own personal experience that he guest: shared -- that he shared. guest: although i am very proud of the fact that hawaiian airlines, i was able to get 100 cents on the dollar, that is incredibly rare. normally, it is pennies on the dollar. this is unfortunately one of the sad facts of our lives. host: joshua gotbaum, the ,resident and founder of pbgc thanks for being with us. that is all for "washington journal" this morning. thank you so much for joining us. we will be back at 7:00 a.m. eastern time tomorrow morning. coming up at 11:00 a.m., we will have a live address of former senator rick santorum during his presidential bid in pennsylvania. also later today on c-span2, the senate will come in at 2:00 p.m.

have a good day. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] . >> coming up today on c-span, canadian prime minister stephen harper will take questions from the member of the house of commons -- members of the house of commons. he was reelected in may. this is his first time a question period. we will have that live starting at 2:00 p.m. eastern.

the canadian finance minister will present the budget to the house of commons, with the problem -- with a promise to balance the budget by 2014. in just under an hour, former senator rick santorum will make his formal announcement for president. that will take place in somerset, pa., where his grandfather apparently immigrated -- pennsylvania, where his grandfather apparently emigrated to. former governor mitt romney said that he believes the planet is getting warmer. this sets himself apart from some of his republican agenda parts -- republican counterparts -- acknowledging that global warming exists. this is about one hour. [applause] >> good morning, everyone.

thank you very much for attending on an early friday morning. thank you for attending a new hampshire town meeting, a stable of new hampshire politics of where you take your jobs seriously to vet candidates before our nation's first primary. one order of housekeeping -- if you would not mind muting your cell phones and pater's before our event. it is my pleasure -- and pagers efore oubefore our event. it is my pleasure -- i had the opportunity to meet the romney's a few ago. it is my honor to introduce them. good luck and welcome back to new hampshire. >> i will just take it. oh, gosh. it is great to actually start this process again and to be in

a place where we feel it is an extraordinary thing that happens in new hampshire, where people really do get to know the candidates on a personal level. so, some familiar faces in the audience, and some cases we have seen before. you all know mitt announced yesterday. [applause] announced yesterday. [applause] we are in this to win it. [applause] we are also in it for a very important reason. and an important reason why i encouraged him to run and why i am so supportive of him. i tell you, i love my children, they are great, but i love my grandchildren more. my children will be ok, this economy is tough now but i am not that worried about my

children. i am extremely worried about my grandchildren and their future. and their ability to have jobs that will give them the kind of life that all of us will enjoy now. and that's why i pushed mitt into this, and said i am behind you. as i looked at who could lead this country and give us back the jobs we need. and i said, mitt, you know what? sorry, sweetie, it's up to you. and that's why i am supportive of him to do this again. it's a tough process. i have been through it before. some is good and some not so good. and you have to recognize that and know that it's worth the fight. and worth for me, my love of this country, and my love of my grandchildren. and hope for a better america with prosperous jobs for all. so sweetie, it's up to you. >> thank you, sweetie. thank you. [applause]

thank you, you are very generous to applaud. even though we haven't said much yet. and i appreciate that a number of you got up this morning to hear from ann and me. and i will say and your counsel or advise or questions are welcomed. a little more about ann, she and i met in high school. she was 15 and went to a party i went to at a friend's house. and she came with someone else and i told the guy, i am closer than you and ann and can i give her a ride. and we have been going steady every since, and now 46 years she and i have been together. it's been all good. and but there have been times of

challenge and heart break. when she was diagnosed in 1998 with multiplesclerosis, that was a tough time. and she was getting ready for an elevator to go into the house to take her to the second floor, because she couldn't use her right leg well. and thought she would be in a wheelchair. and we went to utah to help in the olympic games. and she was fortunate to get good doctors and prayers and all of things she's been able to recover and hold back that disease. and then a couple of years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer. and she went through the surgery and radiation and battled back from that. she's the champion in our family, and a fighter and my inspiration. thank you, sweetheart for all you do.

[applause] tell you more about me too. i spoke yesterday a bit about my dad. but i want tell you more about him. because he's a lot of inspiration to me as well. you remember george romney, yeah, he was here running for president in 1968. and i hope i do better than he did, because he got even before the new hampshire primary. but dad was born in mexico, his parents were american but living in mexico at the time. and there was a revolution i believe at the time he was five years old. and they moved back to the u.s. and his dad went broke more than once. they were in the construction business, and i see nodding of heads, and they lived in los angeles and iowa and finally utah. but my dad learned to be a blast

andplast carpenter, they were strips of wood that you nailed up, and dad could put a handful of nails and spit them out and boom, and boom. and he was very good at it. and he never had the time or money to finish college. so he didn't graduate from college. but he believed in america, and he believed in the opportunity that america represented. and your birth should not be a barrier of what you end up in this country. and he grew up in detroit and lead a company called general motors, and made ramblers and jeeps, and ramblers aren't

around but in my garage. and then he sold aluminum paint along the way to pay for gas and bills. and ultimately became governor, this guy is a real american story. and a lot of what i learned about america and the confidence i have in america came from my dad. and my conviction of the great american spirit comes from him and my wife and people i have met all over the country. i know in some circles it's fashionable to be cynical about america. and to think that the challenges we face are so severe that the american people aren't up to overcoming them or solving them. and i have had the chance now through my life in business, which was 25 years and then at the olympics which was three years and then as governor and

