulf of mexico off the coast of louisiana, extending condolences to their families, and recognizing the valiant efforts of emergency response workers at the disaster site. . the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california, ms. speer, and the gentleman from louisiana, -- ms. speier, and the gentleman from louisiana, mr. cow, will each control 20 minutes -- mr. cao, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. speier speier -- ms. speier: i ask unanimous

consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. speier: and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. speier: this resolution recognizes the workers who perished on the deepwater horizon following the explosion may 20 of this year. we offer our prayers and condolences to their families. h.res. 1347 was introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from louisiana, representative charlie melancon on may 11, 2010. the measure was reported to the committee on oversight and government reform which waives the measures to expedite the consideration the floor today. the measure has support of over 50 members of the house. mr. speaker, the death of the 11 workers on the deepwater horizon offshore oil platform last month were a tragic reminder of the severe hazards that offshore workers face every day. as we mourn the loss of these men, let us take a moment to

reaffirm our commitment to the safety of our offshore oil workers and all americans who perform such dangerous and necessary work every day. let us also take a moment to commend our coast guard and the local rescue crews for their tireless efforts responding to this catastrophe. their job is incredibly difficult and dangerous, and we thank them for their ha work. mr. speaker, the deepwater horizon explosion on the -- and the ongoing crisis of the oil spill it produced has significant political and policy ramifications. we'll debate these here on the house floor, but that is not what we are here to do today. as we are joined today by the family of one of the victims of the explosion, let us put aside all differences and offer our united, heart felt and profound sympathies to the families and friends of these 11 workers. i would now like to place into the congressional record the names of these hardworking

americans who lost their lives in this tragedy. dale, donald clark, roy wyatt kemp, jason andrewson, -- anderson, steven curtis, carl, blair, dewie, shane and adam. i urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure. i thank the gentleman from louisiana for introducing it, and i also thank the chairman of the committee of oversight and government reform, congressman towns of new york, as well as the ranking member, representative issa of california, for their support. thank you, mr. speaker. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from louisiana is recognized. mr. cao: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman is recognized. mr. cao: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of house resolution 1347. this resolution honors the workers who perished on the deepwater horizon offshore oil platform off the coast of louisiana and extends our sincerest condolences to those families. it also recognizes the valiant efforts of emergency response workers and volunteers at the disaster site. i commend my colleague and friend, congressman melancon, for bringing this important piece of legislation before the house. and i extend my appreciation to him and to the rest of my colleagues in the louisiana congressional delegation for working together to address this disaster. mr. speaker, i have come to the house floor a number of times since april 20 speaking of the ongoing impact of this tragedy on the gulf coast.

today, i want to focus on those lives who were lost that day and those who continue to respond to the crisis. as i listened to my colleagues support this resolution, my heart is heavy. as with their family and friends, i mourn the loss of those who died aboard the platform. on that tragic day, the 11 men, jason, aaron, donald, steven, roy, carl, gordon, blair, dewie, shane and adam were on the rig doing what they do best. the demand of working the rig is great. it is physically demanding work and it takes loved ones away from their families for long stretches of time. our coastline is a working

coastline because we are blessed with abundant resources in the gulf of mexico. from fishermen to those working the rig, each day you can find thousands on the water laboring to produce these resources and to contribute to the industry and economy of this nation. on april 20, the 11 men were working to provide the energy that has driven this nation for centuries and that continues to be a force in the economy of my home state of louisiana. this is dangerous work and it is our responsibility to ensure that safety precautions are taken and that procedures are strictly followed. the explosion is being investigated by congressional committees, and it is our responsibility to ensure the findings are swiftly addressed with new policies to strengthen safety procedures for those

working in dangerous conditions. you have my word this will be done. this nation has come together as one and this is especially the case for those along the coast. i wish to recognize the extraordinary work of the thousands of volunteers and the emergency personnel, from the red cross to the u.s. cot guard whose unhesitating response to the call of need thus represents the compassion and dedication of this great nation. to the families of the 11 who perished, i know there is nothing my colleagues or i can say will return your sons, husband, brothers home to you, but it is my hope that the gratitude we express on behalf of the citizens of this great nation will provide some comfort to you while you grieve your loss. in closing, mr. speaker, i ask my colleagues to support house resolution 1347.

thank you, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from california. ms. speier: mr. speaker, i now yield to the gentleman from and great leader from louisiana, mr. melancon, as much time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for as much time as he may consume. mr. melancon: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, representative speier. i rise today with a heavyeart to remember the 11 men that died in the offshore rig, deepwater horizon. those men and thousands of them like them, women included, travel to offshore rigs every day to work hard and provide opportunities for us to make a living. as a crisis in the gulf of mexico continues to grow, we see shortlines, fisheries and other -- shorelines, fisheries and other economies threatened. this has the entire gulf coast and country watching to see how soon we can end this. setting aside the present crisis for a moment, i am proud to stand with members of this congress to remember those men

who represent a very human face to this tragedy. i'd also like to take a moment to recognize the families of those 11 people. those men were doing what so many other men and women do in louisiana every day. they were working to provide a better life for their families while braving difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions to provide domestic energy needed to drive our nation and our economy. our thoughts are with these families, and i pray that their grief is not forgotten by the rest of us. and as we should also recognize, the courage, work of the emergency responders who fought the blaze and saved lives that night. the loss of those loving workers is a high cost to their families, and so i ask everyone to please remember the personal side to this tragedy as we move forward. please keep them in your thoughts and particularly keep them in your prayers. i thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time.

the gentlelady from california reserves thealance of her time. the gentleman from louisiana. mr. cao: thank you, mr. speaker. and i would like to yield to my distinguished colleague and friend from louisiana, mr. alexander, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for two minutes. mr. alexander: i thank the gentleman for yielding. all those along the gulf coast there are communities, many communities, hundreds of miles from the edge of the water, communities that are filled with families that for generation after generation have produced the workers that are required to produce gas and oil in the gulf region. some of those workers leave home for a period of seven days, 14 days, perhaps 21 days before coming home. sadly, some never return home. families can't be prepared for losing those loved ones. and for that our hearts and prayers go out.

and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from louisiana reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from california. ms. speier: mr. speaker, i continue to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from louisiana. mr. cao: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to my distinguished colleague from the state of louisiana, mr. scalise. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for three minutes. mr. scalise: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my colleague from new orleans. this is a sad time for those of us from south louisiana. it's a sad time, especially as we look at what's happening every day as more oil gushes into our marchland, our valuable, fragile ecosystem. but if there's anything that eclipses the sadness that we're experiencing on the coast, it's the loss of those 11 lives, the

11 brave men who died on that horizon rig and the families that they left behind. so many of those young men left behind young children and wives who now have to cope with the loss and somehow find way -- find a way to move on. our prayers go out to those who lost their lives and those families who are continuing to experience the tragedy that we're all so sorry for experiencing othe gulf coast. so it's a sad time for all of us on the gulf coast, but we want to give a special pause for those families who lost lives and the young children and spouses they leave behind. with that i thank the gentleman from louisiana. i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from louisiana reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from california.

ms. speier: mr. speaker, i again reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california continues to reserve ballot of her time. theentleman from louisiana. mr. cao: mr. speaker, it seems i don't have anyore speakers so i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana yields back the balance of her time. the gentlelady from california. ms. speier: if the gentleman is ready to close we can -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlelady from california is recognized. ms. speier: thank you, mr. speaker. i encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting h.res. 1347, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california yields back the balance of her time. all time having been yielded back the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1347. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. ms. speier: mr. chairman -- mr. speaker, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california requests the yeas and nays. the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted.

a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? ms. speier: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1073. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1073, resolution supporting the goals and ideals of r.v. centennial celebration month to recognize and honor 100 years of the enjoyment of recreational vehicles in the united states. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california, ms. speier, and the gentleman from louisiana, mr. cao, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. ms. speier: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. speier: mr. speaker, i now yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for as much time as she may consume.

ms. speier: i rise in support of h.res. 1073, a measure supporting the goals and ideals of r.v. centennial celebration month. this measure was introduced by my colleague, the gentleman froindiana, representative joe donnelly, on february 4 of this year. it was referred to the committee on oversight and government reform, which waives consideration of the measure to expedite its consideration on the house flootoday. . mr. speaker, r.v.ing is one of the great american traditions in travel. the 30 million americans who regularly vacation via the recreational vehicles get to travel far and wide around our country. exploring our majestic landscape, our national and state parks, and taking part in a healthy outdoor activity. r.v.'s help them do so at a price affordable to families. these are destinations across our 50 states and we can all agree we would love more americans to visit the places

most proud of in our community. for instance i would love they -- if they came to cast their eyes on the golden state bridge. r.v.'s make exploring our great country a practical option for many families. the first r.v.'s came into mass production 100 years ago this june. let us now take time to mark that significant moment in american history by supporting this resolution. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from louisiana. mr. cao: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for as much time as he m consume. mr. cao: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of house resolution 1073, supporting the goals and ideals of r.v. centennial celebration month t recognize and honor 100 years of enemployment of recreational vehicles in the united states. since 1910 when the first

mass-produd manufactured motorized campers appeared, people in recreational vehicles still set out to see the country and enjoy the life of the open road. r.v.'s have certainly gained popularity over the past 100 years. today over 30 million recreational vehicle enthusiasts enjoy this pleasant way to vacation. recreational vehicles offer a way for families to experience all kinds of outdoor activities, especially in our national park s, lakes, and oceans. hundreds of thousands of americans benefit from this industry, including recreational vehicle manufacturers, dealers, and r.v. employees across the united states. it is the freedom to share the excitement of exploring historical landmarks, supporting events, and family camping that explains the appeal of an r.v. for so many of our citizens. on june 7, 2010, we will have

