coalition, and then those voters became up for grabs and it is argued that richard nixon's presidency, with its emphasis on the so-called southern strategy, was defined in no small measure by trying to poach on wall street's preserve, quite successfully, if you look at the election returns of 1972. host: so george wallace, 8:00 p.m. on friday night, and smith, before we let you go, your lincoln trip cup. tell us what it is. guest: we're doing another presidential trip, a lincoln trip. eight days in june, june 8. there is a website people can go to. host:presidentsandpatriots.com. guest: that's right, it's all one word or call 202-621-7250.

host: thank you for being here on thanksgiving. a happy one to you. thanks for talking to our viewers. and thanks to all of you, of course, for joining us on your holiday morning. have a good one. [captions performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> next, astronaut john glenn, neil armstrong and buzz aldrin receive the congressional medal of honor, a highest civilian

award in the u.s. and we will hear from john boehner and nancy pelosi as well as harry reid and mitch mccollough -- mitch mcconnell. this is a little more than an hour. >> ladies and gentleman, the speaker of the house, the hon. john vader. >> batie benjamin, welcomed -- ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the rotunda. the congressional medal of honor expresses -- the congressional gold medal expresses the nation's gratitude. the first recipient was george washington. we will present a gold medal on behalf of the united states congress arto the hon. john gle, the first human to orbit the earth, neil armstrong, the first

person to walk on the moon, michael collins, pilot of apollo, and dr. barnes aldrin, pilot of apollo and the second -- buzz aldrin, pilot of apollo and the second man to walk on the moon. the most recent ouster by class graduated not of ago. -- astronaut class credit not long ago. before we have the presentation of colors, let me draw your attention to the flag here on stage. it was a tradition for returning astronauts to appear before a joint meeting of the congress. senator glenn did so on february 26, 1962.

september 16, 1969, the crew of apollo and 11 presented the speaker with the flight they carried to the moon. today it is under the care of the house sergeant at arms -- sergeant at arms. he holds an affection for the flight it and i'm told even hold a birthday parties for it. i appreciate his willingness to part with it just for today. >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the presentation of the colors by the united states armed forces color guard, the singing of our national anthem and the retiring of our colors.

[drumroll] ♪ ♪

♪ oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight, o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? and the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night

that our flag was still there. oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? ♪ ♪ [drumroll] ♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing as the chaplain of the united states house of representatives, the rev. patrick conroy, gives the indication. -- invocation. >> let's pray.

god of the universe, we give you thanks for the wonder of your creation. a long time ago in a place far, far away you call forth a common ancestor of faith to leave his home to travel to a place you would show him. by that call, and by his obedience to and trust in you, we continue to be challenged to move beyond the limits of our own imaginations. on this day would gather to give you thanks that we are wondrously made, and we give it with the spirit and the will to move beyond the horizon. all of our ancestors at some point left a place familiar to them into an uncertain future.

but that future to them has become our presenct. we give you thanks for the dreams and hopes of this nation's ancestors, and today, for the personal heroism that empowered those being honored today to leave this very planet familiar to them to go to a universe never before visited by our kind. the many advances of science and technology, medicine and physics, to name only three have better to the lives of the people. the advances have been perhaps in measurable. bless these heroic americans we honor today. they they know our pride and

great folles team for them. and may all of those whose shared an office -- shared effort and ingenuity to allow those to boldly go where none has gone before know of our gratitude as well. where can we go from your spirit, oh, god? where can we flee from your presence? if we go up to the heavens, you are there. thank you for that. amen. >> please, be seated. ladies and gentlemen, the ranking member of the united states house of representatives committee on science, space, and technology, and the representative from the 30th district of texas, the hon.

eddie bernice johnson. >> thank you and good morning. thank you for this opportunity to permit me to make a few remarks as we honor these distinguished americans. you know, "hero" is an overused word, but i think all assembled today would not hesitate to describe our honorees as genuine national heroes. in fact, the only ones that might object to that description are the honoree's themselves. in an age of inflated ego and self-promotion, each of these sonnemann has distinguished himself -- each of these gentleman has distinguished himself through his modesty and

dedication to serving this nation. in truth, this gold medal is no less than a simple recognition of all they have meant to america. as i said to mr. armstrong when he testified before our committee earlier this year, america's space program is as much about innovation as it is about rockets and space capsules. -- as much about inspiration as it is about rockets and space capsules. and the settlement are continuing to inspire. for decades ago, they led the way of america or ventured into this new ocean of space, as -- a day ventured into this new ocean of space, as president kennedy described it.

keeping our pre-eminence in space will strengthen our economy, create jobs for the future and benefit our society in countless ways. that will be the best way to truly honor the legacy of the four heroes that stand with us today. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the chairman of the united states house of representatives committee on science, space, and technology, and the representative from the fourth district of texas, the honorable rafah paul. >> first, mr. speaker, thank you for scheduling this ceremony

honoring these brave men. our school children and others will be reading about them for hundreds of years. they hardly need an introduction. all americans young and old take great pride in our space program and the men and women who have flown, as well as the scientists and technicians who permitted save travel into space. what up to virtually anyone in the street and it will be able to tell you the names of our -- the name of our first president. they can tell you who our current president is, and the first to orbit the earth and the first to land on the moon. it is a very select group. in 2012, it will mark the 50th anniversary of john glenn's voyage. it marks the bravery, if not the

audacity of first of the kind missions. john glenn's flight in the capsule was the first of its kind mission. apollo 11 was the first mission to land on the moon. in both cases, both were more than the components that made up the rockets and capsules. the risks were high, but these men were willing to embrace that peril. one of these men, john being the first, was also the only one of this group to run for president. i would like to take a moment to tell one of the great stories that came out of that campaign. john may not want me to tell it, but he was running for president and i came home -- and had come home late for dinner. his wife was a little irritated that he was late. he was worn out and his dog was

welcoming him. she was on his case, and finally he said, i am dead tired. i'm not doing good in the polls, and i'm almost out of money. when i come home like this, it seems like i ought to at least have two friends. [laughter] so she bought him another dog. [laughter] much of their hardware on our early space systems work -- were designed not with components, but slide rules. there were very rudimentary by today's standards. several -- neil armstrong made this point before congress by holding up his cellphone and testifying it had much more capability than the computer that guided apollo 11 and neptune.

the technologies that bond from our nation's space flight program, and the innovations, it is the challenge to know what influence they have had on our country and its international prestige. but we would not be discussing these things if it were not for neil armstrong, john glenn, michael collins, and buzz aldrin. congratulations to all of you. you are part of our nation's history and its success, and for that, i sincerely thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentleman, the chairman of the united states senate subcommittee on science and space and the senior senator from the state of florida, the hon. bill nelson. >> ladies and jumron, -- ladies

and gentlemen, it is said in the songs were written by david as he peered up into the heavens, " the heavens declare the glory of god. the firmament showeth his handiwork." these adventurers have touched the firmament. you think of the significance of this congressional gold medal, it has only been awarded to 100. and of those in aviation and space first, think of the wright brothers, charles lindbergh, dr. robert broderick, but father of modern rocketry -- robert goddard, the father of modern rocketry, and our pottery's

today. -- honorees today. it and i -- and i dare say that we will be giving this gold medal to the first crew that will land on the planet mars. ladies and gentlemen, the dream is alive. as a matter of fact, it is a part of us. it is our character as the american people to be rs.enturers and explore and we will not ever give that three out. indeed, in the honoring of these astronauts, we foretell the future, the greatness, the discovery, the expressing of ourselves as a people -- pioneers, adventurers, and explorers.

ladies and gentlemen, the dream is alive. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the ranking member of the united states senate committee on commerce, science and transportation, and the senior senator from the state of texas, the hon. kay bailey hutcheson. >> we are honoring four brave, but determined, resilience men. day, and the astronauts to follow, took the enormous personal risk for our country to venture beyond earth's orbit. their mission into the unknown reminds us of what can be achieved, as well as the dangers of not reaching for the stars. america urgently needs to

continue our pre-eminence in manned space exploration. senator -- from senator glenn's flight on astronauts 7 to the lunar mission of apollo 11, to our recent space shuttle program, to the space station, we know that space exploration is a step-by-step process. it will require leadership to get a sustained commitment of resources, and a clear sense of purpose over time. look at what space exploration has brought to america. the technology and product in space science, earth science, fundamental aeronautics research, and education has spurred the tens of billions of economic activity dollars and hundreds of thousands of productive jobs.

the use of satellites that can guide a missile into a window from 3 miles away has drastically lowered collateral damage and saved countless lives in conflicts and wars. we have all heard the words of president john kennedy when he spoke in 1962 at rice university, "for the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon, and to the planet beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flight of conquest, but by a banner of peace. our -- a banner of freedom and peace." the men who stand here today soared into a dark sky and described from afar what they saw. in the process, they contributed

to a better world onerous. they assured america will lead the way. -- a better world on earth. they are sure america will lead the way. what they began, we are summoned to continue. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentleman, the administrator of the national aeronautics and space administration, mr. charles bolden jr. >> mr. speaker, mr. reed, mr. mcconnell, ms. pelosi, members of congress, we are guests as we embark on -- members of congress and guests, as we embark on the next journey in space

exploration, we stand on this -- on the shoulders of those we honor today. america's confidence that we can go farther into the unknown and achieve great things as a people rests on the achievement of these men. when 50 years ago this year, kennedy challenged us to reach the moon, to take longer strides toward a great new american enterprise, these men were the human face of these words. from mercury and gemini i through the landing on the moon and the apollo program canno, tr actions achieve the web will of a nation for the greater good of the human kind. just as we call on the four toividuals twe honor today

carry out their mission, we now call on another generation to go where we have never gone before. as we honor these heroes, i want to recognize the hundreds and thousands of dedicated nasa employees and industry partners who contribute to the incredible success of the mercury, gemini, and apollo programs, and all that has followed, and all that has -- is yet to come. i also want to thank our congress. our nation is a better place because of more than half a century of strong, bipartisan support for nasa's work. in human exploration, science, and aeronautics. five members of the most recent class of 2009 are with us today to pay tribute to the gold medal honorees, and to build on their accomplishments to make lasting contributions to our nation's space program. this new group of astronauts stance on the shoulders of the

giants will recognize and honor here today, and they will redefine space exploration in the years to come, and continue to honor the legacy of john glenn, neil armstrong, buzz aldrin, and michael collins. it is a lasting legacy, a legacy that continues to transform our modern world. the inspiration these four have provided to generations is not something we can measure. but we can feel it in our hearts. as a nation, we would not be the same without them and their bravery,, their sense of duty and dedication to public sued -- public service, and they're great skill in thinking on their feet. they changed the course of history and helped our nation achieve the bigger things to which are greater nature as buyers. we owed them our homeless gratitude.

