>> the networks could not be any different. to show that, we will run a clip of some of the work that you do, and we will come back and talk about why you do it this way. bullnight's top trade, the market just hours away from its two-year anniversary. facebook defriends netflix, offering streaming movies. down and dirty, a street fight between bernanke and trichet on the dollar and the euro. was it really all about the decline in oil? are we in the clear? in yesterday's sell-off we did see technology move sharply lower. what does the nasdaq look like from a technical perspective?

>> will oil's sharp swing higher put an end to the lunch? higher oil prices do not necessarily mean a good thing for stocks. we have lower oil today. >> how do you do that? >> talk really fast? a lot of coffee. >> words like froth, sell-off, prop desk. what is that? >> it is a wall street term for proprietary trading desk. that is a trade for your own profits. at the end of the day, the prop desk was usually flat on all positions.

it is sort of like best proprietary ideas. we are thinking of the great ideas that nobody else out there is thinking about. we like to draw on these wall street terms so that the average person can feel like they are getting a glimpse of what it is like to be on wall street's, like they are getting some inside knowledge. >> what do you envision your audience looking like on an individual basis? >> primarily it is the very active investor, a person at home who is trading for fun, and some of the young professionals on wall street's who could use some of the tips from the traders that we have on the desk. they have decades of experience in trading the markets, so their observations about events like the japanese earthquake, those can be learned from by the new generation of traders out

there. any kind of active investor. i know just from talking to people that at the end of the day, when people are wrapping up their day, they are still listening. >> we cover the government and politics from washington d.c. what does washington look like from your desk as you are sitting there talking to america? >> without making a biased comments, i think that in talking about the stock market, one is always agnostic. i have always said that. you are not necessarily republican or democrat. you are simply looking at the impact of what government is doing on the financial markets, whether it be the oil markets or trading or wall street firms.

i think that increased regulation in general means restrictions for companies, restrictions are not generally a good thing. these things derive from that, that one is anti-government, that when you are a capitalist, you want the government out. you can draw that conclusion yourself. in general, looking at things like restrictions on how much credit card companies can charge, and you are looking at slicing that, and that is a source of revenue. obviously that is a negative impact on those companies. that is the way i look at it. government is not necessarily bad or good or capitalistic or not. they do what they do. we have to figure out how we can trade debt. >> what kind of grade would you give harvard for teaching you about government? >> that is a great question. harvard is an amazing place. i think they would get an "a minus."

the shortfall is on my part because i spend so much time at the crimson, i did not spend enough time in class. the crimson is a daily newspaper published by harvard university students. it is a self sustaining company. it derives its funding solely from advertising and subscription sales. you do not want to be beholden to the university for funding. your primary purpose is to cover the university and its affairs. you don't want to be biased. it is such a great lesson in journalism and being unbiased and making sure that you have a complete, cold view of things so you really assess them for what they are and have no conflict of interest.

>> at the beginning you started talking about your grandparents and your father and mother. how did you get enough interest in learning that you were able to get into harvard? >> is this the tiger mom question? >> where did you get that impetus to learn? >> i felt all the time that there was no choice in the matter, that this was just what my job was as a kid. there was no excuse when it came to studying are practicing violin. growing up, that is just what you did. you did not talk back, and there was no alternative. i did not go on play dates. we had each other to play with, my sister and my younger brother. we were like a self sustaining unit. the expectation was, my parent'' job was to work hard and support us and make sure that we can go to college, and our job was to study and make it to

college. in terms of how did you get into harvard vs. another easier college, it was just the expectation that you shot for the stars, and in my view that was harvard. they expected us to live up to our potential. there is just no way around that. >> you brought up the tiger mom issue because it has been in the news a lot lately. what do you think about the fallout from all that? >> i think the author said it the best. it is not about asian ideals, but that your children will work hard and live up to their potential and that the parents

will be the biggest believer of their children. it is really about the american dream. that goes to the opening question, because isn't it all about the american dream for your children to do better than you have done? that is the whole point of this. that is why we are here. that is what parents become parents and want the best for their children. they want them to live up to their potential, whatever that may be. it is interesting that people came out of that discussion thinking that the asian way of parenting might be better. you can call it that, but i think it taps into american ideals. >> have you ever been treated differently because you are asian-american? >> absolutely, all the time. even professionally. i have gone to many remote locations, places that asian americans do not go or live. i did a coal mining story in west virginia.

