union president mary kay and rejoins us. after that more about the 2012 campaign with freedom works presidentmatt kibbe. the house transportation committee will allow private companies to compete with amtrak to provide high-speed rail service in the northeast corridor. later, we'll be joined by the head of amtrak. host: good morning. congress is out today. they will be back next week. munier -- negotiations continue between you rationally -- congressional leaders and the white house on unemployment. there could be some agreement by july 4, which could give congress to give some-forgotten

details. and in new orleans cannot ron paul, michelle bachmann -- in new orleans, ron paul, michelle bachmann and others. live coverage today and throughout the weekend here on c-span. if we want to begin with looking back at the role that defense secretary bob gates has had. our numbers are on the screen. let's look at some of the headlines on this friday morning, beginning with the "*

piggee euan." newt gingrich -- with the times picayune. newt gingrich speech fires of car. and another headline that of giving a lot of attention is from los angeles. this is the veto by gov. jerry brown. this is the budget with dinner -- disagreements. the headline from the "l.a. times" brown vetoed dismays. and this one from "time" -- did bob gates service masters to

well?

and today from the "new york times" this have line stresses the importance of ties with pakistan.

our numbers are on the screen. our first call is from detroit. jesse is on the phone. good morning. what impact did bob gates have on his job? good morning, jesse. caller: good morning. thank you for c-span. i am a listener for years and years. i think the secretary of defense is a great experience leader, who has given the president quite a bit of help. and i think we have a great president. he has appointed people round in that -- for around him that have made it even better to watch. going after bin laden, you know,

i think that was a very delicate operation, very important to our country. i appreciate the fact that we have a president that knows what is going on. i just do not see anything out there that can hamper this president. if i would like to see the republicans for one time, joined as president on things that are important to this country -- for one time join this president findings are important to this country, like the debt and deficit. he stopped a madman who had tried to kill many people. host: monte has this point --

randy is joining us from butler, oklahoma. what impact has robert gates had on washington and on the u.s. military? caller: he just had to the american and higher for four and a half years while we borrowed the money from china. and he just perpetuated that. as a bureaucrat, he was really good. if we are bankrupt now, will not praise it. host: thanks for the call. the wichita, kansas. good morning, your next. caller: being from a family with seven brothers growing over and serving, and i still have a

nephew over there, i am just sick of it all. when are we going to bring these young people home? my brother was ruined in world war ii. he was shot in the head. i have six brothers now. i have a nephew right now in afghanistan. that is all i want to say. i am just tired of it. when they come home in a cast it, it tears me apart. i do not care about the 21 gun salute. if i am just sick of it.

host: thanks for the call. robert gates gives a newspaper -- news conference to give warning on al qaeda. there is another related story, the front page of the "wall street journal" titled "deadline to end serge." -- surge."

you can read more on line by going to "wall street journal" online. next call, go ahead. caller: thank you for taking my call. there are some obvious issues relating to government and military spending. i think that they have presented the facts in the way that individuals need to hear it. there is a concern about the capturing of terrorists, but i think what most people are concerned about is the overspending in military. that is something that we want to hear more about, how to cap

spending and redirect so we can do something about putting money back into the treasuries. host: there is a piece in the coffin " wall street journal" about how to deal with the debt crisis .

the editorial from james baker, former treasury secretary in the reagan administration, former secretary of state in the bush administration this morning in the open washington journal." -- in the "washington journal." sammy, good morning. caller: good morning. your the worst terrorist form of identifying -- you are the worst host for not identifying the party of the person calling. is it because you received more

democrat callers then republicans? host: there is no reason. do you have a comment? caller: you do not identify the callers. anyway, gates, i think he is just a yes man for the president. like bush, he owned his policies. and when obama comes in he change his policies to go along with obama. and that first caller who called in, he calls about every day. why do you let him call every day? he calls on the republican lines and the democrats. he calls about every day.

host: ok, well, we want to thank you for calling in, sami, from jacksonville, florida. and here is a tweet. and next up is david on the internet -- independent line. good morning, david. caller: i agree with the previous caller on a couple of things. he has maintained the status quo. he has maintained bush's policies and policies that have gotten us into the mess that we are in right through the obama administration. and what obama is doing, i do not know. but we need to get all of these wars. if we need to get our people home. -- we need to get our people home. that is all i've got to say. host: going back to the "wall street journal" peace again --

piece again. the deadline for all of this is july 1. we expect to hear from the president and secretary j. carney, who was working on his decision. it that could come in the next week to 10 days. chris is joining us. caller: i do not understand these people. the man is doing his job. it is not his business to have an opinion about his work. he is supposed to do the work that he has been hired to do. when somebody else comes in and they do not have the same level of clarity and the same level of

transparency, we are going to go back to the same craziness we have had in the past. host: ok, thanks for the call. next is scott in sandy, texas. we are talking about the legacy of defense secretary robert gates. good morning to you. caller: i do not have much problem with mr. gates. i want to comment on the caller before last. i believe you and susan are the two best toasts. but this guy that was the first caller today, it is the third time this week. why don't you do something about that guy? he is a liar and a zero abuser of the 30-day collier host: -- of the 30 day calling. host: we try.

we have a system in place to figure out where people are calling from. if you screw up the system, unfortunately, they can say they are someone else or from a different city or different party. caller: if we understand these boys, so can you. you know right off if you should be cutting him off. host: ok. did you have a comment on robert gates? caller: my main reason for calling is this so-called henry. he goes by half a different names. he is running it. you have got to put a stop to this. host: ok. next for all, go ahead. caller: good morning. if i am a first-time caller. i know no one can recognize my voice. everybody has been saying that they were refreshed by mr.

gates honesty. i was not. i find his demeanor to be smug and condescending. no, this is not the way we should be doing business. and do not underestimate him. he has had a lot of power in the past 20 years behind a string -- behind the scenes pulling strings. it is part of the reason that we are in the mess we are in today. bush put him up from because he is a quiet, unassuming, mild- mannered man. am i still on? host: you sure are. caller: he is not. he is one of the ideologues, neocon, endless war people. we need to get out and we need that money here. we need to let other people live their lives in their other countries. let us live hours. we are struggling here. host: here is a story from the

open court stars and stripes." -- "stars and stripes." you can read that story on line and "stars and stripes. next is jeff from st. louis. good morning. caller: i was born in 55.

when-now a park and on the first baseline. -- one day find at a park and i'm on the first baseline. [unintelligible] later on, my dad always told me that all politicians are crooks. my dad had a 150 iq. i said, what you say that, dad? and he said, because it is true. here is the important question. why don't we ask every politician who has an account in the cayman islands? they are all liars. host: thanks for the call. clarksville, tennessee, good morning.

caller: i am calling because i want to say mr. gates has been a failure to this country. and i want to thank the last two callers from as threat and virginia. and we have only gone in more -- in worst debt because of bush. the when you are looking at mr. gates you might as well be looking at mr. bush. and now we have obama getting us into three times worse debt than bush did to us. we will be in the same path and history is repeating itself because we are not doing nothing about our only hope is to vote for ron paul. he is the last 12 we have for this country. host: he will be speaking later

today in new orleans at the republican leadership conference. you can check of all of the latest updates at c-span.org /campaign2012. we also have links with the number of media partners. check it out fdot c-span.org/-- check it out at c-span.org /campaign2012. next is a pure from springfield, missouri, independent line. good morning, kevin. caller: good morning to you.

i am a first-time caller. i'm calling on the independent line. i was a republican, but i am disenchanted with both parties. robert gates is someone who has worked for both sides of the iowa and, really, what it shows, because he has been consistent in what he is doing -- what it really shows is there is really no difference between either party. they are both working and agenda. -- working an agenda. if obama or bush, either one, is the true leader, why is the policy overseas so consistently imperialistic? that is all. thank you. host: thanks for the call. next call from blue ridge, georgia. good morning.

caller: as far as gate is concerned, we spent 25 years going after nothing. i was in libya -- and now we are in libya and afghanistan. boys are getting killed for no reason whatsoever. the debt ceiling is out of sight. you've got politicians in congress making $150,000 or more per year and they are already millionaires. and people in this country are starting to get. -- starving to death. [unintelligible] what about senior citizens? host: thanks for the call. here is a tweet. the "washington times" has a

preview of the u.s. open. the location is secret, but many speculative will take place possibly of the army golf course in virginia. at issue today is the troops in

libya. senator durbin said he wants more clever -- clearly white house support. let's listen in to what senator john mccain said yesterday on the senate floor. >> the net -- the administration may assert that we are not engaged in hostilities in libya, but the senate should go on record in authorizing these actions. we are in hostilities. we plan to introduce this authorization soon, and i would urge the majority leader to schedule a vote on it quickly. the senate has been silent for too long on our military

involvement in libya. it is time for the senate to speak. host: from center john mccain yesterday on the senate floor. we're back to your phone calls. at issue this friday morning, robert gates with his legacy. what impact has he had on washington for the u.s. military? -- and the u.s. military? caller: good morning. you have good callers today. they need to bring these boys home. i am 61 and half of my generation has been killed off. if morton griffin is a round, he better not vote to raise a debt ceiling. last year, we gave them $2 trillion more. host: thanks for the call. it is the same story, but two

different newspapers, the "washington post" credited with breaking the watergate story.

this story points out the still to be determined of fame as a staff that was attributed -- famous gaffe that was attributed to the president of the time. steve is joining us from savannah, georgia. former gates, his legacy on the job -- what is it? caller: i am just amazed at some of the calls i am hearing this morning. just like the president, i believe that robert gates will go down as one of the best defense secretary's this country has ever seen. i do not see him as a partisan or warmonger. if he was, he would stay on.

he was called up from private life. to me, he is a statesman and a public servant. i am amazed at some of the calls. i understand about the war fatigue, but the man, robert gates, will go down as one of the better defense secretary is this country has ever seen. host: thanks for the call. one of the stories of the top of the hour, defense secretary gates saying that we need to continue to work with pakistan. that interview is available on the pbs website. and defense secretary gates is joined by admiral mike mullen, who is also stepping down later this year. next, milwaukee and the democrats line, good morning.

