>> good morning. today is saturday, october 2. we begin this portion of washington journal talking about the relationship between wall street and the administration. we base this on an exchange between the president and a man who works on wall street. the exchange was captured on a

cnbc meeting. we'll show you the exchange and get your calls. this morning in the "new york times" in the business section under the headlines, still stuck in deny al on wall street.

>> this is something a lot of my friends are thinking about. i represent the wall street community. we have felt like a piniata. we feel like we are being whaked with a stick. >> wall street is connected. providing loans to buy products of all of that is very important. we have to do so in a responsibly way. i have been amused over the last couple of years the sense of me beating up on wall street. most folks in main street feel like they've been beat up on.

host: do you feel like main street has been too hard on wall street. the numbers are on the screen. send us a message at our everyone mail. journal at c-span.org or on twitter c-span wj. go to twitter.com. . representing the wall street community wearing a suit decidedly not polyester.

host: has the administration been too hard on wall street? the first call from dallas, texas. caller: i think he's been far too easy on wall street. look at his relationship with reuben. many of the democratic senators are too intwined with wall street. it seems to me dodd and frank both started watering their bills down when it was announced. i think he's been way too easy on wall street. host: in your opinion, how could he get tougher on wall street?

caller: how would he get tougher? he ought to work to get some of the bonuses down. salaries are outrageous. way out of proportion of those in any other particular field. i think probably since he has replaced it -- host: we'll move on to the democratic line. caller: i would like to say as a lay person in finance, i am amused that the one making probably half a million, a million in salary that they would complain that the

president is trying to make wall street not so greedy of doing all kind of things. one of the thing that's really shocked me and woke me up, when aig, the insurance people paid all that money to city corp, goldman sach and get tarp money. they were getting money to aig and directly from the federal government. that told me then, i always will remember that. these are some really slick, crooked people. host: mr. obama used the question to whach him --

host: going to a call from florida. caller: i do pressure show. i think main street has been beating up on wall street. i'm a republican. one of the things we have to remember is that wall street is one of the main sources for

creating jobs in america. we need to not overreact -- the things that move the economy. we have to have a balanced approach to government and wall street. you can't tax the machine that creates jobs and regulations. things have swung way too over for social and bail outs for unions and government employees.

all of that has to be looked at together so we have a balanced approach to creating jobs. >> we have this twitter message from coco chef, saying he needs to get out of the kitchen if he can't take the heat. host: to the line for democrats go ahead. caller: i think it is the opposite. wall street has been beating up on main street for a long time. the misuse of hedge funds and the manipulation of the economy that has rilted in this enormous

bubble. i always knew that the bubble had to burst sooner or later. no other place can people be so rewarded for such unbelievable income tense and miss management. wall street shows a serious reform. that is to stimulate the economy to develop and help and work with the government to spur growth for those people less fortunate.

it is amazing that these people can receive bonuses for doing such a horrible job. host: back to the "new york times" story.

host: you are on the line. caller: i'm 90 years old. i wanted to ask colored man. why don't the colored people, instead of saying what we did to them but what we did for them. host: ma'am, this is more of a conference between administration and the people of wall street and not one based on

race. caller: ok. i'm not a racist. that's just my comment. thank you. host: you think the administration has been too hard on wall street? caller: thank you. i think those have been too hard. business is going down. now wall street is going up. he doesn't seem to like when anything goes up and he starts regulating more. we have sefrn seven pages of intrusion. this president has to be

concerned more. union tempers are more in the public sector than private. it is time to clean up with what washington spends instead of looking into the private pockets of what they can steal further. we have to bring down salaries in government. some are making $300,000, $400,000 a week. we have councilmen in california now going to jail because they were stealing money from the government. we have to clean up washington. leave the stock market alone.

it's not all wealthy people. host: tell me about your developments in the stock market and how have you been doing? caller: very badly. very, very badly. i wish i was doing as well as washington. i'm not. i'm a senior citizen. my 401 k is a 201 k, medicare advantage, this president is going to eliminate that. i can't afford a premium. host: we'll leave it there. in the wall street journal weekend edition.

host: north carolina on the line for republicans. has the administration been too hard on wall street? what do you think about our question? caller: my statement ask would be that there is no reset button

when a new president takes office. no, i don't think that the president has done enough to wall street. you have to start out with higher regulations with regards to being able to come down to a middle point. knowing where the bar is now is easier than having to bring the bar back up. host: shawn, how hard do you think the administration has to come down on wall street? caller: i think being able to move forward with being able to get wall street at a point where they are going to know how to

control themselves and how to think of somebody oernl other than themselves. if you have a family member that is addicted, the first step is them admitting that they have a problem. we raise our kids in a manner of wanting them to do what is morally right but when people are rewarded for doing wrong. it's no different than that mobster going out and being glorified.

host: we'll leave it there. host: florida on the line for independents. good morning. caller: thank you. past administration opened up the discount window. ben bernanke after martin luther king day lowered the discounty

rate. we bail ourselves out of something that alan dpreen span and the previous administration had set up to lend money to people who had no money, no credit. the value of my home went from $600,000 to $200,000. we sold all assets and stocks. we have been flat broke. i felt like it was a situation to bring down the loans we received from china and so forth on face value of 10 cents on the dollar for them. host: how do you want to see the administration moving forward in

this administration with wall street and make things better for you? caller: they can better level out the playing ground by being harder on wall street and making it fair so that 90% of the population isn't going to pick up the view made to bring down the playing field on the whole world. i see people left and right that have lost their homes and jobs. wall street should be picking up part of this tab. host: next caller. go ahead.

caller: my first response is, are you kidding me. i'm an investor. if you get caught cheating, you pay a tenth of what you stole. host: what does the administration do? caller: first of all, the fcc is a captured agency. second, they need penalties and new law that's say, if you steal, you pay ten times minimum of what you've stolen. if you are guilty of fraud, no pass or go, you go straight to jail. the options market is a trillion dollar market.

by a voice vote, congress does not have a voting margin on taxes. there's 50 to $100 billion not paid in taxes that congress knows about. host: we'll take a break. on news makers this week, the republican policy chairman. this is what he had to say on the make up of the senate and what it might look like next year. >> it will be a different senate. wreel have a lot of new people. people that ran campaign that's were about a very distinct agenda.

if you think about it, we've seen the most massive expansion. it generates a lot of the campaign. it brings a lot of energy. if it will enable us to solve these big problems. republicans have to lead with a lot of courage and boldness. >> you can see the interview sunday at 10 a.m. on c-span. also available on line at c-span.org and as an app for your i phone. next up from lady lake, florida

on the line for republicans. mike, go ahead. caller: i just wanted to say i believe the administration is way too hard on all of wall street, especial on the enter perennial spirit america has. i was a truck driver from back in the 1960's. i'm retired now. i was able to build a business that had 20 some stores and 200 some employees. instead of be paying taxes as a truck driver, i had bigger taxes plus all my employees are paying taxes. now we say what would we have done in this day and age. she would have still been what

she was and i would have been a truck sdriefer. the government would never have received that money. i see the spirit just broken. host: give me an example of where they need to ease up. caller: all the regulations have driven companies to mexico and then to india and china. everything is paperwork. my son has a small business. he can't hire anybody. he can't afford the insurance to cover his small business so he works it all by him self.

host: on the line for democrats. caller: thank you. we enjoy the show. i graduated high school in 1971, in school there was a teacher i had, mr. miller that would run for congress as an libertarian. i found that out later. i didn't even know what that was. i grew up in a democratic family, working class people. he made a prediction that the elimination of the gold standard would take our dollar and have it totally controlled by whatever wall street decided to

do with it. host: you think bringing the gold standard back is a way for administration to better regulate. caller: i think the president has been too easy on wall street. i don't know if there's any president really making a reform right now. host: greg in jacksonville, florida. caller: thank you. i'm surprised at some of the responses i am hearing from people calling that the president of the administration has not been or should be softer on wall street. they are responsibly for what

has happened for the country today. i think there should be more government regulation on wall street. primarily because as one of your callers said before, they created this mess along with aig and others enriching themselves and getting bonuses in the face of failures. we get all these calls from people that says the government should not back up or regulate. >> the part of government is to protect his people and their working assets. they are working to pay the taxes that would allow, again, the government to do what it is

supposed to. host: greg in florida. this is from the baltimore sun this morning. bank of america halting foreclosures in 23 states. host: back to the phones st. louis on the democrat line. caller: hello. first-time caller. i've been listening to what people are saying about the

whole don't tax money makers or job makers in this country. i don't think people are really recognizing how bad things have gotten, particularly the middle class. how bad things have gotten over the last decade with regards to the lack of jobs, the reduction of income, the harder it is to get out of poverty. it reminds me of the concept of the slave meant at. they don't understand how much

better lives can get. host: so what is the remedy? caller: when you have a thought furl president trying to find ways to change things without shocking the system so much that it does hurl the society it serves and the country it serves into a profound reaction. he's caught between the idea of a country that-v wants to do way more into a european-type philosophy and caught between people who are so accustomed to living within an slave meant at

is what i call it. host: we'll leave it there.

