benefited the most wealthy among us. another 13% of that was driven by a series of wars that we asked our sons and daughters on a volunteer basis to go fight, but that our president never asked us to pay for, and it all contributed to our debt. we have seen that that debt and those decisions were also coupled with an under- investment in the job generating capacity and economic competitiveness of all of the united states. >> governor, i would like you to respond to that. governor o'malley basically laid out the democratic philosophy that you can find in his state and that president obama is trying to articulate nationally. i would like you to articulate why you disagree with what he said. >> first, a disclaimer. ebner o'malley and i are friends. we work together -- governor o'malley and i are friends.

we work together on a lot of things and we have a common heritage from ireland. >> we are neighbors. >> we're close. the point is, on a lot of things we get along. we have very different views when it comes to what is going on at the federal level and the approach to government. that is the duty of the constitution -- written by the virginians. >> finalized by maryland. >> they could afford it. they pay higher taxes. i do wonder if democrats are going to continue blaming president bush for everything that is wrong in the country. an esp for republican governors. we do believe it is time to get serious -- let me speak for republican governors.

we do believe it is time to get serious about rekindling the american dream. just go down the list of policies every three years, and i rest my case. what we believe is that you have to spend within your means. you have to balance the budget, without tax increases, on time. you have to encourage the private sector. this president has blamed wall street, a tea party republicans. he blamed the founders' last week for not giving him enough power. we believe in taking accountability. you have to be responsible as a governor for getting things done in your state on time. we believe using the private sector to create jobs and opportunity is the way to go. virginia has been ranked for a couple years in a row as the most business friendly state in the country.

maryland was 27th this year, at my request, we are going to invest tendered $30 million -- invest $230 million more in higher education. we are making strategic investments not only for the short term, but for the long term. our formula is working. republican governors have a similar philosophy. 11 out of 15 states that have the most business friendly rankings have republican governors. seven out of 10 with the lowest unemployment have republican governors. on an empirical basis, the strategy republicans are using is working. i will compare that with what democratic governors are doing. >> i think we're all trying to do here is figure out how we build a new economy that lasts.

that is not going to happen by itself. yes, there are republican governors who have been largely immune to the national recession, but let's look at some other states. in ohio, john cases, one of the new superstar republican and tea party governors, 30th last year in new job creation. rick scott, a superstar tea party governor of florida, 45th in new job creation. scott walker -- you remember scott walker? let's ban the unions. that creates jobs. 49th in new job creation. >> of course, all the jobs are leaving illinois for wisconsin now. >> actually, wisconsin sent back the high-speed rail dollars. illinois picked them up.

he also got the companies that build the parts and build the trains to come to illinois. maryland was ranked one of the top five states for new growth by the u.s. chamber of commerce, hardly a mouthpiece for the maryland democratic party. we were no. 3 on the economy index for potential for job growth. this is about building a new economy with new opportunities. the choices democratic governors are making, the choices the president is urging us to make for the country, are the choices that create a better future with more jobs and more opportunity. do you know how many times rick santorum said the word jobs in the debate? not once. not once in a whole debate. what is he for? outlawing women's rights. outlawing -- you know, these other sort of cultural wars they engage in. what does that have to do with creating jobs and making the

investments the economy needs to create jobs? >> we have been talking about economic issues and i'm sure we will get back to those, but you just mentioned some cultural issues that have been very divisive in the national debate. governor mcdonald, va. international attention for a proposal that was working its way through the general assembly requiring alter sounds for women before they procured abortion -- ultrasounds for women before they procured abortions. you were initially willing to sign that bill. you did a turn the other day and said you required modifications. give us a trail of your thinking on that issue and why you apparently changed your view? >> you cannot believe everything you hear in the national press.

>> this was from saturday night live. >> and john stuart. is that your news source too? if you read everything it -- if you believe everything you read in the media about maryland you would believe the governor o'malley is only interested in same-sex marriage and raising taxes. you have to be careful about what you believe. having said that, governor o'malley and i care about getting our budget under control and about jobs. i have proposed about 153 bills this year in the general assembly. legislatures propose certain things. i am a pro-life governor. i believe the sanctity of life is important. what you believe about marriage, life, family is critical to how -- to who we are as a people. we had a bill that came forward

that mandated ultrasounds for the purpose of allowing a woman to have fully informed consent prior to making a life changing decision. everybody on both sides of this debate believes this is critically important. this is about information. what we realized after -- i support the bill. i still support the bill. that does not override the governor's right to make amendments. we realize there are different kinds of alter sounds. what i recommended to the general assembly, and they adopted the other day, is let's make a requirement for it be a domino ultrasound. we found out from -- for the of the donald -- abdominal ultrasound. i got legal advice that mandatory invasive requirements might run afoul of fourth amendment law. >> as you were educating yourself on this bill did you

not originally realize that it might mandate -- >> it was not my -- >> i understand. did you not realize it might mandate and invasive procedure? >> during the course of the discussion, after talking to doctors and lawyers on my own after hearing some of the discussion raised in the legislature. normally, a governor will review these bills once they get your desk. i was certainly supportive of the concept. once we realized exactly the medical and legal issues involved, i thought it was prudent to recommend to the general assembly that they made changes. they have made the change. the senate has adopted that change.

i believe that bill will pass. virginia will have a strong woman's right to know bill. i believe it is the right decision. this is what a somewhat exasperated, and i know governor o'malley probably would agree with this. again, if you look at coverage of maryland, you think all they care about is same-sex marriage and tax increases. that is all i read about. as a virginian, 97% of the bills that have gotten through our on things that i advocated, job creation, higher education, k- 12 reform, an energy plan, a veterans' package to help our men and women returning from a iraq. that is what i'm focused on. we cannot always tell what the media will focus on because that is a different set of issues. the story of this session will be a balanced budget.

what i am concerned about right now is that senate democrats are mad about committee assignments so they are willing to kill the budget bill. they're putting their committees ahead of their community, so now we have a budget in virginia at risk because we as senate democrats concerned about committee assignments. i have never seen that in 21 years in office. >> i thought those democrats were concerned about cuts to education. >> that is not what they said. they stayed pretty much silent when they killed the bed. what i have been told is they're mad about -- killed the bill. what i have been told is they're mad about committee assignments. you do not believe that. >> no, i do not think it is smart to cut education. >> only in washington would in increase of $500 million be a cut. we increased education.

>> governor o'malley, sometimes these social issues get disproportionate attention in the media, but for many people, that is the reason they go into politics and decide to become an activist, because they care very much about these issues. one the people care very much about is the issue of marriage. your bill in maryland allowing same-sex marriage is obviously historic. you are prepared to sign it. why? >> i am prepared to sign it because i believe that the way forward among people of many different taste is always in the direction of greater respect for the equal rights of all. this issue was debated last year in the state. it passed the house. last night passed the senate. i look forward to signing it next week. this bill protects religious liberty and also protect the rights of individuals equally in the context of civil marriage.

some of the other bills in our legislative agenda were harnessing onshore wind, some steps to curb the damage done by massive septic housing developments. this budget supports 52,000 jobs with the segundo highest amount invested in new school -- with the second-highest amount invested in new school construction. all of this requires a lot of hard work, and all of this requires a prioritizing of our budget and the things that make our economy go. >> could you briefly describe how your own views on gay marriage have changed over time and do you foresee a day when this debate is no big deal and gay marriage will be practiced nationally and is essentially an exceptional?

>> i believe there is an unmistakable movement and you see a generational me. certainly, you look at some of the polling. when i speak -- even in this debate, speaking with young girl legislatures, we found a greater openness to be -- younger legislators, we found a greater openness to the issue. among more senior legislators, there was not that willingness to look at this from a standpoint of rights. in my own evolution, i think good leaders who are progressive leaders always try to be a force for building consensus that moves us forward in the direction of greater respect for it the equal rights of all. for a long time, i thought the consensus point for progress in our state was around civil unions. i was mistaken. i misjudged.

the public move forward more quickly on this issue than i had thought we would as a people. i look forward to signing this bill. at the heart of religious freedom is the freedom of individual conscience. the freedom of individual conscience requires respect for the equal rights of all. >> governor, have your own views on this question evolves, and you ever see in the state of virginia a time when gay marriage may become legal as it is about to in maryland? >> that is the duty of our framers under the 10th amendment, which unfortunately is regularly eviscerated by congress, republicans and democrats. the states are the laboratories of democracy, the laboratories of innovation, and the freedom to make different choices lies with them. that is what is great about

having 50 states. we are free to try different things and see what works. on this issue, the people of virginia have already spoken. there was a constitutional amendment that passed by 60% that says marriages between one man and one woman. our citizens have decided. this is a matter of deeply held religious beliefs, obviously. in the governor's state, there are different views. there will probably be a referendum put on the ballot. but our voters already decided in virginia, and we think it is the right policy. it is certainly in line with hundreds of years of tradition in the churches and not reflect the collective conscience of virginia. that is our policy.

other states may have a different view. >> when i was looking at this issue from the perspective of the children of gay parents, that was -- i just wanted to add that in our evolution, my evolution, and the evolution of a number of legislators, we concluded that it was not right and not just that k -- that the children of gay parents should have less rights unless laws than other children. >> this is a social question that seems to be very much in flux. have your own views on this changed at all? >> know. -- no. from all the data that i read -- and my views are driven by religious beliefs.

everybody has got to make up their mind on that. but most of the data i have read suggests that the best environment for a child to grow up to be fully kate bubble of achieving the american dream and having -- fully capable of achieving the american dream and having the best in life is an intact family with two parents, a man and woman. unfortunately because of divorce and everything, that is no longer the person that every young person grows up and and that is why the governor and i spend a lot of money on social services and so forth that help people when families are not intact. but that i think has been undeniably, for centuries, what has really held society together and is the best environment for children, but also for society generally.

virtually all the data i read, from the right and laughed -- left, is that the empirical data is that an intact family is best. >> let's go to the audience for questions. the empirical data is in fact the best for our country. when it does not work, we have safety net it. >> let's go to the audience. raise your hand if you would like to be recognized. >> thank you. thank you very much. thanks to politico for the good program this morning. you both touched on national politics. let me ask you. you are both from pivotal state. of butter o'malley, do you expect the state of -- gov. o'malley, do you expect the state of maryland to go in for the democrats again for the presidential race? governor mcdonnell, your state

went democratic for the first time since 1964. to you think it will revert to its modern historical trend? you could be a vice presidential candidate with any of the major republican candidate, but rick santorum would have to change his registration. would you accept the vice presidential nomination? >> first, i do believe that marylanders will reelect president obama. he inherited one of the worst recessions since the great depression. we have not recovered all that we have lost. we have had private sector, a positive job growth every month for 23 months. the people of maryland i believe will vote to reelect president obama primarily for that reason. >> president obama said during the campaign that if we do not

turn this thing around in three years, this would be a one-term proposition. it has not turned around. we have the worst debt in american history. it has grown $4.70 trillion under this president, the greatest growth in the national debt in any term with any president in american history. it is going to grow another trillion dollars in the future. his budget would call for about $25 trillion in debt by the end of his term if he was reelected. he promised that we would have bailout and stimulus and this massive government spending has created a trillion and a half of deficits every year. we have not had unemployment under 8% since the first month of his presidency. listen, i am glad there has

been progress the last few months. i am glad that we are dropping. i think that is a positive sign. >> i just wanted to thank you for admitting that. [laughter] he used to say that he is always making it worse. >> i just said it is good news. we could debate for a long time. your question is, is he going to get reelected in virginia. i am going to skip. -- skip that. [laughter] >> and just as somebody who knows the state, size it up politically. >> we have seen the president and his wife in virginia many times. >> if we send them your way,

tell them that we are fine. >> he won by seven points. he was -- he ran a phenomenal campaign. i think he is a bad president but a good campaigner. we picked up three congressional seats and a couple of months ago we picked up the largest number of congressional delegates in the history of the republican team. on everything that he said he was going to do on debt and deficits and jobs, he has not delivered. there is no coherent strategy on energy. he continues to torch major energy in the region, pushing things like car check and cap and trade. it has been poorly received. i think he is in trouble in virginia. >> let me ask you about that.

the usual stance among people is i am not interested or i cannot even speculate about it, but you have been pretty direct in saying that -- -- that, "sure, i would love to have that job." >> you must read more than the national media, john. what i said was -- i beg governor o'malley would say the same thing. if the leader of your party calls you and says you can help the party, of course you think about it. i would say that for anybody. and the governor or any member of the legislation -- any governor or any member of the legislation. >> you ache for this job. >> my top goal is to be able to beat gov. o'malley and get more republicans elected this year.

i believe this president has taken this country on such a radical left bend that i am going to do everything i can to -- i said for about eight months that i believe as a governor we have to focus on job creation and getting budgets done on time and getting things done and getting results. that is what we need but instead of what we have now, playing the blame game with this president. that is why i am supporting mitt romney. >> you are not exactly coy about raising your hand and saying i want to participate in the national debate. recently as this morning from gov. mcdonnell that you might be a candidate for 2016. >> i accept gov. mcdonnell's nomination. [laughter] i greatly appreciate his hopes and dreams that he sees in me.

[laughter] we are both -- i am head of the democratic governors' association this year. i am proud of the difficult things in our president has done. i am not shy about wanting to be a supporter of his especially in this national debate with so many democrats losing their tongues and feel like they cannot speak up about the difficult things. everybody second-guess the president when he did the recovery act. virginia did not turn any of those dollars down. the reason that governor mcdonnell has been able to maintain a lower unemployment rate is because we used those dollars. on the auto industry, everybody second-guess the president. do not put the brakes on the bush recession. we cannot afford to do that.

then they second-guess them on the turnaround of the auto industry. we have a lot of jobs in maryland that depend on the auto industry. last time i checked, virginia has thousands of jobs that depend on the auto industry. i do not believe what his position is on this but i know it is supporting governor romney, but i do not know if he subscribes to the position that the turnaround of the auto industry was something that the president should have done. you cannot say that he was unsuccessful in doing that or say that we have not had 23 months in a row of positive job growth. last year, more jobs were created in the private sector in america while president obama was president then during all eight years of george w. bush. and president obama is not

running against the almighty. he is running against alternatives who want to take this back to the failed policies that brought us record job losses and the debt that you proclaimed to be so against was wracked upper for this president -- wracked up for this president from george bush. they would all exacerbate and create a greater amount of debt than what the president has put forward. look, we can go forward or we can go back. when the people are given a choice of more jobs and more opportunities or back to the failed policies, these trickle- down policies of george w. bush and a mound of debt, i think

they are going to choose to move forward -- and a mountain of debt, i think they are going to choose to move forward. in virginia, i think they have seen their legislature take a hard right turn, and that is the overreach that they saw in wisconsin which has the 49th worst job creation rate. ohio as well as florida, the 45th job creation rate. they say things will get better and then you vote for the republicans, and they take a hard right turn. all line gay relationships, women's rights, -- outlawing outlawing your relationships. outlawing women's rights. >> governor, i had a hunch it would mix it up eventually. i will let you respond to that,

but i do want to get questions over in the wing. >> governor o'malley is the only one who has social issues at the top of his agenda. i do not. i am not sure what he is talking about >> he is accurate in describing the social issues have been very important for the republican caucus and the general assembly. >> i am not sure of your sources, but 97% of the bills we of advocated in virginia are bills i put forward at the beginning of the session on job creation, economic development, veterans, transportation, higher education with -- i can go down a list of significant things we are doing to make va an elite state. i disagree with some of the numbers the governor has outlined. politifact said it is fault that

they did more on job creation in va. >> that is not true. 2.35% time job creation -- >> that is right. . "it is only 2.3 times. i apologize to politifact. >> not to me? [laughter] >> competition is good between states. it makes us both stronger. both of us actually do well in job creation and have a lower unemployment rates. i am sure he would not in his list of credits talk about the governor -- governors in california, india now -- california, illinois, indiana, and connecticut. democratic governors believe

that increasing taxes and increasing regulation and protecting unions is the way to create jobs and encourage the private sector. republican governors do not. we have more faith in individual liberties and the duty and incredible power of the entrepreneur and the free enterprise system. the more you unshackled them without government regulation and interference, the better they do. time will tell whether this obamacare individual mandate, which i believe is the largest intrusion of government in the state's ability to govern in american history -- it will show to be an absolute -- absolute budget buster. unfunded mandates over the next decade. i would like to go back and say republican governors have seven out of 10 low unemployment rates.

you can have all the statistics you want. even though many states have taken stimulus money and have taken money from the federal government, it is our money we send to them. i wish they would stay out of them. let them get out of that. let us keep our money. we can manage our money better. i would much rather have medicaid be block granted to the states and not have the federal government come out with these rules and mandates where we have to ask for waivers and exemptions. let us run our own program. this is a very different philosophy of government. this philosophy is why we are going broke at the federal level. >> president obama had two years. the first two years of his administration with him and his party entirely in charge. what did we do for job creation? nothing. what did we do positive to reduce the debt? adopt something like simpson-

bowles? he ignored it. now he is planning things on the republicans comity parties, the founders. that is not leadership read >> this man has a question. yes, sir? >> do you believe that the great disparities in income and wealth that exist in this country, the disparities between the 1% and the 99%, that that is a socially good state of affairs? if it is not, what should the government be doing about it? >> could you both suggest that? -- address that. >> i just think it is wrong to divide people. that is what this president has done. it is the traditional crust -- class war model pri is divisive.

bill gates and steve jobs dropped out of college, went to the basement, and created incredible products that have blessed the world and have created hundreds of thousands of jobs and a lot of wealth and opportunity for people. we should celebrate that. what we have in washington is people attacking it. we need to tax and regulate it more. that is exactly the opposite of what america stood for far too of the 35 years. that divides the country. we are worried about the people who do not take full advantage of the opportunity. this is a nation of opportunities, not guarantees. >> the strength -- the economic strength, the wages of america's middle-class declined for the first time since the second world war. this is due to disaster policies of the president --

presidency of george w. bush. the results of those choices have had three primary effects that we are digging out from still. one of those effects has been the largest that ever racked up by an american president. it was racked up by president george w. bush. 55 percent sign of that debt was because of tax cuts that he pushed, -- 55% of that debt was because of tax cuts that he pushed. jobs were not created all over the nation. it brought about the greatest job loss of any president since the great depression. it was also -- it also led to a severe under capitalizing of the basic investments that had always allow us to create jobs and expand opportunity in the

past. that income disparity is a symptom of a those other three very damaging effect to our country. what we need to do is restore the strength of america of the middle-class. we do that by creating jobs. part of that involves, as tom friedman said, investments we can only make together. infrastructure, research and development, science and technology, also providing for our common defense. that is what always work for america before. the model of pay less and live better is great for wal-mart. it is not what builds a great republic. >> more on this side? yes, sir? >> my question is to both

governors. it is with respect to immigration. immigration is a federal responsibility, but can the state's lead the country to a solution on immigration? >> i hope so. of bush said bthe crop republican president joe candidates -- they have gotten away from jobs and instead are all about fear and trying to see it in one-upped the other in terms of fears. one of their central fears is fear of the other, whoever the other is. new americans, emigrants. president obama had done more to enforce our borders, more to deport people who are convicted of crimes and britain the public safety. what we need to have is a deeper

and better understanding of one another. we need to turn away from fear and instead embrace the human dignity we see in one another, including the children of immigrants who were born here, who go to our high schools, who want to be productive citizens in our country. on a referendum in maryland. the test of whether or not a family pays in-state tuition in maryland is whether you are a emmer -- resident of maryland and whether you pay taxes in maryland. if we can focus on the better future we want for all of our kids and strip away the fear of focusing on human dignity, i think we can get back to the country that in the past found a way to welcome talented, hard- working people from around the globe to make our country better. >> we have time for another question now from the audience i

have a question for you. not talked much about. you are a former athlete, governor o'donnell. -- governor mcdonnell. quite the position i played was usually left out >. >> what do you do to stay at in shape? >> i try to stay away from dropped as much as i can. i try at the state couple of days a week situps, pushups, run a couple of miles, and watch fox news. [applause] >> you can also get the politico app while you are working out. >> i try to work out every day. it does not always work. ?" i want to thank politico.

try to work out. the older i get, the left i do cards. the more i do the veggies. >> i cannot believe we are going to and politico with a fitness question. >> this will be our last question. make it good. >> you just talked about people with health coverage in maryland. i wanted to know what your position is on the future of health care in your states. the future of the individual mandate is still unsure. >> we were an early adopter of universal health care in maryland. we believe it will be a competitive advantage for our businesses, small businesses, start-ups. gotten ourselves into health care exchanges and those things. we think it will be a competitive advantage as states

near us continue to fight us. [applause] >> governor at mcdonnell, you will get the last word. >> at the federal government to mandate europe to buy a product or service and if you do not you will be fine, which are done as a nation. it is more than health care. republican governors to come up with a broad plan for revising medicaid -- block grants and other things. you have to break down the barriers about buying insurance across state lines and have a stronger safety net. that is what we have in virginia. we are a very healthy population. we look forward to some alternatives. >> thank you very much. you guys are terrific. [applause]

take it to vegas and you will sell out the strip brigid thank you very much. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> next, african leaders talk about economic development at the world economic forum. that is followed by presidential candidates rick santorum and mitt romney talking about their economic plans at campaign stops in michigan. >> on tomorrow's "washington journal," dave levinthal talked about super pac money. we will talk to camelot banks of consumers union. also, former louisiana's governor and president of a

candidate buddy roemer. "washington journal" begins live at 7:00 p.m. it -- a.m. eastern time on c-span. >> bobby jindal is expected to release his proposal for balancing the state budget -- $900 million in the red. in shreveport, it is mostly cloudy and 70 degrees at the airport. you are listening to shreveport news radio 710. >> next weekend, but tv and american history tv discuss shreveport, louisiana. author gary joyner from the union army far jury project -- on the union army's failure. then, a look at over 200,000 books housed at the lsu- shreveport archives. then, a walking tour of shreveport and a better city.

-- bosseir city. from barksdale air force base, a look at the base's role on 9/11. also, this did the founding fathers autographed collection. from the pioneer heritage center, medical treatment and at madison during the civil war. shreveport, louisiana -- next weekend on c-span2 and c-span3. >> a panel discussed recent economic growth in africa and the potential for future developments. leaders from south africa, tanzania, and ethiopia participated. this is one hour. >> welcome to this very important session on africa. in previous occasions, we have had the benefit of some great speakers, but i do not think there has been an occasion when we have had together five

leaders of africa, three presidents, and two prime ministers. i feel privileged to be asked to chair this session with people who are also my friends, but have done so much to boost the image of africa in the world and change the face of africa. before the managing director of the world bank's asked the question once, which is the economy -- the $1 trillion economy that grew over the last 10 years after than india and what to grow in the next 10 years after than brazil, of course, the answer is sub- saharan africa, which is not only recovered very quickly from the great recession of 2008- 2009, but has an enormously important resources, has shown huge advances in the development of telecommunications, and as

reforming presidents and prime ministers who want to see new investment coming into africa. at the same time, when we note that africa with 15% of the population of the world has only 1% of the world's manufacturing, we know that there are huge challenges for a continent that has more poverty ahead of the population than any other in the world. i want to start by asking what are going to be the forces of change that will improve the performance of africa, which has already shown that it is making a difference, and whether its infrastructure having to be improved, education, development of i.t., or greater trade with the rest of the world, the development of many new industries, the removal of red tape and legislation -- i want you to hear from the prime minister's what they have to say and did you the chance to ask questions.

there is a history of audience participation in africa and sessions. i was on the platform a few years ago with bill gates and others from africa. the audience managed to steal the show. sharon stone took over. i felt sorry for bill gates because he placed $1 billion -- he donated $1 billion. sharon stone donated $10,000 and stole the show. president zuma has just celebrated a great anniversary for the african national congress. prime minister has led major advances in education.

i worked with the prime minister over the last few years as he tried to make sure there was peace in his own country and develop better services right across the population president -- across the population. cond is here. we will talk about the great sources -- resources of this country. i would like to start by asking president zuma, what do you think about the changes in progress? >> thank you very much to you and the opportunity that we get -- quite at the microphone on? >> thank you very much.

what can africa do differently? -- differently given the challenges that face the globe today? a growing factor in the past 10 years, as you have just alluded to, africa's growth will still be only 5% in 2012 and 5.3% in 2013. africa has moved steadily towards free-market party and accountable political systems. the struggle against poverty on

the continent of africa has made progress. we are also moving to achieve many of our goals -- economic, governance. management of fiscal and monetary policies is much stronger than 20 or 30 years ago. the biggest risk to africa is that there is a broad economic slump worldwide and prices of commodities fall sharply.

this could cause severe shocks in african economies dependent on commodity exports. another risk is that africans may overestimate their good fortune and borrow too much for long-term investment projects. a third risk is that expectations of ordinary africans might be frustrated in the short term and the democratic processes could be stretched and severely affected by the situation because people believe that -- believe in democracy, but they do not see the dividend.

african economies must be diversified so that when commodity prices slumped in the world, there are other strong economic activities to fall back on. africans must trade among themselves, something which has been happening. the launch of the free trade area in june of last year is a step in the right direction with regards to africa doing its own trade. africa must invest sufficiently in education and skills development, especially tech skills which are needed by the economy, such as engineers and other technical skills. we cannot be only strong in the humanities at field only.

everyone will know that once we do that, we can come to help lecture other people. africa must invest in health subsidies and health education. in the end, it will come down to leadership effectiveness. in other words, how do africans leave themselves? we need to forecast on the long term and build foundations for sustainable growth in our continent. part of that is what you just record to -- referred to -- the

improvement in the establishment of domestic effort structure -- domestic infrastructure. those who come to invest in africa must take into account that it must be a two-way it kind of activity wherein you invest to benefit africa so that you can also benefit. one of the things is that the country which has held influence over africa must change their attitudes. they must interact with africa to help us, not to help themselves. i think that would go a long wait -- to help us move and change the matter -- manner in which we do things.

we are optimistic in the leadership of africa. we believe africa is on the move. we need to look towards that and give ourselves a continent that is dynamic and prepared to interact with other continents. >> thank you, very much. we will take up some of these points as we go through. i passed it over to the prime minister, who was on the african commission and chairs the reform group. please take the floor. >> thank you. i am very happy i have this opportunity to link up with old and new friends of africa. let me start by saying i fully agree with what zuma just said.

let me highlight a few points. things we are not talking about in africa. we know we have grown after the past 10 years? we have traditionally. on that basis, we believe that africa can and will be the next grow or of the global economy. we really feel we will be where india was in the early '90s -- 1990's. we are talking about the next growth in the world. our ambition is to build on the last few years. in order to do that, we need to do many things.

first, infrastructure. roads, telecommunications, railways, ports -- you name it, we need more investment there. the second is management of the m for structure that we have. that is key. second, we need better skills for our people. we need to do more as part of the millennial development corp. we need a lot more family education. we need to build on the investments to bring more technical and vocational training. skill development is, in my view, the next big thing we have to do. certainly we need to -- many of

the manufacturing facilities in asia are already relocating and will relocate faster in the coming years. where to is the question. i believe africa is the next destination for the factories and manufacturing facilities. we need to create an environment for them to relocate to africa. we need partnerships. not only will the asian manufacturers -- koreans, chinese -- they have already relocated to china. if they are thinking of relocating again, africa is the destination.

we as africans need to diversify our economies. traditionally africa has a mining and resources. they are very important and we need more. agriculture, particularly small- scale agriculture. we also need to invest in infrastructure. >> infrastructure, education, manufacture, and trade, of course. prime minister, i visited a school with you many years ago or where it -- when you put 1 million schools -- 1 million children into schools by making education free. >> i am happy to be here to join this very distinguished panel.

i will begin by saying that african transition to transformation is a very interesting subject. we talk about exclusivity -- inclusivity. this requires to involve more people. [unintelligible] there are pockets of resistance. a lot of progress has been made. it is coming down south very fast. we want to ensure that we have a democratic constitutions that people accept their appointed

governors. that is important. population is fairly young. we can actually benefit from the dividend by empowering this young population. we are talking about development -- from primary, secondary, and vocational training, universities and technical communities, as well as research and development. we need to invest there. if we do this, we can create skilled manpower that will be attractive doing business. china and india have moved on because they add become very obstructive to investments.

this is very crucial and important. the other factor is transformation from dependence on commodities trade at a more technology based economy. a number of our economists are dependent on commodities trade. we need to move towards adopting more technology in our development. value addition to goods that are produced in our countries. we lead by example. we have a lot of development. for example, in the

telecommunications area. this is making business much more appreciated in our country. it is an example the one now be emulated in india and other countries. transfer money using mobile phones and many others. we want to see invention's coming to africa, coming out of africa. with more research and development. secondly, infrastructure -- physical infrastructure. invest in roads, parks, railways -- we should make the

african trade more viable. african trade is still negligible. it looked at europe. europe trade war with itself than the rest of the world. africa can also trade war with itself. africa is looking more and more to the north. we need to invest in fiscal effort structure. that -- at fiscal efforts to enter. >> the diversification of the infrastructure, the common market, internal trade. >> thank you very much. prime minister gordon brown. in this day, the subject is

africa -- transition to transformation. there is transformation taking place in africa. there is a lot of evidence to that fact. when you look at the socio- economic life of our people and our nation -- in education, in health care, in infrastructure development, manufacturing, and so forth -- lots more need to be done. -- needs to be done. there is a lot happening, but much more needs to be done. why? because we are suffering from development. tanzania gdp per capita was a

$35. there are only three times of growth. we are a country with 85 house and kilometers of road. -- 85,000 kilometers of road. [unintelligible] we are part of the global economy. if something is happening in some parts of the world, it definitely affects us. the global financial crisis. now we have a lot of anxiety crisis.he beurozone we hope it will be fixed

quickly. there is evidence of growth -- high levels of growth. the fastest-growing continent now. more need to be done to be very precise. in my view, africa must stay the course in pursuit of sound economic policies. other countries abstained macroeconomic stability. high levels of growth, low interest rates. we should stay the course in pursuit of a sound economic policy. we should invest more in education brigid -- primary, secondary, tertiary, technical training. at the end of the day, it is the

man or woman who is. to make things happen, not the machines. -- who is going to make things happen, not the machines. education is critical part us. -- for us. we should invest more in the transportation sector. our people live in rural areas. people lived from hand to mouth. they cannot feed themselves. they do not have enough to transform their lives, to make their life better. we cannot continue to be primary producer. for the raw materials and make of finished goods and then come back. my professor of economics at the

university taught me that we produce what we do not consume and consume what we do not produce. [laughter] the others produce for us. this cannot continue. making sure the manufacturing sector is growing fast enough is critical. we have abundant resources. mineral resources, agricultural resources, natural resources -- but what is lacking is a vibrant system. economies transcend. they go from manufacturing to the service sector we have to develop the infrastructure.

we have one of the three roads in the country with a demand of 85,000 brigit without the road, there is no development. there is no development without electricity. there is no development without telecommunications. we have to catch up. at the other thing is integration if we say we are going to prevent -- produced more of from manufacturers, we need market allocation. not just the regular market, but the international market. groupings are an important factor in the regular market. they are strong now on the whole of the african continent. we are continuously

strengthening them. we are now looking at emerging markets. in july, there is a meeting in south africa where we will discuss a grand free trade area, bringing together the common market's for southern and central africa, from cape to cairo. in south africa of the other day, some colonist talk about the great north road from cape to cairo. we are doing it now for our own good. at the international level, now we need access to markets.

it is critical so that you can open up the market, removed trade subsidies in underdeveloped countries. >> thank you the very much. president cond, resources in africa are very rich. >> [speaking french]

[speaking french]

>> these are five very powerful statements about the need for change and the desire for progress in africa. i need to break down what has been said. there are a number of issues that perhaps the audience has questions about and are worried about. first of all, infrastructure.

half of the roads of asia, latin america -- only 10% above trade in africa is internal to africa partly because of the infrastructure. a lot of people in the audience would say you have to remove some of the obstacles to make it possible for people to invest in infrastructure. there are legal problems, problems of corruption, problems of dealing with a number of different countries, red tape, things take too long. everybody knows the needy, but we have to make it easier for people to get the investment in. >> is a bottle here from the african development bank? the would say a it was about 100 billion for investment needed a year for infrastructure in africa. can you convince people that you can remove these blockages that have existed in the past? you have announced a north-south

infrastructure. can we solve these problems? >> yes, they can certainly get off the ground. i think we have recognized the obstacles you are referring to. the african has made a very conscious decision on the question of the effort structure. it has taken that decision -- and for structure. it has taken that decision fully aware -- the border makes it very difficult for us to move up within the continent. complicating the effort structure development is also the addressing of the government between the country, which are not necessarily of our correction -- of our creation.

it would not be helpful if we could not use it because of the restrictions between countries. we are addressing those issues. they inhibit the faster development and movement within the country. this is being discussed in the region brigid how do we open up the border for eight free-float of people -- workers as well as the goods? >> before i move on, is there any question about this issue of and for structure -- infrastructure? it is very difficult to see hands up. please. >> we have $10 billion invested

in africa. recently we had $350 million in kenya. that was financed through a lot of multinational institutions. the african development bank is one of them. we have a big investment in ethiopia. we are looking to make additional investments in kenya and tanzania. the problem we face in many cases -- in africa you need to reach the top level. the band with that is is there is not always [unintelligible] even with $10 million -- $10 billion invested in africa right now, there is still not the bandwith. >> we get that.

would you like to answer that question, prime minister? >> first, there is a history coming into this. there were concessions for the canyon real way. -- kenya railway. the deal went sour. they bought the shares of the south african company. we are very keen to modernize of the railways.

95% of the contras -- cargo is going by road, which creates a lot of damage to the network. i do not know what bandwith he is talking about. >> i will not get into the individual detail of the projects. we could be here all day. perhaps we should move the issue on. have you a model of a moving from a customs union to a common market to a single market rather similar to the european union? that would open up trade in africa backed up by after structure development --

infrastructure development. the common market and the single market -- will that move ahead? >> economic integration in the continent has been an ongoing problem. we art an economy that has become a dynamic. the more we will be able to trade. the inter-africa trade is entered by our economies. our economies have been fractured. the regular economic integration

is an instrument of economic transformation we cannot have a meaningful economic integration but without our economies. with regards to infrastructure, in the short run, we have to do better with being accessible. our senior leaders in government. in the long term, that will be the solution. institutions of government will have to work efficiently so that things can move without the president or the prime minister saying so. ultimately that is the way forward. we need to be better than we have been in the past. >> one of the things about infrastructure is the

development of technology and getting it into africa. it should be a knowledge that the person who invented the world wide web -- is there anything you think that can be done? >> obviously we would love to see 80% of the people who do not use the web at the moment using the web. it is not just a question of getting connectivity or getting whiter and this question of getting people really using it in their language, not just reading things, but writing things as well. all different languages are preserved can connect back. it should be a huge economic

benefit. it should be able to help education and health. also, it should be able to help governments be more transparent as you put government data on the web. the web foundation would be very interested in working with you to see if we can get the greatest change as quickly as possible. >> thank you a very much. there are still about 35 million children not at school at all in africa. obviously there are only 6% of young people in vocational, further education. let me say two things about the

infrastructure. we should not come out of this meeting thinking there is not being at invested because of some of the problems on our side. take the telecommunications, for example. there is so much being invested in a mobile phones. i think africa is now the fastest-growing market in mobile phone technology. .t is our country's there are some infrastructure

aspects which do not attract the private sector. one of these is roads. if we invest in a road, there have to be cars. they can judge polls and make their money. there are few cars and africa. road infrastructure essentially, for several years to come, will be more the government getting involved in it. because we are governments of poor countries, this is where development help would be practical to help the effort to get the roads. we are waiting on this road network. we join together with the world bank infrastructure. we developed this network.

i led the delegation to washington, to the world bank, to the european union in brussels, to japan. one of the advice we got from that was if there is less than 2000 cars on the road, you cannot. in east africa at that time, it was only the mumbai sub-nairobi robi roadumbasa-naibrob that had the most cars, and it had 6000. then of course if we are -- for example, with the railroad. burundi and tanzania -- we are waiting on a railroad to kigali.

it needs about 4000 -- $4 billion. we are looking for partners. if you are ready, come there. but they are interested in the road that is already there. it is a ratio of if there is anybody who is ready to invest in the railroad to kigali. later, we will extend it to the east. let him come forward. we will be in business. we will talk to the president of kigali. we will get the deal. we want you to come there.

the telecommunications, a lot of interest. electricity is another area where we are now opening up. we want to see more investors come. we have not had that in the past. if you have to see the president in order to see things move, something must be terribly wrong. this must be finished in the investment centers. in my case, if you come to tanzania and, come and see me. my doors will always be open. >> i am expecting lots of people to come up to the stage of the end of the session to offer to invest with you. >> we have need to do more communication. we need to ensure -- there is this target of universal primary education by 2015. we have to invest more in

building schools, train more teachers, get the text books, get the teaching materials. we need to expand and secondary education. we need to invest more. of course, our case, what we need with secondary school education is involve the communities. because when we came in, we are taking 350,000 students and secondary school. we work with communities. we were able to be in 3000 secondary schools. now we have 7 million students. the challenge has been manufacturing teachers. we have fully expanded with university training, training of teachers. we are now almost getting there.

we think in the next two or three years, we will overcome that. we have to expand on higher education. we have to build more universities, which we should. at times, it is the government. in our case, we found, working with the communities -- it has worked incredibly well. we have been able to expand. but this is an area where we also need support. >> i am going to ask if there are any other questions from the floor, and then i will call on president conde to answer any other questions people would like to rage -- to raise. do you need a mic? >> i come from nicaragua, central america. sometimes, the lessons of anti- corruption, which is a big

incentive for investment, are not easy to apply. i would like to hear some of the african leaders to help give us some advice on attracting investment and avoiding corruption. >> thank you very much. president conde, the new africa, and obviously the attack on corruption. >> [speaking french]

[speaking french] >> prime minister meles, d.c. the possibility of these transparency requirements going across africa? the ec and african infrastructure minister coming out of the african union? or is that going to quick? -- too quick? >> in terms of infrastructure policy, we actually have done a lot of the jobs already.

we have the infrastructure program for all of the continent. in that context, we also have a recent initiative by president zuma for specific infrastructure projects, whether it is railways, pipelines, large pipelines, roads, ports, and so on. we may need to do a little bit more. we may need to refine it. but i think most of the work has already been done. we have an authority which is doing this job and is going to coordinate implementation of the continental infrastructure work. so much of the preparatory work has been done. but when it comes to infrastructure, i think what you

said when you were prime minister of the united kingdom in the united nations is very important. we need a new consensus on infrastructure. the washington consensus on infrastructure in africa has not worked and will not work. the washington consensus on infrastructure in africa is that the public sector should not do infrastructure. it is for the private sector to do infrastructure. some infrastructure activities can be done with the private sector, but a lot of the work has to be done by the public sector, or else it will not be done. it is not just roads. what we need from our partners is roads, technological support, capacity building. and by the way a lot of that is already happening. there are partners, particularly

from the indians and the chinese, investing a lot in infrastructure through the african public sector. we need more of that. we need to diversify that. in terms of ministers of industry and agriculture and so on, we need to coordinate, obviously. we need someone there to lead this coordination. but you cannot wield a common government for the continent. it has to be a process of integration. it took more than 50 years for the europeans to come up with a common currency. and it appears they went a bit too fast for some of them members. -- of their members. [laughter] we need to learn all the lessons

carefully, and we need to move carefully. >> you have gotten giddy with industry -- with energy, offering to be part of a coordinated policy in africa. obviously, that is attractive. >> in one sense, yes. it is quite attractive. i think the prime minister meles has really responded to the issue. there is a lot of work going on in infrastructure. we have five regional groupings. the record and maybe regions. -- they really coordinate the regions. the desire is to merge to the point where we can coordinate all of these. there are reasons you cannot do it immediately. you have to move step by step. the president referred to the three regions that have come together. that is part of the process that

begins to move forward. what the au has taken a very firm position is really to ensure that we do the infrastructure in a coordinated manner, as a continent. and that is coordinated, in the main, through the nepat structures and substructures dealing with these matters. we are at that stage at this time. what we need to do is to have the kind of understanding as the country -- how do we deal with our resources as a condiment? -- a continent? it is correct. can we discuss as a continent what to do with our huge resources? because for centuries we have not determined what happens to our resources. it has been other countries out

of africa that have determined this. and of course even now, and the point i made at the beginning, they would not want to leave us without influencing that kind of action. that is why i think there is a need for that discussion, to cordon it broadly, even between the regions. what do we do with our resources that are important? what do we have? what you produce can then be utilized by us. it is determined by us as to what is it we want to do with it. from that point of view, i think we needed that kind of discussion. i am sure a discussion between the economic regional groupings, we can actually discuss that. >> i am going to have to bring this session to close by thanking our five from ministers and presidents. i think you have seen today a

demonstration that the fastest- growing continent in the world is determined to keep performing, keep innovating, keep coordinating its policies better, give attention to the problems of infrastructure, education, regional cooperation, corruption, transparency, a better use of energy. you have determined performers here who are ready to work with the rest of the world. >> [speaking french]

>> you heard it here first, these older suggestions about the future of africa. what you have is a determination by these african leaders to lead the reform process. that is the message being sent to the world from up close today. -- from davos today. could you think our prime ministers and presidents for contributing to this great occasion. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> tonight on c-span, presidential candidates rick

santorum and mitt romney discussed the economic plans at campaign stops in michigan. later, president obama meets with denmark's prime minister at the white house. tomorrow, c-span brings to the national governors' association annual winter meeting, beginning at 10:00 a.m. eastern with the opening news conference. then in session on growing state economies, and at 3:00 a session on entrepreneurs stuff. -- entrepreneurship. >> one of the trickiest thing about writing this book, for me, was thinking through the ways, particularly in the international human rights context, rights kind of struggle and aspirational ideal and a more practical and formal mandate. >> from distributing food to the poor in india to sex trafficking in japan, richard thompson for

defines human rights, and how well-winning western reform can lead to increased exploitation. also, the house historian looks at the african-americans who served in congress. he is joined in the discussion by a former congressman. and a book party for "shooting for the lip" written by a former press chart -- press secretary and chief of staff. >> republican presidential candidate rick santorum was in lincoln park, michigan tonight to discuss his economic plan. it calls for cuts in the federal budget and fewer regulations. michigan and arizona hold their presidential primaries on tuesday. this is an hour. >> i appreciate all the wonderful service work that the knights of columbus does.

i appreciate it as a fellow knight, although i hate to say that. i am only a third degree night. i certainly appreciate all the wonderful service work the knights of columbus does. at the parish and in the community. congratulations to all of you. i do not think i've ever seen a knights of columbus hall this big. this is pretty impressive, i have to tell you. d nights of columbus hall this bake. this is pretty impressive, i have to tell you. thank you for coming out on a friday night. on a beautiful winter friday night here in southeast michigan. it is a pasure for me to be here. be in a place that is very similar to where i grew up. i grew up in western pennsylvania. in a manufacturing town. it is very much like the towns

here in southeast michigan, where we had the kind of neighborhoods and values and opportunities for everyone. to be able to go off and go to work and work hard and have an incentive to work hard because there were great jobs. there were strong neighborhoods, strong families. we had an opportunity to really build a great and strong community. and building a great and strong country. that is how america is unique and the world. america is a great country from thbottom up. all the different community organizations, they all sprung up because we believe in the idea of a free people and our ability to provide for ourselves and our families.

that is the secret. that is the difference of america when it comes to what makes us successful. it is the secret sauce, if you will. it is the secret sauce to what makes america a unique country. it is so hard to replicate because america was built that way. we are a discovered country. people forget how young we are. this young country was born in a very different fashion than all the other countries that go back to antiquity. when i go around and i talk to people all around the country, i talk about how important it is that we've remember who we are. what makes us great, what makes us different. our difference is what makes us exceptional in the world. what i have tried to do in this

campaign, in spite of what always happens, people get worried about whether they will win and lose and they decide to try to throw mud and dirt and run a negative campaign. we have been going around this country from the days of the town hall meetings to appear in michigan. we have been talking about ideas. we're talking about things that can reinvigorate and create that sparked again. the greatness of america, it is still here, it is still alive. [applause] ultimately, we have a government right now who does not believe in the things that made this country great. he has a very different model for how we will build a great society going forward. i want to share with you some ideas of what i would do.

this campaign, as we have seen, can get off the ideas, off the vision, off of what the people in michigan are going to have to vote about on tuesday. i have done a few television and radio shows today. the last one i did, he said, i am glen to talk to you about issues. not these -- i am going to talk to you about issues. things that people care about. what are you going to do as the next leader of this country? what are you going to do to make a difference in our lives? i thought i would share with you the time things -- the ten things i would do and focusn

in the first 100 days i was in office. if we elect rick santorum, these are the things he will do to get this country turned around. that is the focus. that is what people are concerned about. we have not just 8.3% unemployment. we also know we have a record number of people not looking for work. people are not participating in the market. that is at an all-time high. a lot of folks who are in the marketplace are not in the kinds of jobs that allow for advancement and allow for people to have those wages and benefits that can support a family can create that sense of optimism and hope. those are the things that people are concerned about. those are the things that are

eating away at our optimism here in ameca. i want to talk about what we can do together to make things happen. obviously, the first and foremost, we have to do something to get this economy going. the first order of business, as a look at what is happening right now, we have to do something about energy prices. the price of gasoline in this country is going up and it will not be going down any time soon. [applause] this is not just an economic issue. this is a national security issue. look at our involvement in the middle east right now. oil prices are going up and gasoline prices are going up because of the instability of the region from which we get so much of our energy. thgs are only going to get worse in the next few years, unfortunately.

the last half a million barrels a day it will go offline within the nt five or 10 years. we will not have enough production tkeep the alaska pipeline flowing. if it gets under 350 million barrels a day, the pipeline stops. it slows down to theoint where it does not flow. as a result of that, they have to shut down production. half a million barrels a day that we will not have. mexico, but then the next five or 10 years, will be an energy importer. 2.5 million barrels from venezuela, all from areas of the country -- of the continent that can provide crude for our refineries for them to be able to produce a domestic supply to keep prices stable in the world. we will not have the production

anymore. it is coming here to america. what is e alternative? baout and did the opposite of what we digo out and do the opposite of what president obama is doing. i do not know how stupid he thinks america is. [applause] blaming everybody but himself for policies that were intentional to drive up the cost of energy. remember when he was campaigning? they were talking about how we did higher prices for energy because they were concerned about man-made global warming. they had to do something about a man-made global warming. folks, look at any chart. when energy costs and energy availability is compromised, the

standard of living goes down. the economy struggles. one of the great reasons we have been a great country is because have that energy. look at detroit. imagine if we didot have the price of gasoline. what with this industry have been like if we did not have the availability of cheap gasoline for some years? we produce it here. we were not afraid to produce it hereecause we know that after awhile, we would have the best environmental la. we need to open up offshore, we need to open up alaska, we nee to take the permiting and allow per metmits. i was just up the north dakota. north dakota has an area -- i brought it to the economic club.

it is a piece of iraq. -- rock. they are getting oil out of a rock. it is called sweet crude. the highest quality crude you can get. they gave me a little bottle of it. it almost looks like water. it is great crude oil. guess what? bad kids a premium on the market. -- that gets a premium on the market. but they have to give a $32 a barrel discount. they cannot get it to market. this president refuses to do anything to bring more oil into

this country. ladies a gentlemen, we need a president whunderstandthat energy drives america. it drives mich., a dress manufacturing, it dries quality of life in america. -- it dries mich., it drives manufacturing,t drives qualit of life in america. when the president to will lean -- legal gets gasoline prices down. we will create jobs. that is promise number 1. [applause] the next thing we need to do is look at the regulatory burden in this country. i talk a lot about how our

economy is struggling under the burden of the president who has put in place more regulations on businesses in this country than any president in history and one year. he did 150 regulations lester that cost over $100 million on theconomy. -- last year that cost over $100 million on the economy. what i will do is take every single one of those obama regulations, hundreds of them, some will we will repeal and replace them with regulations that are lower cost and belve in the red story power of the states and the goodness of the american people to abide by the laws and not have government have to micromanage every process they do in their workplace and home.

[applause] that will stimulate this economy. americans do not like to be regulated. they do not like people being there and micromanaging everything they do. they believe in freedom. that will be a huge impetus. one of the things i hear all the time from businesses, uncertainty -- what are they going to do next? what is this administration g on to do to make my business rk? if it is a large business, you can hire somebody in your compliance department. if you are a small business, it is to you. instead of selling products and

improving your products or other things that make your business go, you are worried about government paper work. you are consumed with complying with the federal government. this is one of the great portunities to stimulate small business in america. that is doing something about this regulatory burden. next, the importance of getting the manufacturing sector of this economy going again. we know we can compete with anybody in the world. [applause] we can compete with anybody in the world in manufacturing. the american worker, the american engineer, the american innovator, we prove it over and over again. --re still proving how we how we can compete, we can be

profitable, we can out-innovate to make sure we produce the best quality products and we d so at a competite price as long as we have a level playing field. ladies and gentlemen, we do not have a level playing field. our government puts us at an economic disadvantage. our tax rate and regulatory burden, our cost of capital has made us uncompetitive. we are 20% more costly in america to do manufacturing here, and excluding labor costs, and this is really important. if you take labor costs out, american regulation and taxation make our country 20%

more costly to do business in them are nine top trading partners. we do not have a level trait -- we do not have a level playing field. i put forwd a plan that says, let's look to what the government does to make our businesses on competitive. there is one unique sector of the economy that is at a disadvantage. the rest of the economy is not competing head-to-head with china and mexico and indonesia and india for those jobs. in manufacturing, we are. they want those jobs. they know that manufacturing is a wealth genator for the economy. they know making things creates wealth. th also know that it gives opportunities for folks at all skill levels in the economy to be able to participate. we still have a lot of great

innovation going on. that innovation, sometimes, it is made in this country, but more often it is not. the opportunities are more and more limited to those who have succeeded in the knowledge based economy. we want them to succeed. we also want the products that are creating to be manufactured re. so everybody else can participate. it is one thing if we do not have the horses and we cannot be competitive because someone else has been as to the punch. but it is -- but if it is government causing the problem, the government has the responsibility to change the playing field. that is why the corporate tax on manufacturers in america -- eliminated. [applause] that is important for blue-

collar america and it is important for small town america. small-town america, i know there is a big manufacturing mecca here. but you all know, almost every small town in america is there for a handful of reasons. there was aailroad crossing or an intersection of roads or a mine or agriculture that was processed there or there was a manufacturing center that created something. almost every little town is built and run some sort of manufacturing and processing. that is small town america. guess what is happening to small town america. it is dying on the vine. manufacturing is dying on the vine. processing is dying on the vine. we went from 21% in the work

force down to 9% involved in manufacturing and processing. a lot of those small towns -- the jobs are not around anymore. the kids have to go off to the bigger cities to gethe employment opportunities. guess where manufacturers want to locate? they want to locate in small- town america. that is where manufacturers find the land to be affordable. they are not gone to locate in the suburbs. this is an opportunity for a revitalization for a very key part of america. that is why manufacturing is so important. it is also a important for national security. it's critical components for our

economy are not made here in america, with this hostile environment that is getting more hostile every day because of the ineptitude of this president, we are in a situation where critical infrastructure parts of things that we need to be able to survive in america it is important to america. manufacturing is great for detroit and is great for the entire country. it is great for the national security for our country. [applause] it is not just manufacturers that we give a tax break to. i will take the corporate tax

rate and cut in half to 17.5%, a flat tax. he would be able to the expense of everything, no depreciation. a simple tax code. leveling the playing field. how? the little guy and the big guy -- the little guy will play the same -- pay the same rights as the big guy. they have the opportunity to have a level playing field. simplifying the tax code, one tax credit for research and development so we can keep this knowledge based economy going in america. we will have a dynamic market growth with lower energy prices, energy production, lower regulatory -- mae that is not

the best wor working with business to help them produce with a better tax rate and the zero tax rate for manufacturers. this will get america growing on the tax side. that is only part of the problem. we have to do some other things on the government side. government is hampering our economy and living our potentl. it is cating that uncertainty as to what is going to have been because every dollar we spend is a tax. it may not be a tax today, but it will be a tax at some point. pay it back or suffer the consequences. the other parts of the plan is to do something to get this budget deficit under control. first and foremost, day one, i will propose a bill to repeal obamacare right out of the box.

[applause] the biggest issue in this election is freedom. i've just talked about creating economic freedom. the opportunity for everybody to get a job. the other issue in this country is the reach of the federal government. president obama went out and promised everybody that he would give people the right to health care. careful. careful. when government says they can give you the right to something, we need to remember this. where do our rights come from? they come in the declaration of independence.

that is what makes us unique. the bill of rights, if you think of the things that shine brightly in america, it was defend national freedoms in the bill of rights. it is not as therampling of obamacare on our economic rights, the ability to choose a health care plan, choose providers and hospitals, to is the kind of health service you want to you have to comply with the government. if you don't, you will be fined. your employer is going to be fined.

it is prescriptive, it tells you exactly what to do and how to do it. they say it is not a government run health care system, but i do not know what is. it tells the insurance companies how much money they have to pay out in claims. imagine. if the government tells your business or tells your family how much money you have to spend on food dish year, this is what they're doing with the insurance companies. you have to pay 85% of the money received in claims. 15% to run their business and make a profit. we would be telling business is how much money they can spend and keep and how to do it? why is it surprising that they think they can tell you -- look at what is going on in massachusetts.

the same thing. it is not just economic freedom. it is also first amendment freedoms at stake. they can tell you what benefits you will have and what businesses have to provide and churches have to provide. this is one of the most outrageous affront to the first amendment in the history of our country. [applause] i can tell you, on day one, and if that regulation is still around, it will be gone on day one under my administration. [applause]

obamacare has to be repealed, but there is a lot of other things out there that need to be repealed, too. one of the other things is in the housing market. if you look at the housing market, it is a struggle. i am in a situation in our own house where we happen to buy at a very bad year. the housing value of my house is a fraction of what it was when i bought it. i am not alone. a lot of folks here in michigan, if you bought at the wrong time, you'll be in that same situation. the market collapsed underneath you. what are we going to do about it? when things got bad in 2008, we

made a mistake, in my opinion. we bailed out the wall street banks. we said we would make sure that you do not lose money. and then we will regulate you to the point where you will not take the normal course of flushing through these loans and getting through those books and trying to get the housing market to reach its equilibrium. they held on. it is not going to work. what we need to do is completely restructure the housing system in this country. the first thing we can do to help folks who are under water, who were going to lose money, if you sell your house, we allow you to deduct the losses from sale of your house. you cannot deduct the losses on the sale of your house.

i think this is the way to soften the blow for folks who will have to sell their house. without affecting the marketplace, without the government picking winners and losers. it is a fair way of doing it. it is a market-based way of dealing with the problems we have in the housing market today. we have to do something about freddie mac and fannie mae. those are the organizations that -- they are not a horrible way of providing housing support. but what they are and what they became was a politicized wade.

-- way. they became a way for a group of people -- barney frank and chris dodd -- all the people pressuring the organizations. what happened was it created a bubble. and the bubble burst. a lot of folks bought at the wrong time ended up holding the bag. we need to get the politics out of the housing industry. let the private sector deal with it without the politicians. [applause] dodd-frank, and anotherone, i do not believe in bailout. when i was in high school, we'll look back on the glory days in pittsburgh of the pittsburgh steelers in the 1970's.

that is all we had to hang onto. the steel industry was collapsing. we were very proud of our pittsburgh steelers, but we were not producing a lot of steel. we lost huge icons. bethlehem steel. j and l steel. all the more gone, no longer around. we struggled and we suffered, but we bounced back. there are still a few steel companies around. not anything like what it was before. i used to represent the district in congress. there are a lot of shopping malls and other high-technology businesses where they were in the past.

but pittsburgh came back. it took a while, but we have a diversified economy. it is a great place to live again. the market worked. that is what i believed in. that is what i stood for. i will bailout group of folks and not bailout and other industry. you are either for them or against them, but don't start picking winners and losers. he may not like my position on bail out, but i have been consistent, unlike other people in this race. [applause] as part of fixing the housing market, we have to do something about the successor to the bailouts. dodd-frank is a successor to

the too big to fail philosophy that encourage you to do the bailout and the first place. on obamacare, on dodd-frank, i have been for private sector health care. i believe in capital markets. that has been my philosophy. i have stood for those things, unlike other people in this race. these are the huge issues of the day. these are the issues that will decide this election. it is about to your trust in what kind of america we will have. we have a strong track record that believes in you, believes in free markets and free people. we have an opportunity here with the right candidate and

the right message to go out and tell the story to the american public. how we can build a strong prosperous america. we have the plans to do it. if we can put those plans in place and did that last piece, cut the government, i propose a balanced budget. i was fighting for a balanced budget before it was cool to fight for a balanced budget. back in 1995 -- [applause] 1995, we had an opportunity to pass a balanced budget amendment to the constitution. we came within one vote. most people do not remember that. we came within one vote. i have no doubt it would have passed. it passed the house and we had 15 or 16 democratic senators

willing to vote for it. on the last day, the chairman of the appropriations committee, who had been in the senate for 29 years, decided to flip his vote. i had been in the senate for three months, 36 years old, here is this young guy from pennsylvania, was seen as a troublemaker. i just sent to the chairman of the ways and means committee to jail. we were a bad dude coming into the united states senate.

i had a reputation for that. i'd better keep my head down because i have this reputation of being a troublemaker. the senator lauded by the media. i called for his resignation of chairman of the appropriations committee. why? he betrayed the very essence of what the republican party believes in, which is limited government and responsible fiscal policy. we should not elect him to chair a committee that spent the money in congress. of course, they beat me upside the head. but i said, this is something we need to take a stand on. we need to fight for the things the american public wants for their government.

limited government. we did not pass it and we never got close again. even though we have surpluses, and never could get the votes again. we lost seats in the next election and it was never able to happen. ladies and gentlemen, we have an opportunity again. we are looking at trillions of dollars in debt. we have an opportunity because the american public is recognizing the great threats that this huge government is going to face. i will go out and i will go across this country and i will argue and i will do everything i can to get the american public to support and rally around passing a balanced budget amendment to the constitution that limits the size of the federal government to 18%. if we keep the government limited to 18 cents of every

dollar that is spent in america, we will have freedom in america for your children and grandchildren. guaranteed. [applause] that is a long-term plan. the short-term plan is we have to deal with the problems in our budget. i proposed $5 trillion in reductions over five years. no one else has come close to that number. not even ron paul. i will spend less money every year for the four years as president. we will see the money -- you hear this in washington. the rate of growth will go down and we will consider that a cut in spending. we will see less money spent each year for four years in washington, d.c. we will limit the government. that is what our objective is.

when i was born, the defense department was 60% of the budget. it is now 17%. if anybody thinks that is what the problem is, the answer is no. look at what this president is doing. he talks a good game about what he wants to do to prepare for the next war. he is not investing in the technology to do it. he is creating a serious defense gap in this country. he is doing it because he wants to withdraw america from its influence and prominent around the world. from its influence and prominent around the world. if we do not have the tools to have the influence and to do -- and to have the type of equipment and manpower around the world to have that presence

thats necessary that our allies trust us to be a reliable ally, we do not have the capability, we will not do it. we will pull back. what is what's the president going to do? he's going to keep buying votes. what we have to do is again go back to the basic principles. we've got to limit government in the best way to do that, limit dependency on government. that's the problem right now. [applause] so i put forth a detailed plan of how we're going to limit government, we're going to take the appropriated accounts, that's about another 20% of the budget, everything other than entitlement programs and defense we're going to cut it 10%, we're going to go back to 2008, excuse me, cut it 10% and then freeze it.

and make government more efficient, we'll put all sorts of -- there's a program called lean six signal which i signed onto to bring business programitieses into government, start getting rid of all of these agencies and personnel that simply don't do anything except push paper and roar about process. [applause] and then we're going to take on the entitlement programs. means-tested entitlement programs, there's 72 of them. i'm a catholic and i'm told that one of the responsibilities of the church is to care for those who are the least among us. and i believe that. and that's a real responsibility for all of us. [applause] but i can tell that you doesn't mean it's government's role to take care of the least among us. it's our responsibility to take care of the least among us. and what we find is that when government is doing so, then

people who believe and are taught that it is our responsibility, say, you know what? i pay a lot in taxes, there's all these government programs, maybe i just don't need to fill in the blank. we become detached from our neighbors, we become detached from the challenges in our community and the struggles of people within our community. that's not a healthy thing for our country. it's not a healthy thing for our neighborhoods and communities. we need to get government back in the position of being that ultimate safety net, but being that position is a handup, not a handout. i was the author of welfare reform 15 years ago and we transfer transformed the welfare sthm in this country from a permanent dependency syst to one that was transitional. why? because we do the the federal government out of it, we block granted it to the state.

we cut it, we capped it. we froze it. and we said so the state, can you do -- to the states, you can do, we can redesign this program, working with local community, working with the nonprofit sector and can you redesign this program into a transitional program. why? becauseers there going to be two requirements. a work requirement and a time limit. that's compassionate. why? because poverty isn't the ultimate -- it's not a disability. it's a temporary condition that if you believe in the dignity of every human life and their ability to be able toick themselves up and rise through a struggle, that is the essence of america. that's what makes us great. we need to do that, we need to do that with all of the means-tested entitlement programs. get them back to the state. put a time limit, put a work requirement. and tell people, yes, we want to help. but the best way we can help you is to get you back on your

feet so you can help yourself. that's the key to america. we can take these programs and not only can we save a bunch of money, we can save lives. we can transform communities. finally, and you know i always have to mention this, we're not going to turn this economy around unless we do more to help the american family. [applause] we have seen over the past 50 years the breakdown of the american family. and as a result more and more people on the margins of society, why? because it's just a lot harder to economically succeed in a family where there's one person doing the job that's designed for two. it's no rap against those who are doing their best to try. but it's harder and what we're

see something more and more children having children. i was at a -- down in texas yesterday and i ran into an eighth grade teacher in dallas who teaches in a school and her job is to deal with eighth graders, she has a classroom of eighth graders who are moms. a classroom of eighth graders who are moms. and she was talking about meeting the great-grandparents, greagrandmother of this -- these girls and all of the other mothers and grandmothers up the line. it's generational. and it's not something that we can turn our eyes against, say, well, it's just a problem in a community and we can sort of just worry about everything else, not really worry about what's going on. with 40% of this children being born out of wed lock, 40%.

daniel patrick important hand sounded the alarm in the minority communities in america back in the 1960's when it hit 20%. it's now 40% and in certain minority communiti and in certain urban areas it's 75% and 80%. families are not forming. and government is there to provide but it's not, it's not the road to success. oh, there will be some that succeed. but far, far, far too many fail. and as a result of that our society is hurting. we need to have first government programs that don't create that pendency, so there are some things that government does do to create that kind of dependency. secondly, we need to have a national discussion about this. there's a difference between me and the left. when i talk about the importance of building strong families, i don't necessarily mean that we have to have a

government program to do it. but we do need to have a discussion about how we can do it. [applause] i talk about what went on in chattanooga, tennessee, which i'll be at this weekend. in chattanooga this they had this problem of out of wed lock birth rates, one of the highest rates of divorce, highest rates of single parenthood. and they decided they didn't -- they weren't aware of it, they were shocked to find out. so the community got together, churches, business leaders, educators and philanthropists and they came together and they formed a nonprofit organization to promote marriage, to promote fatherhood. promote marriage in schools, talk about how important the institution of marriage is, what it means to be a mother and a father, what the responsibilities are. why it's good for them economically and socially, why it's good for the community. why it's healthy for a variety of different perspectives. same thing with trying to get fathers back engaged.

there are things that we can and should do as a nation. we can rally together and start focusing on how we can build healthier families and health evercommunities as a result. you want limited government, you better have healthy families. cause you can't have it without it. so -- [applause] yes, i've talked about the problems that confront america. but there are solutions to all those problems and guess who they involve? you. ultimately every solution i put forward tonight talks about how the great -- greatss of the american people, your industry, your compassion, your willing tons step up when your country needs you, can transform this country back into a country that is growing, is vie is hopeful -- vibrant, is hopeful, believes in itself, n governnt to take on its problem, believes in informing

and building strong communities as the way to address the problems most uniquely that we all have. we all have problems. but the best way to solve them is first at the family. next in your -- with your friends, your church, your community, your civic organizations. that's how america works best. but when you're out there all alone with no family, no church , a neighborhood that you're afraid to go out at night, you feellone out there and all you have is government, that is a very lonely place to be. we need to do better than that in america. and we can do better thathat. [applause] that's what this campaign should be about. it should be about a vision for america. it should be about high-minded things. things that are high-minded yet

very doable and practical. that's what americans are looking for in this race. they're looking for someone who can paint a vision, who can draw a contrast, who can show how we can get from here to there and how each american can be a part that journey. everybody. this is an inclusive plan. it includes everybody in america. yeah, because i care about the very poor. i care about the guy who's not doing as wls as he could or as a gal. i care about everybody. i'm a 100%er when it comes to a president not a 99% versus 1%. i appreciate you coming out here tonight and being with me. so i can lay out this vision here on the eve of this election in michigan. because we've seen too much

just nasty politics. on issues that, well, frankly, i haven't even talked about tonight, have i? why? because they're not the key issues in this campaign. they are issues that are off and they're irrelevant in most cases. we have someone who has a vision, s a track record to back up that vision, has a contrast to a president who has a fundamentally different vision, has the energy and the drive to go out. i'm not going to be taking any golf vacations between now and the general election. [applause] my dad and my grandfather, they always said, there's three keys to success in america. i heard it almost every day of my life. work, work, work. [laughter] i heard it every day. it drove me crazy. [laughter] but i heard it. because that's what my

grandfather believed in and my dad always threw in a fourth, get a good educati. but it was always about work. that's what -- i can tell you, i've been back to visit my relatives in the old country. just the work ethic isn't there. it's just different. it's just different. we are different. we're different because we understand what we're placed here today. we're placed here to provide for ourselves, that's our mission. provide for ourselves and our families. to take care of those in need inur society and help out our neighbor. to build those strong communities and participate as active members of those communities. you know what? one of the great things about america is we believe if we just do that, everything is going to be fine in america. you know what? it usually is. but not now. why? because we have a group of people in washington who are structuring a government and a system that's going to rob you of the opportunity to do that.

they're going to start managing how you do those things and those institutions that you were going to be a part of, they're going away. and unfortunately if governor romney, who proposes a tax bill just this week, who says to folks who are the biggest givers to charity in america, that we're going to limit your ability to deduct gifts to charitable organizations, you want to talk about torpedoing the very civic institutions that make america work at the grassroots level, you just take their money away. you take the incentives for people to be generous to them and like it or not that is -- that plays a role in the amount of the donations that are given. ladies and gentlemen, i'm not going to do that. i understand how america works. it's not about making sure that my plan is revenue-neutral. it's understanding in your plan how it affects each and every american and the institutions that make this country great.

i shared my vision with you toght becausit's probably e only time you're going to hear it. because most of the folks who are going to be romping -- reporting here aren't going to write about it, they're going to write about some controversial comment. [applause] but in one part or another, this is it's vision i've been talking about since i was driving around in a pickup truck in iowa. and you know what? americans are responding to it. they're not responding to all the garbage, they're responding to a vision about what affects them. that's what this campaign's going to be about. we're starting it again here tonight. and we will finish this campaign on a high note and a positive vision and a winning one for america. thank you all very much. and god bless. thank you. [applause] [captioning performed by

national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

>> mitt romneyatvisited detroit today and outlined his economic plan print, it would raise the age of our social security and medicare eligibility. he spoke to a meeting of the detroit economic club at ford field. this is about 45 minutes.

this morning, this afternoon, and to make >> good afternoon. no stranger to this club or the state of michigan and introducing governor romney as i say is truly a treat. our country has never elected a president who was born and raised in the state of michigan. it is clearly time for a change. [applause] our state has never elected a car guy. our state, how do i want to say this? some of you may know that i am a car guy. ok? and here in detroit we know what it means to say someone is a car guy. mitt romney's dad was a car guy. mitt grew up learning about american automobiles, appreciating the workmanship

and the dedication that our industry requires. the problems, the prospects and the future of the automatic industry were often discusses -- automobile industry were often discussed at the romney dinner table. we need someone with a proactive voice in washington. we need someone who understands our state. understands complex manufacturing. understands our industry and, believe me, we have one who will be speaking here today. but mitt romney is much more than just a car guy. or a son of michigan. as important as those things are to us, it's much deeper. mitt romney is the only candidate in this race who has the background, the experience and the vision to beat barack obama. and then go on to serve our country as our next great president. if we are going to change washington, we need someone who is not of washington.

mitt romney's experience and record is about results, success and kept promises. he is the only candidate in this race, republican or democrat, i want to repeat this, the only candidate who has not worked in washington. i think that's a big plus. he's never been in congress. he's never been a lobbyist. he's not been shaped by the distorted atmosphere and air in washington. in fact, his story's the opposite. he's had 25 years in business, balancing budgets, eliminating waste and keeping, frankly keeping away from washington. he started new businesses, he's turned around broken ones and i know he's not ashamed of the fact that he was very successful at it and i'm incredibly proud that he was very successful at it.

[applause] in 2002 when the salt lake olympic games were mired in scandal and controversy many were suggesting that they could not be salvaged. the olympic committee and community called on mitt romney. in true mitt form he answered their call. he went to salt lake, he restructured the games, he cut budgets, he eliminated inefficiencies and he restored the faith of the country, the donor community and the olympic committee. in the end the salt lake olympics were considered to be the most successful to date and left behind, i love this, he left behind a surplus. can you imagine that? then mitt went to massachusetts, was elected governor and led an incredible turnaround. you think washington is bad? 85% of the legislature was democratic. the opposing party. and yet he was able to cut

taxes 19 times and left a rainy day fund that any governor would be proud of. i'm not going to spell out what the governor's going to say today, what he's planning to do when he becomes our next president. that obviously is up to him. but i do know this. our country remains locked in economic crisis. millions of americans can't find work. they've lost their homes and their future is clearly not what they had planned. here in detroit we know that feeling firsthand. we've experienced this crisis probably more profoundly than most. i know that this great crisis have a way of bringing forward great leaders and quite frankly we have a great leader in front of us today. please welcome a man of great integrity, great vision, a dear friend, ladies and gentlemen, i give you the next president of the united states, mitt romney. [applause]

>> thank you, thank you, thank you. wow, thank you so much. thank you, david. betting. thank you for your warm reception and response. i have to put a plug in for david's suburban auto group. he's the car guy, too. i love cars. i appreciate the warmth of your welcome and the chance to speak with you, i guess it's noon. i hate standing between you and your lunch. but i want to talk to you about policy today. this is not exciting and barn -burning but it's important. and i want to give you a chance to think about the various plans i have to get this economy going again. nationally and here in michigan. i also want to thank the economic club for hosting all of us this morning and i want to thank the folks at the ford field for making this space available for us. i guess we had a hard time finding a large enough place to meet and this certainly is. [laughter] by the way, congratulations to the lions on a great season.

and to the next jen great season. -- and to the next great season. it's good to be back in michigan. this of course is where i was born and raised. i was actually born in harper hospital. and i grew up here. i remember the first day at kindergarten. i think it was at hampton school. and there were about 30 kids in our kindergarten class. as i looked around, i imagined their parents had dropped them off at the school each morning and those parents were confident that our future would be brighter than even the lives that they'd enjoyed. you see, our parents believed in america's promise. they believed that if you built a good home and taught your kids the right kind of values, if you made sure your kids got an education and you taught them to work hard, that their future could be prosperous. and secure. in those days we all believed that the future was full of possibility and prosperity. we felt that joifl optimism that comes from being raised in

a land of opportunity. a place where if you're willing to take risk and work hard and get education, have the right values, anyone can make a better life. we are the land of opportunity. that deep confidence in a better tomorrow is the basic promise of america. but today that promise is being threatened. by a faltering economy and in my view by a failed presidency. for 36 months the unemployment rate has been over 8%. 24 million of our fellow americans are struggling to find work. there's some three million missing workers in america. people who dropped out of the work force. home values are down, forkse had been at a record high level. our national debt is way too high. and the opportunities in the nation are too few. now everywhere i've gone in this campaign i've met americans who were suffering as a result of the obama economy.

you can see it in their faces and you can hear it in their voices. they're anxious. they're scared about the future. i met moms and dads who wereone. one works the night shift. they barely get to meet and to have dinner together. you have heard the new definition of the american dream? dick armey said this. it is not owning a home. it is getting your kids out of it. [laughter] everywhere i go, i hear stories that are sad reminders of the failed presidency we see before us. president obama said he fixed three things when he became president. first, he said he would hold unemployment under 8%. then he said he would cut the he doubled it.f.

and he said he would make medicare and social security solvent for future generations. three years later he has not offered, as far as i am aware, a single serious proposal for medicare or social security solvency. we have seen a failure to lead. that is why i am running for president. i want to restore america's promised. that means more jobs, less debt, and smaller government. in the campaign, i am offering more than a change of policy. i am offering a fundamental change in perspective and philosophy for washington and the nation. you may have seen earlier this week i put forward a pro-growth tax reform policy to get our economy moving again. today, this administration is focused on unemployment benefits. what workers really want is a

good job. and rising wages. reform of the tax code is, in my view, one of the surest and quickest ways to achieve that goal. i will make across-the-board 20% reduction in marginal income-tax rates. 20% down across the board. [applause] and think about this. by reducing the tax on the next dollar earned by all taxpayers, we encourage hard work, encourage risk-taking, encourage productivity by allowing americans to keep more of what they earn. and by the way, the businesses that pay taxes with individual income tax, they account for guess what? guess what percentage of american workers work for those businesses? personal income tax companies? over half of all american workers work for those kind of companies in united states. this kind of tax cut encourages

all business to hire, raise wages, and small business is what pulls is out of recession. that is pertinent. second, i will make our business taxation competitive globally. i will reduce the corporate tax rate to 25% from the current 35%. we are the highest in the world. that has got to end. let's get competitive again. [applause] i am also going to make the r&d tax cut permanent so we can foster the kind of innovation that drives growth long-term. and i will get rid of the job- killing repatriation tax. this repatriation tax. if an american company, like ford is making cars in china and they make a profit there, right now if they invest in

china, there is no u.s. tax. but if they bring the money home, then we charge them up to 35% tax. this makes no sense. this has got to end. we have to endure the repatriation tax and bring dollars on. it is estimated to be $1 trillion that is over the seas. [applause] of course, i am going to maintain the 15% capital gains tax rate. that is the right level to keep our economy going. i will eliminate the tax entirely, by the way, i will eliminate that entirely for those with an annual income below to under thousand dollars. i will encourage business investment and economic growth.

finally, i will repeal the alternative minimum tax. it is simply not fair. let me make clear -- these changes will not allowed to raise the deficit. strong economic growth, spending cuts, and broadening the base will offset the reductions. americans will continue to enjoy the tax benefits that favor important priorities, including home mortgage interest reductions, charitable giving, health care, and savings. but there will be some changes in the current deductions. those to receive the greatest benefit from that 20% cut are going to see some of the most significant limits so we can keep these cuts progressive. they will increase wages. they will grow jobs. let's encourage investment and not penalize people for being

successful. [applause] let me mention something else. all of you are familiar with a balance sheet who are experienced in business. the larger our federal government, the government does not publish the balancesheet. in fact, we have one. we have to fix our national balancesheet. today, we face $62 trillion in unfunded promises in our entitlement programs, medicare and social security being the largest. we talked a lot about the $15 trillion of deficit debt that has piled up. we have to tackle that debt as well. it is the $62 trillion in unfunded promises that keeps our growth at. a few common-sense reforms are going to make sure that we can

save social security and medicare for future generations. tax act or off the table. there'll be no change also for people who are near retirement or currently retired. but younger generations have to strengthen the system. when it comes to social security, what i will do is slowly raise the retirement age. we will also slowed the growth in benefits for future retirees. and tomorrow seniors will have a choice among insurance providers, including traditional medicare offered by the government, and as with medicare part d, private-sector insurance. seniors will be offered the lowest possible price. with medicare, like with social security, lower and seniors will receive the most generous benefits. starting in 2022, new retirees

will participate in the new system. we will gradually increase the medicare eligibility age each year. in the long run, the programs will be increasing only as fast as life expectancy. those are the kind of common sense solutions we need to have. we need to have a balance sheet that is in balance. it is time to get that done. [applause] one more thing. my administration will make the hundreds of billions of dollars of cuts necessary to reduce spending to 20% of the economy by the end of my first term. and i will capet at that 20% level. then, without sacrificing our military superiority, i will balance the budget.

there are three things we need to do. first, i will cut programs. i am going to look it every single government program and ask this question -- is this program so critical that it is worth borrowing money from china to pay for it? and if not, and i am going to get rid of the. i will start with the easiest cut of all. i will get rid of obamacare. [applause] you know, it is a $1 trillion entitlement we do not want and cannot afford. it is bad medicine. when it i am president, and it will be over. i will also cut subsidies to amtrak and funding for planned parenthood. we will repeal the davis that to save taxpayers $100 billion over 10-year period. we will take a lot of federal programs and sent them back to the state's.

i am going to send medicaid back to the states and cap that. i would do the same for other programs like food stamps and job training. states are better able to perform these kinds of functions. and by the way, once the economy is really growing again, i believe we should return our spending level to the pre- recession level and cap the rate of growth. taxpayers that save money and those in need the benefits of these programs will find they are more effective and efficient and responsive if they are run at the state level. there are such differences today. let states craft their own programs for the poor. welfare reform. i want to extend that conservative, small government philosophy across the entire social safety net for those that are in need of our help. and finally -- i said cut

programs to balance the budget. second, send programs back to states where we cap the growth rate and let states manage the programs as they see best. in the third thing is to make sure the government that remains, that government has to be efficient. i will shrink the size of the federal work force. initially 10% of attrition. then i will link the pay of public servants to the private sector. [applause] now, this is a plan to get america back on track. talking about tax policy, lowering tax rates to promote growth, talking about entitlements reform, deficit reduction, cutting spending, cutting programs and making

government more efficient. i also want to take a moment to think about michigan. what it takes to get michigan on track, in addition to what is happening at the national level. that recalls in many respects around the auto industry. for michigan to be vital, the auto industry has to be growing and thriving. i hope we learned lessons from the past. in my view, the industry got in trouble because the uaw asked for too much. it hurt domestic automakers and provided a benefit to some of the foreign automakers. the result of those missed steps was a cost penalty per car of about $2,000. even the best engineers in the world, and they are here, could not overcome that kind of disadvantage. as we look forward, it is important that the uaw takes

care not to impair the long term growth of the industry. cap a scant attack to be worked out between the government and private-sector so they do not become overly burdensome. and the companies, they have got to invest in new technology and take advantage of the massive new markets. the largest markets in the world will be in brazil and indonesia and china. we need to get out of turn -- we need to get out of general motors so the future is determined by the marketplace, not bureaucrats in washington. [applause] detroit should not be the motor city of america. it has got to be the motor city of the entire world and i want to make sure that happens. [applause] what i have described, i believe

is an economic plan that will strengthen america, strengthen mich., by making bold cuts in spending and common sense reforms. we are going to make our government simpler, smaller, and smarter. through pro-growth policy, we will get our economy back on track and get our citizens back to work. taken together, the plan i am proposing represents the biggest fundamental change to the government in modern history. these are conservative, pro- growth policies that will no longer -- that will not only to start the economy, but it will return this to a society where values of opportunity are still higher than the use of entitlement. less debt, smaller government. i know president obama is going to criticize my proposal. so be it. i believe the american people are ready for new leadership.

i believe they really do deserve all old, conservative plan for growth, and unlike the president, i actually have that plan. my plan requires sacrifice. does it not -- it does not require a leader to promise bigger and bigger benefits. it requires a leader if you need to call for sacrifice. if i am at elected president, i promise you this. we are going to restore america's promise. here and in michigan, the future will once again be a full of promise and prosperity. together, we can get our debt under control. we can rain and the deficit that imperils our future. and a pro-growth tax policy

will encourage investment again, fostered risk-taking, investment. if we proceed with the policies i just described, he will see a michigan with rising home values again. kids will come out of college and find jobs that are consistent with their skills. businesses will come here, because of your on parallel work force, engineering skills, extraordinary institutions of higher learning. michigan will once again be known as the engine of innovation. i am not promising that there will not be sacrificed. i do promise every day will be on a track to get better and better, and together we will make america strong again. to do that, i need your help. next tuesday, i will need your vote. that is part one. if you want to make this election about restoring america's greatness, and hope you will join me. this is a critical time for our

country. i love the foundation of this extraordinary land. i believe it was spoken by the founders of this country when they wrote the declaration of independence. they chose their words carefully. they said "we are endowed by our creator" with our rights. among those rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. that last phrase, pursuit of happiness, we often gloss over in our mind. it suggests that in america people would not be limited by government or the circumstance of their birth. because of these freedoms, our freedom, our liberty, and our right to choose our course and live, america is the place that people came with pioneering spirit. pioneers and innovators.

parts workers came to work for them and build this extraordinary land. we have a president who wants to transform america into something we would not recognize. i do not think that is the right course for america. i love what we are. i want to restore freedom. i want to restore at a conviction that people pursuing their own path in life will build their own future. so, i come to you and ask for your help. i want to restore america. this is a critical time for america. we have to choose who we are. what the soul of america is going to be. will we be a nation led by massive government in washington and taking a larger and larger share? you realize that the government represents 35% of our economy? we are inches away from no longer being a free economy.

i want to get back to the american people being able to pursue their course and live. i love this country. i love what it stands for. i am optimistic about the future. i am convinced the american people, if they are led by people who are actual leaders who know how to call for sacrifice rather than promise bigger and bigger benefits, americans will rise to the occasion. i believe that despite the challenges we have, if we have a president that will tell the truth and live with integrity, who actually knows how to lead, who, by the way, like cars, and police and the greatness of the american people, we will see michigan come back, and we will see america come back. and we will be the hope of the earth. thank you. [applause] thank you.

>> that was fabulous. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> we have a custom to ask a few questions we have been provided from the audience, if we may. >> ok. >> the first question -- china is a growing power on the world stage. what should the united states due to nurture a strong relationship between the two countries. >> china is smart enough to know that in the free enterprise system, which they have adopted to a certain degree, that you're in competition. they want to strengthen their hand relative to us or a competitive -- or a competitor. that is what competitors to. they have taken advantage that are in many respects an unfair. the reason we have laws and regulations is to allow entities to create a level playing field so be more effective competitor succeeds.

china has taken advantage of the fact that we have not been watching very carefully, that we have not insisted they abide by the rules. so, they hack into our computers. government programs. they steal the designs of our aircraft for two years before we figure it out. so, the millions and billions you spent developing new products, they get for free. they have other practices that are interesting. stealing designs, patents, know how, brand names. things you spend millions and billions of dollars to build, they take for free. and finally, they have a practice of manipulating their currencies, which is holding down the value of their currencies so their products are artificially low-priced. the impact of those unfair practices has seen american businesses go out of business,

where with a level playing field, they would not have. you have to have a president who is willing to call them on the carpet and say, hey, we love free-trade. i applaud the colombia-panama deal. we will win on a level playing field. you cannot have people like china cheating. they recognize that. they have to be sitting back and asking, when will they figure this out? folks say, if we crack down on them, there might be a trade war. this is how much stuff they sell to us. this is how much stuff we sell to them. we need to make sure we get to a level playing bill. in our common interest is a growing, thriving world economy. china can be an ally for prosperity in the world, but we cannot allow them to steal jobs. if we do, the consequences are

unthinkable. the time has come for a president that will stand up to china. i will call them our currency manipulator and if necessary apply tariffs. thank you. >> i was actually thinking right along with that. [laughter] the second question is, what should the united states do to respond to the growing nuclear threat from iran? >> yes, this is one i hope we think about with some sobriety. we are tired of conflict. we have been through 9/11, some long and challenging conflicts -- in afghanistan, which still goes on -- and in iraq. entering another conflict is the furthest thing from our minds. at the same time, iran is on the cusp of developing nuclear

capacity. building material they can use in weaponry. and the consequence to the world and to us if they have fissile of material is unthinkable. if iran, the world sponsor of terror -- has a lot and -- hezbollah and hamas -- and they are there not only to disrupt the places they are, but to disrupt this place. to brush the non-proliferation treaty aside, to develop nuclear materials and potentially use it against it. they had even threatened they would use nuclear weapons against israel. they called israel all one bomb nation. small enough that one bomb would wipe them out.

sadly, none of the steps have been taken that would keep iran from becoming nuclear. the three that come to mind, crippling sanctions. the president did not get them in place. finally, and this should have been done long ago. no. 2, standing behind the dissident voices. they took to the streets, looking to america for support for freedom and the president had nothing to say. inexcusable. in developing military options, communicating that we have military options. and we need a commitment on our part to take military action if they become nuclear.

i think it will prevent us from having to take military action. but they have to know that it is unacceptable for the president of the united states and the people of this nation to have our future and our kids future threatened by a nuclear iran. [applause] >> this will be the third and final question. and you think you are the republican candidate with the best chance of defeating president obama? >> i not only think i have the best chance, i have the only chance. perhaps i am overstating it. my family is leading the applause. [applause] it is always hard to beat an incumbent president. his it is not ea t defeat someone who has the white house. -- it is not easy to defeat

someone who has the white house. they can raise money in massive amounts and he will have hundreds of millions of dollars coming in from organized labor. not from members of unions that can choose, they have money coming out of their checks that goes to pac's. can you imagine that? if you took money out of all of your employees' paychecks and you got to choose who to put it behind, can you imagine such a thing? he is going to be hard to defeat. the only way to defeat him as have someone that runs against him who is very different than he, who can present a clear contrast. i have not spend my life in washington. ron paul spent time in health care, which is different from the president. newt gingrich and others, fine fellows, they have spent their

life in washington. i will have credibility on the economy and be able to talk to him about when he says that he turned around america's economy, everything you did make it harder for this economy to recover. obama care did not encourage people to hire more people. dodd-frank did not make it easier for banks to make loans. when the nlrb makes a decision like in -- those decisions make it harder for the economy to recover. i believe the best way and the only way to get president obama out of the white house and put someone there who will get americans back to work with more jobs, less debt, and a smaller government is if we nominate someone whose career is not politics, who has lived in the private sector, and whose passion is caring for future generations. i want to say thank you david and bath.

i apologize for keeping you so long from lunch. i love this country, i should love this state. it feels good being back in michigan. the trees were the right height, the streets are just right. most of the cars i see our detroit-made automobiles. a mustang and a chevy pickup truck. i used to have a dodge truck. i want to tell you how much i appreciate this day, this city, this country, and i can tell you if i am lucky enough to be president, the governor will not only have a friend and ally and the white house, i will go to work for michigan, america, detroit, and make sure we have a brighter future. it is good to be with you today. thank you. [applause] ho[captioning performed by

national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> i do want to take just a moment to mention, when we first announced this meeting, 90 minutes later, we were sold out at the previous venue. thanks to the great folks at ford field that made this possible. david fisher, a great job being providing -- presiding officer. and governor romney, what a great way to have you back, and unveiling such important policy information. we know you have a busy days, thank you for investing your time with us. i will invite governor romney back to the club as president of the united states. how about that? ok? say thank you to the united states governor. [applause] ♪

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♪ >> here is a look at the campaign calendar. on tuesday, arizona and michigan hold their primary. on march 3rd, washington has its caucuses. then on march 6th, super

tuesday. we will have full campaign coverage on the c-span networks and on our campaign website. >> we got started because there are a lot of conservative think tanks that work across issues but there had been no single progressive organization that worked on economic policies, domestic policy, national security. >> the president and ceo of the center of american progress on the mission of the washington d.c.-based think tank. >> we think that there is an ideology between different decisions that are made with very little facts behind them and part of our job is to make the arguments and the factual arguments behind our own views. we think that when they do not do this, we reexamine this.

the fundamental thing is to be right. >> a look at the center for american progress, sunday night at 8:00 eastern and pacific. >> there are millions of decent americans that are willing to sacrifice for change but they want to do it without being threatened and they want to do it peacefully. they are the non-violent majority who are for change without violence. these are the people whose voice i want to be. >> look back at 14 men who ran for the office of president and lost. go to our website to see video of the contenders who had a lasting impact on american politics. >> can you remember the impression of those when times are really hard, you left the door is unlocked? now we have the most violent,

crime-ridden society in the industrialized world. can you live with that? >> president obama met with the danish prime minister today at the white house. he thanked denmark for their contributions to nato missions in afghanistan. this is 10 minutes. >> i want to welcome the prime minister to the white house and to the oval office. this is the first time we have had a chance to meet but obviously we have been very impressed with the first five months of her prime ministership. i shared with her how much we appreciated the extra in their hospitality that was shown to us when we visited copenhagen in the past. i also wanted to say how much we

appreciate the great alliance and partnership that we have with the danish people on a whole range of international issues. obviously, most recently, the operations in libya could not have been as effective had it not been for the precision and the excellence of the danish armed forces and their pilots tend the that is typical of the way that the danes have punched above their weight in international affairs. in afghanistan, i think the prime investor for the extraordinary contributions of the danish troops. they operate and have taken significant casualties. the primeked minister for the extraordinary contributions of the danish people. because of the work that has been done by danish soldiers in

afghanistan, we have seen great progress in the areas where they operate. we had a chance to talk about the economy. as we were exchanging notes, it turns out that everyone in denmark would like to talk about the economy all of the time and to jobs and growth. we agree that there has been some progress in resolving the sovereign debt issues. there has been some progress with respect to the agreements between the eu, imf, and greece, the new government in italy, the governments in spain and portugal making significant progress. there is a lot more work to do it and we will be consulting closely with denmark and we exchanged ideas on how we can ensure not only economic stability in europe but also growth in europe.

we discussed ways that we can have economic growth and reducing frictions in our relationship. in preparation for our meeting in chicago, we talked about the transition that was already agreed to. when it comes to putting afghans in the league insecurity over the next several years. we will be consulting closely with not only denmark but our other allies in making sure that that is a smooth transition and one that is sustainable where we continue to help the afghan government to support its own sovereignty and to effectively control its borders. we also discussed the extraordinary counter-terrorism operating taking place between our two countries. i think the prime minister for the excellent work.

-- i thanked the prime minister. the danes are familiar with a significant threat that are posed by terrorism, so we appreciate that very much. we had a chance to talk about a wide range of international issues including the situation in syria. i have to say that all of us who have seen the terrible pictures coming out of syria and homs realize is imperative for the international community to rally and send a clear message for transition. there is a time for that regime to move on. it is time to stop the killing of syrian citizens by their own government. i am encouraged by the international unity that we are

developing, the meeting that took place in tunisia that secretary clinton attended. we are going to keep the pressure up and look for any tool available to prevent the slaughter of innocents in syria. this is an area where i think the prime minister and i deeply agree that it is important that we not be bystanders during these extraordinary events. at the same time, there are other threats in the region including the situation in iran and i thanked the prime minister and the danish government for their the the ship in applying for the toughest sanctions we have ever seen coming out of the eu. we both agree that we're making progress and they're working and sending a message to iran that they need to take a different path if they want to reach the international community. there is an expectation on the

part of the world that they abide by their international obligations when it comes to their nuclear program. the other thing that we talked about is the fact that we both have two daughters and they are roughly the same age. she assures me that they continue to behave themselves even well into their teenage years. i am encouraged by that and i think you very much, i have -- i hope that you have a wonderful state while you are here and we look forward to working with you again. >> thank you, mr. president and think you for your kind words. the danish people have a very strong sense of closeness to the united states. we have always have had that sense. we have close economic and political ties with each other but not only that, we have exchanged tourism, students, culture, and perhaps most

important of all, we share common values. at this time, this is very very important. the friendship and alliance between our two countries is in very good shape right now. as you said, we discussed the situation and denmark has the presidency of the eu right now. we talked about the debt situation most of the time in europe. i conveyed at the present's message. we will see ourselves through the crisis. i think a closer relationship would be important. we are dependent on each other. we would have closer trade with each other. this is a sustainable growth and

our country. we also have close ties in terms of security. i used the opportunity to thank you and the american people for the great effort you have put in afghanistan. this is greatly appreciated. i know that the danish people really appreciate the global leadership that you and your people have taken in that context. i look forward of going back to the states. we were discussing afghanistan, of course. one of the major issues there is a transition to the next phase in afghanistan and what we want to see are the afghans taking over responsibility for their own security.

we have some great example with our alliance. we have worked together in libya where we made sure libya came out on a path of democracy and america showed leadership in that context. another area that we discussed is syria which is quite the opposite situation. we have seen the leadership of the league of arab states which has been a step forward in trying to put pressure on syria.

we think for the courageous operations for the freeing of two workers that work for the danish council. they are safe because of the americans. thank you for that. basically, our security operation is very great indeed. i will finish here just by saying that our meeting has confirmed their friendship and alliance between our two countries. there is a lot that we can do. i think that it is very important that we have these kinds of meetings to renew the friendship. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> thank you.

>> next on c-span. the politico host, a discussion with the governors of maryland and virginia. later attorney general eric holder speaks at the justice department's black history program. >> on tomorrow's washington journal, political reporter dave levinthal discussing super pack money in the presidential race. the bureau is investigating bank overdraft fees. we'll talk to pamela banks. and also buddy roemer. "washington journal" begins at 7:00 a.m. eastern time on c-span.

>> bobby jindal is scheduled to reveal his proposal for balancing the state budget. a budget $900 million in the red. >> next weekend, book tv and american history tv, explore the hist rip -- history of shreveport, louisiana. author gary joyner on his book "from one damn blunder from beginning to end." a look at the 1,000 books of the hal smith collection. then a walking tour of shreveport and boser city with neil johnson. and from barksdale air force

base on 911. also visit the founding father's collection at the louisiana state museum. and medical street. -- treatment from the civil war next week on c-span2 and 3. >> there are million of decent americans who are throg sacrifice for change. but they want to do it without being threatened and they want to do it peacefully. they are the nonviolent majority. black and white who are for change without violence. these are the people whose voice i want to be. >> as candidates campaign for presidency this year. we look back at men who ran and lost. go to our website to see video of the contenders who had a lasting impact on american politics. >> can you remember in the depression, those of you who were my age when days were

really hard and we left doors unlocked? now we have the most violent crime-ridden society in the industrialized word. -- world. now i can't live with that, can you live with that? >> c span.org,/thecontenders. the governors discussed an abortion measure and the same sex marriage bill that the maryland legislature passed on thursday. this is an hour. >> i'd like to thank you all for getting bright and early for politico's second state solution conference. i also would like to thank people joining us on our live stream.

we've got the respective chairman of the democratic governor's association and republican governor's association. they are, of course, two people well known, governor bob mcdonald of virginia. he's the chairman of the republican governor's association and just across the river and across the bay governor martin o'malley. they're both in town as you know because toe's the first day of the national governor's association winter meeting. and we appreciate them both taking time out of their schedule to join us to take questions from me and questions from you in our audience. a couple of program notes, i'm going to take questions throughout the morning. we're going to go an hour or so. and i'm going to intersperse those questions. so be thinking of those questions. raise your hand. i'll recognize you. you can join us at twirt. that's at hashtag pilegov.

so anyway, let's get going. we've got governor mcdonald and o'malley with us. please join us up on stage. [applause] >> thank you. >> well, thank you both governors for joining us. a special thanks to my home state governor, government mcdonald. >> does that mean i have the home field advantage in >> you -- advantage? >> you don't. this is the second annual conference. he was partnered with rick perry. that ended up being the highlight of his year. this is quite an honor. >> ouch. >> this is quite an honor. anyway, we've got lots of stuff

to mix it up. but i thought you guys should give a quick overview. certainly to be in charge of a state is to worry about things. i'd be curious to hear from both of you -- what do you most worry about in your job as governor looking after the health of your snate governor o'malley we'll start with you. what's on your mind? >> there's nothing more important to any of us than jobs and the economy and accelerating the jobs recovery. what i'm most concerned about and what i'm most focused on is making sure that we apply and make the choices that we must at the state level to make the investments that a modern economy requires in order to create jobs. so that means protecting investments in education, increasing the skills of our workforce, accelerating areas like the trade and also the development of new, clean, green manufacturing like the g.m. electric drive motors --

excuse me -- at white marsh. these are the things that concern us. all of us have had to cut budgets since the great depression. we've cut $7.5 million but unless we've protected those investments and allowed maryland to have a stronger than most. there are still a lot of people that are still looking for jobs. it's important to create the next one. >> what keeps you up at night? >> no. >> that's what -- it will do, right? >> every day is a good day at work. thanks for politico. i agree with martin. i think most governors are focused on a couple of common sings, that is jobs and how to recover from the greatest downturn since the great

depression. we're at a 6.2% unemployment rate. both of our state have relatively unemployment. so we are focused on all the things that are necessary, new incentives, tax and regulatory changes, international marketing, all the things that will produce jobs in our state. and secondly the worry of balancing their budgets in the fiscal stress of this economy and the uncertainty created by the federal government unable to get things on done and the crushing debt thereupon. no real good plans i think on jobs and energy that i see. so we've got to create and a lot of unfunded mandates on the states in health care and other areas. and we have to figure out how do we make that work, areas like medicaid, you know, huge budget drivers in all of our states and how do we make our

budget balanced and still fund the course services of government. but those are the general challenges that republicans and democrats are facing. and there are different approaches we're taking but those the common concerns. >> does your approach do you see it mirroring president obama's approach, emphasizing balance? and what they mean be balance is there ought to be spending cuts and increases in order to meet these challenges. describe your approach in maryland and why you've said the taxes need to be on the table. that's going to be in contrast with governor mcdonald. >> we've subscribed maryland with the president's call that all of us do our part to be leaders in education, in innovation and leaders in rebuilding the infrastructure, that common platform upon which

our commerce depends and our competitiveness depends. so we do subscribe to the president's theory that if we want a better nation then we have to work hard and invest in order to bring that better nation into being for our children and for our grandchildren. so we don't send back dollars that the federal government would send to maryland so that we can improve our transportation infrastructure. we do partner with the president in retooling g.m. so that they could become the number one auto manufacturer in the u.s. an build products that people want that actually have cars that are more energy efficient. we have made investments at the port of baltimore so that we can accommodate the larger ships coming through the panama canal. why do we do that? to make our port competitive and to create jobs at home. we do scribe to those things and from time to time we've asked our sit den -- citizens

to do more like in the tobacco tax. but there are people in our state who didn't have health care that do now. people can't work if people are sick or if they're sick. in all of these areas dwow believe that the future is not as robert kennedy said, the future's not a gift, it's an achievement and we're willing to do the things necessary to achieve it together. >> do you support president obama's approach? >> i think that's a rhetorical question because obviously the answer's no. and martin and i have the difference. i thought george allen said the future's now. >> george allen also said that. >> his father. >> george allen the football coach. >> yes. >> richard nixon used to send plays to him. is that true? >> that i don't know. >> must have been tricky plays. >> back to the question.

no, we've taken a different approach and many republican governors around our country, all of us have the same challenges which is how do you balance the budget in tough fiscal times? one realizing families and bies are making tough decision. they're strog do things, smart we are less. they're having to reprogram and retool and reform the way they do things and we think government ought to do the same because it's not our money, it's the people's money. what we try do is set priorities and say we cannot afford to do everything we've always done. because we don't have the same amount of money. so what we're doing to do is we're going to prioritize. we're going to make targeted cuts and we're going to reform government, consolidate agencies, get rid of boards and commission other things like that that will save us money. that's the way we're going

reduce the deficit and at the same time we're going prioritize economic development, private sector and grow our way to a stronger virginia. >> for us, it's worked. we've cut the equivalent of about $6 billion to cut the deficit when i became governor back in 2010. my predecessor recommended a $2 billion tax increase. i thought that was the wrong policy. we eliminated that tax increase. we cut spending in the neighborhood like i said of $6 billion invested in job creation. so we cut others areas an it's worked for us. we've had our billion dollars in surpluses. we've got unemployment down to 6.2%. we've got a lot of jobs coming back to virginia and so for us, that formula has worked. it's a very different formula than we see at the federal level which is more taxes, more spending, more regulation, more

i think undermining the same way the free enterprise system. i think it's worked for us and it's working in some other states. >> you turn down transportation money. governor o'malley said some governors do. >> we've accepted some fair amount of money. there's some we haven't the ones with strings that were attached. i appreciate what the president and ernie duncan are doing in education especially in innovation charter schools and merit pay but the strings attached with don'ting a federal -- attached with a federal bill ke didn't. >> the governor and i try to work together on transportation issues. we both agree that if it weren't for the federal government, president obama and

secretary lahood there wouldn't be any silver lining at dulles. these are things that we can only do together, things that require us to partner with the federal government. >> governor o'malley, how closely do you watch what's going on in virginia? and if you can do all these things that governor mcdonald said just by making targeted cuts and targeted investments without tax increases why wouldn't do you it? >> he doesn't have time to watch what's going on in virginia. >> of course, we watch each other. we share this chesapeake region of innovation. if you look at the innovation assets from colleges, the universities -- >> are you worried that virginia will screw it up by not investing in education, not investing in -- not investing in transportation critical need throughout the washington

region but the virginia legislature so in the grip of anti-tax republicans, we've got an anti-government governor that they won't make those investments and they'll starve the golden egg here? >> every government is concerned about their own state. and i will say this. i think that we are well served by having a strong neighbor in virginia. it's like being in a shopping mall, you know? you have a story and you want to be next to a story that a lot of other people are going. so we want to be -- we want virginia to be strong. i can tell you that last year we had a rate of new job creation that was better than virginia. i can tell you that unlike virginia, we went four years in a row without an increase in college tuition. i can tell you that we were named the number one public schools in american four years in a row. i can tell you we've greatly increased the number of our who

take a.p. exams and we are number one again. we greatly increase the number of students that are taking the science, engineering and math courses. i think that every state needs to do their part in order to make our country stronger in education, innovation and rebuilding our infrastructure. have we made cuts? absolutely. $7.5 billion in cuts. governor mcdonald's state is a triple-a state i do believe last i checked. our state is a triple-a state. we've lower crime down. we have more progress to make. but if you look at the other key indicators, i would have maryland stack up against any state in our mid-atlantic region especially if you look at rate of job creation. i think last year werm 14th in the country. governor mcdonald's common wealth was 1th in the country or 17th.

but we still have a lot of work to do. one of the saddest things that's happened to our nation in recent years nationally is the under captainizing of the great job -- capitalizing of job creating and the opportunity in the united states of america. we would like to believe that we are fiscally responsible but 55% of that debt is driven by tax cuts during the bush presidency that primarily benefited the most wealthy among us. another 13% of that have debt was driven by a series of wars. we asked our sons and daughters to go fight but that our president never asked us to pay for and therefore it fell to our debt. and in all of that, we have also seen that the debt and those decisions were also

coupled with an under demfsment in the job-generating caps tip and the economic competitiveness of all of these united states. >> governor, to respond to that, governor o'malley basically laid time-out democratic philosophy that's being applied in many states. i want you to speak to the republican philosophy, why you disagree. >> a disclaimer. governor o'malley are friends. we work together on a lot of things. chesapeake region, transportation. first two sons of mayo to be governors of our state. >> we're neighbors. >> we're close. so the point is on a lot of things we get along. we have very different views when it comes to what's going on at the federal level and approach to governance but

that's the beauty of the 10th amount in our founder's vision written by virginians -- >> financed by marylanders. >> they always have higher taxes, they can afford it. >> higher standard of living. >> higher income. >> sit my turn? >> here's the point, i'm just wondering if he runs for president is he still going to be blaming president bush? >> i'll speak for myself about what republicans governors should do. we do believe it's time to rekindl the american dream. we don't believe it comes from more taxes an more spending and more regulation and more unionization which is the philosophy of this president. just go over his policies over the last three years an i rest my case. what i do believe is that you have to spend within your means without tax increases on time. you to encourage the private

sector. this president has blamed wall street, republicans, house republicans. he blamed the founders last week for not giving him enough power. this is a blame game. it's the blame rhetoric. we believe in taking accountability. governor doss -- governors do generally. and so encouraging and strength tng private sector to create jobs is the way to go. and i know we're going compare a couple of stats. virginia's been ranked as the most business-friendly state in the country by polina, cnbc. maryland was 27. we've invested the most amount of money $4 billion at my request. at my request we're going invest $32 million in higher education. so we're making the strategic investments not only for the short-term but also for the long-term and we're doing it by reprioritizing spending.

our unemployment rate is down to 6.2%. so our formula's working. i can tell you the republican governor's using similar philosophy. seven out of the 10 states with the lowest unemployment rates, republican governors. i would like to say on an empirical basis that approach that republicans are using is working. and i would compare that with democrats -- democrat governors what their doing. >> we're trying to figure out how to build an economy that lasts. that's not going happen by itself. yes, there are republican governors in republican-riches that are largely immune to the recession. by and large look at some other states. in ohio, john casing one of the new superstar key party

governors of the r.g.a., 30th last year in new job creation. rick scott, super star, new tea party republican governor, florida. 45th in new job creation. scott walker, you remember scott walker, let's ban the unions, that creates jobs, 49th in new job creation. >> all the jobs are leading illinois from wisconsin now. but that's the rest of that. >> actually wisconsin, turned back some of the high speed companies but pat quinn picked them up. he also picked the trains to come to illinois. our state maryland was trying to flip by one of the top five states by the u.s. chamber of commerce. hardly a mouthpiece for the maryland democratic party. our state was ranked number three in the index for its potential for job growth. this is about bidding the new

economy with new opportunities. the choices the democratic government -- governors are making are the choices that create that better future with more jobs and more opportunity. if you look at the republican debate the other night, john. you know how many times rick santorum said the word "jobs"? not once. not once in the whole debate. what does outlawing union, outlawing women's rights, what the hell tchaws have to do with creating jobs and making the investment a modern economy needs create jobs? >> i'm sure we're going to get back to those. you just mentioned some to cultural issues that have been divisive in the legislative sessions. this winter cultural issues have been very prominent. virginia drew national attention for the proposal --

>> they did. >> my understanding is that they did for the proposal that was working its way through the general assembly requiring ultrasounds for women before they procured abortions. you seem to initially be prepared to sign that bill but then you did a turn the other day and said you wanted modifications to it. you were not prepared to sign it. >> give us a trail of your thinking on that issue and why you -- you apparently changed your view of it. >> ok. well, you can't believe everything you near the national press, john. >> this was from "saturday night live." >> oh, well. and jon stewart. >> listen if you believe everything that the media said about maryland you believe that all the governor's worried about is same sex marriage. but he's interested more than that. you've got to be careful what you read in the papers. having said that, the focus for

governor o'malley and i is what we just said is getting our budget under control and it's about jobs. i proposed about 153 bills there this year in the general assembly. you know how many are in there? none. there are legislatures that propose certain things. listen, i'm a pro-life governor. what you believe about marriage and life and family and the rule of law and individual liberties is critically important to people. just go back to the founding fathers. for the purpose of allowing a woman to have fully informed consent legally, medically prior to making a life-changing decision -- look, everybody on both sides of the debate believe this is a critical important decision. so it was about information. now, what we realized after i said, no i support the bill. i still support the bill. that never forfeits a

governor's right to adjust the bill. what i adopted the other day is let's make the requirement of the abdominal ultrasound. in most cases if the abdominal ultrasound isn't sufficient they could do other ultrasound. i said let's make those amendments. i also got legal advice including my attorney general that these kind of invasive requirements might run a foul of the fourth amendment law. >> if you were educating yourself on this bill did you not realize that it might mandate the procedure? >> you have to realize this wasn't my bill. i understand. >> you learned that this would -- might mandate an invasive proceed your? >> during course of the

discussion after talking to lawyers an doctors on my own after we started to hear some concerns raised in the legislature, i personally would look at it. normally you would look at hundreds and hundreds of bills. but i was certainly supportive of that concept. once we realized exactly the medical and legal issues involved i thought it was prudent to recommend to the general asemly with to make the change. they've made the change. the senat has don'ted that change. i believe that bill will pass. virginia will have a strong woman's right to know bill to provide the information to make full lip and informed decision. i think it's the right decision. let me tell you something, this is somewhat ex-as per rating. if you looked at coverage about maryland you would think that all they care about same sex marriage and tax increases. that's what i would read about.

if i was a citizen that's what i think the governor is doing in but 97% the bills in virginia are thanges i've advocated, higher education, k-12 reform, a veterans' package to help returning men and women from iraq. we can't always help what the media decides to focus on. that's what's going on in virginia. and i would say that after the session, the story of this session will be a balanced budget. you know what i'm really concerned about is the senat democrats are mad about their committee assignments so they are willing to kill the budget. it's outrageous. they're putting their committees ahead of their communities and now we have a budget at risk in virginia because we have senat democrats that concerned about that. i've never seen that in 21 years. >> i thought the democrats were

concerned about cuts to education. >> that's not what they said. they stayed silent. they are mad about good committee assignments. i don't think it's smart to cut education either. >> we raised education $500 million. only in washington would an increase of $500 million be a cut. we increased education spending. >> governor o'malley and governor mcdonalder sometimes these social issues get a disproportion attention but many want to come to washington because there are these issues they care about. and your issue, allowing same sex marriage is a historic

bill. you're prepared to sign it. why? >> i believe that the way forward among people of many different phases is always in the direction of greater respect for the equal rights of all. this has been a difficult issue that was debated over the course of the last year in our state but last night it past the house and the senat. and i look forward to signing it in this upcoming week. where are we? next week. i look forward to signing it next week. this bill protects religious liberty and protects individuals in the context of civil marriage. some of the bill was harnessing offshore win and also to repair the massive septic chesapeake problems.

maryland's one of only a handful of states that informs in school construction from the state standpoint. and all of this requires a lot of hard work. a and all of this requires a prioritizing of our budget and those things that actually make our economy go. >> could you briefly describe out how your own views over gay marriage have changed. and do you foresee this being not a big deal and that it will be accepted nationally? >> i do believe that there is an unmistakeable movement. i mean, certainly you've looked at some of poling and -- when i speak, i mean, even in this debate. in speaking with younger legislatures, we found a greater openness to the discussion, greater ability to sort of examine the issue from all sinds. among some of our more serious legislatures there was in the

that openness, not a willingness to look at this from a standpoint of right. in my own evolution, i think good leaders who are progressive leaders always try to be a force for building consensus that moves us forward in the direction of greater respect for the equal rights of all. for a long time i thought that that consensus point for progress in our state was around civil unions. i was mistaken. i misjudged. the public moved forward more quickly in on this issue than i had thought. i look forward to signing this bill. you know, the hrt of religious freedom is the freedom of individual conscious. and in the freedom of individual conscience requires respect for the equal rights of all.

>> governor, have your own views on this issueer voveled? do you see in the state of virginia that gay marriage will become legal as in maryland? >> no, i think the beauty of our framers under the 10th amendment which is eviscerated by congress, republicans and democrats over the years is that the state are the laboratories of innovations an they have the freedom to make different choices. i respect that about the views. martin and i have different views on this issue and on others but that's what's great about having 50 states. you can be free to try different things and see what works. the people of virginia have spoken. there was an amendment that passed of almost 67% in which we clearly stated in the law that we believe threa marriage is between one man and one woman. so our citizens have already decided. i would say this is a matter of

generally deeply held religious believe of beliefs, obviously. and in the governor's state there are different views held by pastors black and white. there will probably be a ref rentchalm -- referendum for a potential november referendum on the subject. but we think it's our policy not only with us but typical churches. that's our policy other states might have a different view. >> one of the perspectives that helped us through this, john, while i was looking at this issue from the perspective of the children of gay parents. and that was -- that was -- i just wanted to add that in our evolution, in my evolution and in the evolution of a number of

legislatures, we concluded that it was not right and not just the children of gay parents should have homes that are protected no lesser way under the law than other children. >> i'm curious because as government noffer o'malley suggested a lot of people's views have changed over time. this is one of the social questions that seem to be influx. have you views changed at all? >> no. well, no, because from all the data that i read, my views on this like many, i think are are driven by one's religious beliefs. an everybody's got to make up their mind on that but i would say that most of the data that i've read that the best environment for a child to grow up to be fully capable of achieving the american dream and having the best start in life is two parents made of a

man and a woman. unfortunately, because of divorce and any number of things that is no longer the family that every young person grows up in. an that's why the governor and i spend a lot of money on social services to help people, to create a safety net to be able to create people when families are no intact. but that has been undeniably for centuries. what has held society together, it is the best environment for children but also for society generally. and i think virtually all the data that i read from sociologist, right and left, the empirical data coming from that two-parent family is the best for our country. should be the model. when it doesn't work we have safety nets. >> let's go to the audience. i'm sure people have questions about the baltimore port is superior to the hamton port.

raise your hand if you'd like to be recognized. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. and thanks to politico for the good program this morning. you touched on -- both touched on national politics. and let me ask you, you're both from pivotal states. governor o'malley, do you expect the state of maryland to follow its modern historical trend and go in for the democrats again in the presidential race and governor mcdonald, your state went dome democratic for the first time since 1964 in the 2008 election. do you think it will revert to its modern historical trend? and one more thing, you could be a vice presidential candidate with any of the major republican candidates except rick santorum would have to change his registration from the old dominion back to pennsylvania. would you accept the vice

presidential nomination? >> you first. >> i do believe that marylanders will re-elect president obama. the president inherited one of the worst economies, worse recessions since the great depression. we haven't recovered all we've lost. but we've gone 23 months in a row with positive job growth. that hasn't happened since 2005, 2006 and the people of maryland will vote to re-elect president obama primarily for that reason. >> president obama said that during the campaign, he said if we don't turn this thing around in three years this will be a one-term proposition. virginia is ready to collect on that promise. we have the worst debt in american history. $4.7 trillion under this president. the greatest growth in the national debt in any term in

american history. that's going to turn another trillion. his budget would call for about $25 trillion. he promised woe would -- we would have bailouts that's created a trillion and a half deficits. if we did that we would have unemployment below 8%. we haven't had unemployment under 8% since his presidency. it's been an entire presidency since 8%. i'm glad there's been progress. i just want to thank you for admitting that. >> they used to say he's always making it worse. >> i didn't say he was responsible for it. i just said it's good news that it's dropping. we could debate that for a long

time. so your question is he going to get re-elected in virginia? >> the vice presidential. >> i was going to skip that. on the question of the president. just as somebody who knows the state, size it up politically. >> the obama campaign has made it clear they consider virginia among a small handful -- >> lord knows. we've seen the president and his wife in virginia recently. we're always glad to have the president there. >> we send him your way. >> and that's true. he won by seven points in a state that had gone republican. he's a phenomenal campaigner. i think he's a bad president but a great campaigner. we picked up three congressal seats and we picked up the largest number of the house of

delegates for the republican team. i think the trend is very bad for the president. he hadn't delived. -- delivered there. 's no strategy on energy. he continues to torch major industries like cole and natural gas, pushing things like cap and trade. it's been poorly received by virginians. >> let me ask about that -- governor, the usual stance among people, oh, i'm not interested. that's so far fetched, i can't even speculate about it. but you've been direct on other occasions. it looks like you're working very hard for governor romney in ways that sure look like, hey, like take a look at me. >> you must be reading more of that international media, john.

>> no, what i said was, i said look, i bet governor o'malley would say the same thing. if the leader of your party calls you and said, hey, you can help the country, help our party. of course, you think about it. of course. any governor or any member of the legislature -- >> right, but among friends and among our last dream, let's be clear you ache for this job. >> no. i'm chairman of the republican governor's association. my top goal is to beat governor o'malley and i'm confident we're going to get that done. secondly, i believe that this president has taken this country on such a radical left bend that i'm going to do everything that i can to elect a new president of the united states. i decided about a month ago that mitt romney was best because i believe thea a ghove nor with -- governor getting

things done, getting results, that's what we need instead of what we have now playing the blame game with this president. >> that's why i'm supporting the governor. >> you're not exactly coy about somebody raising your hand and saying i want to participate in the debate. the speculation was as recent as this morning that you might be a candidate in 2016. >> talk about your own national ambition. >> i accept governor mcdonald's nomination. and i appreciate the hopes and dreams that he sees in me. we're both headed -- i'm head of the democratic governor's association this year and governor mcdonald's head of the republican governor's association. i'm not shy about wanting to be a supporter of his especially in this national debate when so many democrats lose their

tounges -- tongues. everybody second-guessed the president when he did the recovery and investment act. one of the reason that governor mcdonald is able to maintain a lower unemployment rate as has maryland is because we applied those dollars and used those dollars. on the auto industry, everybody second guessed the industry. don't put the breaks on the bush recession. we can't afford to do that. then they second guessed him on the turnaround on the auto industry. last i check i think virginia has thousands of jobs like, you know, that depend on the auto industry.

between 2000-2010, the women serving as wardens have doubled. currently, african-american

women account for about 30% of all female supervisors in the bureau prisons. so it is good we have a nice rich base to draw from parent and numbers have shown significant increases in the ranks as well. african-american women oddly have a unique cultural experience which is valuable and intrinsically level. we continue to make progress and impact on a daily basis. for a long time, it was believed that corrections was not work for women. it was too dangerous. most research reflects that the presence of women in prison normalizes the environment and actually, when we reach a threshold level, a saturation

level, reduces violence. we also know that women are just as likely to be aggressive in the environment as men. but we typically use different skills in dealing with conflict. the one thing that i would like to share with your the characteristics that i believe led to these great achievements within the bureau of prisons. i think the the thing airwaves as altogether -- these women had purpose. they knew what they wanted to do. there wanted to make a difference and they did whatever it took to make a difference. there were resilience. they had a pioneer spirit. they were willing to go places no one had ever gone. the had a network of support and exhibited exceptional people skills. they demonstrated high levels of excellence and self the moment. and they focused on honing their knowledge, skills, and work quality. who cares if you have to do

more, no more, or be at the institution or where ever you work more? it only increases your value, prepared as, and ability. -- preparedness, and ability. they all had good mentors, a good support system that was key. and the mentors were as diverse as the world is. it is not a matter of who you know, but who knows you. they knew had to speak in small groups and they knew had to entertain audiences of thousands. there were flexible. there were constantly looking for positions and opportunities whenever they appeared and took advantage. they never compromised their values. they also know that all things, the good things, the bad things, and the ugly of things worked

together for their good. they had faith in something greater than themselves. and they had faith in themselves. i believe, given the examples that have been shared here today, the history that has been made, we need to continue recruit and mentor, keeping our eyes on diversity and our compass pointed toward success. >> excellent. [applause] >> when i was trying to balance such historical information we should share with personal information from a i went back to one of your e-mails and you said that our celebration of personal.ory montmust be i thought, of course, it has to be. you also indicated you wanted to share the story of a civil

rights pioneer. new >> one of the things i was thinking about in the e-mail about black history being personal, when i was in nlaw school, when i walked the main hall of my law school, i could feel the presence of all the people who had gone before me who had made the way for me. i felt that presents very heavily. i often thought what would hit -- what would it have been lied to be the first woman here -- what would it have been like to be the first woman here? they definitely -- their presence made me make a lot of decisions. i did not want to take for granted the doors that they had opened for me. i wanted to make sure to walk through those doors and help

them open for somebody else. i recently read a memoir that spoke to me, just as the presence of those people spoke to me. and i want to share it with all of you. it is called "justice older than the law" by owi johnson. her memoir is really powerful and i recommend it to anyone who wants a good read. she grew up in north carolina as the daughter of a domestic and the granddaughter of a sharecropper. she is able to attend college at spellman. one of the themes and her story is that there were people who saw her potential and helped her and encouraged her and mentored her. there's one very touching episode in the book or she discusses her time at spellman. when she started at spellman, her mother and she were living

in the home of a white family to help make ends meet. her mother was the domestic in the home and ow rowntree was the nanny. the family accused her of being a thief. they kicked her out of the home and she was arrested. she had, at the time, a white professor, marry may neptune, who was a beloved professor who mentored her parents she was able to find her -- mentor. she was able to find her an attorney. she provided her a personal loan to complete two years left she had of school. as we know, spellman was not cheap. the professor had no real promise that she would be paid back. but also that she told her was to please pass it on.

so she paid her back and she passed it on for the rest of her life. we'll share people who have done that for us and who have -- we all have people who have done that for us and who have tested on. tony west, i am very appreciative of that. i think all of us should be. [applause] all of us should be grateful to people who have given us these opportunities and seek to give opportunities to other people. after she graduated from spellman, she taught for a few years and she ended up working with mary mcleod bethune. then she entered the military. she was one of the first black women in the military. she rose to the rank of captain in the women's army auxiliary corps.

when women first entered the military, there were in this auxiliary unit, which became part of the army corps. so she was a trailblazer in that environment. then she went to howard law school. she was one of the few women in our class. it was a male-dominated environment and it was difficult for her she was there at a time when she was able to sit in on dry runs for brown vs. board. it was a very rich environment. when she graduated, another one of her howard law school mates, julius robert fiske, formed a practice here in washington, d.c. and she had a career here in d.c. a light of what we're talking about, unsung heroes, here is a winner here about, she brought cases before the

commerce division. one of the cases that she brought, which was meaningful to me, was a case on the hat -- on the behalf of a woman in sarah louise keys. like her, she was a private in the women's army corps. she was in the military. she was traveling on her first furlough home on the bus from her post to her home. she refused to give up her seat and moved to the back for a white marine. and she was arrested for disorderly conduct. and w round tree and her partner represented her and brought the case before the interstate commerce commission challenging the segregation on buses. at the time, the interstate commerce commission prohibited discrimination by state laws. but it permitted private carriers to have their own system of discrimination and segregation. she took that head-on.

despite the odds, which were incredible, because there were a lot of petitions against them, they eventually won. combined with all the supreme court cases that we know, it meant the real desegregation of the bus system, which was an amazing accomplishment. not only did she have an amazing career in civil rights lawsuit, she did personal injury to criminal defense to family law. she excelled in all those areas and was a pioneer in all of those areas. it really makes me think of what i said about walking through doors that people open for you. can open those doors -- you can for of only hold those open others if you excel. if you are an african woman who is a filler or you do not do

well, -- who is a failure or you do not do well, you cannot be of much help. toward the end of her life, she felt that the law did not enable her to help her community and always the she wanted to help our community. that is when she entered the ordained ministry of the african methodist episcopal church. she was one of the first women to be ordained. once again, she was a trailblazer in her later years. to me, her story contains two powerful lessons for us, which reminds me why it is important for all of us, whatever our color or creed or race or gender, to celebrate african- american history month and why this year's theme of black women is so important. first of all, everywhere this you would in her career, she was an outsider of one form or another. in every place, she brought incredible vision.

she literally had to call things into being that or not. she was incredible injustice and had to imagine the justice that was possible that is something that we can all learn from. that is valuable to me as african-americans in this country and things that we can draw from. you can imagine the possibilities that you do not actually see in front of you. the second biggest lesson we learned from her, especially for those of us at the department of justice, she taught us what it means to be an advocate, not just with your words, but with your life. we all know that wins the day in the courtroom is not how much you believe in your arguments, but how well you can persuade someone, how effectively you can persuade someone. she had to affectively persuade people everyday of pro-life with

the way she lived. she had to persuade others that she mattered, that she belonged, and that she was a force to be reckoned with. most of us, at one time or another, will experience being an outsider and will be called upon to create justice where there is in justice and we can all draw on our strength and inspiration from people like w johnson rowntree and the other women who are celebrated today. i sincerely hope that i can live up to the legacy of these women that we celebrate today. thank you. [applause] >> please join me in another round of applause for our very distinguished panelists. [applause] >> i believe that their remarks, their thoughts, their perspectives really added value to helping us talk about today's theme of black women in american

cultural history. so we're very grateful for their support, their participation in the program, and, of course, their support for the justice department. to express the department's appreciation for your participation, we have a small token the we would like to present to you at this time please come to the center stage. thank you. thank you. [applause] before we conclude today's program, i would like to thank dana page again for her support of the department's special interest program.

[applause] mr. drawn a carbon for providing sign language -- mr. johnnie carpen for writing sign language services say. and the ceo offices for their ongoing programs to acknowledge african-american history month and their ongoing activities throughout the year to foster inclusion in everything that we do here at the justice department. pilot, thank you to all of you for joining us for today's program, for programs throughout the year, and for the doj employees who watch on our program. thank you very much and have a good day. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

>> this morning on c-span, michigan campaign appearances by presidential candidates mitt romney and rick santorum. that is followed by today's "washington journal," live with your calls. then the governors association winter meeting. >> today, c-span brings to the national governors' association annual winter meeting beginning at 10:00 a.m. eastern with the opening news conference. then a session on growing state economies and at 3:00 p.m., a session on entrepreneurship. watch a live on c-span and c- span.org. >> one of the trickiest things about writing this book for me was thinking through the ways, particularly in the human rights context, rights were both kind of straddle moral imperative and aspirational ideal and more

practical and formal mandates. >> on "afterwards," from distributing food to the poor in india to sex trafficking in japan, he defines human rights and how well-meaning westerner'' form can lead to increased of that. also on the tv, a look at the african-american to serve in congress. at 11:00, a book party for ou "shooting from the hip." book tv every weekend on c-span 2. >> presidential candidate mitt romney visited detroit yesterday and outlined his economic plan, which includes tax and spending cuts. it also talks about social security eligibility. this is 45 minutes.

♪ >> good afternoon. this is truly an honor for me to be here this morning -- this afternoon and to make this introduction. this is a guest who is no stranger to this club or listed machine and. introducing governor romney, as i say, is truly a treat. our country has never elected a president who was born and raised in the state of michigan. it is clearly time for change. [applause] our state has never elected a car guy.

our state -- have to want to say this? -- some of you know that i am a car guy. mitt romney's dad was a car guy. mitt romney learned about automobiles, appreciating the workmanship, the dedication that our industry requires. the problems, the spot checks, and the future of the automobile -- the prospects, and the future of the automobile as to were discussed at the romney dinner table. we need someone with a cracked voice in washington. we need someone who understands our state, understands complex manufacturing, understand our industry, and, believe me, we have one that will be speaking today. but mitt romney is much more than just a car guy or a son of michigan. as important as those things are too as, mitt romney is the only

candidate in this race who has the background, the experience, and the vision to beat barack obama and then go on to serve our country as a are next great president. if we are to change washington, we need someone who is not of washington. mitt romney's experience and record is about results, success, and kept promises. he is the only candidate in this race, republican or democrat, -- i want to repeat this, the only candidate that has not worked in washington. [applause] he has never been in congress. he has never been a lobbyist. he has not been shaped by the distorting atmosphere in washington. his story is the opposite. he has had 25 years in business, balancing budgets, and frankly keeping away from

washington. he started new businesses. i know he is not ashamed of the fact he was very successful at it and i am incredibly proud he was very successful at it. [applause] in 2002 when the salt lake games were mired in scandal, many suggested it could not be salvaged. the committee called on mitt romney. and he answered their call. he went to salt lake. he restored the faith of the country, the donor community, and the olympic community. in the end, the salt lake olympics were considered to be the most successful to date. and i love this. he left behind a surplus. can you imagine that?

then he went to massachusetts and became governor where he led an incredible turnaround. do you think washington is bad? you should see the government in massachusetts. 85% of the legislature was democratic, the opposing party, and yet he was able to cut taxes 19 times and left a rainy day fund any governor would be proud of. i am not going to spell out what the governor is going to say today. that is up to him. i do know this -- our country remained locked in economic crisis. millions of americans cannot find work. they have lost their homes and the future is clearly not what they planned. here in detroit, we know that feeling firsthand. we have experienced this crisis more profoundly than most. i know great crises have a way of bringing forward great leaders.

quite frankly, we have a great leader in front of us today. ladies and gentlemen, i give you the next president of the united states, mitt romney. [applause] >> thank you, thank you. wow. thank you so much. thank you, david. thank you, david. betting. thank you r your warm reception and response. i have to put a plug in for david's suburban auto group. he's the car guy, too. i love cars. i appreciate the warmth of your welcome and the chance to speak with you, i guess it's noon. i hate standing betwn you and your lunch. but i want to talk to you about policy today. this is not exciting and barn -burning but it's important. and i want to give you a chance to think about the various plans i have to get this economy going again. nationally and here in

michigan. i also want to thank the economic club for hosting all of us this morning and i want to thank the folks at the ford field for making this space available for us. i guess we had a hard time finding a large enough place to meet and this certainly is. [laughter] by the way, congratulations to the lions on a great season. and to the next jen great season. -- and to the next great season. it's good to be back in michigan. this of course is where i was born and raised. i was actually born in harper hospital. and i grew up here. i remember the first day at kindergarten. i think it was at hampton school. and there were about 30 kids in our kindergarten class. as i looked around, i imagined their parents had dropped them off at the school each morning and those parents were confident that our future would be brighter than even the lives that they'd enjoyed. you see, our paren believed in america's promise. they believed that if you built a good home and taught your kids the right kind of values, if you made sure your kids got

an education and you taught them to work hard, that their future could be prosperous. and secure. in those days we all believed that the future was full of possibility and prosperity. we felt that joifl optimism that comes from being raised in a land of opportunity. a place where if you're willing to take risk and work hard and get education, have the right values, anyone can make a better life. we are the land of opportunity. that deep confidence in a better tomorrow is the bas promise of america. but today that promise is being threatened. by a faltering economy and in my view by a failed presidency. for 36 months the unemployment rate has been over 8%. 24 million of our fellow americans are struggling to find work. there's some three million missing workers in america. people who dropped out of the

work force. home values are down, forkse had been at a record high level. our national debt is way too high. and the opportunities in the nation are too few. now everywhere i've gone in this campaign i've met americans who were suffering as a result of the obama economy. you can see it in their faces and you can hear it in their voices. they're anxious. they'rscared about the future. i met moms and dads who wereone. one works the night shift. they barely get to meet and to have dinner together. you have heard the new definition of the american dream? dick armey said this. it is not owning a home. it is getting your kids out of it. [laughter] everywhere i go, i hear stories that are sad reminders of the failed presidency we see before us.

president obama said he fixed three things when he became president. first, he said he would hold unemployment under 8%. then he said he would cut the deficit in half. he doubled it. and he said he would make medicare and social security solvent for future generations. three years later he has not offered, as far as i am aware, a single serious proposal for medicare or social security solvency. we have seen a failure to lead. that is why i am running for president. i want to restore america's promised. that means more jobs, less debt, and smaller government. in the campaign, i am offering more than a change of policy. i am offering a fundamental change in perspective and

philosophy for washington and the nation. you may have seen earlier this week i put forward a pro-growth tax reform policy to get our economy moving again. today, this administration is focused on unemployment benefits. what workers really want is a good job. and rising wages. reform of the tax code is, in my view, one of the surest and quickest ways to achieve that goal. i will make across-the-board 20% reduction in marginal income-tax rates. 20% down across the board. [applause] and think about this. by reducing the tax on the next dollar earned by all taxpayers, we encourage hard work, encourage risk-taking, encourage productivity by allowing americans to keep me of what they earn. and by the way, the businesses that pay taxes with individual

income tax, they account for guess what? guess what percentage of american workers work for those businesses? personal income tax companies? over half of all american workers work for those kind of companies in united states. th kind of tax cut encourages all business to hire, raise wages, and small business is what pulls is out of recession. that is pertinent. second, i will make our business taxation competitive globally. will reduce the corporate tax rate to 25% from the current 35%. we are the highest in the world. that has got to end. let's get competitive again. [applause] i am also going to make the r&d tax cut permanent so we can foster the kind of innovation that drives growth long-term. and i will get rid of the job-