caller: good morning. i served two tours in vietnam in the u.s. marine corps from 63 to 67. i think secretary gates, i give him nothing but praise is. he played the hand that he was dealt as far as the wars are concerned. he is not responsible for the trillions of dollars that the bush administration did not put on the books initially, and then when obama came in he had to put the money on the books. that made it look as though obama is the one that caused this deficit problem. actually, what he did is he put the money that bush did not put on the books on the books. -- did not put on the books, on the books.

gates, he is democrat, he is republican, and he tells it like it is. anyone who says otherwise is out of their lead. host: thanks for the call. the "washington post" has the story in baghdad. it is specifically focusing on the capital city. the country, backed by foreign vermillion dollars in u.s. initiatives to -- local government and to provide services to -- to establish local government and to provide services to local residents, but there is a unique challenge trying to determine the boundaries of the city and we're

in mayor's power starts and the governor's and spirit -- governor's ends. we are talking about defense secretary robert gates. he is stepping down on june 30. next caller, go ahead. caller: i think that secretary gates is a great defense secretary. you must understand that we -- gates has defined the definition of hell. the definition of hell is a truth learned too late. he is trying to get the american public to realize that the war in afghanistan and iraq and libya is an employment program. it is employing thousands of civilians that would otherwise be unemployed if they were here in the u.s. and they are getting good salaries. the second thing that gates understand is that there is a large discovery of natural gas

off the coast of israel, enough to last 100 years. now we are fighting for the gas to go to europe and not to africa. we are fighting for all of this, as well as unemployment program. i think that gates is most of all -- he has a juggling act with all of these problems. i admire him for being able to manage this without going berserk. host: thank you. let's go back to the story in the 40 -- in the "new york times".

stressing the importance of our relationship there in the "new york times." next is juanita in new york. caller: secretary gates had for years to do his job and finding no help from the president and his administration, he just quit. the administration does not need a secretary of state, or a secretary of wherever he is, if

they know everything. it eliminates the secretary's job and let the president however when what to do. host: as we said at the top of the air, the president's meeting with vice president joe biden today for a private luncheon. the topic will be negotiations between the vice president and congressional leaders to talk about the budget and deficit. that story this morning from inside the "washington post."

the next call is from patrick. secretary gates served in the bush administration and the obama administration and spencern -- 20 years in the cia. where is his legacy? caller: his legacy is that he is an absolute master of his craft. as the brother of a navy seal who retired after 34 years, i can tell you this without hesitation. i do not care what your political affiliation is. this man deserves accolades. i am appalled by the republican response. we are ungovernable. these people are doing nothing to stop the economic implosion in america. and he is the first high-ranking individual that is holding the

european union's feet to the fire. basically, pointing out that the u.s. can no longer afford the enormous costs related to this situation. people need to support our president. i think is ridiculous, the direction we are going toward with everything. i think we need to change. host: thanks for the call. by the way, if your interested, a store we found from "time" magazine from 1991. it is a look at his service from the version -- first force administration, and also president ron reagan and -- the first bush administration, and also president ronald reagan and jimmy carter. a but is joining us from tennessee.

-- aidan is joining us from tennessee. caller: good morning, steve. i could not have said it better than my federal -- fellow veteran who served two tours in vietnam. i also served two tours in vietnam. secretary gates is, in my opinion, the best defense secretary we have had of all time. he cares about the troops and the service members. he cares deeply about each and every one of them. he deserves nothing but praise. patrick said it so well about so many people -- it does not matter whether they are republican or democrat. any idiot who does not step forward and help the president get out of this financial

situation we are in they have destroyed -- they have destroyed the middle class. the only thing they care about is reelection. that is all they are working for. senior service -- that is what the senior senator, mcconnell, from kentucky said. his only intention was to eliminate president obama. that makes him a horrible, horrible senator. as far as accolades go, he is probably one of the -- you are probably one of the best. and whoever hired greta has -- deserves praise because she has journal to be a wonderful host. she does a great job. as far as the guy from florida, if he would get rid of the

barbwire bed that he sleeps on every night, maybe he would wake up a bit better off. maybe he would not have all of those bonds and feel it necessary to call in and review folks -- wake you folks over the coals. host: thank you for the comments. a, a formal twitter page. -- a comment from our twitchell page. a couple of more phone calls. we will let you hear what secretary gates said in a graduation speech last saturday. tom in north carolina. good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. this morning, i was forced to call. i am a first-time caller. i did not serve under secretary

gates, but all of the calls that i have been listening to, it is obvious that the tunnel in the majority of our senators and representatives do not understand what the services of of. secretary gates is the epitome of what a public servant should be. that article asking if he had served too well -- host: just to clarify, that article was from 1991. it is about his service in the cia. caller: i understand. he works for the executive branch. if we brought 50,000 troops back, would they have a job? but that is just a symptom of

the problem. what really guarantees our military might and influence in the world has always been our economic strength. that is where we need to focus our attention. i will be honest with you. i was a young man when i listened to president kennedy's speech. and i am a republican, but when he said, do not ask what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country, that is what influenced me to go into the military. i remembered that throughout my whole life, whether a staunch republican or democrat. i have served my country for 20 years. now you look at the military budget and is completely turned around. we need to do something about that. i appreciate you letting the call in. host: we appreciate your call.

one of the stories that may be driving the discussion today is the front page of the "wall street journal." our last call is jesse, from michigan. welcome to you on the democrats line. caller: good morning, steve. i think secretary gates, i think he is a nice man. i have no problem at all with him. my concern is the president of the united states, the so-called black president. i know bush left a mess for him, but since he has been in office he has not done anything but cater to the elite people in this country.

[unintelligible] host: we are having a tough time with your connection. thanks for your call. in case you missed it, here is the speech by sen -- defense secretary robert gates. it is his final commencement speech as secretary. here is his advice to the naval academy. >> just under a month ago, i once again spent under fragging afternoon in the white house as a risky special operations -- spent an afternoon in the white house as a risky special operations mission when under way. as word came back, my heart sank. but this time, of course, a very different result. a mass murderer was brought to

an end. awe of ld was in all america's military prowess we knew that something could be done right. [applause] i want each of you to take that lesson of adaptability, of responding to setbacks by improving yourself and your institution, and that example of success as you go forward into the navy and marine corps you will someday lead. defense host: secretary robert gates, his speech -- host: defense secretary robert gates, his speech before the naval academy. it is available at c-span.org in our video library.

as the tabloids can only do, both of these stories have been dominating the political arena. he did so yesterday in brooklyn, n.y., a senior citizen center. here is what he had to say. >> i am here again today to apologize for the personal mistakes that i have made and the bears might have caused. i make this apology to my neighbors -- and the embarrassment i have caused. i make this apology to my neighbors and particularly to my wife. i hope to continue the work that my citizens in my district elected me to do, to fight for the middle class and those struggling to make it. unfortunately, the destruction i have created had made that impossible.

today, i am announcing my resignation from congress. so my colleagues can get back to work, my neighbors can choose the new representatives and most important, that my wife and i can continue to shield from the damage i have caused. host: amid a chaotic scene, congressman resigns in the wake of a scandal. who will succeed him? joining me with some perspective is david wasserman. but we appreciate your time on c-span. thanks caller: for having me -- guest: thanks for having me. host: i know it is early, but what names have been mentioned to replace him?

in guest: amazingly enough, this will be the third special luncheon in new york state in recent years. to we have had two sex scandals that have already created a special alexians in republican leaning seats in -- specialty elections in republican-leaning seats in upstate. now it is a democrats turn to defend a seat in queens. interestingly enough, this will be more of a tribal election than the of state elections we have seen, which is, the partisan policy dictates of the chair of the political party of the democratic party in queens will be selecting nominees. there will be no primary

election. and governor cuomo will be setting the date for the special election. everyone is watching joseph crowley. he is share of the queens democratic party. he gets the call on who the democratic nominee will be. they will start out with an advantage. but keep in mind, this is the least democratic district in nyc. this is not a foregone conclusion and democrats cannot take the race for granted. host: and his cousin, elizabeth crowley is a councilman. guest: that is true. and there are other names in the house as well. one thing we will be watching is whether, crowley -- is whether crowley has the credibility to mount a campaign. it is a very diverse district.

here is the ranch in this, n.y. is losing a few seats in redistricting, and this is a district that everyone has been looking at since the scandal broke as one district in the city, will most likely have to go. crowley would like to take on more of queens. currently, his district is in the bronx. he would like to take on more of his home base near el morris to. he would benefit from -- neera elmhurst. he would benefit from redistricting. many speculate that he would move into wiener's territory. we do not know of the names that have been mentioned -- you know,

linda calves, it for more city councilwoman, or his cousin. of the names that have been mentioned, we do not know who would be willing to be a caretaker of the seat, but also led a vigorous campaign in a special election against potential republicans. host: you indicated that the governor has wide latitude when it comes to determining when he will hold the special election. when will he know about the newly drawn lines in new york state? guest: we will now know about the lines, most likely, until run against the filing deadlines of the summer of next year. governor cuomo, shelley is over,

the assembly speaker who is a democrat, and the minority leader -- or rather, majority leader in the state senate will all have to hammer hard a deal on redistricting. -- hammered out a deal on redistricting. it will be a situation where most people would expect to run for a seat for a lame duck session as a member of congress before it may be eliminated. as we found out in new york's 26th district, the last time the scandal broke, drawing conclusions about the special election at the outside -- outset of the elections can be hazardous. i do not think that the county clerk what ultimately win that race and how the county can be

preserved by redistricting. there is a greater chance that will be eliminated, but we will have to see whether republicans can mount a credible campaign that puts the democrats in a tough spot. host: david wasserman, who tracks the house of representatives and the politics of congress for the "cook political report." the headlines outside of washington d.c. putting him the winner on the front page. to focus on what is next in new york's ninth congressional district. david wasserman, we appreciate your coming up in a couple of minutes -- we appreciate your time. coming up in a couple of minutes, mary kay henry. and if you ride the rails on

amtrak ramat -- amtrak, weighed in with your comments. "washington journal" continues in a moment. >> c-span has launched a new, easy to navigate law -- website with the latest c-span events, from the campaign trail, information on the candidates, twitter page and facebook of daetz from political reporters, and links to media partners. visit us at c-span.org /campaign2012.