on behalf of nasa and all the astronauts past and present, i congratulate and thank each of eil, buzz, and mike, our congressional gold medal recipients today. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the singer/songwriter norah jones will now usain "america the beautiful." >> ♪ oh, beautiful for spacious skies for amber waves of grain majesties mountain above the fruited plains

america, america god shed his grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea oh, beautiful for house in skies inhalcien skies for amber waves of grain for purple mountain majesties above and an early plane -- emerald plain america, america god shed his grace on thee

reil those wrapped thei in music there called the sea ♪ [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the democratic leader of the united states house of representatives, the hon. nancy pelosi. >> good morning. today's ceremony is a celebration of imagination and

creativity. it is a tribute to america's leadership, to our legacy of exploration, our belief in discovery, our pursuit of scientific excellence and technological achievement. today, we honor four courageous americans who represented, and do still, the highest hopes of a generation, who inspired our nation to new heights of greatness and knowledge who ignited the fires of innovation and rekindled the flames of scientific progress. if we on our four men -- we are for men who -- we honor four men who embodied the new frontier. these astronauts not only

accepted those challenges, they challenged future generations to explore new horizons, to apply our skills, our excellent, our determination to any obstacle before us. indeed, when president kennedy announced his determination to chart a new course interspace, -- into space, all americans, and many of you may not have been born then, but for those of us were there, we learned a new word, an astronaut. sailor to the stars. it has been an age of discovery. the new age of discovery, these astronauts reached for the stars. senator john glenn became the first american to orbit the earth. he paved the way not simply four

more missions in space, but for an expanded commitment to science and technology, and he acted upon that commitment with his leadership in the u.s. senate where he brought honor to the progress, as -- to the congress, as he and the other recipients today bring honor to this metal. on the 40th anniversary of the achievement of apollo and 11, he out ofed how he appearepeered the windows and saw the potential for students inspired by math and science and engineering. as neil armstrong took one giant leap for mankind, americans knew we could overcome any obstacle and prevailed against any challenge. as a buzz aldrin walked on the moon, an entire nation sought a

promise fulfilled and a challenge met. these men personify kennedy's call to students at rice university when he said, the vows of this nation can all live be filled if we are first. and therefore, we intend to be first. our leadership in science and in industry, our hope for peace and security, our obligation to ourselves as well as others all require us to make this effort. those of us who remember the president's statement thought it was unimaginable that we could send a man to the moon and back safely within 10 years. but these astronauts knew it was possible. they ensured we were first, first to set foot on the moon, first in science and technology

and industry and innovation, first to pursue peace and partnership, and to secure peace for our country and around the world. and we still must be first today. we must sustain those flights where americans thus no longer be bound by the past, but inspired by the present and the frontiers of the future. and that the same address at rice university, president kennedy reminded us the united states was not built by those who waited and rested and wish to look behind them. this country was built by those who move forward. senator john glenn, michael collins, neil armstrong, buzz aldrin, these astronauts did not rest or weight or wish. they did not look back or

behind. they moved forward and our country move forward with them into space, into a new generation, and into discovery and progress for our future. for their spirit and their inspiration in this time of thanksgiving season, we thank them and honor them and congratulate them for receiving the highest civilian honor this country can bestow, the congressional gold medal. and congratulations to our leaders. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and mellman, the republican leader of the united states senate, the hon. mitch mcconnell. >> in early 1959, about six

months after congress formally created the national aeronautics and space administration, a group of test pilots was summoned to a top- secret briefing at the pentagon. once there, they were told that nasa was developing a program aimed at putting a man in norgard and it needed volunteers. -- in orbit and it needed volunteers. the training would be long, dangerous, and unlike anything anyone had ever experienced. and those chosen would be called astronauts. a 37-year-old marine and father of two named john glenn was among those who attended that meeting. he volunteered without

hesitation. and three februaries later, he found himself circulating in the heavens at 17,000 miles an hour, staring at the sunset that was even more spectacular than he had ever imagined, as the nation looked on. in new york, thousands of commuters stood still in grand central station to watch the take off. and even walter cronkite allowed himself a little show of national pride from the broadcasters chair as glenn's rocket lifted off, cronkite rooted for the home team, saying, "go, baby, go." the context was important. five years earlier, russia had

-- the soviet union had begun into space with an unmanned satellites. seven years after glenn circle the earth, neil armstrong, buzz aldrin, and michael collins put to rest any doubts about the position of the united states in the world. the cold war was now being fought in space, and these men proved that the u.s. was winning. it was not easy. as president eisenhower had stated at the outset, america's space program would be civilian rather than military lead. so no one would doubt our intentions. but this also meant that it would be conducted in the open, so every hitch and hold up could be seen and scrutinized. and this is just as it should have been. these missions, spanning two democratic and two republican

administrations, show not only the power of the men we are today, but the power of a nation united in a common purpose. it took vision, will, leadership and guts. and it took a remarkable courage of john glenn, neil armstrong, buzz aldrin and michael collins. they will tell you they are not heroes. do not listen to them. america is only as strong as the citizens we produce, and here are four of the best. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the majority leader of the u.s. senate, the hon. harry reid. >> a couple of points of

personal privilege. a first, norah jones, i am one of your big fans and it is such a pleasure to be able to listen to you in such close proximity with your beautiful voice and your wonderful presentation. [applause] secondly, i have been so impressed with what this man has done in space and what he has done on earth. could we all give a round of applause to mark kelly? [applause] mark, you could at least stand so we can all see you. [laughter] [applause]

>> it has been a pleasure over the years to meet neil armstrong, michael collins, and buzz aldrin. i will spend some time today talking about someone i not only met, but had the good fortune of serving with in the u.s. senate, john glenn. barbara mikulski is here and she will remember as i have as a couple of young senators that we were going on a congressional delegation trip led by john glenn and ted stevens. it was a wonderful trip. to be with these two fine senators, i was so happy i could go. i can remember many things about that trip, and i will talk about a couple of things. we left vienna to go to czechoslovakia, as it was called at that time, and we came to the border, the iron curtain was

stopped at the train and they brought out the dogs and the security rifles. they were looking around and under the train and we were asked to get out of the train. as things calmed down a little bit, one of the soldiers, looking around so no one would see what he was doing, came over to john glenn quickly and said, could you give me an autograph? [laughter] we then went to prague and had a meeting with government officials there. as we were walking up the street, someone came out of an apartment building with an encyclopedia and had it open to john glenn's picture and came to him and said, would you autograph over your picture? we focus on how these mdot -- these how important these astronauts are to us -- we focus on how important these

astronauts are to us in the u.s., but keep in mind how poor they are are around the world. a soviet soldier on a train going into czechoslovakia, a person of minimal status, i guess we would say, in prague, who wanted to be able to look at john glenn and say, i have his picture -- this picture, would you sign it for me. hasjohn glenn's prowess been more than just his trip to czechoslovakian and the other places we went. i have been so impressed with what he is and what he has done -- who he is and what he has done. i have a story i have to tell. it is one of my favorites of all time. i had some people visit us in my office at that time. they were young teenagers from nevada who had been in the

double dutch jump rope championship nationwide. there were in one of the hallway is there -- one of the hallways in a wide, spacious area. these kids looked so great jumping in and out of that rope. they said, "triet it" to me. i tried it and made a small fool of myself. [laughter] i did not realize it, but john glenn had been watching these kids during the double dutch jump from britain. -- double dutch jump roping. he was just a kid then, probably about 75. [laughter] he said, may i tried this, and he was just like one of the teenagers. i have so many fond memories of

john glenn and the role model he has been for me as a senator. sometimes it seems that the more we learn about the heavens, the more we have to learn. but space travel has taught us about the mystery that lies beyond, and for that, we have these four pioneers to thank. thank you very much. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the speaker of the united states house of representatives, the hon. john boehner. >> i think i'm going to go ahead and say what i think everybody here is thinking. this is pretty cool. [laughter] when the prime minister of

australia address the congress last march, she said that as of little girl -- as a little girl watching the men land on the moon, it proved juror that americans could do anything. she grew up -- it proved to her that americans could do anything. she grew up in a city whose residents turned all their lights on to agree to john glenn as he flew back across australia. the world looks to america because we are free, and it is to our values to which people aspire. one of those values is humility, the idea that you are part of a cause greater than yourself,

that nothing in life is a do-it- yourself project. and often unsung virtue, humility has figured prominently in the pinnacle of human achievement. to this day, john glenn insist he is no hero, just a patriot serving his country, which in those days was correct -- was gripped by the thought that america had fallen behind. these were vital missions. neil armstrong was asked once, why did you, one man, choose to speak for all of us as you set foot on the lunar surface? as it turns out, there was no script and no notes. when the moment came, and as his thoughts turned to the 400,000 people that worked on the project, the designers, the

testers, the engineers, navigators, of who devised that one small step, he said, andthat he knew it would be a big step for all of those folks involved in the project. and so it was. buzz aldrin, caught up in the adrenaline, paused to reflect. he pulled out a way for and some wind -- pulled out a wafer and to communion on the moon. there was one person who could not observe the scene live. that is all right. i do not mind, said michael collins from apollo 011's command module. he was focused on making sure

the engineers got home. he rose abound, but do not count astronauts among them. we worked very hard, did our profession, but that is what we have been hired to do. when americans take on our work with humility and dedication, there is truly nothing we cannot accomplish. we can do anything. if we hobble ourselves and if we have got the right stuff -- humble ourselves and if we have got the right stuff. gentlemen, your tax war relic, and today we add to your many -- your acts were heroic, and today we add to your many honors the congressional gold medal. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated for the unveiling and presentation of the congressional gold medals by members of the united states congress. [applause]

[applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the first person to land a spacecraft upon the moon and the first person to set foot upon its surface, mr. neil armstrong. [applause]

>> thank you so much. mr. speaker, mr. reid, mr. mcconnell, ms. pelosi, members, distinguished guests, we gather in this remarkable monument to american history, this room, connecting the houses of congress. this room, where ideological differences fade in the presence of the overpowering force of pride in what we do and what

americans have achieved. it is a privilege to be in this rotunda. high above us below the windows stretches a freeze with 19 panels -- friese with 19 panels depicting moments of american history. than most recent of them, number 19 just above -- the most recent of them, number 19 just above me here, the picks the first successful flight of a man in a powered aircraft. by the brothers wright 108 years ago. the depiction, indeed -- in addition to the craft and the responsible individuals,

includes an american bald eagle carrying an olive branch. the wright brothers were the 45th recipient of the congressional gold medal, and the first for achievement in the world of flight. subsequently, congressional gold medals have been presented to nine times for aviation and rocketry achievements. today for the first time, they have been given for achievements in space flight. in an appropriate coincidence, apollo 11's mission emblem and group patch also featured an american bald eagle carrying an olive branch. the apollo 11 crew is honored

to to receive the congressional gold medal and accept on behalf of our fellow apollo teammates all those who played their role in the expanded presence outward from earth, and all those who played a role in expanding human knowledge of the source system and beyond, we thank the congress very much -- of the solar system and beyond, we thank the congress very much. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the former united states senator from the state of ohio and the first american to orbit the

earth, the hon. john glenn. [applause] >> thank you all very, very much. leaders of the house and senate, members of congress, ladies and gentlemen, first, thanks to each of you for being here today to share this very special occasion with us. from our founding days, americans have been motivated by curiosity about the new and the unknown, whether it was geographical exploration that has pushed back the frontiers of a continent, or micro exploration in our laboratories, that curiosity and research,

coupled with an education system that let all our citizens benefit and contributes for the twin engines of progress that catapulted america into pre- eminence. but there were other frontiers never before believed to be approachable. and for many, many thousands of years people have looked up and wondered. they have been curious about what was up there. we must consider ourselves among the most fortunate of all generations, for we have lived at a time when the dream became a reality, when we could finally travel above the atmosphere above the earth, where we could establish laboratories in space and do research. and for the first time in history, leave human footprints

on someplace other than ours. -- other than earth. as neil and buzz and mike made their journey, it could be said we came in peace for all mankind. the reason these dreams were brought to life by one of the most dedicated and capable teams ever put together, workers, technicians, engineers, scientists, honored as we are today, we certainly share this recognition with that great team. almost 50 years ago following the oral flight of friendship, i was privileged to marriage -- to address a joint session of congress. and i closed my remarks with words i will repeat today.

as our knowledge of the universe in which we live increases, may god grant us the wisdom and guidance to use it wisely. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing as dr. barry black gives the benediction. >> let us pray. lord, you stretched out the

heavens like a curtain, thank you for this opportunity to honor for pioneers. lord, you empower them to enter a new frontier, slipping the surly bonds of earth to reach out and touch your sovereign face. made the inspiration we received from these well lived lives saved us from the love of these which chooses the comfortable way and from the procrastination which puts things off until it is too late. bless and keep us in all our tomorrows in our going out and coming in, in our rising and up and lying down from this time

forth even forevermore. amen. ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain at your seats for the departure of the official party. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011]

>> ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today's ceremony. thank you and have a nice day.

>> still to come on this thanksgiving holiday, a discussion of online accuracy and the first amendment. later, analysts said economic opportunities in the u.s. and what is truly meant by the american dream. it then remarks on the life and legacy of america's 38 president, gerald ford. finally, a discussion on american southern jews and race relations. we will hear about social tensions in the american south through panelists personal experiences and stories. >> this past july 4th, on a -- in a ceremony aboard the uss constitution, simon winchester

became an american citizen. >> i decided i would take all the necessary steps and take the 10 question exam. i got one of the best rana. -- i got one of the best rana. -- one of the best wrong. i feel a fool confessing it, but it is what is the american national anthem. i blurted out the americas at -- i blurted out america the beautiful. >> author of 21 books, the latest is now in paperback. watch the rest of our interview with simon winchester sunday night. >> last month, a journalist john seigenthaler posted a discussion about online accuracy and the

first amendment. he talked about a false biography created online the said he was part of the john f. kennedy and robert kennedy assassinations. this is about 50 minutes. i want to warmly welcome you to our reunion speakers today. as i promised a little earlier, john seigenthaler is someone i greatly admire. he's a remarkable graduate of vanderbilt university and we're so proud of him. -- [inaudible] [applause] he has helped form the industry

and lived the news. we know he is a national treasure but he is really a national treasure. he has played in the highest political arenas and contributed to the civil rights movement. he has contributed more to the intellectual lives of national then i'm sure i even realize and it is with great admiration and great fondness that i present mr. john seigenthaler . [applause] >> thank you. i wish i was worth waiting for, but i'm happy to be here with all of the and so glad you waited and so sorry i made to wait. i had a little fender bender. call the copsd to but the young lady was afraid of her job so i was stuck literally five minutes away.

i planned to be here three minutes early. but some how seigenthaler standard time to cold and i am fashionably late. i apologize for that. i want to talk today a little bit about what the new technology has done in opening up a new world for those who need information and i also want to talk first about what the new technology has done that inhibits access to new information by distorting or misrepresenting.

i might dwell-- on a deeply personal aspect of the problem that really makes the point. some of view, my friends, i looked around and see about four years ago i had a little problem with which to pia -- had a problem with wikipedia. i didn't think was a problem at the outset. i had a call from someone who said google yourself and hit the wikipedia link. i did it and my name popped up and someone had inserted without my knowledge, certainly without

my permission, you don't need permission from anybody to say anything about them on wikipedia or many websites. but someone inserted a six sentence biography of me. it said in the early 1960's, he was the administrative assistant to robert kennedy. true. it went on to say after the death of president kennedy and attorney general robert kennedy, he was the suspect in their assassinations. then it said nothing was ever proved. it said he then defected to the soviet union for 13 years. [laughter] and i did exactly what you did. i laughed.

late in the afternoon, my son called on the phone and said dad, you have to take this seriously. you are not the only john seigenthaler in the world. ina john seigenthaler and grandson is a john seigenthaler. you have to do something to get that down. i didn't know enough about wikipedia except to note is a good resource for instant information. i had been there for quick checks, but suddenly it dawned on me how could this happen? i called my friend brian lamb in washington.

he had an interview few days before i had seen with the founder of wikipedia. i call them in st. petersburg. idea, wikipedia. he called intellectual democracy and i have a hard time challenging that except apple if you give access to anonymous sources, people all around the world and wikipedia has an international reach, it's likely that someone given the anonymity and the difficulty of tracing that anonymity will say something bad about somebody. i had no idea who did it. so i said would you go up with

me and look at wikipedia and let me take you to this biography under my name. know enoughn't about you but i know that's false. he said i'm going to put it in the archives where nobody but 1100 of my editors can read it. i said i don't want anybody to read it. he said the best i can do is put it in the archives where my editors can see it. i said i guess i have to accept that, but would you tell me you did it? he said i don't have the slightest idea who did it. i don't have any way in the world to know who did it. i can help you with your ip

number. you may not know if you are on line but you have an internet protocol number. i'm sure at the library is the same as it is across campus. everybody at the seigenthaler center has the same ip number, but if you have an individual computer at home, you have an individual member. the number tells you what is the name of the on line carrier doing business with the person who has written this biography. in my case, it was bellsouth. i was delighted to hear that. that narrowed the whole world to 12 states.

i was 80 years old at the time and i said i've got enough investigative reporting skills that i can find out who this so be is. [laughter] -- who this s.o.b. is. i'm going to back channel bellsouth. i know some people way up in bellsouth. i called them and said look, in strict absolute confidence, look this up and give me a hint. [laughter] that's the way journalists do it. i said this is completely off the record. they had heard that before.

they called me back later and said if i talk -- if -- i have talked to my lawyers and if i give you that person's name, i'm violating their privacy what rights. -- their privacy rights. you have to follow aide john doe lawsuit in court -- you have to file a john doe lawsuit in court. my problem is i created the first amendment center. if you created the first amendment center, are you going to sue somebody the first time they say something bad about you? [laughter] to suei'm not going anybody, i just want to use what skills i have to try find out

and going to list the best reporter i know, my son, to help find out. we could not find out. after a couple of months, i decided the best way i would address this, i wrote an article, an opinion column on the op-ed page of usa today. my successor was happy to help out. i said in this call-in -- in this column, that wikipedia was an unreliable, and on a credible resources. i acknowledge it was loaded with great information but was not a credible resources. that was published and that

attracted the interest of the critics all across the country. usa today pick it up, associated press, they all began to call and say what about this? then they called jimmy wales and he said anybody can come on anonymously. i don't know who it is. jimmy and i got on television a couple of times and npr couple of times. i'd want to say we yelled at each other, but i raised my voice. he was as polite as he could be. he said it against my rules to require people to come to wikipedia and say who they are. the article resulted in literally a flood, a thousand e-

mail's, telephone calls, letters, many from people who had been harmed in the same way. some five wikipedia -- some by wikipedia and some by other websites. what finally was impressive to me was the flood of a tax. some of them came by e-mail personally. but so many of them went back to the biography that somebody was writing and most outrageous, venomous, vicious things you could ever imagine or said about me over the next eight months. jimmy wales finally put a block on this new biography to which i had confused to contribute

anything. the last person said i had raped jacqueline kennedy. not so funny. but there was not a thing i could do about it. then i received a call from a person i had never heard of who lives in san antonio. he said i can help you. he said this happened to media -- as happened to me a few years ago and i started something called wikipedia watch. it took something like mine and posted them. he said i have researched the ip number, have gone to another site, and i have found the person who did this did from a business called instant

delivery. -- resht delivery. he said it is located -- rushed delivery. he said it is located right in your town. on the morning i was on npr the second time, came back into the office and the lady at the receptionist's desk set i have dropped this off for you. it was a man named brian chase. they worked for -- he worked for rush delivery and they feared was going to sue journalists from all over the country. they have started calling in as soon as i have let it be known that russia delivery -- rushed delivery is where it originated. he said i did it as a joke and they fired me.