the opportunity to celebrate the introduction of the recreational vehicle in the united states in elkhart, indiana, where the r.v. hall of fame rye sides. this centennial is thought to be a nostalgic celebration of the freedom and enjoyment that r.v.'s have brought to so many americans in the last 100 years. i support the passage of this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from california. miss spiers: mr. speaker, i now yield to the gentleman from indiana, mr. donnelly, as much time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana is recognized for as much time as he may consume. mr. donnelly: thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise in strong support of house resolution 1073, a bipartisan resolution recognizing and supporting the goals of r.v. centennial celebration month in june, 2010. the first mass-produced manufactured motorized campers and camping trailers appeared in the american marketplace for

commercial sale in 1910. this resolution seeks to honor and commemorate america's 100 years of enthe gentleman from -- enjoyment of r.v.'s. it also offers an opportunity to recognize the workers who make r.v.'s, the entrepreneurs who started these companies, and whose passion has created jobs and opportunity for so many people. and the homegrown industry that has developed to support this great american pastime and provide good-paying jobs for thousands of families. i have the privilege of representing a large portion of the r.v. industry. it is crucial to northern indiana's economy. r.v. manufacturing has long been a majoeconomic driver in places like elkhart by directly employing thousands of people in the r.v. plants and thousands more in suppliers factory. not to mention the contributions to the local municipal tax base. the economic importance of r.v.'s and camping extend well

beyond my district, of course, to the entire united states. r.v. manufacturing is big business in oregon, iowa, and elsewhere. camping and v.v. tourism pump millions 23450 our park and vacation destinations each and every year. for a century, through war and peace, boons and bus, and technology fads -- technological fads, r.v.'s have been a mainstay of american highways, campgrounds, sporting events, and driveways. the r.v. lifestyle is still going strong. today one in 12 american households own an r.v. and over 30 million take part in this affordable and environmentally friendly form of vacationing each year. we all represent families who own r.v.'s and enjoy the freedom of travel and family adventure they provide. despite the economic ups and downs, r.v.'s allow families an affordable way to travel and to explore this country's amazing

natural resources. this year the r.v.ing community will celebrate their centennial with a series of events that culminate on the 100th anniversary party hosted june 7 at the r.v. hall of fame in elkhart, indiana. this resolution to recognize june, 2010, as rv centennial celebration month provides a fitting endorsement of the 100-year journey of a uniquely american product. this resolution enjoys the support of over 50 bipartisan co-sponsors. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and pass house resolution 1073. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana yields back the balance of his time. the gentlelady from california reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from louisiana. mr. cao: thank you, mr. speaker. i just want to let the gentleman from indiana know that i grew up in go shen, indiana -- govhen,

indiana, which is 20 miles from elkhart. so i know how important this r.v. industry is to that area. with that being said i would like to ask that all r.v. owners please spend some time and drive down to louisiana, especially new orleans. we have the best restaurants in the world, the best seafood, and our culture is unequal. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana yields back the balance of his time. the gentlelady from california. miss spiers: -- miss spiers i -- ms. spiers: i thank the gentleman. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: all time having been yielded back, the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1073. spafere. -- those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to, and without obction the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.

search for what purpose does the gentlelady from nevada seek recognition? ms. berkley: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, house resolution 1391, as amended. the speaker pro mpore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1391. resolution congratulating israel for its accession to membership in the organization for economic cooperation and development. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlelady from nevada, ms.

berkley, and the gentlelady from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from nevada. ms. berkley: thank you, mr. speaker. i as unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. berkley: mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself as much time as i may consume. the chair: the gentlelady-- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for as much time as she may consume. ms. berkley: israel's accession into the economic cooperative and development is a testimony to israel's remarkable economic success and diplomatic acuemen. the 30-member states of the oecd is a recognition of israel's economic strength and democracy and its ability to contribute to

the organization and world's economy. israel was one of the few economies in the world to have positive economic growth in the midst of last year's global economic crisis. and it is expected to grow at least 3.5% in 2010. as a member of the oecd israel will be in n even better position to advance key economic sectors of its economy, including technology, medicine, and agriculture. this will prove beneficial not only to the state of israel but as the record of israeli entrepreneurial createivity attests to the entire world. mr. speaker, israel's accession to the oecd is an important achievement for the state of israel but also demonstrates the importance of u.s. engagement in multilateral organizations. without the emphatic support of the obama administration's delegation to the oecd, israel almost certainly would still be waiting at the organization's door knocking to come in.

i would like to congratulate and thank our oecd mission in paris for their hard work, this strong team of minimum lats worked tirelessly to support israel's oecd candidacy and dutifully ensure that israel's candidacy was not politicized and judged by objective economic and democratic standards. mr. speaker, the lesson from this victory is clear, u.s. engagement works. without a strong presence at international -- at this international organization, we risk leaving our ally, israel, to battle alone against its many biased critics. it'smportant to remember that maintaining a strong u.s. voice in international organizations isn't important just for america's interest but for israel's interest as well. i want to thank the obama administration for their strong support for israel at the oecd and i look forward to working with them to ensure that the same support going -- that there is the same support ing

forward. at the oecd, u.n., and other multilateral organizations. unanimous vote by oecd members to admit israel not only highlights israel's growing global economic importance, which it certainly does and is, but also represents an important sign that the u.s. when properly engaged can help defeat the unrelenting efforts of israel detractors and may i say haters. mr. speaker, i'd like to thank my dear friend, the ranking member, ileana ros-lehtinen, for introducing this important resolution. for making israel's accession to the oecd possible. i encourage all my colleagues to vote yes on this resolution. and i wnt to thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from nevada reserves the balance of her time. the gentlelady from florida. miss ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield 3450eu self such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for as much time as she may consume. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my good friend, the

lovely lady from nevada, ms. berkley, for those kind words. and we've got a good strong partnership when it comes to promoting the ideals of freedom, democracy, and the rules of law. in that category israel will always stand out. i'm proud obviously to support this resolution which i authored and sponsored. house resolution 1391, which congrats israel on being approved for membership in the organization for economic cooperation and development. the oecd brings together governments committed to democracy and a market economy in advancing freedom, in advancing prosperity. the recent unanimous support of oecd member states for israel's membership is a well deserved seal of approval for israel, one that can reinforce its progress and will benefit both israel and

the members of the oecd. mr. speaker, the history of israel's pursuit of membership in the oecd speaks volumes about the nature of israel, also lamentably of the palestinian leadership, and of the u.s. engagement in international organizations. israel, the free democratic country that it is, pursued oecd membership not with a sense of entitlement buttle with patience and eagerness -- with a sense of entitlement but with patience and eagerness to demonstrate its competition and improving itself in the process. israel first sent a delegation to the oecd in 1994. in the 16 years since that time, israel has carried out far-reaching economic reform with respect to taxes, labor, competition, capital market, pension funds, energy, communication, transport,

housing. mr. speaker, the list goes on anon. and it has grown into a now booming private sector and streamlined its overgrown public sector. . israel is now a world leader in science, technology, entrepreneurship, home to the most high-technology startup companies, scientific publications and research and development spending per capita. and it has been the most active, nonmember country in the oecd. becoming a member or observer in dozens of working bodies, party to numerous oecd declarations and coming into compliance with multiple oecd standards. israel also continues to uphold

the democratic values of its founding with a vibrant political system, a robust and autonomous judiciary and a commitment to human rights. in short, israel's democracy, its prosperity and her freedom are a model for many nations and many people. israel has clearly made its case for oecd membership. the palestinian leadership, in contrast, has spent the last 16 years demonstrating time after time that it never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. it it has rejected every offer of peace from israel. it has refused to recognize israel's right to exist as a jewish state. it has failed to crack down on violent extremism and anti--israel incitement. indeed -- anti-israel incitement. indeed it has encourage such

behavior. it has boycotted such israeli goods. and the prime minister, whom some consider a moderate, even participated in a mass burning of such goods. and it has consistently tried to use international organizations, from the u.n. general assembly to the human rights council with its infamous goldstone report to the international criminal court, to demonize and delegitimize israel. the palestinian government tried to block israel's membership in the oecd with the same palestinian authority prime minister personally lobbying foreign governments to oppose israel's membership. is this a partner for peace, mr. speaker? but it gets worse. a former p.a. foreign minister and senior advisor announced last week that the p.a. was

intensifying its diplomatic and economic offensive against israel. he said that p. needed, and i quote, to increase our efforts in the international arena to isolate and punish israel. prevent it from deepening its relations with the european union and attempt to expel it from the united nations. he continues, we must pursue israel in all international bodies and institutions, end quote. and palestinian leaders keep threatening violence to extract concession. instead of focusing on building a better future for its people, the palestinian leaders are focusing on tearing down that future for israel and her citizens. this congress should not reward such behavior by providing yet another $400 million bailout to the west bank and gaza, including another $150 million in cash directly to the p.a.

