from all over this country. i wish the nurses would say hello. we know how important it is to have jobs in this country. we are here to march for the freedom of nurses to have a voice at work so we can be better advocates for you, our patients. as nurses, we see the fallout of the great recession every single day. you can't afford health insurance or early prevention. you know it, i know it. every day, you are trying to keep a roof over your head, you are trying to put food on your table, you are trying to take care of your children -- health care is not a priority. what will fix it? jobs. not just any jobs. good jobs. good jobs with good health care benefits.

we need jobs that -- we need jobs for our soldiers, our heroes, who are proudly serving our country in iraq and in afghanistan it. we need health care for all. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. i am a veteran of the united states navy and and union electrician. i am marching because i believe that america needs to invest in infrastructure now predict we need to rebuild our highways, railways, and bridges. i believe upgrading infrastructure with corrine technology for returning men and women are ready to do it. [applause] >> hello, one nation.

it is an honor to stand with you. i know how painful it is to be out of work, because i cannot find work either. i was laid off two years ago and have been looking and looking to no avail. this year, i joined "walking america" as a volunteer because i know i may be unemployed, but i still have a job to do. i am organizing jobless people because it is horrible out there. all we want is work. i don't believe that is too much to ask. working people need to catch a break sometimes. thank you. [applause]

>> good afternoon, brothers and sisters. i am honored to be with you here today. my name is richard it. i represent 12,500 union workers at delta air lines. i am proud to be a part of the international association of machinists and aerospace workers, the largest transportation union in north america. it is rough out here for folks like angela. i am marching today because everyone should have a good job like i have, to be able to make their own decision about whether to have union representation. this is about people before profit. this is about communities before corporations. i am marching today to lift you,

to lift me, to lift us all. [speaking spanish] gracias. [cheers and applause] >> good afternoon. hello, one nation. i am a public school teacher from new york city and washington heights. [applause] i need everyone to hear the voices of our educators. are there any other teachers out there today? i am marching with you today because i believe the american dream begins in our classroom. i believe educators are a big part of the solution, and it is wrong to paint us as the problem. i think the jobs and a quality

education for all goes hand-in- hand. thank you. gracias. [speaks spanish] >> thank you. by and i home care attendant in the bronx. i came for my elderly clients. i do -- sorry. i don't make a lot of money, and it is hard, but i love my job. i make people feel secure when i am there with them. they count on me becasue i'm there. i am marching so that everyone can do them in jobs that they love and still make a good living. thank you. [applause]

>> hello, one nation. i am marching to keep america's air travelers safe and out of harm's way. i work for the transportation security administration. my co-workers and i are on the front lines every day to keep our airports safe. we are trying to gain a union voice on the job, which will not threaten national security. it would help national security. i am marching so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we work to protect. [applause] >> i am from pittsburgh, pa., and i am proud to say that i am a steel worker. we need to bring manufacturing jobs back to america. we need to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. we need to get back to making things in america again. can you say "made in america?"

[chating "made in america"] >> thank you, union brothers and sisters. and now, small-business owners, dianna ortiz, and the president of the nfl. [cheers and applause] >> good morning, america, and a good morning, my family, friends, and brothers and sisters. [unintelligible] he worked his way through the ranks to become the youngest

president. today, richard is president of the aflcio. 11.5 million workers welcome him. [applause] >> thank you, and i am proud to be standing with one of the most important people in our nation today, a small-business owner from pueblo, colorado, the home of heroes, please welcome miss diana ortiz. [applause] >> i am proud to call myself a small business owner. small businesses create jobs. we need help to create those jobs. i on a catering company. while i do well, some of my fellow businesses have not been doing so good. wall street got help. we need help from -- for main

street. i and what -- i am marching because i believe in hope. i believe our movement here today will lead america to a better future. i am honored to stand with a man who has been fighting for small businesses. here is the president of the afflcio. thank you. >> hello, america. you look like one beautiful nation. i am so glad you got to hear from a hard-working men and women who have come up here from all across this beautiful nation. there is nothing, and i mean nothing, that we can't do when we stand together, side by side, shoulder to shoulder. you see? there is no power greater than what you see all around here

today in our nation's capital. you know, if you watch too much tv, you might think we are a nation full of hate, that we turned against the values that made our country great. no, that's not america. america is here today. america is a freedom of religion. america is dr. king and president lincoln, and their spirit living in you and me today. america is one nation. we signify that nation. [applause] never forget, the eyes and the voices of fear and hatred are the voices of greed. the powers that put us in the economic mess that we are in today. we have a lot of work to do to

repair the damage of greed in our country. the brothers and sisters, we come together today because america needs jobs. good jobs. jobs that will support families, all families. jobs that will give our young people paths of opportunity, not obstacles. jobs that will allow people to retire with dignity. jobs that provide the needs to support small businesses, like the one owned by diana ortiz who came all the way from pueblo, colorado, to tell us we need an economy that works for main street so that small businesses can innovate and move america forward. we are gathered here to say that we believe in america, and it is time for america to believe in each and every one of us.

[applause] it is going to take something big to get america growing again it. if we are going to build our dreams, turn them into reality, then we have to be bold. we have to rebuild our schools, our roads, our bridges. we have to compete and win in the world economy with investments in world-class energy, high-speed railways, and technology so that we can fight climate change and create good jobs. we have to ensure that working men and women have the freedom to make every last job a good job by joining together in a union for a better life. [applause] you see, that is the american dream, the promise of if you

work hard, you can have a good life and a future for your children. that is what we can do as one nation it. brothers and sisters, i want you to make a promise today. promised that you will not let anybody divide us or turn us against each other. it promised us that you will make your voice is heard for good jobs, justice, and education today and on election day. because we believe in america, in this one nation, this great nation. our best days are ahead, not behind us, and we are ready to fight for it. it is time for you to stand together, fight together, and we will win together, and we will not let anyone, and i mean anyone, stand in our way.

god bless you. [cheering and applause] ♪ come together right now over me ♪ a great hand them for america. [applause] [unintelligible] >> god bless all of you. it has been an honor to be a part of this. i want to turn the podium over now to mr. joe madison. [applause] >> i just found out -- if i could have everybody's attention, [inaudible] a satellite image of the crowd. somebody go tell glen beck that

there are more people here right now -- [cheers and applause] [inaudible] 47 years ago, philip randolph said if you look for the enemies of medicare, a higher minimum wage, social security, federal aid towards education, but there you would find the anime of the negro, the coalition of reactionary republicans that

seek to dominate congress. advance those words to 2010. change it to the tea party. change reactionary republicans -- they are still there. and we cannot let them dominate congress or the white house prese. we stand on the shoulders of the people who are here in the front row, and in the front row is where they should be. let me recognize someone. ladies and gentlemen, please, ernie green, give an air round of applause. [applause]

>> before barack obama accepted his nomination, in my generation, there was an man by the name of [unintelligible] [applause] he would have been here with us. i want to give special recognition to dr. walters, who would have been hit with us here. ladies and gentlemen, please, and moment of silence for one of the greatest political scientists, activists, politicians that this country has ever produced, dr. ron walther. he has already been introduced,

my main man, dick gregory. [applause] it is now my honor to introduce another giant who has been on the scene for it seems like forever. you only have to say two words. harry [unintelligible] [applause] >> thank you. i would like to start off by

thinking all of my brothers and sisters in 1199, and the president of that union. thank you for inviting me to participate in today's ceremony. in 1963, martin luther king jr. stood on the steps of this memorial and declared that this nation should come together and to embrace its greater ideals. he said we should rally together and overcome in justice and racism and that all citizens should not only have the right to vote but that we should exercise that right and make america whole. that is part of why we are here

today. we are also here to attend to other grievances. martin luther king jr. in his speech 47 years ago said that america would soon come to realize that the war that we were in at that time, that this nation waged in vietnam, was not only unconscionable but also unwinnable. 58,000 americans died in that cool venture. now, today, almost half a century later, as we gather at this place where dr. king parade for the soul of this great nation, tens of thousands of

citizens from all walks of life have come here today to rekindle his dream and once again hope that all of america will soon come to the realization that the wars we wage today in faraway lands are immoral, unconscionable, and unwinnable. [applause] the cia in its official report tells us that the enemy we pursued in afghanistan and in pakistan, the al-qaeda, they number less than 50 people. do we really think that sending a hundred thousand young american men and women to kill innocent civilians, women and children, and antagonize the

tens of millions of people in the whole region somehow makes us secure? does this make any sense? to president's decision escalate the war in that region alone cost this nation $33 billion. that sum of money could not only create 600,000 jobs here in america but would even leave us with a few billion to start rebuilding our schools, our roads, our hospitals, and affordable housing. it can also help to rebuild the lives of the thousands of our returning wounded veterans. dr. king loved this nation. he saw, as all of us here today see, this great nation should

not be allowed to perish. his division was also the vision of abraham lincoln -- his vision was also the vision of abraham lincoln. the abolition of slavery saved america. the crippling poison of racism still exists, and the struggle still continues. we have the largest prison population in the world. as we industrialize these prison systems, week rob hundreds of thousands of workers of the jobs they need and the wages that are rightfully theirs. the plight of women, they are no better. their oppression refuses to yield as rape and domestic violence and sex slaves and

teenage pregnancy abound. perhaps, the greatest threat of all is the undermining of our constitution and the systematic attack against these inalienable rights of the citizens of this nation cannot rights that are guaranteed by our constitution it. -- of this nation, rights that are guaranteed by our constitution. the group at the center of this is the tea party. this gathering here today is america's wake-up call. the giant called democracy is at last starring again. citizens are coming together to say freedom does not sleep. it may have been fuelled and

loved for the moment -- and lulled for the moment, but it is fully awake now, and we the people are its engines. we must show them that our greatest weapon is to vote. it is the answer to much that anguishes us. on november 2, we must vote against those who would see the nation become a totalitarian state. [cheers and applause] dr. king of's dream is not dead. let us vote on november 2 for

jobs, fort jobs, for jobs -- for peace, for justice, for human rights, for our children, the future of america, and let us put an end to [unintelligible] peace is necessary. it is necessary for our futures. i love you all, and god bless america. [cheers and applause] ♪ >> the american dream promises affordable, high-quality education from preschool to

college and it threw out one's life. we must devote ample resources. we must grant equal access, it encourage diversity, respond to community needs, we need better assessments, higher standards, and a greater grasp of our changing world. we must continue to invest in our schools, award our teachers, and encourage students in every community nationwide, education is for life. ♪

["everyday people" by slay and the family stone plays] ♪ -- [sly and the family stone plays] >> put your hands together. ♪

♪

[instrumental music plays]