just before christmas. i went home feeling triumphant, telling my wife that i found the scoundrel and they fired him this morning. she did not burst into tears but she said it's just before christmas, you can't let them fire that man because he said something bad about you. [laughter] so i called them and i said i'm sore at him, i don't like what he did, but it's wrong for you to fire him for christmas. my wife dolores said so. [laughter] they took him back. rush the -- rush delivery has since gone out of business and i have not heard from brian chase since they took him back. but i tell you that story because it illustrates in the

best way i know about my personal encounter with this ingenious idea called wikipedia. but in the process, i found i am not the only victim. many of these people e-mail me, some did not. you may have heard of an african-american actor-comedian named sinbad. his name is david atkins. he's quite good, a talented man. but david atkins has been killed several hundred times. he is alive and well, but they have killed him on which p.m. -- they killed him on wikipedia in more ways i can count on two hands. they have killed him in a drive- by shooting, a sexual assault and a public bathroom, he has

been a suicide victim, he had a heart attack, again and again and again. they killed him. most of them, there's a place of his biography they have created that gives his birthday and death date is blank, but they fill in the death date. again and again. here is a man who relies on his visibility to work and he is victimized by this website that is so marvelous in so many ways. there is another name that might be more familiar to you -- fuzzy seller.

he was a professional golfer years and years ago. he won the masters and won many golf tournaments. he is a man with a great sense of humor. sometimes he lets them get away with things and he says things that are not funny. but one thing about fuzzy is he's not a drug addict. he is not alcoholic. he is not a wife beater. he is not a sexual abuser of children. his biography on wikipedia said he was all of those things. his lawyer called and said what do you do when this happens? i said i know what you are thinking. i'm not going to encourage you

to bring a lawsuit because it's very, very difficult. he said i am going to sue wikipedia. he did and then he found out about something called sextant -- section 230 of the communications decency act. he files the lawsuit and the court says give him a name. they gave him the name of a company in miami with 49 employees. the company said we are so sorry. we don't know anything about this but we will help you look. and they did try to find that person. i think the interview every employee. but it could've been some of visitor in the building.

it could have been someone who came in off the street. fuzzy couldn't find out and said he dropped the suit. i don't know if you remember reading about the time, but it was a scandal. but it is not just wikipedia that misleads on line. i will tell you and more tragic story. there is in hollywood and actress whose stage name is chase masterson. there is in los angeles something called metro/. -- metro splash.

it is an online entity with an arm called the dating board. people who want to date other people can meet on the dating board. somebody in germany, an anonymous source, put on the dating board specific information on how to reach a chase masterson. addresses, telephone numbers, and she began to get calls from people looking for dates. some of those calls quite obviously were salacious because the posting on dating board when beyond who she was, be on the fact she had been a star on the soaps. i think she was on some of the

star trek programs. it not only to find how to reach her, it invented in a salacious way water sexual preferences were. she began to get these calls and she talked to her lawyer. she sued metro splash. it was a federal suit and went to court. this is the point, the final point i want to make about people who are harmed by this. the judge used the word reprehensible. as reprehensible as what happened to her, the decency act protects online service

providers. what the language says was in matters of defamation, if you are an online service provider, you are protected against libel suits, different, the law says from publishers or speakers. as i could have been sued when i was a newspaper editor, i could have been sued for saying that about her. a television station or network could have been sued. the information service protector provider is protected online. unless she could find out who this anonymous source was in germany, and she couldn't, she had no opportunity to succeed in

the lawsuit and so it was dropped. the court dismissed it. reprehensible, but protected. i am a first amendment advocate and i'm not interested in having congress passed new libel laws. every time congress begins to regulate the media, it goes way too far. some of you won't believe that, but i can tell you i did not want to go down that road. the reason i'm happy to be here with you today and talked about this and because of your interest in it, it only reflects a sliver of the opportunity to post vicious, venomous information, false information, plagiarized information.

libraries with access to the internet like newsrooms, they have the world at their fingertips. that keyboard can take you to places and give you the information that in other circumstances in days of yore, you would have spent hours, weeks, months digging for to get accurate impression. it is there now. the question is, and you have to ask yourself, is its a credible website? is the blogger honest and honorable and looking to

provide straight, truthful, candid information? what if you are a student and your professor says i want an essay on an african-american entertainer and you say i will go to sinbad. i watched him on television last week. and you go to sinbad -- dead. you are a journalist and you have the same assignment. we would like a profile on sinbad -- dead. you go to the editor and say he is dead and he says the hell he is i saw him on television. if you saw him on wikipedia, you know he is dead. he's caught in this trap that is not able to enter because day after day after day, someone answers again and again and

again. as one who went through that and tried to laugh my way through it, through some tears, i can tell you it is a problem. the great conundrum is this -- what do we do when we have access to this information literally at our fingertips. i am working on a biography of a woman named alice paul. a suffragist. i've been working on a for a couple of years. i can sit there and from the computer and i have at my fingertips access to information about her that was -- without that information, i would be here asking for help and she would be given me all the books ever written about suffragists and i would be trying to pick and choose what i could find about this little known but hero, prison for seven months,

who went on hunger airstrikes, -- who went on hunger strikes. she was fed by tubes being injected into her nostrils to keep her alive, put in an insane ward by the wilson administration. psychiatrist examine dallas and said look, she is not crazy, unless you think it's crazy for women to want to vote, she is as same as i am. it tells you something about history. to add the information at my fingertips, including a 700 word oral history she gave before she died at age 91, it's a marvelous world, this new technology has

given us. but it is flawed. those of us who rely of libraries that have traditionally relied on libraries for access to accurate, credible information are caught in this catch-22 trap. if i go there, is it going to be credible, is it going to be factual? is it going to be reliable? jimmy wales at one point compared facts after i irritated him -- he had a study done comparing himself to the encyclopedia britannica. he found he was almost as reliable as the encyclopedia britannica. but of course, he never

considered how much of the content on wikipedia was plagiarized from britannica. [laughter] i had enough of it and didn't want to go there. my friend in san antonio did a superficial survey and said yes, plagiarism does affect wikipedia. it's not just a vicious, mean- spirited people, it is also people who want to say something evil and what about you and it is also those who are willing to steal a work of someone else and claim it for their own. i will deal with this very quickly.

i don't want to keep the late. -- i don't want to keep you late. i warn you to think for a moment about wikileaks. wikileaks drop bombshells on the world. the creator of wikileaks got access to information, government information, classified information, top- secret information, information about american interactions with people are on the world. most of it is dead, solid accurate. which tells you something else about this wonderful new

technology, this marvelous new technology. government secrets are not easily capped. there's a problem with that if you look at rupert murdoch and his son james in england. they had a crew of reporters to attack into your phone, hack into your computer, and go with information that was deeply personal, often scandalous, and i daresay sometimes inaccurate. the point of it is for those who love libraries, who work in libraries and you want to protect the integrity of libraries is to remember those computers that are available to people these libraries are

fallible. they can be misused as well as used to discover the wonders of the world. they can ruin you. they can mislead the people who come to libraries. there is going to be at some point day movement to regulate information. it is inevitable. you cannot find out about me on wikipedia right now. but you can find out about george bush and barack obama. what happened to me is superficial stuff compared to what is delivered to politicians. my fear is what enough politicians are damaged by and feel it, when they feel damaged

by it and cannot sue, there's going to be a change in the law. those regulations i always find, from gutenberg until microsoft, every effort at regulation is in some way step beyond what is needed to protect the information and the public. the bottom line i come away with is there is an awful lot of information out there online that is not part of the wonderful world at your fingertips. if i were advising people who go

on line, and my grandson does in order to study or research or right, so many people use libraries for those very things, i would say there is always a second source, always a third source. if you are still in doubt, there is a fourth source. in this library at that keyboard, they are all right there at your fingertips. i will close with a quotation. i love when i talk about first amendment issues and clearly this is one. i love to quote thomas jefferson or james madison, are most eloquent and elegant spokesman for our rights of expression. but there is another founder,

one not much identified with rights of free expression. he pointed out -- in the constitutional convention, he stood and said -- i am paraphrasing only slightly -- whenever fine words are inserted into a constitution, and he is talking about freedom of the press, he says it always must attend -- must depend on the general spirit and public

opinion of the people and the government. what he is warning is you can go the direction jefferson and madison said he should go and if you do, there will be violations. there will be wrong done, people will be slandered, people be insulted. what you will do, and it was with this in mind, that had a measurable when we started the first amendment center here at vanderbilt, when you go here, you always must worry about public opinion. and the spirit of the people and

the government. i'm going to say that during most of my life as i looked at public opinion and the general spirit of the people in the government, i worried about maybe losing it at some point, as first amendment rights and values. i looked today at libraries and once again i recognize and we all must recognize we must take every advantage of the vote won world of new media. as we do it, we must be well aware that as we gain knowledge, we can also be undermined by waves of false

information. some of it not fit for your garbage pail. thank you very much. [applause] she said would you take questions? you waited this long. i'm sure a number of you have to go to the bathroom. but if anybody has anything you want to ask about -- >> did wikipedia offer to let you have a rebuttal in the same place where they put that in your biography? >> wikipedia is always happy for you to -- and many people criticize me for not correcting my website -- i thought if i corrected my own the website or

asked my son to, i was simply playing to their system. i did not want to play their game. if you read the biography, if you can find it today, and they have a block on that. but today, is riddled with errors. there is no longer a the slander or libel, but it is riddled with errors. people have picked it up from other publications -- is just wrong as relates to my role and some of the is wrong in a way that somebody ought to correct because it projects my role in a rather heroic way and i should as a matter of conscience go in there and downplay that and give

the credit where it belongs, to those brave young people who literally risked their lives, but i'm just not willing to play their game. so i did not go in and corrected. but i could have. the problem was, the day i correct it, it will be read damaged the next day by dozens of people. he said he had editors -- they have these servers so every time there is a new entry, he has more than 1100 now who can go in there. in the first draft of my biography, he had somebody watching and there was an error.

brian chase, who wrote that stuff, misspelled the word early. the editor caught and corrected it but left me there as an assassin and a defector. i decided i would not play the game, but yes, wikipedia does give you the opportunity to go in and say whatever you want to say. but they don't stop somebody else from coming back the next day and putting it right back the way it was or worse. >> [inaudible] >> say that in to the microphone. everybody ought to your from a technology expert. >> i can put a virus on your computer and then send anything at want from your computer to anybody want to.