finally, israel's candidacy for oecd membership teaches us a lesson about when and how the u.s. should participate in international forum and when and how it should not. the oecd is what the u.n. was intended to be, a group of free , democratic countries cooperating to advance their values and shared interests. it has rigorous membership standards, and new members must be approved by all existing members. as secretary general -- its secretary general has demonstrated commitment to ensuring that israel's candidacy and others are determined on the merit and are not politicized. that's why the u.s. should and does participate in the oecd, including by actively supporting israel's candidacy for membership. in contrast, the u.n.'s

misnamed human rights council has no meaningful standards for membership other than the ability to gain the support of a mere majority of the u.n. general assembly, which is in itself includes scores of countries that are not free democracies. in the most recent so-called election, using the term loosely, to the human rights council earlier this month, every single candidate, no matter how repressive the candidate, ran on previously agreed upon regional slates. that's not democracy. it's what happens in the castro brother's cuba. and so it is no surprise that the cuban regime is a longstanding member of the rogue's gallery that is the human rights council, as are china, saudi arabia and nowshah daffy's libyan regime. -- and now qaddafi's libyan regime. none of these countries are

condemned by the human rights council for their rampant human rights violations, nor is iran, nor is syria, but the council has devoted 80% of its resolutions and about half of its special sessions to bashing the democratic jewish state of israel. and it has passed numerous other anti-freedom measures. the administration's decision to join the council in the last year of the u.s. membership on that council have not changed these grim facts lamently. when the deck is stack against freedom and against democracy, the answer should be not to participate and instead vote no. the answer is for the u.s. and other responsible nations to walk out and demand better. today, however, in this legitimate and disting wished house, i will proud -- distinguished house, i will

proudly vote yes on this resolution. i encourage all of my colleagues to do the same. i thank my good friend and colleague from new york, mr. crowley, for co-sponsoring this resolution with me. i thank our wonderful chairman, chairman berman, for agreeing to move us so profertly f floor consideration, and i -- profertly for floor consideration, and i thank my good friend -- promptly for floor consideration, and i thank my good friend from nevada, ms. berkley, for standing on the side of democracy. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida reserves the balance of her time. the gentlelady from nevada. ms. berkley: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for as much time and she may consume. ms. berkley: thank you very much. i think it's plain to see from the words of my esteemed colleague that israel's -- the extraordinary impact on the global economy, the extension to the oecd will have a positive impact on our global

economy at a time when our economy is suffering worldwide. it would be my hope that the palestinians rather than to continue to refuse to make peace with israel continue its terrorist attacks on innocent israelis, its continuance to have face-to-face negotiations with the israelis for peace, to enact anti-semitism and hate toward israel and to delegitimize israel's right to exist that perhaps it would be more worthwhile for the palestinian people if its leaders would work with israel to improve its own economic situation, to raise the palestinian people from the misery, poverty and squalor in which they live and which they continue to live, not because of the israeli success but because of the lack of movement on the part of the palestinian leadership that continues to use and abuse their own people in attempt to delegitimize

israel's very right to exist. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from nevada reserves the balance of her time. the gentlelady from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i have no further requests for time, and i yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida yields back the balance of her time. ms. berkley: seeing no additional requests to speak, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: all time having been yielded back, the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass house resolution 1391 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is passed and without objection -- ms. berkley: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from nevada. ms. berkley: on that i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: all those in favor of taking the vote by the yeas and nays wl rise will rise and remain standing until counted.

a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. pursuant to clause 12 of rule 1 -- pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess subject to the call of the chair. the supreme

court. >> "washington journal" continues. host: admiral thad allen is the outgoing commandant of the u.s. coast guard. taking over officially with a new title yesterday as the national incident commander for the deep water rise in oilpill

response. thank you so much for being here. we appreciate it. we want to set aside the four gulf coast residents. 202-608-0184. the admiral will answer ur questions momentarily. binning with the front time -- front of "the times picayune." if this does not work it could make the situation worse. what wil happen today? when will you know if it will work? i know that that camera down below for viewers to see what is coming out of there is going to stay on. will . ated vehicles.

one of the most maddening sports of -- maddening parts of this response. they will see portions of a sequence of events. there are two vessels on the surface. they are pumping this blood--- mud-like substance down to the bottom. putting into a metal frame, there are two lines. slowly they will bring pressure down to the frame and it will be brought through the hoses in the choke and kill lions. at each point the remotely operated vehicles will be working on the bottom. the public will be able to see whatever they are doing, but without comment. will be very difficult to

understand what they're seeing. host: when will they know it works? guest: it will take a few hours. host: when do they start? guest: they are very close to starting. it is one of those things where the sequence of events will go from step latest that be. host if it fails and makes this worse more could be spewing out according to some reports. what will happen? guest: i do not think they will take it to the point where it will make it worse. i think that they will take it to the point where it does not work they will come up with another way to attack the oil. the only way that it could be worse is if the pressure was so high that the pipe ruptured. the pressure going down has been carefully calibrated not to exceed the pressure of the pipe. as we mentioned, if this does

notork they will be going t a joint shot. -- john -- junk shot. host: what are your impressions so far? we have heard you talking about your relationship with bp. you have flown out in the area. what are your impressions of how ad the oil spill is? guest: is bad. anytime you have oil on the water is an insult to the environment and we should have no illusions that this is a catastrophic event. i have overflown thempacted areas and been out on the drill rigs and relief wells. i have seen the blowout preventer they are going to use to replace this one. make no mistake, this is a serious issue. bp needs to stop this week. host: -- stop this weeleak.

host: what is your response to the people who have criticized the government in their response? guest: the response structure is mandated by law from the oil solution laws of 1990 after the exxon valdez. the notion is ththeyould be contacted and that they wod be identified in plans that there was a spill brought to the sne to be utilized. most of the work being done down there is being done through oil response contractors throughhe intent of the original law. the management of the contractors is a matter of command control through the office of the local federal coordinator. is more of trying to get the resources to where the oil is that. one, stopping the oil where it

comes out of the pipes. second, dealing with it on the service and how you deal with that of land. each one of those areas requires a different application of resources. host: the man in charge of katrina has been critical, saying that this should be declared a natural disaster. guest: i am not sure what would be gained by that. i think he is talking about national disasters after the stafford act. as carried out under the national response mandate it is different. there is a structure in place by which to execute the spill. host: some have said that the military should step in. what is your response to that? guest: it depends on what your

talking about. if you are talking about controlling a leak at the bottom of the floor of the ocean, the private sector in terms of oil companies as the access, means, and capability to solve a problem. none of that is in a government inventory. the government does not maintain oil drilling equipment. access to the sea floor, to the blowout preventer, it will largely have to be done through the of private-sector. i have had conversations with salvage from the navy. if you move from the service we are using dod assets.

c-17 cargo planes from as far away as alaska. getting down to the beach clean up there is a role for people that might be able to do the work but i do not think that overall this is the type of response that would call for dod oversight. i think it would be an inappropriate use of their authorities. host: let's turn to the phone lines from people eager to speak to the admiral. dave, youfirst. caller: good morning. things are starting to get ugly down there. the governor has requested that the corps of engineers has requested dredging of barrier island. you mentioned a couple of reasons, one of them being that it takes a long time to do. it has been over three weeks and we still have not had a decision. the other reason is the consideration over ecology.

if you build barrier islands off of a coast you will have a new eco system. i do not understand why the corps of engineers will not approve this. this could go past august. itould be really nice if the corps of engineers would lead us to some dredging. guest: first of all i have been in frequent contact with the head of the corps of engineers. the state requested a permit to construct these islands. their responsibility is to review the permits and look at the implications concerning where the materials would come from and how the materials re down.

making an estimate on the time and costs, so forth. the corps of engineers is doing that right now and they have not released their report yet. it will be an issue of funding. because of that we have been following this in parallel so that there is no extra process at the end. they are near the point where they will be making a recommendation on the permit. we have been looking at this closely. we have some concerns. six-nine months of getting oil on the beach. no one understands the barrier island issue better than i do. we know wh they mean to the state of louisiana and the gulf. the real question is what the most effective response is right now to deal with the oil on the service and coming ashore. after making that determination

hopefully we will know more. host: charlotte, n.c republican line. caller: the military is the voting assets to this disaster. exactly what could the military do? what about fighting fire with fire? an explosion caused this disaster. what would be the navy's response to shooting some sort of torpedo, i guess, something with a bunker busters' capability. is there a way that we could do that? shoot something down, actually? you have to create a force great enough to stop the pressure, as

i understand it. what about having to cut off the tap completely and look at it as a last case scenario. host: we want to show the viewers and live video courtesy of bp's web site. go ahead, adral. guest: first of all, let me clarify what the we is and what it is not. this will was being drilled as an exploratory well. they were in the process of capping the well to put a prodtion rate on the scene when the accident occurred. he referred to a spider operation, but this was a

single real line in this case. regarding the use of explosives, there has been some talk -- it has not been originated in my staff -- about whether that should be done. frankly there are a lot of negatives to that and it is not being realistic reconsider right now. it can be very important to bring that to the service to do forensics with the purpose without the potential use of explosives. host: a live video that we judge showed our viewers of the oil spill that i happening, we are showing that right now. according to the newspapers you spoke to bp and asked that they keep that camera on during this next procedure. why? guest: there was a lot of discussion about who is really calling the shots and will they listen to the government.

