i do not want to turn this around -- we have some bad element that creep into our own country, our -- bad elements that creep into our own country, our homes. the police take care of that. it is not rooted out. it keeps coming back in other places. those seven things are happening on a larger scale in afghanistan, -- same things are happening on a larger scale and the afghanistan, iraq, pakistan -- in afghanistan, iraq, pakistan. depending on the assets you have available, you employ those assets against that threat. host: brigadier-general david reist, retired, now at the potomac institute for policy studies. thank you for being here this morning. that is all for "washington journal." we now go live to iowa, where

minnesota representative michele bachmann will be making her official presidential campaign announcement this morning. she's in her third term, representing mission so that -- representing minnesota's sixth district. she did announce a couple of weeks ago that she would be running. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011]

♪

a beautiful day don't let it get away beautiful day ooh oh oh love me take me that other place teach me case ♪i'm not a hopeless the world in green and blue turning right in front of you

see the bird in the night it was a beautiful day don't let it get away beautiful day ♪ >> once again, we're live in waterloo, iowa where michele bachmann is expected to officially announce her bid for president this morning. this event today taking place in front of snowden house. michele bachmann first announced her intentions to run for president during the republican debate in new hampshire on it june 13. she is the founder and current chair of the house to party caucus. she is serving a third term,

representing minnesota's sixth congressional district. she was the first republican woman to be elected to the u.s. house from minnesota and was first elected in 2006. again, we are awaiting her official announcement for president this morning here in waterloo, iowa. while we wait, remarks from the christian science monitor. she looked at the announced republican candidates for president earlier. we now go it the elephant stampede the lay he is story you have been working on, five reasons the republican race is so unsettled. give us one or two. guest: one reason is that the republican field is very large and the front-runner, who is a very recent front-runner happens to be somebody that is the most energetic part of the party, the conservative tea party wing of the party, isn't happy with so

they are struggling with what to do about there. do you go with the republicans have a history of going with next in line but next in line is mitt romney who is relatively moderate. so, typically the republicans have had a clear frontrunner in february of the year before elections. this time that didn't happen until the end of may, beginning of june. another element is iowa. romney has already signaled he won't play hard in iowa so we may have a situation where iowa isn't as important as it has been in the past. it could end up being more sort of a part of the bracket of the race which is the outsider, more conservative, more tea party friendly part of the party playing out its side of the race and to see who will be battling mitt romney. host: if you look on to the "des moines register" website a new poll shows romney among

republicans 23%, michelle bachmann, who announces tomorrowetomorro tomorrow, at 22%. herman kane is third. the others including former governor tim pawlenty who spent a lot of time in iowa, in single digits. guest: exactly. i was inestranged traoepbtraoe inestranged by the poll and romney has done relatively well. although 23% is not formidable and it may than that is as high as he goes in iowa. i don't know if it means he should rethink thin his strateg. he tried very hard there four years ago and didn't win. mike huckabee won and that created sort of a loser image for romney. who then went to new hampshire and was second in the new hampshire primary. mccain came in fourth in iowa

four years ago. yet he won the nomination. so the iowa caucuses are rarely predictive for the republicans. host: he is indicating he won't anticipate in the straw poll in august. he won it in 2007. based on the poll numbers does that put him in a tough position? guest: i think it might give him pause about that. but i think really the straw poll is an important -- the first bite of the apple in iowa. not predictive since romney didn't win iowa but mike huckabee caught fire and won. but i think that it is smart for romney not to really fight that hard in iowa and then make new his primary contest. and he has to win new hampshire or he is through. host: another candidate who entered last week in new jersey with the statue of liberty as

the backdrop is the bahc piece with jon huntsman. john weaver longtime aid to john mccain has been instrumental in getting huntsman in the race. when he announced he would be ambassador to china he said i won't tell you what i told huntsman but last september and october as ambassador to china he began to give cakeses -- began it give indications he was going to run for president. is this huntsman's bid for the white house? guest: jon huntsman has all the pieces in place to run a credible presidential campaign except one thing, voters. he has a good fund-raising apparatus, top tier advisors including john weaver, a pol

pollster. he is intelligent. he has a foreign policy portfolio that none of the other candidates has. but nobody -- most americans don't know who he is and haven't really heard of him. a lot of people are just tuning in to the race. so there is a lot of excitement maybe inside the beltway thinking that he may have a >> you can see those remarks in their entirety at our website. we're going back now live to waterloo, iowa, for michelle bachmann. issues expected to officially announce her bid for president today. she is being introduced now by jason lewis from ktl.la radio in st. louis. >> -- she looked at me and said, you have never been in my wildest dreams beatable [laughter] but we have a lot in common.

we were both born and raised right here in waterloo. we're both the same age. we're both from iowa. and most importantly, like you, we both think it is time for change in washington, d.c. [cheers and applause] i have got a confession. knowing michelle as i do, going back a number of years, i have to admit, she does have the heart of the liberal. she keeps it in a jar on her desk in washington. [laughter] 7 -- you know, every time she has been up against a tough fight, she has prevailed. she challenged her own party on a number of issues. she has fought and fought for you, the taxpayers. i know there are a lot of proud taxpayers out here, but i bet you'd be just as proud for half the money. this is about the principles of hard-working iowans and fiscal responsibility. that is where she got her values of private property and traditional values from iowa, and that is why she's so glad to

be back in her hometown. this campaign is about limited government. it is about the policy were people in iowa can choose the laws under which they want to live, not in washington, d.c., where the bureaucrats make those rules. indeed, michele bachmann is a constitutional conservative. she represents that new breed of politician who puts principal first. michele bachmann is the original tea party patriot who has been bucking the establishment her entire political life. and i say that is just for the country needs about now, wouldn't you? [applause] now, my friends, you'll be hearing a lot from candidates in the upcoming days. most will be saying all the right things, but the question is -- to do they mean it? well, i know michelle bachmann. i have worked with michele bachmann. michelle bachmann is a friend of mine, and i can tell you michele bachmann means what she says.