>> that takes the deception another step away from reality. it makes the correction even more difficult. borderline impossible in those circumstances. >> yes. >> cited cases here that suggests i'm hostile to the new technology. i'm not. i use it every day and i love it. it is not equal love. i love what is the best of it, of access. a gives me what i need. on the other hand, it also gives me access to that which damages so many others and many of them without their knowledge of it. >> [inaudible]

>> you have just about listened to me to death -- >> i have a quick question about something that happened evander bill recently. they implemented a new feature on the vanderbilt website called the free speech sound. but there are rules -- no organized crime, no paid advertisements and no hate speech. i particularly have a problem with the no hate speech rule and i was curious to hear your opinion on that. >> i have a problem with any 8 -- any hate speech rules and i think hate speech laws are a bit dicey.

people were damaged before the legislature's put the word hate in front of speech. they were damaged by vicious, hateful speech. i have a hard time identifying what was said about me as hate speech, although with fuzzy and sid ahmed, who ever did that to them and they will never know, -- fuzzy and sinbad -- i think calling that hate speech, i don't think that helps it at all and i have a real problem with the whole issue of hate speech. free expression not to give you the opportunity to say we think. i know want to get caught in a conflict with vanderbilt about first amendment issue and i have a first amendment center on the campus. but if somebody asks me, i will tell them what i think.

and i appreciate the question. i think. [laughter] >> it's so refreshing to hear someone champion the general spirit of the people again. thank you. >> and thank you to all of you for coming today. i talk about wikipedia and wikileaks but i did not get to wiccans but everyone knows what one is. i look back on my life and some of my best dates were wiccans. [laughter] thank you very much. [applause] >> before we continue the conversation over -- during the

reception, if i can secure john's permission on behalf of the staff of the libraries at vanderbilt, we would like to add a book to commemorate today. this is a book from 1830 called "entreaties of law and libel and liberty of the press, showing the origin, use and abuse of the law and libel" written by college president. we can discuss that later but if you would allow us, we would like to commemorate the occasion. >> every time i come here you honor me with something else. >> many of the know we are honored because john has announced his papers will be at vanderbilt's library. we have offered regularly to go look for that and we look forward to the day they arrive

in our collection. join us on the second floor in the gallery for a reception and let's thank john one more time. [applause] >> thank you for coming. thank you so much. >> it's so wonderful to have you here. >> president obama delivered his weekly address and use the opportunity to talk about thanksgiving day. the history of the holiday and what it means to americans and their families. a florida congresswoman gives the republican response and also spoke about the history of thanksgiving and thanked u.s. troops overseas and their families. she also talked about the u.s. economy and congressional compromise. >> from my family to yours, i would like to wish you a happy thanksgiving.

like millions of americans, we will spend the day eating great food, watching a little football, and reflecting on her truly lucky we are. as americans, each of us have our own list of things and people to be thankful for. but there are some blessings we all share. we are especially grateful for the men and women who defend our country overseas. to all the service members eating thanksgiving dinner far from your families, the american people are thinking of you today. when you come,, we intend to make sure we serve you as well as you are serving america. we're also grateful for the americans taking time out of their holiday to serve the soup kitchens and shelters, making sure their neighbors have a hot meal and a place to stay. this sense of mutual responsibility and i admire brother's keeper is always part of what makes our country special and is one of the reasons the thanksgiving tradition has endured. the very first thanksgiving was a celebration of community

during the time of hardship and we have followed that recessions. even when the fate of our union was far from certain, during the civil war, two world wars, a great depression, americans drew strength from each other. they had faith that tomorrow would be better than today and we're grateful they did. as we gathered around the table, ' but the pilgrims, pioneers and patriots who helped make this country what it is. they faced impossible odds and somehow persevered. today, it is our turn. i know that for many of you, this thanksgiving is more difficult than most. but no matter how tough things are right now, we still give thanks for the most american of blessings -- the chance to determine our own destiny. the problems did not develop overnight and we will not solve them overnight. but we will solve them. all it takes is for each of us to do our part. with all the part -- but all the partisanship and gridlock, it's

easy to wonder if such a thing as possible. but think about what's happening at this moment -- americans from all walks of life for coming together as one people, grateful for the blessings of family, community and country. if we keep that spirit alive and support each other and look out for each other and remember we are all in this together, then i know we will overcome the challenges of our time. so today, i am thankful to serve as your president and commander- in-chief. i'm thankful for my daughters to get to grow up in this great country of ours and i'm thankful to do my part as together we make tomorrow better than today. thank you and have a wonderful thanksgiving. >> hello. i have the great honor of representing florida's 24 congressional districts, home to some of america's greatest treasures, including the kennedy space center. this week, my family, like yours, will take part in one of

america's oldest and most cherished traditions, a day of thanksgiving. it's a time to catch up with one another, enjoy great food, and wish peace and grace for all. in our prayers, we include those less fortunate, especially the millions of our fellow citizens who are out of work. we also keep faith with families marking the holiday without their loved ones who are serving in uniform. as americans, we not only count our blessings but we share them with those in need. fellowship is an important character. it may be the first element. to realize their dream of freedom, the mayflower settlers had to endure an unforgiving winter with few provisions. to survive, they had to lend a hand with one another. with every crop they planted and house their race, a shiny city on a hill is being built. those settlers understood what we did -- there is no substitute for compassion and a free people. after a plentiful harvest, they

gathered to give thanks for the bounty of nature and peace with their neighbors. this tradition was born and formalized in tough times. it was during the civil war that president lincoln declared a national day of thanksgiving so americans could in his words ample work the almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and restore it. today, this message of humility remains within our reach banks do that generations of patriots who have preserved the blessings of this land we love. the legacy we have inherited is an economy that promotes opportunity and the entrepreneur ship. it is our duty to pass it on. together, we can find common ground to encourage small businesses and eliminate government barriers that eliminate jobs. the challenges we face demand nothing less. on behalf of all my republican

colleagues in congress and around the country, thank you for the privilege to serve you and your family. here is to a happy and healthy thanksgiving. >> next on c-span, a panel looked at economic opportunities in the u.s. and what is truly meant by the american dream. after that, remarks on the life and legacy of america's 30th president, gerald ford. later, a discussion on american southern jews and race relations. tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern, the motion picture association of america honors the life and film career of ronald reagan.

>> the story of the civil rights movement cannot be told without birmingham, alabama. this weekend, "book tv" an american history to be looked at the life of the southern city. september 15, 1963, a bomb rocked the 16th street baptist church, killing four young girls. that story through the eyes of a survivor and friend. even under the hazardous working conditions, people fought to work at the cotton mill in jacksonville. a pulitzer prize winner on the day after the mill closed. and stanford university history professor jonathan bass on how martin luther king, jr.'s letter from birmingham jail set the tone for the civil rights movement. also, the firm is produced in for more than 21 years. 2 and i and sunday as they continue on the discussion --

tune in on sunday as they continue the discussion. >> next, new york city mayor michael bloomberg, arriana huffington, and fareed zakaria hold a discussion on what is truly meant by the american dream. this is an hour and 45 minutes. >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome executive director opportunity nation mark edwards. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you. it is fabulous to see you all here. welcome to the opportunity

nation summit. last night was an amazing kickoff, wasn't it? for those of you who were there. incredible. today is not just going to be an event. today is your chance to change history. let me take you back 80 years to the great depression. a young playwright had just written his first play. this was a young man who had no connection or well, no money, but what he did have was talent and drive. he was here in new york city not far from where we stand a, waiting for the reviews of his first play at 25 years old. the first newspapers came out. all three newspapers gave him rave reviews, and he knew at that moment at the age of 25 his life would never be the same period for the first time, he took a taxi home to his tiny apartment in brooklyn where he lived with his parents and his young brother. in his autobiography years later, he broke it was amazing

in this city for that young, nameless man, a man who had no connections and no money, to have a decent chance to scale the walls and make a big difference in life. he did not need wealth or rank or a big name. all he needed was talent and drive and the boldness to dream. he went on to be one of the great playwrights on broadway. he had that boldness to dream that allowed him to scale the walls. but the current writings about the american dream have a very different tone. a very different feeling about it. time" magazine cover, it says "are we going to be able to move up?" legendary newsman tom brokaw asked what happened to the america he thought he knew. the core question which has driven america for so many years is -- are we going to leave this

