e and another went to public institution. their education, we paid a lot of attention to. anita is on the school board. we really have this love affair, in our case, with public schools and how those public schools impacted our children's abilitytheir education, we paidt of attention to. anita is on the school board. we really have this love affair, in our case, with public schools and how those public schools impacted our children's ability to be prepared to be successful adults. here is one that i do not like, one that i do not agree with. that washington, d.c., should be making education policy decisions back in the states. i would do away with the department of education. and [applause] and let me share with you why. and i think that governors and legislators, school boards, administrators, parents and teachers in the states have a

substantially better idea of how to educate and the better concept of 1 fits all -- one- size-fits-all. waivers and everything. i was not in favor of no child left behind. i was certain not in favor of race to the top, where they wanted national standards and national tests. lick -- leave education of children to the states and i guarantee that not only will we get more money into the classroom, where the dollars will be spent, but decisions will be made that are in the children's best interests. >> so often we talk about the role of mom with children. what is the role of that when it comes to educating children? >> frankly, i do not think it is

any different. there should be a partnership there. people need to keep more of their money, where mom's or dad's are forced to have to go work two jobs to be able to pay for the cost of living in this country. we can do that. but government has gotten so big, we use up so much of our money. this is more of an economic issue than it is whose role is to play in the education process. we are pulling farther and

farther away from our families because we are required to work longer and longer to pay the cost of government. my whole issue, when i came to charlotte -- excuse me, came in in august to announce my candidacy, i said that my job was to make things easier for parents by taking away their tax burdens. let's let's take another question. >> my mother is in the room. both of my parents are small amway business owners. when will you do as president to keep on sharpener ship alive in this country? -- entrepreneurship alive in this country? >> the loss of freedom, it is only one generation away.

that is a quote from ronald reagan. to me, freedom comes in a lot of different descriptions. there are economic freedoms. obviously there are freedoms that the constitution is talking about. our economy is simple. i am really proud of what we have done in my home state. i tell people, you want to know how it person is going to perform in the future? look at the past. it is a very good indicator. in 2003 we had sweeping tort reform that protected doctors and medical professionals, hospitals, from frivolous lawsuits. texas has 20,000 physicians practicing medicine. it was about access to good health care in our state, dealing with that issue. we have also kept the tax policy as light on the job creators as

we can. with a regulatory climate that is fair and predictable. there is a reason that on the average 1500 people per day move into the state of texas. and it is not the great weather. there is still a perception of reality that happened because not just government -- not because government created jobs, but because they created an environment that entrepreneurs could get a return on their investment. that is what america needs. a president that every day gets up and understands that their most important job is, other than making sure that america is protected from those who would do harm to this country, is to

have those economic freedoms protected and expanded in terms of taxes and, again, a 20% flat tax. go to my website to see the entire plan, so that we do not burn up time talking about it. obviously, legal reforms as well. our best days are ahead of us in this country. there is no reason in the world to be pessimistic about the future. but we have to change presidents and change washington. [applause] >> hello, i am sally. i am from savannah lakes. as a mother and a grandmother, what will you do to make america a place where they will want to live and also thrive.

>> i will not go over my economic policy again. i think you all understand that that is really where i am such a believer, a believer in the free enterprise system and capitalism. getting that confidence that, that washington and wall street -- what happened over the last few years, when you had tarp and $800 billion worth of our main street money going over to bailout businesses that were too big to fail? my policy is that if you are too big to fail, you might be too big. then the president came in with stimulus and we have been in this experiment of keynesian politics. i have got to ask you, are you better off today than you were $4 trillion ago? >> no. >> getting this country back to

have confidence, the men and women in washington, d.c., really understand what is going on in their life. i happen to think that it makes ultimate, good sense, as our founding fathers did, that members of congress should not be a full-time job. they should go into washington for a set period of time and get their work done. i would even consider doing budgeting over two year cycles with a balanced budget amendment to the united states constitution where you cannot spend more money than you have coming in. have those members live under the laws that they pass, with real jobs like everyone else has. that is what we do in texas. it works well. 140 days every year. they get their work done and they come back home to take care of the real job. [laughter] -- [applause]

>> before we go on, it is a privilege to introduce your better half. please welcome anita perry. [applause] this is done because this guy wants to get on television. [laughter] and he wants a workers' comp filing. [laughter] everyone asks what life would be like -- how their spouse has added to them. can you tell me how your life would have been different if anita had not been your wife? >> you have to understand, she is the first girl i ever had a date with. >> you met in elementary school,

right? >> i live out in the country, she lived in town. her father was a family practitioner. he was my physician. i knew she was. 16 years, we dated. yes, she was a hard sell. [laughter] she thought that i was pretty cool when i was a pilot in the air force. when i came back home and started farming again, i lost a lot of cool. it took me another five years of begging and pleading and winding -- whining.

i cannot imagine my life without her. >> what she had to you? what do you talk about? policy? do you talk about the challenges that you face? >> she has incredible instincts. she has that proverbial 6 cents about people and issues. when i fall op, which i do, on a more regular basis that i would like to admit -- [laughter] she is always there to share with me how i could have done a different. [laughter] and if i had asked her first, it would not have happened. [laughter] we truly do have a partnership

from the standpoint of -- she has done this. she ran for office. she ran against five other people for school board and she won without a runoff. she has been in the arena and understands the trials and tribulations. she knows the scrutiny that children have. that we have. i consider her to be my best friend. she is the person -- i mean, if i just had to walk away from all of this, if she was walking with me, it will all be ok. [applause] >> i am curious. given all the media portrayals of your husband the you are watching and reading every day, what is out there that is an accurate? i know it must be hard for you to sit silently by. >> actually, i do not. i have almost stopped reading the internet.

i have watched the news. but you cannot do that. it does not just happen to us. it happens to all of the candidates. it is unfair. he is a smart, intelligent leader. he set the climate in texas to create jobs. i am very proud of him. we put ourselves out there, as every candidate does. we expect to be scrutinized on every level. it is hard, the closer that we get. >> is it you? you both grabbed each other when you sat down. is it you that grabs his hand? or is it he that grabs your hand?

>> it depends on the issue. [laughter] if there is a big bump on the airplane, it is her grabbing me. if it is something to do with health care, it is me grabbing her. [laughter] i know what she is a professional at. she knows what i am a professional at. >> let's take another question. >> good morning, governor and mrs. perry. thank you for being here. your all modern is in the sec. -- of modern -- alma mater is in the sec, so we will see you. my concern is the curriculum slash liberal indoctrination that our children are subjected to in school. i know that texas has a big influence on what goes into textbooks. and i do not think it is textbooks. but what is your vision for

education? >> you want to? >> she asked you. >> i go back to my argument that those issues should be decided that the state level. we have big fights in texas over the content of the textbooks. it is a big back and forth. we left our school -- excuse me, our state board of education is elected. the challenge is for you, as the citizens of your state, to be actively engaged with that. i know that each state has may be different ways of setting up

the board of education, or whenever it might be called. it is your responsibility to be engaged in a public arena so that your values are reflected. our state board of education actively is engaged in the content. i put it on you. if we are going to be a country of we, the people, and hopefully, you know, the two- party and conservatives really understand that our country is in jeopardy. and a way of life in this country is in jeopardy. not just economically. i will tell you, when i see the department of justice, this administration's department of justice coming into south carolina and suing to stop this states immigration laws, suing to stop the identification billy you had, and the national labor relations board trying to leverage bowing to not come into this state unless the unions had their way -- boeing not to come into this state unless unions had their way? in my opinion, that is irresponsible. [applause] >> mrs. perry, we have an online member that have a

question for you. "of all of the disagreements you have had throughout your marriage, which one sticks out most? >> my gosh. [laughter] of the one that sticks out most? >> we have not had that many. we really do not. >> who apologizes first? >> he does. [laughter] you know, there is no really great, tumultuous decision or

argument that we have. >> life is too short. >> i think that she realized. >> we dated for 16 years. it is not like i did not know her pretty well. 45 years, i have known her. i am not interested in watching that on the television? me neither. i love her. she loves me. we really do not have -- we just do not have those kinds of arguments. i tell people on a regular basis how blessed i am to be married to her.

i know that some folks have these knock down drag out, but we just do not. >> you have said the word last. you and i have run into each other on the campaign trail. she says she prays for you. i believe her. it is a special thing for me, when she says that. what does prayer and faith mean for both of you in your life? >> i do not think that you can get through this without faith and prayer. the longer that we are in it, the more dependent upon that faith and prayer that i become. it is uncanny, the people and the friends who send a message. it is a biblical version, a devotion of their friend in georgia. is it not amazing, when you open the bible and it gives you the guidance that you need for that day? for me, my faith, my prayer has become much stronger. >> it is very true. i tell people -- god did not

tell me "i want you running." but there were certainly things that i tested got on before i made the decision on this. -- tested god on before i made the decision on this. i needed to fill comfortable in my heart. you sure to tell me that i would win. [laughter] but i do know i am doing god's will for my life. i agree with nita.

my life, particularly my ski -- my spiritual life has been substantially strengthened. i have matured as a question over the last six months. i think about, as joshua said -- i am asked what my favorite scripture is, right now it is joshua number one, number nine, where he is told to be courageous and unafraid because god will always be with him. as we go through this process and you look around, looking behind you in the parade you are leading, that is ok. the one person that you need to have in your rate is always there. [applause] >> another question? >> my name is grace. when you said in the past about illegal aliens gaining in-state tuition, my question is, why do you let them get in state tuition for our schools? texas schools, especially, when there are other kids in a great

state that might want to come to a texas school and pay out of state tuition? i have a heart. i understand it is good for them to go to school. but that is a big money issue. >> the bigger issue, and i am going to directly address would you have asked, but the bigger issue is that the federal government has failed abysmally at securing our border. do you agree? >> yes. >> it is the reason that south carolina passed an immigration law. we have had to do things in the state of texas that we were forced to do because the federal government absolutely failed. we have spent $400 million on border security in texas today. just last month i deployed two gunboats to the border of mexico. these are 30 foot, kevlar impregnated boats.

this is what you would expect to see in a war zone. there are places on the border where it is a war zone. we made the comment -- the president made the comment that the border is as safe as it has ever been. he is so out of touch. my point is, i know how to secure the border. when i am president, there will be thousands of troops on the border. we will have strategic fencing and planes in the air, 24/7, so that we know when the activities occur on the border. when a individuals cross, we can set -- send teams to stop the activities.

we need a president who will commit to do that. on the education issue, the federal government demands, by law, that you take care of individuals in your state, regardless of their immigration status. texans were faced with this. you are either going to have a group of people that are tax wasters or taxpayers. they are there. they will be on your welfare rolls, your prisons, engaging in activities that will cost your state, or you're going to give -- you're going to say the you're going to get in line and work on gaining citizenship. if you go to a texas college, you will pay full in-state tuition. of 181 members of the legislature, there were only

four dissenting votes. this was a straight up economic issue for texas. look, i would never say that this is what you should do in south carolina. you should make that decision on your own. i would never support it at the federal level. i am not for amnesty in any fashion. to deal with that issue in a way that we did made economic sense. texans still agree, by and large, that that was the best way to deal with it. if you live in the state of texas for three years, you pay that in state tuition. >> we have a young man that wants to ask a question. how old are you? >> 10.