[applause] she walks the walk. she talks the talk. whether fighting for students in her hometown of stillwater, fighting spending as a state senator, are standing up to the special interests in washington, d.c., as a member of congress, no one has the record to match their rhetoric like michele bachmann. nobody. so, my friends, this nation is at a tipping point, and is crying out for genuine leadership. that is why i am so proud today to introduce to you my comrade in arms, my congresswomen, my friend, and the next president of the united states, michele bachmann. [cheers and applause] ♪

>> good morning. good morning. is this is so great to be here in iowa this morning, and even better to be here in waterloo where i was born. [applause] i think it is entirely fitting that we are here today act the site that was once the waterloo women's club, so thank you for being here. my name is michele bachmann. i stand here in the midst of many friends and many family members to announce formally my candidacy for president of the united states. [cheers and applause]

i do so, because i am is so profoundly grateful for the blessings that i have received, both from god and from this great country, and not because of the position of this office, but because i am determined that every american deserves these blessings, and that together, once again we can secure the promise of the future for america. because i want to bring of voice, your voice, to the white house, just as i brought your voice to the halls of the united states congress to secure the promise of the future, not only for our generation, but for the generations yet to come. i often say that everything i need to know, i learned in iowa. [applause] i learned those lessons at

hawthorne elementary, at a valley park elementary, and at my home, which is a very short distance from where we're standing today. because this is where my iowa routes were firmly planted. and it is these iowa roots my faith in god that guide me today. i am is descended of generations of violence. and i know what it means to be from iowa. -- i am a descendant of generations of iowans. the values out to make iowa, and my mother called it the breadbasket of the world. and those values are the best of all of us put together, which we must recapture to secure that promise of the future. waterloo was very different five decades ago when i was here. that elementary school building was much younger then, and i have to admit, so was i. five decades ago. five decades ago when i went to

those elementary schools, the halls were literally teeming with young people running up and down the halls, parents who had dreams for their children and for their future, a future with promise, and parents who wanted it filled with even more opportunities than they and my own parents had known. five decades ago, in america, we had less depth than we have today. we had $300 billion or less in debt. a gallon of gasoline was 31 cents, and owning a home was part of the american dream. today, that debt stands at over $14 trillion. i gallon of gas is outrageously expensive. and unfortunately, millions of too many americans know what it is to have a home that is fine for closure. and so those drains our distant for many americans. times have changed here in waterloo, but the people have not.

the people still have the same spirit in waterloo that iowans have always come to exemplify. we work hard. we do not spend more money than what we take in, and we expect to pass on a better life to our children. but the problem is, our government keeps getting bigger, and it makes it tougher for all of us to pass on our values and our lives to our children, and it has cost jobs to go overseas. and they're spending more of our money than we want them to, and that means that we get to keep less. so do not mistake my happy memories of growing up here in waterloo, iowa as pining for the past. i recognize, it is impossible to turn the clock back and go back to a different day. instead, i want this moment to serve as a reminder of the best of who we are as a nation. and of what our values are and what it is to make america great, to recapture the the

promise of the future. i want my candidacy for the presidency of the united states to stand for a moment when we, the people, stand once again for the independence from a government that has gotten too big and spends too much and has taken away too much of our liberties. [cheers and applause] as americans, we have always confronted challenges, and our history is one that has been marked both by struggles as well as by prosperity. my younger days, like so many americans, were difficult, especially during the years of my mother's struggles after a divorce, but we made our own way. we depended on our neighbors. we depended on ourselves. it was not the government that we depended on. because we trust in god, in our neighbors, and not in

government. americans still have that same spirit. [cheers and applause] but government keeps trying to erase that spirit, because government thinks it knows better. government thinks it knows better how to spend our money. government thinks they know how to make a better life for us. they think they create jobs. they even think they can make as healthier. but that is not the case. we have to recapture the founders' vision of a constitutionally conservative government if we are to secure the promise for the future. i am also here because waterloo laid the roots of my own life in politics. i never thought i would be in public life. i grew up in iowa. my grandparents are buried here. i remember how sad i was the day my mother told me we were going to leave ottawa when i was in

the sixth great, because this part of iowa was all i had ever known. i remember telling my mother that we cannot possibly move to minnesota, because we had not even bid to the state capitol in in the morning yet. [laughter] when we lived here, i grew up a democrat. my first involvement in politics was working for jimmy carter's election in 1976. but when i saw the direction that jimmy carter to our country, how big spending his liberal majority group government and weakened our standing in the world, how the decreased our liberties, i became a republican. [cheers and applause] i remember the date distinctly when i stood in the kitchen of my grandmother's home on at lafayette street here in waterloo. i listened to my dad, who was a democrat, talked to my

grandmother, who was a republican, and they were discussing lyndon johnson's great society program. it was my republican grandmother who gave an admonition to my father. she said to him, david, it will not be you who pays for all of these programs for the great society. it will be davy and michele, my older brother and myself, and now my grandmother's prediction has come true. i firmly believe that neither my democrat father, nor my republican grandmother, would have ever condoned the spending and the debt that america is in during today. i had not planned on getting into politics. i loved law. i went to law school. then i went on and became a tax lawyer. together with my husband, we created a successful small business and jobs for people in our area. and when i saw the problems in our local school district and how academic excellence was

being eroded by federal government interference with the local schools, i decided i needed to do more than just complain. i decided that it was one of those i know of values that has been instilled in me, which was to always leave whenever i found as better than when i found it. so i decided to seek public office to make our local school district better. i did not seek public office for power or for fortune, but simply to make life better in our community and our public schools better for our children. and now i seek the presidency, not for vanity, but because america is at a crucial moment. and i believe that we must make a bold choice if we are to secure the promise of our future. because we simply cannot kick the can of our problems down the road. because our problems, quite frankly, are today. our problems are not tomorrow. we cannot continue to rack up debt and put it on the backs of

the next generation. we cannot afford the unconstitutional health care law that will cost us too much and delivered so little. [applause] we cannot afford four more years of failed leadership here at home and abroad. we cannot afford -- [applause] we cannot afford four more years of millions of americans who are out of work and who are not making enough in wages to support a family. we cannot afford four more years of a housing crisis where we continually watched the value of our homes be devalued in front of our eyes, and we literally see it become impossible for people to purchase a home. we cannot afford four more years of a foreign policy with a