i have had a number of conversations with the ceo of british petroleum. he wa wdering whether or not running this ting alive might put stress on the operators who are trying very hard to do delicate maneuvers to make sure that these hoses are attached. making sure that they were not under the pressure of being watched as introducing another level of risk. we were having that discussion was apparently something was leaked out to the public, no pun intended. that was never the case that we were going to take that issues -- weere going to take issues over transparen and what we were doing and not doing, we were hoping that they would go live to the feed even with

potential additional risk in the interest of the public understanding that en we make agreements like this this is what happens. host: sarah, democratic line. caller: good morning, admiral. first of all i wanted to sa that the coast guard, i realize, is such a small part of our military. it is such a difficult organization, i wanted to talk about that. its size. i also wondered if the admiral could put to rest the stories that other countries and organizations, such as the dutch, have offered. they have expertise to help control this. i am curious if you have heard this before and whether or not if their health has been

offered. host: admiral? guest: let me answer the second one first. we have a team that evaluates and offers to provide equipment. that is according to the state department. if theris a need and an offer that meets in we can do it, we except it -- accept it. bp has the accepted one offer from mexico and we have a vetting team that goes through that. if the capability meet their requirement, we will except it. . . getting back to my earlier statement of how these oil spills are conducted, it's the coast guard's responsibility to

conduct oversight and make sure it's carried out with a national contingency plan which relies heavily on oil cleanup organizations. there have been a couple of comments of the presence of coast guard personnel why aren't there more out there. ity -- i think it replease on the fact of them doing cleanup work. that being said, we're flying more people down there and you will see coast guard personnel on the shore cleanup team and so forth to make sure that the contractors are performing how they're supposed to. host: can you give us an estimate of manpower? caller: about 40,000 people. host: and home people across agencies are down there in the gulf coast? guest: any particular day approaching 20,000. host: this email from one of our viewers also adds to this question from the viewer asking

why fema is not in charged instead of the coast guard. guest: fema comes into play when we have a stafford act response or the president has declared a response under the stafford act. the source of funding for this is b.p. after that it's the oil spill liability trust fund. it is part of the national pollution funds center. so the way this response is paid for is separate from the stafford act which fema does. therefore, it's a more appropriate coast guard issue. every day to pay for this? some say we should be finding bp every single day. guest: they are making cost reimbursements as we give them cost every day. they're providing grant money to the states that are affected. this is in terms of economic impact in the equipment. it's a government or anyone that is not bp cents eni resources

due to the oil spill liability trust fund the costs are refunded. host: jim on the republan line your next. caller: admiral, i would like t know why no one is using submersible pumps to pick the oil upright at the well. -- pick the oil up right at the well. guest: we are in a way. the problem is we cannot get a good seal because there are tears in the pipe. we are trying to catch the oil as it is coming out of the pie. that is what they're doing with 2tube.sertion to th if the top kill shot is unsuccessful, there are devices that will pump this the

surface. one of the problems we have with working pump down there is the presence of hydrates. that is a mixture and natural gas and water under pressure at low temperatures that forms ice crystals, which was a problem with the first containment device. in addition to figure in out of pumping device, you have to use ethanol his to make sure they do not freezen can be pumped to the service. host: louisiana on the independent line. where is river ridge? caller: not too far from new orleans. my concern is the dispersants being used. the house infrastructure committee meetings last wednesday, the congressmen have td a list of the dispersants. he said it is the second most

toxic compared to this percent, which was 100% effective. i would like to know the relationship between bp, the epa, and you in rerds to who has the mandate for which dispersants are being used. i know there has been a plane that has flown over and now they're starting different dispersants. i would le your opinion on why the second most toxic one is being used please. guest: bank you. that is a great question. the epa approves a schedule of dispersants. -- thank you. prior year to the response, it was on the schedule. one of the things we found is that this is the first massive use of dispersants and an oil spill since the authority to dispersants was granted after the exxon valdez. under that legislation they wanted to look at alternate

technologies. in the case of exxon valdez it took a number of days to negotiate how dispersants would be used. wheat lost the opportunity to optimize their use. what has haened in the past 20 years is we have had a number of pre-approved procols in certain parts of the countries where certain coitions exist. in this case, british petroleum and the contracts are working ou there using dispersants letter on the epa approved schedule less. they started using them. what happened is the use of dispersants has gone way beyond we have done everythin-- what hd is the use of dispersants has gone way beyond what we have ever done in history. it is logical to look at the agricultural impact of those. bpas asked to provide information on alternative

dispersants and their effect but the availability and logistics and the issues with shifting to a different dispersant. a number of issues were raised. there will be a decision forthcoming. host: union grove, alabama. jim on the democratic line. i have a short question for you. host: go ahead. caller: how big was the dispersa tube? why can't we insert other tubes to do collection right alongside those? if there force in there, there should be no ice crystal problems. if more tubes could be placed in

there, that kepcould have been done a long time ago. guest: thank you for the question when we were able to surveil the pipe that has crumbled the line on the bottom we found out there with resources of leakage. when was at the very end where it had disconnected from the mobil drilling unit. there are two other places where it was torn and oil was coming out. bp was able to successfully ancp the end of the pipe. those are te sources of leaks. the insertion to was put into the other week, and what it is is a smalleriece of pipe,

eight to 10 inches in diameter with a rubber sealing to seal the pipe. since the opening of the pipe is a regular and it is spent, it does not perfect reseal it but it does a pretty good job of capturing what is ever coming out of that. we have it as high as 6,000 barrels per day based on the studies. what they have to do is pumped ethanol into it to make sure they do not have the hydrate problem. there's a mixture of gas, oil, and water that comes up a pipe that has to be separated by the production vessel on top. that is ongoing. the reason we cannot do it at the other week site is the beels because of the bend. if they will have to capture it and treated with methanol and

bring to the surface. host: the republican line. go ahead. caller: thank you for your service. they put a tube inside, why don'they put one on the outside over it with a flexible material to go over the pipe and seal it? has there been any discussions on that? at the end of the first iraq war halliburton was hailed as heroes forto and all the burdens and oilfields and i know they're part of the problem, but are they participating in any of the situation to try to help stop this? you are a very lucky person that president obama is president because you are not going on vacation on memorial day, are

you? guest: when i finished doing press i am flying home to louisiana. i will be on the beach with the cleanup crews, which is where i should be. regarding your first question -- the irregularities nature of the riser pipe that has been spenbe does not make it easy to steal it. almost everything like that has been considered. we're trying to tap into the pipe, basically cut a hole in the pipe and put a ball on it. that has risk associated with it as well. that may be considered it the top kill is not successful today as well. host: what are you going to be doing today? what is your schedule? guest: i have a meeting at the white house i have a private staff. as soon as we have everything

stabilize in the new operating environment, i will be off to the gulf coast. i plan to go to the impacted areas where the oil is on tour and i willork with the oil. i will work with contractors. maybe just talk to people on the street. host: will you be running this response from the new nebraska office or down of the gulf coast? guest: command posts have been t up around the gulf. operations are being conducted out of homa louisiana. the other command post is in mobile. when i do is deal with the issues above that on resources, issues like dealing with british petroleum on the video feed. dealing with members of the administration. and tried to take as much of the external burden of the

commanders down there so they can focus on the task at hand. the chain of command, we are all accountable. host: argue in d.c. or down their? -- are you in d.c. or down there? guest: both. host: how long do you expect to stay at that post as the national commander? guest: i will stay as long as i am needed. i am required to retire by law. host: the suspect you will be in this role for months? guest: i do not dig it necessary has to be me. having someone has to speak about the critical issues going on and be in washington and down there when the need arises. host: the you expect this will

go on years? guest: months? host: 9 years? g-- not years? guest:it is hard to say. there will be a lot of work going on. it not unlike at the the initial response in petrina that we shifted to long-term recovery but you're still doing. host: unmanned on the independent line in new orleans. tsk callecaller: with all due ri am in no way of putting blame on you but as far as the response after katrina and i understand what the doc has to do with oil spill cleanups and there are only so much they are limited with knowledge and capabilities of doing.

however, i find it difficult that we're continuing to call this an oil spl. this is an ongoing fawcett. as far as resources go, this is not just an environmental problem, it is going to affect the economy. the way new orleans works, we have a lot of independent fishermen when whenever the economy goes bad, we do farewel well because our guys were all dead. they do a lot of things. i feel like the way this is going and the lack of response and the fact that no one is accepting any outsiders to put their best foot forward with any ideas they have. if guesguest: you make a good pn

the first part ofour question and comment. one of the most problematic things about this bspill -- and then not sure that is rthe right word -- but that threat is in directional and indeterminate. what i mean is it is a series of concentrations ooil that came to this serve at different times that may have not been treated with this verdict dispe. there are concentrations of oil and miles of open water that are not impacted. because of that we have to have resources ready from basically central louisiana coastline to pensacola, florida. that really raises the degree of complexity and the resources

required to do that. what we need to have is more agility and flexibility and bring the resources were there is no impact and put them where we need them, similar t southern pisienne right now. in response to your second point, everyone that has anything to do with this problem is being asked about it. people are being comment -- augmented by people of the national labs. i have been down there on a couple of occasions to talk to them. the u.s. geolical survey is leading a team to establish what the actual flow rate is. i would tell you that the best minds we confined are being brought to problem- brought to e problem. host: tony on the independent line. caller: good morning. why can't they just put a bb and bomb that things tha shut?

guest: you could do something kinetic down there. i am not sure we understand what the implications would be. we now have a board that is bringing hydrocarbons up under pressure to the surface of the ocean. even if we were able to close told and pick the mess and, that oil has the possibility of going out into the strata, closer to the surface. ere are under water practices that are poll of water and that could come to the surface through a crack and it would be out of control. i think that is a risk that is too great to take a chance on myself. host: don on the democratic line. caller: pie have a solution to the problem. using another linyou sink anothp

into the pi so the oil will go to the top. what you do is tolowly reduce the pressure with that type. you control the oil flow. guest: that is exactly what the solution tohe problem is. the issue is at intercepting the pipe has to be done much lower down to make sure they can relieve the pressure and do what they need to do. right now there are two relief wells that are being dug to intercept the pipe. that will allow the current welter thl to be capped.