campaigning. i got a chance to learn the american people pretty well. and i am inspired. as governor of massachusetts, towards the end i got a call one day. and it came from the airport, they said that a u.s. air jet was flowing in from boston. and onboard is the body of a service man killed in iraq as recall, and the parents weren't there to receive the body and asked if i could go there and receive the body. and i said yes, and drove out immediately. and we drove out to the tarmac, and the u.s. jet came in and the luggage was taken off and then down the ramp was the casket of

the service man. and there were a number on the tarmac and they saluted the casket. i put my hand on my heart. and i looked in the terminal and we were in that terminal with the big glass wall. and the police were lined up to see what was happening, and the people walking down the hall saw them at the window. and they backed in behind them. and there was a big crowd up there. and i looked up and every person i saw had their hand on their heart. and i couldn't see the tears, but i could read them in their faces. we are a patriotic people, and we face extraordinary challenges now. but we are going to every come them, in part because of the energy and passion and patriotism of the american

people. we come from different backgrounds. some are going to school -- where did that young guy go, going on school. right and retired and some veterans and some not, moms and dads and single moms and single dads. all different backgrounds. but we come together in new hampshire to do something that you may take for granted. but it's really quite extraordinary. one of the great achievements in the history of the world, for all the wealth and power of the united states of america, the source of our greatness is that well, but the source of our greatness is self rule, that we have a government that responds to free people and independent people. so we come to you at the beginning of this process, for you to have the choice who will lead this country over the next four years. and i happen to believe that we took kind of an american idea and gave a new chance three

years ago. we elected barack obama i guy we didn't know well, with no experience in negotiations and we said, let's give this guy a chance, because he was so well spoken and promised some things we liked. now three years ago later, we don't have to look at the promises but at the record. and the truth of it is that barack obama has failed america. and i say that recognizing that he's tried. but i am reminded of that old saying that ronald reagan said, not that the liberals are ignorant but what they know is wrong. and what he did is wrong, he did not help the economy get out of slide it was in. but instead he extended the

downturn and made it deeper. and now today three years in his term we have more news that unemployment is ticked up again. and we have 16 million out of work or just stopped looking for work. millions more are in jobs well below their capacity. three years later we have record foreclosures and higher prices. the obama prescription for the economy didn't ail what hurt us, instead it made things worse. i think it's time for someone who has a job to do the job and get the jobs for the american people. [applause] that's not my sister, i promise.

so i am committed and devoted to making the number one job i would have as president of the united states going to work to get the american people back to work. and as ann said, not just today and for the next few years, but for a long period of time. because the foundation of our economy has been really eroding. not in just two years, it got worse but over a period of time. and you know that. the agreements in trade that we have made have not necessarily been the best for us. and we watched as china manipulated their currency to get prices below us. we have seen us continue to borrow and borrow. think what it means for a government to borrow. the number is impossible. when we talk about trillions, it's impossible for the human mind to figure out what trillions is.

but we understand that the debt of the nation is almost as large as the entire economy. and if you add on that all the unfunded liabilities we pass to the next generation, it's multiples of the entire economy. we can't imagine passing on to the next generation our bills. i want to pass on to the next generation, a torch, not a debt. so we have work to do. and as you know i spent my life in the private sector. i spent 25 years in business, a little business that became big business and worked with companies that were competing around the world. i understand how jobs come and go. and i was successful in some respect, but not always, i learned from mistakes as well. i can tell you this, there is no reason that america can't re-emerge as the job creating, rising economic, prosperous and

liberty loving nation we have been. this flows from the spirit and energy and passion of the american people. sometimes folks remember how president obama was so wrong? he made so many mistakes related to our economy. i have to think in part he took his inspiration from europe. why did i say that? because when the europeans were in trouble, they spent more and borrowed more. and that's what he did. and when the health care was in trouble and had the federal government take over. and that's what he did. and with unemployment high they pushed more unions with their card stack in favor of organized labor bosses. he's been very european, and

those policies don't work there and won't work here. i believe in america. [applause] you see, i think we got it right and they got it wrong. i think when the founders of this nation crafted what our nation would be. they considered not only our political rights and freedom as important as those things are. they considered also our economic freedom. they said we wouldn't be lead by a king or central government that told us what to do and how to get paid for it. but instead each choose our life course, not just federal representatives. and by virtue of this, they made it the place on the planet that every entrepreneur and freedom lover wanted to come here. it made us who we are, and our economy outperform from

europeans and other. and we are a great nation because of the early pioneers, because of the founders in america. i believe in america, i believe in free enterprise, i believe in capitalism. i believe in the constitution. [applause] i believe in the constitution. by the way when the founders said we would have certain powers at the federal level but preserve at the state level all the powers not giving to the federal. that 10th amendment is one that i think that barack obama hasn't read. i know he went to law school but read the 10th amendment again, recognizing the power of the states. and i believe in the greatness of america. i was really troubled as the president in his early days in his administration went around the world apologizing to the

world. saying we dictated to other nations. no mr. president, we freed other nations from dictators. this is the greatest nation in the history of the earth for a lot of reasons. you know for a big reason, because it was the nation that was willing to lay down the lives of our sons and daughters to defend our own liberty and that of others. and others that seem mundane to many, and that's the economy system, and even the chinese duplicate our economy, as they do so, tens of millions are coming out of poverty. and to many that's making a dollar a day. and we shouldn't apologize because of america but be proud

and hold to the principles that made america, america. let me say one more thing about my confidence in our future. i mentioned the hands on the hearts of the people at the airport. at the u.s. air terminal. i know that during the olympic games that i had a chance to organize. that every time one of our athletes got a gold medal and our put their hand on their heart. and i noticed that other athletes didn't do that, and ours is a unique tradition, and i wonder when that began. i was told that it happened with fdr, and this recognition of the bloodshed by heros life.