president who leads from behind and who does not stand up for our friends, like israel. [cheers and applause] and who too often fails to stand against our enemies. we cannot afford four more years of barack obama. [cheers and applause] as a constitutional conservative, i believe in the founding fathers' vision of a limited government, the trust in and receive the and the potential of you, the american people. i do not believe these solutions to our problems are washington- century. i believe that there with every american-centric. i believe the most basic, most powerful unit of all, is the

family, and the family must be preserved. [applause] we have begun another campaign season, and it almost seems like the last one and only recently ended. but through the rancor of the campaign, let us always remember, there is always so much more that unites us as a nation that divides us. because our problems do not have an identity of party. they are problems that were created by both parties. i think that americans agree. our country is in peril today, and we have to act with urgency in order to save it. because americans are not interested in affiliation. they are interested in absolutions and leadership that will tell them the truth. the truth is, all of us, we, the american people, are the solution, not our government. because this issue is about big

issues. it is not about petty wines. when all is said and done, we cannot be about big government as usual. because then america will lose, quite frankly. and in washington, u.s. of bringing a voice to the halls of congress that has been missing for a very long time. it is your voice. it is the voice of the people that i love and the people that i learned so much from as a young girl growing up here in waterloo. it is the voice of reasonable, fair minded people, who love this country, who are patriotic, who see the united states as the indispensable nation of this world. [applause] and my voice is one that is part of a much larger movement to take back our country. and i want to take that voice to the white house. it is the voice of

constitutional conservatives who want government to do its job and not our job, and what our government to live within its means, not our means, and certainly not our children's means. i am here today in waterloo, iowa to announce -- we can win in 2012, and we will win. [cheers and applause] it may have started small, but our voice is growing louder. our voice is growing stronger, and it is made up of americans from all walks of life, like a three-legged stool. it is made up of strength conservatives, and i am one of those. it is made up of fiscal conservatives, and i am one of those. it is made up of social conservatives, and i am one of those. [applause] and it is made up of the tea party movement, and i am one of those. [cheers and applause]

the liberals, and to be clear, i am not one of those, want you to believe that the tea party movement is just a white bring french of the republican party. but i am here to tell you, nothing -- is just a fringe of the republican party. that is not the truth. it is disaffected democrats, independents, people who have never been political, and it is made up of libertarians and republicans. we are people who simply want to get america back on the right track again. [cheers and applause] we're practical people. we know our country can work. we just want it to work again. it is a very powerful coalition that the left fears, and they should. because, make no mistake about it, barack obama will be a one-

term president. [applause] in a february 2009, president obama was very confident that his economic policies would turn the country around within a year. he said, "a year from now, i think people are going to see that we're starting to make some progress. if i do not have this done in three years, then there is going to be a one-term proposition." well, mr. president, your policies have not worked. spending our way out of the recession has not worked. and so, mr. president, we take you at your word. [applause] waterloo holds a very special place for me, but it also holds

a very special place for our nation. because water will still since its finest young men and women off to fight for america and to protect our freedoms that allow us to gather here together. i honor my father, who served on the u.s. air force. i honor my stepfather, who served in the u.s. army. i honor my stepbrothers, who served and retired from the united states navy. we will never forget the sacrifices of our brave men and women in our military. it is part of our past that we remember -- [cheers and applause] to secure the future of the promise of america. and is thus values that make our country unique and make us the most powerful force for good on this planet. i believe we are the indispensable nation, and that is the spirit that separates us

from those who would give their own life for others from those who sacrificed others, like terrorists, who use little children's lives as human shields. but i think perhaps the valor of our american fighting heroes was never captured better than in the sacrifice made by the sullivan brothers from right here in waterloo. my father told my three brothers and i, when we were little children, this story of the sullivan family, who were like so many other families in the great depression. they were just fortunate to get by. and most of the family worked here in waterloo at the meatpacking plants. when a close friend of the sullivan family died at pearl harbor, the solo event five brothers and listed in the u.s. navy. but under the condition that they would be allowed to serve together. one of the brothers wrote -- we will make a team together but cannot be beat. born and raised here in waterloo, the five sullivan

brothers have always stuck together. however, one cold morning after a long night of intense battles, a japanese torpedo struck the ship upon which they served. it killed most of the crew, and it launched the rest into the water. the oldest of the sullivan brothers was named george. george tirelessly searched the waters for his brothers, but there were not to be found. george survived the attack. but later, george perished at sea. of the 697 brave man of that ship, only 10 survived that attack. the rest gave their lives for their country. and in spite of the intense pain of losing five sons all at once, the parents of the sullivans' became an inspiration to the rest of the nation. in the midst of their grief, they spoke to millions of americans on behalf of the war effort. so to honor the sullivans, two

ships were named for them. the motto of the last ship -- we stick together. [applause] theirs was a demonstration of the holy scripture which sat, greater love hath no man than this but that he laid down his own life for his friend. that is the kind of love we americans have for this great country. we americans stick together. we triumphed together. in the words of daniel webster, who said -- one cause, one country, one heart. that is the kind of commitment it will take us to face these great challenges that are before us, but i believe that the great people of this country are longing for a president who will listen to them and who will lead from the front and not from behind. [applause]

i am michele bachmann. i am running for the president of the united states. together, we can do this. [applause] together, we can rein in the corruption and the waste that has become washington, and instead, we can leave behind a better future for the next generation of americans. together, we can make a better america if we stick together. together, we can bring the promise of the future. together, we can. together, we will. god bless you, and god bless the united states of america. thank you, everyone. thank you. thank you, iowa. thank you, america. together, we will do this. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011]

♪ ♪ >> well, she was an american girl raised on promises she couldn't help thinking that there was a little more to life somewhere else after all it was a great big world with lots of places to run to and if she had to die trying she had one little promise she was going to keep oh yeah all right take it easy baby

make it last all night she was an american girl ♪ it was kind of cold that night she still owed alone on a balcony yes, she could hear the cars roll by out on 441 like waves crashing on the beach and for one desperate moment there he crept back in her memory got its so painful when something that's so close is still so far out of reach oh yeah all right take it easy baby make it last all night she was an american girl ♪

♪

♪

>> let's win this thing. >> amen, let's do it this time. it is going to happen. thank you. thank you so much. hello there. thank you so much. ♪

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fluf

♪

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>> minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann announcing her bid for president in 2012 this morning. joining tim pawlenty, ron paul, and rick santorum. tomorrow, she will be traveling through new hampshire, the place of the first presidential primary. then she will move on to south carolina. if you missed any of this event, it will be on tonight beginning at 8:00 p.m. eastern here on c- span.

