entrepreneur ship fellow. he lives in charlotte, north carolina with his wife and daughter. among other things, he works in the sustainable energy department as special adviser to the chairman. i would like to invite out sadiqa basiri saleem, the executive director of theb oruj learning center in afghanistan. [applause] she wins the prize for having worked the hardest to get here. when she was 5, sadiqa fled to pakistan during the soviet occupation and returned to afghanistan, hindered by her own life of education.

-- which was hampered by a life of education. there are 30 million people in afghanistan. when she came back, two of nine of the thousand children had any access of -- to education. she cobbled together enough money to educate 36 girls in an abandoned mosque in 2003. through the learning center, she now educates more than 3400 girls in six schools, 200 women in for literacy centers -- [applause] -- 120 women in a community college. she has established a family welfare center for the elimination of violence against women. domestic violence prevention initiative that serves 14,000. she received a bachelor's

degree in 2009 preeclamp. she founded her nation's first of women's community college teaching women management and leadership brigid we are all in her debt. thank you. [applause] our last panelist is a good friend of mine known to the larger world -- i am his token old friend. not old friend, "old" friend. note to the world as an usher -- raymond usher iv has been an artist for more than 15 years, known for his voice and his dynamic dance moves. [laughter]

is acting in film, television, and stage including broadway and the tony award winning musical "chicago." he has won multiple grammies for his work. in addition to all of that, he has been a staunch advocate for youth impairment and education and has proven to be a powerful force by mentoring young people around the world through his " new look foundation." in atlanta, 500 young people from around the world came to develop real world solutions to problems. he is a very good man who is doing something that someone in his position does not have to do. i have been too is event and i can tell you it is the real deal. please welcome a susher. [applause]

somebody shouted "marry me." he cannot do that. he has a family. [laughter] i would like to -- i want to begin with rye. you are in the marine corps and you should tell everybody -- what skills did you get in the marine corps that got you

involved in that kind of work and how did you decide when you left the service to do this? >> how many of you have -- it is located in nairobi, kenya residents call it a slum. it is a slum community. about half a million folks live there. it is barely about the size of central park. i was a junior at unc chapel hill. i knew i was going in the marine corps. that was my calling in life. my father served in the marines. i wanted to make a difference. the marine corps appeared to be a way to do that. so i chased that dream. it had a clarifying effect. you often hear the use this

opportunity to discover what you want to do. it is an amazing moment in life to discover what you want to do. but it really helps if you have a little bit of an idea going into it. i was able to kind of craft my studies based on my service in the marines. this was in 2000, so it was before september 11. most of the missions marines were engaged in were peacekeeping missions. i wanted to understand why violence happened in the world. a mentor of mine, an anthropologist, told me there was only so much you can learn from books and if you want to understand how things happen, you get to go someplace and put yourself into it. i took some outclasses with our starting lineup of the men's basketball team. that was important for me. you have to learn some local

language before going to a place at different from your own. the marine corps really gave me the courage in some ways to go to a place that was very different from my own and confront my fears in doing so. i rented a small shack with a young person about my age. i asked questions and i witnelistened. president clinton asked me what skills i learned in the military that transferred to the ngo world -- listening was not one of them. i was not intending to start an organization. what i realized in these very the occult conditions was a fundamental truth in the world -- talent is universal, but opportunity is not.

[applause] it is really the truth. the question is -- how the best connect that talent with opportunity? i did not know the answer, so i contended to foster relationships. we developed a relationship with for-- we develop carolina par kibera. one of my partners was a former nurse, widowed with three kids. at the end of my first summer she confronted me and asked me for 2000 shillings -- about $26. i had made a habit of not giving out any money, but i did not know where to begin. part of it was for my own safety. i asked what she was planning to do with it. she said she was going to sell vegetables across town in a

somali community where i can undercut the constitution -- the competition. she had a plan and i was leaving the next day. it was only $26. so i handed her 2000 shillings. i came back to the united states. i went into my senior year at and as i was going into my senior year, this line from the marines kept sticking into my head -- have a bias for action. what i was doing back at school was writing this research report -- i was not doing anything. i was not giving back to a particular committee. -- particular community. we started an organization -- carolina courfor kibera. initially the goal was to use sports to bring different ethnic

groups together. i raised a little bit of money and the marine corps gave me three months of unpaid leave to do this. most of the military commanders i served with had an appreciation of preventing violence. the cost to prevent violence are lower than the cost to intervene during it. i returned back to kibera. i had no idea i would see tabitha again, but she found me. she found me and took me through the alley ways to her own 10x10. she took her savings from selling vegetables for six months, about $100, and pursued her dream. she started a small medical clinic out of her shack. she was a nurse, but she was also in quality care. it made a lot of sense for her to become part of our organization -- carolina for kibera.

we took a participatory approach over many years and sheet group that clinic. today that clinic serves 40,000 patients a year. [applause] i am going to wrap up, but it started with $26 in the hands of a remarkable person, working in partnership together, taking a long view, taking a participatory approach over 10 years. when i step back and thinking about being in her shoes, i remember feeling overwhelmed by the number of options that i had in school. i still think real social change is a commitment to a particular place. that is what i hope you will be able to find with the causes and the places that you care about. [applause] >> thank you.

madeleine, i want to ask you to talk a little bit about what you , even and why it is fun when you are not a college student. what do you want to say to them about what you think their potential izbas to have a world that is more peaceful than the one we live in? >> thank you. i am really honored to be here on this panel. let me say, i have always tried to look for something more interesting to do then the thing i did before. not easy if you have been secretary of state. i have put the skills i learned as a secretary of state into terms of trying to solve problems, finding people to help

solve problems, and do whatever i can to give back. it is a combination of things. i believe one of the greatest problems we have today is the gap between the rich and the poor. there are by absolute numbers -- [applause] -- there are fewer poor people because of the chinese have brought so many out of poverty, but the gap between the rich and poor is the most serious one. it is wrong and dangerous. the things i have been involved in arbitrage -- involved in are partners are a new beginning -- try to get private corporation to work with the government in terms of economic empowerment for people, predominately in muslim communities, but to try to find a way to have economic empowerment, science and technology, education, people

exchanges -- those are the vertical pillars. the horizontal ones are to get men and children involved. we are in a variety of places, using the skills, trying to get our corporations to be helpful in terms of creating job opportunities. as the president mentioned, i am chairman of the board of the other democratic national institute. you cannot impose democracy. that is an oxymoron. what you can do is support those who want to learn the skills of democracy. through the national democratic institute, we train people in terms of how did you form a coalition, how you create campaigns, supporting women candidates. it allows people to work on behalf of those who need help i love teaching because i think it is a way to talk about what the opportunities are for you all in terms of giving back. my whole life has been about

giving back. i was not born in this country. i came here when i was 11-years old in order to escape communism and i have been grateful ever since. public service is an amazing way to give back. i will forever be grateful to this wonderful president who allow me to be able to use the goodness of american power to make a difference for an awful lot of people, to end ethnic cleansing, to make sure people have an opportunity to live a free life. i took those skills now in a way to give back, i am particularly working with young people. i went to kibera for a project with a wonderful program about legal empowerment for the poor. poor people are not stupid. they are very entrepreneurial. they may be more so than a lot of people. [applause] they just want an opportunity.