you are talking to the camera, and somebody comes by and shouts "connie chung." that is the only asian-american that they have heard of as a newscaster. to me that is shocking. it is a sad state. but i am glad i can be out there and say she is not the only one. there was a local anchor for the 5:00 and 11:00 news on wabc, and for me she was the first chinese-american i had ever seen on tv. i wrote her letter when i was 11 and told her i was a big fan and that i wanted to become a newscaster when i grew up. she invited me and my mom to the set and we met everybody. i have a picture of me sitting

there with her on the set. years later i was on bloomberg and we used to do the cut-ins for channel 11 here in new york. we had a moment where she tossed it to me. "let's get the latest business headlines." i cannot believe it was happening. >> have you talked to her since all this? >> i have not, directly. >> is she still active? >> yes, she is still out there. >> when you got out of harvard, where did you go? >> i was a management consultant at mercer management consulting in boston. >> consulting about what? >> restructured businesses. i did a lot of case work in financial services. i graduated in 1995 and there was a lot of consolidation in the banking industry. they were gobbling each other up.

there was a lot of work to be done. not only did you learn how to program a spreadsheet or put together a power point presentation, but also being on the ground in business 4 days a week or so. we were just living and breathing a particular business. that was a great experience for later on. it gave me insight into how things actually work and what the dynamics can be between bosses and the people they manage. a lot of the work we did was restructuring, which meant layoffs. you go in there and do work flow charts and ask people what do you do? at the end of the day, you put the chart together and decide who to cut. we would report certain companies laying off 10,000 people.

i'll always remember those days when you would be in those banks. you would walk into the restroom afterward and those people would be in there crying because they do not know what else to do. they have a family and they are the sole income provider. they have an aging parent. it put a face to the whole thing. >> how long did you do that? >> i did that for about two years or so. >> your first television job came when? >> i left consulting, not because i did not enjoy it, but i got to a fork in the road. i was in a program where if you were doing well, they would pay your way through business school if you came back and worked for a certain number of years afterwards. i was deciding whether or not to do that or to go into tv. i can never forget the

conversations i would have with my dad. obviously, you go to business school and get a free education. how can you turn that down? i knew if i did not try it, i would always wonder what i would regret. business school would always be there. i am telling the story in the span of five seconds. this was a long, drawn-out decision. >> what was his reaction when you actually went into television? >> i believe he said, i think you are making a mistake, but you can live at home while you are exploring the tv thing. >> what does he think today? >> i think for asian parents, when you want to see your child succeed, and the path that they choose is not a clear one, there are concerns. i am glad that he told me those reservations because it made me

work even harder. i did not want this to not work out. >> the first job was where? >> cnn in new york. i got an entry-level job as a production assistant. i edited video, i did everything. >> did you know at the time that you wanted on air work? >> yes. i was given until i was 30, which seemed like really old at the time. if it did not seem like i was going to break in to being on air by 30, then i would go back to consulting or find some other work. i stayed there for a couple of years. that is when it got to the point where the opportunities it seemed to be running out, so i went to bloomberg. that was the wild west of opportunities. bloomberg tv opportunities at the time were pretty nascent. i always felt that the less

clear things work, the better path you could make for yourself. people thought i was crazy. why would i leave cnn to go to bloomberg? >> did you have an agent? >> no. i have one now. >> what triggered the need for an agent? >> i figured if i wanted to play in the big leagues i had to play like i am in the big leagues and have an agent. >> was it a hard decision? >> the decision to part with 10% of your salary every year is always a hard decision. in the long run, it is not a financial decision. you are running a marathon, not sprinting. >> all through this you are still single. could you be married and have children and do all this? >> i think most of my colleagues

have done that. >> what is the verdict on trying to do all of this and have a family at the same time? >> i respect my colleagues tremendously who have families, but i can barely get myself out the door in the morning, let alone getting little people out the door as well. >> here you are talking about options, whatever that is. >> "options action" begins now. >> the show is so big we had to do it from two locations tonight. melissa lee will be along in a few minutes. the world's largest equity options exchange is the nasdaq. i am scott walker here at the nyse. >> at one point, call volume was six times the average daily volume.