we face extraordinary challenges, we are going to overcome them. and with leadership that tells the truth, and live by the constitution and get america on the right track again. thank you. [applause] now it's your turn. yes, sir. oh, you have a written question, you want me to read it to you. >> sorry, governor, my memory not as good as yours. welcome to new hampshire, and your statements of your grandchildren resound to the question i want to ask. my question is about climate change. how do you look at climate change as a policy issue? the science of climate change is not. it's about the recognition of

science. in 2010 the national academy of science issued a comprehensive report requested by the congress. and their conclusion that there is a strong body of evidence that climate change is occurring and caused by human activities. and some say that so many have been evaluated by these reports and the likelihood of these being found wrong is vanishing strong. this is the case for the climate change. now my question to you, sir. all of the other candidates suggest there is no science consensus on climate change. some insist it's not occurring. we haven't have a meaningful discussion about solutions until there is an agreement about the problem. will you sir, state now that

under a romney administration that global warming will be accepted as reality and this will form the foundation of all climate and energy policy? >> thank you, do you work in the energy field, tell us more about yourself. >> (inaudible) don't want to. >> ok, it's an important topic, i had the privilege of writing at book at the end of my last campaign. i found the challenge is if you answer questions with short answers and you have debates. and i wrote a book called "no apology" and i have a section on this. i don't speak for the scientific community, of course, but i believe that the world is getting warmer.

i can't prove it, but based on what i read. and number two, i believe that the humans contribute to that. i don't know how much our contribution is to that. because i know there are periods of greater heat and warmth in the past. but i believe that we contribute to that. and i believe it's important to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may be contributors to the climate change. how do we go about doing that? one of the opportunities are the people that are focused on climate change and global warming have the same interest as the people that are really focused as i am as getting ourselves off the dependence of foreign oil. and i think that buying a trillion dollars of foreign oil and gets us involved with the

enemy cartels and i want to get us off the dependence of foreign energy. there are things we can do to accomplish both. one is to use more natural gas in the propulsion of our vehicles. and now there is horizontal drilling, and now to drill vertically and horizontally. and it tap into gas pockets and that contributes to 100 years of natural gas, i want to get that in the interstate highways and this is domestic and solves many challenges. nuclear power doesn't generate carbon dioxide and also domestic. and nuclear power is something i

think we have to have. so i look at our natural resources and domestic resources. and america can be energy dependent, we can trade with canadian energy and so forth, and trade with. but i want to get us off of dependence of foreign energy and to move towards being energy efficient. i am told that we use almost twice energy per person as european, and three times more than a japanese citizen. we can do better, i would like to see in our homes and systems of insulation be for more efficient. i think that's happening. for me the highest priority is to get ourselves off the foreign energy and improve solar and wind and nuclear and gas and

clean coal. and we can't say it will all be solar and wind. i love solar and wind. but they don't drive cars, and we will have to get ourselves carbon sources that are less co 2 emitting and get us towards energy dependence. and any policy that relates, we talked about cap and trade. we cannot as america enter into an agreement that causes our energy to be more efficient if we lead the big leaders off the hook. we don't call it america warming but global warming. and if there is an effort in this, it has to be international in scope. thank . .

unless they see a commensurate reduction in spending. congratulations to them for keeping going on. there are really three parts of the budget. the first is discretionary spending.

discretionary spending is going to come down and lot. there is a lot of spending in the government that we do not like and do not have to have. some of it was doing stuff that we liked, recently -- like, but we simply could not afford. saying, you know what, i like these, but we have to stop them. i am not going to pay for these by borrowing and putting the burden on my children's future. that is number one. [applause] that is about 20% of federal spending. the next 20% is military. there is a lot of waste in military. i would like to eliminate that waste and not use it to buy new

programs or even fund programs that i like, rather use it to fund a stronger military. if we are going to send our men and women into harm's way, i want them to be well protected and well secured, with that the best armaments in the world. our navy has been depleted and design a path to be even further depleted. i know that they're just putting in place a new series of jets to do fuelling for the aircraft. i am glad they are doing that, but the ones that we have nell are 707's. these were built in the 1960's. we have a very old airforce that needs to be brought up to date. finally, i would make sure that we have enough funds to care for our veterans in the way that they deserve to be cared for.