it is giving people who want to make a difference the opportunity to do it. i hope i will be able to do that until the day i die. [applause] >> i just want to point out that matalin was with the united nations. in my second term, we did the same thing in kosovo. the victims that we sought to save or almost all muslims. i thought it was very important to prove that the united states met what we said when we said everybody is welcome here and we believe in human rights of people all over the world. it was gratuitous that -- it was sad for them, but it was

fortuitous that it was our responsibility to stop theatnet cleansing of european muslims in bosnia and cause a vote. she was great at it. i thought she was wonderful. [applause] sadiqa, you need to fill in the blanks of the introduction i gave you. a lot of people would hear your story and say, my goodness. the woman was taken out of afghanistan as a child, she went back, then she gets out, graduated from mount holyoke, a very distinguished american university -- she could have gone anywhere and done anything, but she goes back home to one of the poorest places on earth where people think they have poor political prospects. i have always thought that when people say afghanistan is a loser and we should not be involved, the british were run

out of there, but that is because you should not try to conquer a place. you should help the people in the place caulker their own future. -- cocker their own future. -- conquer their own future? why did you do it? how did you begin and how did the fund the expansion? tell them a little bit about what you did and why? >> the reason i came to mount holyoke, it was lockuck. the reason why i went back home -- the original -- the initial region to come to the united states to get an education was to get education and myself and contribute to the cause that is

so dear to me. i see a huge connection between educated people and empowered nations. it will be the educated people who will be able to move us forward. we have been in war for the last three decades. i was born in war. i was raised in war. i still lived with war. i do not think war is the solution. i strongly believe that only education is the solution to the whole problem, not only in afghanistan, but in the region. [applause] what really made me work on the education sector -- the country

is poor. there are great needs. now that i reflect back, i see that there are questions that have really shaped my mission. the first question is coming from anger. when i was a child, i question the education i was getting. the system i was getting education in was a poor refugee school. later in life, i would question myself. i was challenged by women who did not have any idea what an education means or what it looks like. to tell you my story -- when i went to my school, it was established in pakistan. basically my school was far

over 3000 schools. it was conducted in two sessions -- the morning and the afternoon. but it was not a real school for me as a child. the real school for me was a school that would but light in the movies. the school i went to had only 20 classrooms. more than 30 pence. a huge playground that was taken conducted in's open air, including mine. i was not a passionate student. i have not really shared this story that i am sharing today. i was an extremely slow student. i was getting a lot of managements from my teachers, but i was fighting for my class. when we had at the new blackboards, which could only enjoy them for one week at the

most because senior class is would steal our blackboards. we were even fighting for space. the way we could identify with was to draw a square and put our blackboard in it. it was not an ideal school for me. therefore, i was not studying one day my teacher beat me so hard that my home -- she was using a stick -- my hand started bleeding. i still have the scar on my palm. that was the time that my father made a decision to take us back to afghanistan. in 1994, it was still civil war. the reason my father wanted to

take us to afghanistan was to experience life back home so that when we return, we would not be surprised. in 1994 when we got home, one day i was walking in an orchard with my cousin. he asked me questions. what does your school look like? how do teachers look like? is it true you go to school alone and you return by yourself? i was angry in the first place. i thought he was making fun of me. later i discussed it with my father. my father at the same questions. did you noticed any schools coming from pakistan to afghanistan? any hospital, any clinic, anything? my answer was no. basically for me, it was all these questions that really shaped my motives, that really

shaped my mission. it is easy to criticize things as i did in my childhood. it is easy to get angry at things, but it is equally important to reflect back and see that, ok, we can be critical, but then i think it is important to answer one question -- what can i do to make a change? i think that was the beautiful -- the most beautiful gift from my father -- to take us back home to where we came from. for me, it was a beautiful trip, that my father gave to us. it really helped me to reflect back and really get things i could not have received if i was

living back home. that motivated me to go to afghanistan after the taliban and established the first class with 36 girls. later on, i received proposals from other communities to establish further class's and -- classes and schools. that is my vision, to bring education to girls in the most remote areas of afghanistan where they will not have access to education. [applause] >> usher, anybody who gets the kind of reception you did when you came out here and has made the kind of money you have and

has become the profile you have would have to set up some sort of charitable operation. you know as well as i do that a lot of people in your position in the past have done that and just checked the box. i know you have not checked the box. you thought about what you wanted to do, why you wanted to do it, and once you did it, you went all in. i have seen some of your kids. i did not know until we did our deal together that you were perhaps the discoverer of justin beiber. [laughter] i want you to tell these young people why you decided to do exactly what you are doing and how you stay involved in it now

to make sure it achieves the objectives that you want? >> absolutely not. you would assume to whom much is given, much is required. that should be a consideration. you have to flip that. i was given a lot at a very young age, not simply someone believing in me, someone encouraging me to move in a positive direction. there were a lot of people my age at the time coming from at- risk environments, underserved communities, did not really have a lot to believe in, but it was simply a few people who really made the difference and molded me. they say it is not how you start, it is how you end. for me, i flip that, too. ultimately, my entire

perspective was a new look on life. it is how you started it is the seas that are planted at those very key moments in our lives that truly make a difference. then, the next step was the evidence. my mother, who at the time served as my manager, we had conversations about the youth in atlanta. she said and the courthouse in atlanta's georgia and observed for cases where children were coming from foster homes and were really devastated. no track our success. no one to be there for them. nothing. it really pained me that there was someone out there that could actually make a difference in our world and there is no motivation for them. i began to speak on panels. i began to speak at high

schools, anywhere and they would accept me, and talk about the evidence of the reality of having an education, finding a career. and now being able to use it as a tool to offer service and, at least, the hope that you can make a difference with your life as well. after that, i decided that i would start 8 nonprofit and focus specifically on youth. there are many things we can do. you travel all around the world, you are successful, you go on stages, but i wanted to be remembered for something else other than just dance. i really wanted to make a difference. i wanted to do something significant with my talent. so i figured i would be that motivator that motivated me.

i am able to recognize talent or encourage those who have yet to recognize the talent they have. it is beneficial in it -- beneficial for me. just in bieber is one of the cases -- justin beiber was one of the cases. as a philanthropist, education is so important, so keep. having a talent, obviously recognizing a career, and, in turn, offering a service as a result of you founding these things. since then, the reality, the evidence that that see it that could be planted has harvested. you actually put dissipated in it. as a matter of fact, in 2006 we had a conversation. it was pretty motivating. here i had been doing a lot of

work internally. i felt i had my chops up. i am going to talk to him you did not know who i was as a philanthropist at all. [laughter] i thought that was great. that meant it was not fluff, the hard work i had put into what i had done had touched the service and the ground had been killed, the sea had been planted. the opportunity to be with you gave me the opportunity to expand much further than i could have imagined with the clinton global initiative. we created power by service. that led to many different campaigns of disaster relief, those individuals who came from underserved communities who were truly affected by katrina, rita, and haiti as well. after that, we made a connection

in africa at your event. i was able to establish another campaign. then on to the world leadership conference in atlanta, georgia. you are obviously a very supportive man of me, right? [applause] little did he know to all of that he had been a mentor and a motivator from the beginning. all along, you had planted a seed at a very young age where i felt like i could make a difference in my community. through that indication of that you could make a difference, i felt like i could make a difference. the new look foundation became what it is today 12 years later, successfully leading the charge and being a huge voice and also preparing future leaders with a service mind, of course, because the only thing i

ask is that they be as influential to each other as one was to me at some point. since then, i hoped to be successful, other than just music, and it happened. now we are able to sit here on this panel. we just had a celebration not too long ago. you probably saw it. -- we're backstage joking were backstage and joking. there was one little thing i really hated -- i actually performed in front of the president with it all hanging out. my pants split on stage. not many people can say that they did that, but we have been able to share. >> if it was not an x-rated

situation and he never missed a beat. he did the whole thing all the way through. [laughter] [applause] >> but happy that we have been able to share those experiences [laughter] -- you have been a motivator for me. thank you very much. [applause] >> i want you all to hear the story. this is something you can all do before you go to school. when i was a governor 20 years ago and, my primary responsibilities were public education, helping people go to college, and generating economic opportunity. i read a steady, the name of which i have long forgotten, but this sociologists followed for a

period of 20 years these kids who grew up in absolutely horrible circumstances mostly. there were not all poor. a couple of them had parents who are drug addicts. one of them was wealthy, but did some horrible crime. most of their brothers and sisters got in trouble, but these kids have all done great. so he studied them over 20 years trying to figure out how the young people turn out ok and missed a birdie, which is relevant to what you do. what he discovered was that at critical points in their lives, every one of them was made to feel they were the most important person in the world. that they could be something. they could amount to something. [applause] there was one young man who was part of a four brothers.