host: on the line for republicans out of spencer, ok. has the administration been too hard on wall street? caller: i don't think so. i think the government should force them to take their bonus money that they so generously receive and make them hire the people to do the paperwork required to control them. we could regulate and put some unemployed folks back to work. host: all right. next up, hisperia, california on the line for independents. caller: i want to tell the nice 90 year old lady that called in that african-americans are no

longer referred to as "colored." just two years in for president obama, he comes in with a measured response. maybe we'll see stronger moves and decisions as he moves through his tenure as president. right now, you have to take it one block at a time. wall street plays a part in our economy. we need to sit and wait and see. maybe he comes in with a measured response now or increases sanctions and things like that as we go forward. we need to sit and wait and not be so anxious.

we need to sit back and wait. i have no problem for anybody on wall street that makes a million dollars, they should not be chastised. host: have you seen any change in the way wall street does business? caller: i don't even see or read but i do watch washington journal. but what i will say, regulations. i take the information from c-spannd independent media. i trust the president.

we all knew the disaster really was what it was. host: pennsylvania on the line for democrats. caller: thank you for allowing me to speak my mind. i don't think he's been critical enough. i think after 22 years of republic republicans dismantling the working sector of main street for this country, it is hard to think that people can actually think that wall street would regulate themselves to society.

we had a small lapse but owe list the kirnt better than it had been in 22 years. host:

host: new mexico on the line for independents. go ahead. caller: you just read a story from the paper about mary s shipiro is putting in new rules about flash trade. host: referring to the $4.1 million contrast. caller: correct.

that's the story. technology has far out paced our ability to control. when you have one trade being able to do that, wall street has become with casino taking over. they don't have a fighting chance. if the question is have we regulated wall street enough, we haven't even touched -- we haven't addressed too large to fail. we've cut down the number of large banks. we haven't really dealt with the affect that they have. those people on wall street. i don't have a fighting chance.

host: going to the tribune. host: more on our question. has the administration been too hard on wall street. cliff from cincinnati on the line for republicans go ahead. caller: thank you for having me. this all starts on the belief it

was wall street that created this bust. we built this up by heating up the housing market, by giving loans to people who weren't qualified and it built up. i don't just mean low income. we let people making $100,000 buy half a million dollar houses. the key in all this is the regulation of the market rule that suddenly changed that an

asset is evaluated. the regulation that came from the enron scandal. host: thank you for your call. from the "new york times" this morning. host: back to the phones on the

line for democrats. caller: thank you for taking my call. since this president came to the office about 15 months ago. things have gone up. thanks to the democrats for doing such a horrible job about letting people know where they are going to doing and what they have achieved. thanks to the republicans for what they have done. when i open my credit card statement, i know how much i am paying. i know how many years i have to payoff my debt. it makes me responsibly how i

pay my credit card. host: we'll leave it there and take a short break. when we come back, we'll have a discussion on young voters from the 2010 mid attorneys. representatives from the college democrats and college republicans. we'll be right back on washington journal.

>> good morning and welcome to the least sustain pensful announcement of all times. as awful you have reported, my chief of staff, rahm emanuel will be leaving his post today. >> rahm emanuel will beheading

back to chicago. >> high school and middle students, enter the c-span video competition. this year's theme, washington, d.c. through my lense. tell us about an issue or topic that helped you understand your role. include more than one point of view along with c-span programming. you'll have a chance to win the grand prize of $5,000. there's $50,000 in total prizes. open to all students grades 6-12. go on line to studentcam.org.

host: in monday's washington post, obama looks to youth vote for a late midterm surge. the national chairman of the college republican national committee. what kind of activity have you got the college republicans been doing? >> we are doing everything we can. we have 25 staff in the field recrewing and training. we expect 1.9 million voter contact by election day. host: and the national communications director with democratic colleges. caller: we are working on the

initiative called again 2010. we have a huge new voter registration push. host: what do you soo as the key issue going into the election? guest: all about the economy. unemployment and debt and the future. host: the same question. guest: college students don't have am meezia. they remember how hard it was to get a student loan then.

guest: young people who are republicans are saying they are more likely to vote than democrats. there's a lot more enthusiasm among republicans this year in all age groups but particularly among young people. host: taking to the college democrat committee and the college republicans. if you'd like to respond, give us a call. you can send us messages on email and twitter. we'd like to hear from young folks 18-30 out there working for respective parties and candidates.

regarding the statement the president made earlier, do you see apathy in the students you are working with? guest: i didn't see apathy amid the hundreds of thousands of students. they roamize the issues are too important. the economy is important along with student aid. i think telling by the rally and mow meant up. apathy, we always have college students fired up and ready to go. host: college student or resent graduate, let us know where you are going to school. the republican line, barbara from new york.

go ahead. caller: i'd like to ask the young republican on the tv, do they think that they have a good chance of getting at the vote better than the democrats? guest: absolutely. most republicans would go through a lot to vote this year. i think we are going to take back the house and do very well in senate and republican voters. young people will turn out to vote in high numbers and we'll get that change. host: dean from tulsa on the line for independents. caller: i'd like to comment to the young republican and remind the young democrat that the last two years of the bush

administration, the democrats held the purse strings and caused all the spending. the republicans need to bring that out, the dem catses are way too careful about what bush said. pelosi is the speaker and made the deficit rise. the democrats have been in charge four years, not just two. i wish the republicans would bring that out and democrats would remember that. host: thank you for your call. guest: i did not hear dean's call. host: he was saying in the last two years of the bush administration, the democrats were running things in the house and the senate and that it is

those two groups that were more responsibly for the massive spending we've been going through. guest: it was the government controlled congress and under the bush administration, we saw 90,000 students lose eligible for pell grants. under the obama presidency, we have seen the largest increase in money for education. we are going to see an increase in the award of pell grants of $200 to $400. a lot of students remember those times and will not make that same mistake again.

host: talking about the youth vote. judy on the line for independents. caller: thank you for taking the call. the response to the caller respond together 90-year-old woman's call. i'm wandering if he would be willing to contact the naacp and tell them that. host: let's talk about the youth vote in the 2010 elections. caller: no. host: let's move on mike on the line for democrats. caller: this is a great conversation. i am a parent of two present

college students. my protecting income has gone down to zero because i'm transferring all to the universities. an increase is what the democrats did. what do you think about the affect of globalization is on the economy? other countries are rising. how are we supposed to compete in a global business world. host: zach, college republicans.

guest: we have to be able to compete on the world market. we need to make sure we keep them. i don't think the boast way to do that is to nationalize student loan industry and make it more expensive for students to go to college. guest: i don't feel like cutting out the middleman and subsidizing banks is a bad idea. there was billions of dollars worth of wasteful spending we were throwing away because of the middleman in banks. now with direct student loan, we are able to get more money directly for school. we have to realize the investment made by this congress and this president has been unprecedented in really

improving our ability in college students and colleges across the board there's a $2.5 million increase. making sure more americans can go to college and be competitive in the international work force. because we are globalizing and have to stay competitive. providing tools for college students. host: we continue discussion with phyllis in florida on the line for democrats. caller: one of your people that called in were saying that the democrats did all the spending in the last two years. i'm wandering about the budgets.

how can we say the democrats did it when george bush and his cabinet people left all that out and did not include it. when obama tried do it in his budget, it was way up. naturally, it was not included in the other. you cut all of that off. . .

guest: at our first beat of the college democrats, we had over 300 people in attendance. we are see the state's biggest schools across the high call from florida are red chili. scott -- i come from florida are rigidly. the year city of central florida is a large republican

university, but the democrats are headed consisted beads, put it about 7000 calls a week ice -- a week. we see numbers, because we understand how high the stakes are. host: in the "do york times," there was this had led. is this a regional thing to work with? guest: i couldn't tell from personal experience. from what i have seized it washington d.c., -- for what i see the washington d.c., which it did it to see democrats across the board. in 2009, we of the had six active chapters. we are seeing that in key states.