place better for our children and grandchildren? he said he was not sure. the great author tom friedman wrote in his book in the past tense about the american dream, he said, "the american dream is no longer there. this used to be us." the opportunity to scale the wall, the twin engines of opportunity and mobility -- those things have ground to a halt. what makes this moment today so important is not only do we have declining ability, which all of us know anecdotally, right? we know this. we are also in this place of declining mobility was rising inequality. that is not the america that made us great. the zip code you are born in today is one of the biggest determinant of how you end up by light. that is not the foundation in this country. americans are frustrated about it and wondering if their elected officials can break through the grid lock and inaction to provide a bold vision for opportunity in this

country. let me tell you -- opportunity nation is a bold response to that inaction and gridlock. [applause] we start from the premise that no party, no ideology, no program has all the answers, and we have to come together across all those silos to come up with a broad framework for opportunity. what we know is the opportunity is not a liberal idea. it is not a conservative idea. it is not a democratic or republican idea. it is an american idea. [applause] today, backed by 200 organizations now who have network to 100 million americans, we have spent the last two years reaching out to people to find the best ideas from the left, right, and center, and how you would create an opportunity for work. what would or not opportunity as it is not just about jobs. jobs are central, but when you talk to americans, what they tell you is, yes, it is about

good jobs but also about high- quality education and skill- building and making sure that our communities are good, safe communities. it is about families. we are creating this broad, bipartisan coalition united around the idea of opportunity. that is what we're here today today. -- that is what we are here to do today. this is very hard. it would have been easier if we said we just should not have childhood hunger in this country. let's organize around that you're that as part of our agenda. let's expand the earned income tax credits, one of the great movements that have moved more people out of poverty than anything else. these silos are political silos, program silos, policy silos, geographic silos, funding silos, right? we are going to break those down and bring people together. the exciting thing is that people are excited to be part of this overall conversation. we get this right, i really do

believe we can build a platform to restart opportunity in this country. let me tell you a little bit about what is happening today. we have this incredible lineup today. you should also know that there are thousands of people out in the country who are part of this conversation. we will hear from our co- containers to have the vision to bring this summit to get the puree will also hear from policy officials. we have a panel from later on this morning which is really emblematic of how opportunity nation works. on one stage, we will have policies dollars from the white house, the heritage foundation, the center for american progress, and bookings, for your organizations that as you know, do not often play in the same sandbox. they are here today because they believe -- and for the last nine months, they have been given us a set of ideas that they believe we can rally around the country to promote opportunity, and they will be sharing those ideas with us today. we also have a set up panels later on this afternoon organized around this framework

for opportunity i want to talk to you about. this is where we need you. we need your best ideas about policy ideas, interesting collaborations', ways in which we can return to a more opportunistic society. we have an incredibly interesting panel around our attractive opportunity index. this is the first of its kind. we are going to promote opportunity, we have to measure it. we are unveiling a tool and a citizen can use to determine how much opportunity there is here to plug in your zip code, and i will plug in and opportunities for. we rank states to determine where the hurdles are and where the barriers are. what can we do to change the course of history? this is a powerful campaign. this is really just our launch. the hard truth is we have an awful lot of work to do. we're going to ask three things of you today. first, make your own commitment to opportunity. everyone in this room has to be committed to these ideas.

we have cards in front of you. write them on your cards. this is an event of action. we are going to be tweeting about these and posting the month facebook. second, give us your best ideas about how we can measure our agenda is broader and includes the kind of ideas and innovations that are going to make a big difference. third, opportunity nation is going to emerge with a plan to promote opportunity in this country. let's make sure our elected officials and politicians have their own plan because we're going to have a bipartisan plan to move this forward. [applause] one little word of caution about today -- i know you are going to hear from people that you do not disagree with, right? that is the nature of this agenda. we are purposely bringing all kinds of people together because we believe that the best ideas are going to come from the left, right, and center to bring people to get appeared when we do that, i really believe we

will emerge with a shared plan to restore opportunity in this country. if we do so, we can return to making sure that this country is the kind of country when all you need it was talent and drive to achieve your dreams. so thank you very much. [applause] it is now my great pleasure to introduce kevin jennings, the ceo of the the change, the parent organization of opportunity nation. kevin jennings. [applause] >> good morning. the former teacher in the loves that. very good. as the ceo of the parent organization of the opportunity nation campaign, i am very aware that today is the result of the hard work of a lot of folks, and i would like to first of all say thank you to mark edwards, who over the last two years has created this campaign out of

thin air. please give mark a round of applause. [applause] luckily for mark, we have an incredible team at the the change of staff members and board members, and i would like all the staff and board to stand up so that they can get the recognition that they deserve. thank you, thank you, thank you for everything you do. [applause] and, of course, our co-conveners today have been critical in bringing to get to this event, and i would welcome them to join us at this time. president of the board foundation. [applause] representing the united way board member and partner, rodney slater. the president of the aarp

foundation, joanne jacobs. [applause] and the managing editor of "time" will put together that incredible cover story you all have in front of you today, rick's dingell -- rick stengell. [applause] the summit would not have happened without the leadership, the generosity, and the support of these four organizations. i would ask each of their leaders to come up and have a brief conversation with you now. thank you. [applause] >> before i begin, i think we should thank kevin jennings and mark edwards for bringing us together to launch this campaign. thank you. [applause] across this country in town halls, wall street, the question of economic opportunity is being

debated in ways we have not seen since the great depression. for me, opportunity is synonymous with the promise that brought my family to this country. the unshakable belief that tomorrow will inexorably be better than today. when we arrived in this country, when my family arrived in this country, they had virtually nothing. it is a story we all share. it is a story everyone in this room shares. they were migrants, like all of you in this room eventually work, landing in the east village on fifth street. there was a place which has seen waves of people passing through. jewish immigrants, italian immigrants, irish immigrants. all of them came to america was nothing and went on to prosper. waves of people with the

capacity for risk abandoned everything they knew and, through their capacity for work, thrived. my family, like those that preceded them, traveled to america with little more than hope for a better future. america is filled with such people. we are populated with such people, people will believe that with hard work, we, they can give their children, our children so much more than we had maybe even more than we can dream of having. but today, people are worried that we have diminishing expectations. ever-growing barriers between aspirations and reality. people are asking themselves whether the dream that brought

my family, that brought all your families to this country is still alive. you know, you can pose this question -- we can pose this question to angry tea party protesters or to those 99- percenter kids or even to the typical middle-class families struggling to make ends meet, and the answer to often is very different than the answer that our families found. the answer to often is no, opportunity is not available. i do not believe that i can work hard and be assured of a better future for my children. to many of our fellow citizens believe america is no longer an opportunity nation. that is why today's event, bringing folks from across the spectrum, the disparate views together under one roof to talk

about opportunity in this country, to talk about america's future is so vital. the kinds of questions we are going to discussing, you are going to be discussing today, are the ones we asked at the ford foundation every day. the namesake of the foundation is an american entrepreneur or believes that commerce and create new pathways to opportunity and build a product and a business that had the opportunity embedded in them. today, our work is built around similar ideas of on for chris trichet, and all that in the context of social justice. -- similar ideas of entrepreneurship. reforms around issues like a part time, part year, part day education system that is not serving our children anymore. establishing financial standards and financial regulations that

ensure that individuals and companies are protected. rethinking transportation policies so that workers can find jobs and employers can find workers. these are the sorts of ideas that are not the province of one political party or one political movement. but rather ideas that belong to all americans. it is a reminder, they are a reminder that we share common goals and common dreams. a collective belief in greater opportunity not just for a few but for all of us. a collective believe that our country will be better for our children and our grandchildren that it is for us if we come together and think about our nation as an opportunity nation. in the end, we will not be america if we do not make this commitment to opportunity central and real for every one of our children. so it is my hope that today's

event and the work of opportunity nation will set us on a path toward making that a reality. thank you. [applause] >> i am honored to be here today as one among this distinguished group and to share with you personal insights about opportunity as well as insights gained through years of public service. regardless of income level, our collective aspirations are basically the same -- a good job. access to quality educational opportunity and quality health care and, yes, to safe and clean

neighborhoods where children can actually play outside. that, at the core, is what we all desire. this worked of creating that opportunity has never been more critical than now. the country's deepest recession since the 1930's has made it more difficult for literally millions of families to make ends meet. many of us know the numbers -- the hard numbers. more than 14 million americans currently unemployed. real median household income has declined to $49,445. the poverty rate has increased

to 15.1%, the highest level in 40 years. as some of you may know, i grew up in arkansas -- rural arkansas, to be exact. not necessarily a hub of economic activity. my stepfather -- well, he was a mechanic. my mother -- she worked at a factory. but more importantly, they were my role models. they taught me the value of hard work, fair play, commitment to excellence, and we as a family -- well, we came together and worked as a family on behalf of our family but also the broader community. i was blessed to be an athlete and to earn a scholarship to college. as many of you know, especially

those who may be the oldest in a family, the first person in that family that goes to college really lifts the trajectory of the entire family, and that was the case for all of my siblings. in 2008, the united way announced a 10-year plan because we knew, as was said earlier, it is hard work, but a 10-year plan to increase the number of low-income working families that are financially stable. the united way believes that a focused effort on jobs will have a tremendous impact on the health of our nation and all local economies. more jobs mean more tax revenues, which will reduce the much-debated deficit that we now face. and more highly trained and skilled workers will make the

united states more competitive in the global economy. this will require partnerships. partnerships between and among employers and employees and communities operatives to focus on education and training and sector-based strategies that connect skill workers with jobs that not only put food on the table but that make a difference in the broader society. jobs in growing sectors, including health care, technology, green industries, and infrastructure. what we need today is a national effort that is anchored in and that engages all of our fellow citizens. through a national network of committed community and state partners, we can design and approach to economic opportunity

and financial stability that combines short-term services and that helps families increase and maximize their income and resources and that will bring about the systemic changes needed to insure long-term employment opportunities. i am so pleased that united way worldwide is a co-convener of this important summit that will focus on opportunity and that will focus us as a united nation on opportunity as a nation. we look forward to the coming year where we will work with opportunity nation on an agenda and an approach necessary to bring these aspirations in lilac our efforts and to make our

dreams and reality. opportunity for all. again, i am please to be one of this magnificent and significant number. [applause] >> good morning. i join my co-conveners in saying thank you to mark edwards and all the folks at opportunity nation for bringing us together. aarp and asian -- foundation -- expanding opportunity is an issue for them, but also for all americans, and this conference is making a terrific contribution by putting opportunity at the center of a national dialogue. that is why aarp foundation is pleased to be a co-convener.