[applause] that is only 40% of spending. then comes 50% and 60% of the so-called mandatory programs, which are largely entitlement. medicaid i would send back to the states. i would let the states care for their own corporate. that is the way to reduce costs , fraud, and abuse. give those dollars back to the states. it will help to hold down the costs. [applause] than social security and medicare. no one in my party has proposed any change to those programs for anyone who is retired or near retirement. the question is, what are we going to promise people in the

20's, 30 boss, 40's, and 50 +. let's not give them promises that we know cannot be met. it is not the same as what i will of the pullout, bring out. but it takes a step forward. how do we make these programs sustainable? i do not want these programs to be jeopardized. we want to make sure that we put out programs that we can honor and commit to. what entitlements will make sustainable, we will cut dramatically our discretionary budget. if i am president of the united states, i will get america untracked for a balanced budget. [applause] thank you.

anyone over here? coming back, this is the front row here. >> i wrote down some notes as well. i do not have a good memory. something that is going under the radar screen is education. it does not seem to be a topic in this campaign. i am going to ask a question about the national takeover in education by the obama administration, which is similar to the national takeover of health care. i hope that this becomes more important in the campaign. especially when the chosen candidate runs against him. as governor you had some of the highest academic standards in the country. >> number one. [applause] >> your students were scoring the highest in the country.

proving that this should be a state and local control the issue. right now we have obama taking over education, setting national standards, giving us a defect of national curriculum. they can call it what they want, but we will wind up with a defacto curriculum. by question is -- tell me your views on as, first of all, and would you come out against this? i am looking for a candidate that will be vocal in explaining to everyone what is going on, letting them know that we are going to fight against this. what are we going to do when they set the standard? where are these parents with lousy curriculum schools going to go? where do they go?

whose face is behind this? it is not at the state and local level. i am hoping that this is something you can take for your campaign and perhaps encourage the other candidates to be vocal. of all the candidates, you are best set to speak on this. you have shown what can be done on the state level. unfortunately, our governor here has just shifted it up words. we lost the power here. >> you have some kids in school, but the way? how are they doing? >> doing good. catholic school. [laughter] >> of course. one of the reasons massachusetts does so well with our students is because we have such a strong catholic school system. the catholic school system has a

very low commission cost. people of modest means are able to send their kids to catholic school using the very large scholarship program. school choice is a huge source of the success in my state and i have to give credit to them. i agree, by the way. it is amazing to me that there really are not people that somehow think that the concept -- constitution was brilliant. that they know better than the constitution. i think that the decision by the founders saying that they would specifically limit the power of the federal government, that they would give to the states the right and ability to deal with those things that are closest to the citizens. issues like education, caring for the poor, those will be held at the state a.m. local level where they can have their views more fully expressed.

in massachusetts we have a referendum program. if you do not like something in a state, it can be put on a referendum and we can change it. states of the place for those issues that touch us most directly and i cannot think of anything that touches us as directly as the education of our children. i like what we have in my state. a statewide series of academic curriculum. the kids take a test every year to see what they're doing. you cannot graduate unless the best the test and i think it is working pretty well. i will tell you one thing, if barack obama wanted to impose that on the nation, but would fight that to the nth degree. the federal government does not have the right to take over state and local governments.

it is against the constitution and it is not right for america. so, i am with you. [applause] you know what this is about, by the way. this is about millions and millions of dollars that go into the obama campaign from a national teachers' unions. the bosses of those unions want to get their hands on education at the national level. but they are losing. they're saying that they want to pay for performance. that they want process work where teachers are removed from the classroom. they want school choice in cyber-learning. they want to take it over at the federal level. i cannot imagine in america where you will have a white house, republican or democrat, or in congress, republican or democrat, laying out what our

kids are taught. i will go with what ever state gives us our freedom. thank you. [applause] >> go back to the days when you were running game. if someone said to you that they had programs that stink and they were born to cut them, and we are spending too much money, so i will cut costs, you would probably tell him, sir, come back to me with a detailed plan on all of these issues. this is what i am going to do. you are a great manager. why can you not treat us the same way? give us a detailed program of what you accomplished as president. >> the best place to find that is my book. where i lay out the challenges that i think we face in the military, globally, the economy, excessive federal spending and

how i would change entitlement programs. it is hard to do in a couple of minutes here, but take a look at the book. and i will give you a discount. they are going for less money right now, i think. i spent almost nine months writing it. by the way, by hired a ghost writer, sat down with a ghost writer. he interviewed me and came back and i said that this would never do. i sat down, did the research, and wrote it myself. you have got me in there. the english might not be so great, but let me tell you about the things that i do. these are the issues that i think most of us are concerned about. will we have a strong economy that is able to provide for our those of us that are retired,

but we want to make sure that we give to our kids and grandkids a nation that is strong and can defend itself. you cannot have a first year military if you have a third tier economy. what do you do to get the economy going? i have seven things. one, we have got to bring corporate employer taxes ballot to those that are competitive around the world [applause] .- around the world [applause] but in place modern regulations. adjust trade policies. we love trading with other nations, but we want those policies to be good for america, not just the other guys. and we want to be energy independent of the cartels. number five, we abide by the

wall. every successful economy abides by the rule lot as opposed to a crony capitalism. when general motors was finally taken bankrupt -- by the way, i propose early on that it needed to go through bankruptcy. when it finally was taken bankrupt and wiped out the senior lenders, it was pushed along to give the company to the uaw. it said shock waves through a system that relies on the rule of law. finally, we need to have great schools. seven, we need a government that does not spend more than it takes in. if you spend more than you take in, people wonder if the currency will be worth anything down the road. those are seven things that would do to get the economy going.

thumbs-up will be enough. thank you. [applause] >> in 2014 there will be no americans that have to face pre- existing condition costs. what are your thoughts and ideas on upholding this really amazing new chapter in our country? >> my own view is that to repeal obama care, for a couple of reasons -- [applause] my bill in massachusetts was 70 pages and we dealt with at the issue of pre-existing conditions in a fairly comprehensive way. his is 2600 pages. in those extra pages he does more than pre-existing

conditions. he takes over health care. the american people are saying, in every way that they can, no way. i will repeal obama-care on day one of my administration. i will direct the director of health and human services to take obama care away from the 50 states. [applause] that said, there are things that we need to make sure that we do at the federal level relating to pre-existing conditions. let's say the to develop diabetes working at a company for 20 years. and that employer goes out of business. you have to change jobs, moved across the country, whenever. meles new employer does not want to pay the cost of your care. that does not make sense to me.

