republicans, they will throw you to the wolves. it is a dog-eat-dog world, and if you want security in your life, stick with us. i tell you what, it is a false choice. it is an empty promise. if you want to look at what this false choice looks like, we have already been given a glimpse of what an obama presidency unplugged would look like. did you see that thing with the russian president? unbelievable. if you see what they're doing controversial election year to have these new government- granted rights trampled on our constitutional rights like our first amendment right to religious freedom and liberty in a tough election year, what do you think he is going to do

after he never has to face the voters again in implementing this health care law? so, the good news. -- we can turn this back. we can do this. we showed you how to get off of debt and decline, on to prosperity, pay off our debt, we apply our first principles -- if we show you exactly how to do this. we need to offer the country a choice of two futures -- have a sharp contrast, so the american people can decide which they want their country to be, not some backroom commission. we owe you the respect of letting you decide what you want americans and american to be in the 21st century. if we win that kind of affirming election, then you have given us the authority, the responsibility and the obligation to save the american idea and the american dream for

a generation. [applause] >> we can do this. we can turn this around. the country is not going to be fooled. people know what is at stake. people know we are on the wrong track, and good news is if you reapplied the ideas that made us great, we can get right back on track, and that is what this is all about. i want to make an introduction. i, like the rest of you have a vote on tuesday to make, so i, like the rest of you, our thinking, what do i do? who is the best person? i have known these gentleman for years. newt gingrich is a brilliant man, a friend for a long time. i serve with rick santorum for a long time. i have nothing but good things to say about these men, the one i've of the votes i have to make on tuesday, what goes to my mind is who will be the best president?

who is most likely, most willing and able to deliver on the reforms that are so necessary quickly, and who has the best chance of defeating barack obama? [applause] >> i think the primary has been helpful. i think it has been constructive. it has brought these issues to the fore, where we are having the debates we need about the big ideas, but there comes a point where this primary can become counter-productive. if we keep dragging this thing on, it will get us off of the mission and the goal which is this -- save our country in november by replacing barack obama as our president. [applause]

>> that is why for me and my vote, i think we need to coalesce around a person who we think is going to be the best president, who is going to deliver these kinds of reforms with the courage, experience, and ability to do it, and who gives us the best chance of realizing this vision and putting it into practice, and in my humble opinion, that person is mitt romney. [applause] >> this is big. you know what? wisconsin, we have a big responsibility. we have a big opportunity. the whole country is watching, wisconsin, and we, on june the fifth, tuesday, and in november, we can take back our state, reapplying our founding principles, and we can help decide the fate of this country.

then, we will look back at this moment and know it was a time in history where this generation stood up to do what was right to protect the next generation, just like our parents did for us. please join me in welcoming to the stage, governor mitt romney. [applause] ♪ i was born free i was born free >> thank you. ♪ thank you. please. thank you. what a remarkable thing to do which it get up on saturday morning and, listen to politicians. you guys are just fabulous. i appreciate you being here, and i know you're not just here for me.

i particularly appreciate the extraordinary introduction of your congressmen paul ryan. what a leader in our party. what a conservative. [applause] >> i very much appreciate his support and endorsement, and appreciate the that the you are focused on doing what has to be done, getting our country back on track, and replacing barack obama. that is a job we need to get done soon. [applause] >> i listened to congressman ryan, and he described almost every policy area that we confront, the challenges we have, and the importance of this election. i thought i would take a moment to talk about the process, the experience i have had of getting a chance to go across the country and meet fellow americans. i had not expected as a young man that i would have the chance to do what i am doing. i thought i would be in business like my dad was all my life, yet

he later in life decided to run for office, and the opportunity opened up after the olympics in 2000 to to go back to my state, and i now find myself with the chance to go across the country and i meet the people they you do not see on the news. the people you see on the news have done something unusual, and generally not a good thing. i get to meet every day americans who do not make the news, but nonetheless inspire. i come away from this process more enthusiastic and more optimistic about the future of our country, because i have seen the american people firsthand. [applause] >> i mean, i was in appleton yesterday. i met a husband and wife in their 60's. they expected to be retiring about now.

they purchased a couple of duplexes as rental properties to be the end, for their retirement, but the home values have collapsed, some 30% under the president, so they are not able to require. one is working at a company that only has $1 million in revenue, and he is a salesman, so how many sales people you can afford a small company is something he has to worry about, and his wife works at a department store. both are working hard, but both are committed to making sure their future is bright. they have a son out of work, but they are helping him. tough times, but people that are not discouraged, not despondent. i met another woman yesterday from avastin who was born outside of this country, came here, and has two children, sons in their 30's.

one of them is disabled. she works as a translator. she loves her work. she provides for herself and her family. a remarkable story of american spirit. i was at saint louis to get a guy was working for the city in the landscaping division, and decided to start his own landscaping business. he has some two hundred people working for him. his only worry is gasoline prices, driving around from home-to-home, which is not easy to do with the price of gasoline, and he hears that the epa is thinking about regulating carbon emissions from lawn mowers. then, he thinks how can i afford replacing lawn mowing equipment and snowblower snacks not a lot of snow this year. he did not have to get them out often. another man i met in san antonio, texas, he came from this country from cambodia in 1976.

he went to work in a restaurant, then as a taxi driver in new york city, decided to save money and apply to business school, got an mba and started working in government-related positions, ultimately became part of the white house team for george w. bush and was appointed ambassador to the united nations. 14 years after coming to this country. he said you could not imagine the motion i have as i stood before the foundations, said that i come representing the people of the united states of america. [applause] >> there is no other nation on earth like america.

i used to travel around and see different countries, and i was always proud of the fact that i have a special gift no one else had. i was american. there was no question in my heart said it was special to be american. i wonder why it is as i tell you these stories and meet people across the country that we are an extraordinary land with extraordinary people who live done more to lift people around the world of poverty than any other nation. free enterprise, as we promoted -- [applause] >> and of course, the greatest contribution was not just free enterprise and the concept of freedom itself, but the sacrifice of our sons and daughters over many wars to free people from tyranny and despotism. this is a remarkable land. [applause] >> i wonder, as i think about those things, if it does not all go back to the very foundation

of america, that when the founders of the country crafted the words of the declaration of independence, i believe they chose in those few words and principles a vision for america that would make this unique and exceptional in the world, not only the freest nation, but the most prosperous and the greatest. you know those words. they concluded by brilliance or inspiration that we were endowed by our creator with the rights, and among those rights would be life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, and those rights, and those associated with them, i believe, are what made america what we are, and today those rights are under attack by this administration, which is one more reason why we have to replace this administration. [applause]

>> this is an election not just about a person, not even about a party. is about a vision of america. we are going to choose the destiny of america, just like the founders chose a couple hundred years ago. we will choose what america is going to be like over the next hundred years in this election. this is an inflection point, where we decided we're going to be committed to the life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, or a different course. president obama believes in a government-centered society. he does not call a. , but if you listen to his speeches he believes government calling our lives will do a better job doing so that individuals. you see that item after item.

think about the economy. did you realize that government at all levels today consumes 37% of the total economy? 37%. if we allow obama-care to stand, it will consumed directly almost half of the total american economy. then, when you consider the intrusions of power they are putting into industries like the automotive industry, the financial-services industry, the energy industry -- they will control either directly or indirectly over half of the american economy, and we will have to stop and ask ourselves, are we still a free economy? do we believe in free enterprise, or are we becoming what some of the most unsuccessful countries have become, a government-dominated economy? these are the choices we have to make. the president continues to

build government larger and larger, creating more and more dependence upon government. this is a time when he is willing to put together trillion dollar deficits. can you imagine that as your legacy, and he has done it every year. if i am president, we are going to cut federal spending, cap federal spending, and finally have a balanced budget amendment. [applause] >> government-centered society is crushing economic freedom. you understand the impact of regulations, for instance, and how it could make it harder for small businesses to grow. let me mention another one. taxation. we know high taxes make it harder for people to make ends meet and kill jobs, but let me give a little granular to that.

the president wants to raise the marginal tax rate from 35% to 40%. think about that for a moment. do you know how many people in america were in businesses that are taxed at the individual level, at the marginal tax level, not the corporate tax rate? 54% of american workers work in businesses that are taxed as individuals, so when you raise that tax rate from 35% to 40%, you kill jobs. that is what he is doing. he would rather have money for the american people than for small business that encourages free enterprise and economic and fatality. there are some other ideas. one of the special ideas on obama-care is to apply a 2.3% tax on sales of businesses. if you want to start some new idea, and own profitable business, you will get taxed even if you are not profitable.

one russian company said they would have to lay off two hundred people to pay the new tax on their business. then you heard the vice president yesterday -- did you hear him yesterday? he has a lot of things to say, does he not? [laughter] >> anytime you're a looking for something to go after in a political sense, just listen to the vice president. >> the vice president has material for us. [laughter] yesterday, he was talking about taxing companies all over the world. if you are here as an american company, we will tax you for your enterprises. does he not understand this means the enterprises will leave and go somewhere else?

they just kill economic freedom. they make it harder and harder for our economy to grow and would be allowed to work. the proof is in the pudding. look at this recovery. the weakest recovery we have seen since hoover. this is a time for freedom. it is not a time for the government to dominate society or the economy. [applause] you know, i think the american worker should be able to join a union and form a union if they would like to. i do not think you need to be forced on them and i do not think that unions should be able to take money out of a worker's pay check and give it to a politician that the union boss wants to give it to. [applause]

you know that religious freedom is under attack. again, under obamacare. they want to dictate to the catholic church that the employees of the catholic church have to be provided by the catholic church with health insurance that gives them free contraceptive entry sterilization treatments despite the fact that this violates the conscience of the catholic church. if i am president of the united states, this great choice we have will make sure that in my case, i will restore and protect religious freedom. we are one nation under god and that must be maintained. [cheers and applause] life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. life was the first of those. i want to protect the sanctity of human life.