page one producer and director andrew rossi takes an inside look at the "new york times" through the eyes of the staff and the changing nature of the newspaper industry. >> i came in with a sense of what the solutions are for traditional media. i came in with a desire, really, just to observe. >> he will talk about the documentary sunday night on c- span's q&a. this began on american history tv on c-span3, we will visit the presidential library cozy new exhibit on watergate. also, archival video of nixon's first quarter of a speech. we will join historians have the university of richmond as they talk about secession and the civil war. and we will hear from a duke university professor on the american defeat of japan in 1945.

get the complete schedule at c- span.org/history, or have it be mailed to you by pressing the c- span alert button. have its e-mailed to you by pressing the c-span alert button. >> you can listen to our signature interview programs each week a round-the-clock wherever you are, download for free from blackberry app world. >> "washington journal" continues. host: for the last year, mary kay henry has been serving as president of the employees international union. the labor chief in this headline from "the washington times" called richard trumka critical of the obama administration's handling of its proposed free

trade deal with columbia. guest: we are all concerned by jobs in this country and all of the free trade agreements need to be handled with the concern of how we are protecting workers' rights in the u.s. is an important conversation to have as we try to figure of how to get 30 million people back to full-time jobs in this country. host: in one suggestion, congress and the white house to fully embrace free trade. guest: my question would be if the bush tax cuts was supposed to create jobs, how is it we can make sure that does not

vaporize if we did trade agreements do not vaporize job commitments as well? host: what does this tell you about the state of labor in american politics and the level of support that you and other labor leaders give the president in his reelection? guest: the state of labor is about the struggle of what labor leaders want for our vision of america. we think our way of life is being threatened in this country if because we cannot be expected to own a house, retire with dignity, and have our children do better than we do. that's the debate we need in this country. it is what vision we want for america? host: as the president done enough? guest: we have made a set of steps in this country that provide the american auto industry. took it from a situation where it was going to be bailed out to now where we are producing jobs in this country and exporting more cars overseas than ever before. that is a huge step forward to

that has happened under this administration. those kinds of actions where there is a business and government and wrecking people's partnership needs to happen across our economy. it would be great of the fortune 500 c e o's if we're trying to imagine with our government how we get back to work. >> the economic recovery has been different from past recoveries in part because the middle class manufacturing jobs in cities like detroit, michigan, columbus, ohio, cleveland, ohio, buffalo, new york, those jobs have left. will they ever come back? >> 7000 new manufacturing jobs being created as ford's plan. i think it's completely possible. when you think about american innovation and we look at our history. after the great depression, we got people back to work. we put a man on the moon. we provide the american car

automotive industry. we are capable of great things. manufacturing, health care, transportation, every sector has jobs proposals. we need to put our minds and money to it. host: did between 1989 and how long have you been there? guest: 33 years. >> 78% to 80% of political donations going to democrats and 2% to republicans. $35 million altogether from 1989 to 2011. breakdown the numbers. guest: we are proud that 300,000 of our members give $5 per month out of their paychecks in order to have a say in our democracy. and so, we think what we need to do is have strength at the bargaining table with our employers. we also have to have strength in

the political process to restore some equity in this country. because things are incredibly out of whack when wells fargo can post record profits, get a tax refund, and lay off workers. something is out of balance. working people need a strong voice in our government to get things back into balance and to get back to where. host: is it safe to say the disparity between democrats and republicans. guest: 32% of our members are registered republicans. frankly, what are members care about our issues. we want jobs. we want a fair immigration policy. we want to retire with dignity and we need quality at affordable healthcare for all. the basic american values. so that working people can expect to raise a family and have our children do better than we did. host: finish this sentence. the state of the u.s. economy

today is -- guest: worse than it's been in a generation. host: what does that tell you about democrats in the obama administration? guest: the democrats in the administration took an economy that was on the brink of disaster when wall street had collapsed three months before he took office. he destabilize the economy. we have to think about stopping the blame game between democrats and republicans and between the president and congress and we need solutions to get people back to work. host: part of that solution is happening now with the vice president sitting down with congressional members to figure out the budget. can both parties work out an agreement to raise the debt limit? and figure out setting priorities in spending cuts? guest: i hope so. what i am talking about, people getting to the table, we need

the private sector at the table. we need the federal government, state government, city government, and working people? speaking about how we can restore fairness to this economy. it is not simply about getting the economy going again. we have terrible inequities in this economy when 30% of the national income that has been denigrated is consequent -- concentrated in the top 1% of our economy. that is not staring the responsibility and prosperity for getting our economy going again. that terrible inequality has to get addressed. host: how do you gauge your support for the president and democrats in 2012? is a strong and solid, is it causes, is it cold? guest: we think we have to back its president in order to get america back to work. if we want to hold all elected officials accountable to making sure that working people get a fair shake. host: is that strong or lukewarm? guest: i think that i will be

in conversation with our over 2 million members and volunteering to participate in the political process, because we think we have to demonstrate, to all elected officials that jobs needs to be the top priority for our nation. the head of the afl- cio wants to put a limit on campaign contributions. guest: it should not stay as a conversation about obama, the democrats, the republicans. this has to be a conversation on how car into our country shares responsibility for creating jobs. i think that we should be trying to imagine more ways like ford has done to create 70,000 jobs. as part of the health-care union inside seiu, i need to be

a conversation with afl-cio on isn't there a way for the private sector to create jobs and what do we need government to do to incentivize doing it on a scale? our broadband system needs to be refurbished. we want to bid to compete globally. ceo's whathe top 200 they think we should be investing in and then do private public dollar matches and get this country going again. we are capable of the unimaginable in the u.s. that is what is so great about our country. in this moment we have lost that spirit. host: the relationship between organized labor and management has been often one of butting heads. we have not seen many strikes in recent years. is that a result of the state of the u.s. economy or better relations between labor and management? 0 guest: its one part of our history. inside seiu, much more the majority of our industry is

labor-management partnerships. that helps us cut costs and improve quality and we can make sure people are care for in the safest way possible? in hospitals and nursing homes. i think what we need to do is create more labor-management partnerships. uaw has it whips ford. the teamsters have it with ups. those types of partnerships are really important for getting america back to work. >> mary kay henry is the president of the service employees international union. phone lines are open. the numbers to call us: 202-624- 1115 for republicans, 624-1111 for democrats; 624-0760 for independents. and the consensus an e-mail o -- and you can send us an e-mail or a tweet.

bob is on the republican line. caller: i travel a lot. i have seen some union members beat up a black fellow at a rally for the tea party. i've seen what is going on in wisconsin. you people are really despicable. is this how unions are suppose to act? i have been in the union's 40 years. seeing you people do this is despicable. there's a proper way to protest. host: where has that taken place? caller: where ever i go. hotels or anywhere. i go to pennsylvania, ohio, and west virginia. people see this. you are caught in the backlash -- you are causing a backlash, or destruction in this country. right now the people being laid off are people that had

seniority. it's getting down to them. they're getting angry. guest: i think you are correct to be and frustrated about the terrible economic times in this country. i don't think that our union has participated in any protesting that has not been peaceful and nonviolent. and i agree that what we need to be doing is focusing a conversation on how do we make sure that when people go to work for a living that they can raise a family, own a house, and retire with dignity. we need to restore our sense as a country that people can get rewarded for the work they do. host: how you respond to the sentiment that unions have driven entire industries offshore and ruin the entire economy is -- guest: i completely reject that view of unions. i think that is a picture that has been painted on us. i think we have a responsibility for making it crystal clear that what we do in this economy is

raise wages. and that we're facing the greatest income inequality in our generation at this moment in time, and we need order to be able to have a voice at the bargaining table? in order to get a fair shake. host: service employees international union has how many members? guest: to appoint two members -- 2.2 million members. they are about $11 an hour on average. many of them don't have benefits. some earn between $50,000.70000 dollars per year. the dues range from $20 per month up to $100 per month host. host: you are on the line. caller: the man that just called, he knows nothing about

what is going on about people really getting laid off. i got laid off. i worked for a holy cross' children services eight years. i was not in a laptop tier. i was a crook. -- i was not in the top tier. we needed a union because that would have helped us keep our jobs. i am all for the union. we need to talk to the little people and not the high class ones. i am for the union. i hope to keep the unions. we need to get rid of democrats, republicans in the house of representatives because they are talking about less government. that is a government we do not need. thank you. guest: thanks for your comments. i think your experience with being laid off is something that we need to address as a country,

because it is not right that it has happened to you at toll across while horizon is making $24 billion in profits, not paying any taxes and laying off 20% of its workforce -- verizon. guest: now, john from michigan. good morning on the democrat line. caller: it boggles my mind to hear republican callers saying that unions are bad and that the union guys are causing a problem. it is clearly not the rich, andrful eo's and-- ceo's bankers refusing to put the country back to work. re are in three wars and thei are no taxes to pay for the

course. you are asking the rich to pay a few more dollars in taxes to support the war and bring the country back to work. the only answer the republicans can give us is no. that is ridiculous. anyone who thinks that it's ok, you must be out of your mind. another problem we are having with obama, his first two years when he had control of the house and congress, he should put his policies in place then. now he is fighting and begging republicans now and it's a mistake. he should've done by george bush did when he came in office. george bush, i give him credit on that. he did what he thought was right and the backlash later. host: thanks for the call, john.

james says, does the brother know the reason the unions or from the beginning? guest: i think the michigan brothers spoke to the inequality that we are talking about, in the upside-down conversation we are having in this country. i agree that if we need to look historically it to unions formed in a time that was not unlike the moment we are currently experiencing the in our economy, where millions of people are out of work and cannot find jobs. 5 million people have lost their homes to foreclosure and the greatest income inequality that we have seen since the great depression. we don't have a problem of not enough money in our country. we just have a problem with how the money is being invested. that is the question i think we need to call on ourselves. host: $0.4 billion in dues. gary says --

guest: we do not control all of our pension funds, because a lot of our members are in public pension funds. what we tried to do is work with public pension fund investments to make sure that they are concentrating on infrastructure investments to get people back to work. dues money is used to represent the people we currently bargain wickes, members currently in collective bargaining, and to outreach to more non-union workers so they can have a voice on the job. host: you have been on the job with seiu since 1989. tampa been strikes since then? guest: yes, two% of all the collective bargaining that has occurred in the last 30 years has resulted in strikes. host: what are the lessons? guest: the ones i have been directly involved with, what are member leaders would say is it was a way for them to advocate for their paychecks.