>> go ahead. >> hello. my name is john and i am 10 years old. i have been following this race pretty closely. [laughter] describe what life will be like if you become president, in 25 years, for me and my kids. [laughter] [applause] >> a great question. [applause] >> be careful, he is not smiling. >> john, you will be 35 years old. i hope you will be smiling when you are 35 years old, because there was a generation before you that had the courage to make decisions that were hard decisions to reduce the size of government so that you could have more freedom. i am talking about freedom from over-taxation, regulation and

litigation. and we kept the freedoms that people who hate us would try to take away. i refer to making sure that we keep a strong military to defend this country from those that hate us, for whatever reason. to do that, we must first have a strong economy. our whole existence goes back to making sure that we have tax policy and regulatory policy in place that allows for the of entrepreneurs to know that they have return on their investment. if we cannot do that, we cannot have the resources to keep up with research and development to

maintain a superior edge against countries like china. we cannot have a moderate navy the we're going to need -- that we are going to require. my pledge to you is this. i am not going to tell you that america will look like my home state. but those basic blueprints of economic prosperity that we put in place there, and arguably, in my opinion -- inarguably, in my opinion, and i believe this with my whole heart, texas is the best economic climate in america. it did not happen by accident. we make hard decisions that allow the state to flourish. it's still flourishes today. we can do that in america. we need citizens that will rise up. we will say that we will no longer except washington, d.c., not listening to us about taxes being too high and regulations been too onerous. we need a president who is an outsider and has the courage to

walk in there. and you stop spending money that you do not have to, so that your generation and have the freedom that you deserve. [applause] >> john, if i may, i want to follow up on that. the governor and i decided to get into this race -- it was after we look around, and we do have two children. remember when the worst thing that could happen on a bicycle was you took a wrong turn in your neighborhood and a neighbor would call? and i just want you to know? that is what we want.

when we looked around, we wanted -- and as a mother, i want every young person to have the same opportunity that we had growing up. also, that we live safe. as a mother and future grandmother, i want our world to be safe. >> pressure is on a [laughter] . -- pressure is on. [laughter] >> will be one for you is the safety and a job, and a wonderful future and safe environment, and healthiest environment you could have to raise your children in -- what we want for you is the safety and jobs, and wonderful future and safe environment, and healthy environment you could have for your children. >> how old are you? >> 28. >> what do you want for your son? >> i want him to be happy. he has already found the most beautiful, smart, capable young lady to be his wife.

i do not know, four or five children? [laughter] and happiness comes in so many forms and fashions. i realize that money and the access to money is not going to bring you happiness. but the other side of that is that we live in a world where government continues to get bigger and bigger. our liberties become smaller and smaller.

that was not the vision of our founding fathers. i want to go back. some people may think it is old- fashioned, but i want to go back to a reflection of those limited powers that our founding fathers had over a federal government. that the states, when we talk about the powers delegated to the states by the constitution, reserve for the states and the people, the simplicity of that 10th amendment. then people can kind of pick and choose. if you want to live in a state with heavy regulatory burdens, or individual mandated insurance that you have to buy, you can go live in massachusetts. [laughter] [applause] or you can go live where the environment is more to your liking. that is the beauty of our founding fathers. that is the happiness, frankly, that i want for americans. go and find that state that best reflects your values and not live under this one-size-fits- all mentality.

>> the other thing i might add is the debt. i have cried every time with the miracle of birth.

i am a nurse. but the amount of debt, we can truly make a difference in washington. >> another question? >> my name is laura brooks. my husband and i, we have three children. the lord gave them to us to raise. that being said, where do you stand with the line between parental rights and the government telling us what we cannot do? what would you do to protect our rights in decisions like schooling, religious freedom, nutrition. >> the government's rights stop at your front door. when it comes to dealing with your children. i am a very strong proponent of home schooling. timothy lambert, the head of the texas homeschooling coalition, we get pointed out on a regular basis as being a state that has some of the best homeschooling environments. we protect the rights of the parents. we have gone to court to do that. we have passed laws in the state

of texas. as a president, i would be for more -- promoting that same type of protection, whether you are home school or private school, whatever it might be. parental rights are paramount. unless there is clear evidence of abuse, it is on the government and the business what you -- it is not on the government to be in the business of your children. [applause] >> you are very clear about what you do not want the government to do. when you hear the pledge of allegiance, star spangled banner, or god bless america, what do you think, personally? >> i think that it goes back to the way that i was raised and the values that i learned. my father was a tail gunner in 1944. i cannot tell you how many hundreds of missions my father flew. the love of america was instilled in us by a parent.

my school board president was also my sunday school superintendent and my scoutmaster. there was a lot of multitasking. by basketball coach, my civics teacher, and he drove a school bus. he was also a marine. loving america, loving the values of this country, it was instilled in us at home and in school, as well as church. and i am boy scouts. when i went on to texas a&m and volunteered in the air force, i had opportunities all over the world. i only left texas a handful of times in my life. i did not know how other people live or how other governments

treated their people until i lived in saudi arabia, iran, and all of these european countries. i saw monarchies and geographies -- theocracy's, different types of dictatorships. at that point in time, as a 26- year-old young man, it became so clear to me what an uncut -- incredible country i lived in. what those people had taught me was so powerful. when that flag goes up at a ball game and we see the words, they are really special. they are a powerful thing. when i am standing on that

stage, getting ready to debate, i am standing at attention. i am standing with my hand over my heart. to reflect my belief in this great an incredible country. we believe that the symbols of the country should never, ever be used in any other way than to hold up america and its great freedoms. and the hope that it reflects. [applause] >> your faith, your commitment to traditional family values, having a big part of this campaign. america is filled with many faiths systems and beliefs. what do you have to say to them? those that do not look like you, who have different beliefs

systems? how can you be a of president and what message do you have for them? >> the fact is that my faith teaches me to love them, regardless of their lifestyles. it also teaches me to hate their san. -- sin. that goes to the issue of traditional marriage. there are some very good things that come out of individuals who have that lifestyle. but my faith teaches me, very clearly, that that act is an act of sin. but i love them.

i would never not love them. that is the powerful message of my faith. the founding fathers were wise and fought for freedom of religion. not freedom from religion. regardless of your religion, you will be free to practice it. but this country was founded upon judeo hurt -- judeo- christian values. >> amen! [applause] >> people can argue that jefferson was deist, and that is a fine argument, but the truth is this country was founded on judeo-christian values. as we allow -- whether it is political correctness or if it is active -- activists in robes on the supreme court to chip away at those values, it hurts the american foundation. as president of the united states, you will see me put strict constructionist, court. you will also see me being very

open to individuals who are different for me. but i will always love them. i will not compromise my principles from the standpoint of saying that i have to accept something that i think -- that you think is ok, but my values, and frankly the voters in the states have said we are not going to except as an act that goes against 3000 years of tradition in this country. >> my name is tara hanes. i have a 17-year-old son who is an eagle scout. i found out that you are also. i know that in the future he is going to hit a number of obstacles, growing up in general. what obstacles did you come

across when you receive your eagle rank? as president, how will you remove them? >> here is a message for every young boy, as they are working their way through scouting. it is the only thing that you will do as a young person that will be a on yourresume when -- the on your -- be on your resume when you are 50 years old. it is why you have to really work to get your ego. when it says eagle scout, i know something about them without having ever met them. i know something about them as a young person, somewhere between the age of 12 and 17, they went through a long and laborious process, following a rule book, a road map to the completion of a long project.

their mother probably spent a lot of time -- [laughter] prodding them and poking them to finish this, because they understand something. as an employer is making a decision about who they want to be on their team and they see eagle scout, they know that that young person has the characteristics embedded in them as a young person. if they had it at the aged -- ages of 12 to 17, chances are they will still have those characteristics by the age of 71. >> i know that we are getting close to the end and i want to give you an opportunity -- i do not know what direction you will take at. we will be sitting on the stage tonight, one candidate less.

as you can see, behind you, there are a lot more people watching. there are many people out there comparing you and governor romney. what would you say to the people watching? >> governor romney is a good man. we have got to know each other over the course of the campaign. but americans have a decision to make. we are applying to work for you. we are applying to be the chief executive officer of this country. i disagree with rick santorum. it is a ceo job. and it is commander-in-chief. i have done the mall. as i said earlier, do you think that changing an insider with another insider, whether it is a wall street insider or a washington insider, is that

really going to change washington, d.c.? i am the one person on the stage that is an outsider. that has a record of the 11 years' worth of operating a major institute. working in the same environment where democrats and republicans have been successful, i am the one individual who has been a consistent social and fiscal conservative for my entire life. for that reason, i asked you to vote your values and who you think can step in to that race. i cannot wait to get on the stage and draw the stark contrast between myself, my record, and barack obama. [applause]