if i am president of the united states, unlike this one, i will restore the mexico city policy. i will defund planned parenthood and i will take our money out of the united nations population fund. [applause] i mentioned to you what it was like being able to travel abroad and standing in a little taller, a little straighter because i knew i had a gift that others did not have and that was i was american. something we all share. i think that means a different thing to each of us. it means something important to all of us. people understand it is important to be american. it is exceptional and special to be american. our president does not have the same feelings about american exceptionalism that we do. over the last three or four years, people have begun to question that.

on this tuesday, we have an opportunity to vote. to take the next up. to bring back the special nature of being american. it to not turn us into a government-dominated society like we have seen other nations pursued but to restore to this country of principles that made this nation the greatest in the history of the earth. to restore our commitment to the pursuit of happiness. i represent someone who believes in the stunning principles. the president says he wants to transform america. i do not want to transform america. i want to restore to america the principles that made us the hope of the earth and together, we will do that on tuesday and every day thereafter until we get back the white house. thank you. thank you. ♪ ♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage, from the

wisconsin coalition, jesse garza. [applause] >> hello, everyone. are you having fun today? [cheers and applause] what an amazing lineup of speakers we have this morning. well, has seen an explosion of the hispanic population of wisconsin. the population increase 73% and we now have more of a 103,000 eligible hispanic voters here in our great state. if we want to maintain that, we must capture the strength of the faith in the hispanics and see if there is engagement. and i have the distinct pleasure of introducing to you a true defender of the hispanic vote. judge alberto gonzales served as

the 80th attorney general of the united states and the first inning to lead the nation's largest law enforcement agency. as white house counsel to president george w. bush, benzol was played a vital role in the administration's fight in the war of terror. he is currently a chair of law at belmont university and his counsel at the national law firm. he was born in texas and raised in a household that personified the core values of hard work, personal initiative, dedication to family, and perseverance in the face of adversity. gonzales serve the air force. he attended the air force academy and graduated from rice university. he is the first member of his family to graduate from college. after receiving his law degree from harvard, gonzales practiced law at the houston law firm.

he was the secretary of state of texas in 1997. he was a justice of the texas supreme court in 1999. i am honored to present to my friend, the former attorney general, alberto gonzales. >> thank you. thank you. my message today is really quite simple and very direct. we, as a party, we need to reach out to the hispanic community. we need to make hispanics fill welcome. we need to educate hispanics. we need to encourage them to participate. you know, i have served in the white house with a man who understood the importance of the hispanic timidity to the future of this party.

president bush also realize the importance of hispanic community to the continued greatness of our country. some people believe that hispanics along to the democratic party. hispanics, we believe in a job, not a handout. [applause] we value opportunity over more government. we believe in a society that rewards us based upon our ingenuity and creativity, not based on our skin color. [applause] we believe in god and family. we love america. how we love america and all the opportunities that it provides us. we love it so much. the hispanics are willing to enlist to fight, to die for this country, even though we may not be eligible to vote for its

leaders. this is what i believe that this is why i am a repu we have some major challenges confronting our country today. we need to do everything we can to make sure that changes occur in the white house. the hispanic vote is -- the hispanic vote is decisive in arizona, texas, colorado. tomorrow, it will be decisive in states like wisconsin. today, i do not believe that any republican candidate, and the of the gentleman you are listening to this morning, with respect, can win the white house without hispanic support. [applause] that is why it is so important that the way the party deals with issues like immigration -- let me take that back.

the with the party talks about issues like immigration will impact the future course of this party and the future course of this nation. i love america so much for the many opportunities it has given me. the son of a mexican carpenter and cotton picker and i became the united states attorney general. [applause] but we, as a nation, we are at a crossroads. we need new leadership. it is time for us to take advantage of the natural alliance that exists between the hispanic community and the republican party and take back our country. thank you very much. [applause] ♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome back the chairman of the wisconsin faith and freedom coalition. [applause] thank you. i brought a lot of family. that is why the applause is that out. [laughter] to it is a great. right now, we want to take an opportunity to thank all of our elected officials with us today. i asked you hold it was until the end. as i call up these things, please rise. county executive. you cannot take direction. [laughter] senator dan when guard. ok, go ahead.

representative jeff stone. representative bill kramer. representative don pridemor. tommy thompson. [cheers and applause] jeff fitzgerald. good luck in your u.s. senate race. now, you can applaud. [applause] thank you. this is one of my favorite parts of any gathering.

i would like to have all our veterans and the families of veterans please stand. [applause] thank you for your sacrifice that gives us our freedoms and our liberties and protect us. thank you. god bless you. i am excited to be able to introduce our next speaker. he is the founder and chairman of the faith and freedom coalition. he is the senior adviser to bush-cheney campaigns. titles only a few of the for him. [laughter] at least one relative is here. as chairman of the georgia republican party, he led the gop to its biggest victory in history, helping to elect the first republican governor since

reconstruction. as executive director of the christian coalition from 1989 to 1987, he built one of the most effective public policy organizations and political history. he is a best-selling author, husband, father, and a true patriot for conservative american values. ladies and gentlemen, please help me welcome to the stage, the founder and chairman of the faith and freedom coalition, dr. ralph reed. [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. thank you so much for having me. are you having fun? [cheers and applause] i heard you had a primary coming up. is that right? but, we have one more presidential candidate who will be speaking.

my good friend, former senator rick santorum. we're glad to have him. [applause] it is great to be back in wisconsin. when i came here in may of 2010, i was flying in from overseas. i was pretty jet lag. they said, we why you to come to the state convention for the republican party. i believe that your state chairman was a guy you may know. he is doing a fabulous job. he called me up and he said do you believe in free speech? i said, yes, i do. he said, will you come to milwaukee and give a free speech? [laughter] so, i did. and after i spoke at the prayer breakfast and we prayed for our state and for this nation, we have an organizational meeting to begin building faith and freedom in wisconsin.

we had an audacious plan. our plan was simple. in 2008 and as far as i'm concerned, the most out of the mainstream individual to ever be elected president of the united states won, not in the cliffhanger, but in a landslide. there were 17 million evangelical christians who did not go to the polls. either because they were never registered to vote or because they were registered to vote and they did not even make the effort to cast the ballot. our goal at stake and freedom coalition is to make sure that every single one of those 17 million bible leading evangelical christians and their faithful catholic allies, every single one of them is registered to vote. every one is educated, informed,

and goes to the polls and primaries on election day. [applause] that is our goal. i share that vision that morning and the chairman honored me with his presence. the former head of christian coalition and was counted attended that meeting. tony and his wife were there. tony came up to me after the meeting with tears in his eyes that he said, you know, i was not looking for a job. but i am committed. you sold me. in the fall campaign, not just here in wisconsin, but all over america, we made over 60 million voter contacts to voters upstate all over america. what happened here was an earthquake. the election of one of the finest public servants in america today as your governor, scott walker. [cheers and applause]

the election of my good friend and your good friend as lieutenant governor. [cheers and applause] the election of one of the most articulate and effective conservatives in the u.s. senate, ron johnson. that was quite an improvement. conservatives gained control of the state house and the state senate. but they're cutting taxes and streamline government. we elected new members of congress. three months later, we had a new chairman of the republican national committee. 30 days later, the green bay packers won the super bowl. that is a pretty good run. [cheers and applause]

let me tell you, we are not done yet. we are not done yet. the eyes of america are on wisconsin again. beginning on tuesday. whether it was john f. kennedy defeated hubert humphrey from the neighboring state of minnesota in 1960 in a huge upset that propelled him to the nomination or it was jimmy carter upsetting mo udall here in 1976. this primary has a history of sending a message to the nation. then again on june 5, the eyes of the world will be on wisconsin. america will decide beginning here on june 5 whether or not we are going to go forward into the optimistic future of limited government and lower taxes and a return to time-honored values, or whether or not we will

continue to go down the path of government bankrupting future generations and government policy being in the hands of public-sector union bosses instead of taxpayers. i believe, on june 5, governor walker will be retained as the governor of this date and we will look towards the bright future. [cheers and applause] you know, the pundits and the press are continually amazed by the persistence and the endurance of the pro-family conservative voters. they have been writing our obituaries for 30 years. saying we were going to go away. well, you know, as mark twain famously said, the premature reports of our death are greatly exaggerated. [laughter] if you look at the network exit

polls for 2012, there have been 26 contests. we of exit polls for 18 of them. if you aggregate that total votes, that is 10 million votes cast so far, 50.53% of them, nationwide, have been cast by self identified, a bible- believe in it, evangelical christians. they're not just republicans. there the mainstream of america. 92% of the american people tell the gallup organization they believe in god. 80% say they believe that the bible is the literal word of god. 57% of the american people tell people that they pray every single day.