we made major breakthroughs in making sure there were enough stamps on hospitals. -- advocates for their patients. people don't like striking because they don't like the destruction in their family or in the service. so i think there are some ways in which strikes have resulted in labor-management partnerships are now ways in which people can really participate in reducing employer cost. host: a lot of people weighing in on our twitter page. guest: i think in this moment, steve, warfare has been declared on working people. the unions are not declaring this war. there is a set of corporations in the u.s. that has made a decision not to reinvest their profits and are making record

profits and cutting down on jobs. that is a set of decisions that we think we need to challenge. host: our guest is the president of the service employees international union. it linked to their web site is available to our web site at c- span.org. what is the mission statement of your union? guest: that we are committed to improving the lives of working people and ensuring a just and humane society. host: brine is joining us from michigan. republican line with mary kay henry. go ahead. caller: thank you. i am a republican, but i do support you. i have been union and non-union. now i own my own business. i would like to see the free trade and nafta agreements being brought out into the open. i've never understood why they

are not. i'm old enough to realize where we are headed as a country is actually back to 1960 and wage levels. i think corporations would love that. but i would also like to speak about the influence of television and media and the advertising dollar, whether it is the big three or the other corporations, the influence of that dollar is the word that gets out. i would appreciate if you would think more along those lines. america needs you to wake up. unless you want to start making $2.50 and think you can get by, this is the way we are headed. i support you and i wish you luck. guest: thank you. you have made a point, that real wages in the u.s. economy have not risen since 1974. that's because of rising health-

care costs and because of rising cost of living and because workers having a say through collective bargaining has been decreasing. those two things, we think, do make me believe that the collar's idea that we could be headed to $2.50 per hour jobs is not far off, because the wages are getting more and more depressed in the u.s. economy and we have to think about how to create good jobs that people can support their families on, so that we can begin to consume host: again that the subject of this e-mail. tony says -- how do you respond to that sentiment? guest: about the founding fathers in this country, i think about them. i believe the country was founded on the notion of freedom and equality for all.

and so, i think that both things are possible at the same time. host: and on the other side -- guest: i pitted its unions, government, employers, and working people working together to make sure we can steer the prosperity being generated -- i think it is unions. host: and we have a caller. caller: i want to ask a question. who is the biggest donor of seiu? guest: we have 300,000 individual members that donates $5 to $7 per month out of their paycheck. it is a collection of

individuals working people that unite together to have a strong voice in our government. host: do you have outside donors or contributors? guest: we do not. host: san antonio, texas, democrat line, gigi. caller: good morning. i have worked on both sides of the street, for union and non- union. i am 68 years old. when unions, into a place of business they slowly but surely choke the business out of business. you charge $25 a month for d ues and anything else you can get. it is not fair to the american people. all you do is take and not give. as soon as you get in, you promise and you promise. there's nothing that you do except for take the business and

choke it until it has to close its doors. that is the way i see it. we have a president that is all show and no substance. host: as a democrat, will you support president obama for reelection? caller: absolutely not. host: will you vote for the republican nominee regardless? caller: i have no idea who is running. we have about 18 that have thrown their hats into the ring. it is too early to know what is going on until we, the american people, can see and hear what the republicans after sec. host: who did you vote for in 2008? caller: i did not vote for barack obama guest: i completely respect that you have an experience that is different from thousands of people that i know where unions have been a part of helping businesses

expand. there have been many health-care employers that we have worked with or securities firms we have worked with where we have been able to expand the business. i am sorry that you had that experience. but what i know about this country is that behalf to figure out how employers that are generating record profits and individual ceo's that are taking home record bonuses have some responsibility for dealing with the terrible economic inequality in this country. and so, that is what i think all working people should be joining hands together to think about how to make happen with our government and with corporate america. host: two questions from brian -- guest: we are against right to

work because it weakens the working people's voices on the collective bargaining table and in the political process to our democracy. every working person has a choice whether or not to join a union when it is formed in the workplace. so, yes, i agree people should have a choice of whether or not to join. host: are they required to be a member after it is formed? guest: it strengthens the collective bargaining agreement and to reap the benefits made by the original union members. yes, everybody is required to participate. host: outside new york city, republican line. caller: how are you? good morning, america. steve, i hear that you will be at president roosevelt's house at a book reading festival. host: i will not, but c-span will be there, hyde park, live on c-span 2 and you can check it

booktv.org.k caller: state employees in new york, 9000 of them, about to lose their jobs. we had $17 million in stimulus package to save president roosevelt's house. you guys at c-span 2 can find that story on the internet and there are multiple story lines to follow. as to the wage is going down, a guy got a job at roosevelt taus and his pay was $79 per hour or. while your clue is there tomorrow, maybe they would walk the grounds and take a look and do some videotaping and show the rest of america the chinese

money that we got. -- while your crew is there. host: we will be live at hyde park in new york. this year we will be live although it has been taped in the past. the schedule is on line. now, harold from houston, texas. caller: good morning. i have a question for the lady that is with you. it seems like in may of this year, a celebration in california, i believe it was los angeles, the communist party came out and have the support of this union. i would like to know her comments on that because she is about in the same thing, the distribution of wealth and redistribution and that sort of thing. i want to hear what she has to say on their support of the communist party. guest: we have 250,000 hard

working members in the city of los angeles. i have not heard that story from them. what we are really committed to doing in the city of los angeles is making sure that the most devastated communities in south central where the unemployment rate is 50% and when about half of the residents of l.a. don't have access to health care, those are the kinds of issues that are members in l.a. are struggling to try to address. host: and a statement from our twitter page -- guest: hmm. host: no response. now to market in new york. caller: good morning. thanks for taking my call. i had 15 years in the local seiu.

i've got notices i may have lost that pension in the bernard madoff scandal. i was wondering if the status of that retirement pension and were any of the hedge fund managers fired for a lack of due diligence on that? guest: i don't know the specific information. if you want to contact us on our web site at seiu.org i would be happy to make sure you get an answer. host: there's a comment from susan about the federal reserve. guest: i just think those questions do not address the fundamental problem that we have with wage increases in this country. i think we have a situation where more and more corporations are making a decision to force wage cuts when they are making record profits. what we are trying to have a

conversation about is employers that make decisions to take advantage of workers economic insecurity in these times and trying to force wage cuts or layoffs when they are making record profits and ceo's are taking home record bonuses. i know of three cases inside our own union where that has happened in the last six months. that is the kind of conversation we think we are responsible for paying attention. not the policies of the federal reserve, which matter for everyone, but as the labor union president, i am not an expert on that. what i am an expert on its collective bargaining and how that can be used to raise wages. host: when the employer is the state or local government, we continue to hear what's happening in ohio and wisconsin and other states, huge budget shortfalls in california. when states are dealing with that and you have union members working for seiu other states

that are losing money or don't have enough money to pay wages, what are the solutions? guest: we would love for mni bank in wisconsin who has not paid a dime in taxes to pay some taxes in wisconsin and helped get wisconsin back to work. we would like the ceo of the bank to consider not taken a 12 million-dollar bonus at a time when the bank has not repaid its tarp money. over you like the bank to consider not selling to a canadian owner. there's lots of different choices that are made by corporations that are not paying taxes to either the state government or the federal government where we can help restore some balance to both state and federal government and incredibly vital services that working people, elders, and the most honorable in our society need. if i think this country wants to be about the common good. i think it has to be about restoring some sense of fairness across the economic

spectrum. host: as you look ahead in the political landscape in 2012, the democrats trying to regain control, senate facing 23 democratic incumbents or those seats up for election which could give the republicans control of the senate, and the president's own reelection effort, what do you see? guest: what happens in the political process is one part of a comprehensive solution. we need to make sure argument response to working people to get them back to work. we need to make sure the private sector gets to the table and helps reinvest in our country. we need to make sure working people have the right to a voice at work and in our democracy. host: mary kay henry is the president of the service employees international union in washington d.c. thanks for being with us. guest: thank you, steve. host: matt kibbe of freedomworks will join us in a couple minutes to talk about the republicans and the state of the 2012 campaign not only for president

but for the house and senate and later a conversation with the ceo of amtrak's. it's friday morning, june 17. "washington journal" continues in a moment. pin number >> this weekend, from hyde park, new york, the roosevelt reading festival with authors on fdr's presidency. and former new york times science writer on his latest, a history of information, on the development of -- from the development of alphabets to the next information age. and author thomas woods. sign up for "book tv alerts.