in the crisis of opportunity in america, no generation has been spent here the economic downturn has taken a brutal toll on older adults in particular. nearly 9 million people aged 50 and older face the risk of hunger in this country every day and nearly 13 million low-income older adults who are 50 and above are in housing that are inadequate or unaffordable or both. unemployment among the people 55 and older has shot way up and their average time out of work is more than a year. the significance of this sum at is not simply as a catalog of the suffering but as a catalyst for action. that is our approach. our goal is to move people from what we call the shadows of hunger and isolation, lack of income, and inadequate housing into the sunlight of solutions. that news provided urgent relief and this is a long-term

answers appeared in our drive to end hunger, we have some 4 million meals across the country today and by the end of the year, we will be giving out what we call our long-term sustainable innovation grants are run hundred and income. we are working with the private sector and nonprofits to offer more financial security and opportunity to the under bank and unbent, and our scholarship program gives a badly needed second chance to many people who are 50 and over, and this year, we are proud that we awarded more than 300 scholarships across the country. but we could not get this work done with what we call -- with what our founder called our army of useful volunteers. in a foundation that is 35,000 volunteers and throughout the aarp family, the number of volunteers is in the millions. we should all be proud that we live in a country were open and spirited political debate can

take place. but we also want a country to be defined by the search for a common ground, by a pass for a better life for those who are vulnerable, by eradication of prosperity for the middle class. let's go for today with a renewed passion for solutions that can lift people's lives. that is how we honor the promise of our country and the potential of americans at any age. [applause] now, i am pleased to introduce the managing editor of "time." rick is a highly accomplished an influential writer and editor. someone who takes seriously his obligations as a journalist and responsibilities as a citizen. he is a thoughtful national leader for service and volunteerism. he has collaborated with nelson mandela and he served as the

president and ceo of the national constitution center. i am proud to work with him and all my colleagues here on this summit. please welcome rick. [applause] >> how come i got an introduction? i am in a position i have been in before which is that everything has been said already, but not everybody has had a chance to say it, so i will be free. i am here because i had a big megaphone, but i am also year because i believe in the values that you all will be discussing and hearing about today. i am at american exception list. i that everybody here in their old way is an american exception list. that is not a left or right thing. that is not a republican or democratic thing. it is about the idea that our nation, has formed, is united by an uncommon set of ideas -- that we are all created equal, that we have an equal

opportunity that we can achieve. we are a nation united by those ideas, not by a common heritage, common religion, common color, or anything like that. that is why all of us are here today and all of us have the same set of beliefs. i am so happy that "time" contributed to this discussion and that we can offer ideas, but it is up to you and all of us to kind of find some answers to this because we have to do this. it is in our destiny as a people, in our dna as a people, and we have to live up to that mission statement. thanks so much. have a great day. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome editor at large cast the ninth time -- "time" and cbs

coast -- host fareed zakaria. >> welcome to all of you. this is such an important event, and after everything has been said and pretty much everyone has said it, i am not sure what you sow is supposed to do, but i wanted to talk a little bit about what happened to the american dream. when i was growing up in india in the 1960's and 1970's, everyone looked to the united states as the future, as the answer. americans tend to think that the rest of the world looks at us and says, "we are attracted to america and the american dream because of the constitution, james madison, thomas jefferson, the declaration of independence." yeah, maybe. what i remember as a kid in india, what fascinated me about america was the optimism, the

energy. my american dream was -- if you guys remember the opening credits to the cbs miniseries "dallas" -- right? that was my american dream. the incredible montage of skyscrapers, helicopters taking off the roof, a huge cadillacs, texas businessman that look like rick perry walking in and out of those cars, a 10-gallon hats, that was my version of the american dream. oh, and victoria principal. definitely. definitely part of my american dream. for the young people in the audience, google her. you will see what i mean. [laughter] the odd thing is you look around america today and what you see is pessimism. you see despair. you have seen the polls. 65% of americans think they will have a lower standard of living than their parents and that their children will have an even lower standard of living than

them. that is extraordinary. if you want to find the american dream today, go to shanghai. go to mumbai. that is where you find this energy, this dynamism, this optimism. that is puzzling to somebody like me who came from india to the united states. we all have this sense that this time it is different. you are never supposed to say that. warren buffett says the four most dangerous words in english language are "this time is different." he says every time a businessman comes in and tells him that, he reaches for his wallet because he feels like he is being had. but this is what i mean -- the challenge the united states faces is different from the 110 years ago, 20 years ago, 50 years ago. we have been through difficult times, but for the first time, you have an almost unique constellation of forces that are working for the better or for the worse. let me give you a sense of how you can see this.

from every recession and recovery since 1945, you have had a pattern, and the pattern is very simple -- after the crisis, after the recession, the economy comes back at some point, and then the jobs comeback. the amount of time it has taken for the jobs to come back from 1945 to 1990 has been pretty much the same in every recession. six months. six months after the economy came back that the jobs will come back. something changed around 1990. the recession of the 1990's, recovery happens. the economy comes back. it takes 15 months for the jobs to come back to their pre- recession levels. the recession of the early 2000's, it takes 39 months for the jobs to come back.

the current recession and recovery we are in -- we are on track for the jobs to come back 60 months after the economy has recovered. five years. something has happened and something has happened over the last 20 years, but what is it? what has happened since the last 20 years? you have the end of the cold war. the end of all the political conflicts that were draining resources, causing political instability. you had the economic convergence of the world around ideas about openness, open markets, open trade. you have had the rest of the world come and play in the same games that the united states and western europe and a few countries in asia were playing in. you have the rise of information technology, a kind of technological revolution that has connected the world together. this all sounds really good.

the number of countries growing in 1979 at 3%, which is robust growth, was about 32 or 33. by 2007, that number was 127 countries growing at 3% a year or more. this year, 85 countries in the world, including 25 countries in africa, will grow at 3% or more. there has been a tripling of the number of countries that are successfully navigating through the world. american companies have seen this and taken advantage of the vast opportunities, the big technological changes that this burst of globalization has produced. you can see it. the s&p 500 is doing very well. the% of the s&p 500's revenues now come from outside the united states. if you can serve this world of globalization and technology, you will do great, and american companies can do that, but american workers cannot. they are stuck in one place --

the united states. they cannot serve this world. they cannot take advantage of cheap labor here and good technology there and keep capital there and growing markets somewhere else. they have to find a way to make things work within the united states. that is why we face the challenge that we do. all these forces have been presenting tremendous opportunities to some parts of society but tremendous challenges to others. how do we fix it? it sounds like a counsel for the spare, but it is not. if you look at the successful societies navigating this world and that have been able to navigate it without using employment, without using social mobility as the united states has, they are in northern europe, they are in east asia. we need to, for one thing, looking around the world and asking ourselves occasionally -- how to other people do things? we never ask the question.

we assume we are god's gift to the world. we know everything. we do not need to figure anything out. and god forbid we would ever adopt any idea that came from outside. there are three countries in the world that have not adopted the metric system -- myanmar, liberia, and the united states of america, ok? [laughter] we have to start by looking at a country like germany, which has found a way to revive manufacturing and found a way to keep people employed in good jobs at good wages. we have to look at a country like finland which has this remarkable education system, which is not heavy on the cash, not heavy on huge amounts of study, study, and yet -- and more study. we have to look at a country like singapore, which has been able to make long-term investments in research and technology so that this tiny sand bar in southeast asia is now a world player in biotech. why have they been able to do

it? what are they doing? we know that this is possible because we used to do it. this is all stop -- stuff the rest of the world has learned from us. that is the irony. we used to know how to do all these things. if you ask yourself about how you produce social mobility in today's world, all you have to do is go back to our past. we know how to do it. it was great education. it was investment in research and technology and infrastructure. it was having a competitive, market-oriented economy. it was making sure that as a country, we were focused on the future and focused on a sense of optimism. we all have spent the last month thinking about steve jobs and the genius of steve jobs, and he was a genius. but there was something also about the culture of california and america that made steve jobs who he was. the son of working-class parents. father was a machinist.

he dropped out of college and, get, was one of the great technologists of the world. how did he manage to do that? the year he graduated from high school, 1972, the california public school system was rated the best in the world. jobs went to a very good public school in california. homestead high in cupertino. it had a great science program, a great liberal arts program. those were his twin passions. he met there a guy called steve wozniak, more technically oriented, his friendly he founded apple computer with. they went on to live in california at a time at the had the greatest highways, the greatest infrastructure in a world and the greatest infrastructure. today, california has one of the worst public education systems in the country. our country's education system is ranked at the bottom of the industrialized world. california today spends more

money today on prisons than it does on higher education. we have gutted research and development, and i do not have to tell you about the quality of infrastructure. we know what it takes to fix these problems because we used to be there. we just have to look around and recognize we're going to have to make hard choices. we're going to have to put aside ideology, and we are going to have to focus on the extraordinary opportunities but the extraordinary competition we face. i leave you with this thought -- i do not think there is any reason for us to be scared or fearful or anxious, but we have to recognize this time it is different. i guess what i am is saying very simply is we do not have to run scared, but we do have to run fast. thank you very much. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the honorable michael bloomberg, mayor, city of new york.

>> as usual, we learn a lot from fareed. you could listen to him all day long. i hope you all took notes because he is a very smart guy and i think his descriptions of some of the problems facing the country are right on. we have to stop complaining. we have to do something about it. we have to change things. anyway, i want to welcome everybody from out of town to new york city. while you're here, whether you are running in a marathon or not, please spend some money. we need the sales tax revenues. [laughter] this is the perfect place for opportunity nation to host this summit because new york is a city full of opportunity and artists can come here to pursue a vision. an inventor can come here to test an idea. a business person can come here to compete with the best. even a snowplow driver can come here and get work in october.