at the federal level i would say that if individuals have been continuously covered for some period of time, they cannot be denied ongoing coverage because they've developed something called a pre-existing condition. little things about insurance, we should be able to buy it across state lines. but the way, employers in small groups should be able to purchase in pools so that we can get the discounts and in groups. one more thing, let's get rid of the extraordinary cost of our malpractice system that makes health care so much more expensive. i agree with you, it is important for us to make sure that we can stay continuously and shared. [applause] -- and assured -- insured.

[applause] >> i question is about the differences between the federal government and the state's. i believe that we should appeal roe vs. wade. if abortion becomes legal in some states, should there be criminal sanctions against a doctor is that still perform abortions? >> has anyone proposed that? i do not think that any political person has talked about boat -- criminal sanctions. the right thing for matters relating to abortion is similar to other measures, turn it over to the states. i think that this is a decision best handled at the state level. thank you. [applause] you guys, i want to say thank you for being here this morning.

ok? yes, hi. let's take you for being here. i have a question about this whole healing thing -- this debt ceiling thing that is going on. if they raise the debt ceiling it is just a welcome mat to spend more money. in the fall sperm head of paying our bills, they are still taking out money. i know that it is still coming into the government. all we have to do is pay our bills instead of letting out shrimp and other programs that are ridiculous. i am tired of the government raising the debt ceiling on my back. >> a powerful point. [applause] the spending going on in this nation that has not been

financed by ourselves makes no sense at all. we do wonderful things in the world. we have a great humanitarian efforts that are wonderful. but we are borrowing money from the chinese to go help other people. while the chinese not helping other people? why not said to them -- you go out. [laughter] [applause] why are you not helping to fund those things? rather than loading money to us to get ourselves deeper in debt? it cut its us in jeopardy. it says that the average american household has, if you take the national debt and unfunded liabilities, almost half a million dollars by an obligation.

it is unthinkable. by can tell you this. i am pretty confident that we will have a republican house, senate, and white house. because this president has failed. look, he is a white -- a nice guy. well spoken. he could talk a dog off of the meat wagon. [applause] in the beginning it was all about george bush. we are not hearing much about george bush anymore. unemployment went up again today. you know what? you cannot keep blaming george bush. this is now his economy. the borrowing and spending, the $1.60 trillion deficit, these numbers are his. it is why he is going to lose. we will have a republican house and senate. it is not that we have all of

the answers, but one of our answers is to stop spending everything that you take in. [applause] and i will hold the line so that we do not keep adding depth on to the backs of our kids. sir? you do not have to get out, if you do not want to. let's in just a handicapped old citizen. in an ordinary american who has been self-employed my entire life and i really appreciate what medicare has done for me. at the same time, it has been pointed out, and i know that it is full of fraud. the simple idea of coming to washington, no longer will the government pay bills to doctors and hospitals without having received the written approval of the patients.

in the one cancer treatment ipad oconomowoc and i am thankful for that, $120,000 for treatment in one hospital. $5,000 by another. something is wrong with the overseeing of the medicare system. with that movement, we need to care about who is paying the taxes. we cannot have it in the manner that is being given. >> a great point. [applause] doing better? >> i am flying out, thank you. >> a fighter. [applause]

you are absolutely right. but the waste in our health-care system is absolutely amazing. one of the challenges is this. 350 million people as a lot of people. think about the differences between new hampshire and montana. mississippi and michigan. california and rhode island. the difference is not population or health care system, in cannes, it is enormous differences. putting into place this in single program trying to over see the whole program. the fraud, the abuse, the paper work, the waste is overwhelming. i would like to see patients have the abilityplant provided e

providers. let the seniors decide which plan they like. i am not talking about changing anything for anyone who is currently retired, but people in the 20's, 30 +, medicare advantage, you think so? you are an advantage person. this is a program that we have to protect. as you say, medicare and social security has to be protected. no one wants to cut those programs the way. but we have to bring to those programs but kind of dynamism and competition and choice that has allowed the rest of the economy to be so vibrant. i congratulate you on being wise enough to see the difference

between a hospital that charges $100,000 and the one that charges $5,000. if that happened more, we would make other choices in this country. let's i will give you another one in regard to ira's and social security. we should have regulation that permits me as an employee to deposit my money is in the bank of my choice and to withdraw it under the plan of the federal government. there is so much going on long in the social security account. it is unbelievable that we could have a social security system that is going bankrupt. individual accounts like ira. >> i have an idea in that regard. see what you think. i know that the specialty of

ira, to put your money in a retirement account, but you are allowed to take it out but you get taxed. my own view is this. if you make $250,000 per year or less, almost all americans, you should be able to save your money any way that you want to without paying taxes on interest, dividends, or capital gains. [applause] i know that i am taking longer than i was supposed to. so i will stop here. but i am confident in our future. restoring the principles that made america great in the first place, we are a part of that. new hampshire has a loud voice. the fact that you are here this morning speaks volumes about the interest of the people in the hampshire in choosing a leader.

thank you so much. thank you. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> how are you this morning? good to see you. thanks for being here. there we go. thank you. hi, how are you? good to meet you. >> i just graduated college. you are an inspiration. >> are you able to find a job?