[an instrumental version of th "the star-spangled banner" plays]

[applause] ♪ [applause] >> welcomed the president of the naacp and the head of the children's defense fund. [applause]

>> every thing our nation and all of us need to know about life can be learned from noah's ark, according to an anonymous writer. theon one, don't miss boat. the united states is going to miss the boat to lead and compete in our globalizing world because we are now preparing a majority of our children for the future. the greatest threat to america's national security comes from no enemy without, but from our failure to invest in and educate all of our children. [applause]

every 11 seconds of the school day, he child drops out. -- a child drops out. over 80% of black and hispanic children can not read or compute at grade level in 4th, 8th, or 12th grade, if they have not already dropped out. any nation that is failing to prepare all of its children for productive work in life is jeopardized think everything and needs to correct course right now. all of us, all of us, parents,

educators, community, religious leaders, we need to be a part of the solution, not the problem. god did not make two different classes of children. [applause] two, we are all in the same boat, which is the central message of today's positive and inclusive rally. many americans may not like or think they have any self interest in insuring a fair playing field for other people's children, especially for minority children. but the black, hispanic, and other minority children will be a majority of our child population in 2023. that it better to ensure

our social security and medicare systems and productive work force is in place rather than supporting them because we neglected them in prison? our states are spending on average three times more for private and public school pupils. i cannot think of a dumber investment policy, and we have got to change it. lesson three, plan ahead. it wasn't raining when noah built the ark. tomorrow is today, and children have only one childhood. they need to be healthy now. they need quality education now. they need first rate schools with first grade teachers.

they need to know there is a good paying job after college in their future. we must plan ahead and resist this quick fix, for-profit culture. it has gotten us into trouble. lesson four, do not listen to the critics and naysayers. get the job done. if you do not want to be criticized, don't do anything or say anything. stand up and fight for our children, all of them. lesson five, for safety's sake, travel in pairs. better still, travel with your brothers and sisters and community leaders here. have to turn back those who hijacked dr. king's words -- we

have to turn back those who hijacked dr. king's words. we must particularly right now make sure we end those massive tax giveaways to the richest 2% when 15.5 million children are languishing in poverty. lesson six -- almost done. remember, noah's ark was built amateurs.amateur use your powers, your vote. direct our ship of state from that small group of experts, who recklessly jeopardized all of our lives for personal gain. use your own power. don't rely on experts.

last lesson, build your future, build our children's future and our nation's future on high ground. let's leave our nation and our world better than we found it -- more hopeful, more peaceful, more productive, more unified. this may be the first time when our children and grandchildren will be worse off than their parents and grandparents unless we correct course with urgency, with the power reflected in your witness today. let me end with a brief prayer. god, we have pushed some many of our children and a tumultuous sea of life, in small and leaky boats, without the bible, gear,

and compass. please forgive us and help our children for give us. help us now to build that transforming movement, to give all of your children the anchors of aith and love, the rudder of hope, the sails of health and education, and the paddle of family and community to keep them safe and strong when life's seas get worse. thank you for your witness. [applause] >> thank you. she is truly one of our greatest advocates for kids. like so many fearless advocates, she got her start at the naacp. ladies and gentlemen, my name is

benjamin, the president and ceo of the naacp. on behalf of our chairman, our 36 states, conferences, our 1200 units, it is an honor to be here with you. my fellow americans come up before i get started, i will ask you to check one more thing with me. we have come too far to be turned back now. the water is hot but you don't drown unless you stop kicking. we have to keep kicking. coming out of here, we have to go home and ask our friends and neighbors to vote. we have to get folks off of the sideline and get them back in the battlefield. turn out and vote. right now, take out your cell

phones and want you to text "vote" to 62227. text "vote" to 62227. now i ask you to turn to the person sitting next to you, turned to the person to your right and left, and say, "you are my fellow activist, my fellow americans, my fellow labor leader, my fellow christian, my fellow muslim, my fellow member of this country." my fellow american, i love you. i will fight for your family like it is my own. [applause] one nation working together. americans, family, future --

as a child growing up in this country, i knew that my family [unintelligible] yet very much like the great american family in which we were once a part of. at one time, we descended from white puritans and other recent immigrants. on the other side, we descended from native americans and black slaves. when my parents married, they were illegal in every direction from 10 miles from where we stand right now. growing up in the center of the dissident between our countries [unintelligible]

the ties that bond us together. it makes our nation's motto -- american, family, future -- the strongest three words in this country. [applause] whether we were born here or whether we sacrificed everything to be here, what makes us most american, from the gulf of mexico to the mountains of new england, from st. mary's church in harlem, to the fields and farms of monterey county, it is our commitment to persevere in

the face of great odds, not just to secure our family's future but that of our neighbors, too. because we know our national destiny is to move ever forward, never backward, ever forward, never backward. ever forward, never backward. ever forward, never backward. [crowd chants "ever forward, never backward." more and more of our teachers, our nurses, our fire men, and our police officers are getting laid off, and more of our students are coming home not because they graduated but because we are broke.

our national progress is literally the essence of things hopeful and [unintelligible] as american parents, every generation will do better than the last. as american people, what is graced about our history is that many times we at lead this world away from hate and towards hope. at this precipitous moment, at these times when our traditions, what is moving the world towards hope from hate, seems jointly at risk, we have come here to our nation's capital to say let us nurture

the practice of family values by policies that value family. [applause] let us invest less and less in taxes for the richest 1% and more and more in jobs and schools for the other 99%. [applause] and by all means, let us not teach our children lies about ,ur president's place of birth or that of any other american, and the other person in this country, but rather let us teach the truth about the universal dignity and values of all american families.

[applause] most importantly, as we stand here in the shadow of a monument to our nation's greatest uniter, in this moment when some much is at stake for our families and for our children, let us come together in the name of god, liberty, and of country to ensure that jobs, justice, and education are and remain at the top of our nation's agenda. [applause] this is america. we are one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. so it is written, so it must be.

one nation, one nation, one nation! [crowd chants, "one nation"] >> one nation! one nation, one nation, one nation, one nation. may god bless the naacp and may god bless america. [cheers and applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, chairman of the council for presidents, dewayne murray. >> thank you so much.

[unintelligible] collectively, we represent over 1.5 million voters, educators, on to pronounce, businesses, and women. we all the lawyers, doctors, teachers, preachers, president of all the universities across this great nation. i am reminded of the words etched in the archives building. what is past is prologue. we stand on the hollow ground with the greatest chance of justice march to bring our

apathetic nation to remember our nation's values. we recognize the disparity and in justice for all people. it is here in the shadows of the washington monument, in the side of the memorial of abraham lincoln, the statue of thomas jefferson, that we remember from whence we came. [unintelligible] hope springs eternal. this day becomes a prelude to a promise, a promise that jobs, justice, and education will manifest itself for all in this nation. more importantly, some branch out will get to see the reality of a preacher's dream. let us come together as one unit, one nation, one naacp.

thank you so much. please received some undergraduates from colleges all across this nation. please receive these great young people. [applause] >> good afternoon, everyone it. i am a proud alumni of christopher newport university. i am joined here today with student and community leaders from across the united states. we are so happy to be here for the rally. we believe this is an important march because it represents a positive change through collaboration. similarly, we as individuals can be strong. organizations working on our own, we can be strong. together as individuals and

together as organizations, we are stronger. isn't this what this rally is all about? isn't this why 400 organizations partner together today to make a tremendous difference? i am here representing to organizations. the first is delta sigma theta. are there any sorority's out there today? dst comprises of college- educated women who perform public service cutbacks. in fact, the first public service activity was the march on washington in 1963. i am proud to be back in the same place my founders marched so many years ago. the second is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating young professionals predict as student and community leaders, we want to say congratulations to the organizers for planning this rally in the spirit of one nation working together.

thank you. [applause] >> good afternoon. i am delighted to be here at this momentous occasion. i am a graduate of two universities. i am a member of alpha kappa alpha linc.inc. it is an international service organization for women and the oldest greek-letter organization for black women. working together, often kappa alpha is dedicated toward fighting a social justice, environmental sustainability, health, poverty, and human rights. thank you. [applause] >> good afternoon. i am a graduate of vanderbilt university and also university of california berkeley.

as a proud alpha man, believed in three things. manly deeds, scholarships, and love for all mankind, such as our commitment in raising awareness for domestic violence this month. when i look out on this crowd today, some americans may feel that cynicism is a tool. what i see when i look at us and myself, i see people coming together and believing in their choices actually do matter and can make a difference. i respect promoting unity and the dialogue on issues like better public education, equal pay, and equal justice for all. thank you. [no audio] [applause]

[no audio] >> good afternoon, everyone. i am a junior psychology major at howard university and also a proud member of the omega sci-fi fraternity. i feel that there are many students at colleges and universities that have run into financial aid issues. i feel like this is a long, drawn-out process. excuse me. as an asian working together as one, -- as a nation working together as nine, we can take the necessary steps so students do not have to deal with these financial aid issues. as one nation working together, i feel like we need to take the necessary steps so students will be ok when it comes to money

issues. it has been an honor to speak here today. thank you very much. >> hi, everyone i am a sophomore at the george washington university right around the corner. after i graduate, a plan to attend medical school and [inaudible] i expect to have over $200,000 in student loans in debt. however, i will not let this bird and stop me in my pursuit to provide quality health care to every american. healthcare is a right, and education will be our way to achieve this right. thank you. >> good afternoon. thank you everyone for being here today, and i am very honored standing up here to speak to you all.

i am a senior and a first- generation college student at the university of california at davdavis. i am currently studying political science. i was raised in sacramento. my parents and i arrived in the united states in 1991 as refugees. contrary to the myth that asian americans and it always excel academically and faced no barriers to higher education, i face many barriers. i have had to save on my own for

the past six years while going to school first time. while i went to a public school, i will be leaving this june with $30,000 in student loan debt. i believe that no student should be denied a high-quality education just because they cannot afford one. i believe that as one nation working together, we can achieve this. >> good afternoon. i study year of george washington university. -- here at george washington university. i am the coordinator of the student labor action project, and i can tell you that i am committed to this position because i am inspired. i am inspired by the person who stood up against violence and institutional racism.

i am inspired by a those to recognize people in the lgbt community and encourage them to hang in there, to know that it gets better after high school. they can have a happy life. i am inspired by the students at the university of california who, on october 7th, will be striking their schools to defend education. i can tell you that one nation working together is an important step. i can also tell you that the young people who work with the dan savages or those who are trying to organize themselves within them school -- within their schools will get things done. the way to get things done is to organize. organize your school, your community, your block, organizing your kitchen.