the supreme court is now available as a standard and enhanced electronic book and tells the story of the courts through the eyes of the justices. 11 and original c-span interviews with current and retired justices. this new edition includes an interview with the newest supreme court justice. and add to your experience by watching multimedia clips from all the justices. "the supreme court" available now wherever electronic books are sold. >> now available, a complete guide to the procession of the 112th congress. new and returning house and senate members with contact information, including twitter addresses, district maps, and committee assignments, and information on the white house, supreme court justices, and governors. order online. blackberry users, now you can access our program in any time

with the c-span radio app. all commercial-free. you can also listen to our signature interview programs each week. it's all available around the clock wherever you are. you can download the c-cpan radio app. host: we want to talk about the republicans in campaign 2012. matt kibbe is the president and ceo of freedomworks guest: it is a national grass-roots organization that organizes about the principles of lower taxes, less government, and more freedom. we have been very involved with the tea party movement. the republican leadership conference is getting under way in new orleans. we will hear from a number of republicans over the next few days off on the c-span networks. we will not hear from the tim pawlenty or mitt romney or jon

huntsman because of an illness. his wife mary kay will speak on his behalf. mitt romney is not speaking. guest: i think every campaign decides where they want to spend their time. mitt romney has decided to back off in iowa as well. that is a strategic decision on his part. typically the perceived frontrunner avoids those kind of platforms where candidates might raise their own profile and cause trouble for him down the road. host: this second debate that took place this past monday at the college in manchester, new hampshire, with the race taking shape, michelle bachmann is in the race and there is speculation that texas governor rick perry will be getting into the race. guest: i don't think the field is set yet. i think there will be other participants coming in. given the growing decentralization of politics even at the presidential level,

i think it is quite possible for someone to get in the summer or fall this year and it is competitive, because the old incumbency standards of the most money and the most and name ideas are less relevant than eight years ago. host: who could get into the race? guest: i think rick perry might get into the race or the governor from new jersey, chris christie. governor sarah palin is rumored to still be thinking about it. i think it's pretty early. one thing i would say about the debates in new hampshire is generally speaking the republican candidates for president are talking the tea party talk. they are talking the principles of lower taxes and fiscal responsibility, of getting government out of certain aspects of rye lives. that's a big victory for the department. now we are going to parcel out the candidates actually hold up to those principles -- to parse

how the candidates hold up to those principles. host: democrats calling at a mitt romney joke. he was in florida yesterday meeting with a group of unemployed floridians. guest: democrats are trying to change the subject. unemployment is president obama 's responsibility. that is their biggest achilles' heel going into this election. so obviously they will look for ways to change the subject. host: can and he win the republican nomination, the former massachusetts governor? guest: his biggest problem is his history on healthcare, and particularly the individual mandate as governor of massachusetts. this has become a defining issue

for tea party voters, who are the swing in the republican nomination. he just likes an unwanted endorsement from al gore the other day for his comments in favor of man-made global warming. so i think he has problems. i looked at him a little bit like charlie christie in the last cycle. he has the name i.d. and the money, but i don't think he will connect with some people. host: the former 1-term governor of utah, jon huntsman, what are his chances? guest: i don't think -- i have said this publicly, i don't think his candidacy has gotten serious yet. he presents the republican politics of the past. he was very enthusiastic about

president obama's stimulus spending program. what i would call an old- fashioned tax-and-spend republican. he will have a tough time. host: representative michelle bachmann, officially entered the race this past monday. what are her chances? guest: she really stood out in the debate as someone who was willing to stick up for something and talk not just in criticism of obama. she will have to show that she knows how to organize a national campaign effort, because it is not just enough to believe the right thing. you actually have to win the primary states, which is about building a campaign theme that can run a machine. host: former governor tim pawlenty? guest: everybody thinks he missed an opportunity to challenge governor mitt romney on health care, which he called the other day obamneycare.

he is still in the race and has the potential to be the anti- mitt romney guy. we will maybe see something this weekend in whether or not he can do more. host: what does rick perry bring to the race if he decides to run? guest: he brings a remarkable record of economic prosperity and limited, restrained government in the state of texas. he is an interesting candidate, and he can come to this big field and offer something that someone like mitt romney can not. host: sounds like you are leaning towards rick perry at the moment. guest: we are not leaning toward anybody. we have tried to apply the same standards to all of the republican field. if we're using the contract from america, which is the tea party manifesto, the issues that all of us agree on. we are trying to objectively

measure all the candidates based on this. they all have proving to do. i'm looking forward to a full- coated debate not just in new hampshire, but i think you'll see this debate carried out all the way through super tuesday in a lot of states. -- a full-throated debate. host: ronald reagan talked about the big 10 in 1980's. some say republicans need to win. inst: the new big tenmt american politics is the tea party tent. government should live within its means, we should not spend money we don't have, we should not bail out irresponsible actors, whether they be the banks, homeowners, or foreign countries. these are the very center of issues in american politics. host: if you look at what

happened in new york -- you're saying the message for 2010, there was a third-party candidate running on a tea party platform, the attorney to be a different message in 2012? guest: no, i don't think so. you had a tea party candidate in new york. he probably did not have that big an impact at the end of the day. you had a timid republican that would not defend her own position on the need for medicare reform. if you abandon the plainfield to your opponent, the democrats are going to the final position perhaps in a way that is not honest. -- if you abandon the playing field to your opponent. she should have responded and she did not. host: matt kibbe is our guest,

of freedomworks. a link to their website is on our web site. bob is joining us from new york caller: city good morning. -- caller: good morning. i have had a hard time getting on the air. i am seeing this guy over and over. is he a close friend or so see it? host: he is neither. he is the president and ceo of freedomworks. we invited him to talk about the republican party as we invite the other guests. guest: i think this is my third time ever. i love c-span. i can understand your frustration with seeing my face or early in the morning, but this is the only one i have. caller: i like your look, but

not the sideburns. cap.ou need is a robert cubber host: now to tampa, florida. caller: i have been calling twice a year to talk about how serious is that we get our tax system straightened out. people talk about it. talk about simplifying it appeared the more they talk about simplifying it, the worse the tax code gets. i don't believe either party is going to solve anything except all the bickering between conservatives and liberals. you cannot do it because of the tax code. we have billions and billions of dollars off shore in the cayman islands and all that stuff because of the tax code. can you imagine bringing that money onshore today? we need that desperately instead

of pouring money from china. but were not allowed to talk about that. we will simplify it. it is just not going to work. i will probably be calling in -- i'm 66 -- i will probably be calling in when i'm 76 if the country is still around. it will not be solved until we get rid of this tax code. if there are plans darren that will take care of this government -- there are plans that will take care of this government. i know a lot of folks in the tea party. they look at across side when you talk to them and say that they will never do that. this has been going on --i read a book about the eisenhower administration tried to simplify the tax code and it was 205 pages. now we have thousands of pages. i don't care what the tea party does or what seiu does until you

talk about getting rid of the tax code and moved to a better system. i have a speech that was written by will rogers in the 30's, one of the last speeches he gave. he said eventually the tax code of the u.s. would turn our nation into a nation of liars and cheats and a nation of liars and cheats cannot survive. guest: i agree 100%. we have always said we would get a fundamental tax reform. if we looked at the politics of the department and what we have been able to do, one of the top things in the contract for america is replacing the tax code with a simple low, fair and honest tax system. we are not going to get that until america beats washington. we are flying this thing standard. we have to get rid of the favors and get rid of the politics or otherwise we will not compete or

return to the prosperity and that americans expect. host: one of our twitter follower is is asking about ron paul. guest: if you look at what ron paul has done in the last cycle and this cycle, he has already won in a lot of ways because of the issues he brought to the table, they are now the consensus issues in the republican field. i think that is his goal. i have never heard ron paul say that he wants to win the race. he wants to define the issues in the race. i don't feel that he has been washed allies. there are lot of people on the stage now that talk like he does. -- i don't feel that he has been marginalized. host: now a call from tennessee. caller: i just finished reading a book about the nixon administration called "the final days." brian lamb, was than him?

host: yes, he worked in the nixon white house during that administration. and then his ideas along with others created the cable network. caller: makes sense. also, is this man's syntax tied in with grover norquist? grover norquist was part of jack of' thing.'s i don't understand why everybody is getting so excited about the tea party. they are severe right-wing. it would be like someone in the democrats talking some crazy tea party thing and call it on the left. 1972 on june 17 is when it

happened. caller: i just finished reading a book about nixon. host: that was the day of the break-in. june 17, 1972. caller: i'm sorry. i always celebrate june 16 because my husband came back from vietnam on that host: day thanks for the call. guest: freedomworks is a separate organization from grover norquist. in terms of whether or not the tea party is an extreme right- wing thing, i would invite you to come out to the tea party events in your community and discover that you will meet people from all walks of life who are bound on common-sense values that the government should not spend money it does not have and that it's getting too involved in people's lives. these are not right-wing ideas. we have been tough on republicans that have violated those principles. this is the very center of american politics.

more and more independence who votes based on policy and not partisan politics are joining the tea party cause and holding both political parties accountable. host: andy from mesa, arizona. caller: good morning. i have been following freedomworks for awhile. i am a democrat and a christian and an army veteran. it seems to me like freedomworks was founded by dick armey kind of, who was one of the more morally bankrupt politicians to come out of the u.s. house of representatives, after he pushed through the pharmaceutical laws only to quit his job the next year and take $2 million lobbying position. i'm looking at your board directors and it's pretty obvious to me that you are just another organization that is out there to take money from the super wealthy and push the agenda.

as far as your economic tax policies go, it has been proven that trickle-down economics does not work. i really wish that you would present some facts to back up your idea that somehow trickle- down economics is the way to go. guest: in summary, you are not a fan. you are confusing dick armey with billy tauzin. we were founded in 1984 out of the economics department at george mason university. dick armey joined us in 2003. i would argue we have been very consistently advocating the same principles from day one. these are not -- it is not about 12 the donors or corporations. we have been highly critical of crony capitalism, when companies like ge team up with big government and big business. you get things like the obama

health care mandate, which was written by the insurance industry and the pharmaceutical industry specifically because they would love the idea of yournment- mandating that purchase their product. it's inconsistent with free- market principles and free enterprise and is inconsistent with the values of the tea party movement that wants to see individual responsibility, not crony capitalism. host: one of our viewers is asking about newt gingrich. guest: we all know that newt gingrich's campaign imploded on the day that he decided to call one of the standard bearers of the new republican principles stand on spending, paul ryan, called him a radical or social engineering. host: not him, but his policies. guest: i think he is running because it is what he always

wanted to do. i don't think he is competitive at this point. host: patty on the republican line. caller: c-span has the seiu on and then you have mr. kitty, but it's not enough. you had a democrat collar criticizing seiu and you challenged her on whether or not she was a democrat. this happens to us republicans every day. i would estimate between seven times and 10 times with phony democrats calling on our independent line or republican line and if you don't challenge them. i'm glad you challenged her. host: what struck me is she said she was not supporting the president in 2012. so you have someone from organized labor and hearing from democrats disillusioned with the president, so i was curious where she was coming from. i was not challenging her, but i was getting more information on why she wasn't supporting the president next year as a democrat.