welcome back to "options action." >> let's be on time here, please. >> you have to set your watch ahead an hour this weekend. >> very funny. >> friday, 5:00 from here on out. >> i have been looking forward to this day for a very long time in our new time slot. the traffic was a little bit of a difficulty today. but it is good to be here. >> how often does that happen? >> that was the first time ever. i made it here on time today. >> that stuff happens all the

time in television. how do they back up? >> the hope that someone else is around to take up the slack. my co-worker was able to fill in at the last minute. it was traffic. in two years of doing that commute, that had never happened to me. >> what part of the city do you live in? >> i live on the east side of manhattan. >> how long does it take you to get there? >> it takes about 35 minutes in the morning. >> when you go there? >> i get into the office between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m., but i start my day earlier. i started from home and i am reading everything. getting into the office is a formality. my first program is at 12:30

p.m. eastern time. that is the midday. what trades are traders looking at right now? what is the latest wall street research? >> why do you call it "fast money"? >> it could be the next 10 minutes, the next 10 seconds, the next 10 days, the next couple of months. >> did you play the market? >> we are not allowed to play the market. we can invest in a mutual fund but we are audited. there is a strict standard here so there will be no conflicts of interest. when i am on talking about whatever stock, and i bring it up for 10 days, there is no reason behind that. i may choose to bring up a stock repeatedly for 10 days. there is no reason behind that other than an editorial decision i have made.

>> what is the difference between las vegas and the stock market? >> las vegas is simply odds. the stock market, you have to use your brain. i think the evidence can be seen across wall street. a number of successful hedge fund managers use their brains and made a killing. they made a fortune. there were always examples of using your brain and how that pays off when it comes to returns, whether a mutual fund or a hedge fund. it can also get you into a lot of trouble. it is all a matter of how you use it. you can come to the wrong conclusion. >> did you get a chance to see all the books that have been written about the financial crisis? >> that is not our cup of tea on the shows that i do. we cater to the very active trader. we don't spend a lot of time talking about what has happened in the past unless it is having

an impact on what is happening right now. >> if you are trying to figure out what is going on in the last couple of years, where would you send somebody? >> that is a tough one. there are so many out there. i think david faber's book. he works at cnbc. most people want to understand. there are so many out there these days, it is really amazing. my colleagues have written several books out there. for the average person out there, it is important to understand what has happened and how to move forward. >> do you have a book in you?

>> i have been asked that question many times. i like the idea of writing a book. i don't feel like i have a book in me about the financial crisis. i think the window for that has passed. that is not my area of expertise. whether or not there is a "fast money" book envy, possibly, but i cannot really commit. >> what is an option? >> it is basically the right to buy or sell a stock at a certain price in the future. the right to buy or sell a stock. >> say a stock is trading for $30. what does an option cost? >> it can be 0.1% of the stock value. it also depends on how liquid the stock is and what the volatility of the stock is. if you are looking at a very

volatile stock, the option will be more expensive. the chances of it hitting that level high or low is greater because it moves much more. that right is going to cost you more money. >> isn't that gambling? >> i guess if you believe that gambling in the pure sense of the word is simply putting money down, hoping that money will turn into a bigger pay out, then i guess you can call it gambling. if you are doing that simply based on odds, then it is gambling. if you believe the weekend's sales of ipads are going to be great, or you think the earthquake in japan is not going to affect the market, and you want to sell or buy calls on apple for those reasons,

then that is an educated guess to your investment. i don't think you would call that gambling. >> there is a new program called money in motion. what is that? >> that is a show devoted to currency trading. the currency market is a huge market, actually the biggest market in the world. everybody follows stocks, but the currency market is a $4 trillion market. in devising the show and launching it at this time, we recognize the fact that investors want alternative assets to stocks. they love the stock market, but they want to know where else they can hedge their stock bets. people learn that you cannot put all your eggs in one basket.