this will be the community that gets us where we need to be. thank you. >> in the first generation american, in my fourth year at ucla, and i have $35,000 in debt. they call me luck. what does education have to do with being a lucky? what is getting a job have to do with being a lucky? let's not talk about luck, let's talk about right. employment, a full time sustainable jobs for every american. affordable, accessible education for every american. my brothers and sisters in the

one nation that we are a part of, are you with me for state jobs and save schools? say it with me. jobs and schools. the jobs and schools. thank you for standing with my fellow pelagians here. here.s ied gm' >> i am a senior at the university of columbia in political science. i am the chairman of the student alliance. after all is said and done, i will be left with $100,000 in debt, but i will have the degrees necessary to be a public servant and serve the people. i am willing to take that on.

if i am able to leave on a small ripples of hope to get america back on track, it is worth it to me. no one should be educationally limited because of where they are born or their education -- or their economic status, nobody. demand equality in the workplace. demand equality in the justice system. demand equality in our schools. education is a right. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters please

welcome our next guests. >> he is working hard to improve the lives of poor and working- class people. he is leading the work to create new generations of community organizers, and i am very privileged to be year -- to be with alan white head. he is the leader of the only university specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students.

as he mentioned, i am deaf. i was raised in the deaf community where death is not considered a disability but -- deaf is not considered a disability, but a culture. i do not consider myself disabled. i will not rest until all disabled people can feel like i do. with one nation working together, we can accomplish that. community education means making colleges affordable without having lots of debt. increased access to higher education by having increased

affordability and not depending n the resources of lowndeans, making sure people have equal access to affordable resources and high quality resources from elementary school through college. [applause] >> brothers and sisters, my organization, the center for community change, was founded in memory of robert kennedy to push for economic and social justice. community organizing is more important than ever. do you agree? [applause] the last few months and america have been rough. we are at a turning point and we have to answer the question. america, how big is our heart? do we have room for everyone? are we one nation working

together or two americas at war with each other? some say that our best days are behind us, that we cannot afford the values that made us great, compassion, inclusion, a commitment to the common good, but i believe the american heart is very big and that it is part of our history as a country. our nation lifted millions of seniors out of poverty with social security. the united states of america has a long history of welcoming immigrants and refugees from all over the world into our communities and into our hearts. we created a land grant universities system. our nation once created millions of jobs to left and nation out of the great depression through bold government action, and we can do it again.

america's heart is big enough to ensure that every student can have an affordable college education, that immigrant students can pursue their dreams through the dream act and they never have to worry about getting deported because we have passed comprehensive immigration reform. we can ensure that no child is denied of public education of quality because of the money in their pocketbook or the color of their skin. we can create institutions that provide opportunities to underserved communities including women's institutions, black colleges and universities and hispanic institutions. we are here to say that america as a big, generous heart. a hard enough to say that in our communities, everyone is our

brother and sister, standing together, united as one nation. we say, this is america. we will not be a divided and turned against one another. our hearts are big enough for everyone. thank you very much. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for the reverend jesse jackson, jr.. >> i am proud to be standing in this historic spot with a legend of the civil rights movement, the rev. jesse jackson.

>> just a few short months ago, this young man was going to be deported to a country he had never noun. -- never known >> my entire life has better realization that we must restore opportunity and justice for all. i came with my mother from india when i was only one and a half years old. my earliest memories are of america. i consider myself to be american. i grew up here, emirates in american culture and all of its diversity. -- immersed in american culture and all this diversity. i have a brother him i love the

was born here as an american citizen. however, my parents were divorced last year. i can remember so vividly how my father was sent away right in front of our eyes in august, 2008. that was the last time i saw him. i remember so vividly how my brother and i were forced to say goodbye to my mother at jfk airport in july of 2009. that was the last time i saw her. that moment was devastating to me, but ultimately, i fulfilled part of my dream and their dream when i finished high school and got accepted into college and received scholarships. [applause]

but because i am labeled, "illegal," not only is my college education in jeopardy, i was ordered to be deported on the 13th of august to a country that i have no memory of. but, thank you to the grace of god, the work of my lawyers, the help of the media, my family, my friends and community organizers, i was able to get a deferral of removal and be here today speaking in front of you. [applause] that day came just three days before i was to be exiled. i am so grateful. while i am ecstatic to remain in this country, the broken immigration system has torn my family apart. i know there are hundreds of thousands of other students out there you are a similar, or in worse situations than mine.

for each of us, the american dream is being denied. one nation working together is more than the dream act and immigration reform. it means we must come together to promote tolerance and understanding, not hatred and fear. thank you very much. >> i want to first express my thanks to the organizers of this event today. two outstanding congress people here must be recognized, congressman john conyers and congressman charles rangel. give them a big hand. will you do it? [applause] we come together today to not

compromise the american dream, give me your tired, let your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. we are one nation working together, many languages, one message. one nation under a god of many names with liberty and justice for all. more than 47 years ago i stood here with you and many of our naacp family members fighting for freedom. today, we are free but unequal, strong but unemployed. the well that/poverty gap is alth/povertyr -- wel

gap is getting wider. there are holes of poverty it from appellations to alabama, detroit to chicago. instead of subsidizing wealth and inducing body, we must go another way. and so -- inducing poverty, we must go another way. and so we march. we need the will to fight back. our character is being tested. we cannot globalized capital without globalizing of workers' rights, human rights, and children's rights.

once, the big three were gm, ford and chrysler making cars. instead, now we have casinos. we have gone from making cars to shuffling cards and rolling dice. foreclosures rose again this year. there are food deserts' and food and desertion. not one retail store, a shopping desert. students without nutrition, gas, water and light. we must go another way. a month ago, 600,000 registered voters, only 50,000 voted.

check sarah palin -- checks are bouncing, marked insufficient funds. we need jobs with dignity and security, jobs now. we can turn that minus into a plus. what about apprentice chef training, using the land -- apprentice ship training? you made a landscapers, jobs. you need painters, jobs.

electricians, jobs. roofers, jobs. it is called the jobs now. the president cannot bear this cross alone. we rally today. we organize monday. we vote in big numbers on november 2nd. michelle obama speaks about obesity. she is on the right side of history. she speaks of a veteran's return from the war. 500,000 have applied for disability. she speaks of that getting them jobs and health care. she is on the right side of history. the president signed the hate

crimes bill. he is on the right side of history. we must leave here with our minds made up to vote. this vote, this precious vote.ac many people were killed about this vote. many people spend years in jail about this vote. we can secure our future with in this a vote. we can end unnecessary wars with this vote. use this vote for our future. the vote has power. hold by our standards. let nobody revoke your spirit today. today we march. tomorrow we could vote.

your vote will collect congress people, city council people, state legislators. we have marched to a much for this vote, led to a much and died too young. do not -- bled too much and died too young. we marched on too many dusty rhodes. do not give up now. do not let them break your spirit. we have fought for too long. courage in the morning. cut the military budget. reinvest in america. jobs, now. jobs, now. one nation now. one nation under god, liberty, justice, indivisible now.

the jobs and now. the jobs now. jobs now. keep hope alive. keep hope alive. keep hope. i love you. [applause] ♪ >> let's hear it again for the rev. jesse jackson. [applause] welcome our next speakers.

>> good afternoon, brothers and sisters. good afternoon. this is true a america, the beautiful. give yourself a hand. please join me in welcoming my friend and partner, dennis. dennis is a passionate advocate for children and public education to spend 23 years as a teacher, one of the most important jobs in america. and now, dennis is ahead of the national education association, with its 3.2 million members. it is the largest labor l union in the united states. >> it is the honor of a lifetime to be here with wayne

henderson, president and ceo of the leadership conference on human and civil rights, an organization of which my organization is a proud member. at the leadership conference, we are working to build an america that is as good as its ideals. one of the most important ideals that we fight for is our belief that equal access to a quality public education is a fundamental civil and human right. [applause] both dennis and i believe fervently that the future of our country depends on our ability to make bad idea a reality for every single child, regardless

of his or her background. education is the foundation that will enable all of us to achieve the american dream. at a time when america poses standing in the world is being challenged on many -- america's standing in the world is being challenged on many fronts, that education is a critical component in preparing the citizens of today for the jobs of tomorrow. the stakes are high. every year, more than 1 million students, many of them are poor and from the fastest growing segments of our society, drop out of school without a diploma. the economic, social and political fallout is astounding. nearly 60 years after brown

versus the board of education, too many of our kids are in under-resources schools and over-crowded classes. they need a fighting chance at success. a true test of our greatness as a society will be whether or not we rise to the challenge and do what is right for our children today and the generations that will follow. we are all in this together. parents, students, teachers and entire communities. we all need to paddle in the same direction. our children can learn. high quality public education can be achieved. those who have become politically popular in far too many schools, demonizing teachers is not the answer.

we could not have a public education without them. i truly believe that when we were together, we can solve even our most difficult challenges. the time to act is now. together we must demand the same high academic standards for every child, and the resources to meet them. together, we must be sure that we find the very best teachers, give them the very best training, pay them a decent wage and invest in their success so that our children can succeed. together, we must ensure that school buildings are well maintained, energy-efficient and equipped for learning with broadband connections and technological resources necessary to prepare our children for the 21st century. together we must ensure that all children have access to nutritious food, exercise and

the art so that they are healthier, a well balanced and ready to learn to the very best of their ability. together we must close the high- school dropout factories that indirectly promote the school to present pipeline the ruins young lives before they have really begun. can we do this? yes weekend? can! well they do this? yes, we will. the most objective way to hold power accountable is through our a vote. our vote is the language of democracy. if you do not to vote, you do not count, case closed. your presence here today is a powerful reminder that there is far more that unites us vanna

divides us. we share -- unites us than divides us. we share common dreams. we share common values. we are one nation working together for a better world for all. thank you for being here. [applause] thank you. >> thank you from all of us who understand the history of this place. we're standing on holy ground. this is a place where millions of people, who have been left out of the promise of america, began to feel that they could dream -- that the american dream might just be for them too. as i stand here, i can almost hear president clinton saying that education is the most important subject which we can -- president clinton -- lincoln

in that education is the most important subjects which we can engage in and martin luther king saying that, as well. i'm here representing 3.2 million members who care deeply about the dreams of american children. many members have come from around the country. from alaska to alabama, hawaii to maine, to stand together with you, our partners, and our friends, in our collective commitment to jobs, justice, and public education. educators work every day to support this agenda, because our country cannot create enough good jobs or achieve justice for everyone without great public education. our greatest leaders have always known that education is the cornerstone of democracy and for -- and prosperity. today, our economy works fine for the wealthy, but not so well for working families. millions of middle-class, hard- working families have lost their