>> what would you like non- voters out there to know about your system? >> i would like them to know that we did not take this decision lightly. we put ourselves out there. two things come to my mind. we need a leader. my husband is a leader and the longest serving governor in the state of texas. he knows how to create that environment for jobs. we want the america that we had growing up. i want everyone to really look at his record. do not listen to the rhetoric. he can get america back. [applause] >> the cameras are going to want to focus on this. i am trying to read this.

which is cooler? [unintelligible] >> 1824 in the back. the front of the boots says? >> i use these to go to schools to teach history from time to time. the flag on the front was made from a wedding dress in 1835, in a little town, where the frontier, where the mexican government had been unfair to texans. they had loaned us a couple of cannons to protect against the indians.

they thought about, saying that may be giving those texans those cannons was not such a good idea. they sent an envoy to rest for the canon back. the flag was made and they said, and take it. the first shot was fired as part of the revolution at gonzales. they tried to take the cannons and they were unsuccessful. the flag on the back, the message had the date 1824 embroidered in the middle. that is the flag that is flying at the alamo. the reason that 1824 is on there is that that is the date that the constitution's, texans were living under mexican rule at that time. they flew that over the alamo to remind the generals that they were in there because they did not live up to your word on this constitution.

the alamo did not turn out that well for us. [laughter] six weeks later, at a place [unintelligible] called sam houston -- place called [unintelligible] the republic of texas was created. it is thanks to people like james butler and william travis that a lot of folks from tennessee, who came to fight for freedom, it reminds me about service and sacrifice. i like to tell young people that i do not care if you joined the peace corps or the marine corps, but you have got to get back to this country. freedom is not free. we are only one generation away from losing our freedoms. i would suggest to you that that is the most important issue in this election.

[applause] >> bank u-boat's so much for joining us. >> we are going to be back here with a special message recorded just for you from stephen colbert. at 1:30, rick santorum will be here. thank you so much. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

>> you get in here. you know how is in august.

and do another one. now you are cooking. >> she is the grandmother. go grab her. good luck. that would be so awesome to have him on the commission.

>> i liked that y'all. thank you very much. >> let me get this turned right around. ma'am. thank you.

thank you for your service. i flew on a mississippi guard bird. an old e model. somebody said that i might have flown this thing it was sold. the last two years, i have not gone back into theaters. i have been over there four or five times. those kids are incredible. i love them. our guard stays employed on a regular basis somewhere in theaters. that is awesome. married to a fighter pilot. that is love. thank him for his service.

you got it. thank you. how are you? very true. that's awesom. for everyone of us in life. it is finding out what that is. it may be extraordinary. there is a place. the talents that he has, it is finding the place for those talents to be.

>> thank you. you.re, thank >> i love you. >> tebow's girl. he is awesome. i love that guy. i didn't. no, ma'am. thank you for coming. yes, ma'am. >> are was wondering if my husband could get a picture. >> thank you. i want to be where she is.

>> i wanted somebody to take it of you and me. >> thank you. >> you come on in. let's go. i'm sorry. i was looking at the wrong guy. thank you. yes, ma'am. are we going to get a picture. yes, sir. thanks for your service. absolutely. >> how about that? withon'tkno know what i did

it. hang on there. you're welcome. i wonder what i did with that. that is kind of bizarre. i had it. who knows what i did with it. hunker down. what's her name? >> thank you so much.

>> you all will excuse me. my nose is running. little bird. watch right here. >> thank you. thank you for answering my question. you did great. >> ok, wait, check that because i think she moved it. hold it real still. i know, me too. but those you have to hold them will still and press it twice.

then you have got it. thank you for coming out. come on. get in here. right here. congratulations. tell him well done. >> i have been up there in the woods. [laughter] [unintelligible] >> we had a great time. >> thank you. >> nice to meet you. >> love dad. >> i am a proud army mama. >> what i think your son for a

service. >> he is going to afghanistan. thank you. of, that is good. to get mary and. -- >> mary ann. thank you for coming. >> god bless. i had a friend who could not comment. matt sullivan. [unintelligible] thank you. >> caught bless you. -- god bless you. >> what is said about immigration, their problems that

we need and we need to think about that. in education, you do interviews all the time. >> no, i understand. [unintelligible] i've been around and gingrich. -- newt gingrich. no more rhetoric. some true solutions and we will see why -- >> yes, ma'am. >> thank you. >> ok,, on. -- come on. couldn't there we go.

>> and take care. god bless you. >> thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> i want to say the early 1700's, because someone did a little bit of work and we have kerries who fought in the war in 1776, he was born in 1760. he was in north carolina. >> you are real people. >> good luck. >> leading up to saturday's south carolina primary, c-span's "wrote to the white house" coverage take you live to the canada events of this week's. >> we need to eliminate these

means-tested entitlement programs. we need to cap them and send them back to the states, remove the federal oversight and let the states have the flexibility to deliver these programs. >> we have brought to the forefront -- others have talked about it and they get in office and do nothing about it, but right now it is this liberty movement which is seen as a patriotic movement, and individual liberty movement that is a to the country and to the word, we have had enough of sending our kids and our money around the world to be the policeman of the world the day it is time to bring them home. >> and as candid as get their message out meeting voters -- >> [unintelligible] >> thank you, thank you. >> you have my bug. >> thank you so much vote -- that is a much.

>> we feel like the conservatives are coalescing around our campaign and that will be good for us not just in south carolina but as we go forward. >> if find more video from the campaign trail at c-span.org /campaign2012. >> our coverage continues from the online presidential forum hosted by cafemom.com with rick and karen santorum. this is an hour and 15 minutes. [applause] ♪ >> hello, everybody. my name is lindsay. i'm cafemom's political correspondent. anyone not familiar with cafemom, we are the number one mom site and we started back in 2006. mom's come for community and content, but they really come to talk, too. one of their favorite subject is politics.

they have all different kinds of opinions, but there are two things they all have in common. one, they feel like politicians are not listening to them. and two, they feel like politicians cannot understand what our real day-to-day lives are like. we think that is unacceptable and that is why we have started mom's matter 2012, an initiative to get mom's the information they need to be informed to vote, no matter what your decision may be. to that end, we are having these forums. we spoke to newt gingrich a few weeks ago, and today we have rick santorum and his wife, karen. thank you so much for joining us. [applause] >> you told me something very interesting just now, you have an insane schedule every day. it is event after event. and he just told me he drinks no caffeine. [laughter]

how is that possible? >> i guess i'm not a good cafemom. maybe a decaf dad. [laughter] it actually gives me the jitters. i am high-energy enough. i've never liked it. i'm high energy enough and luckily it am able to go on. i feel very passionate about what i'm doing, and i have no trouble getting up in the morning and getting out there. fighting for things that i believe. what an awesome opportunity this is to go and get your ideas out there and paint a vision for the country and, hopefully, get people excited about what we want to do, the vision we have, and it keeps me going every day. >> what's the toughest moment in the campaign so far for both of you? is there any one thing where you just think, "i do not know why i'm doing this" or "how i can keep doing this?" >> it is the challenge of day

to day. we are the parents of seven children. to the mothers, we understand the challenges of the day-to- day, the juggling, the work, the schedules. you have a lot of moments where you feel like this is what you -- you feel called by god, that this is what you want to do, that you are on that path. then you have days where you think, "why?" my car broke down car twice, my old car that i really like. just funny things. it's a juggling act with the kids and their schedules. so you have days where you think, oh, my goodness. >> we feel like this is where we are supposed to be.

we have a lot of these things happening. we were not moving in the polls, and a lot of people are asking why we were still in the race. what are you doing? you are not picking up. we just said we felt like we had a different message than everyone else and we're talking about things that no one else is. eventually people will look at our message, our record, and we are real people out there trying to do a good job to reflect the values of real people. hopefully that comes across. if it does, great. if not, we gave it our best. [applause] >> i would like to ask you now about an issue that a lot of our moms talk about that really never goes away. you said in your books that women find it harder to work outside the home.

you think families are best suited when they have a stay at home mom in them? >> or dad. i will let karen answer that question. she had a lot to say in that portion of the book. in way of an introduction, karen was a nicu nurse, and when we got pregnant with elizabeth 21 years ago now, her life changed. she made the decision to stay at home to raise elizabeth, and i will hand it off from there. >> i think it's important that women feel supported. in whatever choices they make. if they want to work outside the home -- i'm all for dads staying at home. we have friends who that that is

at home and the mother is working. whatever is right for your family. it was my choice. i'm hitting my mic. sorry. i felt passionate about staying home with my kids. on one of 12 kids. my mom was home with us. she is just the most amazing woman in the world. if i can be half the mother that she was to us, i will feel like a huge success. i wanted to be at home because of that. but what happens, and i hear this time and time again, but women at home do not feel the same appreciation as a woman in the workforce. we are very much in the work force. i worked as a lawyer. i worked as a nicu nurse. what i did at home was just as challenging, if not more challenging, than what i did as a lawyer or a nurse. i applaud those who stay at home. [applause] the work that we do at home is critical, whether it is a dad or mom at home raising the next

generation, educating our kids, raising good kids who can give back and contribute to the world to make it a better place is essential. >> i talked about the important role that dads play, and they're out there making money, doing those things, and they may not recognize the work of cleaning, cooking, changing diapers, as well as being the coach of a sports team and all these other things. to me, it is about affirming the important role that the family plays in society, for both mothers and fathers, and not just celebrating success in the workplace, but also celebrating the critical role that parents play in our society. >> you said something in a speech yesterday, and i never got permission, so this may

cause me some consternation. you described the role of the government and families, particularly this government, and this president, and the decisions and policies that they are making, and how you described it touched me. sometimes i get a little cynical, but you broke through it. i would like for you to, just briefly, describe what you think is wrong with the obama administration and its policies, particularly toward young, unmarried women, because i think it could be very educational for the people watching at home. >> i will try to condense this. there was a study done by the brookings institute, a liberal think tank, and it was a study on poverty. people can do three things in their life to avoid poverty -- work, graduate high school, and