>> when does the program run? >> it runs fridays at 5:30 p.m. eastern time on cnbc. >> this is your passport to the global currency market. here is where the money is moving tonight. >> during the global recovery, doubts are soaring. we will tell you how currency traders are reacting. chaos in the mideast, and the sovereign as well and in europe have traders backing the greenback, but will the movement continue? take a look at this chart. we see opportunity. we will help you profit from the pattern.

money in motion starts now. days like today are why you need currencies as part of your portfolio. trillions trade hands every day and we are here to teach you how to do that right now. let's get right to it. obviously the action today centered on the yen. counterintuitive, perhaps? >> our jobs are to follow market, and the markets do not stop. today was about the yen. >> some people would look at that and say money, money, money. >> obviously you are concerned about the welfare of the people who were influenced by the earthquake and tsunami. at the same time, the financial markets are still going. it is your choice whether to focus on the devastation or to also take a look at how you can profit from it, because the

markets will go on with or without you. >> there are often references to language that the average person would understand. what does it mean, jagged lines? >> charting the pattern of the currency and how it moves over time is a very important tool in the currency markets because currencies tend to be very predictable in that way. that segment takes a look at charts and sees different patterns and identifies a breakdown in currency. >> how often in your work you interview political people? >> not very often at all. >> how often do you talk about washington and what they are doing and the impact of the regulation on the market?

>> it depends on the time. during midterm elections, all the time. i have noticed over the past couple of years that it has increased greatly in terms of government's role in things. that is partly because of the financial crisis. government has stepped up its role in various industries, not just the financial industry, so therefore we do talk about the government. do we need to talk to a congressperson about the impact of his bill? probably not. if we can bring on an analyst or investor who specializes in that area, yes. i try not to have politicians on because i find that the conversation is very one way. they have an agenda.

that is fine, but bring it to another station or another show. >> there is more action in that last clip than there is on c- span in a month. we started 32 years ago when television was much different. now you get the music and the whoosh and the different screens coming in. when did that start, and why? >> i think it is the expectation that information is not dry and that you can have good information and be entertaining as well. the fact that we bring in more graphics and music, that can be found much more on some of the shows that i host because we cater to the person who might also like espn, who sees it not in a game but this is something

with action. there is a sense of a trading session with halftime. we try and draw on those relationships to sports, and try to make it interesting. we joke around a lot on my shows. we have some great personalities on every show that i do. we like to show the personalities. we wanted to be an experience for people because we think we have great information. the editorial content is amazing. it is completely sound. if we can also inject a little fun, that is a winning package. >> the background is always moving, and the camera is always floating back and forth. it is all done consciously. why? >> we have all come off the trading floor at the end of the

day and the game is done and we are in the locker room, and we are discussing how the game went and what we need to do for the next game. that is the sort of feeling we like to have on all of these shows. this is a conversation between all of us. i have four other people on my panel, and the fifth person is the viewer at home. that is the perspective that the camera gives you. you are the other person sitting all around at the table, joining in the conversation. >> here is another part of your work, documentaries. >> to get its name in front of everyone, coke put its name on everything from illustrated calendars to pocket mirrors. well known artists of the day, including norman rockwell, were commissioned to paint its ads. a campaign featured santa claus

in his trademark red and white costume. >> one of the questions we get every christmas season is the question about, is it true that coca-cola invented santa claus? no, it is not true. what we can get credit for is bringing the modern image of santa claus. we wanted to create an advertising campaign that would get coca-cola associated with the holidays. santa claus goes all over the world in 24 hours. he has got to get thirsty in the course of that 24 hours. let him have a coca-cola. >> this is like my hobby. it is a great counterbalance to what i do. what i do during the day is so fleeting.