jobs, their homes, and their savings. more than 43 million americans are living below the poverty line. that includes many of our students. one out of every five children. we all know that education is the engine that drives our economy. today, i am proud to announce that nea launching a priority schools campaign to focus on the schools that should be our national priority. the 5% of our schools that are struggling. never again should a child in america have to attend a school that is not safe, nurturing, and high-performing. never again should we let a child or thousands of children each day dropped out of high school. never again should we accept any place in the world except first place for the children of america. but nothing is going to change for our kids in our poorest communities until their first in the hearts of every american -- they are first in the hearts of every american. there are communities that

struggle with unemployment, poverty, and crime. we need to concentrate our priorities. these kids need everything we can give them to succeed -- the best teachers and support staff, high standards, preparation for careers and the possibility of affordable college. let us leave here today committed to all of our children's education. that is the major we will hold politicians to -- measure we will hold politicians to. did you care about building an economy that helps struggling economies -- communities into the american dream? were you dedicated to justice for all? this is the america our children deserve to reach for and to achieve. this is the america we will vote for on november 2. thank you very much. [applause] >> yes, we can! >> our next speaker is a new

york times bestselling author. she is a spokesperson for foster care and adoption and she has won 12 naacp image awards. we all know and love her as drusilla winters of "the young and the restless." >> good afternoon. as a union member of astra, -- aftra, screen actors guild, and many other unions, and bring to you this message -- we must resist @ whatever cost the fearful pressures placed on this. the unafraid of modern-day

terrorism in the workplace. speak out against institutionalized discrimination and disparities. know what it is like to work for the company that refuses to hire fairly. james baldwin said, it is not simply wickedness which would be easy to deal with, but the apathy, the unwillingness to know what is going on, the fact that the habits of the power are not extremely hard to lose, but as a tenacious as an incurable disease. that is discrimination. like james baldwin, i am not afraid. we must stand up, take notice, and vote . i believe it is not out of our hands. it is only part of our hands if we choose not to pick it up and vote as americans and keep

marching forward. we should not be derailed or distracted by numbers and colors, but invigorated with passion and justice. in 1977 when harvey mills one a seat on the san francisco and ordered supervisors, he briefly became the first openly gay elected official in the united states. a he was an inspiration to all americans to be who we are. why are we here? what is happening to me is the antithesis of what you read about in the papers and what you regard on the radio. we must band together and fight this movement to the right. i am here to say that what you hear and read is what they wanted to think. it is not happening. the major media is talking about the movement to the right.

legislators think there is indeed a movement, that congress, legislators, and city councils will start to move to the right the way the major media wants. harvey milk went on to say, "it is important that gay people run for office and get elected. it is not enough any more just to have friends represent us, no matter how good the friends maybe." the black community made up its mind a long time ago that they cannot tell the story. the same is true for others. it is time for the gay community to not be judged by men. we must be judged by our leaders and by those who are themselves

gay, those who are visible. for invisible, we remain in limbo, a myth, no importance. today, the black community is not judged by its friends, but by its legislators and leaders. we must give people the chance to judge us by our leaders and legislators. a gay person in the office can set the tone and command respect. not only from the larger, but from the -- larger community, but from the young people in our communities who need examples and hope. it means hope to win nation that has given up. if a gay person makes it, honey, the doors are open to everyone. icon harvey milk help open doors

for all americans to be included in the political process, equal opportunity, intolerance of discrimination and disparity. with the legacy of james baldwin and harvey milk, won't you lift up every voice and be heard? he inspired. know that your voice sounds. -- counts. seek justice. rock the boat and rock the vote. i am victoria rowell. [applause] ♪ >> let's hear it again for victoria rowell. my name is mark thompson. i am the host of "make it plain"

on sirius xm radio. this is a great day. you owe yourselves a round of applause. we continue the legacy of dr. martin luther king, jr., where he stood and spoke on this very spot in 1963. he made the demand for jobs, justice, and peace. we come back today making similar demands -- and jobs, justice, education, and peace. this is a continuum of the struggle that he began those many years ago. and so, since we have continued this struggle, there is no way possible that anyone can say we have come here to react or

respond to anyone. our struggle has continued. if anything, they have been reacting and responding to us. as dr. king said, when they used inner position and nullification in 1963, we know that those who would oppose jobs, justice, education, and peace continue to use inner position and nullification today. but we are resolved to stand together, to see to it that this moment.ement and not a to see to it that, while 2008 was about voting to the -- for

the president, 2010 is about voting for the people. [applause] we are one nation. we are his dream. we are one nation. we are his dream. please welcome now randi weingarten. [applause] >> i am happy to introduce randi weingarten, the president of the american federation of teachers which represents 1.5 million workers. she has launched a major efforts in education reform, in an attempt to get them high on the agenda. please receive randi weingarten.

>> it is an honor to stand with dr. haynes, pastor and author of "healing our broken village." >> our commitment to education is our moral obligation. >> today is about one nation standing together and a good education is the foundation for everything else we seek. we want good jobs, strong communities, and equal opportunity. for all of these, you need a great education, access to an excellent education is a basic civil right. it is t a right itoo -- a right that too many children have been denied. this must change. we must do what we do in our

best schools in all of our schools for all of our children. and america's teachers -- thousands of whom are here today -- let me hear you. [applause] america's teachers work hard every day to make a difference in their students' lives. but teachers cannot do this alone. teachers, parents, and leaders, activists -- a vague are our everyday heroes -- they are our everyday heroes, but even heroes need help giving our young people an equal shot in life. this is why you have a teacher and a minister speaking with one voice. the teacher from new york and

the creature from the south. the schools in your community are your schools, whether you have a child in them or not. no more will we speak of those kids or other people's kids. our kids are our kids. america's parents and teachers work hard every day to make a difference in our young people's lives. we ask you to join in this quest, because excellent public schools are the cornerstone of our democracy, because our elders depend on future generations, because today's students will be the caretakers of the environment, the spark igniting innovation, the tenders of our global relations, and the creators of our art. every child has the right to a

fair and hopeful start in life. brothers and sisters, we have a choice. we can follow our aspirations or we can give in to our fears. we here today aspire to our ideals. we here today must help our children, not only dream their dreams, but achieve them. we here today must invest not divest in our kids. we here today must usher in a new era of excellence and equity in america's public schools to achieve the promise for all kids, not just some. we can do it! we must do it! i ask you to join america's

public school teachers in our quest to make a difference in every child's life. let's stand together, one nation together. [applause] >> thank you so much, randi, for your commitment, your compassion, and your courage. i once heard a quote of bethune, "in this life, if you touch someone with your finger, you may not get their attention. if you bring your fingers together and form a fist, you can strike a mighty blow." we are here to strike a mighty blow. whenever this nation has made progress, we have brought our fingers together. in the revolution for freedom, we brought our fingers together from christmas attics to the leadership of george washington. we brought our fingers together

and struck a blow for emancipation from harriet tubman to abraham lincoln. we brought our fingers together and struck a blow for freedom at the civil rights struggle. martin king. we brought our fingers together and struck a blow for freedom, justice, and liberty for all. we want to bring our fingers together and strike a blow that our children can have access to the best education. shame on our nation when the educational possibilities of our kids are determined by there's a code -- their zip code or economic status. it is about a new day in america. we will bring our fingers together to strike a blow for all of our children, regardless of where they come from, so they can receive an excellent education. i stand with the american

federation of teachers and say, let's bring our fingers together, unions, civil rights organizations, faith communities. red, brown, yellow, black, white -- let's bring our fingers together and strike a blow for justice. when we do this, we will lift up our nation. when we do this, our best days are in front of us. let's bring our fingers together and strike a blow for justice. walk together children, don't you get weary. there is a great camp meeting in the promised land. let's bring our fingers together. [applause] ♪ >> please welcome our next guests. it is one of our renowned spoken

word poets. >> teacher, there is so much i want to learn. i am asking for your help. you do not have to be a board certified. this hand is being raised for everyone willing to see that they are my teachers. like a child, i have learned from more than lesson plans. like a child, i want to understand more than the quadratic formula. like a child, i too ama -- am a part of the future being shaped all around me, the future being shaped by you, my teacher, whose choices will show me whether or not we will continue to resort to war as an answer, if we will continue to seek individual gain and communal gain as separate, or if we will ever find solutions for problems that go way beyond multiple choice

teachers. how can you ignore this moment in history, calling you out, demanding that the best in you rise to the occasion so that you can become the teacher we have been taught times like these need? because, if we cannot leave the children behind, then we cannot ignore that we must educate each other better in order to make that statement true. because whether or not we're listening, the children are. no matter what our words claim. so, teachers, as we're working towards improving literacy, math, science, let's also work towards giving literacy a power beyond reading, math and use beyond endless numbers, science and a world worth exploring its grand possibility in, and let's

also value the results of helping another in need, of anchorage and within ourselves something larger than -- encouraging within ourselves something larger. screaming out teacher, teacher. like a great teacher would say, i believe in you. i do not know if you have never tested well in this before. i believe that you can teach a better world into existence in every moment of your life. as you are struggling, just look around you. there are teachers everywhere patiently urging you on, ready, because they know that you can get better grades. the report card of your life is not out. the future, children and all, is waiting for you to teach it, to graduate with honors.