they were abandoned by their parents who had terrible drug addiction. the report grandmother tried to raise them all in a little apartment in new york city. they spent half the night sleeping outside. three of these guys went to jail, one of them became a doctor. the one who became a doctor would pass on one of those kiosks on the street in new york where you sell magazines. the guy there saw him, took an interest in him. he told him when he went to school he should learn something. he would stop him when he came home and say "show me your homework." when the guy would go to school the next day, he would show the man he had done his homework. it sounds simple, but what you are doing can change the lives of thousands and thousands of people. i thank you. [applause]

i will let you wrap up and then what we will take questions. we have more than 20 minutes for questions, so i hope we have them coming in. tell me exactly what you do to promote student service pack at and how you came to find it so important. >> to find myself on a panel within these kinds of stories, it inspires all of us to and take an interest in service. not quite five years ago i was talking to an undergraduate who had gone on to be a graduate in noticed someone that had been a

victim of sexual abuse by a melissa at a time of conflict. she founded on her own a soccer team called "girls kick it." none of these women had any experience with a place before and all of a sudden they were involved with athletic activity. it was transported far her. she made that into our lives were to continue that kind of effort. i did not think the number of games that would come together here -- we talked about disparity. we have some of the most striking disparities, and come, education levels wrote one thing we did here at george

washington is engaging our students and we make sure people across the district of columbia in their service projects. one thing we are doing is commemorating every september 11, not only to remember the terrible losses that occurred that day, but to fan out across the entire city, paint schools for the children after the comeback. they come back and find these goals fresh, clean, and painted. they do that over the weekend. we engage our veterans. we have over 700. they are tremendous leaders. they have the experience, the dedication, and the skills they brought back with them that

allow them to be leaders in our student body. at the same time, we are developing initiatives a little more formal than that. one is a center for civic engagement and public service. we have a person to lead that effort at to have a continuous focus on service throughout the year. we are watching some activities that are germane to some of the things we are talking about this evening. it is our new and institute for global issues. it will simultaneously improve public health, and reduce violence -- the education and empowerment of women. [applause]

it is everything from hands on experience. what impresses me about this generation of students, mr. president, we have students that do not just go into activities, they create opportunities for activities. they are entrepreneurial as well as dedicated in their service. that was not true of our generation. we were involved in political activism. a lot of that was going on in my generation. what we did not see is this extraordinary inventiveness and creativity that goes into the projects that have been coat -- that have been chosen and are represented here. students come into my office and come up with an idea. and they will say here is my list of endorsements from the city council, here is my business plan, here are the capital funds i started

collecting. that is a hallmark this generation has reflected. they are doing something that my generation could not have imagined would be possible. [applause] >> we are going to go to question it now. i participated-- in a community action program first semester. at night, i went into neighborhoods and went into people's owns and talk to kids and parents. i did not do it the second semester. i did not recruit other people to do it. it was institutionalized. what i have been trying to do with this anti-clinton global initiative at large and with the one we have for the american economy is to convince people

that in this century the definition of citizenship have to enclose this. -- have to include this. it is doing this kind of work and helping people. ok. question no. one comes from james a lolee. it is for rye. how can we become more action- based? >> i love that question, james. a mentor of mine is a writer. he wrote a book called "gates of firepower "good book. he was coaching me a little bit when i was working on a book. i was hitting this robot because i was confronted my own fears of how you get words out on a page. he wrote a short little

manifesto called "do your work." it is about the creative process -- with you are starting a business, a social enterprise, writing a book, writing a song. we were all speaking about usher's creative process backstage. that was a critical moment in my life. -- that was a pretty cold moment in my life. what ever you are doing, start before you are ready. confront your fears and put yourself out there. there is no shortage of things to care about, right? the huge one that collects with your own life narrative. [applause] >> this question is for secretary albright. what is the role of the private- sector in creating opportunities for public service, especially through partnerships? >> there are so many

opportunities because the private sector really has the desire and the need to create jobs. there is no question. in order to make it work, it had to create jobs. the private sector working abroad, particularly, which is what i have been involved in, wants to be able to be part of the society in which they operate. what they do is provide opportunities for young people to be able to earn a living and be able to get an education and to get trained. one of the most interesting things recently about the private sector is understanding that it is not just a matter of putting people to work, but also giving them an education that allow them to take part in innovation and be a part of developing new ways of operating within their society. the other part i find interesting is the private sector operating abroad need to also do good things. many of them established foundations. the work on creating schools.

they like to combine with people in terms of getting them involved in it also. i have learned a lot in terms of how public and private sectors operate together. often, there has been the thought that they are not similar interest. in the we have learned, for instance, but the private sector can do well by doing good. what they do in society is make sure that the health care programs are good, that there is education. they employed women and young people. i think it is a very important tool that one has not thought about, at least i have not. i think they want to operate well. in the we need to take advantage of that. [applause] >> i agree with that. one of the things we try to do in my foundation is to work with companies and governments and hope we can find something to do after, a cheaper, or better

in a way that will make a business or want to incorporate it into the business model or a government see that it is now possible to adopt. i think this is really important. or usher.tion is far ush what do you think about the power of the performing arts as an education tool in developing countries? can it help? should we think about that as a luxury or should we try to use the culture of performing arts in this country to promote education and how can it be done? >> the passion lies in something identified in talent. the four pillars i have created through the foundation, it obviously starts with education. identify that talent and allow that pallet to -- allow that

talent to offer a sustainable career to get you to the point where you are able to make a difference. obviously, leaders of service. that is the hope that if you are blessed and there is an opportunity to make a difference, then you will. [applause] >> sadiqa, here is an interesting question. i do not have a name. how can men joined the movement to empower women? do you have mail supporters in afghanistan? -- male supporters in afghanistan and how important is that? >> in a society like afghanistan where people actually make decisions for everything, men are the key in

supporting women and making their dream come true. i have seen in my life and i have witnessed in the lives of so many friends, not only in afghanistan, but worldwide that women do care, not only for themselves, but they care for the world. they are the ones who are making a difference. if i were not supported by my father and if i were not supported by my husband, who let me come to mount holyoke after we were married for only two months -- he stayed in afghanistan and set me to mount holyoke to study -- and come back and make a change in the lives of women who do not even know what education means and what kind of difference education can make in their lives. i have always said to my father why do we not have many fathers

like you? actually, i hate to complain. i asked my father why do you not have a coalition of fathers who should be supporting their daughters so that we keep the ball rolling? [applause] i think my father is getting that. i think he will be soon that he wrote. >> one of the question i asked you before and you did not have time to answer -- how did you go to your first relatively modest education project to educating so many young girls and then having a community college and other training programs? how did the greatest thing and did you get financial help from others? >> indefinitely.