that number has been on the increase since barack obama was elected president. [laughter] who are we and what we believe? we believe in the ethic of work and personal responsibility and individual initiative. we believe government should live within its means just like we have the balance our checkbooks every month. we believe in god. we believe and that faith is what built america and we further believe that in america today, in the 21st century, faith in god is what is right with america. it is not what is wrong with america. it should be celebrated and honored again. [applause]

we believe in a government that is limited to the specific purposes, that are laid out in the declaration of independence and the u.s. constitution and the the bill of rights. the government should not do anything beyond those founding charter. [applause] we believe in the sanctity of innocent human life and we believe that the institution of marriage defined as a man and woman is one of the foundational institutions of a free society. we will continue to preserve it. [applause] we have got new allies on this agenda of faith and freedom. just out of curiosity, how many of your members of the tea party movement or have attended a tea party event? there you go. i attended one of the first

rallies in the country in atlanta, georgia and early 2009. it bubbled up from the grassroots from kitchen tables and small businessmen and women who were looking at the stimulus package that obama wanted to bring about. they were fighting it when everybody had given up. when newsweek put on its cover that america was a socialist nation -- they went bankrupt shortly after that cover story. [applause] we have been viciously attacked. nancy pelosi called us nazis. people have said we should be taken out. when a member of that family says you should be taken out -- [laughter]

they do not mean for pizza. then there is joe biden. [laughter] he is a last line. joe biden compared to terrorists. now, i have news for them and if they don't know it, they will find out. our right to speak out and petition our government has been purchased by the blood of patriots who paid the ultimate price and bore the ultimate burden and gave the highest level of sacrifice that you and i might be free today. i do not care how much they attack us. or try to stigmatize us or our leaders. we are not going to be intimidated. we will not go away. we will not be silenced. [cheers and applause]

so, we have a big job to do. i want to challenge you, as your friend, to work harder than you have ever worked. pray more fervently than you have ever pray. this is not just a political struggle or an ideological struggle. this is a spiritual struggle. this is about what is most important, not just in washington, but in our hearts and in our lives. we have to make sure that what happened in 2008 when 70 million our brothers and sisters in christ did not even bother to vote because they believed this was the greatest nation on the face of the earth, we have to winter that never happens

again. in 2012, we are currently building a file of 27 million social conservative voters. we are building a file 5 million conservatives who are not registered to vote. go to our website right now -- ffcoalition.com any unregistered social conservatives of whatever faith or denominations will come up. you can contact them directly. there is a script there. our goal is to register a minimum of 2 million new social conservative voters. before october 1 of 2012. and then, we will mail them. we will phone them. we will tax them. we will e-mail them. if they have not voted by election day, we will go to

their house and knocked on their door and we will take them to the polls and i will tell you,, election night when we are standing on a ballroom floor like this, you will see the longest faces of network news anchors you have ever seen in your life. we will be celebrating the biggest victory in american history. [cheers and applause] you know, ronald reagan said that a federal program is the closest thing to eternal life on this planet. [laughter] after listening to the oral arguments on obamacare this week in washington, and it was my privilege to be there for some of the rallies outside, i am not so sure. i will tell you this. even though the supreme court has an opportunity to do the right thing, and we believe the

right thing to do because this legislation is a dagger aimed at the heart of religious freedom and the sanctity of life in our country from taxpayer- funded abortion, which is allowed under obamacare for the first time since the high amendment in 1978, to the ability of 15 unelected bureaucrats and what is called the independent in an advisory board to sequester funds under medicare to deny care and a certain procedures to certain patients, threatening the ability of the disabled and the elderly to get access to the quality care they need. to the mandate on religious charities and educational institutions, schools and universities. forcing them to fund services that violates their conscience and directly contradict the

teaching of their deeply held religious faith. this is not a minor issue. yes, it affects the catholic church. one in every 10 men and women in america live below the poverty level is catholic. one in every six is lying in a catholic hospital. this is not about to put together domination. this is about whether colorado christian university or ohio christian university in columbus, ohio or whether concordia university in wisconsin should be forced by the federal government to violate their own conscience and their own faith. my friends, this is a travesty. if the supreme court does not do its job, in november, we will do the job for them. moving vans will be pulling into the white house to take obama back to chicago, where he belongs. [applause]

then, let me tell you what will happen. on january 20, 2013, we will be gathered on a lawn in front of the capitol. a new president of the united states will put his hand on a bible that will be held by his wife and john roberts will administer the oath. when he takes his hand off the bible, the crowd will cheer. a band will play. there'll be a 21-gun salute sounded from cannons nearby. we will celebrate, as a nation, that once again, we did not allow the most free and the greatest country on the face of the earth's to slip through our

hands. when that ceremony is over, but new president, in their first official act, will walk up the stairs of the west front and go into any room just off the front of the capitol and he will sign into law legislation that will have already been passed by a new senate and a new house, repealing obamacare once and for all. it will be left on the ashes of history, where it belongs. [laughter] -- [applause] now, this is a great he bent. if you really mean this, if you are not just here to cheer can reach to the acquirer. i want you to come to the front of this room when senator santorum is done anything. we are holding a meeting right up front. i will be here. tony will be here.

our field staff will be here. we will talk about the county's, churches, and making this vision a reality. i invite you to come up afterwards. i promise we will keep it short. it will not last more than 50 or 20 minutes. if you cannot stay for that meeting, then i encourage you to go on our website or your mobile phone and get involved in this organization. i want to close by talking about a man who was the best friend this country ever had, winston churchill. he loved america. you may know his mother was an american. he said something once about america that i think captured us pretty well. he said "the american people always do the right thing." after they have exhausted every other possibility. [laughter] he knew was pretty well. we have tried a lot of things. we have tried to, if it feels good, do it.

we tried keeping up with the joneses. we tried the government. none of it worked. in our dna, is a unique combination that yearns to be freed. he desires to rise as high as far as our talents under god will carry us. let us make sure we redeem that promise. let us work as hard as we have to. thank you very much. god bless you. ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the executive director of the faith and freedom coalition. >> good afternoon. we have still got some exciting speakers for you today. i will introduce one, but first, i want to say a special word. we have hundreds more in our overflow rooms in the hallway.

i want to say to them watching on camera, we appreciate you sticking it out. we appreciate you guys being part of it. [applause] the conservative movement today owes a debt of gratitude to senator rick santorum. even though pennsylvania is no longer have the privilege to have him represent them in the united states senate, he is now a leading figure in the conservative movement. rick santorum is a passionate defender of the unborn. defender of religious freedom. an advocate for the greatest wealth creating an engine in history, american free enterprise. as a native of pennsylvania, i have had the pleasure of seeing him working for pennsylvania families. it is not a pleasure to see him working for american families.

please welcome a true conservative leader, senator rick santorum. [cheers and applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. thank you for being here and showing an overwhelming presence to those focusing their time and energy on wisconsin, showing that wisconsin stands for eighth and freedom and the values that made this country great. that is what i am hearing is across this great state of wisconsin. the first thing i want to do is to send you. thank you for your hospitality. karen is that some other events today here in wisconsin.

we have been very warmly welcome. things i hear everything i go as i cross the state and across the country is that people are saying the same thing over and over again. i am praying for you. i can tell you that we appreciate it very much. people say, how do you go on and go to 385 time hall meetings in iowa and then continue to cross this country ever since june? i have had a few days off but i have been out on the road every other day. going across, trying to deliver a message to this country. this is the most important election in our country's history. we have been able to do this because of your prayers and support. i just want to thank you. all of you. it is holding us up. it is making a difference.

one of the campaigns for president a week or so ago suggested that he would take an act of god for rick santorum to win the nomination for president. i do not know about you, but i believe in the act of god. that is where we are coming from. [applause] you know, a lot of issues have been focused on in this campaign year people are saying that their races be about the economy. economy. economy. economy. that is where all the energy is. the economy is important. i talked about it all the time. also talk about the other issues that are important. i was just out at the jelly belly factory. [laughter] i gave a talk to remind us what conservative means. this was not just focus on one issue.

never has been because we understand it is insufficient. you cannot have a strong economy, as you are safe from threats from around the world. you cannot have a strong economy unless you are built upon a strong moral foundation and a strong family. that is the message i have been delivering across this country. it is a comprehensive message. it is the reagan message. it is the three-legged stool. why? not because they happen to be very nice principal positions. because they work together. they interrelate. we cannot be a party or movement that just focuses on one thing because it happens to be the most important issue at the time without understanding that what rallies and encourages us as conservatives are issues far beyond just a moment.

the pressing issue of the day. certainly, you have to have a plan to address those issues. we have. we have gone out there with a message that the wall street journal refers to as supply-side economics for the working man. we talk about energy, growing the energy sector of our economy. we talk about manufacturing. one of the great manufacturing states of this country is wisconsin. we see manufacturers still leaving the state of wisconsin. the opportunity to compete against foreign competition makes it an even playing field for america. that is why i have gone out with a plan that repeals every single obama regulation that he has put in place that cost over $100 million a year. [applause] we will do that on day one. we can do that on day one. i am the only person that has gone out there and made that bold statement because is constricting the growth of our economy. number two, to take the tax code and simplify it. two rates.

simple, five deductions. children, a charity's, pensions, health care, and housing. pro-growth. corporate tax, cut in half. so we can compete on the world coming eliminated. we have a plan. we will reduce the deficit 5 trillion dollars in five years. we will get to a balanced budget in five years. all of these things we have been out there -- [applause] we have another talking about how we are going to grow the economy and shrink the size of the government. let us be honest. shrinking the size of the government, we can try to do that but it is we do not have strong families and, we are only temporary bit closer to getting the numbers down here without a

strong basis for the government to be able to receive, someone else has to pick up the slack. senator grossman showed me a chart that if you are a single woman earning $15,000 with two children, the state of wisconsin provides $30,000 in benefits. $30,000 in benefits. i am sure it is well meaning. you want to help people in difficult situations. if she gets married, she loses $30,000. what have we done? in an attempt to help people who are going through a difficult time, we have destroyed the opportunity for marriage. we have destroyed the opportunity for people to get married, even if they are co- habitation.