it makes an imperative we control the league of the top of the well head right now. you are correct. the solution is to intercept the pipe. host: the independent line pearman caller. caller: are you familiar with the blow and the gulf of mexico in 1979? guest: yes, sir. caller: 10,000 barrels per day for 10 months or so. all this business about how the world is coming to an end and so on and so forth i am hearing, will you discuss the impact of that and why we're all still alive and those kinds of consequences

guest: i am happy to do that, but let me make something very clear. the current situation is unacceptable. any delay than what it takes to stop the well should not be accepted by anybody. the fact that we had a catastrophic events in the 1970's that puts that much oil out and the notion that we have recovered today, i guess that is ok butsaying this is anything less than catastrophic is not ndicated here. i would say that that blood was not in the vicinity of the very sensitive marsh lands in barrier islands we have louisiana. i understand your point but i do not agree to minimize the importance of this event. host: cornelia on the republican line. caller: my son has a very good idea. he came up with an idea of somehow -- i do not know because i am not mechanical -- but did

you have a number or a way we can reach you and get ideaive i, and also i would like to ask our nation to pray. guest: i will give you a website. it is called deepwaterhorizon response.com. everything can be accessed through the site. host: how many people are working on ideas to solve this? guest: we are getting thousands of calls. it is almost more than we can manage. everyone has an idea. i get messages left on my phone. a lot of ideas coming out. host: you are getting message on your home phone? people have found to?

guest: i will not get into that. i work for them allo the central clearing house of ideas. -- i refer them all to the central clearing house of ideas. host: go ahead. caller: thank you for c-span. i served in the air force for nine years, and also i am a mechanical contractor for pipe fittings. i think everyoneeeds to settle down. this situation is something that impacts the entire climate. we are all using trains, planes, and cars. we will have this type of thing happen. serving overseas in italy i saw some things happen. we can get this under control. pointing to each other has nothing to do with it. this is an economic thing we need to do. if we can come together, it will

happen and happen right. host: whatre the chances that the top kill or any of other procedures that you are trying or any other procedures -- do you think any of them will work or will we have to wait until august until this is finally resolved? guest: waiting until aug. is unacceptable to me. i think doug settles estimate 60% success chance. that is what their position is. there a a couple of other things. in the can actually use a rally operated vehicle to cut the riser pipe of of the blowout preventer and dredge but of all the in. they have not wanted to do that because they do not know how many hydrocarbons will be released. the second is inrobably a more

substantial fix would to be putting a new glow prevent dirt on top of the other one. it is actually two different devices. that can be parated by a hydrostatics felc valve. host: that is in the sequence of when? went with that have been? guest: it would be at the top kill shot is unsuccessful and the use the drugs shot and were not able to reduce the pressure and go back to the top job. then they would have two choices. one would to be cut the riser pipe and then put a new blow up for a venture in. the pressure inside the blow up reminder that we have some indication. i was out on the relief role wells last week.

-- i was out on the relief drills last week. if this fails, they will be in a position to anew blowout preventer aput on a new blowoutr on. you need to understand that while the diaams were extremely accurate, thentire package weighs 1 million pounds. it is four or five stories high. while it looks simple, and this very large enough to be suspended down. progressionsre being made if they have to use that. host: the independent line from new jersey. caller: the tank lookpretty good, but have you thought of

putting several pressure relief valves on the tank so t pressure would blow off until you can pipe them one at a time to the surface? >> they call that a top hat solution. afollowing the sequence i just talked about, if these things fail, they would also take the top has at devices as well. they have those devices available if they are needed. host: an e-mail asking, perhaps this is speculation, but what is the worst case scenario? what could hapn? guest: if the leak goes up and checked or there is a catastrophic loss, oil would

come out of the well until the pressure was equal to the pressure in the reservoir 18,000 feet below. right now the pressure in the reservoir is around 9000. that is the pressure that is forcing the hydrocarbons up. the pressure below the blow up printer is somhere around 3000. what would happen is that there was open contacts of the oil into the water, it would continue to rise until the pressure of the water column was equal to the pressure of the oil pushing up that would be probably counted in hundreds of days. that would be catastrophic. we need to avoid that at all means. caller: i have a suggestion. why couldn't you take a share in a piece of pipe together

temporarily to slow the flow down. uld that be done? guest: theoretically it could but the problem is it would have to go around the riser pipe where it couldn't move the oil. right now there is only 3,000 feet above the riser pipe. then it turns sharply over. that is where one of the leaks are at. the layout of the pipe does not allow you to do that. and what you will ultimately need to do is put another blowout preventer over the existing one. host: some have called for a government fleet capable of responding to a blown well in the future. what are your thoughts about in the future should it be the private sector or the government with some sort of sleefleet that response to a similar condition

in the future? guest: i think a lot of things will be looked at. there was a basic decision and foreign some of the oil pollution act. we have been working under the paradigm for 20 years that there is a combination of rules for the private sector and the u.s. government. that has confused a lot of people in this response. another than tt the assumption was made up most of the oil response and oil production lies in the hands of the private sector. thiss a classic economic case of should this be public goods or private goods? i think there will be a lot discussion on this moving forward. host: one more quick phone call. susan on the independent line. caller: what happened to the black box that nobody seems to be addressing? #2, here in florida they are starting a pre-clean up by

gathering of haiup hair puttingo panty hose and putting it into a mesh bag -- will that work? guest: we have done a comparison and we have found that the traditional boom is superior. it does not appear that is an optimal use of that material. when you say black box -- i am assuming you are referring to the control box. and one of the banks that had to be done was to put an new electronic brain to be able to operate the choke and kill lions. for that reason the control panel that was there and failed was brought to the service and repair. it was put back down so it could provide the signanals

thank you for talking directly to the public here on c-span. we appreciate your time. guest: thank you. >> and b.p.'s chief executive tony hayward told nbc's "today" show this morning that he will decide this morning whether they'll go ahead to plug that leak in the gulf of mexico. tests were still being done this morning. the associated press reports that as they prepare for that, more details are emerging about what led up to the accident. statements say senior managers complained that b.p. was, quote, taking shortcuts by replacing heavy drilling fluid with saltwater in the well before it blew out. a hearing under way in the house. the house financial services -- natural resources committee under way now. they're hearing from secretary salazar. that is live now on c-span3. this morning at the kennedy space center in florida, the return of -- from orbit this

morning. closing out a 25-year flying career. the fourth in nasa's shuttle centers. the atlantis accumulated 294 days in orbit, circling the earth. . why we hate the oil

companies." get a full schedule at booktv.org. host: steven peastein of "the washingtonost close what to talk about a column you wrote this month -- steven pearlstein

of "the washington post close " to talk about a column you wrote this month. it is this is what republicans have called for an democrats of call for over the years. i want to take our viewers to the debt clock web site, which showed that thentro of this segment, and it shows $13 trillion for the feder debt, $1.40 trillion in real time for the federal deficit. what is your 50/50 solution to this? guest: well, it is a blueprint. it does not ha all the details in it, but it is more details than most people in journalism come up with. my thought was that we are basically okg at a old = 6% of gdp -- a whole that equals 6% of gdp. we will be on eight fundamental bases 6% of gdp more than what we are paying for.

we need to close that gap. my thought was to do 3% of it through spending cuts and 3% for tax increases, 3% of gdp. in time, the proposal that i put forward action would be more spending cuts and less taxes as the restraint on entitlement spending starts to really bite in, they start to save more and more money. we will probably get to about 2/3, 1/3, or a 60/40 split. but initially, 50-50. host: you write that part of the blueprint is to hold federal help spending, medicare and medicaid, increases to gdp growth plus 1%. and rather than the ttp-+ 2.5% that has been the norm -- the gdp + 2.5% that has been

the norm. can you explain that? guest: why do i pick gdp? it is essentially our income. our spending on health has been growing 2.5 percentage points every year, which compounds, remember, faster than our income. guess what? you cannot do that forever, obviously. prty soon it will consume all of our income. just making that one little change -- it is not so little in terms of dollars, it is a lot of dollars -- but 1.5 percentage points of growth every year, and again, that compounds, and it becomes a much bigger factor -- is really a key to the reduction in spending. i have oer reductions in spending as well. but that one is really the key. host: we're talking to the ama about the so-called undock fix

and the medicare reimbursement rate. they're supposed to get a reduction starting june 21, but it looks like ngress will do what they have to do it for the last seven years and step in and not have that reduction. -- what they have been doing for the last seven years and step in and not have that protection. how much is that to our overall spending? the medicare reimbursement wi. guest: i think the doctor was disingenuous when he answered the questions put by the words and you. -- by viewers and you. he talks aut the cost of the office, he talks about the eve -- rent, and the staff, and all of those are real costs. but the biggest cost in the doctor's office is the doctors pay. he did not talk about that. doctors in the united states in general are paid twice as much as doctors in every other

country. now, the amahinks that is right, thinks it should be written in sne, thinks that is the way the world must be, because at is the way it is today. there is noeason why doctors have to get paid so much, frankly. now, there are a lot of doctors, maybe en have doctors, who probably are not overpaid -- even half doctors, who are probably not overpaid. primary physicians, emergency rooms, and they get and stay -- get nice pay. you and i live in a major metropolitan area on the east coast, specialists here, surgeons, a urologist, cardiologists, people who, you might say, higher level work and might get paid it little more -- five ordered thousand