in north carolina, though we only had four active chapters in 2008. indeed, they have seen an incredible outpouring for the gubernatorial candidate. it is incredible about it and traditionally read states. h., -- host: zach howell? guest: i am proud to state -- to save the college republicans have both states covered. what we are situs tens of thousands of students recruited to just over a month. we are see beatings with unprecedented that the bids. six more young people -- we are seeing medians with unprecedented republicans.

yet republicans are far more likely to vote. i emceed a lot of low-income across the country. host: back to the phones, charlotte, mich., pat are lorillard for democrats. -- our live forget -- democrats. caller: as a young republican, -- how do you see how president bush and president reagan effective this country? it was such a devastation to young -- i was a young loader won the first president -- loader was the first president bush was elected. i did not vote because i did not know i had a good enough voice.

the republicans seem to have taken our country a bit of word spiral. -- of a downward spiral. both left two democrats have tried to bring it back up. host: give us the specific example. caller: looked at what reagan did with to get rid of progressives. the education has gone downhill. everything has been cut out to about -- cut out for the of business but. everything is big business. host: i do not think you could let that at the feet of the young republicans. caller: for what i understood you are going to be co-lead somewhere in your -- somewhere

in your republican leadership. you could be the next congressman or something like that. what can you do for us, as young voters? guest: high and puzzled by the question. not much to work there. why i am -- while i'm not here to carry water for the historical figure, added certainly think there was some profit spending. i disagreed with the dead at the all. we ought -- i disagreed with the dead, and now. i do not think there is no way of arguing that the policies of this administration have been good for your people. host: our next call is from

naples, florida, our live for republicans. seacock put in context -- caller: put in context of the outrage of health what will your party do about the rate of inflation? that is my first question. how can you stay even with the world the educational level when you are receiving math and science pupils that rate 22nd. 25th? how deeply the card addressing those -- how you plan addressing those problems? host: michael worley?

guest: i can identify with college tuition. are remember not so long ago, the situation was skyrocketing, but our aid was being cut. at least under this congress, we have seized an incredible increase student aid to deal with rising tuition. i really understand that. death to touch on your point of health insurance -- to touch on your point on health insurance, discovers has put in place laws that allow students to stay on their parents health-care insurance until they are 26. that helps out. if we are going to be competitive, there are going to be readied for degrees after their undergraduate -. we're thankful for that.

>> our lead for independents bid. caller: i responded to a call where someone was believed harry reid and nancy pelosi for the problems we have been headed during the last two years of the bush presidency. nothing that the covers produced during the two years would have been approved without bush approve it. host: zach howell? guest: it is true, but the thing cloud of got by without the democratic congress supporting it. -- nothing could have gotten by without the democratic cars supported. it goes both ways. i did not think there is either

-- anyway for either party to escape blame. host: our next call, from jeddah for, calling out pittsburgh, -- jennifer, calling out of this part of a pennsylvania. caller: i would like to ask a question about student loans. my son started college this fall in ohio. he had to get his student loan through chase date's program -- de's program. we were told that two three or three years ago, the interest rate would be 3%, and all because of the above the health- care bill, it would be at night

0.5%. i was wondering if you could respond to that. host: michael worley? guest: i can identify with that. i am dealing with high interest rates. i also realize that a couple of years ago it was difficult for any college student to plot a college loan -- to pull out a college loan. a lot of students in america, before we started increasing and try to help our markets were having a difficult time getting loans they needed. fortunately, under the obama administration, we have extended the loan system. we are good way to the will to cut out the middlemen and instead of subsidizing.

i have to take a private loans as well, but i also get a significant amount from the federal government, it's both subsidized, and unsubsidized. it is a much easier process. fortunately, because we have made that investment, because democratic of this has made that investment, which are going to be able to see more students like myself, your son, keith be able to get the education they need to compete. host: michael worley, you are still at american university, correct? what made you get into politics? guest: i joined the debate team. you always tend to brush up on your political issues. i was really interested in how washington income -- and

politicians shape your everyday life. i realize there is a lot of good that can be dug -- be done. for me, that was a huge factor. host: zach howell, the chairman of the college republican national committee. you have a bachelor's degree from the university of utah. how did you get involved? guest: i have been involved since i was fairly young. i m not sure why started. i have always cared passionately about politics. i think it as a great impact on people's lives. i think public policy is incrediblely important. host: earlier this week, christopher townsend wrote this

in "the washington post." beck's s about bluglenn rally. it's called michael worley, what you see as the difference -- michael worley, what you see as the difference? guest: we have a lot of unionized workers. they were angry about a lot of things. they were angry about 450 lost that are being held up to consistently blocked the new congress. they are a great about that. in terms of the tea party in

general, it is interesting to the imminent. i think it has had an interesting effect on the republican party, especially in states like delaware and alaska. i think we will have to wait until look a bit to see the true impact. it is interesting, and republicans are concerned about it as well. host: the zach howell, tell us your impressions of the rally, compared with you will see today the mall. guest: i saw a citizenry that is not happy with the way things are. there is no central tea party headquarters. there's no one had begun memos. this is a group of citizens that a ticket to political activism that quite recently.

they are working for change. they do not like the path our country is the. i think the consistent theme is a cry for change. host: is the tea party movement helping to increase numbers? guest: did not brand ourselves almost any particular movement. we believe a smart economic policy. that is what we used to get students into our group. back to our phones. our next -- host: our next call comes from orlando, florida, and are democrats line. see, i'm 60 years old. i am a great. i have a lot written the both of my guests. arbor with the federal government under bush cut aid to

the states in order to pay tax cuts for their rich buddies. our river we have flu vaccine and shortages -- i remember what we had flu vaccine shortages. remember when bush's department of labor cut back and overtime pay. that is not to mention lottery belt our clean air act, our -- watering down our clean air act. host: what you want to see from your students moving forward? caller: i wanted to let the big picture. become very informed. most students are doing that. the bottom line is that president obama is tried his best to undo all the damage bush and the republicans are done to our country.

gee, i cannot imagine any greater damage be done the pilot of an trillions of dollars of debt. we can talk about the past all we weren't. the fact is, right now, this said the destruction is putting in place policies that have to better equip harm the american people, especially young people. hitchcock blood, -- host: doug, of our live from wisconsin. caller: if the government is controlling universities through grants for the professors, and now they control loans to the students, how are both of you young gentleman keep your independent thinking, and not be influenced by the way that

government was to tell? -- wants you to go? gee, i have both very liberal and very conservative professors. i have been at two institutions of higher education. at both, i have seen protestors -- professors that think independently. i can also tell you that my private loans far exceed my federal loans. a lot of it is based on needs. the private loans sector is still very much there. fortunately, those loans are opened back up. the above the administration have all of us to unfreeze -- the obama administration has allowed us to unfreeze that monday. -- that money. it allows us to compete in the

global marketplace. we have to realize there is not a lack of independent thought, at least two that i have been a student at. there truly is independent ticket among our professors are students. host: we are said this indicates -- this e-mail. zach howell, you first. gee, i don't think there is a sense of entitlement. -- guest: i do not think there

is a sense of entitlement. i think people cannot find work. it is leading to delayed starts of careers and adverse consequences. i do not know there is a sense of entitlement. there is a sense the need much more responsible policy to get the job market that a contract so young people can find work. host: michael worley, balancing the need for the people with an aging work force. guest: we need to be promoting getting our students in institutions of higher education. the only way to create new jobs and industries is to stimulate innovation. the way we do that is by having been educated workforce that can go out there, get into the job market, and create something for their own. we can do that through

education, it through this administration's unprecedented investment in higher education. we're very proud of that. that will spark the innovation we need to stimulate our economy. host: we have a twitter message. guest: well, we cannot tax our way out of this. many of the people that fall into the so-called rich category, file as their small businesses. what we are in effect doing is taxing small business and in many many cases, which will not create jobs or lead to inflation. we cannot tax our way out of the

deficit. the last thing we need to do is pull more money out of the creator private sector, and put it into the kind of all public sector. called -- host: minnesota, on our line for democrats. caller: this whole thing it is about jobs. the administration tried to get a bill to encourage companies to come back to the states. it would create more jobs. they could not get a single republican to vote for that bill. every republican voted against that bill to bring companies back to the states. that is where all the jobs are going. that says it all about the two parties. host: zach howell, you first.