it is government doing things they think are being helpful. they're not. the federal government is not at the state is not. that is why we have to get these programs out of washington. we need to get them back to the states and they have to get them back into the local communities. we have to start understanding that, as much as we try to help, if we do not have families the more stable and secure in america, limited government is impossible. the poverty rate amongst two- parent families is 1/5 of what it is among single-parent families. almost 40%. we know that you cannot have a stable and growing economy as the family breaks down. it is. in america today, 51% of people over the age of 18 are married. that is down from 71% 30 years ago. down 5% in the last three years.

it is dropping like a rock. in part because of the leaders who disparaged the institution of marriage and are trying to cheap and it. ladies and gentlemen, we need someone who will go out and tell the truth to the american public about what is concerning our economy. what is concerning the american family. we need to be able to tie the two together so we can have a resurgence in america. a resurgence that allows us to cut taxes and create energy policies to grow the economy, but also one that understands that we need someone to remind us of what made this country great. [applause]

as ronald reagan did, this country is a great country because we were founded great. we were founded on the idea of limited government. we saw that debate in the supreme court justice week. is the constitution a document that actually says you can limit the power of the federal government or have we reached a point where the constitution is not worth the paper is printed on? the court will decide that. we get to be said that, too. we get to the side that in the election. this election has to be about big things. limited government. the unlimited potential of the american people. whether we will build the great society one church, one school, one community and civic organization, one small business at a time. or whether we will be ruled from the top.

the two biggest issues in this race that we have talked about a lot are obamacare and energy. i would just share with you that if you want obamacare repealed -- anybody want it repealed? [cheers and applause] we cannot rely on the supreme court. we have to rely on people who want to stand up and fight for freedom, just like you are doing here in the state of wisconsin. standing by your governor and fighting for freedom and opportunity is here. [cheers and applause] you have to fight for that. the central part of that fight is government takeover of health care. as justice kennedy said, it will change the relationship between the government and their people. why? because our country was based on we the people. we the people govern. the government is there to serve us.

when the government controls or your health care and tells you what you must purchase, tells you to do things that may be against your conviction, you know longer rule the government. the government rules you. that needs to change. [applause] that is why, if we are born to win this election, we have to make this the centerpiece. there is no issue before us that has a greater impact on a greater number of voters in such an important way. unemployment. the congressional budget office says the they will increase unemployment. slowing down economic growth.

again, raising taxes. spending money. and, of course, the relationship between you and the government. you will not be told how to run your life when it comes to your health care. your economic freedom will be taken. your religious freedom, as well. think of all of the richness that if we make this the centerpiece and repeal obamacare and have someone who can go out and make the arguments -- i never supported those arguments, ever. ever. [applause] on monday, i stood at the steps of the supreme court and i said, if you want obamacare repealed, you cannot rely on the supreme court.

we have to pick up 13 votes to win the senate. you have to have this reached the mandate for repeal. that means you have to have someone who can make the arguments, a ticket to the public and take it to the president. unfortunately, the choice you have before you in this election in wisconsin on tuesday -- one person who can make that case. you have when you cannot. why? he presented the blueprint for obamacare and advocated it. they said a prescription on what you can buy, taxes employers, people who do not buy insurance. that is the massachusetts health care plan. the people who developed its actually went and health obamacare. obama developing his plan. he is uniquely disqualified. the reason karen and i decided with seven children -- we knew this would be the biggest issue in this race because it is about freedom.

it is about who we are. i knew this would not work unless we can have someone who takes this without reservation. someone who says over the, this is what you said. this is what you did. it is obama's achilles heel. 75% would like to see it repealed. it is the most pressing issue of our time because it is about who we are. why in the world what they republican party give that issue away in the general election? [applause] if it is not just that, the

other big issue right now is energy. i guess prices. i never agreed to mandate global warming. never once was i a member of the club who bought into political science and man-made global warming. [applause] nor did i see it as a reason to go ahead and expand the size and skill of government by imposing a cap and tax program. again, maybe the second most visceral issue, $5 gasoline and who knows what it will be later? the most visceral issue that will harm our economy and hurt the average person, those folks were in the middle who swing elections one way or another, there is only one candidate that did not buy into this political science.

only one candidate who did not say, higher gas prices are a good thing. we need to have less consumption of gasoline in america. there is only one candidate who said that we need to have a pro- energy program to grow the economy here it to another area is on federal lands to reduce the budget deficit as well as the economy. there is only one person who can beat obama without him saying, by the way, you bought into this too. why? why would we give this issue away? the top two economic issues as to who we are as americans and what is affecting the american public -- we have someone who can make the argument and make it to all conservatives. to rally conservatives. how did we win the 2010 election? we won it. we won it by energizing the tea party and storming the polling

places. now with moderate candidates. with conservative candidates whom you can trust to do what they say. no etch a sketch. written on your heart. [applause] governor romney says he will run as a conservative. i will not run as a conservative. i am a conservative. [cheers and applause] i ask for fellow conservatives -- someone who understands the reagan coalition lives because it is not the reagan coalition. it is the founders' coalition.

if you stand by that, if you stand by that, do not listen to the pundits. i bet you there are a lot of people out here to get frustrated when you elect members of congress or others and they go to washington and they say they will be a conservative and in order to pass a bill or two, they compromise. poll ratings are 10%. they're telling you the same thing. to compromise. they're telling you to give up your principles in order to win. how has that been working out for us? giving up our principles in order to win. do not do what you criticize your elected officials of doing. stand up for what you know is right for america. stand up and vote your conscience because you know what, what you know is right for america is also a winning message for america.

you do that and we will win. thank you very much. god bless you. >> ladies and gentleman, please welcome the chairman of the freedom coalition. >> wasn't this awesome? >> spur economic growth and increase the deficit. there will talk about the republican strategy to reduce gas prices.

i have been talking about a choice we face as a country. we can either settle for an economy when few people do really well and it reveals -- and everybody else struggles to get by, or we can build an economy where hard work pays off, where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same roles. -- rules. that is up to us. today, i want to talk to about the idea that everyone in this country should do their fair share. if this were a perfect world, we would have unlimited resources. no one would have to pay taxes and we could spend as much as we wanted. we live in the real world. we do not have unlimited resources. we have a deficit that needs to be paid down. we need to pay for investment that will help our economy grow and keep our country save. -- safe. education, research and technology, a strong military, and retirement programs like medicare and social security. that means we need to make

choices. when it comes to paying down the deficit and investing in our future, should we ask middle- class americans to pay more at a time when budgets are stretched to the breaking point? or, do we ask some of the wealthiest americans to pay their fair share? that is the choice. we have spent hundreds of billions of dollars on what was supposed to be a temporary tax cut for the wealthiest 2% of americans. we're scheduled to spend almost $1 trillion more. today, the wealthiest are paying taxes at one of the lowest rates in 50 years. warren buffett is paying a lower rate than a secretary. over the last 30 years, the tax rate for middle-class families have barely budged. that is not fair. it does not make any sense. do we want to keep giving tax breaks to the wealthiest americans, folks like myself or warren buffet or bill gates, people who do not need them and never asked for them?

do we want to keep investing in the things that will grow our economy? we cannot afford to do both. some people call this class warfare. i think asking a billionaire to pay at least the same tax rate as the secretary is common sense. we don't envy success in this country. we aspire to it. we also believe that anyone who does well for themselves should do their fair share in return so that more people have the opportunity to get ahead, not just a few. that is the america i believe in. in the next few weeks, members of congress will get a chance to show you where they stand. congress will vote on the buffet rule. if you make more than $1 million a year, you should pay at least the same percentage of your income in taxes as a middle-class families do.

on the other hand, if you make under to launder $50,000 a year, like 90% -- under $250,000 a year, you're the ones who deserve a break. if they vote to keep giving tax breaks to people like me, tax rates our country cannot afford, they will have to explain to you where that money comes from. it will either add to our deficit or come out of your pocket. seniors will have to pay more for medicare benefits. students will see interest rates go up at a time when they cannot afford it. families who are scraping by will have to do more because the richest americans are doing less. that is not right. that is not we are. in america, our story has never been about what we can do by ourselves. it is about what we can do together. it is about believing in our future in the future of this country. tell members of congress to do the right thing. called up, write the letter, pay them a visit, and tell them to stop giving tax breaks to people who don't need them, and start investing in the things that will help grow our economy and put people back to work. that is how we will make this country a little fairer, a

little more just, and a whole lot stronger. thanks. >> one of the biggest challenges facing taxpayers right now was paying at the pump. rising gas prices read all kinds of havoc on families, especially in this time when many are still asking, where are the jobs? going back to my days of running a small business, i have for plenty of politicians say they will do something about energy, but never followed up. this has to change. the house is acting, approving a budget this week that removes government barriers to job creation, including policies that block american energy production and drive up gas prices. this budget now heads to the democrat-controlled senate, where it faces an uncertain fate. they passed a budget in more than a thousand days. it is a very of leadership that is contributed to washington's stimulus spending bills. the budget, i am sorry to say, is the tip of the iceberg. the senate has called dozens of house-passed bills, several of which would implement the

republicans energy strategy, to adjust rising gas prices and help create jobs. all of these energy bills passed with bipartisan support. many are backed by the president's own jobs council. about a month ago, during a meeting of the white house, i asked president obama to consider working with us on these proposals. the president, who has seen gas prices more than double on his watch, assured leaders in congress that there was room for common ground. there was a new sign of hope. unfortunately, only a brief one. in the weeks since our discussion, president obama has not spoken about these bipartisan house-past energy bills, and gas prices continued to rise. about the only thing the president has pushed the senate to do is to prevent construction of the keystone pipeline, a project the american people strong support. he personally lobbied senate democrats before the vote. that might have made the difference.