what i do is good for that day only or that moment only. the documentary repairers again and again. it is my chance to go in depth with the topic and spent more time with it. the topics every day on my shows can be just for those shows only. i like to think of it as keeping me honest in terms of being a journalist. i can be live or do something long form that takes more time to put together and takes more time with the crafting of the script. >> how much of this do you get to do yourself? >> the documentaries i have done so far have been my ideas. for coca-cola, it took awhile. they don't like to let outside people into their company.

it is one of the great american brands, and they like to control how their brand is portrayed. for them to have us come in and have access to their company without them being able to control it, it was new territory for them. it took over a year of me just checking in with them on the possibility of doing a documentary. it took e-mails and calls to get to the point where they said maybe it was something that would be good for them. >> why would they be worried about a documentary from cnbc? >> i think it is just the reluctance to let somebody else control the message.

they always control the message, and that is how they got this great brand and built it. if you track any of the great brand in the u.s., that has always been the case. microsoft is the same way. there are so many quintessential american brands and their culture is very strong. the last thing they want to do is let an outsider change the discourse about their brands, but i think they were pleased with it. i want everyone who participated to think that we did make their job. >> what impact has it had on you that your company is now owned by comcast? >> so far, nothing. not that i can see. we have been very successful and very profitable. so far, so good. >> did you ever feel the impact of general electric? >> no.

>> they don't question how you report their stock or their company? >> we might have better access to a pr person if we had a question, but they do not influence our editorial decisions or how we cover the country. >> on your documentary about china, did you go there? >> yes, i went there by myself. i like everything up before i went, which required me to stay up until all hours. i picked up a fantastic freelance producer and camera crew and we just worked nonstop throughout the whole time i was there, about 10 days or so. >> do you speak chinese? >> i do not, but i have been taking lessons. >> you look like them. what was their reaction to you?

>> it is interesting, because either really helps or really hurts. in the business circles in which i travel, they understand that happens. when you are just walking down the street, they do not get that you are not chinese and you do not speak chinese. the way you look is just slightly different. i did feel oddly at home. when i was in beijing, i was not scared to go out by myself. it did not bother me to go out and know that i did not speak the language very well. i knew enough to get from here or there or get a better price at the market. but my chinese is very limited. i felt very comfortable. there is something liberating

about being in a place where all of a sudden you look like everybody else, because that never happens. >> here is a little bit from your documentary. >> dozens of chinese restaurants line the streets here. there is a market for fast chinese food in china. and the market is enormous. >> it is going to be a very large brand. potentially larger than kfc. >> the question is whether he can translate into locations here. a big factor is whether the chinese consumer will accept chinese food made by an american company. does it help or hurt that you are an american company trying to sell chinese fast-food in china?

>> because we are a subsidary of kfc, people give us credibility. >> how big is kentucky fried chicken in china? >> it is huge. >> why? >> i think the product they sell just happens to be a favorite among chinese people. it is foreign enough to sort of have that american cachet. they sell a lot of burgers there and they have a lot of breakfast items. somehow they were able to adapt to the local chinese market. most of the american companies that went to china and tried to open their doors so exactly what they sold in the united states and europe and they

thought the people would come in, but that is not necessarily the case. the most successful companies were able to cater to the local markets and realize they are in a different country with a different kind of consumer. all of the action is going to be in china, absolutely. think about any story on any given day, there is probably a china tie to it. some of the companies that have the biggest growth trajectories, it is thanks to the growth in china. when you talk about china's growth slowing, that causes

hiccups in the market. >> how closely did the government watch you? >> it was interesting at that time just before the olympics. if the police came up, we would just say it was for the olympics, and they would go away. if i would go back now, i am not sure how i would be perceived. >> some people would say we have saved the best for last. let's watch. >> the adult entertainment expo in las vegas. did you ever say no to a fan when asked for your picture or autograph? >> only if i am in the middle of something else. >> jane seems comfortable in the spotlight and on the red carpet. some call it the oscars of porn. jane won an award for the best all-girl sex scene.