guest: i am not sure of the specific bill. i think it is a lot more difficult than that. it is a, -- a complex set of policy prescriptions. i did not see any actions by the obama administration to make that happen. what i see is policies seemingly designed to drive businesses await. guest: up i was reading the words of eric cantor and how he you -- add talking about being the party of no was involved in the republican party. i find that funny. we have meaningful legislation we need to push through to help the american people. as the republican party consistently remains the party of no, it is only helping to raise the speed to end the morale among their party. it is not doing much for the

american people. host: good morning, paul. see, i would like these people to know that reagan tripled the national death -- national debt. obama, of the day he was inaugurated, had a 1.3 trillion dollar deficit. most of your deficits and national that you can give to republican administrations. do not forget, the president asks the final authority. did not but, the democrats, zach howell -- do not blame the of the democrats, zach howell.

guest: president reagan promised more spending cuts than tax cuts, but was blocked by the democratic congress. more recently, the caller said the deficit was 12 trillion dollars when president bush left office. in the space of a year and a half, we piled on more than half as much national death -- debt than we had the previous couple of hundred years. it is mind-boggling, and i do not think there is any way to pinned the blame on anyone in the past. the: we're talking about youth vote. our next call comes from ray, in syracuse n.y..

see, i appreciate c-span. this this -- caller: i appreciate c-span. this discussion it illustrates the contrast between the two parties. if you look at the big picture, michael worley seems to concede most of the points made and spending by repeatedly pointed out government spending and student aid. he is also encouraging of young democrats see themselves as a small constituency of students, as opposed to your of american's parent -- americans. that is the problem. they're both conceding that. michael worley does not seem to understand looking at yourself as the needy students that could only succeed the government's help as part of the problem.

guest: as a college student, i am proud to concede that this administration has invested a lot of money in higher education. at the end of the day, we have to realize that college is expensive. tuition continues to be on the rise. that the investment that the democratic demonstration has made it continues to allow college students to achieve that dream of getting a higher education, it's real work force, been making something out of themselves. i am proud to say our fellow democrats have been spending a lot of money on higher education, and i see that as a huge positive. host: next >>, -- call on our lied for republicans. see, -- caller: there was a

woman who called from his purchase of some -- from pittsburgh, pa.. when michael sun stock -- my son started college this fall. our income level was too high to receive loans. my son was only able to receive $6,000. his tuition is $31,000. he was forced to take it private low. the interest rate we were told to to the obama healthcare belt is 9%, where it would have been 3 percent said a couple of years ago. i want to know if that is true. did the health-care bill cause a rise in interest rates? host: zach howell.

guest: it is hard to imagine a more damaging legislative piece them this health-care bill. we also put student loans in the bill. what we have seen our quickly rising federal student loan interest rates. we have also seen health-care inflation. this bill was supposedly going to bend the cost curve downward. when a request to see an end to the spiraling inflation that we have seen over the last few decades. the fact is it has been the opposite. health-care inflation has by now. his interest rates for student loans have gone up. on all fronts, this is been counterproductive, and her health care and stupid loans. i think it is sad. host: robert, and our line for independence.

see, when you were talking about the deficits, and reject caller: when you're talking about the deficits, and all of the problems, i was wondering if you would compare and contrast that with the half trillion dollars surplus that clinton left, and the deficit that president bush gave to president obama. guest: i did not here to carry water for pass republican administrations. there was profligate spending. of be the first to admit it. i was not happy event, and i look at the happy now. there is a scale issue. we have seen a massive increase in the deficit and a huge

increase in the national debt. i would also like to point out that it was the republicans in congress holding clinton's feet to the fire that led to surpluses. host: what was your major in college? guest: political science. host: d.c. yourself may be ready for office -- to use yourself maybe running for office in some point next -- point? the call not at this point, maybe somewhere down the line. host: michael worley? guest: i see myself working behind the scenes. i think it is incredible that average people can make a difference. it is remarkable that we live in a country where we have that

ability. it is one of the reasons i am proud to be an american. host: athens, tenn., and our applied for democrats. see, i would like to point out that when the federal government offered to gi benefits, for every dollar the federal government invested, we get a return of $15. i would also like to point out some of the information that was brought out earlier by other callers, that bush had a $710 billion projected surplus, and left office with the $410 billion deficit. that was a 1.2 trillion dollars swing. at the end of 2008, we were losing somewhere around 700,000

jobs a month. i think investing in our young people now will help us bring back the phenomena of we experienced after world war two. guest: i will not argue with the montgomery gi bill. i think we are investing in education now. we have the best system in the world. no one is arguing. host: oliver, a power line for republicans. caller: i would like to ask the democrat this question. we were under a situation where newt gingrich worked hand in hand with president clinton to reduce spending. both sides deserve the credit.

i want to ask you why the president did not do this. after charles the bald side, -- de gaulle died, hundreds of billions of dollars were spent created the best track this system begin the world. tens of thousands of new roadways, of tens of thousands of investments in france to tell infrastructure. now, with the highest cost in the workforce, france has some of the lowest total cost of doing business in the world. with $2 billion necessary to retool our nation's system of sewers, to a petition systems,

-- transportation systems, why didn't president obama if say we have a national crisis, we are going to put in 750 billion in new-line to its structure. -- in new infrastructure. guest: i cannot speak to french history, but under this presidency, president obama inherited the worst economic turmoil the country has seen since the great depression. he inherited an incredible mess. he inherited an economy that was losing hundreds of thousands of jobs on a monthly basis. now, we have seen sustained growth. it will be rough. we have a tough time to deal with. considered what he faced when he

took office, economists agree things could be much worse. we could've been talking about the depression. we have to realize that our best days are ahead of us. we are making a lot of progress. host: last call comes from florida, and our love for democrats. -- on our line for democrats. caller: a lot of the stuff the states should be doing, the federal government is trying to do that. the co-ops, and the lobbyists have a stranglehold of the legislative branch. how are you going to address those two issues? host: zach howell? guest: there is separation

between the state and federal governments. we need to keep the separation and best policies with populations. i do not think we could come up with one-size-fits-all policies. i hate to go back to the last question, but i want to point out that the stimulus bill was supposed to be about its structure, is said we have seen 23 percent said it investigated the structure, ed -- id the above but -- the data pointed -- , but in plymouth higher than the obama administration said it would be. host: for more information, about the coverage democrats of america, you could go to their website. if you want more intermission

but the cause republican national committee, it could find that. thank you forbid of the show this morning. -- for being on the show this morning. which ticket short break. you are watching washington journal."

>> "washington journal, coke " continues. host: toss, for the purpose of this discussion led as a foreign

fighter? guest: a foreign fighter are westerners going over to achieve out conflict zones, primarily in yemen. we have also worked a little bit. these are americans joined conflict zones. ist: you're right that this intended to serve as a primer about this threat. tell us about the threat. guest: it is not as " a ticket as we would like. -- as quantitative as we would like. we happen we do know we have more germans fighting alongside the movements. it is -- we also not least 3000

americans fighting side by side, and 3000 swedes. you are starting to see a number of americans not only travel to engage in g hiatt, but the biggest concern is that many of them are returning. if you like the biggest terrorism plot since september 11, this was an afghan that was living in the united states who had intended to travel in afghanistan and to engage in terrorism but the taliban. he was intercepted by a al qaeda, of that came back to the united states to put together a significant plot. you also have another example which the times square bobber. he was also a naturalized citizen. we are not sure if he ever

intended to fight overseas. he did go through some training. basically, you have a threat that is metastasized. al qaeda has recognized the difficulties for their fighters to deter the that it states, so they are exploiting reuter abilities -- of all abilities. host: what attracts these americans at naturalized citizens to go overseas, and want to attack their own country? guest: we place great emphasis on what we refer to as bridge figures, many of which are now embedded in foreign terrorist organizations. many of the are americans. a young man from alabama had

converted to islam as a teenager. he went overseas. now, he is the primary jihad pop star. he recruits to travel to somalia to engage in terrorism. the most probable it is responsible for the two successful terrorist attacks in the dead states since 2001. -- in the united states since 2001. we call the bridge figures because they have feet in both worlds. they are culturally but what's to american ways -- in american ways. host: you also write in your report that the phenomenon is not new. it is estimated that between 1002 thousand american muslims

engaged in a violent jihad . guest: you did have a call, and a number of people engaged in such activity, including americans. during the afghan invasion of the soviet union, you also had huge numbers of westerners and engage in this activity. it is not do. what is new is the role technology has played in not all the recruiting and radicalizing, but this is al qaeda's greatest opportunity to strike at the united states. it is significant. most of the service has been focused on their activities over there. you can no longer support. separate that from the potential threat of all over here. host: we're talking to the