he also successfully urged senate democrats to take up energy tax legislation that will not lower the price of gas, and according to the nonpartisan congressional research service, would actually make it more expensive. clearly, the president had some sway over senate democrats. today, i am challenging president obama to make good on his rhetoric and urge the senate to allow a vote on bipartisan, house-past energy bills. let's move forward on a path to a real all of the above energy strategy. in the meantime, the house will consider -- continue to act. this week, republicans launched the next phase of our american energy initiative, focused on addressing rising gas prices. this phase includes proposals to responsibly increase energy production on federal land, and freeze new refinery regulations that will hurt our economy. the pain of the pompous and urgent issue for hard-working

taxpayers. it deserves the same urgency from leaders in washington. the house is doing its part. we can do more if president obama steps up and heeds the will of the american people. thanks for listening. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> tomorrow, rep. ryan and rep. van hollen. >> they put out a chart that shows how three programs eventually consume 100% of revenues. you throw interest on top. they consume 100% of revenues by 2025. it is not an insidious plan by one party or another. it is just demographics. both parties made a lot of

promises to people that the government cannot keep. the gao says it is $100 trillion being made as promises that the government is shy of covering. the sooner we acknowledge that, the better we will be. we can convert these empty promises. that is what we're proposing. you hear "balance" and "and medicaid as we know it." the end medicaid as we know it was the lie of the year. preserving the system as it is known today for current seniors and people nearing retirement, then, for people who are under 54, convert to a system of support much like a commission recommended, much like what ron and i have been saying. you get a list of guaranteed coverage options. you cannot be denied. there is a competitive bidding

system to make sure your benefit keeps up with the price of insurance. you also have the choice of medicare service alongside it. medicare subsidizes your payment based on who you are. if you are low-income, 100% subsidy. a wealthy person gets a lower subsidy because we think that is the program. using it this way, having choice and competition, having support with competitive bidding, guarantees affordability, solvency of the program, and allows us to cash flow the current commitment to current seniors. we think it is important to do it this way and it is gradual. you don't end up with the debt crisis where you have severe disruptions in people's lives. if you solve the medicare puzzle, save and shrink the program, you dramatically improve your chances of averting the debt crisis. people say you need a balanced approach. here's the problem.

spending. the government spending as a percentage of our economy is at 24% right now. it has historically been at 20%. it is going to 40% and then 80% over the course of the century. the size of our government goes up to 40% of the economy. our revenues, if they tried to keep up with that, will crash this economy. the spending is the problem. if we try to chase this higher spending line with higher revenues, you will end up shutting down the american dream, the american economy, and you consign the next generation to a clearly inferior standard of living. we have to keep our mind on economic growth. if we keep raising tax rates and keep narrowing the base, we will hurt job creators and small- business as. we will hurt the economy, which will suffer revenue. let's focus on maximizing economic growth, getting more revenue, economic competitiveness, and let's get a

tax rate that is simpler and fairer. it is a smarter way to go. the best way to get out of this is economic growth, spending cuts, and entitlement reforms, that is balance. if we define it as, keep raising tax rates, and don't deal with the drivers of our debt, these entitlements, we will never balance the budget. we will never get the debt under control. we will ruin the economy in the meantime. >> the democratic budget, just to be clear, it takes us down from a deficit that is over 8% of gdp today to under 3% of gdp by 2015 and keep the deficit under 3% of gdp for the remainder of the time and stabilizes the that as a percentage of gdp. we stop the rapid increase in the deficit and debt. we stabilize that during the end of the. .

dealing with medicare has been an important part of this debate. it is a very useful chart. it was a chart that was offered by the chairman of the committee, paul ryan. what it showed was that with respect to medicare, a driver of future cost, the plan he laid out and the plan the president has proposed, and the one that is adopted in the alternative, have the same cost trajectory on medicare. those lines are the same. the question is, how do you hit that cost trajectory compared to the projected increase in health care cost? how do deal with that gap? the republican proposals give you a voucher and put the risk on seniors. the approach that we have taken is to try and change the incentives in the medicare

program to put more focus on rewarding people who deliver value care, quality of care, rather than the quantity of care. you don't pay the hospital every time someone gets readmitted to the hospital on the same condition. we have already begun to implement some of those things. there are other mechanisms that do that. there are backstop provisions to also bring down those costs. we have very different approaches. interestingly, the chart presented shows the cost trajectory for dealing with those costs was actually the same under both plans. we do address those issues. we will need to do more. these are 10-year budget windows. we would get projections way out in the future. we are going to have to take

this one step at a time. the first step was to stabilize the debt. we do that. >> none of the budgets we have seen have adequately addressed social security. why is everyone avoiding it? >> i think the best response to social security, and this is something we discussed in the super committee, and i'm disappointed we did not address some of these issues in that context, you really need to take the approach that ronald reagan did back in the 1980's, which is a bipartisan approach. i think the model for how you get this done is out there. you are right. that issue is not the sequoyah addressed. i will point out that the social security trust fund is 100% solvent between now and the year 2037. if congress takes no action between now and then,

beneficiaries would take a 25% reduction in benefits. it is a significant issue that should be addressed. the sooner we address it, the better. i do want to make it clear that social security trust fund has -- as of now is solvent. >> what about directing social security? for the purposes of this year, for action in congress through the remainder of this year, i think the parts of the budget that are going to be potentially acted upon are really the portions that deal with discretionary spending. as a lot of people in this room know, part of the control pact

that we passed last year, which has $1 trillion over 10 years, "to establish these budget levels, including for this current fiscal year at $1 trillion for discretionary spending on ongoing operations. unfortunately, the republican budget violate that agreement. they came in at a lower number. that could create complications down the road. the senate is going to stick with the agreed upon levels. i hope that does not lead to threats of government shutdown in the fall. we had hoped that by getting that agreement, we would have some stability in the process. >> the two spoke reform this week hosted by the national journal. see the complete interviews tomorrow starting at 12:30 p.m. eastern on c-span.

>> i am appearing here today as one spokesperson for the hundreds of thousands of marines, sailors, their families, and loyal civilian employees who were unknowingly exposed to horrendous levels of toxins through their drinking water at camp lejeune. >> the documentary "simplify -- semper fi" chronicles jerry ensminger. he is joined by the producer of the film sunday. >> one thing they have done over the years is a haveobuscated the facts so much, they have told some nato allies, they have admitted a lot of information to the media, and now, if they were to sit down with me face-to- face, i could show them that

their own documents counter what they have been saying. they don't want to do that. >> more sunday night at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span's "q&a." >> the closing session of the clinton global initiative university featured a conversation between former president clinton and john stuart -- jon stewart. they discussed issues facing the next generation and how young people can address these challenges. this is about an hour and a half. >> we should try to put these people back into productive life in america. >> is there a plan to get -- you havecgiu.

is there a plan to integrate this into the larger initiative where business leaders, people that have taken on commitments on a larger scale, can come in and steal and exploit their ideas? that was subtext. hold on. they can interact. they can get a sense of where it is going to go. >> i started having a separate meeting with the non-american students. i answer questions for 45 minutes or so. for the very first time, one of those students asked me the same question. can we graduate our ideas up? we are also having, in june in chicago, our second attempt to grow jobs in america. so, what i am going to do when

all of you go home is to take all the commitments and figure out which ones we can present as things that would create jobs in our country if someone would support them and try to get some of the people who were there to finance them, or take them to cd-i. it is a really good idea. >> i am embarrassed begot to it. i never thought about it. you are always one step ahead of me. these kids are probably thinking when they get out of college, they would like to be employed. it is a different world out there. you have been the most powerful man in the world. what is the ability to affect

change through governmental action? i find that there has been an erosion of confidence in the government's ability to engage its own corruption, create change in the way you want, and yet there has been any more immense energy toward these smaller groups. what has been your experience >> one i took office as president, confidence in government was very low because the economy was very weak. when i left office, because we had a lot of jobs, because it was the only time out in 40 years when the bottom 20% earnings increase in percentage terms as much as the top 10%, and as many people moved out of poverty -- 100 times as many people moved out of poverty than in the previous 20 years. there was an increased level of confidence in government.