dollars, $600,000, $800,000 a year. some of it from medicare, some of it from private insurance, but they think of it as their divine right, and any reduction is terrible. costs,eyon't meet my they really mean a don't meet my target for what i make next year. for doctors in the ama to talk about the costs of running the doctor's office and that we're losing money every te seone comes through the door, that is a spurious argument. if you capped the spending increases to 1% of gdp growth, where would patients and other people see reductions in health care? guest: lots of different ways. we could be here all day t. just limiting the growth in dr.'s income would be sufficient. not producing, just limiting the

growth -- not reducing, just limiting the growth. more of the money should go to primary care physicians, and less money to thspecialists. medicare is the process of trying to make that, but as you can imagine, that is very controversial. the only way he could do that is to basically say to the overpaid doctor we will not give you as much of an increase this year as the primary physician. but that is really not the major area. the major way you save money in help it is to reduce utilization, reduce the number of procedures, the number of tests done, and how do you do that we waste aot of money. a lot of times when people call in to shows like this, they refer to their own experience -- last week i got an mri or last week i did this or that. what health reformers tell you

is that you should not think about those things, because those generally are not with the big money is, not with the big savings is. remember this thing we all talked about, and you have heard many times -- a small number of cases every year, 10%, 20% of the cases, account for 70% of the spending. that is when people get really sick. sometimes it happens at the end of life, sometimes not. sometimes that care is unnecessary, most of the time is necessary. but not alof it is necessary. and we do not have good systems for doing what we know, what science knows works, and sticking to that and not doing the other stuff. host: we are talking to steven pearlstein for tackling the deficit but he came up with -- on tackling the deficit. he came up with a blueprint for tackling the deficit.

guest: every -- lately, in the last generation, we have probably -- last two generations we have added almost seven or eight years to life expectancy, the average life expectancy in the united states. and yet the retirement, the official retirement age, has sort of remained the same. actually, it creep up a little bit in social security. if this keeps going on -- when social security started, most people did not live up to 65. w most people live to the mid- 80s. what started out as a program for the people who happened to live a long life is now program for the average person, lasting 20 years. it creeps up that much again, and people leap to at 95, and

they only work 40 years, and the retirement is 30 years, the mathematics n't work out. you have to put more money aside during those 40 years of working to pay for what is a much longer retirement. what i am only suggesting is that it does not have to be month-to-month, because our population is growing and that helps us. our incomes grow when we work. but we cannot continue to hold the retirement age at t same and yet let the longevity and like of retirement keep getting longer. the system does not work. something has to give an something is giving. host: if you read a little bit more from a column, it says "at the same time, slowly reduce the cost-of-living increases for soal security benefits for wealthy seniors while slowly increasing their medicare premiums. everyone else's benefits would remain untouched." how much would that say? guest: well, it is a lot.

all of these things is a lot. each one of these little things i've suggested -- the big one is the going from 2% to 115%. this is a medium-sized way to cut spending. -- to 1.5%. this is a medium-sizeday to cut spending. even liberals are concerned about the means test in social security and medicare repo. everybody pays roughly the same percentage to maintain road public support. if these are seen as a welfare programs, mostly for the poor, they are concern that the public will stop funding them because politicasupport will go away. frankly, that is a lury we cannot afford any more. there are a lot of a very comfortable elderly people now.

they can afford to spend a little more every year, all in the case of social security benefits, afford to have their increases be a little less in order to make this system solvent again. that is probably what we're going to have to do. in addition, as we go to the other side of the ledger with my plan, it also suggests raising more money for social security and medicare taxes. we need to put more money in on the front end but slow the money going out on the back end. host: we will talk about more in the column, but first, your phone calls. albuquerque, new mexico,o ahead. thanks for waiting. you are on the air. caller: ok, thank you. host: the ahead, please. caller: first off, i want to say that i'm 76 years old. i worked until i was 73.

i paid into medicare and social security, which of course i still. my husband is a federal retiree. we pay over $8,000 a year on insurance. i tried to get in when the doctor was on. i never hear anybody mention -- they act like we get all of this for free. social security and care. we do not. we pay out of every paycheck. and they raise it every year. nobody ever mentions -- they act like we are freeloading. guest: no one ever suggested that people on medicare and social some pretty are freeloading. we pay into the syst all the years that -- that people on medicare and social security are freeloading. we pay into the systems all the years that you work.

the united states, we had a pay-as-you-go system. the money you pay in is not the money you are taking out. the money is the money that your children that, if you have them, your children and grandchildren are metaphorically earning now. the population mix more and more money overhe years -- makes more and more money over the years and we' able to afford these increasing benefits. but you are right, people on mecare to pay -- do pay for part b, which is mostly ctors' services. if there are other services that a lotf medicare ripients pay r could but medicare covers the basic hospital costs, which is a major medical costs. when you get really sick, that is when medicare part a kicks in. people don't talk about it, but the money that medicare and

social security recipients pay while they are receiving benefits -- but i don't think people consider you freeloaders. host: more from steven pearlstein's column, solutions to the budget deficit and how to tackle that. another proposal is to limit discretionary spendi on defense and domestic t the rate of inflation, except to paper wars and natural disasters -- and safety net disasters -- to pay for wars and natural disasters, and to impose a new, broad based value added tax of 6% but that is something that a lot of viewers have brought on this show. would that do? guest: -- what would that do? guest: it raises money. host: a lot? millions? guest: 6% -- what does that raise? $2 billion a year.

it sounds like -- theoretically it is the same as the 6% national sales tax, although you do not see it on the bill when you buy something. it is different from the sales tax in that way. but it effectively works that way . the reason it does not raise as much as people say is that, number one,t has an impact on other taxes paid if you colle that tax, income taxes, personal income taxes, and corporate prof taxes go down. you have to take the net effect of that. the second thing is that when most people talk about the value added tax, it is one of two things. either they want to take out things like food and clothing and shelter, so that the things that people pay, the basic things of life, are n taxed, or, the better way to do that is not to do that b to give a

rebate at the endf the year to people who are low income. that is the cleaner way and more tax efficient way to do it. if you net out the cost of giving those rebates, which most plans do, you get down to $200 billion. if i d not do the rebate part, it would be $300 billion. but that gives you the order of magnitude idea of what it does not raise as much as everyone says it does with 6%. in europe, they have a higher value added tax. my thought was, from the political standpoint, 6% was probably all we could get away with. host: we are talking about tackling the deficit with steven pearlstein. the website i give before is usdebtclock.org. it is real time figures of how much debt we are racking up, as well as the deficit, and how much as some of these government programs are costing.

houston, texas, republican line. caller: i want to talk to mr. pearlstein and "the washington time post." if you are looking at it get caught right now, go tthe bottom, and it's as small -- the debt clock right now, go to the bottom, and it's as small corporate debt assets. each of them have been taking 1 llion, and it out. look at -- 1 million on minute out. why? guest: sir, i wish i could answer your question, but -- i cannot see t clock her-- host: it is a little difficult. guest: my eyes are not so good that i probably cannot see those lines. i d't know why it would say that at any point in time, the stock market goes up and down.

that has an effect on the balance sheets of banks in particular, which are corporations. they can go up and down. but as a general rule, business assets and business balance sheets are improving these days, as businesses continued to rack up a pretty good profits last year. that would increase their balance sheet. i don't know whyhe assets number would be going down. also, remember, when you look at a balance sheet, you look at assets and liabilities. sometimes assets go up and liabilities go up more. while assets look like they are going up, and that is a good thing, its liabilities are going up more than assets, on balance that inot a good thing. host: on the corporate tax rate, steven pearlstein suggest a reduction in that rate from 35% to 25%, apply only to profits earned in the united states.

nnsylvania, democratic line. caller: wow, i finally talked to c-span. i listen to you guys every morning. the question i have is on the new bill just introduced by alan brace on -- alan grayson, where he would take the money that mr. obama wants f the war, $7 billion, and incorporate it into the military budget and eliminate that, and make everybodon their tax forms, their first $35,000 would be nontaxable. that would be a portion of this come from the $157 billion that is going into the war, the military would be forced to use that -- take that money rht out of the budget of almost $600

billion and give the taxpayers back theirst $35,000 of their earnings, tax free, and use the remainder of it off the deficit. i will take my answer off the phone. host: any thoughts? guest: first of all, as you see on that thing there, i'd like the idea of making a clean statement but we do this today, but it is not as clean. what did i say, the first $35,000 or $50,000 of the income host: on the individual income tax? guest: family of four. host: personal exemptions that no taxes paid by a family but for within income of under $50,000 -- family of four with an income of under $50,000 --

17% of income for $50,000 to $150,000, up 27% for between $150,000.20 water to be thousand dollars, and that the 7% above that. guest: between republicans and democrats, everyone agrees that what we move the tax form, there should be some number of around that area. we tend to talk in washington in terms of the household family of four, an easier and more consistent ever to talk about. -- and easier and more consistent number to talk about. if you earn less than $50,000, and you might en get a check so that the negative engine tax would make the system more progressive. -- negative income tax would make the system more progressive. somewhat like the line to be