director of the homeless security policy institute at george washington university. our topic is the threat of home from terrorism. host: earlier this week, the director of the fbi was talking about the situation, and discussed the radicalization of u.s. assumes that occurs in countries -- u.s. citizens occurs in countries abroad. see, most of the individuals have been radicalized by influences outside of the dead states. to the extent we can address these influences, whether it be in yemen, somalia, of pakistan,

or elsewhere, to that extent, i also but it is important to reducing the level of the threat. host: your thoughts of what the fbi director had to said. host:. -- guest: i think he is correct that we need to be concerned about the potential. it is not just the potential. we have seen 40 cases since 9/11, such as the shooter in arkansas. of those, 19 have occurred in the past year. u.s. starting to see a uptick in activity. that is a concern. host: why the up to it now? guest: i am the sure there is a specific reason. you are seeing greater roles by those on the internet. here, you have active proponents

of terrorism, it to a large extent, unfettered. terrorists need time and space to plant and not -- + it tax. -- attacks. that is why yemen is a concern. you have a weak government. terrorists can exploit the situation. so, here, the internet is a new on cover no-space, and the killer application is people -- on government space, and the killer application is people. it gives a sense of belonging. it reaffirms. host: our discussion begins with san antonio, florida. rec, an airline for

independents. you mean chris? i am a conservative. i have a nephew over in the army in afghanistan. i do not understand how all or involvement in these foreign countries can't protect us -- can protect us when we are allowing the border to be so porous. i travel a lot. i guess our corrupt system, they our install it -- they are installing some of these smithfield machines. why do we not have bomb-sniffing dogs at the airports.

guest: those are good questions. clearly, why we have a military presence, the idea is to be able to get there before the bomb goes off at any plot is attached. clearly, that will require some pressure overseas. a a big proponent of the drone of texas. there are succeeding. the second we take pressure off of the gas pedal, that will provide time and space. as for the borders, we clearly need to do more to its our security. as for dogs, i am a big proponent of that i cannot of the because i have old dogs, -- and not because i own dogs, but they are very effective.

the problem is the airport system is huge. what you need to be able to do is surge based the good intelligence and information when you have the correct data. that is when you want to have a big presence of dogs and behavioral scientists to keep the at this area are the edge. host: now we go to san antonio, florida. see, i like to thank all of the men and women in our armed forces for keeping us safe. hats off to them. in the last war, specifically the war with iraq, it was based on faulty intelligence. there was a lot of folks advocating building up to that war. a lot of the same folks are building up to the next war.

i think that the israel lobby is responsible for this. what are your comments are not -- on that? guest: iraq is a different situation that afghanistan, and clearly evident in somalia. you bring out points that i think history will tease out. i am concerned that our rock mates heard as well, given the fact that the project that iraq will shift as well, given the fact that we have changed our role. that does not mean that aqi is completely merchant in iraq, but there are concerns. as for afghanistan, it is not when one country as many people would like to think.

when you get outside of kabul, it is a different situation. intelligence is, at best, not clever boy it, by a large. you are dealing with estimators. we will never be 100%, but we want to base our actions are good information and intelligence. i am concerned about afghanistan. we are see potential threats. whether it should be done through a covert mission, or a heavy military presence, that is a legitimate question. host: "the wall street journal" this morning --

guest: it depends precisely where. you cannot fully separate afghanistan and and talk a step. -- and pakistan. the taliban it is a different kettle of fish. it does provide a window of vulnerability. i am quite confident it does not a zero-sum game. you're not entirely bleak from one to the other. clearly, pakistan is additional and so many levels. -- is an issue on so many levels. as much as we can have the pakistani authorities engage is a good gig. it is taken many years. they have been part of the

solution, and arguably, part of the problem. host: we're talking with friends from the homeless security policy institute at george washington -- homeland security policy institute at george washington university. see, i wanted to talk a little bit -- caller: i want to talk more about our homegrown problems in the country. you have right-wing extremists are one side, and now they are conducting themselves with a major political republican party. do you guys anticipate any problems from the backs you have a bunch of progressives that are a little angry, too. i would like to hear your thoughts. the: she's referring to

cover story and "climbed back dizzied -- high in the magazine." guest: i have not looked at death threat. i'm not in the best position to answer those questions. terrorism is terrorism. it is in development of what motivates the etchant itself -- what motivates. the action itself is what authorities pay attention to. host: that lets a, a georgia are the republican blood -- atlanta, ga., on the republican line. see, i wanted to -- caller: people need to understand that

not everyone well as some light and not everyone is capable of assimilating. we are a western country fell the of western values. western civilization comes of out of the eight world do with the judeo-christian ethics and values. it is very different the and the east. -- a than the east. when we allow everyone to come here, and we assume they will assimilate because of our openness and generosity, we are very busy. there are certain cultures that will never assimilate into western civilization because of the world view that they hold. i think that is part of the problem. host: we will leave it there. frank?

guest: a small number of people have exploited and taken advantage of the open this that the americans provide. we do need to be concerned about the small numbers. here you have a naturalized american citizen, the times square plotter. turboad of al qaeda's x operations, this was another your live and who became a naturalized citizen. he grew up in brooklyn and in florida. that is a concern, but i didn't want to suggest it is an overwhelming concern. host: the fbi director spoke about home-grown extremists becoming increasingly more savvy, harder to detect a and

using social networking. >> based on cases from the past year, home-grown extremists are harder to detect. in certain cases, that are more capable the what we have previously seen. moreover, the internet has expanded for a platform -- as a platform for propaganda. this has contributed to the threat from home-grown radicalization in the united states. guest: i completely agree with everything but iraq%. we have written reports on all of those -- asked the director said. we have written reports on all of those issues. we have to give serious the and addressing the hate speech on the internet.

the best approach is highly debated. whether or not you should shut down farm, if you go after one, it will go after -- it will go somewhere else. we have the youtube video set are going person-to-person. the real action is in the chat rooms, and the mainstream platforms set are calling out to individuals through youtube. that is a problem this to the margins. it would be a part during degree can remove this and go to prefer

that you bought this as we do try of predators and her of pornography, there is a lot more we could do and go on to reverse this to the margins to not make this easily accessible for those who may stumble on a video in become seduced by its message directly to better focus our collective efforts because you cannot monitor, nor should you, and monitor the entire internet and. host: you are on less -- with frank cilluffo. caller: on one to talk through

how to reconnect with them darks -- house do wheat connect with them? how can we connect with them before they come that way? guest: those are good questions and there is no easy answer. if you lifted the cases we have seen thus far, you have those that have converted. you have those that are muslim. there are two cases that come to mind in terms of the conversion that i think are significant. this is a young man who grew up in long island, new york. he converted to islam. he traveled to afghanistan. he not only training but engaged

in such activity and was coming back to the united states to plot an attack on the long island railroad. that is the same train i used to ride very often. the thing that makes him unique is not only his ability to come back to the united states, and it is called the golden passport. those that are on known that do not have noncriminal affiliations because there are a lot of legitimate travel and it is difficult to discern those who are traveling because they are interested, business, and everything else and those who are traveling for more nefarious purposes. in this case, he had familiarity with the target. he had the same situation with daniel boyd, someone who traveled overseas and trained in afghanistan. if implanted an attack right here at quantico.

to profile,easy unfortunately. profiling is probably not the best way. it comes in different shapes, sizes, forms, flavors. the cases that i am working on are those that are propagated by jihaddists. host: you read this fails to -- back to the stones. ocala, florida. you are on "the washington journal." caller: think you very much. western european countries now have muslims in their parliaments who could be complaisance are complying with

terrorism. could this happen here? how can we be assured that if we do get representatives in the house are the senate that are muslim that they are not possibly at least leaning toward terrorism? may i say one more thing concerning the road to the midterms? i took the initiative to rent a billboard for the month of october that will read it, " midterms group for the great -- midterms, vote for the great right hope." host: we already have a muslim in the house of representatives. caller: i did not know that. how can we make sure they are not terrorists? how to make sure they are not compliant with terrorism without our knowledge darks -- without our knowledge? host: absolutely.