the level of confidence in government people's sense of well-being and whether they can do better. but there is a difference. if your president, in theory, you're handling more money, and you can direct it to more places, and you can help more people. for example, we gave out 2 million micro enterprise loans every year in -- all over the world. but you also had to deal with the things you did not expect to have to deal with, like the incoming fire in bosnia, kosovo, what have you. and you have to go through both congress and bureaucracies and deal with resistances in foreign countries. if you want a foundation -- or your like them with their ideas, you wake up and you start with one thing and you see how far you can walk in and out, how big you can make it. we started out with a very

modest proposal with aids drugs, and out at our foundation, we negotiate contracts to give 4 million people, about half of all the people in poor countries in the world, the least expensive high- quality aids medicines. [applause] any kind of non-governmental work gives you more flexibility and more creativity and ability to build from the ground up. it is hard to help as many people as you can help as president if things are going well and you're not spending your time bailing out a boat. but it is immensely personally rewarding. for example, a couple of years ago i visited this reforestation project where running in allawi through a young -- in mowlawi through a down mowlawian university graduate. the people chose in these three

different villages the different kinds of trees they wanted to plant to get their carbon credits. and then decided they would keep only 55% of their income and give the other 45% to their fellow villagers to get them in the system. they have the sense that they needed to plant more trees. they wanted to reverse global warming and preserve agriculture. it took an hour and a half to drive about 18 kilometers on this road to get there. but it was worth all of the money in the world to me to see one more time in one of boat poorest places on earth, and when that was -- and one of the poorest places on earth, and one that was hard to reach, and one and where they did not know me from adam. i get in your was not adam. i do not look that old. -- i guess they knew i was not adam. i do not look that old. [laughter] the intelligence and effort and social consciousness, in a way, are pretty much evenly

distributed in investment and opportunity. it is a real inspiration to keep hitting it. >> you brought up mowlawi. corings up that you are doing cgi just for america. there is the idea that we're going to do things like we are doing in allawi in places that are "third world" and underdeveloped. there is a program where we connect kids to each other through the internet and classrooms and other things. they connected kids in haiti with kids in harlem. the idea was, through art, to learn an uncertain -- an understanding of each other. they were stunned, because the project upseppa kids in harlem. because they felt from -- ups that the kids in harlem. because they felt from everything they have learned that there lot -- their lives would be far superior.

and this was posed earthquake in haiti. but what they found was, the kids in harlem were suffering really badly as well. what do you do about in so- called developed countries, the intractable social problems of poverty? and how do you attack them in the same creative ways that you can in countries like haiti? >> first, in my mind, the two problems -- i do not think we have to -- we should choose one over the other. that is, the united states does not spend a high percentage of its income on foreign assistance and for and development. if you ask people what we should spend, they say, between 5% to 15% of the budget.

if you say, what do we stand? -- spent? they say, 25% of the budget. the truth is, we spend 1% of the budget. >> you are saying people are what -- sometimes misinformed. [laughter] >> yes, and interestingly enough, these numbers have not changed in 20 years. it does not matter how many times someone like me says it. people are somehow pre programmed to think we are putting all of this money into foreign assistance in america, when we are not. since we live in an interdependent world, since we need more customers, since america has only about 12% of its gdp a tide -- tied to exports, as compared to germinate, which has -- germany, which has 25%, they do even better than japan. we need to widen the circle to places like africa that feels a special tie to us. on the other hand, i think we

need to go back and take a wac at american poverty, too, much harder. i personally believe we should reinvigorate the empowerment zones and grants. i know the president has proposed this. and i proposed at the end of my term, and we passed a bill to try to make it possible for every area of the country to have an unemployment rate -- that has an unemployment rate above the national average or below a certain income rate, i think everyone of them should become a center for solar and wind power. [applause] all we have to do is build the transmission lines sufficient to carry the power back to the

urban areas. we rank first or second in the world in every survey of potential to generate electricity from sun and wind. the problem is, with the exception of california and a few other places, the sun shines brightest and the wind blows hardest where the people are not. we have 140 separate electrical grids that are connected. if we are about to have a brownout in washington d.c., in theory, they could bring power all the way from california to us. but as you go from one system to another, you lose a lot of power, or the distribution systems are inefficient. in wyoming, they're building a wind farm out. they're having to build their own transmission lines to connect it to california. this is a huge deal.

if the government could do-, -- could do that, solar power has gone about as cheap as wind power. it will not be forever, but there is not a lot of overproduction. we could revolutionize the lives of native americans in a way that allows them to be self supporting, diversify their economies, and lift themselves out of poverty. the same thing is true in the mississippi delta and the appellations -- in adel asia and in the inner city. in harlem and oakland and other cities, i run a mentor should program for the people in inner-city businesses with "inc" magazine. based pick their most successful small business people and -- they pick their most successful small business people and they bring them to work with our folks. you'd be surprised how many businesses we had in harlem that have not computerized their records and did not know how to manage their inventory

and had not measured the changes in markets. they are no different than people anywhere. perfectly intelligent enough to make the most of the modern world if they know what their options are and they know what the benefits are. that is what i think is important. and i'm not surprised -- trust me, most people living in haiti are still much worse off. we still have half a million people living in tents. although, they are moving them out pretty fast. but the haitians are incredibly gifted, creative, hard-working people who have never had a government or society worthy of them. [applause] >> if you are going in when you are for starting to unravel some of these issues and empower local populations, if you are going to rank where you need to attack first, is it order, corruption, health, all three at once? when you are stepping into an area and you want to unleash the

type of creativity that you see here and in those communities, you have a hierarchy of issues that you feel like you have to walk through to get to that point? >> yes, but it depends. i have looked at them in three baskets when you're going into a developing society. first, the number-one thing everyone in the world wants is ag said -- a decent job that pays a decent income. they want to be able to raise their kids in dignity. it will solve all lot of the other problems if they have that. but you also need to help them build systems that will make good behavior have predictable possible consequences. which is why -- predictable positive consequences. which is why our work on building school systems, and health care systems and water systems and energy systems. and to get all that done and ford to work, you have to

honest, transparent government, that is also capable of providing security to the people. i see it in those three baskets. then i asked myself, what can i do the most on? in haiti, for example, i worked first on bringing investment in. second on helping get money for health care systems and school systems and energy systems. and third on supporting the united nations peacekeeping force in trying to get order and in working with the donors to haiti to put every single red cent that went through the commission that i cochaired on the internet. here is how much canada gave. here is who got it. here's what they are supposed to do. and when it is over, you'll get a performance and accounting audit. all of that i think is important. meanwhile, we have got governments were willing to give money to the haitian government

to rebuild. but you need to think of it in those three areas. and not every person will have the ability, even me -- i have a pretty wide portfolio and reach. i cannot do all those things in all the countries. we have an enormously gifted group of people, over 1000 of them, working all over the world and increasing health access. we still will not go into any country unless the government invites us and signs a strict no correction pledge. i do not ask them to have no correction in an area that i'm not working in because i'm not president in. i do not have any control over that. but if somebody pays $500 for my $60 medicine that keeps children alive for years -- for a year, that will be known in 72 hours in some other country where people do not have the

$500. if it happens there, you'll have seven or eight kids died for everyone life that we saved. i think the best that ngo's that are actually wanted by government can do is to say, when you are dealing with us, there has to be in a corruption pledge. and we have to be able to enforce it and monitor it and report on it. i think that is really important. >> has there been something that you have seen through cgi, in the last five years that has, pound for pound, the most impact in terms of when you look back and think of a program, an initiative, a commitment, that for what was put into it gave you the results in a powerful way? >> i cannot say one over the other, but i can say that a lot of these -- all these programs

that the students do, the ones that helped people in america and did what they were supposed to do probably have the most immediate impact. students that when home and organize the greening of their own campuses. maximize the retrofit of all the buildings, have more bicycles on the campuses instead of cars. recycled all the waste. that is something where you can actually say, here we are, here we are a market in america, and we proved it was economical and we did not raise the tuition. instead, it lowered the utility bill of the college. that is something that has had a comprehensive impact. on the other hand, a lot of these commitments -- again, what we've got to do, and i need to help do a better job of getting other people to recognize the potential. we talked a little bit about the socket ba -- about the soccer ball one of my associates

a couple years ago designed a soccer ball that would absorb the energy that was driven into issacharoff -- into a soccer ball and to use it. it was a way of turning human heat energy into a way of making it usable. if you think of all the places in the world that can grow bamboo and where it grows and what it can do to reduce all kinds of other environmental problems, it has staggering potential. what i think we need to do is

to do more to try to take these things to scale. we need to take those that prove to be extraordinarily successful and take them to cgi and say, instead of thinking of a new commitment, how about some of these? [applause] >> how many people do you think cobbled up this weekend, just ballpark? -- coupled up this weekend, just ballpark? [laughter] how many do you think, about 100? oh, sorry. >> one of the promises to myself in my old age is i will try to find an opportunity every day for the rest of my life, even if i'm just saying it to myself on tuesday, i don't know, or i was wrong. -- to say, i don't know, or, i

was wrong. i don't know. [laughter] [applause] >> i don't know. i am always surprised at your ability to be tenacious, your ability to approach these issues that are seemingly intractable. has your commitment ever wavered? has your commitment ever been challenged in a way -- not necessarily dark night -- knight of the soul, but i cannot keep banging my head against the wall? everybody will come up against seen the -- seemingly intractable issues. >> the closest i came was after the financial crisis in 2009.

my foundation, you know, i did not have any private wealth when i left the white house. i was in debt. everything i do with my foundation comes from other people's contributions. thankfully, i make enough money where i can give to the foundation every year, too. but i did not for a while and there was not enough to run it. we had a bad year in 2009 and i could not blame anybody. i had people who were giving me a million dollars or more a year who lost 75% of their net worth overnight. we had saved a small endowment -- and i do mean it small, about $27 million. we basically had a decision to make, are you going to shut down what you are doing in ethiopia where i had hundreds of employees trying to build clinics for people, because people are still dying anonymously in ethiopia. they just live out there somewhere and there are no clinics.

or are you going to bet that you can come back and blow what you save? and i chose the latter course. i thought, if this does not turn around, i am one dead duck, because there is no way i will ever be able to do this. i was really worried. i was afraid i could have another health problem. something could happen. i have all of these people's jobs and lives depending on me. what if i make the wrong call here? maybe i should cut back now? instead, i decided to roll the dice and try for one more year, and it worked out fine. but that was hard. and when you work at something and it does not work, that is tough. i had a much more ambitious plan trying to turn around businesses in inner-city areas and have them -- help them hire more people. we started off with a strategy to try to get consulting

services across the board. it was highly expensive for the businesses. even the one of our sponsors and others were helping us, it just did not work. and one of the businesses i helped to start failed, and i was personally involved with it. i am not big on -- i hate to fail. especially when somebody else gets hurt. those things are hard. but you just have to go on. you've got to figure out how you are going to keep score. if you're going to keep score, keep score -- if you're going to keep score in a way that you should not fail, then you should not play. the only way is if somebody is better off when you quit that when you started.