caller: it is interesting. i think you would find it interesting when democrats call in on every republican leader. host: i do that. i absolutely do. caller: the seiu, it is amazing you were not aware that. before obamacare got shut down, at tea party is either in the fall or summer of last year before obamacare got past, seiu sent a bunch of thugs to tea party and there was an older black man that they were beating up and it was on tape. you guys don't know these types of things when you have a guest on to ask them about it. the tape was all over. it tells me where you guys slant. maybe you should read something besides the new york times and

watch something besides nbc. looks like you have a very liberal, very socialist slant like seiu and then you have one of my favorites, matt kibbe. host: so we are doing something right. caller: you are. but when the democrats call on the republican line, a challenge them. host: we do our best. it is not a perfect form, but we try to make this a place that facilitates your calls and conversations. hopefully, if you do your part and call on the right time and be honest with us, we will have of civil and interesting and thoughtful discussions. thank you, patty. guest: one of the mythologies of the tea party movement is somehow we are in any way uncivil or not a constructive part of the political debate. what i believe is that the idea

that people show up and participate in the democracy and its voice their opinions based on the very best traditions of american politics, i think it could not be a more positive thing for the process. and a way to take up the special interest in town. whether it be the tea party, there are lobbyists outside line -- lined up outside the ways and means, having a political discourse is the way to go. host: saratoga, new york. caller: good morning. let me make this comment first. they get on you about this democrat/republican thing. i am an independent. my big thing with all this is like the last lady, who cares? we need good ideas, i don't care if it's a republican or democrat. this republicans last democrat

thing is getting us in trouble. we need good ideas based on common sense if not on whether who is a republican or democrat. as an independent, i have to say that i kind of think mitt romney is a shoe in for the republican party just by the way -- i am 48 years old and they have their guy intrenched years ahead. mccain was going to get the last time and george bush was going to get at the time before. his father and bob dole. it is already worked out. they can try all they want, but it's going to be mitt romney. my real thing is we need 3 or four party is out there. if the tea party would do themself a great benefit by getting an independent party going, because the republicans are just going to let them down like a letdown everybody else. i think everyone is stuck on these party politics and we are getting nothing out here.

host: is there someone you would vote for on a third-party if you are not going to vote for the republican nominee for the president? guest: i like ron paul and dennis kucinich. if you want to hear the truth of what we need to do to get out of the press, he was on yesterday. ron paul was on a week or two ago. they're the only two telling you how to save money and get us out of this mess. it is going to the same old, same old. we're going to get mitt romney and barack obama. that is going to be your choice when you vote. host: recovering the republicans speaking at the republican leadership congress -- conference. we will also be hearing it on c- span radio. how do you respond to that?

guest: i agree the two parties are too entrenched and that the republicans always tend to choose the next guy in line. we joke about how bob dole said it was his turn, his only argument for getting the republican nomination. there is a decentralization in politics. there is the democratization of the process that is undermining the tea party grip on the debate. does that mean there's going to be a third party? -- two-party. on the debate. does that mean there's going to be third party? we have called for a hostile takeover of the republican party. that does not mean we will fight them on everything. it is just that we need to replace an empty political tussle with something that matters to voters. host: c.j. is asking why they

are afraid to say that obama received more money than mccain from corporations. guest: it is the big corporations and big businesses, particularly wall street, that got behind the democrats in the last cycle. there is a trend towards crony capitalism. companies, banks, and businesses come to washington looking for a favor, regulation, a mandate the benefits your company at the expense of someone else. it is a poisonous trend in politics. we need to get big business out of the process of writing legislation. host: let me make a correction. 117 is another cable network. we are on channel 119.

with that correction, let me go to another tweet. they say they dread a romney- obama 2012 ticket. guest: the challenge for republicans if they choose someone like mitt romney is not freedomworks. it is going to be the problem of energizing the activists and workers that drive campaigns, particularly circa 2012 for the tea party. they work based on principles. they will not fall in line with a republican simply because he is a nominee. he will have to convince them that he means what he says and stands for what they believe in. i think it is a fundamental problem if the republicans and tea partyers cannot agree on the candidate that is acceptable to

all of us. host: could there be a third- party candidate? with the tea party support that? would you personally want to see that happen? guest: i do not think a third party is a good strategy. everyone watching is going to make their own decision on that question. it is a real risk to see a splinter candidate if the republicans cannot nominate someone acceptable to all of the tea partyers. host: go ahead, on the democrats' line. caller: i am a new york resident. i am down in florida now. with regards to the election in new york, i disagree with mr. kibbe. you seem to make justification'' when democrats win. the same holds true when

republicans win. with new york, i think it was a choice that new york made. they were not happy with anything being advertised on the republican side. the reason gov. christie lost in florida is because of the other candidate. the argument is not hold water. dick armey was a lobbyist and politician. he is not really for the people. i never saw any of your tea party followers support any conservative democrats. it was all french republicans -- fringe republicans. the american people on the airways. i am not talking about public financing. we own the airwaves. what is your idea of giving

several hours to the major candidates? i have nothing to do with freedom of speech and money. the americans own the airwaves. i think the government should make a law that any rival candidate has to be given several hours. the networks make money off the airwaves, but they are owned by the american people. guest: i think the decentralization of media and getting information from thousands of competing sources has completely undermined the monopoly of the three networks used to have in the public conversation. we no longer need dan rather or "the new york times" to tell us what to think. the idea of mandating that all networks give canada a certain amount of time, i do not think that makes sense, particularly in 2012 when the world is so

decentralized. to go back to your earlier question, the reason marco rubio versus charlie crist, the reason he won his because he ran a grass-roots campaign based on a set of principles that matter to the people of florida. he did not need network tv to build the campaign. he needed hard work and a platform that matters. that is how candidates win in 2012. host: let's talk about the house and senate. the democrats try to figure out a way to retake the house. redistricting will be a factor in 2012. whether you are looking at in terms of the political landscape? the what are you looking at in terms of the political landscape? guest: our priority is going to be defend these young freshmen who won in difficult districts

based on an agenda of lower taxes. those are our first battlegrounds. i think this will be an opportunity for the right kind of republicans to pick up seats. the democrats have to say they will take back the house. that is their job to try to do that. i think it will be tough for them. we need republicans willing to stand up and defend the principles, including the tyan ryan plan. they need to go to the town hall meetings to persuade skeptical voters. taking back the seizes the top priority for freedomworks. 2010 was a difficult electoral map for senate republicans. conventional wisdom said we might pick up one seat. because of the tea party, we picked up six.

2012 is the opposite. we're looking at places like florida, pennsylvania, ohio, wisconsin. those are places where we think republicans that stand for limited government can win. host: the next call is howie from philadelphia on the republican line. caller: thank you for taking my call. also want to thank the governor of washington. i want to thank senator scott brown for helping out burns. i know about governor dewey's 1950 speech. hutchison and stevens lost their races in 2010. the facts need to come out for

liberty and freedom. will republicans can always smell a jimmy carter. he still failed america. the communists are targeting newt gingrich and mitt romney. the communists, slave masters, and masters of the universe will not support ron paul. i support paul ryan's plan. host: you can check out our new page for politics. did you want to respond? guest: what is most interesting about some of the republicans you mentioned is the richness of the republican field and how many ideas are coming out of the republican party. i think it is vibrant. there is an opportunity to bring

some real solutions to the table that have not been allowed under the old two-party monopoly. host: which tea party candidate is capable of debating ralph nader for one hour on c-span questio? guest: there are so many. alan west, rand paul, scott paul. any of them would do a great job. marco rubio. i am not even sure that ralph nader would accept the challenge. host: we're taking listener calls. russ joins us from connecticut. caller: a want to talk about one idea. that is deregulation. it gave us aig, bear stearns.

do you really love bernie madoff and what he did that much? enron and how it collapsed. derivatives started in the late 1990's. democratic congressmen stood up and said they looked tricky and maybe we should take a look at them. the chairman of the fed, greenspan came back to the senate and said it was a chance of capitalism to show what it could really do. look at where it led us. these of the fruits of deregulation. it can take years before the american public finally realizes what happened because

of deregulation. host: thank you for the call. we will get a response. guest: i disagree with you. i think the two fundamental causes of the house in bubble in 2008 was the federal reserve policy pumping too much money and credit into the economy. it was correcting relative prices and suggesting to banks and homeowners that money was cheaper than it actually was. the second problem was crony capitalism and companies like aig and countrywide. there was an implicit guarantee that if you made a bad bet, the federal government would bail you out. we've doubled down on that with president obama's financial reform bill. the federal government now has this unhealthy relationship with companies like a edgy that should not exist anymore except that the government bailed them out.

moneylet's look of the freedomworks has raised over the last couple of years. in 2010, nearly $14 million. where did the money come from? guest: it is probably reflective of the growing power of the internet. we now have over 40,000 donors. almost all of them are individuals. half of them come from our online community. the all share our same values. i think there is an opportunity to really connect like president obama did in the 2008 primary with citizens all over the country that will fund something based on principle. host: what is your assessment of the republican leadership? guest: i think in the house and senate i have seen great movement in the right direction from john boehner and mitch mcconnell. the energy in the house comes

from this master class of tea partyers. there 65 freshmen united. they are high-quality legislators. john boehner has been listening to them. i think the real test for him and mitch mcconnell will be over the debt ceiling crisis we are about to have in late august or september. host: orrin hatch of utah is up for reelection next year. he may be facing a primary challenge. will you support him? guest: we think it is time for him to retire. if you look at his record of the last 35 years, there have been too many votes and pieces of legislation he has gotten behind that are anathema to the people of utah that represent the tea party. we're working closely with activists in that state. it is not just for the tarp bailout, gm bailout, but

probably most offensive to two- party values is his support with ted kennedy for a dramatic expansion of government health care in the waning days of the hillary care fight. he literally pulled out of the dustbin of history and recreated the program in terms of kids first. that is the basis for obamacare. this is not have tea party-ers roll. host: gray supports his reelection. guest: i have talked to him about this. he has been with us since 1992. it is a personal relationship boyden has in the first bush warehouse supporting nominees. the great thing about

freedomworks and the board of directors is that we all buy and to the same mission. we have the freedom to take tough stands even when a board member might disagree because of a personal friendship. is based on the principles we have as an organization. host: does the organization support a primary challenge and the defeat of hatch? pac is thedomworks' organization that would specifically get involved in utah. there is not a challenger announced yet. a lot of people are looking at a congressman from utah as a potential challenger to orrin hatch. it would be our pac that would get involved in that election. there's a bright fire wall between the freedomworks foundation that boyden is part of and freedomworks pac.