[applause] ♪ >> please welcome our next speakers. [applause] >> this summer, margaret was elected national president of the league of united latin american citizens. [applause] it is the oldest and largest hispanic civil rights membership organization, founded in 1929. it advances the economic, educational, health, and housing rights of hispanic americans. >> i am happy to be here with

craig -- greg, executive director at the liberal alliance -- labor alliance, a national organization of asian-american members. he is the former president of the united states student association and steering committee member of the generational alliance. good afternoon. good afternoon. i am margaret moran, president of the oldest hispanic civil- rights country -- civil rights organization in the country, the league of united latin american citizens. it is an honor to be here today at the one nation working together march, and to stand united with diverse coalition members. i have this special opportunity to share the stage with my

colleague from the asian pacific american labor alliance. we have long collaborated with the asian-american community to uphold the civil rights and to ensure equal access and opportunity for students of all ethnic and racial backgrounds to achieve the american dream. [applause] today, we stand with vter -- veterans, youth, faith groups, labor and business leaders, immigrants, and u.s. citizens, to demand jobs, justice, and education for all. we want the opportunity for hundreds of thousands of our youth to contribute their talents to our economy and their service to our armed forces. each year 60,000 dream students

graduate from high school. we want these top young leaders to obtain higher education degrees so the can access advanced career opportunities and fill the gaps in high-demand career fields. such as medicine, education, law, science, and technology. we want all young residents of our great nation to have the opportunity to achieve the american dream. by bringing students out of the shadows, they will contribute to the u.s. economy, pay taxes, and become productive members of society. at a time when the u.s. armed

forces are in need of recruiting new and young volunteers, the dream act will allow qualifying youth who wish to join the armed forces to have that opportunity. thousands of eager and qualified high school graduates will be able to fill the military ranks and strengthen both are military readiness and national security. we stand today with our asian american, african americans, native american, arab american, jewish, gay, lesbian, bisexual, latino -- our brothers and sisters -- to ask congress to allow high-achieving immigrant youth who only know the united states as their home an opportunity to contribute their aunt and a real spirit, tale

nts, and abilities to our nation. latino power. si, se puede. >> thank you or that and for discussing the federal dream act. we continue to see that as a priority. it is such a privilege to join all of you people across the country for one nation working together. [applause] it is important to not only pass important pieces of legislation like the federal dream act, but to continue to fund k through 12 and higher education at both state and federal levels. we must provide these educational opportunities to maintain our competitive edge in this growing, global economy. additionally, these resources must be targeted to help

populations and communities in the greatest need, including youth, people of color, immigrants, working-class, and a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trends gender folks -- transgender folks in our country. i am not here just about passing legislation, but about something visionary and abroad. i hope we will begin to understand that our communities and our country is changing -- i believe for the better. we are more diverse and equipped with more tools to organize our peers. we're moving in the direction of progress. the other day i was joking with some of my colleagues and said, "i am one nation." as someone who comes from a union family, from an immigrant family, a first-generation college student with more than

$50,000 in debt, an openly gay asian american, i represent a diverse range of constituencies. we also have to remind ourselves of the many people who could not be here today. we can no longer work in silos whether by campaign, issue, or committee. . it is important the we embrace these differences and be grounded in love, respect and humility.

it is only then we can truly be one nation working together. yes, we can. i want to do one more thing before we go. i want you to join me in a really quick chant. stop, you say't no stop. can't stop >> note stop. >> i am honored to stand here today with congressmen luis gutierrez. as a ninth term representative of the house of representatives, he has championed the cause of

denver'ses and i fi communities. he is an energetic spokesmen -- diverse communities. he is an energetic spokesmen who has earned wide acclaim throughout the nation. >> our mission is to build the grassroots power of the lgbt community. darlene is the deputy executive director of the private organization. >> i stand before you today as a proud, an openly lesbian african-american woman. i am not either black or a lesbian. i am both and so much more. [applause] and i know that i am not alone

here today. there are so many more here just like me and across the country who are just like me. like you, i seek justice for all of us. in america, a justice means equal rights for everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, class, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation or ability. a just society means an end to racial profiling and an end to anti-extremist immigrant behavior. -- anti-immigrant extremist behavior. we're so glad the president obama has signed the hate prevention act. i will never forget the hundreds of people there died at hands of hatred.

matthew shepard was killed for being gay. others were killed for being black. our communities are tied and united together. the lgbt community stands united against hate crimes of any type against anyone. justice also means not turning our backs on all of the people who have been wrongly incarcerated. our system is broken when in 2010 we are spending more on prisons then on classrooms. the time is now to promote justice and fairness for all of this country. protection from employment and housing discrimination continues to elude some many of us.

we have to invest in our community by investing in our young parents and elders and ensuring that all of our families thrive. what we know it is a challenge, i believe that it is the diversity of this nation that makes our nation so great. diversity is our greatest strength. our youth, be they bisexual, gay, straight, trans just third, the questioning, immigrant or other, do not need a homeless shelters. they need a supportive family. they need love. they need families. they need a quality education safe from harassment. the unfortunate suicides that have taken the lives of so many

young this past week have weighed heavy on my hard. our youth need hope. to the young people who are being bullied and harassed, as a person who was harassed as a teenager, i want you to know, it will get better. [applause] let's pay a road to independence and self- sufficiency for our young people so that these suicides do not ever happen again. we must have just as regardless of sexual orientation, gender identification, age, race or ethnicity. we must have equal access to jobs, justice and education. finally, i want to say you, representative gutierrez, thank you for working for justice for all of us. thank you, all.

vote! one nation! >> thank you. today i want to talk about two words, hard work. i want to talk about the men and women who cleared dishes in restaurants, the man who supports his family as a janitor, the women who ben dover sewing machines to make clothes that we wear. -- who bend over sewing machines to make the clothes that we wear. on the television news, we do not see many pictures of in the grant sweeping the floors in hospitals. we see pictures of innovators jumping over fences or prisoners in handcuffs. for too many people, when they think of immigrants they think, go home. it is our job to tell the real

story, hard work. in this spot, 47 years ago, those people knew something about hard work. the struggle for freedom is hard work too. protecting our civil rights is hard work. the immigrant struggle for civil rights is part of the african- american struggle for civil rights. the latino and immigrant struggle is not a reinvention of the civil rights movement, it is the continuation of the civil rights movement, growing bigger, growing stronger, picking up allies along the way, helping each of us, letting everyone know that no one can turn us around. we cannot see justice for immigrants without the words and actions of dr. king and his brothers and sisters. you do not get as cesar chavez

without a martin luther king. you do not get sonia sotomayor without thurgood marshall. you do not get comprehensive civil-rights reform without justice for all in this nation. but we did get sonia sotomayor. we did get cesar chavez. and together we will get comprehensive immigration reform. people say the struggle is too hard. the goal is too far away. but we know that the ark of the universe is long but it bends towards justice. we know it is true. we have seen it. it used to be illegal for workers to form a union. it used to be illegal for women to vote.

it used to be illegal for blacks and whites to attend the same school. but because we did in the hard worker, the ark of the universe bent. it bent towards workers' rights, voting rights and housing rights. today, it is illegal for millions of people in this country to come out of the shadows and enjoy the prosperity of their hard work and the responsibilities that come with citizenship. we are here to keep a working hard to bend the ark of citizenship. op fightinging to star until the news programs show the immigrants doing the hard work to make america great. this is a family of hard workers, a straight men and gay women, of asian americans and

people of every ethnicity in this great nation. abraham lincoln said 150 years ago that a nation divided against itself cannot stand. so together, as a family, we will stand and we will rise for justice for every american. it is hard work, but we can do it. si, se puede! [applause] >> as president of the united

autoworkers, bob king is known for his activism and passionate belief in social and economic justice. he is a visionary and innovative leader for an industry that desperately needs both. >> labor and environmental leaders need to work hand-in- hand. that is why i am very proud to share the stage today with the chief executive officer of green door all, one of the country's leading advocates -- green for all, one of the country's leading activists for environmentalists in the united states. >> two years ago, i stood with my grandmother on the small. through tears we watched as the first black president was sworn in. the power of that day did not

stem from race. it flowed from a fall acknowledgment that this study country belongs to every citizen. that day meant that it is possible for our children to be anything they want to be. that day meant there were no longer two american dreams. for some people, it is as scary thought. if opportunities exist for others, it means that opportunities do not exist for yourself. they would rather have us all in darkness then have us all see the light. you see, it used to be that those who opposed us made it feel like we would be fumbling alone in a darkened room, in an unfamiliar environment in our own country. we were made to feel alone and isolated. every once in awhile, they would pick a few of us to share their light and take pictures to show the rest of us than their

american dream could someday be ours, but it almost never was. today, we say that no one should fear the dark. today once again feels like we are seeing the lights turned on. today no longer will be stumble in the darkness. today, before this crowd i am blinded. are you blinded by the amazing spirit of these people here today? [applause] are you ready to stand and say this is our country? are you ready to say that patriotism belongs to those who love their country? that loving the country is about recognizing that people deserve love regardless of who they love, where they are from, where they were born, that this is a vision for a country that we believe then? i want to say to you that i am

thrilled to be here with president bob king, but this is what the country will think about. after the serious brutal blows this country has taken over the past five years, we have two choices. we can give up or we can get up. are you ready to get up? giving up is not an option. by our presence here today, we say that we are ready to get back on our feet, that we will extend a hand to whomever around us needs help rising. the last time this country faced an economic crisis, the great depression, it did not destroy s but it left us stronger. that is the vision that bob and i share. i know what it feels like not to feel at a home in your own country. to change things

we must come together. someone said to me, you are not a real patriot because you believe everyone should have the chance to come to this country. you believe and workers' rights. you believe the environment should be respected. i am here to say that this is our country. this is our experience. this is our america. no longer will we allow people to say that you are less of an american because of the color of your skin, this day that you levin or the things you believe. in a true america, we do not allow anyone to say what patriotism is or is not. if you undermine my patriotism, my american story, you diminish the americanism of millions of others. what are we doing? we are standing up to not allow

any american story to be diminished. we are here to stand with this crowd and say proudly, i am the face of america and you are the face of america. from this moment on, we will never accept anyone telling us differently. [applause] >> this is the hope and optimism that we have to have. those who want to divide us want us to believe that we cannot win. we cannot accept that. we have to have the hope that she has, the hope that you have for being here today. this nation is at a crossroads. there are two profoundly different visions before us, two radically different dreams for what is america. one vision takes us down the dark path of division by race,

division by religion, division by nationality, division by gender, division by age. these divisions exploit people's fears by labeling and trying to pit one person against another, by signaling out another and trying to put them in a category. we do not believe that. we believe in the call of humanity. the voices of division obstruct the effort to give financial support to the unemployed and the sec. the voices of division obstruct government efforts to fully fund quality education. they seek to damage our children to poverty because they do not have an education. they make it possible for -- to make it impossible to hold bankers and wall street

executives accountable. obstruction undermines -- division undermine social security. but by contrast, those marching here today believe in a vision that leads us down a path of community, a path of compassion, a path of common humanity. we believe in a vision of hope and optimism. >> if you believe that it is the role of a democratic government to provide a safety net for people who are suffering, say i believe. >> i believe. >> if you believe that the needs of people should come before the profits of corporations, say i believe. >> i believe. >> if you believe that all workers around the world should have the right to organize

unions, say i believe. >> i believe. >> if you believe that all people are entitled to decent living conditions, fell health care and quality education, say i believe. >> i believe. >> if you believe that poverty and environmental destruction must end, s.a. i believe. >> i believe. >> if you believe that we should stop funding wars in iraq and afghanistan, and instead fund our schools, a fund the rebuilding of our infrastructure, fund programs for education and our veterans, fund invests men in green technology and green jobs, say i believe. >> i believe. >> if you believe that war is not the solution to the world's problems, say i believe. >> i believe. >> if you believe in a common

humanity that embraces people of all religions, all nationalities, all ethnicities, say i believe. >> i believe. >> two years ago on these steps we were energized by hope. president obama said that we were the change we had been waiting for. he did not say he was the change. he said we were the change. if you believe we are the change, say i believe. >> i believe. >> mahatma gandhi and a doctor martin luther king asked us to work unceasingly to win justice and fairness for all. if you can commit to that, say i do. >> i do. >> thank you very much.

>> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome george gresham and liz alan. >> good afternoon. i am delighted to be here with george. he is the grandson of a virginia sharecropper who spent his early childhood in segregated schools in virginia. when he moved to new york city, his first job was in the housekeeping department at presbyterian hospital in the northern manhattan. he became a delegate and union activist at 1199. he soon became a radiology clerk, and later, through the

union's trading and education fund -- training and education fund, became an mri technologist. throughout his 35 years, he has held every position in the union, and today he is and the president of the united health care workers, the largest union in the country. >> we have a nonprofit, nonviolent organization working to end -- working to bring civil rights and justice to the citizens of washington, d.c. let's allen is committed to it this vision and comes -- liz allen is committed to this vision and comes from a family of civil rights demonstrators.

she worked to stop the building of a hazardous by allowed in boston. -- bio-lab in boston. >> are you enjoying yourselves? are you here to put america back to work? are you here for just as? then welcome to our nation's capital where significant injustice holds our residents down. when we pledge allegiance to the united states, it is for one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. but in washington, d.c., a we enjoy no liberty and no justice. we pay higher taxes per capita than any other residents of the united states, but we do not have voting representation in congress. we also do not have full control on whether to create

green jobs, high tech jobs, construction jobs or any other jobs. we do not have a vote on education or affordable housing. over the years, i have lived in north carolina, virginia, new york and massachusetts, and in each instance, i was guaranteed voting representation in congress and that might local representatives controlled local affairs. when i crossed the border into the district of columbia to set up residence, those rights disappeared. that is not right. it is not right the geography in the united states of america determines whether i have a voice in congress. last i checked, this land was

part of the united states of america. as a nation, we must stop allowing d.c. residents to be treated as second-class citizens, a group of people there are separate and unequal. now it is time for us to bring d.c. residents into our democracy. now is time to make all the liberty and justice a reality for our fellow americans living in our nation's capital. if you have a sign that says i demand democracy, hold it high. hold any symbol of your struggle in say, we demand jobs. we demand justice. and we demand full democracy for d.c.. outk you, now let's get there and do it together as one nation.

>> good afternoon. time is short and my comments must be the same. i do want to thank you for getting on the buses, for getting on the -- for making the long trip, for making sure the voices of the people in this country are really heard. we are tired of being represented by the voices of the so-called anti party. we are real america. we are one nation. we are working together. we represent the best that this country has, and we are here to say today that we are going to take back this country for working people. that is only the beginning. it is not the end. thank you, and let's make sure that this event translates into

changing the politics of this country back for working people of this country. we want to recognize the president of the national council uof la raza, but in the interest of time, we want to welcome members from the rock- and-roll hall of fame here to perform one of the most important songs from history. joseph cotton and parliament. ♪ >> put your hands together. ♪

raise your hands up. this is one nation. everybody. one nation. ♪ make some noise for urination. -- for your nation.

♪

we want the funk. give us the funk. everybody say

♪

♪ we want the funk

[applause] >> and that brings an end to the one nation working together rally here in washington, d.c. on the steps of the lincoln memorial. leaders of civil rights groups were calling for equality in education and jobs. one of the aims was to motivate liberal voters ahead of the

november election. jesse jackson encouraged the crowd to a vote. the head of the naacp called this an antidote to the tea party movement. you have been watching live coverage on c-span. we will bring this to you again tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern. in the meantime, we will take a look at the child nutrition bill that stalled in the house before lawmakers went on recess. this is about 40 minutes. 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: yes, sir.

a couple of things. host: lorenzo? simulac withthis the babies, in starts earlier when there are firstborn. think is morei healthy. also mothers nowadays are a lot younger and we need the fathers to contribute more. i know kids in high school do not have to take a whole year of physical fitness. one thing schools can do is to require kids to have a whole year of physical fitness instead of just half of the year. host: we will leave it there.

margo wootan you get the last word. guest: breast feeding is not something we talked about. but also this covers wic which is very important to providing good nutrition, nutritional education for low-income families. this bill would help to strengthen the wic program including the promotion of breast feeding. it is good for monster help you lose weight afterer having a ba. host: margo >> sundown "washington journal," the discussion of the agenda and efforts being made to mobilize voters in this year's midterm election. then ed gillespie talks about

his role in helping create and raise money for the new american crossroads organization. it is reportedly giving $32 million to congressional contest across the u.s.. after that a johns hopkins professor at examines areas of liability in china's economy and how they could impact a world. bless your e-mail and phone calls. "washington journal," live sunday at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. now, the three candidates running for colorado governor. they participated in a debate last saturday in colorado springs organized by action 22, a coalition of businesses, associations, and local governments in colorado's 22 southern counties. this is about an hour and 15 minutes. >> ladies and gentlemen, good

morning. i am proud to be here this morning to be the moderator for this candid its forum for colorado governor. i would like to thank all the candidates for being here. [applause] dan mayes.ter, and may what we just saw was a perfect illustration of my next point. the organizers of this form of reminded me to remind you to please keep the cheers and applause to a minimum. it will cut into the times we actually have to hear what the candidates have to say.

we will begin with opening statements from each candidate. >> we have sat at the route tables of ranchers and farmers on the plains. we have walked around the island farmers and gone up and down the royal gorge bridge road. everywhere we go we are the same thing. there's a level of fear and uncertainty about the economy and i understand that fear. when i got laid off in 1986, our whole company was sold and everyone was laid out. i could not find a job.

in end, we started brewing co. in 1988. everybody said it could not succeed. there's after that, we open a brewing co. down here. we were told each of those could not work. they said it would not work in denver, fort collins, they said it would not work in colorado springs, but each time, it did. we are the only city in the country to get a compromise. people said i could not possibly win when i ran for mayor because i had no experience. we showed we could do that. when i decided to run for governor and try and bring those principles back into the state

government, they said if you run a positive campaign you will never win. we have run a positive campaign from the very beginning, and we are going to win this race. thank you. [applause] >> good morning, i am dan maes and i would like to be your next governor. i have some passion that folks here with me. all my red shirts out there. although one person on the stage absolutely deserves boos for the malicious campaign has been running, i am going to ask you not to do that out of respect for everyone else in the room. i have put over 100,000 miles on traveling the state with air fare and cars, and i have heard a clear message as well. i have heard it from craig and from cortez, over and over

again, 10, 12 times in pueblo, all over colorado. the economy is number one. you want a strong economy. you want strong jobs, a strong tax base. you want your energy industry back. you want natural gas out of the ground, oil and coal out of the ground, uranium out of the ground. i will work hard to do that. but 25 years of business experience, which is different than the mayor's experience, i think i am the most qualified as your next governor. the governor's office is an executive management office. it requires executive management, and more than ever in history of our state, a business development skills that. we must drive business in our state. number three, i am a conservative before anything else and we are supposed to do what conservatives do, and that is cut taxes. smaller government, strong energy, cut taxes. that creates jobs in our state, and no one is more qualified to do it for you than i am.

thank you very much. [applause] >> it is a pleasure to be with you today. a beautiful day. i wish i could have ridden my motorcycle down here. it did not work out, but maybe a little bit later it will still be a beautiful time in colorado to do that. politics is not been bad, as the saying goes. whether you want to deal with the issues are not our deal with reality or not, you are forced to do that often by the press or by your opponents. that is the way it is. it is the old thing about the kitchen and the heat. most of my opponents have said quite correctly, the issues seem somewhat similar, everywhere we go.

there is a distinct concern about the economy of this state, and there are various ways in which we have discussed handling those things. i really do hope that throughout the hour that we have together, we will be able to get into the specifics of exactly how any of us would actually deal with these issues. frankly, if you don't talk about specifics come it is just a lot of rhetoric. we are all good conservative, or at least understand now that even mayor hickenlooper is moving farther to the right, which is great news for all of us. we need to know what any of us will do in the very specific situations one of us is going to confront as governor of the state of colorado. i certainly look forward to that opportunity. [applause]

>> thank you, a gentleman. i have been handed questions from the audience. i will ask them in the order i receive them. everyone will get 90 seconds to respond, after which everyone will have a 30-second opportunity for rebuttal if they choose to do that. we will reverse the order for the first question and start with congressman tancredo. beginning with you, sir. how would you create jobs for colorado? >> we create jobs one way, and it is by private enterprise, it is not by the government. the government can only do things that impede the actions we take in the private industry to create jobs. it means you make a much better and different environment for private business in colorado than presently exists. we have driven businesses out of the state. the mayor has driven businesses

out of denver, including frontier airlines. the governor has driven: gas businesses out of the state because he wants a green economy. green economy is a nice phrase. does not mean anything in terms of pricing -- providing the energy we need or providing jobs. there are no jobs in the green economy. there are plenty of jobs taking oil and gas out of the ground. we can do it without leaving a footprint that is harming the land. to the extent possible, you have to make sure that exists. it is always going to be a trade-off. it cannot possibly have all one thing or the other. you cannot have a pristine environment and a lot of jobs for people in this day. we have to be careful about how we do it, but i tell you, it can be done. but you have to have a different attitude about business. the difference from the governor of the state and from the mayor. they have had an anti-business

attitude if it is a business they did not like. in this case, they did not like the airlines and they did not like oil and gas. that has got to change. [applause] >> like a career politician, you had a lot of railing about what doesn't work, but you did not hear any answers. when you have not created jobs, you don't know the answers on how to create jobs. here is how we create jobs in the state of colorado. we modify the energy regulations specifically to send a clear signal to the energy industry that we want them back. we will reach out to williams and shell and bring those jobs back to this day. i have to make a personal call, i will. we reduced regulations on small business. when someone wants to open a restaurant and they are told they have to put a deceleration late in from the restaurant before they can build it, and

they stop those jobs from being created, that stops jobs. we must lessen regulations and get rid of the small business personal property tax in this state, one of the most annoying, onerous taxes for small business. less taxes, less regulations, specifics. that is how we do it. [applause] >> i will try to be a little more specific, because i have actually created thousands of jobs. one of the big problems is red tape. one of the things we have done in the city of denver it is work hard to cut the red tape. you always need some level of regulation and inspection. you need to get the needless and excessive paperwork out of the way some people can expand and hire more people. the second thing we need is capital. we can get private enterprise money. we have talked to a number of ceo's that are willing to put