[applause] and it is hard. i do not ever wish i were sitting on an island in the florida keyes somewhere, you know, going to play golf and drinking pina coladas. [laughter] because this is fun for me. this is the most selfish thing i do. i love bringing all of these young people here. i love listening to their ideas. [applause] and i feel like i should pay for the privilege of doing it. it is fun. it is just that when you have more yesterday's than tamaras, you just hate to fail. -- more yesterday's than tomorrows, you just hate to fail. but you've got to keep banging your head against the wall, pushing the rocks up the hill. sometimes they get there. [applause]

>> what i took away from that is that president bill clinton is going to start paying all of you for this privilege. i think that is what i took from it. [cheers] we have all of these students and all of this energy. i want to open it up to them to ask questions of you. give some ideas that they have. >> i give you permission to ask questions of him. >> i will lie to you. [laughter] president bill clinton will not. i will. is there someone right there who has got a question here we go, right here. there you go. if you can, say your name and then whatever your question is. >> i am a student here at gw. what continues to inspire you in spite of the fact that there are so many problems out there? what continues to inspire you

to do the great work you do? this is to both of you. >> i tell you what inspires me the most -- two things. one is, all cgi network. cgi in september, cgiu, cgi for america -- there seems to be an unlimited number of people who care about other people and find meaning in life by doing something that helps other people do what they ought to do. i mean, you could not come here and listen to your ideas without being inspired. the other thing that inspires me is, when i go out in the world and see the people we're working with. i will give you one simple example. it's when i made an africa trip a couple of years ago. i stopped to see one of our farm projects. we have our agricultural

products -- projects in allawi and rwanda. i brought on a farm when i was a little boy. ines -- by love agriculture and i know farmers are equally intelligent everywhere in the world. family farmers take care of the land and make the most of whatever they have. whatever they have. we are meeting with these 11

. .

[applause] i loaded up on credit card debt after college. i did not even have student loan debt. what i will say is that we need young people with your moral compass to solve these problems. we desperately need you to run for office. [applause] if your talents and your passions lead this way, we desperately need to revolutionize the economic field. [applause] we need you to go to economics. >> i just heard, what you're talking about the leadership coming from the young, about the council where we realize that neglect of the future is part of the crisis.

we are moving, the u.n., to create a commission for future generations. [applause] this will be part of the 2020 process. i hope all of you will join. [applause] >> as someone who recently lost her grandmother, i will join you in adopting a matriarchal figure. i would like to close, harkening back to what mr. peterson said to have our voices heard. to hold our corporations accountable. to hold our account -- our academies accountable. our public institutions accountable. certainly, our politicians accountable. to urge you not only to go to economics or to run for office,

but to go work for walmart. the work for coca-cola. the work in the corporate system to change the corporate system to help build a better world that we all want to live them. i think you have a lot of people coming and knocking on your door. >> in the himalayas. >> no. [laughter] [applause] >> thank you very much. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

>> this morning, bloomberg economics editor explains why the crisis is worse than you think. then the gun owners of america and the president of the brady campaign. >> today, on "newsmakers,"the ohio congressman talks about why he supports paul ryan's budget which passed the house on thursday. >> a lot of things are good about paul's budget. particularly, the policy statements with having corporate ideas like welfare reform, medicaid reform, sending it back to the states. we think we can better serve the

recipients. a lot of good things in there. tax reform policy. it is 1000 times better than the president's budget which never gets to balance. we get the bounce a reasonable period time. in a time from that we believe the american people think is common sense. five years is what it takes. it is 28 years. the fact remains, and you cannot get to a great team votes for our budget. we do need to pass something and paul's is a lot better than the president's. we're going to support that. >> jim and jordan also weighs in on campaign 2012. and speaker john boehner's performance as leader. see the entire performance -- interview today. on c-span. >> i am appearing here today as

one spokesperson for the hundreds of thousands of marines, sellers, their families, and loyal civilian employes who are unknowingly exposed to horrendous levels of toxins through their drinking water at the camp in north carolina. >> the documentary, "semper fi -- always faithful" is joined by the film's producer overnight. >> one thing the have done over the years is a copy stated the facts so much. they have put a lot of of a mission to the media. and now, if they were to sit down with me face-to-face, i could show them, with their own documents and counter with the have been saying. they do not want to do that.

>> more tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span's "q&a." >> now republican presidential candid its rick santorum, mitt romney, and newt gingrich. other speakers include wisconsin republican congressman and house budget committee chairman paul ryan. this is one hour and a 45 minutes. ♪ [applause] >> wow. i asked my wife to come and stand with me, because we spend all week campaigning here in wisconsin, and we have been having a great reception. some of you also know our son- in-law is from sheboygan, so we have connections on both sides of the state, and last night we were up at green bay inspecting

the team that we have a share of, so we are really glad to be back in wisconsin. i am delighted so many of you are out here. wisconsin, and june 5, will be the most important center of decision making in america, and i am glad you are committed to being for the candidate that is determined to protect the taxpayer, protect our children and do what is right for america. [applause] >> we came back in 2009 and did a fund-raiser in milwaukee for scott, and i came back here to waukesha, and he was saying what he was going to do. he was open. he was out there. as a result, the people of the state elected a republican senate, the republican house, a republican governor, and the people were not confused. the entire fight of the last

year and a half has been the effort of small interest groups to change the will of people that is very much against democracy and self-government. i commend you for willing to be fight june 6, and make sure that we win. it is one of the most important elections in american history and it will change behavior across the country. thank you for being active citizens. [applause] >> we are very proud to be associated with ralph reed, and the tremendous job he as the across the country. the number of folks that are here today, the number of people who are organizing, it is very encouraging.

this is the most important election of your lifetime. the reelection of barack obama will be a disaster for our children and grandchildren and our country, and you are key to having a grass-roots campaign that stops the left from continuing to be in power in washington, d.c., and i thank you for your active involvement. [applause] >> let's be really clear how big the stakes are. the american civilization as we have known it is under attack on two fronts. on one front, there is radical secularism that would drive got out of our life, language, government, and make us a country of the extraordinary on american nature. on the other front there is radical islamists. we saw it with the leaders in saudi arabia but said every church in the peninsula should be destroyed, with no complaint from our state department. we need to understand, this is an historic, cultural fight for

the survival of american civilization. let me be clear, we believe that this is an exceptional country, not because you and i are exceptional, but we are the only society that says power comes from god to each one of you personally, and then you loan power to the government. [applause] >> this means that you are a citizen, and the government is supposed to be a public servant. obama has the opposite model, a european elitist model in which the government is sovereign and tells us what to do. that is why this fight is so fundamental.

it is not just barack obama. it is the academic community, the news media, people in entertainment, the judges -- there is an an entire elitist people that will dictate to us. callista and i did a film about pope john paul the second called "nine days that changed the world." it is a remarkable movie. we were doing a movie on reagan, and we have gone to europe to interview the president of the czech republic and the president of poland, and we ask both of them what was the decisive moment in defeating the soviet empire, and we thought it would give us a great ronald reagan antidote, but they both said it was when the pope came in 1979 and spent nine days and a pilgrimage to poland. and the first morning, he had 3

million people in victory square for mass, and we suddenly realized there were more of us than there were of the government. now, that is the point of the mobilization that you represent. there are more people in america by a huge margin who believe that our rights come from our creator, then there are people who believe we should erase dodd from american memory. we need to assert [applause] >> we need to break normal politics, reach out to every person who agrees that rights come from our creator, and we need to build a movement dedicated to changing the judges, the bureaucracy, the

politicians, the news media, and college professors, until we get back to an america that understands where its rights come from, and understands what its future is based on. [applause] >> i take this so seriously that our campaign manager and i spent nine years working on a paper that is a 54-page outline about what to do about judges. we are not helpless in front of an anti-religious bigot. we are in a position as people to use the legislative branch to balance off the judicial branch, and i would urge you to look of that paper and he will realize that intellectual we have been given up an argument we should not give up. of course law schools believe in judicial supremacy. none of the founding fathers would agree. the number one complaint was no taxation without representation, and the number two complaint was british judges who day regarded as kings, rather than

judges. the judicial branch is the weakest of the three branches. will never fight the other branches because it would inevitably lose. the notion of the supreme court being supreme over the president and congress is nonsense. it is one of three equal branches, and we need to assure that we, the people, are the ultimate the fibers of america, not a handful of appointed judges. [applause] >> you also need to reassert in your state legislature in your local school board that you expect teachers to actually teach the facts. [applause] >> every child should encounter