>> season and has launched a new web site with the latest cease and events from the campaign trail, biography intermission on the candidates, twitter speeds, and facebook updates. clinks' to seize and media partners in the early primary and caucus states -- links to c- span partners. c-span.org/campaign2012. >> this morning, president and vice president meeting with harry reid. the president and vice-president will double in with image mcconnell. republican lawmakers walked out over differences on tax hikes last week. the president is hoping to salvage those negotiations today with the august decision approaching. we will be watching and bring new updates as they become available. blackberry users can now access

the four streams of live programming, non-fiction books, and the library of free. you can listen to our signature interview programs each week. it is available round-the-clock river you are. -- wherever you are. we have more from the "road to the white house" >> with ron paul. he recently spoke as he prepares his bid for the republican nomination. this is 45 minutes. >> this is your third presidential bid. what did you learn from the first two? >> the gun to the conclusion that both parties are pretty close in policy and that it

never changes regardless of the rhetoric, we do not have a real good system inviting competition like we do. i do not think of the democratic process is all it is made out to be in the country. the last go around, i learned that we were much further along in the freedom movement in defending our constitutional personal liberties, all the things i have been talking about that i always assumed it would be a long time before we would get grassroots america talking about what i talked about, believing that it takes a long time to change people's attitudes and intellectual approach to government. people do talk about the federal reserve and now. currently we are talking about bringing troops home and not expanding the war. i think that is delightful. there are finally seriously talking about what we're going

to do with that deficit. that motivated me to run back in the 1970's. i think the country has moved a lot in the direction of saying that maybe our constitution is not all that bad. i argue that if we followed the constitution that our government would be much smaller. >> let me follow up on the issue of a third party. we hear so often from our viewers, whether it was you in 1998 -- 1988, ross perot, but why is it so difficult for third parties to break through? what you think our founding fathers would think about the system we have today? >> they would not be too pleased with it because it cuts out so many people. ross perot did well because he had so much money. the problem with someone with an average amount of money the that they're generally excluded. i did not get on the debates in 1988. you're not given any

credibility. frequently it is the media that helps to keep the third party in alternative parties out of the discussion. the other thing is the two parties running the state laws. they are very biased and i had to spend more than half of my money in 1988 just trying to get on the ballot. you might need 25,000 signatures, so it is very difficult. they have rules not to allow, but new york encourages people to file one two parties. you can file as a republican and a conservative bigger you can file as a democrat and a liberal. that gives them more credibility.

it could be very helpful and to give attention for these alternative choices. >> are you in the race to win the nomination or send a message? >> i am in this to win it. and my purse started in congress, people would ask me the same thing. -- even when i was starting in congress, they would ask me the same thing. there were less interested back in the 1970's. i was a bit surprised that i did so well. i was surprised i won a congressional seat. the goal is to win the election. >> born and raised in pittsburgh yet you represent south texas. walk us through the 1960's as a graduate, become an air force medical surgeon, and then ended

up in texas. >> i went to duke and started my residency at henry ford in detroit. it was there i received a draft notice. it's said that i would be drafted in the army unless i wanted to volunteer and then i could be a doctor or pick the service i wanted to be in. i volunteered under the pressure of the feeling drafted out right into the army. i got to practice medicine, so i went into the air force, became a flight surgeon, stay in longer than i thought. my obligation was two years and with a reserve duty i actually stayed in with five. i was stationed in san antonio, texas. we decided that texas was a nice place and she liked of the warmer climate. there was a medical practice

available not too far produced and, so we took -- from houston so we took that opportunity in lake jackson. >> why did you take -- what did you become a doctor? >> it you do not like to fail at all. in high school and college, i said that and did not know it. i wanted to make sure that i could do it. i have respect for positions and delivering babies, for me, was fascinating. also to be able to do surgery. the whole thing is that i am old enough to remember world war ii and korea. one of my teachers was drafted

and killed over there, so war had a big impact on me. i also thought that i did not think i could shoot anyone. i thought i would get drafted someday, but i felt i would rather take care of people and be in the medical corps rather than the infantry. it seemed so abhorrent to me. it was in my nature that i became anti-war, wanted to be a physician, and it is probably not just a bit -- a coincidence that they end up delivering babies. >> if you could explain the transition between being a doctor and a politician. >> i never thought of it as a transition. i still think of myself as a physician that happens to have been in washington. the transition occurs through an interest a developed in the 1960 proxy as i was finishing medical wasol -- 1960's and that

trying to understand economics from the viewpoint that i discovered which was called the austrian school of economics which is different than keynesian or socialism. the difference would be total socialism and keynesian is in the middle. most of us have been taught that you need a government to do this coming in to regulate corporate the money, and all of these other things. i became totally convinced that they were on the right track. when their prediction came true that the monetary system broke down, on august 15th, 1971, and i remember the day precisely because it was dramatic and it ushered in a new age. governments can spend endlessly, print money when they needed come and diaper bridget i predict that would lead to a lot of trouble. i started digging about economics just to get it off of

my chest. my wife was worried. why would i want to do that? she said it was dangerous and i could end of getting elected. i was sure that was not possible because of is going to take this position which was a strong philosophical tradition and stick with the constitution. she had predicted that i would be successful because people would want to hear the truth of the matter that we're dealing with. that is how i got involved. it was more or less a way to get things off of my checks -- chest. i was not teaching economics, but it worked out because i could practice medicine up until coming into congress this last time. i was actually doing some teaching for the first couple of years. i came back in 1997. i had a daughter studying ob/gyn at the university of texas in houston is why was teaching a clinic there.