-- definitely. i knew the need was great, but i could do it -- i could not do it by myself alone. as a teenager, i could not do anything. but i knew that there must be a way to change this perception. i believe that the status quo must be changed. the initial support i got was from my father. i really wanted him to support me and take me to afghanistan because i could not travel by myself alone. at mount holyoke, that helped me develop leadership skills. i grew in many many ways at mount holyoke. i was inspired by the founder of mount holly not -- mount holyoke. she was able to establish at this first women's college in 1836. she did not have funding. basically she had a small house

and she was riding a horse, walking through committees, collecting coins. the students, in return for their education, would bring butter, eggs, and milk. that is out now polio was started. i compared -- that is out mount holyoke was started. i compared myself to that. i said now that the world is paying so much attention to women's rights in afghanistan and a lot of support is coming and a lot of money is coming to afghanistan, yes, women are not able to be benefited to actually see the impact. i said i think this is the right time they want us to start. at mount holyoke i learned specifically what you said -- you are motivated by the stress you see, by the danger or the

stress it, but seize the opportunities that are available there. approach those opportunities in strategic ways. it was a big treat our me. i shared this idea with my professors at mount holyoke. i got support from huntington public service award. it was a national competition all across the world. it was for senior students in colleges. it was difficult for me to enter the competition. i felt my writing skills or not that much to compete with american students to write a proposal. but i ended up one of the students who got the award. i was able to get some kind of exposure to organizations that

really care about women's education in afghanistan. another award helped me to basically find a building for the school. later on, i started writing grant proposals, national endowment for democracy -- it all made a difference. it happened while i was in senior year at mount holyoke. i worked hard trying to meet the deadlines. at the end, i graduated not only with a degree from the prestigious college that i love and i mess so much, but also enough funding to start a woman's college. i realize do not intimidate, just do. there is also plenty of work to make a change. [applause]

>> mr. president, this question should be for me. someone said education allows other people to learn, earn, and return. what idea do you have about how every college and university in america -- first of all, we know they all have vigorous community service programs. but not every school has integrated the university the way you have. is there some way we could accelerate that and in so doing increase the numbers of young people doing work around colleges in the country? is there some way to work from

the base of the college's and get more people who run universities and colleges to institutionalize this sort of thing? >> it is important to recognize a lot of the impetus is coming directly from our students who are pushing and universities in this direction. it goes back to that sense of this generation of students wanting to make a difference and wanted to make a connection. i think what was impressive about what we just heard, -- a pretty extraordinary story that sadiqa just told -- her leadership skills she received in college were translated into action. we are starting to get students thinking about their careers, not just in the last semester of their senior year, but all along try to think about the shape of their lives a connect that with

their intellectual experience. i think many faculty pink service time is try to reduce the intellectual seriousness of the classroom. what we are finding is as our students began to make more of these connections, it is somewhat contagious. they are starting to exemplify how you can take what is going on in the classroom and connect it with real life opportunities so those things that reflect the skills they are developing -- the campus cost from students. we have a long way to go, but i have seen a tremendous change in the attitude of my colleagues in the last few years in been responsive, to our students. [applause] >> thank you. very briefly -- when i found my presidential library in arkansas, the university of arkansas agreed to establish a

graduate school for me -- there are 46 such a institutions around the world, but i with the only one to give a degree for public service, not public policy. we spent half hour time in the field doing service projects. there are people there -- older students, nontraditional students -- from thailand come back because they wanted to know -- he was happy to do the epidemic work, but wanted to know how to get the show on the road once he started. i told him i thought i was on his side. madeleine, i particularly like this question from melissa. how do we get older generations

involved in our work so that we can motivate more young people? in other words, not just you and i doing what we are doing, but how do we help them more? >> i really do think that cross- generational partnerships a very important. i think that in many ways young people motivate people our age. i have been listening to this and i am blown away, i have to say. i taught at georgetown in the '80s. -- in the 1980's. i was asked by the president when there was a reunion class, how do the students of today compared to students in the '80s? i said the students in the 1980's were worried about their retirement programs and then i and realized i was addressing the students of the 1980's. the motivation beyond people have for what we are doing --

[laughter] there are many programs or older people are going abroad and working with old people. some of these experiences of being older are matched. i think there is a great opportunity for cross- mastership. it is not always the older people mentor the younger ones. in terms of the enthusiasm the ut younger studentsif i might ar wellesley, who train young women, what is very important is to look at how to do interdisciplinary training. we have a tendency to think that one discipline might be the best one in and doing public service across the board. you need people and understand health, music, biology, and religion. i do think that older people can have a great partnership with

younger people. i have been to your school and it is fantastic in terms of people being motivated. i also think, mr. president, that to have the possibility of understanding to learn by doing. a great way is to brett -- to get credit by doing rather than just spending time in the library. understanding the facets and assets. what i believe foley is in democracy, but it has to deliver. people want to be able to work and understand what they're doing and give back. the most exciting thing about everything you and these young people are doing is the understanding that giving back is the way to make the world work better. r [applause] >> go ahead. >> i wanted to ask something.

most of the time students are in student mode. we have this plan where we are done with college, the next thing is red school. yes, ph.d. and great plans to change the world. i think that that is too late if we are thinking of getting an education also. going out to the world and saying i am here and want to make a change. when i graduated from mount holyoke, i was offered a scholarship by georgetown university. i dared to say no. i really wanted to go back home. because i had done fundraising, i knew my plan and i wanted to deliver before it took more. and i did it. in two years' time, it worked. then what happened? i went home, established a

school. i wanted to be not the sole implement, but to make sure that everything was ok and functioning the way that it should. but then the minister of higher education said that i was not qualified enough to do so. why? i am not 35 and i do not have a masters. in that way ahead to leave the country because they did not offer master's degrees. now it is the open society institute in new york and ottawa that is investing in me to make sure that i am qualified enough to make sure i am qualified enough to go back and work for the university. [applause] >> most of the people that i work with -- let me say -- not all of them, but most, the vast majority are 30 years younger than i am. or more. and, you know, i like it.

a lot. but one of the things that happens to people is, just naturally, most people spend most of their time with people who are in their age group. i think that, to give a serious answer to the question that was that's, my view is that all of you who know that you would like some older people because they can help you to raise money or they have got experience, or they have got the time -- you might try asking. i mean, it may be as simple as that. there are a lot of older people who want to feel like their life has meeting -- meaning, all the way to the very end. the idea that they cannot do the job they used to do, they want to keep doing something. i think that if you were really serious about this, you would be shocked at the number of older

people that would tell you yes, if you ask for help, support, or guidance. often when your hair gets gray and you're hearing gets bad, you think and no one wants to around anymore. it is a big deal. the baby boom generation cannot afford to be mentally or physically as rapidly declining as previous generations of seniors, otherwise we will really cramp your style financially. i think you have been doing a good thing for society as a whole by getting more older people involved in whatever your endeavor is. now, we are out of time, but i cannot resist this. i will ask one more serious question, then i will ask the most unbelievable question that we got from twitter. anyone else can answer this,

though it is asked of madeline. how can women like me, who want to help other women across the world actually do that? in other words, i am one person out here following this. i want to help women in haiti, and other places. where should i start? your device? anybody? go ahead, madeleine. >> i do think that first of all, you have been doing an amazing amount of work there. you have been able to get money and support into a variety of areas. it is important to get with someone who is doing something. people with projects. or, for instance, the national democratic institute. we have been there, trying to help people identify their needs and work with them. i think that there are organizations that are the best way to do this.

i do think that one can go there and be helpful, but i would say that the best thing is to get involved with an organization directly because the individual can help the organization and the organization can help them. but talking about it, the problem is americans are the most generous people in the world, with the shortest attention span. a lot of people have forgotten about haiti. it was very much in the news all the time. things are still not good there. >> let me say this. haiti is second only to india with the largest number of ngo's operating there, per-capita. it is much smaller, but there are a couple of thousand, with a few hundred seriously and deeply. my recommendation is that you,

first of all, figure out exactly what you want to do. if it is an organization the you know about, go to their website. or, you can go to my foundation, track haiti and see the things that are going on there. right across the board. you can find an ngo to work with that fits which were caring about. we have lists of a lot of them and you can follow it through. that is a sensible way to start. i am going to lose a friend over this, but i will ask the question anyways. what inspires you to do service? singing the answer is

encouraged. [cheers and applause] >> you guys will not be happy until i do a concert? [laughter] no, um. i did not say no. [laughter] i said no, um. [laughter] no. the evidence, by applying what i created, of which we have spoken about for the entire night, to engage youth at a young age and support those who are in need, for you to be engaged, ask and except the help, all of those things lead me to do the community work i do.

simply the evidence that it is a reality. the very students i was able to meet when i first started, they are now in college. they have now identified a talent and continue to get back to the community. as we travel across the world, nairobi, kenya. actually going all over the world to make a difference by identifying the similarities between the issues in our communities. not isolated by the differences. so, that is the thing that motivates me. now, you want me to sing it? [cheers and applause] you can help me with this one, ok?