$150,000 because -- somewhat like the light to be 100 to $2,000 because they don't like the taxes. -- some would like to the line to be 150 dozen laws because they don't like the taxes but your idea on using the war to pay for this budget. the normal budget is higher than it nds to be, and it is not just i or you who thinks that the secretary of defense thinks that. he has been trying to whittle it down but it is very hard. there are systems that he does not want and the military does not want, but their business and regional interests that think that those things represent current jobs. we do need to cut that. whether that should come out of th existing budget, i think that is really not fair. we have decided to our elected officials -- you obviously don't

like that decision -- but we have decided to fight these wars, iraq and afghanistan, and that is fine. we should pay for it somehow. but the notion that it is somehow the responsibility of people in uniform to pay it o people who are ting to provide a basic level of the fence so that the country around the world, all of those ships that are -- a basic level of defense said that the countries about the world, those ships at sea that need to be mad at a case somebody attacks us -- the noti that day to come out the money because -- that they should come up with the money because they want to fight the war -- we wanted to fight it and we should pay for it. host: next call caller: something he said earlier -- i cannot remember now, because there have been so many people talking, but i guess

what i'm trying to say it is that back in the summer -- i am on medicare, and i disabled. i was a registered nurse, and i have been on disability for years and i'm raising grandchildren after my daughter's death. before the entrance was even voted on, i had to get a hold -- beforehe entrance was even voted on, i had to get a hold -- before the insurance was voted on, i had to get ahold of my nurse. i was put osomething called the eastern bloc. that was before the insurance change was even voted on. i get a very small amount and i have these children that i am responsible for. before micaid took part of what medicare did, i had no copay, and now i am having to pay 10, 20, and 50, depending on which dr. ice, a specialist or whatever, which is not very much -- which a doctor icy, a

specialist or whatever, which is not for much for most people, but for it -- guest: of like to ask the caller, if i can still talk to were -- host: i'm sorry. guest: if your earns less than $100,000 a year. -- if she earns less than $100,000 a year. my guess is that she does. that is not where we need to cut, people like her. there are people who are elderly, that the majority, but still a lot, who have a very comfortable incomes. th have made a lot of money, they are quite wealthy. there is no reason why we cannot ask them to th basically sacfice a little to solve what is a big problem, which is that we have a fiscal situation that cannot be sustained and we are running up

too much deficit. too much debt. my answer is that no one should -- and frankly, no one is proping -- not me, not anyone else -- that a call like the one you just that has got to sacrifice. that is not the kind of person that any of us want to throw money into the pot. host: you talked earlier about when it comes to payroll tax for social security and medicare, reducing its slightly to 12% -- guest: some fraction of a percent. host: over time, opposing it on wages ansalary up to $150,000 -- imposing it on wages and salary up to $150,000 -- guest: as opposed to $100,000 right now. medicare is almost three, not

quite. i suggested simplifying that and making it and even three. but slightly changing the -- most importantly, raising the amount of engine that is taxed -- the amount of income that is taxed. under the health care reform law, there never was a cap on medicare income, the medicare payroll tax. it now applies not only to ordinary income, wages and saries, but all income. it is continuing to do that. host: st. charles, a little light, republican line. caller: nice to have you on the program. we know something has to be done. there is no argument about the question that something has to be done. i have a number of points and i know you will not let me respond -- guest: give us the most

important wanone. caller: the lawyer's fee paid charging only 1% for the costs of medical. that is not true. i filled out so many forms. you find that it is not 1%. the lack of tort reform in this country second, social security. if it belongto the people, at the rresentatives would not have been spending it for the last 40 years -- guest: let's start there. it is owned by the people. first of all, it is owned by the people. it is on by the government, and the govement is owned by the people. you get to control it with your representatives every two years, in the case of the federal years, six years with the senate, four years with the president. so the notion that the government is some for body that

is out of our control, that is not -- some foreign body that is out of our control, that is not true. is not 14th century france. social security was set so that could take effect right away. it roosevelt led followed your advice and said that we want to maket possible now so that workers can start saving ifor their accounts, so that they owned their social security accounts like an old-fashioned retirement accounts, when they retire, it would have economic security, then the first checks would have started to come out around 1955, saw the light that -- something like that. he wanted to start the program right away. thenly way to start such program right away is a pay-as- you-go program, which is that today's retirees will get their money from today's workers, and

there will always be a forward tilt to the program. today's retirees, as is still the case,et their money from today's workers. your solution in theory would be better. it would have been better to do it that way. in 1935, when people wer really struggling, no one really thought it was a good idea to wait 20 years. most retirees at that point, or people close to retirement, would be dead by the time they could collect anything. host: john on the democratic line. caller: hi, mr. pearlstine to i want to thank you and to thank -- pearlstein. i want to thank you and thank c- span for everything you do. as we become more technologically advanced, these should keep up as we move forward as a society.

i want to know what you thought about the private ownership of resours such as oil and the land, now that we see this oil disaster in louisiana, which is horrible and we will be seeing the repercsions of that for years and generations to come. it is a privately owned company. i don't think we n allow people to be profiting off the destruction of our nation to begin with and we need to address that. and the second thing, you talk a little bit about the free- spending -- about military spending. there is a new book out by sebastian junger and he talks about how the missile the cost $80,000 to manufacture and put in place is fired by a person who makes $35,000 to kill a person who makes less than $100 a year. our spending is out o control. realistically, what do you want to see us do? i am all for all the changes you've talked about so far, but what is the key component to get

out of this spending spree? guest: well, we've been talking since i got on largely about, you know, how to reduce spending. there is not a silver bullet, as i said. military spending -- i don't know whether it is out of control, but it is probably higher than it needs to be, given our world situation. at the missile think, with each missile costs $80,000 and comparing it to the clar of the person -- the salary of the person who fires it, that is if little unfair. the reason we spend so much on missiles is because they are precise things. they are precise in getting to where they are going in the old days, we had to fire 15 missiles to get one of them to go to the right place. if you get one missile, we have less collateral damage.

we don't killed two innocent people along with the one bad guy we want to kill. having precision missiles is a good thing, not a bad thing, and it is not only efficient, its a lot more humane. the other question -- host: i am blanking myself. i apologize. guest: we should not ask two questions but when you had a test that is over 50 years old, he will not -- when you have a guest that is over 50 years old, he will not remember both of them at the same time. i am very fond of new hampshire. i work for "the concord daily monitor." also used to work for your senator, i was his administrative assista. i've been around for awhile and i have fond memories of new hampshire.

host: 1 other proposal, requiring ates to pay any differed -- deferred or unpaid taxes on all assets. why is the inheritance tax problem? guest: it is not a problem, but it has been made a problem by certain republicans -- republicans who somehow created this iterrible thing, the inheritance tax, double taxation. people earn money, they pay taxes on it, and then they are forced to pay the interest its tax. my answer to that -- it is not a huge amount of money for the government, but it is some. democrats have made a huge thing about it because they don't like the fact that the rich are tting richer, and this is the way to make them pay their fair share. i think we should forget about

all that on both sides, forget about the political argument, and just rememr something -- if you start a company -- by the way, this is where most of this money comes from -- you start a company and it grows to be a big company, you or bill gates and you start microsoft anit becomes a huge company and you are the world's richest person, and now all of a sudden your estate when you die is worth, i don't know, $100 billion, all that is capital gains. bill gates does not sell this microsoft stock, or much of it, and when he dies -- he should not -- you should not use bill gates, because he is put into a charitable trust -- bill yates, and he dies, and he is worth $100 billion. it is all in the stock of the

company he started. he is not paid any taxes on that. when you say to pay the capital gains tax, it can go on to the yates children. that seems to be the fair way to dot. let's get out of this notion that we are some of punishing the ric or getting money back from them -- somehow punishing the rich, or getting money back from them, or that this is somehow a death tax. there is a lot of wealth that is passed on for which no tax has ever been paid. let's not double tax it, but let's surely tax it once. host: donna on the independent line. caller: my question or statement is that no one really addresses the real reason social security has a problem.

originally, the government promised that would go into -- it would go into a fund andtay separately from all other funds and spending, and it grew into so much money that the government cannot stand it -- stop you'am, can i right there? that is just factually not true. there never was a fund, a separate pot of money and there. that is never the way social security works. as i explained to the previous caller, the reason it never worked that way is because if you are franklin roosevelt in 1935 and hes in wanted to provide money right away to people, there is no fund.

if you wanted to start the program right away, which said they did, you had to go with a pay-as-you-go program. fund.just never was a after 1982 with the greenspan commission looking ahead and seeing tha the baby boomers are coming, and that will cause a problem, because this long string o thing, this generational snake -- there is a pig in there and that will cause problems in the years when the baby boomers are heading towards retirement. so let's increase the social security tax so that we are building up a fund. they sort of the top -- they sort of built up a fund, but it was the government, at the same time and they were borrowing money. the social security fund lent e money to the government so

that the government would not have to go out and borrow it from someone else. the government borrows it from the left pocket to put it in the right pocket. but it never went away. the iou is still there. in the next year or two, we have been throwing it down and we will get to the point were able be -- where we will be - where it will be drawn down. but it was never iended as a pension -- as a private pension program and th took it away. that was never the case and is not the case today. dan, on the republican line in california. caller: in the costs of medical delivery systems, we ought to increase at physicians and medical schools. i spoke to the dean of a medical

school, and if we increased the number of medical schools, we would stilhave a problem, placing these in residencies. we have created a system where a significant number of physicians are coming from india and the art world companies and establishing hmoo-- andhird wod countries and establishing hmo's. there must be a shortage of physicians in our country if we have a flood of physicians coming in at practicing -- guest: let's stop there and talk about the physician shortage program. -- shortage problem. there is a shortage in certain specialties. but he wanted to be careful about reading too many more doctors -- you want to be careful about creating too many mo doctors. for some reason, the more doctors there are, the more supply. it seems to have an effect o the amount of demand.