[laughter] new york city. it is home to our nation's most iconic moment of opportunity. the statue of liberty carelessly, we celebrated the statute's 125th anniversary or birthday. for generations of immigrants, lady liberty has been a beacon of hope, lighting the path to the american dream. standing tall in new york harbor, she really is a symbol of the untold promised awaiting anyone willing to think big and to work hard, and that is what america really has always been about and still is. unfortunately, these days, some people are beginning to question whether lady liberty's lamp is starting to flicker. unemployment across our nation is stubbornly high, as everyone knows. our education system is being outclassed by other countries. china, india, and others are

challenging our status as the world's strongest economy. and based on a number of recent polls, the majority of americans believe we are headed for a bleaker future. it is really the first time in a long time that people did not think that their future was going to be better and that their children would not have a better future than they have. how did we get to this point, and how do we restore the promise of opportunity for everyone? for me, the answer is something we are all familiar with, something that really is at the heart of the american dream and the story of new york, and it is an ovation. let me explain -- when i was in college, i studied to be an engineer. learning how to think like an engineer involves much more than memorizing mathematical formulas and physics theories. it is about understanding how things work and asking a simple but critically important question -- how can i make it work better? in restoring opportunity around our country, this is a question

we should be asking ourselves every single day. the world's most dynamic companies certainly do it. they understand that if you fail to constantly innovate, you will be left behind. it is time that all levels of government start thinking this way as well. in new york city, we are flying innovation to everything we are doing from growing our economy to reforming education to fighting poverty. let me quickly talk a little bit about how we are doing that. i working to create more jobs for new yorkers, we are tapping into some of our greatest innovators, our are entrepreneurs. our city's economic growth has always been driven by people with the guts and gumption to launch new ideas and tested -- test new ideas and launch new businesses, and we need more of that. that is why we are ramping up our support for contra ignores by matching the capital and providing them with discounted office space and it is why we are hoping to accelerate the creation of new jobs and

businesses by courting a major university from someplace in the world to build a world-class applied science campus in one of our bros. boston, austin, silicon valley are thriving centers of tech innovation. every year, researchers develop technological advances that expand into new businesses. that is how microsoft, dell, and google got their start. it happens here, too, thanks in part to our own great universities, but given the size of our economy and our ambition to be a world that leader, it does not happen often enough. that is what we think will make this new applied science campus a real game changer for new york city's future. work we're doing to encourage entrepreneurship will help bring opportunities to life and one of them may even be the next go, but the reality is if we do not fix our country's broken immigration system, the next

google will not be starting anywhere in america, and that is what i wanted to talk about. [applause] you can applaud the up your phone and called the senator and the president and your congressman's office and say we have to fix this. the anti-immigration people have convinced congress that it is something they should stay away from. they talk about immigration, but there is not much courage to stand up and do something about it. unless we make it easier for immigrants to come here and stay here, they will just take their jobs and ideas elsewhere. all the opportunity will be gone. talk about america shooting itself in the foot. as businesses understand first hand how our current immigration policies are sabotaging our own

future, i have called it nothing but national suicide and it is why i have formed a bipartisan group of mayors and business leaders to help our federal government understand it, too, but the bottom line is democracy's work very well. government tries to respond to what the people what. if we do not make it hurt and express to them how damaging it is to the country and how important it is to our future and our children's future, they will not stand up and pass the kind of immigration reform that we want and that we need. i worked in both the public and private sectors and people always ask me what is the difference. i tell them that in business, it is a dog eat dog world, and in government, it is exactly the reverse. [laughter] but there are differences. you can always tell how smart a crowd is by the time you tell that joke and how long it takes for the applause. you did ok. i would give you a c + maybe.

there are differences, it appeared one of the differences is the appetite for innovation. in businesses, you always move resources from the unprofitable line to the profitable line because that is where you will have a future. the unprofitable line is not working, so why not double up on what the public, the customers, the marketplace is telling you does have a future? in government, people in the unprofitable lines scream louder and nobody defends the profitable line. in government, typically, we move money from things that do work to things that do not work and probably never will work. it is exactly the reason that government cannot or is not very good at innovation. we have tried to change some of that in new york city, especially in the area of education. when i came into office a decade ago, conventional wisdom was that our city's dysfunctional school system was just too big

and too unwieldy to be saved, but i think by establishing accountability where there was none, by injecting competition and creativity through the creation of small, secondary schools and charter schools, and by attending the status quo -- by upending the status quo, we have raised graduation rates by 40%. we still have a long ways to go, no doubt about that. one of the discouraging things is people always focus on how far we have to go and never give credit to those who worked so hard to take us as far as we have come. our students, our parents, our teachers, our principles. a lot of people have kicked in here. a lot of legislators have kicked in and try to make it better, and they have, but we still have a long ways to go, and we should not walk away from it, but a few do not give credit to those who have done things, then they do not have the moxie, and they do not have the drive to go out and continue the enormous

progress we have made. we have also tried to bring innovation to an area that sorely needs it in our city, and that is the fight against poverty. for far too long, widespread poverty has been regarded as a troubling but inevitable condition of life in american cities. that is just something we refuse to accept in the same way as we did not accept the fact that big city school systems cannot work and that black and latino kids cannot learn. those are the old line things. people fought those, but we do not accept them, and we have proven that they are not true. time and time again in reforming our schools and reducing crime and improving public health, i think it is fair to say new york city has shown that we can devise a realistic solutions to even the most entrenched problems, and i do not see any reason why fighting poverty should be any different. it is why five years ago, we kicked off an ambitious experiment by establishing something we call the center for economic opportunity. we gave the center a budget of

$150 million in public and private funding, and we told them to be bold, to think outside the box, to take risks and to try new things. by implementing rigorous standards of accountability and a structure to measure the outcomes of their work, we essentially created an r&d shop for anti-party initiatives. we had no illusions that we would strike gold on our first attempt because poverty is a complex problem with so many underlying conditions. if there was a simple solution, somebody would have come up with it. some of the things that we tried worked. some of the things that we tried did not, but that was exactly the point. we have got to find which things work and which things do not, and we have got to make sure that we moved our resources from those things that do not to those things that do, as i talked about earlier. in addition to the work at the center for economic opportunity is doing, we are paying particular attention to a population that faces an especially long odds -- young

black and latino men. the fact that more black and latino young men and up in prison or in poverty -- imprisoned or impoverished than in professions of their own choosing is one of the great shames of this country. that is why we launched what we call -- [applause] that is why we launched what we call the young man's initiative to help black and latino young men and build stronger futures for themselves and for their families. over the next few years, we will invest more than $127 million towards this goal by systematically targeting the areas of greatest disparity. in health, in our schools, in our job market, and in the justice system, and i want to specifically thank george soros for his generosity from his foundation to provide part of the monies that let us do this. these kinds of comprehensive yet targeted approaches to increasing opportunity with mechanisms built in to measure results had never before been

attended, i think, by any american city. white house and its office of social innovation have recognized the work in particular of the center for social opportunity and some of the center's most successful innovations are being replicated, i am happy to say, in five other cities using a combination of federal funding and support from various foundations, including my own. memphis, for instance, is providing financial rewards to families who take positive actions to stay in schools, stay healthy, and increase their earnings, all important ways to rise out of poverty. san antonio is establishing savings accounts for those who receive lower income tax credits and providing matching funds to help them build a nest eggs for when they really need them. each of these programs will be structured and monitored with the same force on results we have applied in new york city. after all, i am a big believer in the saying, "if you cannot

measure it, you cannot manage it." which is why just as we need to be more creative, more vigorous in our approach to fighting poverty, we also need to be more accurate in fighting methods to assess whether we are making any progress. it is why new york, as we pilot many of our strategies, we are also developing a new, more accurate, more informative poverty measure that both sides of the political aisle can support. and following our lead, i am happy to say the census bureau is now releasing its own several liberal -- its own supplemental measure that implements some of the changes we have made and you can read about it in today's "new york times on the front page -- today's "new york times" on the front page. with our economy still in recovery mode, government budgets across the country are stretched thin, and washington seems to be more concerned with fighting the partisan battles of its own making, but that is exactly what makes today's

gathering so important. that is -- this is our chance to show the rest of the nation that these kinds of ideas can work and are worth investing in. it is our chance to show the american spirit of innovation that is alive and well. by experimenting with innovations and new pilot programs and by taking proven strategies for the next level as we are doing in new york city, it is the time that america can show that this still is the land of opportunity, that we care for each other, that we are willing to listen to new ideas, and that we are not going to give up on any americans. we're talking about everything in our power to encourage them. thank you for being here. you really can change the world. you have been doing it. do not forget -- the time to come back and fight even stronger is right now. do not let anybody tell you this

is not a good time. this is the time. thank you for having me. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the honorable michael bennett, u.s. senator, colorado. >> good morning, everybody. thank you. i would like to thank mayor bloomberg as a former superintendent for his nationally recognized leadership on school reform. i would also like to thank opportunity nation for inviting me here today and mark edwards, who has done a great job organizing this event. the mission of opportunity nation, of promoting economic and social mobility resonates with me and my family's experiences. the country provided extraordinary opportunities for my family. my mother was part of a large family in warsaw, poland, when the nazis swept across europe.

most of our family did not make it through the war. my mother and her parents survived the holocaust and miraculously made their way to america. my mom was the only one in the family who could speak english. she helped them find a place to live and involve herself in school and eventually graduated from hunter college high school right here in new york city. she deserves applause for that. [applause] last night, i was on the upper west side and was immediately transported back as i lay there 40 years or more to my grandparents apartment here listening to the horns as they went by and the sense of security that i felt then was exactly what we are trying to build for families all across this country. they were able to rebuild their lives here because america om