we could have someone that is extremely minded toward militarism on the right. i agree with that. two wrongs do not make a right in the muslim factor. guest: i am not aware of anyone running for office. most of the most extreme militants deny even believe in the political system. they believe in those that look toward a sharia state that would not agitated democratic environment. i am not aware of anyone. clearly today you can arm and a campaign and have that which would hopefully come out beforehand as they run for office. we need to realize that it could also be very helpful where you have those who are obviously a

share back of the extremists. some of the solutions will have to come from within. they could be part of the solution as well. host: their right, just as american officials have been sounding name -- an alarm, eu officials say a new generation of western citizens including entire families of travel to pakistan in the summer determined to return home to carry out terrorist attacks. is there a parallel between what they're writing about in the european union countries and what we're seeing here in the united states? are the two government entities working together to try and solve this problem? guest: they are. in that same article it quoted an article by the head of the european union's chartered

terrorism initiatives. i would argue they have not been as focused on these issues especially as it pertains to travel. they are starting to play very active role in part because they realize they have a real brought on their hands and not one that just impact the united states but their own countries. women and children have moved to the hot tub -- fata region. if you asked me seven years ago what the likelihood of that would be, i would have said close to zero. there is the common bridge figure. one of the first two went over and became a pop star on the internet propagating this message. it was resonating with a small, but significant, number of germans. more needs to be done with

passenger name recognition and terrorism troubled -- terrorism travel. they're starting to move in the right direction. this was especially with the united kingdom which has been in the front of tackling these issues. host: on our next line -- on our next caller from the independent line. caller: i'm not so concerned about homegrown terrorism. i wanted to ask about it at least because both of your points of view. i would talk about things you can control and you cannot control. you can only try to influence other people. as my point is, you mentioned

there were 24 known a homegrown terrorists. our country has like 330 million people. that is an insignificant amount of people. there are a lot more crazy people in the world than there are homegrown terrorists. you know what i am trying to say? it is such a small number of people. how can you possibly think you can control something like that. the people that i know can take care of themselves. i think the american beat on the they can take care of themselves. we do not need a military industrial complex or anything like that. what some point, we need to keep our foot on the gas pedal and in other countries, but are we going in the wrong direction? host: when you say you can take care of yourself, are you referring to armed defense stocks -- armed defense? caller: that is one portion of

it. we have 9/11 which was tragic and there were things we probably could have done to prevent it, but on a very small scale, day to day and i am not worried about that. i can take care of myself. it is not an issue. host: we will leave it there. guest: you bring out a common question that is asked. let's not forget terrorism by definition is a terrorist to instill fear and undermine confidence in government, policies, etc. there are some legitimate question. i'm not a big fan of the numbers game. even here looking at the foreign fighters, the numbers are not high. most are looking at overseas. the numbers do not need to be all that high to pose a threat

to the united states. need i remind you there were only 19 hijackers involved in 9/11? that was a pretty catastrophic incidents. this on the attacks in the underground in the united kingdom, even fewer people were involved. federal solutions will not be the answer to this alone either. is going to require community efforts, community policing, and law enforcement that is not only engaging under suspicion but on an everyday basis. that has to be part of the solution. is this an issue everyone should be thinking about all the time? i do not know. i certainly want those who are tasked with protecting our national security to consider this a priority. they have. i think we need to continue mobilizing our efforts in that space.

host: part of what the secretary of homeland security testimony involved discussion of a program they instituted called see something, say something. it is a campaign from the dhs that is being expanded throughout the country and if someone sees something suspicious to reported. every so often you can hear a recorded message from secretary napolitano on our metro system. is this something that can be truly effective, or is this something homeland security is putting out to try and let people feel as if they are safer? guest: that is a good question at this to whether science meets at the end of the day. there have been cases if you go back to the times square bombing, and was the dollar by a street vendor who noticed the

smoke, contacted the authorities. who knows if they had not moved in as quickly as they had. to me, this is about common sense, but people still do not know where to call it they see something. there needs to be that he's taken out. i do think the citizenry can play a role. if you look back to the abdul muttalah on there were bomber, it was someone at three aisles back to tackled him because they recognized something was wrong. i did not want to suggest this is the ultimate answer, and i do not know how this should or should not work, but these decisions can play a role if they know who to call and what to look for. host: if viewers or listeners want to read your report, where would they find it?

guest: good question. it is on our website, www.homelandsecurity.gwu.edu. host: next up on our line for democrats, you are on "washington journal." caller: i have two questions. i would hope that part of the strategy if there is a german attack is aimed at those two would the return of their [inaudible] also, i did not get what using these back right wing militias in some countries [unintelligible] it seems like they have taken a turn and they want to bring in

democracy. god bless america. thank you. guest: the drone attacks, clearly, will be targeting those that are directly responsible in terrorist activity. there have been, obviously, casualties that are not directly related. you're starting to see a much quicker and better response by at least the military in theater to acknowledge. that is an issue. i can tell you that the actual targeted information which is based on specific information is directly responsible in either planning workers -- were supporting. host: last call from minneapolis, minn., on our line for republicans.

go ahead. caller: most of the people i associate with, we have always come to the conclusion that israel is occupying the land that they should not be close to have nuclear weapons. i did this creates a double standard of danger and this is what is pulling us into the situations. we are so far stretch because of that. what if we just took care of that? that would be the root problem that we could address. host: frank cilluffo? guest: there have been active campaigns to address the west bank and peace in the middle east which is a priority for the department of state right now, the administration, and has been in the past a very difficult set of issues. clearly israel has been the target of terrorist activity for

many years. i think that we need to stand shoulder to shoulder with them as it pertains to terrorist activity, but we also need to work as aggressively as we can to ensure peace in the middle east. host: frank cilluffo is the co- author of this report from the george washington university homeland policy security institute. it is called for an fighters, trends, to doctors, and conflict zones. thank you for being on "washington journal." we will take a short break. when become back, and discussion on child nutrition and current legislation. we will be right back.

>> next week, the supreme court begins their new term. you can learn more about the nation's highest court in c- span's newest book, "the supreme court." you can learn about the attorneys who argued cases they're revealing unique insight on the court available in hardcover and wherever you buy books. >> washington has one of the more difficult levels. she was a very self-centered

woman. you would think that the mother of the father of our country would have a all sorts of quotes from her taking greater pleasure in her son. we really do not have any. >> sunday, the first of two programs about his first murphy to be published about our first q&a.dent on c-span's host: margo wootan is our guest. the house stall they vote on child nutrition before recess. tell us about the benefits of the bill from your perspective and what is the holding of its passage. guest: the senate already passed a really great child nutrition bill. the bill includes a number of provisions to not only address childhood home care, but also good nutrition and child of the

city which are, you know, probably the biggest talf read to our children today. it would involve expanded access to after-school snack programs, giving children better snacks, and more low-income kids participate in the school lunch program. make it easier for schools to participate in the lunch program. then on nutrition and of the city, it also would get dunford out of vending machines by updating the standards of the usda has and bring the nutritional quality of school meals. there were a lot of things in there to help kids to be healthier. host: this also expands the universal mail service. what is that? guest: most of the kids in the low-income area which allows fiscal to provide mails to all the kids and not just 90% of them.

it makes it easier for kids to participate in for the schools to serve them. host: the senate passed a but the house did not. why is that docks guest: we are still trying to figure that out. one is the changing face of harvard today. a lot of people have not quite adjusted to what it means to be hungry in america. we are pitting hundred and access against the church in and of the city. but many people do not realize is the low-income kids that are experiencing lots of hunger are also the ones that are overweight and obese a lot of times and we have the paradox in america today of hundred and of the city coexisting. it is essentially bring those components together and that we help low-income kids have access to really help the food at

school. it is not a matter of access. more important or charles the of the city. they actually go together. it is not dealing with hundred kids or overweight kids, but they are the same kids over to -- oftentimes because a family does not have enough income. they need those meals at school to be really nutritious. they just do -- do not need calories but they need fruits, whole grains, not too much fat or salt. host: there was a concern that the money to pay for this school program was going to be taken from the federal food stamp program, correct? guest: there was misunderstanding about how the bill would be paid for as if it would cut to the core benefits of third stance and it will not. host: where are we now and how does this move forward? guest: the house was unable to

get a bill to the floor. when we come back for a lame duck session, this is a top priority. i hope they will be able to pass it then. there is so much they're important for erica's house, that they just need to get this done. host: we are speaking with the new nutritional policy director, margo wootan, about childhood nutrition programs. give us a call if you'd like to get involved in the discussion. the numbers are on your screen. send us a message via e-mail or twitter. our first call comes from dayton, ohio. on our line for republicans, you are on "the washington journal." caller: hello. i have a comment regarding obesity -- host: if you turn down your

television, the feedback will go away. caller: part of the problem is the school lunch program itself. when you feed kids pizza and corn or tacos, i do not think you are teaching them good -- good nutritional habits. host: what is a walking talk go -- taco? caller: they take teredos and for chile on top of it. -- doritos and pour chili on top of it. guest: there is still a lot of work to do. the child nutrition bill will provide more resources, technical assistance, and help schools' share best practices. if one school has great menus that are healthy, we can share

those around the country. they can put more resources and give them more help to make sure the have help the birds that kids will eat. host: if you are involved in any of these programs and you want to get involved in the conversation, give us a call, as well as food service workers. call us and tell us what goes in to preparing the meals at your school. wilmington, n.c., on a line for independents. caller: i wanted to share with you that i am concerned about the meals provided for students. usually the kids who live in the inner city have access to hot meals during the summer. those kids who live on the outskirts of the city, they do not have access to free meals during the summer. all of those students who live on the outskirts of the city are not necessarily wealthy kids.