host: the next call is on the democrats' line. caller: you are part of the tea party. does the tea party and freedomworks stem from fox news? you had a lot of information giving out at the rallies. if not, where does the money come from? for you associated with the koch brothers? are you a radical branch of the republican party? i am glad to see people get involved in the system whether i agree or not. taxes are lower on upper-income than they ever have been. nobody pays the 23% they talk about. there is no such thing as free trade because there is no fair trade. we pay for tariffs and other countries. they pay 2.5% here.

we pay 23% there. i would like to hear what the gentleman has to say about that. thank you very much. guest: the power of the tea party movement does not come from money or fox news. it does not come from the koch brothers. it comes from the power of so many people in a decentralized community that are willing to do the work and make a difference on their own. this is a broader trend fueled by the internet and decentralization of information. we no longer get our news from one place. also, social networking. these trends are global and not just pretend to the power of the tea party. i think the tea party is best suited to take advantage of that. if you are willing to voluntarily associate with millions of people across the country where no one tries to tell each other what to do, there is tremendous power in that just like you get in the market process when left alone

by crony capitalists. host: matt kibbe, thank you very much. we hope you will come back again. coming up, what is next for amtrak? we will discuss rail service in rural parts of the country. will discuss that with the ceo of amtrak as "washington journal" continues on this friday morning. we will be back in just a moment. >> next month on book tv, linda hogan. her latest book is "round in the human corners." join our 3 our conversation with

linda hogan. the c-span network to provide coverage of politics, public affairs, non-fiction books, and american history. it is all available to you on television, on-line, radio, and a social networking sites. you can find our content any time on line in our video library. our local content vehicle is bringing our resources to your community. it is now available in more than 1 million homes. >> c-span has launched a new easy to navigate website for politics and the 2012 presidential race with the latest events from the campaign trail, biography information, twitter feeds, facebook updates, and links to c-span partners in the early caucus states. visit c-span.org/campaign2012.

>> andrew rossi takes an inside look at "the new york times". the eyes of the staff. >> i came into it without a grand idea of what the solutions are for traditional media. i came in with a desire to observe. >> he will talk about his new documentary sunday night. >> "washington journal" continues. host: we want to welcome the president and ceo of amtrak. thank you for being with us. joseph boardman is the president and ceo of amtrak. is it government or private? guest: that has always been a

debatable question since 1971. it is a private corporation. it has a lot of activities with government. people often do not understand what amtrak is. amtrak does know what it has been able to do. we were talking about the fact that there has been a huge transformation in the northeast corridor in the last decade of service. in 2000, we had between new york city and washington 37% of the market was rail. it is now 70%. between boston and new york city in 2000, it was about 20%. it is now little over 54%. there has been a huge change in the way we operate and the number of people focused on rail.

host: let's look at the amount of passengers that use amtrak. up to 29 million passengers annually. 78,000 passengers riding 300 trains per day servicing over 500 destinations in 46 states and three canadian provinces. there are over 21,000 miles of routes. based on all of that, how do you make money? guest: let's go back to the first question. is this private or government? in the northeast, we can cover our operating costs. if you are looking for operating profit, he will find a way to make money. the long-distance trains and the huge number of miles we were talking about, these are all policy questions there is no way to make money on the business model that exists today for us

to provide that. in this nation, a major decision needs to be made. it seems it is a reoccurrence regularly about whether we're going to have mobility and connectivity across the united states. that mobility and connectivity is critical for the rural communities of the united states, especially the flyover states we talk about all the time. there are 125 stations that are almost completely rule out of the 500 stations. without a train operating there, they probably do not have any other way to move except by automobile. if you are elderly and your kids are off on the west coast, he can probably get a neighbor to drive you to an amtrak station to you get to the west coast. they will not drive the to the west coast if there is no longer bus service. bus service is down another 12%.

there is no longer air service. you have an abandonment of the isolated poor in rural areas. some of those are elderly. many who have a disability ride amtrak on the long-distance trains. host: in 2010, amtrak earned about $2.5 billion in revenue. your expenses were $3.7 billion. guest: that is right. that includes all of the capital. if you look at operating expenses come amtrak covers an unheard of amount, 76% of its operating expenses. the best railroad in the united states and beyond is covering its operating expenses. it really is a large portion of

what we receive from the federal government. when anybody talks about $1 billion , it is debt capital and operating systems. host: why not shrink it and focus on areas where you service customers the most? why have a rail service in 46 states? guest: that is a basic question of policy. we have some maps we could show. you really have been in the country if you eliminate the mobility and connectivity. you will negatively affect those pockets of transportation. if you eliminate the long- distance trains, he will only have the main areas. places today it likes virginia and north carolina -- like virginia and north carolina that pay very little because they have so much ridership would

begin to be able not to provide that service. host: when amtrak was formed, the announcement of the secretary of transportation at the state with president nixon. has amtrak fulfilled its mission 46 years later? guest: yes, admirably. we largely still operate the original line. the zephyr goes through denver. the super chief goes into l.a. you have the sunset limited along the border between the united states and mexico. they are similar. there are pieces now they're gone. he still have the city of new orleans. you have something different going from washington, d.c. there is the present --

crescent that connects into new orleans. you still have the lake shore limited. there are a few that are no longer being operated. host: with your number one priority in terms of infrastructure and capital investment? guest: the infrastructure with primarily on is in the northeast corridor. it is from washington to boston. it is not completely owned by amtrak. that is not often understood. we own it. the state of connecticut, new york, and massachusetts also owns significant pieces of the corridor. it is over 100 years old. we have used that investment and wisdom from 100 years ago to the maximum extent to improve. that is why our acela trains

have such speed is because of the infrastructure. there is a need to rebuild that for the future. host: in 2010, it averaged up to 28 million riders. why the increase of up to 6 million? guest: like to think it is because we're doing a great job. we pay attention to safety, customer service. we try to get the job done for the public. there's also an outside effect going on. people are focusing more on rail because of higher fuel prices and the need to improve the environment. host: we had testimony in the senate committee talking about rail security and why so much of the tsa budget goes for airport security and so little for rail terminals. >> we try to be risk-based and intelligence driven in

interestng al qaeda's particularly in aviation and the catastrophic effects we saw from the attempted bombing on christmas day 22009. the toner cartridge devices only cost them about $4,500. we saw the osama bin laden statement about that. we saw the al qaeda statement about the economic impact. that is not to say there is not an economic impact if a train is drilled -- derailed or anything along those lines. we try to recognize exceptional efforts of the amtrak police and the state and local law enforcement and those in the rail industry that have taken measures on their own in terms

of risk mitigation. host: joseph boardman, your response to his testimony? guest: right after the osama bin laden event, we took what we knew then about what had been stated that al qaeda would like to derail a train. we accepted that as an existing challenge that was reemphasized. we see that again today. we're paying attention to it around key dates of july 4, september 11, and so forth. john o'conner is our chief of police and head of security. we begin additional patrols along the northeast corridor infrastructure to make sure we were looking at critical pieces of it. we announced for help from tsa and other security partners along the corridor. it is a difficult thing to

protect thousands of miles of railroad across the united states. it is very different from the aviation side of the world, in terms of the way it is now structured and that the way you are isolated when you are on the airplane up in the air. we have had cases in the history of railroading where people in the past tried to derail trains are piling debris on the tracks and those kinds of things. we step up our efforts. we keep looking at how to protect customers and our employees all along the roads. host: joseph boardman is a graduate of cornell university. what is your background? guest: i was raised on a dairy farm in upstate new york. i went into the service for four years. i served in vietnam in 1968 and

1969. i came back and went to college. i got a degree in agricultural economics. i drove a bus in college. i have been in transportation ever since then, city, county, transit authority, my own private business, new york state, then the federal railroad administrator for george bush, and now the president of amtrak. host: acela is making money. why? guest: people see it as the best way to travel. people are happy with the service. acela is a success. market share and revenue is up. we're covering more than our operating costs. probably 20% more on the quarter with acela. a lot of people are familiar with the older trains that are diesel. in the northeast corridor, this is electric service.

this is the only place there is experience to run high-speed service. we run regularly at 135 miles an hour. we reach 150 miles an hour. the media talks about the ultimate speed of the europeans or asians at 220. the chinese just reduced their speed from to the 17 back to 186, largely for safety reasons. we focus on safety ourselves. we get talked about as an average speed rather than a maximum speed. host: frank is on the phone from pennsylvania. welcome to the conversation. caller: i wondered if there has been an estimate of the amount of co2 that is not going to the air because people are writing and truck rather than driving. amtrak rather

than driving. guest: yes, but i do not know the number. caller: i would like to thank c- span for having the best program on tv. the lady called in earlier and said people were calling in on one party and in the other. i would like to clear it up. i am a registered democrat. i voted for independence, republican, and democrat depending on the person i liked. amtrak to me is a wonderful service for the entire country. i hope they go back to florida and try to get it all of the east coast, given that i am on the east coast. i consider amtrak to be a modern, up-to-date wagon train. it gives people a chance to go across the country or from place to place in a reasonable and a safe environment and for a

reasonable price. i hope everybody starts circling the wagons like the old wagon trains did and get behind this. it is in everybody's interests. they call everything, people, cars, freight, and everything else. we all need to push the wagons in the same direction. host: will stop it there. thank you for the call. guest: we would like to be more up-to-date than we even are today. we have already ordered 17 new electric locomotives for the northeast corridor. we have also ordered one. 30 new single level -- ordered single level pieces for the east coast. we're planning to procure about 40 new coaches for the acela trains to increase the service and capacity. we're running out of capacity.