jane may rack up the accolades for the movies she makes every year as a contract performer, but it is her off-camera work that is the most lucrative. >> i make a lot more of my money off-camera. >> hosting parties and dancing at clubs like this one in san diego. >> explain all that. >> i bet you do not see that on c-span too often. >> not very often, no. >> we did a documentary on the business of pornography. like many other businesses, they are facing a lot of threats. free content on the internet for one. it is the same problem that the music industry faced when napster hit the scene. movie studios, bootleg copies,

what you can find on the internet in terms of copies of those bootlegs. it is a titillating topic, but it does represent some of the bigger problems going on in various other industries. >> was it your idea? >> it was. >> how much money is involved in porn sales? >> $13 billion is involved in pornography sales. >> how regulated is it? >> there are federal mail laws. you cannot send pornography over state lines because it violates postal rules. a lot of the rules are dated given where sexual mores have gone. >> we are near the end, but your day is not over. what is next for you? >> next is my 5:00 p.m. show, which is "fast money." >> you are doing and 3 total shows? which one do you enjoy doing the most?

>> that is like asking which of your children is your favorites. >> which is the hardest? >> "fast money" is the hardest. you have to be ready to interact with the traders. i have to be ready to react to anything. you have to be really in the markets at all times so you know how to respond and interact. >> so the kids are coming to you now and saying how do i do this? what is the best training? it shows this over being a doctor and a lawyer. what do you tell the young folks? >> i would say make sure you love telling a story and reporting.

at the heart of it, what i do is convey information. finding the best angle for my viewer, and right now happens to be the best way to interpret news, to trade your own portfolio. for a documentary, it is what is the best angle for that. you have to love the pursuit of the story and a unique angle. if you do not love that, this is not the business for you. it is about loving what you do and going on camera and bringing it to your audience. >> as you look back on your life, where were the levers pushed early on for you? give us some examples either in school or teachers or parents or grandparents. >> i remember a distinct conversation i had with my parents. we were in the car talking about what we want to be when we grew up. mom said, you could also be like a newscaster.

that sort of planted the idea in my head. >> why would she have said that? >> i think it was because of connie chung at that time, and asian-americans were starting to break into newscasts. it all just fell into place. >> what was your favorite course in high school and college? >> i loved calculus in high school. i loved math and science, chemistry, social studies. in college, my favorite course was the harvard crimson. i spent a lot of time there. >> so advising young folks on what to study and how much school to have? >> for this kind of business, it is the hands-on experience that you cannot get in the classroom.

i worked at the washington post and i worked at the wall street journal for two summers. it is important to learn how to tell a story properly and how to get the right information. you have to learn how to ask the question. you have to be on the job to be at all to ask those questions and get that information. >> did you have a dream job of the future? >> i love what i am doing now. i am not just saying that because my bosses are watching. i honestly, really love what i am doing. i love doing the documentaries and being on the cusp of things. it is very specific information. that is where the industry is

going. it is thrilling to see that unfold in front of me. >> when you sit and large the market every day, what kind of future do you think we have as a country? >> i think america has a very, very bright future. the fact that no matter what the crisis is, we are able to always reinvent ourselves and come out stronger. how many companies were devastated, only having come out of it by realigning and redefining themselves? that speaks to the resilience of american business these days and the fact that the american investor can get back in the market is a huge vote of confidence. >> we talked about your brother and sister. what are they doing today? >> my sister is a lawyer, and my brother is a trader in new york.

>> melissa lee of cnbc, thank you very much for this hour. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> for a dvd copy of this program, call 1-877-662-7726. for free transcripts or to give us your comments about this program, visit us at q-and-a.org. "q&a" programs are also available as c-span podcasts. >> a daylong discussion on the state of race in america.