get married before you have children. if you do those three things, according to brookings, you have a 2% chance of being in poverty. on top of that, you have a 77% chance of being above the median income. conversely, if you fail to do one of those three things, you have a 74% chance of ending up in poverty at some point in your life and a 4% chance of being above the median income. these numbers probably shock you in how stark they are, but you understand how it makes sense. when i heard this from bill bennett, former secretary of education, i was on his radio program and he told me about his wife's program, called best friends, which is a program that helps average young girls stop at risk behavior that could lead to bad life choices and

bad outcomes. she has this program in schools that is in part federally funded. the obama administration just came down with a policy that said, in her program, she cannot teach abstinence as a preferable way of avoiding birth out of wedlock. and she cannot talk about marriage. she cannot talk about marriage as anything other than an alternative lifestyle, no better or no worse than any other. my question is why. why would the president of the united states put a policy in place that even people on his side of the aisle would leave those women to make unfortunately bad choices that could harm them economically and in a whole host of other ways? someone suggested, on the

cynical side, that maybe they want to create dependency or it is just an ideology. it is an ideology. i hear often, "rick and you should not impose your values on everybody else." what is that? imposing a set of values that we know leads to behavior that causes problems in people's lives and in society as a whole. i keep coming back to the question -- why? why would you do that? why would you have a policy that you know is going to cause strife in all of these young girls' lives, not give them the information they need, the power that they need, to be able to help themselves make these decisions in their lives. i keep asking the question why. >> what is the answer? >> you tell me. you tell me. you tell me why. i literally do not know. it could be a variety of

different reasons, but none of it makes a real sense to me unless you are just so dogmatic that you just cannot look at evidence. you cannot look at reality. you want to reject something just because it happens to be a traditional value, that, somehow or another, for that reason alone we must reject it to the point where there is no value that one is better than the other, everything is just the same. we know that is not the case. >> you have said in the past that as president you would talk about the dangers of contraception. what would you say those dangers are? >> i do not know if i ever said that. >> referencing a speech from october in des moines. maybe it was taken out of context? >> someone asked me a question about that, not at a speech. someone asked me a question years and years ago about contraception with respect to a

decision by the united states supreme court in the case that was the precursor of roe v. wade and started a number of rights -- the penumbra of rights that they found hey were able to justify the creation or the right to abortion. i said i disagreed with that decision, as i disagreed with roe v. wade. states, while i would not as a legislature vote to ban contraception, they have a right to do that under the 10th amendment. is not something that they should do. the have the right to, just like under the 10th amendment, the states have the right to ban or approve of abortion, in my opinion. that is their right under the constitution. what the supreme court did was take away the people's right to make this decision through their elected body and create a right that did not exist in the constitution, and i do not believe still exists, the right to an abortion. if the founders wanted to put that right in there, they would have written it. later, justices 5, 6, whatever,

could not find something if it is not there, it is for the public to decide what those moral decisions could be. [applause] >> we have a question from a mom in our audience. >> i'm from here in myrtle beach. i'm also a very proud military mom. my son is getting ready to deploy to afghanistan, his second deployment. recently, i heard about cuts in defense spending, and, as a mother, one of my greatest fears is that he will be on the front without supplies or support that he will need and he will be stranded. how will you, as president, reassure me and other military families that our sons and daughters that are in harm's way serving gladly will have the support that they

desperately need? >> thank you for your sacrifice and service and for your young son's sacrifice and service to our country. i'm the only person who has said they will not cut defense spending, because it is not the problem in our budget. 50 years ago, defense took up 60% and it now takes up 20%. no objective person can look at that and say defense is what is causing the problem. it's not. it is the most important thing the federal government does, the only thing the government can do that no other area can do. we can have health care programs at the state and local level, and education programs at the state and local level, but we cannot have the military at a local level. that should be robustly funded to make sure, in this very dangerous world, that we have the best possible equipment, the best possible training, the best possible system that produces not only the best military, but the best chance

for that military to survive and respect the lives of every one of those men and women in uniform. you have my commitment. this sort of ties into these tv ads being out there run against me about earmarks. if it were not for earmarks, this armored vehicle prototype would never have built, and it would not exist, the heavy armored vehicle that can sustain ied attacks and survive. we had armored humvees before that, and we were getting decimated. this armored vehicle would not be deployed right now because the military did not want it. gramm earmarked money for that, and if not we would not have it. the v20 is being used on our

special ops missions. i earmark money to make sure that program continues. the predator drone would not exist if it were not for congressional earmarks to make sure they follow through with the program. night vision goggles, another earmark i put in place. "the new york times" just did a story about all these earmarks. they interviewed one of the guys that i got an earmark for and they did not run the story. you know why? regenerative medicine. using tissue to grow back organs. you have seen figures being -- thing there is being drawn back.

-- fingers being grown back. it's amazing technology. but for five years, i earmarked against them to keep it open because it will transform wound care for men and women in uniform. after five years, the army said it was really good stuff, and then two weeks ago, "newshour" ran a 20 minute program about how transformative this has been for the men and women in uniform. i understand the concern with earmarks, but every agency does not always get it right, and sometimes members of congress are not doing things because they are are trying to spend more money or raise money because they have taken the time to learn what the right thing is, go out and advocate for it, and they may know a little bit more about it than the bureaucrats. earmarks have been abused over the last few years and guys like jim demint and i have said we should put an end to it. they are not always bad. we have to understand that abuse does not mean that

everybody abused it. i'm very proud of the things we have done. go ahead and continue without me. look at our record. look at the men and women who have been saved as a result of what we have done. i'm very proud of the fact that we did it. [applause] >> there are a number of mothers with children of military age here, and you talked about the challenges, and i want to follow up on this question about afghanistan. you have seven kids. i ask both of you, how would you feel if that was your child going over there? are you prepared to send your children to take down iran before they launch a nuclear weapon? >> to take down iran? no. that has never been something i have put on the table. to take out their capabilities,

as the israelis did in syria with their reactor and iraq, that is a very different thing than a full-scale invasion. i will not talk about that, because it's not in the playbook, anywhere in the playbook. that's not something we should engage in. we should stop the radical theocracy that has mal intent, not just for israel but for our allies in the region, most of whom are sunni muslims, and not just for the west, with their projection of terror. this is a country that, with a nuclear weapon, would be the greatest threat to peace and security this world has seen in a very, very long time. they are driven by a theology

that believes in conquest. i know barack obama says it's just a little country in the middle east, but it's a very wealthy one with a lot of oil and gas and they can buy off- the-shelf technology and develop themselves with nuclear weapons, build the technology to deliver it, and they have legions of terrorists. in central and south america, president ahmadinejad spent time in venezuela with hugo chavez talking about launch pads. there are training camps of jihadists sponsored by the terrorists. this is not a problem halfway across the world that we do not need to worry about. they are aligning with others and they want to see the u.s. domination, if you will, or influence, to wane and they will do whatever they can to make that happen to show that

they are the next one on the block. if we do not stop them from doing this, we will be preventing a war we have never seen the likes of before in this country. it is not a matter of taking out this regime, not a matter of a pre-emptive war, but a matter of taking out the nuclear capability that will change the face of our country. >> you would not have a problem with your son flying in that plane that drops the bomb and there will be people on the ground trying to take him down? >> i would be very proud of my son for serving my nation, as a mother. [applause] >> we have two boys, one just graduated from high school, the other in high school. one of the considerations they're looking at is potentially doing some kind of military service. i have been nothing but

encouraging. >> which branch? >> i will not get into that. [laughter] >> let's take another mom question. >> thank you for being a home schooling family. it would be great to have one in the white house. i am the mother of two boys who are perfectly normal, and our daughter was born with emmanuel syndrome, similar to the chromosomal issue your daughter has. i'm curious as to what you think the government's role should be in the role of special needs children. it's complicated. she had surgery at duke last week. there are a lot of needs to be considered. what do you think the government should be doing to help parents? >> i'm jumping in here, but feel free to fill in. our feeling, from our perspective, is that we want to do everything we can to care for our child to the extent that

we can do so. we not only feel an obligation to, but we want to do it. we believe that those are resources, and i cannot imagine how to spend them any better than on this beautiful child that is the center of our life and we love more than life itself. [applause] to me, that is a good expenditure of resources. obviously, some people are not in that position. one of the reasons i'm concerned about obamacare and government-run health care is that we tend to hear about the "cost effectiveness" research. you hear about the "proper utilization" of resources. when i hear things like that, as the dad of a special needs child, the red flags go up. that means my child has to "earn" care, "be worthy" of care, be a "good investment."

how do you look at my daughter? do you look at her as we do, which is a transformative figure in our family and to everyone who has ever met her? >> she's perfect. i'm sure you feel the same. >> do you look at her as the gift she is to everyone she touches? it's amazing. yet, to many in the world, you would ask why do anything? we were told by many professionals to let her go, that she's not worth fighting for, because she would not be able to "do" anything. >> i'm sure there are some physicians who love and support your little girl. we'll pray for her. what's her name? >> hermione. >> we will hope she does really

well. it's interesting how they categorize certain diagnoses. "lethal diagnosis, incompatible with life." they need to stop using those words. one-, it leads to legal wellcome's. we have found dead. -- when they do, it leads to a lethal outcomes. we have found this. and we are really on a mission now to help change the wording and how they give these diagnoses the parents. their mantra is to give the child a chance, see what the issues are, love and support the families. there's no doubt. we feel, as i'm sure you do, that it is an honor to take care of our little bella. she's an angel of heaven. as is your little girl. she's worth the dignity of every other child. you may have to turn into a mama bear to get the care -- and

i'm sure we could talk for hours. her first year of life was a really challenge. she has a happy, beautiful life. initially, it was a challenge just getting the basic care. >> to answer your question more directly, to the extent that the parents can and should provide, that they can't, anytime there are extraordinary costs associated with a disorder, it should be socialized in a high risk pool at a state level, because of the instability of medicaid, something will provide for that. that, to me, is a very appropriate way for society to affirm the dignity -- the dignity. [applause]

>> the senator described what he went through in a very emotional way. can you, as his wife, talk to us briefly about what he went through and about how you and he dealt with the challenges of that child? it's very powerful. i would like to now hear from the mom. >> we got the diagnosis four days after her birth. it was a really hard time. we were not expecting it. we had lost a baby, so i was thinking about was how i could not go through it again. i was very angry and i went into a deep, dark hole for 10 days. i was never going to leave my faith. it was trying. i just kept asking why. she was in the nicu. when i let go of the "why" there was a peace in me.