♪ i believe the children are our future change the world and let them lead the way show them all the beauty they possess in side give them a sense of pride to make it easier led the children's laughter remind us how we used to be everybody searching for our hero they need someone to look up to i never found anyone to fulfill my needs a loan with it -- a lonely place to be so, i learned to depend on me ♪ >> [groups singing together]

[cheers and applause] the love of all is happening to me i found the greatest love of all inside of me ♪ >> thank you, very much. thank you. [cheers and applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, this session is now concluded. thank you for attending this evening. members, please remain in your seats. you will now be directed from the stage for a 2012 class photo. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

>> ladies and gentlemen, we would like attendees on the floor for the class photo. i need everyone to start moving forward.

everyone in the back, we need those last 10 rose cleared. fill in all the chairs. [unintelligible]

[unintelligible]

>> if you miss any of tonight's conversation, we will be replaying it again tonight at 11:15. tomorrow, two sessions from the clinton global university. at 1:00 p.m. eastern, the panel on creating opportunity in an unstable world. at 4:00, a conversation between president clinton and comedy central's jon stewart. the results tomorrow, here on c- span. >> i am appearing as one spokesperson for the hundreds of thousands of marines, sailors, their families and loyal civilian employees that were unknowingly exposed to horrendous levels of toxins in their drinking water at camp lejeune, north carolina. >> the documentary, "#5,"

semper fi," - follows the talks to drinkwater scandal at camp lejeune. >> they have told so many half truths. so many lies. now, if they were to sit down with me, face to face, i could show them, with their own documents, countering what they have said. and they do not want to do that. >> more on sunday night, a o'clock eastern, on a "q&a." -- 8:00 eastern, on "q&a." >> next, mitt romney, delivering a speech that focused on his economic reports -- proposals. wisconsin republicans hold their

presidential primary elections on tuesday. they will award 40 gop delegates. the remaining 18 will go to the statewide winner. this is just over 30 minutes. [cheers and applause] >> thank you, thank you. good afternoon. it is my pleasure and honor to welcome you all on behalf of lawrence university. while today's visit certainly marks a significant visit for our school and community, it is not the first time that a major political group -- figure has made a stop at our little

college. such events have happened regularly over the years. william howard taft, richard nixon, john f. kennedy, george h. w. bush, and john kerry, to name a few. what is it about this school of 1500 students that provides such a draw for our nation's most prominent political leaders? it is certainly not our rolling mountains or white sand beaches. [laughter] no, time and again we have the opportunity to host these events, and it speaks to something deeper. lawrence university is a place where education and civil discourse are of paramount importance. whether we agree with a candidate's views it or not, we will be ready to engage in honest and respectful discussion. our liberal arts education has taught us that in order to learn, we must ask questions and listen. today is not the first time, and

likely will not be the last that a candidate or leader will choose lawrence as a place to discuss matters of great importance. it is nonetheless a tremendous honor to welcome the governor to our institution. i would like to invite our next speaker to the podium. a wisconsin native serving in his seventh congressional term, representing the first district, our next speaker is the chairman of the house budget committee and senior member of the house ways and means committee. he was named the 2011 human events conservative of the year. at this time, please join me in welcoming congressman paul ryan. [applause] >> that is right. absolutely. appreciate that. thank you. hey, everyone. how are you? thanks a lot. appreciate it. awesome. i have not been on this campus

since i was a college student, visiting my buddies. it has only been a few years since i was here. let me get to the point. wisconsin nights -- wisconsinites, we have a big opportunity ahead of us. wisconsin has been in the epicenter of political discourse for a long time. as a republican, i must tell you, we have not had a relevant republican primary for quite some time. i think it was like 1980. what i would say is that we in wisconsin have a great opportunity this tuesday. our country is on the wrong track. headed in the wrong direction. and it is not the fault of just democrats or republicans. it is where we are.

politicians from both political parties have made lots of empty promises to americans that our government cannot keep. what we need now, more than ever, is summoned to be straight and honest with us. not finger-pointing, but solutions. we want you to fix our problems. turn on the tv, look at what is going on in europe. that fate could await us if you do not fix our country's problems. we have got to address this. that takes courage. it takes principled leadership. it takes action. i am afraid to say that that is not happening right now with our government. yesterday we passed a budget for the second year in a row to address these challenges head- on. we believe that we have a moral and legal responsibility to get the nation back on track, back

on the path to prosperity. keep the promises the government has made to people. especially retirees who have organized their lives around these commitments, but do it in a way to give our kids and grandkids a nation that is free of debt. that is not the path the we are on right now, though. what it will take is leadership. we believe we must offer our fellow citizens, as a wisconsin rep, i feel i must offer the people i work for in the first congressional district a choice. if we do not think things are headed in the right direction, we owe you a clear choice between two futures. respect the american people and their decision. what kind of country do you want america to be? that is our obligation and opportunity as wisconsinites, this tuesday and this november,

to make that decision. when you look at the challenges ahead of america, the deaths falling on us, the economic stagnation that is occurring and the lack of answers and solutions coming from some corners of washington, what we need is a leader who sees this moment for what it is. a leader who has the courage of conservative principles and conviction, the integrity and tenacity to do what it takes to get america back on track. in my humble personal opinion, as a guy from janesville, we need mitt romney to be the next president of the united states of america. [applause] i am excited. i am encouraged. i am enthusiastic. in this man we have a person of

conviction, a man with the right kind of experience, the right kind of leader that we are going to need to get this country right and back on track. i want to ask you to join me in welcoming home michael becomes the next president of the united states, governor mitt romney. [applause] whom icoming -- welcoming houm hope becomes the next president of the united states, government romney. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. congressman paul ryan. a man who takes responsibility and is a courageous leader. whether or not you agree with him on every issue, this person has led a clear path for the party and the nation.

i appreciate the fact that we have someone from wisconsin who is a real leader in washington and i hope we continue to see his leadership in washington. thank you, congressman. thank you. [applause] was jake's popularity remarkable. i do not think that either of you or i got the kind of applause that jake got. if you can give us a lesson afterwards, jake, i would appreciate it. i am honored to have the privilege here with many members of the student body and faculty here. it embodies the importance and significance of what is happening in our world right now, happening in america. i and 222 days something quite extraordinary will happen in america. we will have an election. across this country, millions and millions of americans will be able to do something that is

really quite amazing. they will choose not only a president, but an entire house of representatives and one-third of the u.s. senate. the entire world will be watching us. by around midnight on november 6, maybe earlier or later, we will know the results of millions of americans exercising their right to vote. in doing so, making such a profound choice that it is difficult for us to grasp. no one can predict the next crisis that the next president will confront, or know what the next world will look like at the end of the president's term. in the world of the economy -- in a world economy where athens, wisconsin and athens, greece are connected, everything is more complex. but i believe that americans face a fundamental choice in this election. a decision that is more

important than the candidates or political parties. we are not just selecting who will guide us as president, but a choice between two distinct pads and destinies for america. in the days and months ahead, we should ask ourselves fundamental questions about who we are as a nation and who we are becoming. what does it mean to be an american in 2012? 2016 and beyond? are we keeping faith with the legacy and truss handed to us by prior generations? " will we leave the next generation? your generation? this campaign, you will hear a deafening cacophony of charges and countercharges and my guess is that by november 6, most of you will be afraid to turn on your television. in the relative quiet before the storm, let's start with basic facts about which there can be