among the participants, juan williams, al sharpton, film director spike lee, from the aspen institute today at 9:00 a.m. eastern on cspan 3. watch all the events in the current spending debate and the preparations for next year's budget capitol hill and the house and senate floor to the white house and around washington on line with the cspan video library. search, watch, share with everything we uncovered since 1987. it is what you want when you want. studentcamr's competition at students considering washington, d.c. through their lens. this is the third prize winner. >> in the state of indiana, schools have had to cut extracurricular activities like foreign language and sports to fund more important academic

activities. our academics more important than everything else? what about the girl was to the olympics let -- swimmer or the boy wants to be a violinist? what about the job you love? the federal government faces a tough decision and looking at the factors in the current financial crisis. to cut or not to cut, that is the question. falcons will offer the best opportunities in the current financial crisis? >> you will see things that are very characteristic of your individual state. there are 23,000 drop aspirouts. we cannot do pick one thing to fix this mess. we can say improving teacher "-- quality all by itself will not fix this.

we are of the mind that to fix the in the ems, you have to have a comprehensive education reform package. it is not one thing. if you are not going to go after him three or four issues in this state, you will not go after structural issues that really address the cornerstones of that mess. >> the state has had to cut over $300 million to continue education funding. it will be a next -- it will be a tough two years. schools will have to find a way to be more efficient and effective and how they spend taxpayer dollars. they have to make sure they

invest taxpayer dollars more efficiently in things that work like high-quality teachers, teacher compensation, he effective educational programs that have a track record for success. they are focusing on the things that have the biggest impact. >> in the last two years, the faced oneindiana ahas of the most difficult situations financially, yet test scores have been up, graduation rates are up, test participation is up. many of our indicators show us that even in the most difficult of financial times, by increasing expectations, we can improve student performance. the fact is, high expectations have shown that it is not necessarily more money that will drive academic performance. >> the financial crisis is only

a crisis because the political leadership chose to cut education rather than other state services or support activities. if education was truly the most important government function, there would never be a crisis in education. >> from the federal perspective, there are not enough dollars to go around to fill all the needs. on the. ed side of things -- on the special ed side of things, the federal government runs at about 40%. that means the local district has to pick up the other 60%. does the federal government do enough? no. can they do more? not with the amount of money

they have available. >> conflicting ideas on what to cut resulted in no results whatsoever to what needs to be done. >> extracurricular activities whether they are athletic, band, choir or clubs need to be maintained in schools. they enrich the environment. for some students, is what really engages them. whether it is matter school or high school or elementary school, it is what they associate with school, something they may enjoy the most. some kids don't necessarily do well in the core subject areas but they do quite well in performing arts or fine arts and athletics. >> if the purpose of education was to create citizens to participate in a democratic society, someone might ask how

does that contribute to that purpose? how does music contribute to that purpose? how does art, how does science, how does a social studies? you could go through all the activities and the german what each of them is contrary -- and determine what each of them does for the student. >> [inaudible] some activities [unintelligible] you have to have those type of discussions. how important are the arts? how important our foreign languages? what is our core mission? >> stand by, we are going live

in 5-for-3-to- 1. >> cut. i'm sorry, this program has been cut for budget cuts. we are eliminating all glasses and all programs that do not have a direct impact on test scores. you need to leave. >> would schools cutting class is due to insufficient funds, they take more money from organizations. race to the top provides a large amount of money to schools that have the high standards needed. what if the federal government gave tax breaks to organizations who donate to schools? >> that school money is focused ontest assessment and our lowest performing schools.

the very strength of race to the top, there are very important issues and here is money to support those important issues. >> this is the r cornerstone isace to the top which is flawed. to use the standardized tests as the measuring stick is inappropriate. >> go to studentcam.org to watch all the videos. >> next, live, your calls and comments on "washington journal." at 4:00 p.m., i senate subcommittee hears from the administrator of nasa concerning their budget requests. . the commission on wartime contract in examines the role

that nonprofit organizations are playing in afghanistan and a rock at 9:00 eastern on c-span 2. tonight, fcc commissioner robert mcdowell. >> are there any harm is coming about as a result of the merger? what are the specific harm to consumers? if there are harms, should the conditions be narrowly tailored to address those? the process should not be an excuse to implement rulemaking, issues that don't you rise because of the communicators -- because of the merger. this morning, hot line editor and chief reid wilson looks at the budget showdown from last week. the president of the committee for responsible