cod is in charge. that beautiful child was here for a purpose. i loved her with my heart and soul. she is a part of our family and we will love her and take care of her just like any of our kids. rick was a little different. initially, he held back because he needed to beat the strong guy holding us all together. it was a very hard time. we were going to love her and take care of her. rick was a little different. held back a little bit because he had to be the rock, strong guy, holding us together. i was truly falling apart. for any of you moms who have been through this, you know the pain and the challenge it could be. what we did -- you know, we are a very close family. we just sort of came together and dealt with it issue by issue. but over all, it was gone to be we will love and support bella and fight for life. and the family -- there were things that happened that i thank god i had been a nurse because i knew better. when certain things would happen i would call the doctor on it or the nurse. and again, we have wonderful physicians and nurses and our lives.

who will love like crazy, because they walked this journey with us. but there were some along the way, too, where it was shocking what we saw what they're not treating bella with dignity and respect and that is something i always insisted on as a mother, she be treated with the same dignity and respect as any other child and it was not always easy. issue by issue -- which grows really strong. we were all initially go right through a tough time. hospice care -- and strange that it is, you bring a baby home and you are going to hospice care, which is strange for us. we got home from the nicu and we both said, we want to focus on bella's life. our children are so dear. they love her like crazy. we came home and they had a big sign, welcome home bella, happy birthday. each day they made a number and for two years the sign hung on the family room and the change

did every day, every week, and every month. them a party every day for a while. do >> a party every day for a while. then it was every week and then confident enough to do every month. it is just sort of the steps you take. >> a lot of hospitalizations the first year. but to make a very long journey short, bella is an amazing girl. if she is 3 and have and nobody thought she would live for three hours and she is joyful and happy. the cutest thing. i have all these pictures in my mind as a mother -- one day i was in my room and my two little boys peter and patrick were playing cards and they had bella in her little chair right there with them, little cards in front, and monday were playing piano, she is they're playing with them and in the kitchen -- would love to cook and bake and it is very much the heart of our home.

she is right there and she is a great blessing. >> she loves her dad alive. [laughter] >> she has him wrapped around her little finger. she just melts -- >> she really loves me, too. and i love you brought your kids on the campaign trail. -- >> i love you brought your kids on the campaign trail. you said it is almost like a living school lesson. how are you structuring that? >> our children, who are in school -- they allow them to have two weeks off. and they are very good keeping up with their assignments. not really. >> you know you are on camera. >> their assignments are going to the campaign office making phone calls. >> hands-on learning. looking at the caucus state, primaries, the whole journey, how presidents are elected --

history and geography. it has been a lot of fun and it has been a great education. >> they have done a great job. my daughter elizabeth spent six weeks in south carolina traveling. my son john, a week and have in new hampshire and a couple of weeks in iowa. that was last semester. the semester we gathered everyone together and decided to spend time and come down to south carolina and plan our flags down here. they have been a boost and encouragement to me, being with us. it can be a lonely traveled day after day on the road, not seeing your kids. >> i think it is really need to watch these children. you always want to raise your kids with a spirit of service. the kids have done a lot of mission work and clothing and food drives, but they are being raised with a sense that life is not about them but it is about serving our lord, making the world a better place, it is about going out of your comfort

zone and giving to make the world a better place. this is hard work. the kids are working hard but they know this is to make our country a better country. pretty neat. >> let's take another question from a mom now. >> good afternoon senator and mrs. santorum. i live in greenville, south carolina. i have supported the senator says he announced as exploratory committee. >> thank you. >> my youngest son is gay. i debated a long time how to handle my support of you because what he has been hearing -- rick santorum hates gays. interestingly, we had a short conversation and he said actually i did not have any problems with his stance on gay marriage because i do not believe in gay marriage.

but i still have that sense of guilt because -- his friends react to what they hear. help me. how do i deal with that? >> go right ahead if you want to jump in -- >> thank you for the question. you as a mother -- we all love our kids unconditionally, and as rick's wife, i have known him and loved him for 23 years. and i think it is very sad what gay activists have done. they have vilified him and it is so wrong. rick does not hate anyone. he loves them, but he has simply -- what he has simply said it is marriage should not happen. but as far as hating, it is very unfortunate it has happened and a lot of it is backyard bullying where people come up to us and say something and we will ask them to give an example and they cannot even provide one

example as to why they took the position they took. you can take it from here. >> karen is right. it is not an issue of not doing what i am called to do, which is to love everyone and accept everybody. this is a public policy difference. and i think the problem is some see the public policy difference as a personal assault. and because that i believe that marriage, which has existed before government existed, marriage existed from the very beginning of time -- the way we were meant to be, not just that, but it is i believe governments include marriage in their laws is because we need to encourage what is best for mothers and fathers and children, which is for them to be together again to give every child of their birthright, which is to know and be loved by their mom and dad. and if we do not hold that up

as something that society is for and encourage it and promote it, then we will get less of it, and we will be, in a sense, denying tilden what is best for them. -- children what is best for them. we should not be a society that denies our children and our feature what is best for them. it is already rough enough out there. we need to affirm that people can have other relationships that are important and they can say that they are fine, but they cannot be what is essential for the future of our country. there are all sorts of the relationships -- relationships that people have and they are valuable, whether they are cameras, friendship -- amorous relationships or french -- or a friendship relationships or familial relationship. they are all important and they have value and they should be affirmed. but that does not mean we should change the laws in order to create an atmosphere in where children and families are not being -- i looked at what we -- being promoted.

i look at what we have seen in the country. i hear this a lot from those who are promoting same-sex marriage, that heterosexuals have messed up marriage and why are you picking on us. your answer is, you are right. that we have seen a decline in marriage in america and a decline -- just in the last 30 years, -- this has came out as of today -- 71% of people over the age of 18 being married in this country down to 51%. 5% drop in the last five years, which is the fastest drop ever. and you can't say that what is going on in the public and the culture does not affect marriage. it does. it affects people's attitudes toward marriage, their desire to marriage, what they see marriage is, and if it is not something that have an intrinsic value and worth, then you will get less of it. and we see this going on now. and so, i would agree that there were problems with a

marriage before we had this debate, but this debate in my opinion is not helping. what we need to do is refocus on trying to promote men and women coming together and having those strong bonds, supporting men and women in marriage. in an example in my book "it takes a family." in one of my chapters i talk about a project and in chattanooga, tennessee. a city in east tennessee where they found out through the demographic research that was done, the senses, that they had, i think, the highest divorce rate in the state and one of the highest out-of- wedlock birthrates and the highest single parenthood rate. they were amazed this to town in the smoky mountains would have this problem. the community fathers decided to do something -- educators, business people, town fathers, as well as the churches, taint -- came together and started a

nonprofit saying we will do something to reinstalled marriage, to help father is the response for the children, -- to help bothers be responsible for their children, nurture and support people going through difficult times, and make a conscience -- conscious effort as a community to have in the classroom education about what marriage is and why it is valuable and what is important about that and maybe share the things i've shared with you, the brookings institute study. information is a very powerful thing and having community support and nurturing is actually essential for setting expectations as to what people should be doing in their life. and you have a popular culture that sets a very different expectations. our heroes that we celebrate almost without thinking, not heroes necessarily promoting the values and when we have one that does, they are controversial. right? they are the ones who get held up to scorn and ridicule because they stand up for the book of virtues or truths, as we

saw just recently with tim tebow. so, we have this problem in our culture. so when the people in chattanooga decided we are going to fight against the culture and do it as a community, and they lowered all three of the rates by 25% in the first three years. it can happen. we can do this. and it is not against anybody. it is for something that we know it is good. respecting everybody in their right to live their lives but understanding that there are intrinsic good and body and institutions that have been in existence for a long time and we should not nest with what is true and right and has been in existence since the beginning of humankind. [applause] >> is tim tebow a hero? [applause]

>> in our home. >> hesitated because he beat the pittsburgh steelers. [laughter] [applause] sort of a sensitive subject right now. >> i was for him yesterday. did not work out too well. >> so, in a way you work for him -- you work for him -- were for him before you were against them. [laughter] i want to ask you about how the wood. -- hollywood. i have known you for sometimes and i know you are very concerned about the cultural influence not just economic. what message would you send to the moms about hollywood. >> it is funny, after i left the senate people said he spent your life in politics. i did -- we got married and got into politics right away and was in public life from a timeout was 32 years old. i practiced law before that. but 32-48 -- i left politics when i was 48. after that, i got involved with

a little company because i was very concerned during my time growing up, in a sense, growing up as a father in politics and sing the impact of the popular culture on our children. we took measures by putting all the parental controls in and not sending our kids to a movie unless we saw the movie first. we did everything we could but you cannot avoid it. you are watching a good show and then there are commercials which are x-rated commercials and you are constantly sang "turn your head away." "hit the zapper." what should parents have to fight to protect their children from what comes into their house? if somebody came to your door like that who was showing themselves the way they are showing, you would call the police. and yet television feels they have the right to go in there and show you these things. and mold the moral imagination of their true -- your children. a friend of mine was involved

in a start of business that was going to try to provide a technology to help parents manage the television from the standpoint of what their children were being exposed to. it was a little company i and of working for, the number two guy at the program, the business, for three years. we ended up having to go out for money to launch our product in the fall of 2008, which is when everything crashed. so, timing is everything, my friends. it did not turn out very well. we hung on for as long as we could. here is what i found. i found as we did demonstrations of the product and did focus groups with parents, there was wide acceptance because it was a matter of basically here is a tool for you. it is neutral from the standpoint of what you do with it. and it really gives parents choices. we are not saying this is good

or bad -- this is good, this is bad, but here it is. it gave you control. to that extent, a lot of people were very excited about it. and so, that was exciting. what i did find that also is that the cable industry and the entertainment industry wanted nothing to do with it and ran away from it as fast as they could. they will do the minimum. they will do the minimum to show that the "care" about giving parents parental control but they really do not want to and they certainly do not want to charge anybody for it or create a service parents would have to pay for because it takes away from their own revenue. they are interested in purveying what ever you want to see and they did not really care what you see. to me, that was chilling. something interesting i found out. look, this is a great product and you parents who are desperately wanting something that could help them manage it, so when the six-year old or eight year old or 10-year-old are watching what you are making dinner, they did not have to worry about not just what is on

the show but on the commercials they are watching. they were very start with me and they said, look -- only 31% of our subscribers had kids under the home -- in a home under 18. not a big market. you know who uses cable? single males. and we do not want to touch this thing. there you have it. this cold business decision. not what we can do to help form and give parents the ability to be able to raise their children in ways that is consistent with their values, but we have an entertainment industry -- whether it is internet or television or movies -- who, in many respects, have been on the agenda. number one is money. but it is also pushing the envelope because that is what they continue to do to try to get new, young eyes, to push the envelope. as we see it pushing the envelope, our culture is degraded further and further. >> and question from my mom now.