after that i got too busy. i still think that i am basically a physician that got into politics. >> you are a fierce critic of the fed. what is your argument against the fed and what you want to see changed? >> ultimately think we should get rid of it. it is economic planning. most conservatives, understand that wage and price control, economic planning, they are all anathema to conservatives. it is a central economic planner. their job is to maintain stable prices and full employment. prices are stable and there is no full employment, about a lousy job but they are capable of knowing what the best interest rate is or what the money supply could be. they are incapable of knowing how to manipulate the economy so that there is full employment. everything they do depend on the

creation of money which it devaluated currency. they create the bubbles therefore they create the recession, the depression. they are way too much involved. we do not have the authority to have a central bank. hamilton and jefferson fought over that. hamilton wanted a central bank, and they did have national banks. dear person got rid of one, jackson derided the other. until 1913, we lived without a central bank. the devaluation of a currency should be considered a crime. that is a deliberate policy. the fed came into existence in 1913 and a dollar was at one 20th an ounce of gold. $20 to 1 ounce. today it is $1,500. that means the currency has been devalued 98%. people lose on that. people were cheated. if you were a saber, if you saved $10,000 and it was

devalued 50%, you would only get about $5,000. it is a way to cheat people. characteristically, when you destroy currency coming to transport weld to the wealthy. -- you transfer wealth to the wealthy. it had to pay higher prices for gasoline, it does not hurt them. the person now who has lost their jobs because of the recession, they did not get a bailout. now they are getting hit with a higher cost of living. it is a terrible system. it is built on a mystical belief that if you just print money that it will have value. it has never worked. it worked for a while. it has worked relatively well, but all it did was to teach us to borrow money and spend beyond our means, finance an empire that we should not have come and cannot afford. we have pretended we could finance for our entitlement

system. now the we know that medicare, medicaid, and social security are all broken. this is a consequence of not understanding the monetary system. >> let me ask you about bailouts. hank paulson served in the bush administration and said the bailout of the boss three banks saved us from the abyss of economic collapse. the obama administration argues there bailout of the auto industry's save jobs in detroit, and you argue against those bailout. >> in a way they are right, but at whose expense? the expense of the people who lost their jobs? the people who are suffering? yes, they saved depression, and a sense of suffering on wall street, but they needed to go bankrupt. the companies that were broke, they should go into bankruptcy. the assets would be bought up in some doubt on the taxpayers. these banks are making money off of these derivatives, we ended up owning them because they had been bought out by the federal

reserve to the tune of trillions of dollars which, again, diluted the value of money in the printed out money. wall street, the big banks, these corporations would have had a tougher time, but they never got hurt. they were safe. for instance, the car companies. they protected the labor funds more than the regular investors coming to the people who invested in companies lost everything, but because the way the administration designed the bonds held by the labor unions, they were protected, so they're all of these special interests. either big labor were big corporations benefit to the extent of the average person, who is still suffering and even today on statistics and what we're reading and hear about, the economy keeps getting weaker, and they act like they are surprised. if they admit that we got into this by spending too much, of arlington much, taxing too much, printing too much, how can we

get out of it by doing exactly the same? it just rates were held too late to long and that is what greenspan got us into this problem. there are negative interest rates now because we are practically at 0. they think that is the solution. it is not the solution. it perpetuates the problem and that is why the predictions, once again by austrian economists, say what we're doing is wrong, we will prolong the agony, and now it has been three years, going on four years and the economy is getting weaker. we are working on trying to compete with the depression of the 1930's the way we're operating right now. >> what you think the kind of job ben bernanke is doing? >> it you are a money manager, he probably manages the money but like all the other central bankers would, but from someone who believes that no one can do it, he is just an average

central banker, but he has been a lot more determined than some. i would say his approach indetermination, he says that they would draw money out of helicopters if necessary. inflate, inflate come and play. compared to paul volcker who in 1979, we had high inflation rates and he said we need to save the dollar to say the economy, to get a straight up to 20%. he was one was forced to restrain. his approach was different, but i terps -- i try very hard even though and criticizing the very central bankers, but across the system more than anything, but they're trying to manage an unmanageable system and the flaw is that they trust the system. they are not capable. they just do not have the information. only the market as with the interest rates should be.

make it 1% or 2% so they get cheated. it is a very unfair system. there is no way, no matter how well intended they are, and basically i am sure they are well intended, they cannot manage it. >> should be about to the gold standard? >> i do not use those words, the constitution says and it should -- it has not been repealed. much of what i have written about the fed, i do not think we need that, but i always say that the transition should be more gradual. i am not foreclosing the fed down as much as allowing competition and legalizing the competition in the currency. that would be allowed people to use gold, silver, and legalize the constitution. if the fed fails, as i suspect they will, there will be a

currency in place. there were flaws in the gold standard of in the 19th century and we can learn from it. i like to think about this going forward to a commodity standard of money with competition. this is something that the austrian economist's todd. >> how many books have you written? >> said it can -- it depends on how you count. i've written different pamphlets. books of that size, maybe five? >> you wrote about 50 essential freedoms. take one or two from this book that you think are essential for the u.s. >> personal liberty. i talk about the lot. not appealing the fourth amendment, not allowing the patriot act out of this sense of insecurity to give up on our personal privacy. we talk a lot about that, to protect liberty but to keep the government's small.