billions of dollars into a venture capital fund. make sure it is run like a business. we run this investment fund to make sure it makes a profit. we have to sell this stake. -- sell this stake. -- sell this state. we are one of the top states for aerospace, but we don't sell ourselves. i have had a lot of experience in selling, branding, and pulling together the attributes to convince someone this is the place to be. we are one of the top states in the country in terms of pro- business tax environment, but we don't sell it. we don't go out and bring those companies here. we will. [applause] >> with the opportunity for

rebuttal, a reminder on the applause. we are trying to get as many questions as we can. >> just hearing the mayor say that we are the best environment for business in the united states or the world, perhaps, it is ludicrous. we are not. businesses have left denver because of the mayor's attitude. not just attitude, but because of the tax policies that he operates. this is not a good place for business when in 2007, there was a poll taken of every single chief executive throughout the land about oil and gas. we were number one. by 2009, we were last. >> someone has been advertising and blogging about how being a salesman is not honorable. you have to successful salesman right here who are very capable

of driving this economy, and that is exactly what we need in the governor's office right now, not more railing about what you don't like. it's time for positive solutions in this state. >> so we have once again groundless intention. the jobs without not because of any tax policy. we work to remove all those of stockobstacles. they went for a free hangar in milwaukee. that is the bottom line. we are not the best, but we are in the top 20%. we recall the third estate for small business in the entire country -- the third best state for small business. >> the next question, what is your position on the men 66 --

on the amendment 66 and 101? >> it is a clear message from the people of colorado that they are sick and tired of democrats bypassing our state constitution and the taxpayers' bill of rights. there are rules, and we are are a state of rules and laws. the law says if you are going to raise taxes, you go to the people for a vote on the people. bill ritter put too liberal supreme court justices on one end of the alley and on the other into the alley and they said go ahead and roll them, just came -- change the name from tax to fee and have your way. people are sick and tired of those games in our venture- capital and what the democrats have done with total control re.n their prin

i support 60. i support the reversal of the property-tax freeze because it was unconstitutional. other than that, i oppose the other two. >> i understand where this comes from, and we understand the frustration and anger people feel. we are already a point where we have 40 percent of our school districts on four-day weeks. step back and think about what that is saying about our state. we don't have the luxury to go back and analyze this year or that fear. if you pass all three of these, we would pull out over $2 billion out of the economy. it would be staggering. that is why every single chamber

of commerce, every business group, these are not just the tax on government. they are debilitating attacks on our entire state and our ability to create jobs. it would be a voter approved recession if any one of these past. we have to step up and say these are not good for colorado. we have to work towards having moreer government and responsive and effective government. this is not the way to get there. beck's the nightmare scenarios that are often associated with these three acts are completely and totally incorrect. i believe there are going to be challenges if these three were to pass. i support 60 and i support 101. in that situation, in this case, what we are talking about is not a complete end of civilization as we know it as the result of the passage of these kind of acts.

what this does, as is so often the case when liberals look at a measure like this, what they say is, you are going to actually reduce the amount of revenue that we can take from the people? that is a $2 billion cut. most of these things don't go into effect for over a 10-year period of time. you have to understand this. these are all cuts in the rate of growth. these things will impede the ability of the state to grow its budget as fast as it wants to. you know what? how many people out there are operating under exactly the same circumstances? i cannot think of a family that has all of the ability to actually say next year doesn't matter, i will just spend a little more if costs go up. government has to recognize that there are many people out there who just cannot keep putting the

money in. reducing the rate of growth is not the same as cutting the budget. >> time for rebuttal now, beginning with mr. maes. >> that is the fourth gyration of the different answer you gave last week about those initiatives. what is the fifth generation going to be? i cannot count that high. [laughter] >> if you listen to the people and you modify your position, i call that being a statesman, but you call it being a fraud and a liar. so what are you today, a frog, a liar, or a statesman? >> my goodness, someone is not up here say nasty things about their opponents, are they? i cannot believe you would say that about your opponent. >> the congressman, who has been

pretty much his entire life in politics, is quick to point out that when liberals say something, this is opposed by every trade group in the state. this is something that is too drastic for the economic condition we find ourselves in right now. almost every significant leader in the state opposes these three, all three. >> the business is that opposed it for the most part are businesses that are in business with the state and are worried about whether or not that particular gravy boat is going to be empty. >> gentlemen, thanks very much. what would you do to show leadership to address the constitutional funding in revenue provisions? >> the challenge when you look at the structural challenges that face the state right now in terms of how to be fun to those

services that people need, those ties priorities when you don't have enough revenues. where are you going to look to get them? the challenge right now is to say there is no appetite to raise taxes. if you step back and accept that, you have to look at one of two things. you have to look at continuing to cut, and these are difficult cuts. over 40% of our school districts are on four-day weeks. you have already made serious cuts, but you are going to have to cut more. the other solution is you have to drive business and help more businesses hire more people and generate more income. otherwise you'll have those revenues you are going to need. the bottom line is, we can figure it out. we can hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards and the pro-business, but pro-

quality of life at the same time. we can be pro oil and gas and yet maintain the highest respect for our land and waters. we can make sure we don't put any of that in jeopardy. that is where those revenues are going to have to come from. >> there is an absolute challenge that we all face in trying to deal with things like a minute 23 -- like amendment 23. decisions that are made when people respond emotionally, and then later on do it again, but do it with the conflicting constitutional amendment. that is something we are born to have to go to the people with. it will require leadership. we have to figure this out, guys. if you want to reduce taxes, if you want to expand services, it cannot have the imposition of things like amendment 23 that demands that we spend a certain

amount of money above and beyond everything else. then all kinds of other services or demanded by other amendments. those are conflicts they cannot go on. we have to go to the people and say, something has to change. we have to have a little more ability for the governor and legislature to actually make these kinds of decisions. just think about a minute 23. -- amendment 23. what if inflation actually gets hyper? it will eat up every single time in the budget. >> i don't see the real complexity here, but the liberals tend to say there is a lot of conflicts and we need to get rid of all these amendments. rich states, poor states, a book published about the future economic strength of states

recognizes three things about the state of colorado that makes us have a strong economic future. one is tabor. it must stay in place. one is our balanced budget amendment. i don't see any conflict there. that makes us strong and healthy as that state. amendment 23 needs to be reexamined. 23 is the first on my hit parade, not because i don't treasure public schools. i have a 15-year-old who is a sophomore at a public high school. i have a 7-year-old in the second grade. i want great public schools, but throwing more money at it is not going to solve the problem, and 23 is causing that imbalance. if we had enough revenue in our

state and our tax coffers were full with the right kind of executive leadership, we would not be debating this at all. we only debated when we have bad leadership and not enough taxes in the bank. i will solve that problem for us. [applause] >> the key is, almost -- win or $500 million a year short in our transportation funding, over 40% of our schools are on a four-day week. you go down and look at health care, we might have to reduce people's access to medicaid. these amendments, the bottom line, there is justle money that these the men as don't play that large a role. >> -- these amendments don't

play that large a role. >> the mayor has stated on more than one occasion that every part of state government is grossly underfunded. do you really believe that? [laughter] let me ask you this. how many families in this state are grossly underfunded? and which ones should be the priority? i think the answer is pretty much self evident. >> people have also mentioned gallagher as a big conflict. it is disturbing to people because help commercial and residential real rates are opposing each other, and i am hearing from business that these commercial property rates must come down. another example of too high taxes in our state. i don't see gallagher as a big issue, either.

>> the issue of experience has come up a lot in this campaign. the question is, how does your professional experience qualify you to be the next governor of our state? >> in 1981 i was nominated by ronald reagan to run the regional office of the u.s. department of education. i had served three terms in the colorado legislature, the last of those terms on the joint budget committee which is the budgeting are for the state of colorado. it was challenging, undeniably, but we did some things that i am very proud of. we helped in the process of getting rid of the sales tax on food and utilities. my task was to implode it, to bring it down. we went from 222 people, some of them working there, but all of them employed there. we diminished that. i cannot take personal responsibility for all of it, but i had a staff of my own with

22 people when i came in, and we went down to two. that was over a four-year period of time. if we had gone to zero, no one would have known the difference. no single child has ever been educated by the u.s. support education. it is enormously challenging to try to reduce the size of government, your office, your organization. it is easier to expand. i did not just in the face of the education you know we had, but also civil service. that is a challenge, believe me. >> i have been saying for 19 months, i have watched candidates come and go in this race. the government up -- governor's office is an executive and management office. at this unique time in our state's history, we need business development experience more than anything else.

our state is open for business, and we cannot just put a sign up. people open up a website and think customers will just come flocking to them, and a year later they are out of business. you have to proactively develop business and reach out to professional industry and bring them to the state. i have helped start small businesses and turn around failing small businesses. even during a difficult economic time, i successfully sold a small business when everyone else was selling for pennies on the dollar. for some reason, small business does not seem to be credible enough to be in the governor's office. on the contrary, i think it is a perfect time for someone with 20 night -- 25 years of business management, business development, to strengthen our tax base and get our state back on track where people want to be

here. the best reason to be in colorado is not financial incentives. it is sitting west of this motel, pikes peak and the beautiful mountains and the beautiful state we live in. all we have to do is send the right message that we are open for business. >> i never planned it this way, but my preparation for running for this office is pretty broad. i spent 10 years studying and becoming a professional geologist. it allows me to really understand the oil and gas business but really what the concerns are in terms of our land and waters. i spent 15 years in the restaurant business after that. small business is really all about customer service. there is no margin in having enemies. you do whatever you can to make sure they feel appreciated. we ended up getting -- they all

bought units of investment and it was a great success, they all made money. in the last seven years i have been the mayor of the largest city in the state of colorado. we ran on a campaign of transparency and accountability and making government smaller and more effective. we actually went out and there are 7% fewer employees in the city now than there were seven years ago. this was before the recession hit. we were finding better ways. the baby boomers or retiring. we found different ways to deliver services. we planted 200,000 trees, all with less people and smaller government. it is one thing to talk about these things and another to have done it. [applause] >> we have 30 seconds for rebuttal.