>> my name is christine, and i want you to know i have a whole bunch of moms following my experience today, because i will be writing about f it in about forums on cafe mom. my husband and i are in the process of trying to sell our home but in the current market is proving to be a very difficult task. i was wondering what you and your administration would do to try to repair the damage that has been done to the housing market? >> i did that question quite a bit, and i have, at least in my own mind, somewhat of an unsatisfactory answer. i'm a politician should not say that. the housing market had a boom and had a huge bubble and it burst. what we saw is what happens in the housing front and basically the financial services front, which of the government injected itself through fannie and freddie and other ways to try to soften the blow.

and in softening the blow, as we have seen in the financial markets, we have for long but -- we have prolonged the the pain. and we have stretched out of this situation for a longer and longer time. and we still have not reached the point where we have, in a sense, hit bottom and can accurately and fairly priced everything -- all of the bad loans have been gone, swept out, and we can reestablish real value of the house or housing or grow from there. we are still carrying these mortgages along with us because we have a government that does not want to recognize the pain, as we did with respect to the financial services sector. i believe in letting markets work. and sometimes it is like taking the band-aid off. for me, my arms are a little

hairy so when you take the bandit off, you do not want to take off slowly because it really hurts. so, you take on real quick and it hurts for a second but then it goes away. in some respects, that is what we have to do with the housing market. we've got to find the bottom. we've got to let the market work. we have to let the folks, whether they end up speculating and losing money or it simply bought their house at the wrong time, people have to go through the pain of recognizing that laws and moving on. and if we don't do that, then we will have a malaise in the housing market which will continue to drag down our economy for a long time. for me, it is quit trying to apply more band-aids and just pull them off, let the market work and let us start over and build a stronger housing industry. [applause] >> i think you just broke the news about the hairy arms.

[laughter] i now understand the sleeveless vest. >> they had to shorten the microphone for me. thank you for being here today. a real excited to meet you guys. my name is becky and i am from camden, south carolina. i want to go back to the subjects about you all home school. we are one of those families who home schools our children. and many families are turning to home schooling their children to give their children a better education than what they feel is out there. you all obviously support homeschooling. i am wondering what steps would you take to defend the rights of parents to direct their children's education with no fear of governmental intervention? >> i guess i will take it.

my feeling is -- and i say this in all of my speech is where i talk about education. we should have an education system that serves the customer of the education system. and the customer of the education system is the parents, because it is the parents' responsibility to educate your children. we have been conditioned by a sect -- society that believes by serenaded is no longer in your responsibility. you can drop your kids off at a public or bring private school and it is somebody else's job to do this. but of course, it is not true. there are still your children and you have the responsibility of making sure that they are provided for in every way. whether it is food or transportation. education is a big part. you educate your children from the moment they are born -- you teach them their abcs, everything. it does not stop because you

have somebody helping you. you need to be, i think, reminded, as we were, that if parents do not engage, then you are turned -- turning over your child to being raised by people who may or may not share your values, may not do what you believe is in the best interest of your children. of course, why would be do that? other than you have to because you have no choice. this is the first -- frustration of a lot of parents. they feel like they did not have any choice. we have an education that focuses on the education system. they did not focus on your child. they talk about "children." i understand we have a children that need to educate all children. but we have businesses in america, large ones, that provide services to millions, probably more people than the education system those children. yet, they have a motto in every business -- who comes first?

the customer. it is not true in the education system in the country. i of the system comes first, employees come first, and it is certainly not the parents did. it is certainly not the parents and what we can do to work with parents so they can get, for their children, what they believe their children need to be successful. not as a society necessarily sees successful. because you know what -- let's look at no child left behind. yes, i know i voted for but i would repeal of i have the chance, which i hope to if i get elected president. [applause] but society said what is really important is academics. what is really important is academic accomplishment. but what if you are a parent who believes that, yes, academics are important but i want my child to be raised with a deep, rich state, or i want my child

to be good and virtuous, that is more important to me than how well they do in a particular subject? maybe those things are more highly valued by the parents. and why not? you said before that the three things you have to do to be successful is work. that is a value parents want to instill. it was instilled in me. a very important part is a set of values -- hard work, honesty, integrity. all of those things. how many people were hired a hard worker who has enteric -- integrity and honesty and loyalty and maybe a c student, or d. 1 d a student who does not have any of those values? so why are we just focused on the a? why do we have an education system that cannot provide parents with an environment that focuses on the things we know will lead to success in america, and it is not just

academic achievement? but that is what the entire education system is focused on. and it is not focused on what is best for mom and dad and for the family. it is broken. canit -- people say, what can you do at the federal level? not much, to be honest. it repeal "no child left behind" and the federal government out of the way of education. .nd a pair

. .

>> mrs. perry, we have an online member that have a question for you. "of all of the disagreements you have had throughout your marriage, which one sticks out most? >> my gosh. [laughter] of the one that sticks out most? >> we have not had that many. we really do not. >> who apologizes first? >> he does. [laughter] you know, there is no really great, tumultuous decision or argument that we have. >> life is too short.

>> i think that she realized. >> we dated for 16 years. it is not like i did not know her pretty well. 45 years, i have known her. i am not interested in watching that on the television? me neither. i love her. she loves me. we really do not have -- we just do not have those kinds of arguments. i tell people on a regular basis how blessed i am to be married to her. i know that some folks have these knock down drag out, but we just do not. >> you have said the word last. -- blessed. you and i have run into each other on the campaign trail. she says she prays for you. i believe her.

it is a special thing for me, when she says that. what does prayer and faith mean for both of you in your life? >> i do not think that you can get through this without faith and prayer. the longer that we are in it, the more dependent upon that faith and prayer that i become. it is uncanny, the people and the friends who send a message. it is a biblical version, a devotion of their friend in georgia. is it not amazing, when you open the bible and it gives you the guidance that you need for that day? for me, my faith, my prayer has become much stronger. >> it is very true. i tell people -- god did not tell me "i want you running."

but there were certainly things that i tested god on before i made the decision on this. i needed to fill comfortable in my heart. you sure to tell me that i would win. -- he sure didn't tell me i would win. [laughter] but i do know i am doing god's will for my life. i agree with nita. my life, particularly my spiritual life has been substantially strengthened. i have matured as a question over the last six months. i think about, as joshua said -- i am asked what my favorite scripture is, right now it is joshua number one, number nine, where he is told to be courageous and unafraid because

god will always be with him. as we go through this process and you look around, looking behind you in the parade you are leading, that is ok. the one person that you need to have in your rate is always there. [applause] >> another question? >> my name is grace. when you said in the past about illegal aliens gaining in-state tuition, my question is, why do you let them get in state tuition for our schools? texas schools, especially, when there are other kids in a great state that might want to come to a texas school and pay out of state tuition? i have a heart.

i understand it is good for them to go to school. but that is a big money issue. >> the bigger issue, and i am going to directly address would you have asked, but the bigger issue is that the federal government has failed abysmally at securing our border. do you agree? >> yes. >> it is the reason that south carolina passed an immigration law. we have had to do things in the state of texas that we were forced to do because the federal government absolutely failed. we have spent $400 million on border security in texas today. just last month i deployed two gunboats to the border of mexico. these are 30 foot, kevlar impregnated boats. this is what you would expect to see in a war zone.

there are places on the border where it is a war zone. we made the comment -- the president made the comment that the border is as safe as it has ever been. he is so out of touch. my point is, i know how to secure the border. when i am president, there will be thousands of troops on the border. we will have strategic fencing and planes in the air, 24/7, so that we know when the activities occur on the border. when a individuals cross, we can set -- send teams to stop the activities. we need a president who will commit to do that. on the education issue, the federal government demands, by law, that you take care of individuals in your state,

regardless of their immigration status. texans were faced with this. you are either going to have a group of people that are tax wasters or taxpayers. they are there. they will be on your welfare rolls, your prisons, engaging in activities that will cost your state, or you're going to give -- you're going to say the you're going to get in line and work on gaining citizenship. if you go to a texas college, you will pay full in-state tuition. of 181 members of the legislature, there were only four dissenting votes. this was a straight up economic issue for texas. look, i would never say that this is what you should do in

south carolina. you should make that decision on your own. i would never support it at the federal level. i am not for amnesty in any fashion. to deal with that issue in a way that we did made economic sense. texans still agree, by and large, that that was the best way to deal with it. if you live in the state of texas for three years, you pay that in state tuition. >> we have a young man that wants to ask a question. how old are you? >> 10. >> go ahead. >> hello. my name is john and i am 10 years old. i have been following this race pretty closely. [laughter] describe what life will be like if you become president, in 25 years, for me and my kids. [laughter] [applause] >> a great question.

[applause] >> be careful, he is not smiling. >> john, you will be 35 years old. i hope you will be smiling when you are 35 years old, because there was a generation before you that had the courage to make decisions that were hard decisions to reduce the size of government so that you could have more freedom. i am talking about freedom from over-taxation, regulation and litigation. and we kept the freedoms that people who hate us would try to take away. i refer to making sure that we keep a strong military to defend this country from those that hate us, for whatever reason. to do that, we must first have a strong economy.

our whole existence goes back to making sure that we have tax policy and regulatory policy in place that allows for the of entrepreneurs to know that they have return on their investment. if we cannot do that, we cannot have the resources to keep up with research and development to maintain a superior edge against countries like china. we cannot have a moderate navy the we're going to need -- that we are going to require. my pledge to you is this. i am not going to tell you that america will look like my home state. but those basic blueprints of economic prosperity that we put in place there, and arguably, in my opinion -- inarguably, in

my opinion, and i believe this with my whole heart, texas is the best economic climate in america. it did not happen by accident. we make hard decisions that allow the state to flourish. it's still flourishes today. we can do that in america. we need citizens that will rise up. we will say that we will no longer except washington, d.c., not listening to us about taxes being too high and regulations been too onerous. we need a president who is an outsider and has the courage to walk in there. and you stop spending money that you do not have to, so that your generation and have the

freedom that you deserve. [applause] >> john, if i may, i want to follow up on that. the governor and i decided to get into this race -- it was after we look around, and we do have two children. remember when the worst thing that could happen on a bicycle was you took a wrong turn in your neighborhood and a neighbor would call? and i just want you to know? that is what we want. when we looked around, we wanted -- and as a mother, i want every young person to have the same opportunity that we had growing up. also, that we live safe. as a mother and future grandmother, i want our world to be safe. >> pressure is on a [laughter] . -- pressure is on.

[laughter] >> will be one for you is the safety and a job, and a wonderful future and safe environment, and healthiest environment you could have to raise your children in -- what we want for you is the safety and jobs, and wonderful future and safe environment, and healthy environment you could have for your children. >> how old are you? >> 28. >> what do you want for your son? >> i want him to be happy. he has already found the most beautiful, smart, capable young lady to be his wife. i do not know, four or five children? [laughter]

and happiness comes in so many forms and fashions. i realize that money and the access to money is not going to bring you happiness. but the other side of that is that we live in a world where government continues to get bigger and bigger. our liberties become smaller and smaller. that was not the vision of our founding fathers. i want to go back. some people may think it is old-fashioned, but i want to go back to a reflection of those limited powers that our founding fathers had over a federal government.

that the states, when we talk about the powers delegated to the states by the constitution, reserve for the states and the people, the simplicity of that 10th amendment. then people can kind of pick and choose. if you want to live in a state with heavy regulatory burdens, or individual mandated insurance that you have to buy, you can go live in massachusetts. [laughter] [applause] or you can go live where the environment is more to your liking. that is the beauty of our founding fathers. that is the happiness, frankly, that i want for americans. go and find that state that best reflects your values and not live under this one-size- fits-all mentality. >> the other thing i might add is the debt.

i have cried every time with the miracle of birth. i am a nurse. but the amount of debt, we can truly make a difference in washington. >> another question? >> my name is laura brooks. my husband and i, we have three children. the lord gave them to us to raise. that being said, where do you stand with the line between parental rights and the government telling us what we cannot do? what would you do to protect our rights in decisions like schooling, religious freedom, nutrition. >> the government's rights stop

at your front door. when it comes to dealing with your children. i am a very strong proponent of home schooling. timothy lambert, the head of the texas homeschooling coalition, we get pointed out on a regular basis as being a state that has some of the best homeschooling environments. we protect the rights of the parents. we have gone to court to do that. we have passed laws in the state of texas. as a president, i would be for more -- promoting that same type of protection, whether you are home school or private school, whatever it might be. parental rights are paramount. unless there is clear evidence of abuse, it is on the government and the business what you -- it is not on the

government to be in the business of your children. [applause] >> you are very clear about what you do not want the government to do. when you hear the pledge of allegiance, star spangled banner, or god bless america, what do you think, personally? >> i think that it goes back to the way that i was raised and the values that i learned. my father was a tail gunner in 1944. i cannot tell you how many hundreds of missions my father flew. the love of america was instilled in us by a parent. my school board president was also my sunday school

superintendent and my scoutmaster. there was a lot of multitasking. by basketball coach, my civics teacher, and he drove a school bus. he was also a marine. loving america, loving the values of this country, it was instilled in us at home and in school, as well as church. and i am boy scouts. when i went on to texas a&m and volunteered in the air force, i had opportunities all over the world. i only left texas a handful of times in my life. i did not know how other people live or how other governments treated their people until i lived in saudi arabia, iran,

and all of these european countries. i saw monarchies and geographies -- theocracy's, different types of dictatorships. at that point in time, as a 26- year-old young man, it became so clear to me what an uncut -- incredible country i lived in. what those people had taught me was so powerful. when that flag goes up at a ball game and we see the words, they are really special. they are a powerful thing. when i am standing on that stage, getting ready to debate,

i am standing at attention. i am standing with my hand over my heart. to reflect my belief in this great an incredible country. we believe that the symbols of the country should never, ever be used in any other way than to hold up america and its great freedoms. and the hope that it reflects. [applause] >> your faith, your commitment to traditional family values, having a big part of this campaign. america is filled with many faiths systems and beliefs. what do you have to say to them? those that do not look like you, who have different beliefs systems? how can you be a of president and what message do you have for them?

>> the fact is that my faith teaches me to love them, regardless of their lifestyles. it also teaches me to hate their san. -- sin. that goes to the issue of traditional marriage. there are some very good things that come out of individuals who have that lifestyle. but my faith teaches me, very clearly, that that act is an act of sin. but i love them. i would never not love them. that is the powerful message of my faith. the founding fathers were wise and fought for freedom of religion. not freedom from religion. regardless of your religion, you will be free to practice it.

but this country was founded upon judeo hurt -- judeo- christian values. >> amen! [applause] >> people can argue that jefferson was deist, and that is a fine argument, but the truth is this country was founded on judeo-christian values. as we allow -- whether it is political correctness or if it is active -- activists in robes on the supreme court to chip away at those values, it hurts the american foundation. as president of the united states, you will see me put strict constructionist, court. you will also see me being very

open to individuals who are different for me. but i will always love them. i will not compromise my principles from the standpoint of saying that i have to accept something that i think -- that you think is ok, but my values, and frankly the voters in the states have said we are not going to except as an act that goes against 3000 years of tradition in this country. >> my name is tara hanes. i have a 17-year-old son who is an eagle scout. i found out that you are also. i know that in the future he is going to hit a number of obstacles, growing up in general. what obstacles did you come across when you receive your

eagle rank? as president, how will you remove them? >> here is a message for every young boy, as they are working their way through scouting. it is the only thing that you will do as a young person that will be a on yourresume when -- the on your -- be on your resume when you are 50 years old. it is why you have to really work to get your ego. -- eagle. when it says eagle scout, i know something about them without having ever met them. i know something about them as a young person, somewhere between the age of 12 and 17, they went through a long and laborious process, following a rule book, a road map to the completion of a long project.

their mother probably spent a lot of time -- [laughter] prodding them and poking them to finish this, because they understand something. as an employer is making a decision about who they want to be on their team and they see eagle scout, they know that that young person has the characteristics embedded in them as a young person. if they had it at the aged -- ages of 12 to 17, chances are they will still have those characteristics by the age of 71. >> i know that we are getting close to the end and i want to give you an opportunity -- i do not know what direction you will take at. we will be sitting on the stage tonight, one candidate less. as you can see, behind you, there are a lot more people

watching. there are many people out there comparing you and governor romney. what would you say to the people watching? >> governor romney is a good man. we have got to know each other over the course of the campaign. but americans have a decision to make. we are applying to work for you. we are applying to be the chief executive officer of this country. i disagree with rick santorum. it is a ceo job. and it is commander-in-chief. i have done the mall. -- them all. as i said earlier, do you think that changing an insider with another insider, whether it is a wall street insider or a washington insider, is that really going to change

washington, d.c.? i am the one person on the stage that is an outsider. that has a record of the 11 years' worth of operating a major institute. working in the same environment where democrats and republicans have been successful, i am the one individual who has been a consistent social and fiscal conservative for my entire life. for that reason, i asked you to vote your values and who you think can step in to that race. i cannot wait to get on the stage and draw the stark contrast between myself, my record, and barack obama. [applause]

>> what would you like non- voters out there to know about your system? -- your husband? >> i would like them to know that we did not take this decision lightly. we put ourselves out there. two things come to my mind. jobs. we need a leader. my husband is a leader and the longest serving governor in the state of texas. he knows how to create that environment for jobs. we want the america that we had growing up. i want everyone to really look at his record. do not listen to the rhetoric. he can get america back. [applause] >> the cameras are going to want to focus on this. i am trying to read this. which is cooler?

his boots or my shoes? [unintelligible] >> 1824 in the back. the front of the boots says? >> i use these to go to schools to teach history from time to time. the flag on the front was made from a wedding dress in 1835, in a little town, where the frontier, where the mexican government had been unfair to texans. they had loaned us a couple of cannons to protect against the indians. they thought about, saying that may be giving those texans those cannons was not such a good idea.

they sent an envoy to rest for the canon back. -- to ask for the cannon back. the flag was made and they said, and take it. the first shot was fired as part of the revolution at gonzales. they tried to take the cannons and they were unsuccessful. the flag on the back, the message had the date 1824 embroidered in the middle. that is the flag that is flying at the alamo. the reason that 1824 is on there is that that is the date that the constitution's, texans were living under mexican rule at that time. they flew that over the alamo to remind the generals that they were in there because they did not live up to your word on

this constitution. the alamo did not turn out that well for us. [laughter] six weeks later, at a place [unintelligible] called sam houston -- place called [unintelligible] the republic of texas was created. it is thanks to people like james butler and william travis that a lot of folks from tennessee, who came to fight for freedom, it reminds me about service and sacrifice. i like to tell young people that i do not care if you joined the peace corps or the marine corps, but you have got to get back to this country. freedom is not free. we are only one generation away from losing our freedoms. i would suggest to you that that is the most important issue in this election. [applause]

>> i did not expect a history lesson, but thank you. >> we will be back here at 1:00. there will be a special message recorded just for you from stephen colbert. [laughter] do you have a message for stephen colbert. >> senator rick santorum will be here. thank you very much. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

[indistinct conversation]

[indistinct conversation] >> i have been there five times. those kids are incredible. a portion of them stay. thank you for your service. tell him thanks for his service. >> this is my third time being

around you. >> how are you? i think there is a role for every one of us in life. it maybe extraordinary, but there is a time -- he has done that. the talent he has. finding the place where those salaries can be.

god bless you. thank you. tebow's girl. i love that guy. >> i was wondering if my husband could get a picture. >> i want to be where she is because the light is better.