and one of the greatest incentives for the growth of government as a military operation, when you're constantly at war and government gets better -- bigger and people are more likely to separate arthur liberties. i also talk about the monetary issue -- people are more likely to surrender their liberties. when we talk about liberty, i recognize that life and liberty come to us in a natural way and not from government. but we have to do in order to preserve that is we have to reject any personal or governmental use of force. the government cannot come in, from our viewpoint, and use force, because we think we know how to be kicked -- how to make you behave better. we should teach how to raise your children, so you never use force. individuals cannot use force. the government cannot use force. in our day and age, we still recognize that people cannot hurt other people, but we say

the government cannot redistribute wealth and that is perfectly ok. if you need something and there is this entitlement system, it becomes what people believe is "freedom decode the have a right to entitlements, and that is completely wrong. -- it becomes a people believe is "freedom." we are always telling other countries what to do it and we bomb them -- them. >> to have been described as a libertarian, her republican, and is a conservative. how you describe yourself? -- how do you describe yourself? >> i am a republican. i am conservative in my social beliefs. i want to conserve the basic tenets of our constitution, but the founders were very

libertarian. the with the constitution is written, it does not have much authority. it is written to restrain the government. that is why we have a constitution. that is a very libertarian idea and the founders did not believe in interfering with the internal affairs of other nations. they believed in free trade. that is very libertarian. if i had to pick want, i would say a constitutional west -- constitutionalist because that was the old office i took. -- oath of office i took. you take an oath to obey. \ if you want to change it, you should. we allow the executive branch to go to war improperly. if we want to change it, we should. we have a department of

education. where does that give us the authority in the constitution darks if it wanted a department of vindication -- where does this give us authority in the constitution? where does that give us the authority for a department of education? i would be open to clarifying the constitution because people have overstepped their bounds and misinterpreted much of what is written in the document. >> first of all, abortion. what is your view? >> i am pro-life. once the fetus is there, it is human, it is alive, and it has rights. i think it is a life, biologically and illegally. and the government, it is very limited, but it should protect life. to deliberately take that life is an act of aggression, but i

do not think it is the role of the federal government to be involved. there are all kinds of acts of violence and every state does it slightly differently. you have the first and second degree murder, homicide, and there are four or five different categories you can put in, but the state sort this out in courts, so i do not advocate a federal approach to dealing with a very tough problem and that is the uniqueness and greatness of our country. sometimes states will do it differently. when the courts do it nationally and monolithic late -- monolithically, like roe v. wade, texas already had a law. it may not have been perfect, but how can the courts come in

and rewrite the laws for the entire country? the donors would be very, very bewildered -- the founders would be bewildered. >> in all of your years as a doctor, have you ever had to councilwoman who was thinking about having an abortion? >> many, many times. when i was in practice, the subject really came up. i was in congress for four terms and then i went back to practice. by the time i went back, culture had changed. abortions were done routinely. young women would come in and we would tell them they are pregnant. they would ask for an abortion on like they are asking for a penicillin shot. they did not know what was going on. i did my best counsel them, but what happened was after i went back in 1984, the ultrasound

became more prevalent. it is a great medical instrument. the ultrasound serves a purpose to show the young woman or anyone what is there in the first come second, or third week even. a lot of them would have second thoughts. in the 1960's bernard nathanson was doing abortions illegally and they did 65,000 abortions there until they got an ultrasound and then he became a pro-life. even though he was an ob/gyn, he started to see the figures, the toes, all of this at an early age and he said he could not do it anymore. during that time, he was an atheist and he converted to christianity. he became part of the right-to- life group.

he passed away recently, but he is an interesting person because he was such a strong supporter of abortion, but the ultrasound changed it. i think that was part of what was happening in my medical practice, when you show someone actually what is there and they have second thoughts. >> foreign policy. is there a ron paul doctrine when it comes to u.s. foreign policy? >> i would not call it a ron paul doctrine, but i would call it an american doctor and that has been our tradition and was advised to us by our founders which was granted to us by our constitution. we have an authority to go in and nation building a we have no authority to get involved in internal issues in nations. but there has been nothing but we have done militarily since 1945 and has had essentially anything to do with defending this country. it has made our defense worse and bigger to our country.

-- and bankrupt and our country. the advice was to stay out of these entangling alliances. in 2000, george bush ran on a humble foreign-policy platform. what happened? obama was the peace candidate this last time around. the first thing he did was send a lot of troops into afghanistan and now he is wondering when he will bring them back. if you this week, a couple next week. -- a few this week. it is a pro-american for national policy. >> the state of the country today is -- >> in dire straits. people are understanding that people want to be free and assume responsibility for themselves and they think that government too often can take care of them. yes, we are in a transition more

people realize that government is failing. even those on the receiving end realize that these entitlements not come forever. wheat are in the middle of a transition and i think that is very healthy. >> how do we bring back jobs? how do jump-start the economy? >> we have to understand what caused it. if you do not understand that, all of the other is mischief. there is too much spending especially by the distortions caused by easy credit, low interest rates cut too much debt. you have to eliminate that. you have to liquidate the debt. you need to eliminate bad investments. that is a hands off attitude. in 1921 we did that. we refuse to keep our hands off, and now we are

doing the same thing again. if you want jobs back, taxes down, spending down, deregulate. every time i get in a crisis, we add more regulations. we are in this because then there would not have been a housing bubble, but deregulation should of been on the federal reserve. if you just accept free-market principles and brevard freedoms to the people, a right to keep but they are -- and provide freedoms to the people, and if we did that today we would be better off in one year. the younger generation understands because ouhow will e pay those who we owe the obligation? >> you have become, in some

circles, a cult figure in american politics. do you view yourself of that? >> i worry about using that term. i think i explained very clearly that what is important our ideas. right now, the tea party movement has a lot to do with changing attitudes in washington. the reason they are talking about troops coming home is there is enough people sign the are tired of it. i think it is ideas that move the world, in many ways. i challenge keynesian economics and try to get people to study free-market economics. i do not think there would ever use the word "cult." >> how did the tea party begin? what are its roots and what role did you play? >> indirectly i played a role. there was a campaign going on in 2007.

on the anniversary of the original tea party, i think it is december 16th, the grass roots supporters wanted to celebrate the boston tea party by having these events all around the country. that was the day broke records and raised $6 million. the campaign did it spontaneously, but it was dawn on the celebration of the boston tea party. that was the break out and that and then it morphed into something much bigger. there were other people who joined that did not have exactly the same views. mostly, they came together because government was too big and they were worried about the deficit. >> what is it like to have a son in the senate? >> it is fascinating. rand has always been very interested in politics. he has helped me in many campaigns and he is also a

physician. it it is fascinating and it makes my wife and i very proud. >> it is the first time in history that the father has been in the house and the sun has been in the senate. -- son in the senate. >> they were making it a challenge. "how do you feel that your son is in the senate?" well, if he does a good job, someday he might get to serve in the house of representatives. >> when did you meet your wife? >> in high school. she was born on a leap year, february 29th. i only had to buy presents every four years. she does not let me get away with, but i pretend. the first date was when she was 16. >> it is there someone in american history that you would like to sit down and have a conversation with? who would that be?