they do not have access to hot meals in the summer on like those in live in the inner city. host: is that because the schools they attend are closed down or they cannot get to them? caller: the federal government provides for them to receive a hot meal. our school board members have brought this up on several occasions. the kids on the outskirts of the city are not getting a hot meal during the summer. host: margo wootan? guest: this would reauthorize the summer feeding program. they are really important for kids during the summer months when they cannot get the summer meals at school. the program can be run anywhere. what happens is that there are not as many sites feeding these kids during the summer.

we need these communities to find someone you can run the program and make sure that these kids have access to healthy food in the summer months as well. there just may not be a provider here stepped up to do it. host: in the some article in "the washington post" it talks about how the first lady has pushed hard for the bill. ms. obama calls the legislation "a crucial piece of her let's move initiative and urges congress to take action. tell us more about this let's move initiative and how this legislation fits in with this. guest: child of the city is one of the most pressing health issues facing our nation. they think the kids will get back down, but obesity contributes to heart disease, cancer, diabetes. we are talking about how kids will live the rest of their life. are they going to lose a limb or

go blind because of diabetes? these are serious health broke -- health problems. we want to bring attention to this. they have come up with a national action plan to address child of the city. the childhood nutritional bill would help deliver on those recommendations, improve the nutritional quality of school meals and school breakfast to make sure that kids have healthy snacks after school. the let's move campaign goes to the child nutrition legislation, but it is what helps to deliver on a lot of her important recommendations. host: is this something that can be solved through legislation? is this more about getting kids more active? if they cannot get dunford at school, they will find it somewhere else. guest: it is a societal program -- problem. there has not been a decline in willpower or an increase in

light -- in laziness. we live in an environment where there is true everywhere in huge portions with -- with lots of fat. we do not need to be as physically active during the day. is not that the government needs to solve the problem, but government has a role to play. as parents we need to do a better job feeding our kids. restaurants need to serve healthier menus and have them available. schools need to serve healthier foods. aftercare programs need to provide healthier food. we need more physical activity in schools. there are lots of things that need to be done. we do not think schools should bear all the responsibility, but they are already feeding kids and we need them to do a better job. host: we're talking a mantra of nutritional programs with margo wootan at the center for science in the public interest. our next call is from

washington, pa., on our line for republicans. caller: good morning. personally, i have held -- helped when they get to the food bank. we have one for our church. i think you mentioned something about society in general. i think that is where the problem is. we tend to put it on the school's and we tend to put the problem on the government. the government wants to help. i think they should support families. you said it has been 30 years or more and i agree. things have gone downhill. i remember when people had jobs, especially in this area, in

heavy industries and they had family units. we have lost that. we have lost the ability to hand down the ability to prepare meals in families to rations host: we will leave it there. margo wootan? guest: both parents are working. we did not have time to cook. portion sizes have gotten bigger. there is a lot contributing to the higher rates of obesity in addition to being less physically active and not having physical activity. we are not saying that schools will solve this problem or will solve this alone, but schools are already feeding kids. they feed them lunch and oftentimes breakfast and a snack after school in an after-school program. we just say to change the way you do that. make it healthier to make sure

kids are getting the good nutrition that they need. host: baltimore, md., on our line for democrats. you are on the "washington journal." caller: i currently work for a food service program that delivers hot food to after- school programs. what i am noticing is that a lot of the kids attend the programs already look healthy. we talk about obesity in children and a lot of the kids i see attending the program have been there hot meals of the after-school program already looked fit. i think the problem begins at home. i do not think the government

should be spending a lot of money toward these programs. i think the money could be better used going somewhere else. host: michael, how much physical activity to these schools and courage? -- schools encourage? caller: it changes. most of the times, kids are already outside just waiting for dinner. then they will start playing some sports. when the winter time comes they will have some activities. i have lived in the strong for six months. -- i have only been in this job for six months. guest: there are programs for the kids can be active, one thing to keep in mind is that the federal government already spends $12 billion per year on

the school lunch and breakfast program. we are talking about making sure the taxpayer investment is optimized. there are a number of reforms in the child nutrition bill that will make sure that the programs operate as best as they can to make sure that kids who are really eligible for the program can participate and make sure that the meals that are served through the program are truly healthy host:. in georgia, on our line for republicans. go ahead. caller: i wanted to speak about the food stamps a to ration care you see people getting these large amounts of food stamps in the grocery stores and they can purchase any kind of a fattening food. this one particular lady i observed one day with her two teenage daughters, they were both of these and they were just putting anything they wanted and to their shopping cart.

they just piled up with sweets and fattening foods. that is what they used her first steps on. you should not be allowed to purchase those particular items with food stamps to keep people more healthy. guest: some people are talking about that. what is done right now is that there is an education component to try and educate people about making healthy choices. the child nutrition bill does not include provisions that will, but. host: there are provisions that determine what kind of meals will be served in schools? guest: absolutely. there are detailed standards about what kind of food needs to be served.

what food group in what amount and to make sure the kids are getting plenty of key vitamins, minerals, and protein. schools do a good job in serving the right for groups and getting enough protein, vitamin a, vitamin c, and key nutrients. they are serving too many calories, too much fat, too much salt. that is where they need help. then making sure they have enough 30 and vegetables, not just one measly apple. in the elementary schools they give them a whole apple and they cannot eat that. you need to serve them a range of the fruits and vegetables that look good and are appealing. that way they can find something that they like. host: or get on our line for democrats. go ahead. caller: a lot of chits -- a lot of children are not able to get

to the counter to eat. a lot of the kids go without eating. i was wondering in the bill if that has been recognized or if they have fought about that. guest: that is one i can relate to. the school lunch program has done better in washington, d.c., but the lines are so long that i have to packer launched. and she stands in line she does not have enough time to eat, be with her friends, and get outside. this bill does not mandate a certain amount of time, but it does encourage school districts to set their own nutritional and physical activity guidelines. make sure kids have enough time to eat and they set up the cafeteria to get the kids there as quick as possible. food-service workers have the hardest job in the world.

when you are serving thousands of kids in a half an hour time frame to make sure they get a healthy food in a low-budget. it is a really hard job. we need to give them more support in helping them to do it. host: how much money are you talking about when we say help the resources -- more healthy resources stocks -- resources? guest: the bill would add an additional $4.5 billion over the next 10 years. some would say that is not enough money. we got a lot of money from 3 to push back from progressive

democrats who wanted more. they did not like the bill because it was too small. on the other side, many republicans thought the bill was too big and that there was too much expansion. we were right down the middle with more resources than in the past. there are reforms that do not cost any money like changing vending machines. host: baltimore, md., on our line for republicans. caller: good morning. i am a nutritionist and a politically active person, i have some different thoughts on this. you seem to bounce around the map on your examples. the specific thing i would like you to address is how do we get parents to been more intelligible for teaching nutrition habits? it is not true.