no debate. first of all, since president obama became president, over a hundred thousand americans have lost their jobs. millions of americans spend longer looking for a job than ever before in history. long-term unemployment is the worst it has been since the great depression. 46 million americans are now living in poverty. more than ever before in history. households with single mothers, over 30% are living in poverty. 46.5 million americans are now on food stamps, by the way. 2.8 million homes have been foreclosed on. new business start-ups are at the lowest level in 30 years. over 2000 chrysler and general motors dealerships have been closed. 22 automobile manufacturing plants have been shut down. our yearly budget deficits are

huge. our national debt now stands at an all-time high. the president presided over the first $1 trillion deficit in american history. and he has repeated that dreadful distinction for every year he has been in office. for the first time since world war ii, the national debt is greater than the size of the entire united states economy. each american's share of the national death stands at $50,000. president obama did not cause the recession, but he most certainly failed to lead the recovery. his stimulus protective government did not protect the american people. they have promised to hold unemployment below 8%. they did not. his stimulus was as ineffective as it was expensive. his obama care did not create

jobs either. it was thought frank that hurt the community banks when it came to loaning to small businesses. the two big to fail banks are bigger today than they were before. he also failed on so many of the promises, it is hard to list them all. on the issue of jobs, he failed. but on one goal, he succeeded. to raise energy prices. all in all, president obama prolong the recession and slow the recovery. president obama's economic strategy is busted. these troubling facts are the president's legacy and are now our shared history. as much as we would like to, we cannot undo what has happened. for the families that lost their homes, the factories that have been closed, the students that

had to drop out of college, those that could never make it to the front door, those are lost opportunities, chances that cannot be regained. president obama thinks he is doing a good job. i am not kidding. he thinks he's doing a great job. and historically great job. according to the president, only lincoln and fdr, and lyndon johnson, have accomplished more. and he did not say that on "saturday night live." how can this be? is it that the president is so disconnected from what is happening across america that he does not rest the real consequences of his failures? the answer is easy. the answer is yes. of course, this was a president elected not on the strength of a compelling record of accomplishment, but by a compelling personality and story.

there was much about the campaign of barack obama that appealed to many americans. although the reality has failed the hope and change that he promised, he runs with true believers who attack anyone who challenges the power. each day they will fight more fiercely to hold on to the power. that is all to be expected. our love's power and does not let go easily. the white house has lost touch with the american people. we have seen that before as well. we should also remember that candidate obama pledged that he wanted to transform the nation. unfortunately, that is exactly what he has been doing. this is one more reason i believe the election is so critical. the choice before us could not be more clear or profound. barack obama and i have fundamentally different visions

of america. he has spent the last three or four years laying the foundation for a new government-centered society. i will spend the next four years rebuilding the foundation of our opportunity society, led by three people and free enterprises. barack obama once said that his work as a community organizer motivated him to help communities that had been ravaged by plant closings. his desire to help others could not be more admirable, but it is clear that he saw free enterprise as the villain and not the solution. the only real solution to helping communities devastated by lost jobs is more jobs. president obama never seems to have understood the basic point that a plant closes the way

business starts to lose money. when this president attacks businesses for making money, when his policies make it more difficult for businesses to make money, he is attacking the very communities that he wanted to help. that is how it works in america. at least how it works america is working. under president obama, america has not been working. the ironic tragedy is that the community organizer that wanted to help the people who were hurt by a plant closing became the president on watch for the most closings since the great depression. instead of doing it impossible to promote and create jobs and get us out of this crisis, barack obama has -- has promoted the power of government. the results have been predictable and dismal. but he has transformed us, as he likes to say. closer to his vision of a

government-centered society. in barack obama's society, the government must do more, because the economy is doomed to do less. when you attack business and vilify success, you will have less business and less success. then the debate becomes about how much to extend unemployment insurance. because you are guaranteeing that there will be more than -- there will be millions more employer -- unemployed. tax rates are bestowed not to make us more productive or build a stronger economy, but to reshape society into something more fashionable and politically correct. of course, because business is inherently suspect, government regulators, who know better, must oversee and direct business decision making. in his government-centered society, barack obama's tax

increases become a necessity and a desire tool for social justice. in a world of shrinking means, there is a finite amount of money. as someone famously said, use the taxes to spread the wealth around. i am barack obama government- centered society, government spending will always increase. because there is no reason for it not to. there is always someone who is entitled to something more and will vote for anyone who promises them something more. in a government-centered society, government dispenses the benefits, are those with a cannot take, consuming a greater and greater share of the total economy. think about these numbers. today, government at all levels consumes 38% of the total economy, or gdp. if obama-care is allowed to stand, government would directly

control almost half of the u.s. economy. then, through increasing controls the government has imposed on industries like energy, financial-services, and automobiles, it will directly or indirectly control well over half of the u.s. economy. so, you have got to ask yourself, will we still be a free enterprise nation? will we still have economic freedom? america is on the cusp of having a government-run economy. president obama is transforming america into something very different than the land of the free and land of opportunity. and we know where that transformation leads. other nations have followed that path. it leads to chronic unemployment, crushing debts, and stagnant wages. sound familiar?

i do not want to transform america. i want to restore to america the values of economic freedom and small government that have made this nation the leader of the world. and i will get that job done. [applause] freedom and opportunity have made america the most powerful economy in the world. let me say that again. what made us powerful? freedom and opportunity. those are the foundations of a nation that has full employment. that has rising wages. that is fiscally stable. the best thing that we can do for the economic well-being of our people is not to grow government. it is to restore freedom and

opportunity. it is opportunity that has always driven america. it has a fine dust, as americans. my father -- actually, my grandfather was the first in construction in my family. he never really made it, himself. but he held to commit -- convince my father that he could accomplish anything he set his mind to. by father had no chance to go to college, but he was an apprentice. based on his excellent training, he went on to run and turnaround a great car company. later on, he became the governor of michigan. my father made the most of the opportunities that came before him. by the time i came along, fourth out of four kids, i had the chance to get the education my father could not. i love cars and was tempted to stay in michigan and go into the

car business, like he had. but i would always wonder if my success was due to my father. when i got out of business school, after staying in massachusetts i got an entry- level job the best company that would hire me. most importantly, i was married and on the way to having five sons. for the last 25 years, my business career has had ups and downs, with great successes and definite failures, but each step of the way i learn more about the transforming power of the american free enterprise system. i am not so naive to believe that free enterprise is the solution to all our problems. but i am also not leave enough to doubt that it is one of the greatest forces of good and this world has ever known. free enterprise has done more to lift people out of poverty, to

help to build a strong middle- class, to help to educate our children and make our lives better, than all of the government programs put together. [applause] if we become one of those societies that attacks success, one outcome is certain. there will be less success. that is not who we are. the promise of america has always been that if you work hard and were willing to take some risks, there was an opportunity to build a better life for you, your family, and the next generation. it is not the role of government to guarantee that everyone will achieve success. this nation was founded on the principle that we have a god- given right to pursue happiness. the pursuit is guaranteed. not the result.