>> there would be several. in american history, i think in economic terms, and public to pick the brains of these people who i think were very smart on economics. there are a couple when it comes to presidents. you need to talk to jefferson. i would also like to talk to robert cleveland. -- grover cleveland. he was the last of the true constitutionalists, a hard money people, and did not like foreign adventurism. although a democrat, i think he would be fascinating. he believed in the veto. >> why does ron paul want to be president? >> i think i can offer something different than what others are offering, and something we need, and respiration and belief in conviction that freedom is important most people want to

be president because "i know what is best for you." they know how to run the economy, make rules, but ironically i do not want to do those things. i think i could do a great job by diminishing the authoritarianism of the president and getting rid of the idea of the president being moved in the direction of a dictator. i want to defend this country. i do not want to tell you have to live your life, just protected from people who may hurt you, prevent violence. no individual can run the economy, but you need a free economy and you need to understand that. -- beire to the president' president is to set the course of this country on an -- in a different direction.

we were the lender, now we are the borrower, the biggest in the world. i would like to change all of that. for that goal, it is not what i have invented something new. in a not like i said, "let's have a ron paul movement." we should pick up on, improve on what we had in the past. freedom is a on idea. -- a young idea. we need to continue. the gold standard can be better. we do not need to always go back, but we need to improve. we have lost our confidence. we do not have enough confidence in ourselves. we believe we have to give up liberty in order to be safe and secure, whether it is economically or physically safe and secure. >> in the campaign, how you get the nomination?

what is your strategy? >> my strategy is to keep doing the things i have done for so long and keep talking about the issues. campaign organizations also have people that work very hard in locating, identifying, getting people to the polls, and understanding the laws and rules, the difference between a state like new hampshire and iowa, the caucus versus the primary. that is very, very important. that is usually left to other people who are interested in managing and working in the campaign. it is just getting the votes. i hope that i am the one that can provide a policy forum which would incite people not only to work hard but send in money as well. >> it size of the field beginning with mitt romney. >> i cannot do that individually because it put them all in one

lump. i think they represent most of the status quo so i see them as a group. mitt romney will be deferred -- different than michele. the entire group wants to promote the status quo. they are not calling for all troops to come home. they are not calling for a new monetary system. they are not calling for the repeal laws all laws that the executive branch rights. i wanted significant change and a restoration of these freedom principles. although they may very want to the other, they are really just a variation of the status quo because they just -- they are looking for too much one time. they're moving in that

direction. >> what does that tell you about a republican party? >> my comments about the candidates? i think the republican party but has not been really strong. i think richard nixon said it the best. "we are all keynesian is now." we believe in big government, welfare, all of this. the parties have been very much the same over these years. republicans will talk about free-market, but they are big regulators. sarbanes oxley was a reaction to enron. they are regulators overseas, regulators here at home, they all wanted the bailout. this last decade, the republicans ran up a lot of that. -- a lot of debt.

that is why the status quo attitude has to change if we really want to preserve our liberties and have prosperity once again. >> based on your comments, if michele bachmann, jon huntsman, or mitt romney becomes the nominee, would you support them? >> i think it depends. i could not support mccain last time because i thought the foreign policy was so bad. he still has the same foreign- policy. if the candidate endorses a foreign-policy like that, i could not support them. >> would you run as a third party? >> i am not even thinking about that. >> if you do become the republican nominee, how do you when a general election? what is your message against the president, barack obama? >> the general election may be easier than the primary. the republican primary voters

tend to be more likely to endorse war. that does not mean we are making progress. sometimes personal liberty, some of the primary voters consider that license and people should be able to make up their own minds. independents is where i get a lot of support. they're coming into the republican party to help out in our campaign. a lot of liberal democrats are very unhappy with obama. they thought his foreign-policy would make a much more of a peace candidate, so they are turned off. he has not been any good at all in civil liberties. he was anxious to make the patriot act permanent. he is not backing off on privacy issues at all.

i want to restore the fourth amendment. i want people not to get into your computer, telephone, any of your records without a search warrant. that is the law of the land. a lot of democrats are unhappy with that. in general, it would be a lot easier in getting enough people converted in the republican party. having the right to life, but social conservatives, are giving the state rights position, and a growing interest about all the spending overseas on foreign- policy, i think that is why we are doing better in the republican primaries. >> how would you personally assess the president's performance? do you want to give him a grade, a review? what would you say about the leadership so far? >> he averages just like the presidents have been boresome many decades. plodding along, not changing

anything, keep spending money, keep pursuing wars, flaunting the congress by going to war without asking. so just plodding along, so he gets a poor grade, but it has been a long time since we had a president -- like i said about robert cleveland, but a president in recent decades -- like grover cleveland. i went to the first president to ever made the federal register smaller. the executive branch does not write law. i want to repeal them and shrink them. that will invite businesses may be back into the country because

they will not face the same complications. a country like china is more conducive for business. china right now is our banker. they are investing in places like afghanistan and investing in minerals and other things. we are over there fighting, killing each other, bigger. our country-- bankrupting our country. we need to get back to investing that money here. >> are you optimistic about the future of america or are you concerned? >> i am very concerned in the short run. i spend a lot of time with the younger generation, and they are very, very concerned, but they are optimistic that we have the answers. they want to look into doing the things necessary. the young people who support me understand the need to assume

ross -- assume responsibility for themselves. the transition is what is rough. they get what is going on in greece. there is nothing to guarantee the we will not have those riots in our streets when the dollar starts to go down, prices go up, and there is no money in the bank. but there are a lot of people in this country who believe they have a right and the government must take care of them. that to be very, very dangerous. on the monetary issue, most people understand that the dollar will not be maintained as the reserve currency. but the imf and world bank are trying to grab hold and issue the world currency, and that is opposite of what i would like to >> -- like to do. >> when you run coppice, you learn a lot about yourself. have you learned about who you are during this process? >> hopefully so.