the more services people seem to want. why is this the case? why would supply have any effect on demand? the reason is because how much medical services, how much health care you or i consume is largely depend on what our doctors tell us we need. there is the human tendency on the part of doctors to want to fill up their time. if a doctor does not have anyone coming in, he says to you, "why don't you come bk every three weeks and we will take a look at it?" as opposed to coming back every five weeks, which is what is really recommended by protocol. doctors have a tendency to create demand. if you cree more doctors, he will create more demand for healthcare services, and raise the cost of health care to the federal government.

you want to be careful about overdoing the supply. obviously, we have the baby boom generation that is getting into this year's when they require more health care services. it may be true in some regional areas and some specialties that we need more doctors. but you want to be careful about that, because right now we need to do, rather than increase the supply of doctors, is do a better job at reducing the demand for services of doctors that are unnecessary. there is a lot of unnecessary medical care out there. that is what we need to keep our eye on, not the doctor supply problem. we have a good, robust marketplace. the signal goes out and it is called higher pay, and more people go into medicine, either here in the united states, or doctors from overseas come over here, and frankly, there is nothing wrong with that. if the indn government must to train doctors and they come over

here and provide services to our citizens, we have doctors who were trained on someone else's nickel. that is not a bad thing. that is a good thing. host: i want to get your reaction to economic news before we let you go. front page of "the financial times." "global fears rock markets. investors sold risky assets and sought safety in the government debt of germany and the united states." what does that tell you? guest: we are sort of having the first major aftershock of the financial crisis of two years ago, and it was predictable. that was predictable both because we had to borrow and spend an extraordiry aunt of money here and abroad in order to stabilize the situation, which was done and successful at what was necessary. -- and which was necessary.

but there are consequences to that and we are beginning to see the consequences. but it is also happening because we did not really make the fundamental adjustments we needed to make in the problems that caused the crisis and the first place. host: >> the u.s. house has been in recess for the past hour and a half or so. votes are expected when they return on a number of suspension bills, and members also plan on taking up a bill later that will extend expiring tax breaks and social programs. when they gavel back in look for live coverage at always here on c-span. this sunday on c-span it's the state opening of british parliament, following the may 6 british election, the new prime minister, conservative david cameron, formed a coalition government between his party and liberal democrats. officially opening the new

parliament britain's queen elizabeth delivered a speech which outlines its priorities for the coming year. watch bbc coverage of the event 9:00 p.m. pacific. >> this holiday weekend not fiction books and authors on c-span2's "book tv." on "afterwards" the newest book "war" embedded with the 173rd airborne in afghanistan. and form president who have meister on why we hate the oil companies. three days of book tv. memorial day weekend. get the whole schedule at booktv.org. >> years from now when you return here, when for you the shadows have grown longer, i have no doubt that you will have added your name to the book of history. >> memorial day weekend on c-span. watch commencements from leaders in the arts, sports, and

sciences. and right now watch past year's speeches online at the c-span video library. it's commencement speeches your way, with every program since 1987. available free online. >> again waiting for the u.s. house to gavel if for suspension bill votes and possible work on a bill extending expiring tax breaks. we'll have live coverage when it does start. now a pentagon briefing. this is british major general nick carter briefing reporters on the situation across southern afghanistan, including ongoing operations in march gentleman ---margea where u.s. marines first moved into place. we'll show you as much as we can until the house gavels in. >> thanks so much. what i thought i'd do for you this evening, this morning in washington, if you like, is to give you a sense of where we've got to on operation mastaric. when i last spoke to you about

it it was about a week after we had done the launching of the clear phase of the operation, and we now find ourselves at d plus 102, three months into that phase. i hope you've got in front of you a little diagram explaining the battlefield geometry. and if you have that would be good because i'm going to talk to it. the first point i'd like about the picture you have in front of you is it refers to central hell mund. that includes the districts of northern saraje. the district of marja and district of narwa. within that area around 600,000 people live. around 600,000. the reason that so many people live in there is because of the significant irrigation project that took place in the 1940's and 1950's, paid for at the time by usaid with the corps of engineers in support. now, the operations that we mounted starting on the 13th of

february were designed to reassert afghan government authority and control over much of central hell mund -- helmund. they were focused where about 100,000 people live, on the district of marje and just to the northeast of marje. in that area around 80,000 people live. so we focused on between 180,000 and 200,000 people. now, since the operation was mounted, things have moved on. and in marje we find ourselves now in a position where we have a security presence throughout marje. we have entirely as we planned to do conduct add relief of place with the original afghan national army troops that did the operation and replaced them with new afghan national army conduct, in full partnership with the u.s. marine corps who are based there.

we have afghan national civil order police still stationed there, which again is what we planned to have up to about d plus 150. they are providing the close protection to the population. most of the security of the structure is now constructed so that throughout marje you would find a serious police -- series of police checkpoints all partnered up with u.s. marines and the afghan national army. you'll find around eight of the 15 schools opened with teachers. you'll find all of the bazaars are functioning. and you'll find a good deal of cash for work projects going on under some of the usaid projects under a.s.i. and you'll find the usaid plus project, the agriculture voucher program, is working well. what you'll also find which is important is the district governor, who is becoming increasingly assertive, and is out reaching to the population,

trying to connect himself and therefore the afghan government to the population. that's all very positive. that said, we are not yet where we need to be. it's very important that the community council becomes genuinely representative of all the people in marje and at the moment that's not the case. my sense is it will probably take another 90 to 120 days before all of the population feels entirely confident and comfortable with representing itself in his community council. what is instructive is that the queues outside his district center are constantly at around 300 or 400 locals. once again the locals around the immediate area of the district center and of course what everybody would like to see is all the locals in the population being able to come from throughout marje to see the district center and see his

administrative team. the reason they are not forthcoming just yet is because there is still a level of intimidation which will take the time that i prescribed to sort. and that intimidation is quite subtle. i'll paint a short picture for you about what life was like for an afghan in marje on the 11th or 12th in february before the operation was mounted. i want you to imagine a society in which there is no freedom of movement. in which you are confined to your house and to your compound and to your field. in which you are so suppressed and oppressed by the taliban and the barons that you are not able to move out of marje against the guard. the taliban controlled all the road junctions and all the exits to the area. they tax you for all the crops and particular the poppy which you are forced to grow. you have no access to education or to any form of welfare or health support. your children, therefore, are

growing up without any real opportunity or future. and indeed if you have a legal issue you have no access to fair justice. you might have access to pretty quick justice, but it's pretty harsh and brutal. i think that's difficult for us to imagine. you are completely locked down and you have really no hope for the future. contrast that now to other parts and the direction of travel that marje is headed where in the other parts of this operation you now discover we have a representative led by the district governor. that person is the second or third time being refreshed now and around 6,000 selleders have got together during the course of the last couple months to elect an electoral college of some 600 elders who 10 days ago elected 45 of their number to represent the district. that means that the population there is now properly connected with the afghan government.

that is the direction of travel that marje is going in. and my sense is one must go over the hump of intimidation that's out there you'll find they are in the same place as nadali. what is also striking, remember i said we are focusing on the 600,000 people, is that we now have freedom of movement throughout central helmund. again before the 12th of february it wasn't possible for the provincial governor to travel. he can now do that or his own with his own security detail. before the 11th of february he would have had to have done it with a helicopter and he couldn't have gone anywhere near marje at all. indeed, we didn't even fly a helicopter there to marje ourselves. we are making progress. but in counter insurgency it takes time and patience, and it's frustrating.

that is when we see at the moment. nonetheless we are going in the right direction. now, the next thing i'd like to do is turn to where they are focused next and that is on kandahar city, the subdistricts. and i'd ask you to look at the other diagram that you have which shows all of that. to give you a sense of the scale on here, it's about 45 kilometers by about 75 kilometers. and the urban area which is numbered with the 12 districts of kandahar city is about eight kilometers square. and for those of you the city of oxford in the united kingdom, it's about the same size as oxford, although i hasten to add that's probably where the parallel ends. when you talk about the rural areas first of all, i have highlighted a couple things on there, the first one is the river argendab which flos from the northeast side down to the west. the river is significant in much the same way as the helmund

river is significant. it's significant because you got a great deal of irrigation, dikes, ditches, canals off the river which provide very fertile ground. and what makes life tick in economic terms are the fruit crops of grapes in the district of czarry -- zari and pom granular nantz -- pomegranates. that prosecute provides the same of the economy. -- that fruit provides the staple of the economy. there is contested space, and in much the same way as marje was you'll find that zari has the insurgents with freedom of movement and the ability to control and suppress and oppress the population as we find in marje. the same applies to the southwestern part of panningway

between the rivers shown there on your map. argenda is also contested and the southeastern corner of it where it abuts on district eight you will find insurgents who have a degree of control over the battle states there. it's also the days kase the insurgency comes down from the north not shown on your map to feed into the northern argendad. we estimate there are probably between 500 and 1,000 insurgents who operate there. there will be a military challenge to resolve which i shall come back to. turn now to the city with its 12 districts. around 500,000 people live in the city as opposed to the 400,000 or so who live in the rural areas. what's interesting is that over the last eight years there's been a significant rural to

urban movement of the population. and the districts of nine and 12 to the north of the city are now a bit of a soweto-like area where single story buildings have grown up and around 80,000 to 90,000 new residents live with not much in terms of human cohesion. i want to paint a picture for you about the city. remember of course that kandahar is the historic capital of afghanistan. it has huge cultural as well as historic significance. it's traditionally been an economic and commercial trading hub. it sits on highway one, the main rig road that links up to the northeast to kabul. it also links to the southeast with pakistan and the border crossing point. it's therefore sitting on the confluence of significant routes and significant traditional silk and significant traditional silk roads.