greatness for this nation -- the edge of greatness for this nation. if we forget what brought us to where we are in 234 years. if we forget these pillars, there will be no american to pass on to subsequent generations. i want to close with this simple story. on february 7, 1961, herman and elizabeth west had a son. my parents were nicknamed buck and snooks. he attended an elementary school located across the street from the baptist church. he would go and fish with his father and grandfather in randolph county, georgia. he would pick peaches to help out his grandparents and others

selling peaches on the sideways stores. he climbed pecan trees. i was brought up to say "pea- can." i used to climb those trees in mitchell and randolph county because my madera wanted to have the fresh ones for pride. he grew up selling cokes for the atlanta braves. he learned all of the tunes to the school fight songs. but on sunday, he was an acolyte and sang in the church youth choir. he went off to serve his country, the same as his father

had done in world war ii, his older brother had done in vietnam, his father-in-law had done in vietnam, his nephew had done in afghanistan, and his brother-in-law has done in iraq. he stood on the wall to tell his country, "sleep peacefully at night because this man stands ready to do the violence and things necessary to protect you ." [applause] on this day, 50 years later, this son of america stands before you on this grand stage committing himself to his country, to its national character, to its fiscal and national security, to the

preservation of the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness of every american. i do it for my wife, my daughters, my relatives, my friends. i do it for the men and women in uniform. i do it for the little boy and little girl wearing a high school junior rotc uniform just like i did. i do it for the unborn american child. i do it for each and every one of your who hear my words. i do it by pledging sacred honor to the dawn of a new america. to the liberal threats i know will be putting out pieces attacking me starting today and of course on monday, continue your attack. this is what abraham lincoln said.

"be sure you put your feet in the right place and stand firm." as you depart from this great hall and gathering of conservatives, this is the commission i send you out with. stand firm for this the dawn of a new america. god bless you all. god bless america, a steadfast and loyal. [applause] "right now"] ♪

>> that was southern florida's allen west wrapping up the seven political conservative conference. earlier, we heard from the mississippi governor. we will bring you his speech again tonight starting at 10:50 eastern. cpac conducted a straw poll for potential candidates. they put ron paul at number one and mr. romney --mitt romney in second place.

>> we're going to go back to the end of the cpac conference. ♪ it looks like they are wrapping up here at the marriott in washington, d.c. some of the results from the straw poll for potential presidential candidates put texas representative ron paul at number one and former massachusetts gov. mitt romney in second place. ron paul ran for president in 2008. this is the second year he won

the cpac poll and also the second year that governor romney came in second place. conservatives are being cautious about their pick for 2012. more than one dozen republicans are considering a run. a number of those were in the cpac straw poll ballot today. earlier today, we heard from mississippi gov. haley barbour. we will bring in his speech again tonight starting at 10:50 eastern. president obama discussed the 2012 federal budget proposal to be unveiled next week, including a five-year federal spending freeze. republican senator orrin hatch thetah also talked about federal budget proposal. he called on the president to back tax code reform and free

trade agreements under consideration by congress. we will hear the president's weekly address and also that of senator hatch. this is about 10 minutes. >> i received a letter from a woman named brenda reece. it speaks to what a lot of families are going through. it offers a good example of the responsibility needed in washington now. brenda is a mother and special ed teacher from missouri. her husband, david, was employed at the local chrysler plant for nearly a quarter decades -- nearly four in decades. they have worked hard. they have taken some hits over the last few years. when the chrysler plant closed, he would have to take early retirement. the pension helps, but it is half of what he earned before. because of budget cuts, brenda have to buy school supplies for students of her own pocket. it is her job and she cares about the kids.

money has been tight, but they are doing the best they can. like so many families, they're sacrificing what they do not need so they can afford what really matters. she said she feels her family is frugal. they go to the movies once a month. usually, they wait for them to come out on tv. she watches the food budget. we combine trips into town. we use coupons. we trim each other's hair when we need a hair cut. brenda and her husband know what they can do without. they also know what investments are too important to sacrifice. their daughter, rachel, is a sophomore in college with a 4.0 grade point average. tuition is a big expense, but it is worth it. it will give her the chance to achieve your dreams. brenda is looking for a second job to ensure that the money is there to help rachel with her future. families across this country understand what it takes to manage a budget.

they understand what it takes to make ends meet without forgoing import investments like education. it is time washington acted as responsibly as our families do. on monday, i am proposing a new budget to help us live within our means while investing in our future. my budget freezes annual domestic spending for the next five years, even on programs i care deeply about. it will reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade. this will bring spending to its local -- lowest level as a share of the economy since dwight eisenhower was president. we stripped down the budget by getting rid of waste. we're getting rid of thousands of government owned buildings that sit empty because they are not needed. i have also proposed freezing salaries for hard-working government employees because everyone has to do their part. i am going to make sure that politics does not add to our deficit by vetoing any bill that contains earmarks.

as this family is making difficult sacrifices while still investing in the future by helping their daughter pay her tuition, my budget does the same. i am proposing we invest in what will do the most to grow the economy in the years to come. this means jobs-creating investments, high-speed rail and broadband, cutting edge research that holds the promise of creating countless jobs and new industries like biotechnology. it means improving our schools and making college more affordable to give every young person a chance to fulfill his or her potential. they can receive the job training they need to succeed. it would be a mistake to balance the budget by sacrificing our children's education. after a decade of rising deficits, this budget asks washington to live within its means while at the same time investing in our future. it cuts what we cannot afford to pay for what we cannot do

without. that is what families to and hard times. that is what our country has to do as well. >> good morning. i am senator orrin hatch of utah. last week, the nation and world celebrated the centennial of president ronald reagan's birth. reagan once told americans that they faced a choice between the constitutional liberty of free men and women in the future of higher taxes, bigger government, and less opportunity for families and businesses. last fall, american citizens had a choice to make. with the ratified the agenda of big deficits and out of control debt that the president imposed on the nation? or would they reaffirmed constitutional principles of limited government and free enterprise without burdensome regulations? the american people made their choice by selecting historic numbers of conservative republicans to congress with

sweeping victories of the state and local level. now it is time for president obama to choose. will he listen to the people, reduced the size of government, and get our spending and debt under control? will he become the guardian of the unsustainable status quo? next week, we will find out what choice he makes when he releases his budget. unfortunately, early indications are that he and his allies are not taking the debt crisis with the seriousness that it deserves. the massive debt must be confronted immediately. america cannot afford to kick the can down the road any longer. this challenge cannot be solved with higher taxes. it will only result in lower economic growth and less opportunity for our children and grandchildren. the president's proposal for a freeze in government spending might give the white house denies talking point. it is and an adequate solution to our spending problems.

over the past to the years, the administration increased discretionary spending by 24%. if you count the so-called stimulus package, spending is up nearly 84%. these levels cannot continue. business as usual is unsustainable. job creators note that higher debt today means higher taxes tomorrow. if the president's new budget freezes the last budget, he will stifle job growth by continuing to spend too much, tax to much, and borrowed too much. it is beyond irresponsible to saddle the next generation with the responsibility for paying back our debt. by itself, the president's takeover of the nation's health care system will cost $2.6 trillion. if the new entitlement is like everyone before it, the price tag will grow. our total debt is over $14 trillion. trillion.