>> still looking. >> [inaudible] >> hi, there. how are you? >> thank you very much. appreciate it. >> i saw it move. thank you. appreciate you being here. hi, how you guys doing? thanks for being here. >> governor, i am a registered democrat, but i will be proud to support you. i am happy to join in this cause with you. >> thank you. i hope we have a good job for you when you come out of school. thank you.

ralph, how are you? is that right? miracle on ice -- the best. that is a good job. congratulations. >> thank you. >> tell me your name again. >> ralph. >> good to see you. red sox fan? you bet. >> i voted for the last time. i hope this time you win. i really do. >> thank you very much. look at that. that is the best. good to see you. like your response on sarah palin's bus tour. keep it positive, on the

offensive. way to go. >> good morning. i loved your speech. the country is very important to me. >> great daddy here this morning. i appreciate your help. -- great to have you here this morning. i appreciate your help. i want to make sure we get dramatic cuts, spending reductions. thank you for being here this morning. >> i was with you for years ago. >> thank you. >> keep bringing up education. this is important the press here, i'm sorry, but they are not doing it. >> yet secretary duncan say some good things, but then you saw what happened. they cut off charter schools in washington, d.c.

>> and bill gates'money is behind this. we're liberals were not happy about corporate influence in washington, d.c. bill gates is behind this. he is finding it. he is coming up with a national curriculum right now. the press is not covering this at all. it is making a lot of people very angry. i am hoping the republicans start standing up and make this an issue. in national takeover education should be just as important as the national takeover of health care. >> i agree with you. i use that as something that would be unacceptable. >> i think some issues will come up with the pledge. >> thank you, good to see you.

three years into a business four-year term, you still have huge numbers of americans out of work -- your three years into obama's four-year term, he still have huge numbers of americans out of work. it breaks your heart to have some in people suffering as they are. obama's policies have failed america. it is time for new direction. >> [unintelligible] >> thank you. jeb is the best and, is nt? >> colorado does a little guy? creeks seven months.

>> we are live in pennsylvania where rick santorum is set to make his formal announcement for president this morning. this is happening on the steps of the courthouse in somerset, pennsylvania, which is the town where rick santorum's grandfather emigrated to from italy back in 1925. former senator santorum was on "good morning america" this morning and said he will run for president next year and he is in it to win it. we expect him in the next couple of moments. this is live coverage on c-span.

[applause]

[applause] [applause]

>> thank you, everyone. good morning. >> good morning. >> thank you. it is wonderful to have you here with us today in a special place for our family. today, rick and i are surrounded by the greatest blessings and our lives, our seven wonderful children read >> [applause] >> elizabeth, john, daniel, sarah maria, peter -- where is peter? >> behind you. >> patrick. isabella who we call bella. [applause]

>> thank you. rick and i just celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. [applause] thank you. thanks in part to the love and support an example of my very, very precious mom and dad who are here with us today. who we just love like crazy. [applause] by mom and dad had been married for 64 years. i65 years. they have been such a great example to us. i come before you today to introduce the man i love and admire. he is a man of enormous strength with a tremendous commitment and the values that has made america great. and experience to lead it ford. he has led the way from

intimate reform to tax policy to national-security to foreign policy to the protection of the most innocent and vulnerable among us. never walking away or hiding from the tough battles and hard issues. peggy noonan summed up his character so well a few years ago in the "wall street journal." she said, rick is a man who faces what his colleagues tried to finesse. [applause] thank you. he is a man of deep and abiding conviction with the wisdom to apply them to the issues at hand, the courage to fight for them, and the tenacity, passion and skill to win the day. he is a man who loves america unless americans. that is what motivates him and what motivates all the santorums. [applause]

i present to you my husband rick santorum. thank you so much. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. [applause] thank you. thank you very much. let me just for say to my wife karen and to these children behind me, am i one blessed man. thank you, karen, and thank you, kids. they know a life of being involved in public life. as we all know, that is not an easy life. they have stood behind every step of the way. not only standing behind me, but encouraged me and fall with me side-by-side. karen, children, thank you so

much for your love and support. god bless you. thank you. [applause] i want to thank all of you for coming out here today. it is a beautiful day. it is always beautiful in somerset county. you must think i am not from somerset county if i thought that, right? [laughter] it is a beautiful day, a chamber of commerce day in somerset county. thank you to everyone here in the local committee for the cooperation and support at being here and showing up and for being where it all started. that is why we're here. the hour american journey started here in somerset county and so it is great to be here. thank you somerset county for coming out for us. [applause] the most common question i've had the past 20 months was, are

you running? the answer i always gave took me awhile, but i come up with this -- no, i am not walking, i am running -- no, i'm not running, i am walking. i was walking because i wanted to get out and talk to americans all across america. dozens and dozens of states the past couple of years. with the heavy sampling on iowa, new hampshire, and south carolina. i was out talking to people, listening to people, trying to get a sense as to whether what i was feeling inside delaware-the anxiety and the concern i have for the future of our country -- was something that we share. in answer to that was what happened almost two years ago with the birth of the tea party and people standing up at meeting after meeting and holding up their constitution and talking about -- those are

balloons, not shots. [applause] [laughter] people not have understood or they understand that something is wrong, that there's something at stake here in america that is important for us and it is important for the future of our country. what is it? is it the economy? sure, it is the economy. who can say it is not the economy when you're looking at the bathetic rate of growth and incredibly just discouraging high rate of unemployment. not 9.1%, a 14% or 15% of people that want to get work and cannot find it. you can say what to the administration do in response? they sent money to municipalities and states and forgot about the rest of america trying to survive and grow.