thank you for your comments. host: eleanor is on the republican line from frisco, texas. caller: i watch c-span every morning. i was curious about the article in "the dallas morning news" about warren buffett buying a real road. it was to carry commodities in the southwest. it did not say anything about passengers. i am curious about that. we're kind of stranded down here as far as railroads are concerned. this used to be a railroad center. it was named for the san francisco something. would you comment? guest: i did not see the article. i am not sure what warren buffett is involved in other than the burlington that is a major carrier of commodities. the burlington northern also carries a large portion of

amtrak passengers. in 1971 when we were set up, we have a right to operate on the freight railroad facilities. we also have to pay them for the incremental costs. the southwest chief is almost all on the burlington northern santa fe. zephyr toor these effo denver. the northern part is largely burlington, no., and santa fe. the rest of the west is largely union pacific. that is how we operate from chicago west to a large extent. host: he does not discuss the subsidize cost per passenger like others. guest: the per passenger subsidy is often raised.

we usually get hit with it for the sunset limited that operates three days a week to the west coast in the southern part of the country. the cost is fairly high for us. when you look at the long- distance trains generally all over the country, you see a subsidy -- this is where the largest part of the operating subsidy, almost all of it from the federal government -- goes. last year was in the neighborhood of $500 million. it is a little bit less or more than that some years. that depends on the revenues we received on the long-distance trains and on the northeast corridor. we're using excess operating revenues in many ways to pay for the cost of providing that connectivity and mobility across the country. one thing i have noticed in the

time i have been here is the media and message is always that somewhere else in the world, we have more efficient or lower cost passenger service. that is not true. every single passenger rail operation in the world requires some sort of a subsidy. it may be off the books like the national health care system. it may be on the books like the franchise fee or payment to the private operators as a bid on what the subsidy should be. but everybody has that subsidy to occur. every aviation operation is subsidized. a lot of people do not understand because it is not talked about and focused on. when you look at the united states department of transportation, when i came here, this was the aha moment

for me. when you look across the table, you have 60,000 people at the united states department of transportation. 50,000 are in the faa. that is dedicated to the aviation industry. that is not even applied to us. that is let alone any tsa or other support. aviation is the way we should trouble if we can from new york to the west coast. we could not possibly be able to do that for the demand there would be there if we did not have the aviation industry. we provide the connections in between four people on the ground and who have no other way to go. that is for an isolated group of people. host: why do passenger trains go

longer have priority over freight trains? guest: they still have priority. that is not true. host: helena, montana. welcome to the conversation. caller: my wife and i are 66 years old. we ride the empire builder from montana to seattle and portland to visit grandchildren. we love the trade. we have noticed in recent years the cleanliness on the train has suffered. the equipment seems to be wearing out. is that a problem? guest: yes, you should be telling us that. we do a customer satisfaction index. we know that is an area that we need to continually work on a day-by-day. the toilet areas are always talked about.

that is a difficult thing to take care of. it's sometimes depends on the last customer of the toilet as to whether you have a room you are happy with or not. we also understand about the wearing out of the equipment. we are rebuilding equipment as we can. when we have funds available, we rebuilt 81 of the coaches and diners for the long-distance trains. that is what you are going to be operating on with the empire builder. the ability for us to get those kinds of pieces of equipment replaced depends on whether congress decides the we're going to receive money to do that. on the northeast corridor, we are in a position where we are trying to self-finance any of the debts we have. the 70 electric locomotives will be debt, but the debt will be

paid for by the passengers along the corridor. no such ability is available for us on the long-distance trains. because we have new specifications and are working with the states, we will be able to add to the fleet and add new equipment. we will be able to rebuild for the future. it is difficult with the inconsistent with amtrak gets funded. host: let's not forget the bailouts that the airlines received after 91/11. with everything on the table in terms of budget cuts, where does that leave intact -- amtrak? guest: that is something we're trying to figure out in terms of the support. we do have strong support on the bill. we're humbled by the support we get on a regular basis.

there are expectations that come with that. we try to meet those. i see us in a holding pattern to maintain services. i do not know that for sure. i do not know exactly what will happen. nobody else does in terms of what people will decide to do. it is difficult when you run a very complex business for it to be decided upon a budget balancing bases on a year-to- year basis. there needs to be an understanding and commitment that rail is here to state and amtrak is here to stay. we have been here 40 years. we're celebrating that right now. i think the men and women of amtrak recent they talk about the privatization.

i have listened to some of the rumors. in the end, it is the people that run the company will be running the company in the future. they know how to run the trains and take care of the signal systems. whether you call it private, public, whatever it is, those are the folks that will be doing it. that is who is going to be doing the work because they know how to do the work. host: on a daily basis between washington and boston, how many trains travel recorder? guest: about 150 with the conventional services and the services we provide on the quarter. some are long distance as well. host: that is number one. what is no. two? guest: when you add in the commuter trains from what you find -- when you add in the

commuter trains, it is the two under 50,000 people every day using the quarter with new jersey transit, long island railroad, metro-north, all of the commuter operations that depend on amtrak in the corridor. back when there was a zeroing out and potential bankruptcy, there was a discussion about what happens to the three and a thousand people that depend on the court every single day to get to work -- 300,000 people that depend on the corridor every single day to get to work. host: you will probably agree with this comment. a viewer says extending and improving the passenger trains should be a high priority. guest: we do absolutely agree with that. we have a new vision we have produced and talked about. it is a 220 mile an hour vision.

it reduces the time travelled. it is important to talk about reducing time travel that is critical for anybody to operate on a train. it is what you plan on when you get in the car in the morning, being able to have your commute done in the same time every day. host: we have a couple of questions from arkansas. is it for business travel? do you allow folks to shift their electric cars along the way? guest: it is for whatever you want to use it for. the more connections along the way, the more opportunities for you to use it. if you are connected when you get to a destination with by the transit systems or other, you can use the amtrak train. auto train is one of our special

operations. it operates from virginia to florida. it is very popular. it is very close to one of the best routes we have. it more than covers its operating costs. host: lee joins us from arkansas for the president and ceo of amtrak as it celebrates its 40th anniversary this past may. caller: good morning. did you mentioned earlier about getting into high-speed rail? guest: high-speed rail is a term that gets thrown around a lot these days. it is not well defined. amtrak has been running what the uic -- we will have a world

congress on high-speed rail next year in the united states that we're helping to sponsor. as defined by them, it is 125 miles an hour. we have been doing that since the metroliner service began at 135 miles an hour. we operate at 150. the real goal for everybody in the world seems to the speed of 220 or beyond. we went out and looked at that any serious way. we can do it. it will take a major investment for that to happen. about the only place we can do it reasonably is the northeast corridor. it has to be electrified. for us, high-speed rail is also 110 miles an hour.

110 is about the maximum highspeed you will get with diesel locomotives. you have to elect a fight after 110. it is the electric locomotives that allow you to go faster than that generally. this of experimentation with diesels to go faster. -- there is some experimentation with diesels to go faster. the michigan line operates between detroit and chicago. that would be a 110-mile quarter operating at what we consider high-speed rail. the united kingdom did not get to that until they bit the 67 rebuilt the -- until they built the connection to the tunnel. host: if you want to get the aaa discounts, you have to do it several days in advance.

why is that? guest: you will have to ask the marketing guys. caller: we taxpayers are tired of hearing about the northeast corridor. they seem to get all of the benefits of the money for the rail system and the rest of us get none. guest: that is not true. caller: i looked into traveling between atlanta and columbus, ohio. it takes three days on amtrak. guest: i understand your point. caller: you have to go to the east coast and up and down the northeast corridor. how about spreading the money around for some of the other locations? guest: let me go back and talk about the operating systems again.

all the operating assistance amtrak has goes to the rural areas and long-distance operations. it goes to the world, long- distance trains that connect the country together. none of it goes to the northeast corridor. what we have on the northeast corridor are capital funds will have to rebuild the hundred year old infrastructure. some of those tunnels are from the civil war. that is not well understood. let me read from the office of the inspector general from 2008. evans was the employee that wrote this. here are some of the conclusions. these were their conclusions looking at the foreign railroads. when all revenues and expenses

were taken into consideration, european passenger train systems operated at a loss and required significant public subsidies. the annual average subsidies are much higher than those for comparable amtrak services. amtrak is a bargain today in terms of what it receives. it covers 76% of its operating costs. every dollar that gets spent, 15 cents of that comes from the federal government. we think that is important for people to understand. that does not include the capital. it does not include the debt service. those are things to think about for the future. when you are someone say it will be cheaper to do it another way, that is not true. host: you were saying that young

people miss out on america's rail heritage. richard sent in this e-mail. he says tried to get from florida to colorado is next to impossible. guest: you have to go through chicago for just about everything. that is the rail hub for the united states. is not just for passengers. it is fourth rate as well. host: phil joins us from seattle, washington. caller: i am one of those people who loves train travel. i used to ride from cleveland to new york city. i wonder why it is not more competitive with the airlines. i would like to know why you only run the auto train along

the east coast instead of from east to west. i would think he would have a lot more passengers. i would like to know why you do not have satellite television in the coach cars. that would also making more competitive. -- making more competitive. guest: we are competitive with the aviation industry in the northeast corridor. we are competitive on the less than 500 mile trips from downtown to downtown. if you are going somewhere else, which often are not competitive in terms of time. we are competitive in many other ways. the auto train is different. it only goes as far north as virginia is because of the height of the bridges and over infrastructure we deal with in the northeast. there is probably not a business model.

i know we evaluated taking it from the midwest and using the concept from other places. i do not believe we evaluated it from the west coast. it is unlikely that you could make money doing something like with an audit the train. we do not quite do it now with the huge ridership we have between the northeast and florida. we have a huge amount of people going back and forth. we get good ridership with it because you can pack your car and then unloaded. as for a satellite tv, we are working on having wi-fi the more widely available. we think that is the technology we will need for the future. host: does it take 1 gallon of

fuel to go 500 miles on amtrak? guest: i do not know. host: this viewer says he hopes florida gets a high-speed rail. guest: that is more of a political decision. it was the governor and the state of florida that made a decision not to go forward with that. we had teamed up with companies from france to be one of the proposalers for the service. that was trying to get the service to go further to miami. there were not enough people to ride it to make it work. the criticism was there would not be enough people between tampa and orlando to have happen. i do not know if there was or was not.