it is the opportunity that is guaranteed, not the outcome. we are an opportunity nation. over the centuries, men and women, pursuing happiness in their own unique ways have made our economy the leading economy in the world. as we look to the future i am confident that the principles that created our strength of the very principles that will preserve it. meaning that government must be smaller. it has to have strict limits placed on its power. obama care violates those principles. as president, i will repeal it. and [applause] taxes should be as low as possible, in line with those of competing nations, designed to foster innovation and growth. i will cut marginal tax rates

across the board for all americans. regulation -- a [applause] sometimes people get confused about this one, but regulations are necessary. but they have to be continuously updated, streamlined, and modernized. regulators should see that part of their job is protecting economic freedom and promoting enterprise, fostering job creation. workers should also have the right to form unions, but unions should not be forced on them. union should not have the power to take money out of their members paychecks to buy the support of politicians favored by union bosses. [applause] in short, government must make

america the best place in the world for innovators, small business, big business, the job creators of all kinds. business is not the enemy. it is a friend of jobs and rising wages. the friend of revenues the government needs to care for -- government needs to pay for national defense. they often said they want a strong economy, but they do not like business very much. but the economy is just a product of all the nation's businesses added together. it is like saying that you love but yous -- omelettes, do not like eggs. reducing poverty, building a strong nation, you need successful businesses of every kind imaginable. president obama has been attacking successful businesses

of every kind imaginable. apple, microsoft, they were not started to save the world. neither were general motors or alcoa. nor were companies like i started, like staples or the sports authority. they started because and evaders have great ideas and ambitions and they became great commercial ventures and successes. which is just a way of saying that they made a lot of money. they help people buy homes, go to school, retire, start other businesses. we have always been a country where the dreamers and the dreams -- or one dream with success and an idea creates other dreams and successful ideas. by the way, if those dreamers are rewarded with prosperity, we view that as a reason others may be encouraged to dream as well.

we have to understand that today much of the world is hungry for big dreamers with big ideas. america has to fight to grow them. to attract them from other lands as well. my father used to have a favorite saying. it goes like this. nothing is as vulnerable as entrenched success. nothing is as vulnerable as entrenched success. today, because america has been so successful for so long, we seem to have forgotten what brought us here. america has become vulnerable to new competition, to massive debts and those who would substitute more government power for more freedom. we made some bad choices. we have ignored many of the mounting threats. if the hill is a little steeper before us, we have always been a nation of stepping big.

last year i went all over the country. from student unions to kitchen tables, to factory break rooms and board rooms. i have heard frustration and anger, but rarely hopelessness. many americans have given up on this president, but they have not thought about giving up on ourselves, on themselves, on each other, on america. we have a sacred duty to restore the promise of america. and we will do it. because we believe in america. this tuesday, i want the people of wisconsin to join me in the next step towards that destination, november 6, when across america we can give a sigh of relief and know that the promise of america has been kept. the dreamers can dream bigger. the help wanted signs can be dusted off and we can start again. this time, we will get it right.

we will stop the days of apologizing for success at home and never again apologize for america abroad. [applause] together, we will build the greatest america we have known. where prosperity is known and shared, not limited and divided. and america the guarantees that ours is the door that innovation and greatness always knock on first. there was a time not long ago when we could walk caller and stand straighter, because we had a gift that no one else in the world shared. we were americans. it meant something different to each of us, but it meant something special to all of us. we knew it without question.

those days are coming back. that is our destiny. join me. what together this tuesday. take another step. we believe in america. we believe in ourselves, our greatest days are still ahead of us. we are, after all, americans. god bless this great country, god bless you. thank you so much. [applause] ♪ [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] ♪

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>> republican presidential candidates are scheduled to speak tomorrow at the wisconsin faith and freedom coalition. house budget committee chairman

rip paul ryan and will also speak. our live wrote to the white house coverage begins at 11:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. new hampshire republican senator kelly ayotte was the keynote speaker. she has been mentioned as a vice-presidential candidate. john boehner also spoke at the event that was held in his congressional district. this is about 40 minutes. [applause] >> good evening, everybody. thank you. thank you.

it is so good to be here with a lot of friends and a lot of neighbors. let me start by thanking dave for his leadership here. he has done a lot -- he has done a good job on our behalf. [applause] i am very pleased that our state auditor was here. thank you for a great speech and a kind introduction. [applause] i could not be more proud of all that dave is doing -- all that our team in columbus is doing on our behalf. a lot of people in washington can learn one or two things about what is going on in ohio. here in ohio they have a balance the budget, upgraded our credit rating, removed government barriers to private sector

growth, and all of this without raising taxes in our state. i know it has not been easy. they have been under constant pressure from the white house and all of their allies on the left. rather than looking at the example of ohio and other states, the president is more focused on blaming others for all of his inefficiencies and all of his failed policies that have given nothing to us. think about this for a moment. think about the last three years. we have a one trillion dollars stimulus bill. a we have the obama government takeover of health care. we have a spending bill with 9000 your marks that were never exposed to the light of day. that is not to mention the new rules, new regulations that drive up the cost of virtually everything including the cost of

gasoline. none has created jobs. the policies of the president have not only not helped the economy, they have made it worse. the american people saw all of this in 2010. they began to do something about it. here in ohio they elected ron portman as our united states senator. [applause] they also elected five new republican members of the house from here in ohio. they swept the democrats out of the halls of columbus, ohio. nationally i think the story was equally impressive. we elected 89 new freshmen members of the house of representatives making up 40% of our majority. kelly ayotte who is with us today is a proud new freshman

member elected in 2010. joining a great new class of new members in washington, d.c. she gave up her career as a prosecutor, gave up her first big elected office as the first female to be elected attorney general in the state of new hampshire to take a shot at a seat in the united states senate. she had the courage to want to go to washington to deliver real change. she is doing just that. [applause] in our short time in washington, she has been an important voice to promote life, to project our veterans and stop runaway spending. i hear she is beginning to lead a bipartisan revolt in the united states senate against harry reid to actually do a budget for the first time in

three years. [applause] i do not have to tell kelly this, but guess what, it is a about time. it has been more than three years. i will turn this all over to kelly in a couple of minutes but i have a couple of things i want to say. the upcoming election will be the most important election of our lifetimes. you have heard politicians over the course of your life talk about this upcoming election being the most important election of our lifetime. guess what? most of the time it was not. i say the most important election of my lifetime will occur this november. the election will be a referendum on the president's economic policies. whether it is about jobs in the economy, whether it is about gasoline prices, or whether it is about obamacare, that is what the election will be about.

the president will try to make the election a about anything other than those three issues. nobody has tried to work with the president more than i have. lord knows i have tried everything in the world to try to find common ground with the president. last summer to spend months trying to find a way to bring our fiscal house in order and realign entitlement programs so they are sustainable for the long term. the president could not muster the courage to do the right thing. at the last minute he decided to move the goalposts. he demanded a 1.2 trillion dollars in new taxes. he knew that i was not going to go to that point. there has been a lot talk about about how this whole thing played out. the white house tried to spin that i walked out of the negotiations.

there is a lot being written about this all of a sudden. the washington post for a big article. republicans love to talk to dozens of staffers and people who were in the room. they can get down to the details about what kind of muffins or in the room while wilbur having breakfast. one thing i found interesting from an unnamed source from the white house who was horrified that i had the audacity to say that obamacare -- while pushing the president to cut his own health-care law. you can excuse me for speaking like an ordinary american. the american people do not want obamacare. washington and democrats forced it down the throat of the american people and the american people rise up and do something about it. [applause]

guess what? the white house knows this. yesterday marked the second anniversary of the signing into law of obamacare. guess what? the president hit and the vice president hit. everybody in the cabinet hit. these are the things they love to do to go out there and celebrate. nowhere were any of them to be found. apparently they observe the day with a full slate of staff meetings. they were sitting around holding each others hands in sorrow over about what was going to happen in november. [applause] now republican majority will do exactly what we said we would do. we are going to listen to the american people, follow the will of the american people, and have the courage of our conviction to do what we thought was in the best interest of our country.

one of the great things about our political system is there is no limit to the size of the team you can build. we know how this works. the road to the white house will go right through butler county. every yard sign, every door that is not of our candidates from the top of the ticket to the bottom of the ticket. we have to pull together and make sure we deliver for the american people our state and our county republican team that will do the right thing for our country. i am looking forward to working with each and every one of you in this room. we have a lot of work to do this year. i want to thank you for being here. there is not a better group of republicans anywhere in this country. now to kelly. i told you about tally ayotte the center -- kelly ayotte, the

new senator. her husband was a former fighter pilot in the air force and is a small-business owner in new hampshire. i have been to new hampshire more times than i can count. it is a little different than it is here in butler county. she gets this. she decided to show up and have dinner with what people in washington call "the rat pack." you have heard me talk about my friends in washington, when seagram will show up once and awhile we can put up with him. -- lindsey gramm will show up

once in awhile when we can put up with him. you have dinner with our crowd a couple of times, you get to know each other pretty well. kelly understands what is going on in america. she understands what the american people want. she is somebody i am very proud of. ladies and gentlemen, join me in welcoming the freshman senator from the state of new hampshire, kelly ayotte. [applause] >> thank you. thank you so much. it is wonderful to be here with the tonight. first of all, i want to thank your chairman for his leadership.