>> i will post to that later today. >> are we going to get a picture? >> yes, sir. >> thank you for your service. well, how about that?

>> that is bizarre. i wonder if it fell lot of my pocket. i am going to hunker down. >> will you sign this for my daughter? thank you so much.

>> leading up to the primary, c- span's coverage takes you to be tended it even saw this week. >> we need to in london -- eliminate these programs. cut them, send them back to the state, remove the federal oversight and let the states have the flexibility to deliver these programs. >> we have brought to the forefront, others talk about it and do nothing. right to now it is this liberty movement which is seen as a patriotic movement and that is saying to the world, we have had enough of sending our kids and our money around the world to be the policemen. it is time to bring them home. >>, and as candidates meet voters.

>> we feel very good about that. the conservatives are coalescing around our campaign. that is going to be good for us. >> find more video and c-span -- at c-span.org. >> an online presidential form with grit and karen santorum. this is an hour and 15 minutes. [applause] ♪ >> hello, everybody. i'm cafemom's political correspondent. we are the number one mom site and we started back in 2006. ands come for community content, but they really come to talk, too.

one of their favorite subject is politics. they have all different kinds of opinions, but there are two things they all have in common. one, they feel like politicians are not listening to them. and two, they feel like politicians cannot understand what our real day-to-day lives are like. we think that is unacceptable and that is why we have started mom's matter 2012, an initiative to get mom's the information they need to be informed to vote, no matter what your decision may be. to that end, we are having these forums. we spoke to newt gingrich a few weeks ago, and today we have rick santorum and his wife, karen. thank you so much for joining us. [applause]

>> you told me something very interesting just now, you have an insane schedule every day. it is event after event. and he just told me he drinks no caffeine. how is that possible? >> i guess i'm not a good cafemom. maybe a decaf dad. [laughter] it actually gives me the jitters. i've never liked it. i'm high energy enough and luckily it am able to go on. i feel very passionate about what i'm doing, and i have no trouble getting up in the morning and getting out there. what an awesome opportunity this is to go and get your ideas out there and paint a vision for the country and, hopefully, get people excited about what we want to do, the vision we have, and it keeps me going every day. inwhat's the toughest moment the campaign so far for both of you?

is there any one thing where you just think, "i do not know why i'm doing this" or "how i can keep doing this?" >> it is the challenge of day to day. we are the parents of seven children. to the mothers, we understand the challenges of the day-to- day, the juggling, the work, the schedules. you have a lot of moments where you feel like this is what you want to do, that you are on that path. then you have days where you think, "why?" my car broke down car twice, my old car that i really like. just funny things. the a juggling act with kids and their schedules.

>> we feel like this is where we are supposed to be. we have a lot of these things happening. we were not moving in the polls, and a lot of people are asking why we were still in the race. we just said we felt like we had a different message than everyone else and we're talking about things that no one else is. eventually people will look at our message, our record, and we are real people out there trying to do a good job to reflect the values of real people. hopefully that comes across. if it does, great. if not, we gave it our best. [applause] >> i would like to ask you now about an issue that a lot of

our moms talk about that really never goes away. you said in your books that women find it harder to work outside the home. you think families are best suited when they have a stay at home mom in them? >> or dad. i will let karen answer that question. she had a lot to say in that portion of the book. in way of an introduction, karen was a nicu nurse, and when we got pregnant with elizabeth 21 years ago now, her life changed. she made the decision to stay at home to raise elizabeth, and i will hand it off from there. >> i think it's important that women feel supported.

if they want to work outside the home -- i'm all for dads staying at home. whatever is right for your family. it was my choice. i'm hitting my mic. sorry. i felt passionate about staying home with my kids. my mom was home with us. she is just the most amazing woman in the world. if i can be half the mother that she was to us, i will feel like a huge success. i wanted to be at home because of that. but what happens, and i hear this time and time again, but women at home do not feel the same appreciation as a woman in the workforce. we are very much in the work force. i worked as a lawyer. i worked as a nicu nurse. what i did at home was just as challenging, if not more challenging, than what i did as a lawyer or a nurse.

i applaud those who stay at home. [applause] the work that we do at home is critical, whether it is a dad or mom at home raising the next generation, educating our kids, raising good kids who can give back and contribute to the world to make it a better place is essential. >> i talked about the important role that dads play, and they're out there making money, doing those things, and they may not recognize the work of cleaning, cooking, changing diapers, as well as being the coach of a sports team and all these other things. to me, it is about affirming the important role that the family plays in society, for both mothers and fathers, and not just celebrating success in the workplace, but also

celebrating the critical role that parents play in our society. >> you said something in a speech yesterday, and i never got permission, so this may cause me some consternation. you described the role of the government and families, particularly this government, and this president, and the decisions and policies that they are making, and how you described it touched me. sometimes i get a little cynical, but you broke through it. i would like for you to, just briefly, describe what you think is wrong with the obama administration and its policies, particularly toward young, unmarried women, because i think it could be very educational for the people watching at home. >> i will try to condense this. there was a study done by the brookings institute, a liberal think tank, and it was a study

on poverty. people can do three things in their life to avoid poverty -- work, graduate high school, and get married before you have children. if you do those three things, according to brookings, you have a 2% chance of being in poverty. on top of that, you have a 77% chance of being above the median income. conversely, if you fail to do one of those three things, you have a 74% chance of ending up in poverty at some point in your life and a 4% chance of being above the median income. these numbers probably shock you in how stark they are, but you understand how it makes sense. when i heard this from bill bennett, former secretary of education, i was on his radio

program and he told me about his wife's program, called best friends, which is a program that helps average young girls stop -- at-risk young girls stop at risk behavior that could lead to bad life choices and bad outcomes. she has this program in schools that is in part federally funded. the obama administration just came down with a policy that said, in her program, she cannot teach abstinence as a preferable way of avoiding birth out of wedlock. she cannot talk about marriage. she cannot talk about marriage as anything other than an alternative lifestyle, no better or no worse than any other. my question is why. why would the president of the united states put a policy in place that even people on his

side of the aisle would leave those women to make unfortunately bad choices that could harm them economically and in a whole host of other ways? someone suggested, on the cynical side, that maybe they want to create dependency or it is just an ideology. it is an ideology. i hear often, "rick and you should not impose your values on everybody else." what is that? imposing a set of values that we know leads to behavior that causes problems in people's lives and in society as a whole. i keep coming back to the question -- why? why would you do that? why would you have a policy that you know is going to cause strife in all of these young girls' lives, not give them the information they need, the power that they need, to be able to help themselves make these decisions in their lives. i keep asking the question why.

>> what is the answer? >> you tell me. you tell me. you tell me why. i literally do not know. it could be a variety of different reasons, but none of it makes a real sense to me unless you are just so dogmatic that you just cannot look at evidence. you cannot look at reality. you want to reject something just because it happens to be a traditional value, that, somehow or another, for that reason alone we must reject it to the point where there is no value that one is better than the other, everything is just the same. we know that is not the case. >> you have said in the past that as president you would talk about the dangers of contraception. what would you say those dangers are? >> i do not know if i ever said that. >> referencing a speech from october in des moines. maybe it was taken out of

context? >> someone asked me a question about that, not at a speech. someone asked me a question years and years ago about contraception with respect to a decision by the united states supreme court in the case that was the precursor of roe v. wade and started a number of rights that they found hey were able to justify the creation or the right to abortion. i said i disagreed with that decision, as i disagreed with roe v. wade. states, while i would not as a legislature vote to ban contraception, they have a right to do that under the 10th amendment. the have the right to, just like under the 10th amendment, the states have the right to ban or approve of abortion, in my opinion. what the supreme court did was take away the people's right to make this decision through their elected body and create a right that did not exist in the

constitution, and i do not believe still exists, the right to an abortion. if the founders wanted to put that right in there, they would have written it. later, justices 5, 6, whatever, could not find something if it is not there, it is for the public to decide what those moral decisions could be. [applause] >> we have a question from a mom in our audience. >> i'm from here in myrtle beach. i'm also a very proud military mom. my son is getting ready to deploy to afghanistan, his second deployment. recently, i heard about cuts in defense spending, and, as a mother, one of my greatest fears is that he will be on the front without supplies or support that he will need and he will be stranded. how will you, as president,

reassure me and other military families that our sons and daughters that are in harm's way serving gladly will have the support that they desperately need? >> thank you for your sacrifice and service and for your young son's sacrifice and service to our country. i'm the only person who has said they will not cut defense spending, because it is not the problem in our budget. 50 years ago, defense took up 60% and it now takes up 20%. no objective person can look at that and say defense is what is causing the problem. it's not. it is the most important thing the federal government does, the only thing the government can do that no other area can do. we can have health care programs at the state and local level, and education programs at the state and local level, but we cannot have the military at a local level. that should be robustly funded to make sure, in this very

dangerous world, that we have the best possible equipment, the best possible training, the best possible system that produces not only the best military, but the best chance for that military to survive and respect the lives of every one of those men and women in uniform. you have my commitment. this sort of ties into these tv ads being out there run against me about earmarks. if it were not for earmarks, this armored vehicle prototype would never have built, and it would not exist, the heavy armored vehicle that can sustain ied attacks and survive. we had armored humvees before that, and we were getting decimated. this armored vehicle would not be deployed right now because

the military did not want it. gramm earmarked money for that, and if not we would not have it. the v20 is being used on our special ops missions. i earmark money to make sure that program continues. the predator drone would not exist if it were not for congressional earmarks to make sure they follow through with the program. night vision goggles, another earmark i put in place. "the new york times" just did a story about all these earmarks. they interviewed one of the guys that i got an earmark for and they did not run the story. you know why? it's about regenerative medicine. medicine.