[applause] gas prices? sure it is gas prices. in somerset county, mineral-rich somerset county, and we of coal and gas and all sorts of resources here and we have a president who does not want us to access those resources, and then complains the prices of energy are high. [applause] if you look at the record of spending under this president, he came in with the problems, sure, and he kept digging in the hole and digging and digging and now for every dollar we spend thanks to this president, 40 cents is borrowed. 40 cents will be put on every man, woman, and child to pay the interest on for the rest of

their lives. who are we? who are you, mr. president? who are you, mr. president, to say that you in your administration should take 40 cents out of every dollar and borrow it from future generations to prop you up? [applause] he has done worse than that. he has devalued our currency by pumping money, inflating our commodities, food prices, oil prices, which is a horrible penalty on working americans, on saving americans. he has devalued our currency and not just divide the currency, but our culture. they're not standing up for the defense of marriage act -- through not standing up for the defense of marriage act, federal funding for abortion, devaluing

the dollars and devaluing our moral currency. [applause] all of this is bad enough, but i think americans realize there is even more. there is something more that is concerning america. and that is why i'm here in somerset county. i am here in somerset county because my grandfather came to this county way back in 1927. he came here because the government was promising them all sorts of benefits, promising them all sorts of handouts and bailouts? no. he left a country where the government made all the promises. he left the country with a job on a mule train after world war i, which he fought in. he lived in a beautiful idyllic

town in the mountains run down on a lake. i visited it. it is truly gorgeous. i said, why would anyone want to leave nine brothers or eight brothers and sisters, live as stable -- leave a stable job and beautiful place at the foot of the mountains? one word, one reason. freedom. [applause] he was watching what mussolini was doing, what he was ample trading into a sun. he said, i will not stand for this. he left. he came here. he started in the coal mines

here in northern somerset county and carpenters park, pennsylvania. [applause] he worked and he worked to give his children, my dad who was 7 years old when he came in 1930, the opportunity for freedom. to live your dreams. he knew america believed in him, believed in people, gay people a shot if they worked hard -- gave people a shot if they worked hard, then they could succeed. that is the america my dad lived in. that is the america we need again today. [applause] that is what is unique. the presidents of the united

states just a few weeks ago and responding to paul ryan's budget said this, talking about medicare/medicaid and unemployment insurance. he said, the country is a better country with those programs. i will go one step further, he said, america was not a great country until those programs. [booing] america was a great country before 1965. [applause] america was a great country for government decided they had to start taking from those pools. i am sorry, i think the heat has gone to someone. make sure there is any emergency personnel that can get here. we want this person to get some

help. >> to have any cold water? gregg's here you go. >> is the ok? -- >> here you go. >> is he okay?

>> thank you very much. >> i would appreciate if everyone would just a little prayer for that young lady. america is a great country. not because of our government, but because our founders founded a great country. [applause] i love our tea partiers who raise their constitution but. [applause] the constitution which is the owner's manual for america. but in the constitution that they hold up is also another

document that is always printed there. it is the declaration of independence. the declaration of independence is who we are. we hear a lot of talk about american exceptional some. what does that mean? the declaration tells us. we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal. [applause] life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. [applause] our founders did something revolutionary with that statement. you see, prior to that time, where they came from, rights did not come from god to every individual.

that is not with those countries believed. rights came to the sovereign, to the king, to the government and then the government would distribute the rights. they left those countries because they did not want the king to tell them what rights they had, because they knew what rights they had from god. [applause] in the constitution that established the framework to do one thing. if you're going to some of the mission of america, what transform the world, would make this the greatest country in the history of the world in the 200 years of america, life expectancy doubled in the two dozen years previous in did nothing. why? because the principal purpose of america was to make sure that

each and every person was free. that is the purpose of america. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, that is at stake now more than it ever has been in the modern time. we're facing a time when we have a group of people led by president obama who believes that america's greatness is in government, not its people. [booing] there is one singular act to me is the linchpin, and that is obamacare. obamacare does something that no other entitlement has ever done , and that is, obviously, makes you buy something. more important, it is the government for the first time will have its clutches to create dependency on every single

american red not those who are sick, but every single american now will be hooked to the government with an i.v. there will come to every time they want to do more and say, well, you want that health care, then you got to give us more power. margaret thatcher said this after doing an assessment of her time in britain versus reagan, said, i was never able to accomplish in england what reagan accomplished in america. there was one thing that stood in my way. the british national health care system. why do you think they work so hard? whitey think it were willing to break every rule? why you think it were willing to lose this election? why do you think they ignored the polls and handed down the american -- throats of americans? why do think they care so much

about passing this bill? power. because they knew they would get you. williams said to be about a week after president obama decided to double down, i saw him in the green room, i said, why are you doing this? he said, let me tell you what president obama's team is telling me. "americans love entitlements. once we get them hooked, they will never let it go." >> we do not want that. >> they want to hook you. they do not want to free you. they do not want to give the opportunities. they believe in themselves, the smart people, the planners, the folks in washington him a decisions better than you can. look at what they're doing with mediscare. they're telling seniors, you need to listen to us. you cannot trust seniors to decisions.