i know it is a thankless job to be chairman of a party in a county. it is such an important job. thank you so much for your leadership. [applause] i want to thank mr. speaker. it is an honor to be here with you and butler county and share the stage with you in your hometown. both of you have been so gracious to me and i appreciate the opportunity to be here tonight in your district. thank you so much. i know in the past you traveled to new hampshire to campaign for our house candidates. we appreciate it. i am hoping to bring a little bit of the live at free or die state here to ohio. [applause] it is wonderful to be here with all of you. such a great crowd.

i was thinking about it on my way here and how smart you folks are. thes face it, you selected speaker of the house of representatives -- a terrific speaker of the house. not only did to elect a terrific speaker of the house, you also elected the next vice president of the united states, center ron portman. [applause] -- senator ron paortman. it is an honor to serve with him in the senate. he is conservative, smart, knowledgeable. i can tell you he is a go to person and a leader in the republican caucus in the united states senate. you should be very proud you elected him to represent you in 2010. we are so blessed to have john boehner to serve as speaker of

the house at a time of such consequence to our nation. we all know it. we know how important to this is in terms of where our country as perry added he is strong, conservative, tough. he has been a reformer and washington from the minute you elected him to represent you in the house. let's face it, he was against your marks before it was cool. when he became speaker of the house he made sure the house was not going to stuff that wasteful spending the or pet projects into bigger bills again. thank you, mr. speaker. [applause] let's talk about his leadership in the house of representatives.

the critical legislation that the house has passed for the good of our great country. they passed a balanced budget amendment. they pass the repeal of obamacare. they passed approval of the keystone pipeline project. [applause] they had the common sense to pass a responsible budget for our country. speaker john boehner has done all of this in the house only to see every piece of legislation that i just talked about die in the graveyard of the united states senate, led by harry reid.

but i want you to know that not only are you going to have a very important role in the presidential election, but the united states senate. you can change what is happening in the united states senate right now. send us josh mandel. [applause] i got elected in 2010 and i am here to tell you we need reinforcements. we need more conservatives in the united states senate like josh mandell. as the wife of an air rock band or veteran, my husband flew missions and iraq. i admire his service and sacrifice for our country. he is the kind of leader we need in washington.

i have one more thing for you to think about when it comes to josh mandel. think about this could be one of the greatest political trades in history. josh mandel for sharon brown. [applause] i tried to think about it. i have to tell you. i am a red sox fan. unfortunately, i have to say this. this trade is on par with the red sox trading dave ruth to the new york yankees, unfortunately. that is how good this trade could be for the united states senate and our country. if we have speaker john boehner leading our country and we take a majority in the united states senate, we have leader mitch mcconnell in the senate and we have the two of them working

together for a common, conservative agenda for this country. it will be great. there is no question. we need to do it. it will not be enough to save our country. to save our country, we need to take back the presidency. [applause] otherwise, if we have four more years of barack obama, he will be there vetoing every common- sense conservative piece of legislation that we put forward to put our fiscal house in order to save our country. he will continue to fill the executive branch with appointments that treat the

private sector as the enemy. just think about what will happen if he gets more appointments to the united states supreme court. i believe as the speaker said that this is the most important presidential election in the history of our country. we know that with over 15 trillion dollars in debt and a government that has become too big and too oppressive, our country is at a tipping point. we are on the process right now. our great country. we all in this room have to make sure that barack obama is a one-term president. let's commit ourselves to that. [applause]

here is where you matter so much. ohio is ground zero in this presidential election. here is your assignment. i know how hard all of you work. if we win swing states like ohio and my home state of new hampshire, we will be incredibly hard to beat in november. what you do in ohio could very well determine the future of america. i do not need to remind you what is at stake in november for our country. just look at what this president has done in four years. the speaker talked about some of the things this president has done. can you imagine what he would do

with another four years without an election hanging over his head? just think about his record. he began his presidency with an apology tore around the world for our country. he appointed an attorney general that things we should treat terrorists like common criminals. he has time and time again ignored his commanders, his military commanders in iraq and afghanistan. he has thrown our great friend and ally israel under the boss. on the domestic front, this president is on track to rack up more debt than all the other presidents combined in the history of our country. he has added close to five trillion dollars to our 15 trillion dollar plus debt. we have run trillion dollar deficits for the last four years.

in february we have a marker -- why would we ever want to reach? the most amount of debt incurred ever in the history of our country. when it comes to budget, he has no idea how to use a calculator. he has no idea how to balance the budget. look at the budget he proposed last year for our country. his budget was so fiscally irresponsible that when it was put out for a vote in the united states senate, not even one member of his own party could bring themselves to vote for it. it failed 97-0 in the united states senate. his budget this year is no better for our country. that is where we are when it comes to the fiscal state of the

country and this president. look at what happened to gas prices under this president. i am married to a guy who owns a landscaping and snow plowing business. i hear from a lot of small businesses in new hampshire. i go and fill up my car at the pumps and i am appalled at how much we are paying for gas right now. do you realize we are paying $40 more a tank then when he came into office? we cannot afford that. the average family, what that does to their budget. under his presidency, domestic production of gas and oil on federal lands and offshore has gone down significantly. let's not forget the keystone pipeline. it makes so much sense, i do not even know how we are where we are here today with the keystone pipeline. he does not want us to get our oil from canada.

he would rather us get our oil from the middle east with countries that do not like us. he does not want to create 20,000 direct jobs for our country with the keystone pipeline. he would rather fund projects like solyndra. think about what he did this week. he thinks we are stupid. he goes to oklahoma and it shows up and says, i will expedite this portion of the keystone pipeline -- where he is irrelevant. he is blocking where it matters the most. he thinks we're all going to suddenly think he is for the keystone pipeline. i know and you know that the american people reject they are not as stupid as he thinks they are. there are going to figure it out as the continue to go to the palms and pay more. he holds up something as common sense as the keystone pipeline.

forget obamacare, passed in the middle of the night with the cornhuskers tictac. somebody who ran saying all of the health-care negotiations will be on c-span, and yet it was worked out in a back room with nancy pelosi and harry reid and they had to buy the votes of their own members to do it. nancy pelosi said, we have to pass it to know what is in it. guess what, we know what is in it and the american people do not wanted. [applause] -- do not want it. we have already seen with the 1700 waivers to 4 million people. half of them are to the unions who campaigned for obamacare. i guess it must be nice and helpful to know people in high places to get waivers. it shows you that even those who

supported this bill know that it does not work and it went out of it. hopefully our supreme court next week will call this bill offer what it is -- unconstitutional. [applause] finally, with regulations that are destroying our businesses. i come i around our state and i hear from our small businesses regulation after regulation that is making it more difficult for them to put people to work. job killing but -- bodies that he packs with people who try to find ways so you cannot open up a plant and expand a plant in south carolina, a body that makes it more difficult to put people to work. he appointed these people in a recess appointment that is also unconstitutional, unfortunately. he has heard america's recovery. we cannot let it continue.

-- he has hurt america's recovery. let's be clear. i know that we will have the president in a republican president. when it comes to protecting america, we need a president who believes in american exceptional as a man will never apologize for the united states of america. [applause] we need an attorney general that is appointed that will make sure that no terrorist ever hears the words "you have the right to remain silent." [applause] we need a president who is not going to -- who will listen to