most people have access to the internet and you can find it. how do we hold them accountable and specifically for the people getting government funding to make better choices and eventually the from the holistic approach get them into a system where they do that without government funding and they are back on their feet? i believe there is a notion in this that they are victims of the food and not taking charge. you kind of touched on that. can you get to that specifically? host: do you work for the school system in baltimore? caller: i do not. i have my own business where i work with athletes and the damage to families. i help them to understand the choices they make. the previous caller brought up

that they look for quantity not quality. that is not something that all of them do, but if we're going to give that money out in those types of programs, we need to hold them accountable. if we do not, they will not necessarily make the good choices. that perpetuates the problem. guest: there is an education opponent to the food stamp program. one of the things this child nutrition bill does is to reform that to make it work better. right now, the usda limits the educational purchase that they use. a lot of it is outdated. there is a lot of one-on-one, sitting down with people as opposed to using a more marketed for a campaign approach to educate families to reach more people. they would reform the nutrition education program to make it work much better. hopefully we can educate more

families about out in the importance of healthy eating but how to do it and incorporated in your daily life. host: arizona, chalk on our line for independents -- chuck. caller: the morning. the vending machine that thing -- i am not agent, but when i was in school we had no vending machines. that is ridiculous. we also have a physical education. a lot of schools have eliminated that. one thing people do not talk calledhe poorer areas food desserts. there are no grocery stores nearby. they can get there were trees at family dollar or convenience stores that sell more liquor than anything else. that is a major problem when you cannot get to the fruits,

vegetables, and good things that they need. thank you. host: margo wootan? guest: we need a comprehensive approach. that is what michelle obama's "let's move" campaign is all about. it is addressing all of it. that used to be so controversial. i have been working on this initiative for the past 10 years. 10 years ago, the school board would complain because they said they would lose money. the food and beverage industry wide to keep that in schools. even some parents were pushing back. even some recognize that school should be a healthy place. we work very closely with coke, pepsi, mars, and other snack food manufacturers on this bill. we are all on the same page to ask the usda, to make sure that

what is sold in vending machines and of the cart is healthy. and as landmark. we would get junk food and soda out of schools for ever with the help of coke, pepsi, mars, and other beverage companies. host: they would replace their soft drinks with what? guest: water, juice, seltzer. host: michigan on our line for republicans. go ahead. caller: thank you to c-span. i watch you every day. i am 84 years old. when i was going to school, i was a depression kid, okay? in the morning, i would have to go to the store in the tory and by three loaves of bread. for breakfast i had three pieces of bread toasted with the

butter. a cup of coffee was poured over them. that is what i ate for breakfast. i walked to school. it was 1 mile. i ate my lunch which was maybe a couple of sandwiches which were peanut butter and jelly. okay? i am 84 years old. i was in world war ii and i have six battle stars. i was an engineer. i worked in maryland, indiana, new york, and virginia. now i am retired, of course, but i am still working. i am on the internet in the stock market. i believe your job that you are doing should be part of the state. the states should be doing that work. the universities in the states should be doing that work. the kids should be walking to

school, not going on bosses all the time. i walked 1 mile to schools host:. are you still -- i walked 1 mile to school. host: are you still eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? caller: no, i am eating oatmeal. guest: for eating habits contribute to heart disease, cancer, diabetes. these are among the biggest killers. we think about what kills you, it is a heart attack. he did not think about what causes the heart attack, but it is the lack of physical activity in driving up health care costs. it is cause enough to die earlier than we should. we need to make sure we get kids on the right path and we teach them healthy eating habits not only in the classroom but in the cafeteria. we need to set a good example

for them and teach them at home so they can be healthy, live longer, and so we can deal with these ridiculous health-care cuts that the nation is faced with. host: margo wootan is the nutritional policy director. she is the director of thecspi's 1% or less campaign. what the -- what does a 1% or less campaign mean? guest: it is a campaign turned to get people to change the percentage of milk they drink. it is one easy change. instead of buying whole milk or 2% malcolm, you can make your heart healthier. host:but whole milk tastes good. guest: 12 cannot see it, people like 1% milk just as well.

host: minneapolis, minn., on our line for democrats. go ahead. caller: hello. thank you for taking my call. i do disagree that cheaper food is so accessible. there is a lot of cheap food that is not just junk food. you have potatoes, oatmeal that you could serve as well. they do not look at the more nutritional cheaper food. a lot of these commercials are so enticing about john food and chips. it would be great to see if these commercials could advocate similar result their wares of during their next. -- commercials could advocate

alternatives. we should not make this psychological warfare, so to speak. host: i apologize. guest: we have been working on junk food marketing to children. we have been working with companies. this is something we have been working directly with the biggest marketers to kids and asking them to set nutritional standards and not market unhealthy foods to children, not only on television, but on the internet. one company just joined, sara lee. most of them still need to do a better job. they need stronger definitions of what they consider to be a junk food. kelloggs those that think that frosted flakes are junk food. they need to make sure they

cover all of their marketing. entertainment companies like disney, nickelodeon, cartoon network need to step up and do their part as well. host: our next call is from tucson, arizona. thomas, you are on "washington journal." caller: where are the parents? it does not do any good if the parents are not on board. the them correctly, educate them correctly, and then mother and their father will get them to mcdonald's. we need to educate the families. i heard ms. wootan said earlier about milk. they need to get off their butts and exercise instead of eating whenever you want and go home and play video games. i drink cold milk and my cholesterol is 63 as a 45-year- old male. it is not just the kids that eat

it. is the adults, also. host: sorry, thomas. guest: absolutely. it is not just leave schools. workplaces, parents, care givers, all of us have a role to play in this. obesity is caused by some many different factors. physical inactivity and nutrition. we have to make sure the parents are engaged as well. host: you are the co-founder for the national alliance of nutrition and activity. guest: it is a coalition of more than 300 groups that look -- the work together on physical activity and nutrition legislation. we want to get to the parental education, incurred to buy schering, as well as workers in the trial other crucial bill. -- encourage bicycling.

the american beverage association, coke, pepsi, and lastly, mars, the dairy industry to get this bill passed. host: raleigh, north carolina. go ahead, andy. caller: good morning. you made a comment a few moments ago about how the soft drink manufacturers have removed soft drinks from the vending machines and they are just leaving in water, juice, things like that. i have been seeing the television ads from the soft drink makers saying that they are removing the full calorie drinks but leaving in diet drinks. i do not know if you are aware of the controversy surrounding ascertain -- aspertaine. it is basically just a sweet poison. that disturbs me even more that they would be drinking a soft

drink to drink that substance. and has been correlated with of the city itself. there is evidence it is counterproductive to drink these diet drinks when you are concerned about obesity much less the toxicity. are you aware of ascertain? -- aspertaine? if not, you are being derelict. guest: i am aware of the sides. there are some questions that perhaps it has not been studied enough. there is not evidence to show that it is toxic for harmful. with the beverage industry is allowing is diet sodas in high schools, but not in elementary or middle schools. when you look at the risk benefits, of the city is a much bigger threat to their health than a trace amounts of an artificial sweetener. host: they are making better

choices because it is a habit that has developed over the years? guest: it is good for kids to get in these healthy habits that a young age. if they decide they will drink low-calorie drinks can be accustomed to those and like the taste of them, hopefully they will carry that habit throughout their life. it is important not only to teach the kids in the classroom, but kids learn from seeing. they learn more than what you tell them. the school needs to be a good role model. it does not make sense to teach kids that healthy eating is important and send them out into the hallway where there are tons and sugaryrs, h-ho's drinks. we need to teach them by example. host: they could not pass the bill in the house before the break. what will they need to do to alter this bill to get the support they need to pass this? guest: one thing that happened

is we ran out of time. there were so many issues that congress needed to finish before the elections and we just could not get all the votes that we needed and do all of the education and help to address some of the hyperboles from the other side about what this bill did and did not do. hopefully we have six weeks to get back in the offices and explain what is really in the bill. hopefully that will be enough to drum up the knows that we need -- the votes that we need. host: longmeadow, mass.. go ahead. you are on the phone with margo wootan. caller: i cannot believe it. thank you. host: turn your television down, okay? caller: thank you. hi. guest: hi, joan. caller: i have a question.

oh. host: turn the television down. caller: just a minute, please. i am very sorry. it seems to me that some years back when the food program became so intense that the government took a lot of responsibility away from families feeding their children. in turn, that also contributed to the downfall of the family unit. want to take -- one part of raising children is feeding them, clothing them, sending them to school. most people try to do it very well. bid by bed, the school has taken over -- bit by bit, schools have

taken over the responsibility of parenting. children need to have a good balanced diet in order to learn. i firmly believe in education. i think we are giving up control of our families to the government. i find that to be the downfall of the family. please respond. thank you very much. host: margo wootan? guest: i have not heard anyone talking about a school lunch program leading to the downfall of families. i did not know if i have an answer. we entrust our children in the care of the school for a good number of hours in the day. they go to school about six hours per day and often times stay in after care for a few more hours. they need to eat while they are there. i did not think this belittles my responsibility as a parent to

send my child to school and for the school to feed her while she is there. i think that is something schools need to do because kids can learn if they are not well fed. host: i think her point is that even if they have school programs and after-school snack programs, eventually they will have to go home and will learn, to a certain extent, about nutrition from watching their parents and what they eat. guest: absolutely. we need to teach the kids about healthy eating so they can learn to avoid heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. we need to help educate parents so they need to better feed them. it is a plan of what needs to be done. host: on our line for democrats out of louisiana. go ahead. caller: