maintenance? we have ranking and reporting we do on these units. we have quality-control that we have stepped up. those are things that are critical to make sure the kind of the effects you talk about do not happen. the other risk is an uncertainty around funding. you mention that as well. that is one where frankly because there is private capital that supports these units, it is critical that we not create too much uncertainty around these programs. and they do think that is one of the risks. i think what is very important is that we work together to make very clear, as congress has always done, that the funding is available for these units. we signed 20-year contract knowing they are dependent on appropriation -- each year, and the market is confident the funding will be there. we want to make clear that despite the short funding we will do everything on our side, and we know you will less

welcome to continue the funding and insure it is available in subsequent years. >> let me now turn to the issue that i mentioned in my opening statement about the poor living conditions in some of the hud subsidized units in maine. i am troubled by this, not only because taxpayers should not be paying for poorly maintained units but the health and safety of the people living there is clearly at risk. so, something dramatically when wrong with the oversight and inspection process. i am also troubled last year when we learned of the outright fraud in some of the public housing agencies -- i believe one in philadelphia in particular was found to have fraud. so, what investments is hud

making in this budget to ensure that you have quality controls, internal controls, the fact of audits, a very close relationship with the ig to ensure that we are not wasting taxpayer dollars on substandard units that are unsafe for the tenants or bank outright fraud of where people are stealing money that belongs to the taxpayers and is not benefiting those who need it most? >> first, let me just thank you for your directness and your focus on these problems. both you and senator murray, where there are issues and where we made mistakes -- and clearly there were mistakes made. you were direct and held us accountable to correct those. i hope you will agree that when

we discovered these problems that we work very closely with you, with david montoya -- i want to recognize his team, and we are making steps specifically in me that i believe will lead to better management going forward. the contracts for the inspectors, the companies that have been the wing the inspections, have been rescinded. they have been brought back in house. and we have a very specific plan we are monitoring for correction of other quality-control is and things within the maine housing authority. but i think there are lessons -- what else can we learn more broadly for the work we are doing across the country? three things. we have to make better use of our existing resources, staff, and the partnerships with the ig to improve oversight. we have in our budget proposed shifting public housing staff into field offices to increase

direct oversight. we have also made sure we were utilizing our enforcement center, which previously did not work as closely with the public housing authorities. just in 2011 -- and so far in 2012, we used the enforcement center to review 140 public housing agencies across the country. so, that is a better use of existing resources. second, we have to better income were invading our inspection systems. to date, we have won it inspect and judy inspection system for public housing and a separate system for voucher units. what we started it's a pilot to use our reac inspections for quality control and oversight, where they will go behind the local inspectors -- inspectors and it sure the results are in fact accurate. that is something we plan to expand and potentially in the future to merge those two

systems so we have a single set of strong standards for inspections across all our programs. the third thing, with your help, the investments in information technology. our management system for a voucher program will allow -- just one example -- right now we do not have the ability to look at the photographs that are taken on those inspections. there is nothing that replaces actually seeing with your own eyes what has happened. this system will allow us to download and you and if -- the digital photographs taken of the inspections the local inspectors are doing. a whole series of things in the next generation. one of the two biggest priorities you have and you help us accountable to invest in those through information technology. we cannot agree more that is a critical step we have to take. >> thank you. i do want to salute you and the

inspector general for your responsiveness to the problems in maine and across the country. it is amazing that you do not download the photographs. i could lend you my blackberry. if even i can do that, it is clearly a feasible step that should be taken. and just one very quick point. another thing that i think the department really needs to look at is if you have bad actors out there, you do have available to you suspension and debarment tools where you can prohibit that individual or even an agency from being involved in your programs for a period of time. and i would encourage you to make more use of those tools in egregious cases. >> thank you.

>> what is the time line on being able to download those pictures? >> we will follow-up with a detailed information on all the different steps. those first pieces of the next generation management system are going into place this year. i think it is within a few months we will have the photographic capability that i talked about. >> sometimes when people know they are accountable in different ways it makes a huge difference. and i echo senator collins' concerns on the funding on the project based contracts. you mentioned in your opening remarks that the programs that directly supports the mission of providing housing to low income americans, most of whom are elderly or disabled, about 83% of hud's budget. when we have continued difficult challenging and strained resources, and of the programs please a lot of pressure on your budget.

the largest is the tenant based rental program, which funds section 8 the vouchers for the private market. in this year's budget, the level of funding that is requested to remove those existing vouchers is is it -- is essentially flat. what the budget does assume savings associated with programmatic changes it does not appear sufficient to cover the cost of inflation and renault with increments of vouchers for the first time. i want to ask you how you expect them to maintain their existing voucher portfolios without those adjustments. >> two things i would say about this, madam chair. and i think you all had been very focused on this for a number of years in how do we balance making sure we protect every family, bending the cost curve, if you will, on the renewals of these programs. we, through the budget this

year, are proposing a whole series of steps that would allow us to serve the same number of people and keep the costs relatively flat. and some of those are choices i think we can all agree are ones that are common sense and be easy. some of those are tougher decisions and will -- we will obviously need to discuss with the committee and get your views and input as to whether some of those make sense. specifically in the tenant-based program, there are over $200 million of savings that we are proposing to achieve. of the single visit -- biggest is to change our income targeting in rural communities to make sure more of the working poor are eligible for vouchers. part of the old section 8 the voucher reform act that we hope will pass in the house in the coming weeks. and that we will be able to

implement. i think there is broad support for. but we also made some proposed -- proposed changes in the medical expense deductions as well as the minimum rent that would allow us to serve the same number of people. to be very clear, we are maintaining commitment to serving all families, but it did require taking a number of steps to lower cost next year, and to allow us to have lower renault will cost in the next year. in the other thing i would say briefly is an important piece here, what you both recognize, is what it takes to manage these programs. we have been very concerned that we had two housing authorities -- milwaukee and akron -- thus turned back the vouchers. i never seen that before. it can imagine the idea that we cannot serve any more homeless veterans? just in january alone we had 13 different housing authorities

that made decisions to turn back their broader voucher programs. >> because of the cost? >> because they were concerned about the inability to fund those. >> last year's budget made the difficult decision to fund the amin fees at just over 70% in terms of overall need. we are proposing a significant increase to get above 80%. but we still think even with the difficult choices we are making there is still some risk of that housing authorities would not have enough. so, particularly in that line item of admin fees is a critical piece that i think we will have to discuss and work on this year in the budget. >> let me ask you about that, because your request says prioritize spending section 8 administration fees, which has been cut significantly in recent years, the administrative fees are not exactly an exciting part of the budget but they do fund

the basic operations. i know you struggle with a lot of difficult choices since you put it together. did you explain why you prioritized funding for administrative needs over other needs? >> clearly, the concerns about the number of housing authorities that have made the decision not to serve an additional veterans, of the number of holding authorities just in january alone have determined that they did not want to continue with their voucher programs, were critical in terms of that decision. let me give you the precise numbers of what has been happening to admin fees and what we are proposing. first of all, in 2012, it was a 74% croatian -- proration

estimated for the budget. for 2013 we are proposing a 81% proration period in 2010, to give you example, where the fees were previously, it was 90%. even our 81% represents a reduction, if you go back a few years, and it leads to one of the concerns mentioned that even at 81% we were balancing difficult decisions. i have concerns it will not be enough for some housing authorities. but i would point out it represents an increase in absolute dollars from where we were last year. and looking for the exact number of what it is -- let me get it to you in a moment -- but there is an exact number in terms of the increase we are proposing in the budget. >> okay, i have a couple of more questions but let me turn it over to senator collins.

>> thank you, madam chairman. i am going to ask one more question because i have been called to the senate floor, and submit the rest for the record. this one is one that i referred to in my opening statement, and it is extremely important to the state of maine. maine is the most heavily dependent of any state in the nation on home heating oil, and when you see the spike in the oil prices that we have seen this year and the cutbacks in the low income heating assistance program, it is causing tremendous hardship for so many of our families in maine. it is also very difficult because maine has the oldest housing stock in the nation, and there are a lot of homes that are poorly insulated and would benefit from weatherize asian -- weatherization

projects, and that is something we ought to invest more in as well. the large swings in will have caused many of our residents to look to alternatives, and the wood pellet boiler industry is growing rapidly in maine, and it has the potential to help out these families, to allow them to convert from oil, but also to create thousands of new jobs in our state. wood pallet manufacturing, boiler technology, and pallet delivery systems have progressed dramatically since the days when you had to scoop pellets from small banks into a small stove every couple of hours. now the industry has developed boilers that not even require any human intervention during the day. pellets. hud has been slow to consider wood pellet boiler systems as an alternative to conventional sources.

-- acceptable conventional primary heating source. the recent this is important is for purposes of qualifying for fha programs, you have to have a conventional primary heating source. i wondered if you could tell me if hud is looking at including these new wood pellet boilers, as a conventional heating source, would would help them have confidence to convert to it so that families will not lose their eligibility per fha? >> that me thank you for raising this issue, and putting it on our radar screens. as a talked about with the blackberry, there are moments when the federal government can be a little bit behind the

cutting edge in terms of new technologies. i am happy to report not that we -- not just that we are looking at this, but just yesterday we updated our frequently asked questions on our website, tell all our lenders that wood pellet systems are qualified as long as they meet qualifications. that any heating system has to meet. we are updating our handbooks to reflect exactly that. not only are we considering it, but we have considered it and made the decision that you are right that we should include these in our programs. thank you for bringing it to our attention. >> that is absolutely great news, and i thank you so much for your willingness to look at that. if a technology has changed surge dramatically, that will be a lot of good news for

homeowners in maine. >> thank you. thank you. i will be coming to borrow your blackberry later. >> thank you, senator collins. >> mr. secretary, your budget assumes savings assisted with to changes to the rental assistance account, including 10 at page 6 section 8. many of those measurements require legislative changes which involve rulemaking. what would happen to your savings estimates if all those proposed reforms are not enacted, or they are enacted late in the fiscal year? >> to get back on the specific number i was looking for before, the increase we are proposing on fees is to under $25 million. -- $225 million. it is a substantial increase and one we thought even in a tough environment was absolutely critical.

we think it is the minimum necessary to try to get more confidence that housing authorities will be able to administer the programs. , on your question about legislative authority, i'm happy to say we are working closely with colleagues in the house on the committee and in the senate, and i am optimistic about getting that legislation pass. the large majority of those changes would not require extensive rule making. there are few that would require rulemaking. they are around the old programs, but a large majority of them we could introduce through notice. if we get it passed, we can be prepared for 2013 to implement them and get the savings projected. if the legislation does not pass, that would he stop us from being able to achieve some but not all the savings.

we have a share that we could achieve without legislation, and i will be happy to follow up with specific analysis that shows you precisely what we could do on a regulatory basis of the $900 million will propose and over the major programs. a significant a share of this we could do without any legislative change. >> if these changes were able be done at the first of the year, some of the proposals have been heard to harm owners and tenants. some are worried about owners having to spend down property reserves that would jeopardize maintenance. i am concerned that raising minimum rents and increasing medical deductions for tenants to put a burden on some of these tenants in tough economic

times. can you talk about the impact you might see there? >> i would be happy to, and let me recognize these are not decisions we would make in anything but very difficult fiscal times, making very difficult choices. along with a project based rental assistance decision, the funding we talked about earlier, this minimum rent increase was the single most difficult decision and the budget. -- in the budget. what is critical is that we need to clarify and make sure there is a very strong exception policy for anyone where the hardship of that increase rent would result. we are clarifying that and strengthening that policy, but there is no question that the impact of this will have some real consequences for families

that are struggling. we have analyzed fully in which programs what percentage of families would be affected by this, the average rent increases that would come out of this, the impact of the minimum rent is about $150 million across all programs, and we would be happy to share with you the specific impact it has for the various projects and programs, what impacts those would be. >> i would appreciate that. finally, homelessness funding. i want to acknowledge your leadership in developing homelessness plans and fostering coordination across departments. we're making progress there. i was asking about the homelessness prevention program housing program

which was funded in the recovery act and designed to help homeless families, but funding for that program ends this year. emergency solution grant program allows this to be continued on a much smaller scale. can you talk about what the outcomes have been for this? >> absolutely, i am so glad you asked about it. you asked about the hpr program. without relief ship we would -- without your leadership, we would never have made progress on reducing veterans homelessness. 18% fewer sleep on the streets -- that is a huge difference. be your personal leadership -- >> the coordination has been really -- >> huge difference. we're concerned about the ending of hprp, and we're concerned because it has been

so effective. one of the best things about it, 75% of the folks in has reached, are homeless families who have been the hardest to reach. why have we been able to reach these families? for far less money than we expected, which have been able to stabilize families. it might be one month's rent, security deposit, or a couple of months of utility bills. that allows us to serve far more people, and the most exciting thing about it is it has started to reorient many local responses to homelessness. when you see rapid housing in particular is a very beneficial step, this can be beneficial with a small amount of money. our hope is byby continuing to invest in in through a grant, and one of the reasons we

proposed the $330 million increase this year, we have to continue to invest, we have to grow the investment. it is never going to be as much as we had it in hprp. we are starting to see it in some areas, andwashington has been a leader in this, and shifting resources, taking them out of shelters, shifting them for medicaid funding going to emergency rooms and putting them into rapid rehousing lowering costs overall. which increased investment as well as local investments, which will continue to see focused investment. we're nervous about that. we are pushing on it. you have been supported it. it is something i saw a locally in new york. prevention and rapid rehousing

-- it was something we were willing to shift our funding into and that is something we want to encourage at the local level. >> i will be following that very closely. thank you so much for your accommodation today, and we will leave the record open for anyone who would like to ask additional questions, but i appreciate the tremendous work of you and your entire staff on an issue that has been at the forefront of our nation, but sometimes nobody pays attention to the programs. they really are in essential in getting people back on track. >> thank you for your leadership and a partnership. this hearing is adjourned until march 8 at 10:00 a.m. at which time we will hear testimony from the acting fha commissioner on the federal housing administration.

>> in a few moments, one of president obama's fund-raisers last night in new york city. "washington journal" is live at 7:00 a.m. eastern and global climate change. finances in state and local governments and plans by states to require drug testing for welfare recipients. the brookings institution's host a forum on nuclear proliferation live at 10:00 a.m. eastern and our "road to the white house" continues with gop candidate rick santorum in ohio. >> several live events to tell you about today. the brookings institution host a forum on nuclear proliferation, that is here on c-span at 10:00

a.m. eastern. our "road to the white house" coverage continues at 7:00 p.m. eastern with rick santorum in willoughby, ohio, and we will also cover mitt romney in cleveland this evening on 7:00 p.m. on c-span 3, including remarks by his wife and new jersey governor chris christie. >> rick santorum delivered a full throated defense of religion in public life sunday, appealing to social conservatives to revive his presence of campaign. all the talk shows this weekend and speeches, mr. centorbi responded to comments made by president john f. kennedy. >> i believe in an american with the separation of church and state is absent. where no catholic -- would tell the president, should be catholic, how to act, and no protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote. renault church or a church

school is granted and the public funds or political preference and where no man is denied public office nearly because his religion differs from the president might appoint you or the people who might connected. >> you can watch more of president kennedy policy speech on our website on our video library, go to c-span.org and you confined in our archives. >> president obama spoke at several fund-raising event last night in new york city, including his 100th of the campaign season. one stop was at the kitchen restaurant for a half-hour speech. >> ladies and gentlemen, -- the president of the united states. [applause]

>> hello, new york. >> it is good to be back in new york city. we've got some folks here that i want to of the knowledge. deepak chopra, sanjani, russel simmons. carolyn maloney is here. i want to thank all the talent to participate, ben folds, the roots, and aziz ansari. this is big. maleate is a big "parks and recreation" fan. -- malia is a fan.

this is the only thing she thinks is worth me doing. i want to thank you for what he said earlier. i know he is backstage but i want to remind him,i have more twitter followers then you, man. i just want to keep him humble and hungry. we all need somebody he does that. for chilly, i have michele. -- fortunately, i have michele. this is an incredible tapestry of what new york is all about. i also want to think all the asian american and pacific islanders who helped get this program off the ground. it is an incredible reminder of my roots back in hawaii and the incredible visit we made to

india a year ago. it was a little discouraging. the day after our first visit, i opened up the papers and there to headlines. -- two headlines. president obama visit india and michelle obama rocks india. so, this is my life. it keeps me humble. i am here today not because i need your help, although i do. i am here because your country need your help. there was a reason why so many of you work your heart out in 2008. i see some friends who were active in that campaign. you got involved because you

thought it would be easy. think about it. he supported a candidate named barack hussain obama for president of the united states. you do not need a poll to know that is not going to be sure thing. you did not join the campaign because a me. it was not about one person. and is not a vision of america where everybody is left to fend for themselves. it is a vision of america where everybody works together and everybody who works are has a chance to get ahead. this is the change we believed in.

the matter what you look like, in this country, he can make it if you try. this is the change we believe in. we knew it was not going to come easily or quickly. i want me to think about what we have done in just three years because of what you did in 2008. think about what change looks like. change is the first bill i signed into law. it says women deserve an equal day's pay for equal day's work. i want my daughter to have the

same opportunity as someone son. change a decision made. some politicians were saying let's lead detroit to go bankrupt. with 1 million jobs on the line, we were not want to let that happen. -- going to let that happen. today gm is back on top. the-recorded the highest profits in 100 years. 200,000 new jobs created in the last 2.5 years. the auto industry is back. that happened because of you. change is a decision we make to stop waiting for congress to do something about our addiction and finally raise our fuel efficiencies that. -- standards.

by the next decade, we will be driving american make cars almost 55 miles a gallon. that will save the typical family money at the pump and give us some independence from the gas prices that have been going up. that is what changes. that is what you did. change is the fight we went. to stop handing money for banks to process the the loans and give it to the students and families in need of some millions of young people around the country are able to afford college just a little bit better. change is healthcare reform after a century of trying.

it ensures that in the united states of america, nobody will go bankrupt just because they get sick. already 2.5 million young people have health insurance today because this lesson stay on their parents' plan. -- this law lets them stay on their parents' plan. every american can no longer be denied or drop by their insurance company when they need care the most. that happened because of you, because of what you were willing to fight for back in 2008. we do not have to hide about g do not have to hide who you love to -- you do not have to hide you love to serve the country you love. don't rid of don't ask tell. changes keeping another promise i made in 2008 for the first time in nine years. there are no americans fighting

in iraq. with that war to an end. we refocus on the terrorist election attacked as on 9/11. -- refocus our efforts to the terrorists to actually attack us on 9/11. thanks to the incredible men and women in uniform. osama bin laden will not again walk the face of this earth. respect for mayor cut around the world. -- america are around the world. abiding by the core values that made us a great country. we ended torture, we promoted human rights, we made it clear that america is a pacific power. we demonstrated that if countries like burma travel down the road of democratic reform, they will find a new relationship with the united states, and we are meeting again by the power of our example. that is what changes. -- al qaeda is weaker than it

nobody has announced a war, young lady. we appreciate -- [applause] we have more work to do. they're still too many americans out there looking for work. to many families having a tough time paying their bills are making their mortgage or their house is under water. they are still recovering from the worst economic storm in our lifetimes, in generations. but over the last two years, businesses have added about 3.7

million new jobs. our manufacturing sector is creating jobs again for the very first time since the 1990's. our economy is getting stronger. the recovery is accelerating. america is coming back. the last thing we can afford to do right now is to go back to the very same policies that got us into this mess in the first place. but that is a sadly what the others running for this office want to do. i do not know if you have been paying attention. but they made no secret about their agenda. they want to go back to the days where wall street played by their own rules, the will to go back to the days where insurance companies denied coverage or jack up your premiums without a reason. they want to spend $1 trillion for tax breaks -- tax breaks to wealthier individuals even if it adds to our deficit.

gutting our education, gutting investments and clean energy. or making it tougher for seniors on medicare. and their philosophy is simple -- which are better off when everybody is left to fend for themselves. the powerful and play by their own rules. we are at a crossroads here. we have as stark a choice we have seen in a very long time. their vision of america is fundamentally wrong. because in the united states of america, we agreed together that we are on our own. we are better off -- we are better off when we keep to that basic american promise that if you work hard, you could do well to raise a family. and own a home. send your kids to college. let them dream bigger than you ever imagined. maybe you can retire with some dignity and respect, after a

lifetime of labor. if you have a good idea to start a business, you can go out there and start one. if you want to serve, then there is a place for you -- teaching, helping kids who are having a tough time. that is the choice in this election. this is not just another political debate. it is a defining issue of our time. because middle-class americans and also those striving to get into the middle class, those of us know we would not be here had it not been for the opportunities given to our parents and grandparents and great grandparents. some of us immigrants. some of us who are here because that basic american promise -- that is what we are fighting for. they are in a maker brick moment.