did anyone ever look of the medicare prescription drug plan? it is exactly the model paul ryan said "we shut that down the throats of american public. seniors love the american medicare plan." it gives resources for people to choose what is best for themselves. [applause] our founders knew establishing freedom, writing in that document was the easy thing to do. they were students of history and realized they knew the hard thing to do was to maintain freedom over the course of time, over the course of leaders who would try to sing that song and give it up in exchange for security. that is another reason i'm here

in somerset county at this time. i am here in somerset county because just a few miles from here, almost 10 years now, a group of average americans, a traveling salesman, stood with his back against a wall and rallied and lead people -- average americans -- to do what needed to be done to save freedom in america. [applause] on this day, d-day, june 6, 1944, almost 60,000 average americans had the courage to go out and charged as beaches of

normandy, to drop out of airplanes who knows where and take on the battle for freedom. average americans. the very americans that our government now this president does not trust a decision on your health care plan. those americans risked everything so they could make that decision on their health care plan. [applause] we are facing enormous challenges today, but certainly of a different kind. they will test whether this generation will keep pace with those patriots and keep america the greatest country in the

history of the world. today across america, people are looking for a leader who is optimistic and who believes that we must meet those challenges and we can meet those challenges and we can keep faith, not with the government, but with free people. [applause] in 2008, a weary to public, a troubled public from a financial crisis looked to a president, looked to elect a president who they could believe in. and that president, president obama, took that faith the american public gave him and wrecked our economy and centralized power in washington, d.c., and robbed people of their freedom. [applause]

i believe now that americans are not looking for someone that they complete in. they're looking for a president that believes in them. [applause] fellow americans, it is our watch, it is our time, it is our time for all of us to step up and do what america requires us to do. i am ready to lead the bank i am ready. -- i am ready to lead. i am ready. [applause] i am ready to do what has to be

done for the next generation, with the courage to fight for freedom, with the courage to fight for america. that is why i am announcing today that i am running for president of the united states. [applause] join the fight! [applause] [applause]

[cheering]

♪ ♪

>> how are you? >> i am doing great.

♪ >> how are you?

>> god bless you. >> thank you. >> are you happy today? >> beautiful day. >> how were you doing?

>> how are you?

>> good luck to you. >> why are you running now? ♪

>> good of you to come on out today. >> can we get a picture? sure.

>> rick santorum here in somerset pennsylvania with his

wife karen and their seven children, announcing his run for the republican nomination for the president of. he joins mitt romney, newt gingrich, tim pawlenty and ron paul and talk-radio host has declared republican candidacy. a number of other republican presidential candidates and prospective candidate spoke at last week's faith and freedom conference. first, house tea party caucus michelle bachmann plans to an answer can is the plans this month. the-announce her candidacy plans this month critics hello, everyone. thank you for coming. good to see you, good morning. thank you for coming. i can tell this conference is off to a great start already, isn't it? what a wonderful year this is

going to be and 2012 is going to be even better. [applause] we're looking forward to winning the triple crown, aren't we? holding on to the house of representatives, getting a conservative senate for the first time in a long time, and extending a change -- sending a change of address form 21600 pennsylvania avenue. [applause] if we have anything to say about it, barack obama and will be a one-term president. it is a new day and their new things coming our way and i am extremely grateful for all of us who are here this morning, extremely grateful. there's a lot of bad news going on around the world, but a lot of good news going on around the world, too.

i want to talk about some of those things. carol mentioned tea when i was at the minnesota state senate that we had started a project, not because you wanted to, but because we were acting in response to an action by the massachusetts judicial supreme court. does anyone remember the decision and 2003 the court issued? they issued his decision until the state legislature the legislature had to pass a law into conformity with the will of the justice this. does anyone remember what that was about? it was about marriage. it had something to do about redefining marriage. i heard about that in minnesota and it would come our way as well. i announced i was going to introduce a constitutional amendment allowing the people of minnesota to a vote on the laws they live under, particularly, the definition of marriage. whether marriage would be between one man and one woman.

[applause] that is a good concept. as you can imagine, this was the height of the controversy. i was at the tip of the spear on that effort. the reason i bring this up is because i say to you, persevered. never despise small beginnings. we were just a few people that got together and tried to make this happen. the bill i introduced, we were not able to get it out of the liberal dominated senate that i was in. we tried and tried again and were not able to succeed, but we did not give up because we knew the people of minnesota ultimately wanted to build a vote on this bill. 30 different states have put this bill up. every time the states put this over for the american people, they have voted in their states

to retain the traditional definition of marriage is between one man and one woman. [applause] and though i am no longer in the minnesota state senate, i am privileged to serve the people in the house of representatives, six district. others took that torture and carried on. a week ago last saturday evening, minnesota finally pass the constitutional amendment defining marriage as one man, one woman [applause] . minnesota is the first state that has decided this issue will be on the ballot in 2012. i understand the state of new hampshire will be taking this issue of as well and other states. this is the time. i want to encourage all of you

at home. if you do not have a similar amendment, consider this your home state. i believe this is the time to do it. thank you to those who have continued to carry that torch. we need to do this because how many of you know that marriage is under siege like no time in recent history. just recently in "usa today" and other magazines, and married couples have dropped below half of all american households for the first time according to the census bureau. it is a milestone in our nation's history. back in 1950, 78% of all households represented a married couple. today, we're at 48%. that