what i work on is trying to make what some people think are difficult issues to understand, like economic policy, and make it as simplistic as possible so people can understand. most and pour in, -- importantly, make thsese palatable. if you realize what is coming, you will lose it anyway, and i want people to understand that it is in their best interest. that is what i have worked on and learned of it to try and explain to people why it is in their best interest. if they do not think a free society is in their best interest, they will choose to be slaves. we have been moving in that direction and there has been insulating themselves to the government. -- they have been enslaving themselves.

we are on autopilot for the spending. >> what does your wife and family think about this? >> they encourage me more than i expected or i needed. they have been very encouraging. my wife always encourages me. >> congressman ron paul, thank you for being with us. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> includes a stop in the morning, iowa. his campaign website wants to raise $5 million in three days. michele bachmann today announced her bid in iowa and we carried her announcement this morning. willu missieed it, it reair at 8:00 p.m.

>> the latest cease and events from the campaign trail, biography -- the latest events, biography and permission, tweets, facebook updates. c-span.org/campaign2012. >> president obama is hosting conversations today with vice- president joe biden, meeting with harry reid and later this afternoon with minority leader mitch mcconnell. the president is looking to bring the negotiators back to the table after republican lawmakers walked out over differences on a tax hikes. the decision on a possible increase is creating a sense of urgency as the august deadline approaches. we will be watching developments from those today and we will bring your remarks after the negotiations as they become available.

you are watching c-span. politics and public affairs. every morning, "washington journal" connecting it with policy makers come not journalists, and you can watch live coverage of the house and weeknight, congressional hearings and policy forums. also, supreme court oral arguments. on the weekends, our signature and interview programs. "the communicators," "newsmakers," "q&a," and "prime minister's questions." c-span, a washington your way. created by america's cable companies. >> up next, the house natural resources subcommittee exam is -- examines white nose syndrome in bats.

a total loss of the population for north america could lead to agricultural losses estimated at more than $3.70 billion per year. some species eat large amounts of insects that can damage crops while others serve as pollinators. up from last week, this is one hour, 15 minutes. >> good morning. today, a follow-up hearing on a subcommittee that was examined this in june to thousand nine. and this was first discovered in 2006. -- june 2009. this has spread to 18 states from maine to kentucky.

i ask unanimous consent to include all opening statements if it quoted. caring no objection, so ordered. despite a considerable amount of effort by six agencies in various affected states, which have spent more than millions of dollars, we are no closer to stopping this disease which has devastated more than half of the 47 species of bats native to north america. why is this hearing important? bats consume vast amounts of insects. according to a "science" magazine, their value to the u.s. agriculture is between $3.70 billion to $52 billion each year. the pollitt state -- a prominent trainer 60 plants and they are so effective that they have been called the farmers of the tropics.

certain bat species can capture mosquitos. a single colony of brown bats in indiana has been estimated to annually eades 1.3 million tests and insects. -- annually eats 1.3 millino pests. they have consumed metric tons of insects every year. by losing these bats, millions of additional dollars have to be spent to protect crops and trees. as a doctor, i was interested in learning about 80 different medicines come from plants that need bats to survive. while it is reassuring that no human ls has been associated with -- no human illness has been associated, yet the same

disease has not caused mortality in europe. the fish and wildlife service has closed caves and mines in an effort to stop the spread of this disease. i wonder if preventing human activities have saved the bats. want to hear about how we can talk about what many experts are calling the most precipitous wildlife decline in the last century in north america. before a recognized the gentle lady from want, we will probably have a vote in 10 minutes-- gentle lady from guam, we will come right back immediately

after voting and pick up where we left off. with that, i recognize the gentle lady from guam. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. good morning and welcome to all of our witnesses. white nose as the fungal growths on muzzles, nose, tails, and wings of bats. much remains unknown from this disease which was first documented in february 2006 in new york. it has spread to at least 16 states and also to canada. the mortalities caused by the white nose syndrome are astonishing, reaching up to 99% in some caves and minds. over 1 million brown bats have been killed, likely contributing to a 70% decline in the

sightings over the hudson river. white nose syndrome has a profound impact. bats can eat their weight in insect in just one night. when not controlled, they can spread disease and others can be agricultural pests. a study by one of our guests today estimated that the benefit provided to the agricultural sector is between $3-$53 billion per year. bats with white nose exhibit uncharacteristic behavior is and emerge from hibernation during the winter. they consume fat reserves which may result in starvation and do transmission of the disease is not fully understood, but it is

believed to be transferred bat to bat or by humans to visit. some caves have been closed nonfederal lands. federally managed caves account for 34% of the number stereo's while 60% -- of the known roost areas while 50% are on privately-held land. but we must continue to support research about the causes of the spread of white nose. we need to look for control measures to better manage this disease and ensure that the night sky is once again fall of insect-hunting bats. two years ago, this subcommittee held an oversight hearing on white nose and found a commendable amount of cooperation and coordination among federal and state wildlife and land management

agencies. existing state, federal agencies, and tribes management provides a framework to continue this coordination and a look forward to hearing more from the witnesses today on implementation and other recommendations to how to address this challenging disease. mr. chairman, i yield back. >> i thank the gentle lady. she chaired her first congressional hearing on the white nose syndrome. so is have been called, will release the subcommittee to vote and return immediately, then we will begin to hear our witnesses. appreciate your patience on this, but we will not have any further interruptions after this

and we will be good for the remainder of the hearing. thank you.

>> we will come to order. the room is warm, but we have asked them to turn the temperature down so hopefully it will become more comfortable. we think it is the lights and the 110% humidity. ok. i am addressing the witnesses now. your written testimony will appear in full in the hearing record, so keep your oral statements to five minutes as outlined in the invitation letter to you. under rule 4a, please press the button when you are ready to begin because the microphones are not automatic. i want to explain how the timing lights work. lights work.