-- make or break moment. we can go back to an economy built on outsourcing and phony debt and for the financial problems, or we can fight for an economy that works for everybody, an economy that is built to last. that is built on american manufacturing, american energy, education and skills for our workers, and about use that made us great -- hard work, fair play, shared responsibility. that is the vision of america i believe in. that is the vision of america you believe in. that is what is at stake in this election. i want an america where we are still attracting the best and brightest around the world. i want an america where the next generation of manufacturing is taking root here in pittsburgh and detroit and cleveland. i do not want this nation to just be known for how much we can some. -- how much we buy and consume,i

want us to be building products and selling products all around the world. and we have to have a tax cut judy tax code that incentivizes people to invest here. not just a rewarding companies that of sending jobs overseas. we want capital and talent here. created here in america. we need to make our schools the and the of the world. g e the envy of the world. that starts with the man or woman at the front of the classroom. a good teacher, a recent study showed a good teacher can increase the lifetime earnings of one class by over two hundred $50,000. -- $250,000. [applause] i do not want to give folks in washington-and teachers. i do not want -- i do not want to hear folks in washington bashing teachers.

they need to reward the best teachers. let's bring flexibility with creativity and passion and stop taking to the test. -- stock teaching to the test. and demanding accountability. and replacing teachers who are not helping kids learn. make sure they are supported. when kids graduate, the most daunting challenge is how do they afford college? right now we have more tuition debt than credit-card debt in america. congress needs to and stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in july. colleges and universities have to do their part to be more affordable. they cannot stop tuition from going up -- funding they get from taxpayers should go down, because higher education cannot be a luxury. it is an economic imperative

that every american family should be able to afford. but we got to invest in our people. that is what will determine who can compete in the 21st century. in other countries, they understand this. they are catching up. there are making the investment. why aren't we? why we seen teachers laid off across the country? why is it harder for young people to get a college education? our priorities have gotten a little skewed. an economy built to last is one where we are supporting scientists and resources -- researchers, trying to make sure the next breakthrough in clean energy happens here in the united states of america. we subsidized oil companies for over 100 years. it is time to end those -- to an oil industry that has rarely been more profitable, and let us double down on clean energy that has never been more promising.

solar, wind, biofuel. we need to rebuild america. i in a chauvinist when it comes to infrastructure. i want america to have the best stuff. i want us to have the best roads and the best airports, the fastest railroads, internet access. take the money that we are no longer spending and more, use half to pay down the debt and use the other half for nation- building at home. let's put people back to work rebuilding america. in order to create this economy, built to last, we got to make sure that we've got a tax system that reflects everybody doing their fair share. that is why i have said we should call it the buffet rule, if you make more than a million

dollars a year, you should not pay a lower tax rate and your secretary. -- lower tax rate than your secretary. now, if you make less than $250,000 a year, which is 90% of america, if taxes should not go up. you are already challenged right now. when i made this out, i tried to remind folks, this is not class warfare. this is not about envy, it is about basic math. if somebody like me gets a tax break i don't need, and that the country cannot afford, then one of two things has to happen. either it is going to add to the deficit, a tax cut that is not paid for -- and we have just gone through the decade -- or alternatively, we will reduce the deficit on the backs of folks who cannot afford it. a student who has to pay more for their student loans, or the senior who suddenly has to pay more for their medicare, or a

family trying to get by. it is not fair. it is not right. it is not who we are. you hear a lot about values during the election season. politicians love to talk about values. and i think that, when i hear some of this talk, about the values my mother and grandparents taught me, hard work, that is a value, looking out for one another, compassion, that is a value, the idea that we are all in this together, that we trust and care for one another, that i am my brother's keeper, i my sister's keeper, that is a value. each of us is here because somewhere, somebody took responsibility not just for themselves but also for the future. for their family, for the