>> the 12 years i spent in the regional office of the department of education and the reductions we made was doing it, not theoretical. it was an enormously challenging enterprise, because we were bringing it down in size. it is not easy to keep it going when you are under these kinds of stressful situations. it is true that my service on the joint budget committee was also -- >> there is a unique skill set required to go into a failing operation and turn it around. i have done it in multiple in the industries in multiple states. let me assure you, business does not expand by itself. takes a lot of hard work, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, a lot of proactive activity, phone calls, walking, driving. it is a lot of work.

no business grows on its own. the mayor will attest to that because he has done it like i have done it. >> the ultimate challenge is to look at all of our resonates and determine who has the most experience putting together a team. it is not a question of being alone ranger and solving all the problems. it is going to be getting the right people together and help make the state government smaller and generate more jobs and revenues for the state in the process. >> there is no doubting the importance of the military. the next question is, what is your opinion of pinon canyon? >> i said the same thing yesterday, i want a strong military presence in this state.

i will fight for military base structure and troops here as strong as anybody else would have, but we will not, i will not stand by and large private property rights get trampled and strongarm for any industry in the state. can we not do both? the problem with three politicians is, it is a zero sum game. the military wins, the ranchers have to loot. if the rangers when, b.g.e. if the ranchers when, the military has to lose. i would be glad to go to washington and fight that battle, as i would for denver or arapahoe county as well. i will stand firm on private property rights, not only in pinon canyon but all across our state. if a rancher wants to sell his or her property, we should not

intervene in that free-market process of the transfer property. >> i think dan and i agree closely on this. we have to be pro-military and we should be pro-military. if you look at states like alabama, where every county, every municipal leader is pro- military, colorado as a state should be pro-military. in this case, i am not sure the military made a convincing case that the land was absolutely necessary. we all agree that no one is going to use eminent domain. more importantly, we have to make sure that if we are going to take land out of the frame work of our rural economy out there, it is like taking a stone out of a stone wall. you week and the rest of the wall, the fabric, the texture of the economy out there. even if there was a large buyer out in the middle of it and he

sold, you weaken the rest of the other farmers and ranchers out there. there may be ways to sit down with the military and find a way to get the land, but at the same time strengthen that community. unless the entire community out there, the farmers and ranchers are supportive, we should back away from that kind of decision. >> i agree. >> sometimes you just don't need to take 30 seconds. >> bear enough. >> i will pass. >> i agree. >> i would like to talk about one other thing. go ahead and applaud, you have spare time. [laughter] [applause]

>> the issue of mandates versus revenue has come up. can you give some specifics on how you plan to improve education in colorado? >> the challenge right now, obviously, although some people would argue that we are excess funded in education, i think evidence is clear that we are not. this does not mean you can stand back and not look at improving the system. let's be clear, what a joke. what performance system with any business ever have for you go out and tester success, measure achievement, and then its results for months later? how can you possibly help a teacher figure out where to do the most good with an achievement system like that? how can we build better partnerships between the private business community and our public schools? in denver we have been able to get a couple of well the oil and

gas guys to make significant contributions to allow a scholarship foundation that guarantees every single kid, if they work hard enough, they will get to go to college. there are so many distractions for these kids. how do we get them to focus and work harder, making them believe they have a future? the dropout rate has dropped dramatically at denver public schools. matriculation at college has gone up dramatically. a lot of it has to do with those partnerships of getting the business community to provide incentives like scholarships to make sure we are all working together. >> the sea of colorado springs, the school district just got a major grant -- city of colorado springs. for the teachers who deserve it, that is great.

it came out on the same day that pay for performance does not improve student achievement. the same time this grant was allowed. what does this tell you? there is really no significant connection after a certain point between the amount of money you push into the system and the outcome you expect to get. even from the creation in 1965 of the door of education, there is almost an inverse relation between pumping in that much money and what we got out from the schools. it is school choice that actually changes that phenomenon. you have to end the government monopoly school system to the extent possible. charter schools are great. private schools that offer an opportunity to kids in the inner city who are locked in the

system that they cannot get out of. why not go to them and say look, i note you are in a system that is not serving you. this is a voucher that you can take and go to a good school, and much better school than you could ever afford. why is that so anathema to the school district, to the teachers' union? >> let me continue on from there. homeschooling must continue to be supported. it should not be regulated anymore that it is and should be encouraged to expand as much as it wants to. free-market competition and education, just like in every other area, should raise the bar because it is competitive. a public schools should feel the pressure and the competition of saying if i don't deliver the right product, if i don't watch over these children heart and soul, these children are going to go to home school or private school, and they should fear the result if they don't get the job

done right. senate bill 191 was the right thing because it holds teachers accountable. it should not have been a towering event to the federal government to draw down more money on race to the top. the motive was to create a better solution within our state because of competition, that is the right motive. but to jump through hoops for washington and barack obama to sell our kids out for the future, it was the wrong motive to do it. >> piano, to say that paid her purse for -- you know, to say that pay for performance does not work is difficult when it has only been in existence for a

year or two. it is hard to say whether they have succeeded or failed. >> in 1992 i put vouchers on the ballot in colorado. they fail. you only need to know one word to win a debate with an opponent, why. they say they do not like vouchers, ask why. they say they do not work, asked why. they say well, everyone believes they do not work. asked why. and the argument. -- ask why. ended the argument.

>> the numbers here have been explosive. the number of businesses cropping up. gentlemen, what is your position in legalizing marijuana and using potential profits as a source of taxes. >> legalize said and tax it. legalize it and tax bit. the war on drugs has been a failure. if anyone can show me a better , a better way to do what we do, i would like to see it. the risk-reward ratio is

cockeyed. you get in big trouble for selling to a kid, but you can sell it without fear to an adult. all of the incentive is to do it that way. if that is not right, not acceptable, then just give me a way to deal with it. donot say, let's continue to what we're doing. it does not work. we have to deal with reality. regulate it. it.btax it is the best way to deal with the phenomena that has now overwhelmed us in so many ways. >> the billions of dollars that we spend on the war on drugs, if we legalize marijuana, will be transferred and spent on social services, health care, and every

other negative results if we legalize this. how about a prostitute our teenage daughters and tax in that? how about we take cocaine, legalize it and tax said. how about we take heroin and we legalize it and tax tipit? i have a sociology and criminal justice a degree. i can tell you that if we legalize marijuana, that war will go away. the cocaine dealers will be on the border. the cartels will be there. whatever behind -- whatever is behind marijuana, the next thing, cocaine or what ever it is, will be right there. >> i will just warn you about that kind of sarcasm. what will happen is that you

will have an attack ad. i'm just warning you that you have heard the congressman says he wants to prostitute our children. [laughter] let me say one thing. he and i do not disagree too much on this. every smart person i know around human services says that marijuana is detrimental to kids, especially as they're growing up. it makes them vulnerable to all kinds of bad influences. everyone i know in the public safety world says that legalizing marijuana is a bad idea. i can understand the attraction of revenue, but clearly it is a bad idea. most importantly, the voters of is a badid it idea. now medical marijuana -- more importantly, the voters of

colorado have said it is a bad idea. now medical marijuana, i think it has a legitimate use and a medical application. we do need to tax it and make sure that the medical application is not abused. >> 30 seconds. >> mr. mayer, i can introduce you to an awful lot of smart people who believe that the best way to handle this is to legalize it, also some policeman. many policemen. other law-enforcement personnel believe it is a lot better to deal with somebody, whether it is pulling them over on the side of the road or going to abuse situation, somebody who is under the influence of marijuana than booze.

of the arguments you make against as were made many years ago against liquor. >> we have to hang up the liquor argument. we are not talking about liquor. we're talking about marijuana. now that medical marijuana is constitutional, just like gambling, we have to hold up. they fooled us once. do not let them fool us again. they're going to keep pushing it up and pushing it up. we have to stop them. >> i am ok. >> a reminder again, that these questions have all been submitted by audience members. the next question is about gun

control. why are you on mr. blumberg's mare's against guns committee? -- mr. bloomberg's mayors against guns committee. >> we have a second amendment. guns are legal. i can see the argument on the other side. there is fear in inner cities about it, but it does not justify taking away our second amendment rights. i have been hunting since i was 12. i should not tell you how many guns i have under the bed. my wife has asked me not to do that anymore. my 23-year-old daughter got to shoot a smith and wesson 500 pistol. the walls rattle when you shoot

this thing off. it is a right that we have. i think the mayor should give us straight answers about this. john, we know you are a great moderate businessman, but the facts will come out. the facts have to come out that you have a different agenda in the city of denver that is very liberal. that might work for denver, but it does not work for the rest of colorado, and colorado is a big stake. >> let me just say that i have been around guns my entire life. when i was a kid, 10 years old, i would go to my aunt and uncle's farm. there were hundreds of bottles and cans, and we had all been trained in gun safety.

we knew we were supposed to do. we were shooting the guns and bottles. there were probably 12 of us on the porch. i accidentally shot a bullet that missed my little toe by about 1/16 of an inch. it put a hole in my speaker. i looked around to see if -- it put a hole in my sneaker. i looked around to see if anybody had seen it. they had not, so i kept shooting. what we're trying to look at is how we keep handguns out of the hands of criminals. i think the colorado compromise of closing the gun show loophole is a good one. i think there has to be a way to make sure the we keep handguns out the hands of people that have mental problems and are

criminals. >> i do not know anybody who is trying to get handguns for the criminals and mentally ill. that is not the issue. the reality is, nobody wants to have people sending for guns in the mail. that is idiotic. you will excuse me, mr. mayor, if i do not go shooting with you anytime soon. [laughter] my wife's birthday gift last june -- she may not have enjoyed as much as i hoped she would. it is a 45 caliber pistol. i do not know that she was really excited about it, but i

thought it was great. [laughter] yes, i'm for the second amendment. >> we have to have some straight answers about gun policy in denver. huntingice to hear shu stories and shooting stories, but we need to know where you stand on gun ownership. >> i support gun ownership for people that do not have criminal records, the do have a license, and that have not been shown to be mentally impaired. we want to make sure crazy people do not have access to guns. we're not trying to keep guns out of everybody's hands, we're trying to keep them out of the hands of people who commit crimes. >> you once referred to people

who own guns as gun kooks. are they the ones who would not be able to get guns? >> ok, moving on. it is getting harder and harder for colorado's students to afford public universities in our state. what is your plan for public education? >> this is something the some of us would say, we have lots of money and can continue funding. we continue to see our support for higher education godown. we are now at 49 fattah 50 states. the bottom line is, -- 49th out of 50 states. the bottom line is, we have to do something. there is nothing more important to future jobs and our future economy then higher education.

that is why i chose a man i chose to be might lieutenant governor. this is a problem because years down the road. the key is access and affordability. we have to make sure that every kid, no matter how poor a family they come from, has their shot at the american dream. one way, if you're going to continue to raise tuition, but we have to add scholarships. the other key requirement is affordability. we do not want our kids to graduate from college with a 50 belsen dollar -- $50,000 or $100,000 debt. we have to make sure that our institutions of higher education are able to give our kids access and affordability.