community, for their nation. the american story has never been about what we do alone, it is about what we do together. and we will not win the race for new jobs, businesses, security for middle-class families, with the same old, you are on your own economics. it just does not work. it never worked. it did not work when we tried it back in the decade before the great depression and it did not work when we tried it in the next -- last decade, and it will not work now. it will not work. and what everybody here understand instinctively is that if we attract an outstanding teacher to the profession by giving her the pay that she deserves and that teacher goes off and educate the next steve jobs, we all benefit. if we provide faster internet rural america so a store owner could suddenly sell goods of round world, and the next

russell simmons, the entrepreneur, can start promoting some unbelievable music, even though he does not have a lot of capital -- that benefits all of us. if we build a new bridge that saves time and money, or make airports work a little bit better so that everyone say is a couple of hours when you have to fly somewhere, -- everyone saves a couple of hours when you have to fly somewhere, we all do better. businesses, workers, customers -- america. this has never been a democratic or a republican idea. the first republican president abraham lincoln launched the transcontinental railroad, the first grant for colleges, in the middle of the civil war. he understood, those investments will pay dividends for decades to come. teddy roosevelt, republican, called for a progressive income tax. he understood that we do not

want a system in which barriers are created for the majority of people to be able to succeed. dwight eisenhower, republican, build the interstate highway system, bringing us together as one nation. republicans in congress supported fdr when he gave millions the chance to go to college on the gi bill. this is not a left-right idea. this is an american idea. that same sense of common purpose, it still exists. not always in washington, but in america, you go to main street, a town hall, a diner, a small business, you talk to the members of our armed forces, you go to a synagogue or a mosque or a church, a temple, our politics may be divided but

americans, they know we have a stake in each other. they know that no matter who you are, where you come from, we rise and fall as one nation, as one people. that is what is at stake right now. that is what this election is about. [applause] let me say this, new york, this has been a tough few years for america. we have taken some shot. -- shots. the change we fought for has not always happen as fast as we would like. possible. after all that has happened in washington, sometimes you look

and you just see the mess, and it is tempting, i think, to sometimes say, you know what, maybe change is not possible. maybe that . that we had -- that spirit that we had,maybe we were naive. i know it is tempting to believe that. remember what i always used to say, i said, real change, big change is always hard. it is always hard. the civil rights movement was hard. winning the vote for women was hard. making sure that workers had some basic protections was hard. around the world, ghandi, nelson mandela, what they did was hard. it takes time.

it takes more than a single term. it takes more than a single president. it takes more than a single individual. what it takes is ordinary citizens who are committed to fighting and pushing and inching this country closer and closer to our highest ideals. i said in 2008, that i am not a perfect man. i will not be a perfect president. [laughter] but i promise you, i promised you that i would always tell you what i believe. i would always tell you where i stood. i would wake up every single day thinking about you. fight for you as hard as i could.

do everything possible to make sure that this country, that has given me and michelle and our kids so much, that that country is there for everybody. and you know what? i have kept that promise. [applause] if you are willing to work with me and pushed through the obstacles, and push through the setbacks, and get back up when we get knocked down, if you are willing to hold that vision we have for america in your heart, then i promise you change will come. if you are willing to work as hard as he did in the last election in this election, then we will finish what we strutted and remind the world why it is that america is the greatest nation on -- what we started and reminded the world why is that america is the greatest nation on earth. god bless you everybody. god bless the united states of america.

♪ [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ dreams of fame and fortune

one pays the rent one could end up going to prison one just might be president only in america dreaming in red white and blue only in america you can dream as big as you want to we all get a chance everybody gets to dance only in america going down a freeway

in wilder's son and a baker's daughter all they want is everything she came out here to be an actress he was a ♪ ♪ >> in a few moments, today's headlines and your calls live on "washington journal." the brookings institution host a forum on nuclear proliferation. live at 10:00 a.m. eastern. and our "road to the white house" coverage continues at 7:00 p.m. eastern with gop candidate rick santorum in ohio. coming up in half hour, we will talk with republican senator james inhofe of oklahoma about global climate change. at 8:20 a.m. eastern, we will focus on proposals by some states that will