the declaration of independence and explore the question, what did the founding fathers mean -- "we are endowed by our creators." why does the northwest ordinance of 1787 organize illinois, indiana, ohio, part of wisconsin and michigan -- why does it say religion, morality and knowledge being important? schools are vital. notice the order. religion, morality and knowledge, it eliminated by the modern left to the only knowledge, which explains much of what is wrong with our culture today. [applause] >> so, you not have to have a theological agenda. you could have them use president lincoln's second inaugural -- march, 1865, four years of civil war. he had been dramatically

reshaped by the pain of war, and he knew he personally in posted because at any point he couldn't accept the south's leading, and the war would have ended. he became a dramatically more religious person. he read the bible every afternoon. if you get a chance, go to stand in the lincoln memorial and read the gettysburg address, which says "one nation under god" which lincoln wrote by hand. that is what got me into politics when it was concluded that that was not constitutional, and i concluded that was hostile and we needed a long-term strategy to replace judges that do not understand america. then, turn, and read aloud slowly the second inaugural -- 702 words, 14 references to god,

and you tell me how a historian could explain lincoln without god? it is impossible to be historically accurate in describing a secular lincoln because that person did not exist by 1865. it had been replaced -- replaced by a deeply-religious person. [applause] so, callista and i talked about for a long time, and we knew it would be hard, but we decided running for president matter because it was an opportunity to take to the american people fundamental, basic decisions about who we are and what we have to do, and they all come together in the same pattern. if you want to take on radical islam, you need to have an

american energy policy that creates american independence so the no future president will ever again bowed to a saudi king. [applause] >> if you truly believe in religious freedom, you have to take on an administration which is able to simultaneously apologize to a fanatical radical islamists were killing americans while waging war against the catholic church and sees no contradiction in the fact that if you are a christian, they can oppose it, but if you are a radical islamist that kills americans, they owe you an apology. that is how bad obama is. [applause] >> the administration has adopted a principal since the burning of the korans , which should have been responded to by the president calling on the religious leaders to condemn muslim prisoners who had been

defacing the koran, and using them to get messages out of jail. in an ongoing effort to appease everyone who is our enemy, a new slogan, which i think is clever, says we will hold those things to be sacred which others have called sacred. they did it for the koran. my challenge for the obama administration is simple. put up the cross is that have been taken down by judicial fiat. you want to hold things sacred, we will let you hold things sacred. [applause] >> tell the moslem brotherhood if they keep burning churches in egypt, you are cutting off the billion dollars you just gave them. [applause]

>> we need an administration that actually think religious liberty includes christians and jews. [applause] >> men, we need to turn to entertainment television and say if you're going to run a television show that has the word christian in a derogatory name, try to run the same show with the word muslim, because if you cannot say muslim and you can say christian, it shows you how derogatory the show is. that this house fundamental the fight is. an american energy program will create american jobs, keep the money at home, strengthen the dollar, increased royalties to the federal government, lower the price of gasoline. if gasoline dropped as much as natural gas has, it would be $1.13 a gallon, so - [applause]

>> you can simultaneously week and radical islam, and improve life for americans, and that is kind of is the kind of policy we need that put us back in charge of our life and dramatically reduce the size of washington. as speaker of the house, i led the effort to balance the federal budget, and we balance it for four straight years, the only time in your lifetime. [applause] >> paul ryan, who you will hear from is a great guy and is doing a great job as the budget committee chairman, and he is moving us in the right direction. the key to balancing the budget is very simple. we want to shrink the government to set the revenues available, not raise the revenue to catch up with obama, the credits card. [applause]

>> i will close with this practical example of morality -- it is immoral for us to spend so much when we crush our children and grandchildren to death. it is a moral obligation to go back to a balanced budget. if we do it correctly, and you will and oppose it -- you would have to impose a balanced budget on washington, and at the same time you could put the royalties from natural gas and oil into a sinking fund to pay off the debt. if we had discipline and did that, and open the american energy independence, you would simultaneously pay off the debt for your children and grandchildren, so literally by the end of their lifetime, america would be dead-free and that would have the effect of no ball into saudi kings, and no worrying about chinese stakeholders. he would be back in an independent country. you would have american foreign policy based on american

interest, not appeasing enemies, and you would be committed toward leading the world towards genuine religious liberty that the imposition of foreign beliefs. i think all of this is possible, but only possible if we defeat barack obama. we have to repeal obama-care. we have to repeal the anti- religious behaviors. he has given us a long list. i believe we are up to it. with your help, it will start to work. our goal will be that the new congress and you will have to help when the senate seat here to make this possible, we need the new congress to stay in session, and by the time they swear in the president we should have revealed obama-care and dodd-frank. as president, i would sign them on the first day, and the first executive order would eliminate the white house czars at that moment. [applause]

>> the second executive order would reimpose ronald reagan's mexico city policy that no u.s. money goes to pay for abortion anywhere in the world. [applause] the third executive order would reinstate george w. bush's freedom of conscience provision and repeal every one of the obama anti-religious moves in the administration and return us to genuine religious liberty. [applause] >> the fourth executive order would move the american embassy from tel levied to jerusalem in recognition of israel's right to define its own capital. [applause] >> i participated in 1980 with ronald reagan in a remarkable

change of direction for america that ended up creating 16 million new jobs, rebuilding our belief in america, and defeating the soviet empire. in 1994, i helped to architect the contract with america, which changed congress in one day. with your help next tuesday, i will look for to defeating barack obama decisively, debating him in october, and i am confident that he will look like as much of the radical as he is, and we would have a remarkable debate, and at the end of that process, the country would repudiate the most radical administration of our times. thank you. [applause] ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the chairman of the wisconsin gop, brad courtney.

>> good morning. first of all, i want to say that we as conservatives in wisconsin over the last 17 months have had a lot of wonderful victories, and i want to say thank you to everyone of you in this room for making that happen. keep up the fate. we will win june 5 and take it through november. thank you for your support, but keep on moving. now, it is my privilege to introduce one of the most influential voices for the republican movement in the united states and chairman of the house budget committee. congressman paul ryan -- [applause] ♪ >> and good morning, everybody. how are you doing?

this is awesome. i will not start singing. this is great. thank you a lot, brad. thank you. thank you very much. i am not going to start singing like bono. i will tell you that. how many of us have been in this room about six times? it is great to be here. my kids love the water park. let me say one thing. i have known ralph reed since i was 25, and you know what bothers me most about him, he still looks like he is 25. i want to give you some good news and some bad news. the bad news -- our country is on the wrong track. america is headed in the wrong direction. the american idea could be lost for a generation if we stay on this path of that, doubt, and

declined. the good news -- it does not have to be. there is still time for a choice. we have a choice of to the bureau futures in front of us, and that is the good news. we still have time to get it right. we really have a choice in front of us -- debt, doubt, and decline, where president obama is taking us, where a renewal of the american idea. what is the american idea? it sounds like a the platitude. america is not just a country with a lot of states. america is an idea. what is that idea? our rights, they come from nature and god, not from government. they come to us naturally, before the government. we are the first country founded on an idea like that.

thank you. thank you, mom. [applause] >> this debate is going on today between the american idea and the transformation the president and his allies are trying to impose on the country -- it is between natural rights and government-granted rights, between a constitution of limited government and economic freedom, and the school of thought that we should have a living and breathing constitution, there are no less to what commitment can do. a debate between classical liberals and modern liberals. it is a debate that is coming to a crescendo. while in this election the debate will not be completely lost or won by one side or the other, but this election will put in place a trajectory because of mass momentum that will last a generation and be difficult to reverse. so, that tells me we have some bad news that we have to deal

with, the massive momentum, and the man that is bringing it about. we have a debt crisis coming. everybody knows this. turn on the television, what is going on in europe could happen to us next if we do not skip this situation under control. we cannot keep spending money we do not have. we are borrowing 40 cents on every dollar. the president gave us a budget that says let's do more of this. his fourth budget in four years, giving us a trillion dollar deficit every year for more spending, more borrowing, and a lot more taxing. the senate has not passed the budget in going on three years,

over 1000 days. we have a law that says not only is april 15 tax date for americans, it is also a budget before congress. congress is legally supposed to pass a budget every year. we did it last year. we did this last week. [applause] >> because we want to respect you by being honest with you. we believe that if americans see the truth, they get the facts, they will make the right decision now, that is the math. it is ugly. it shows a debt crisis. it shows empty promises that politicians from both political parties have made to americans. if we keep going down the same path, they will become broken promises to seniors that organize their lives around these promises, to people that are struggling to survive and get by -- that is what happens in a debt crisis. everybody hurts. everybody loses. america's economy goes down. we want to prevent that. what about the momentum?

i'd describe the fiscal tipping point. we have another tipping point. it is even more dangerous. immoral tipping point. we can come to this tipping point where by more americans become takers as opposed to makers. more americans see the government as the provider of their livelihoods as opposed to they, themselves. you know, there is data and statistics out there, and one of them is alarming -- the tax foundation says 70% of americans get more benefit from the federal government in dollar value and a payback in texas. 49% of americans are not paying income taxes. there are a lot of reasons. recessions. plant shutdowns. the economy is not where it needs to be, but the question becomes have we lost our zeal for the american dream? have we lost our quest for the opportunity society, where we

make the best of all our own lives, reached our destiny, tap our potential, and make our kids better off? a lot of people are down and out and not doing so well. i have friends that of lost their jobs at the plant, and they're in a tough position, but they have not given up hope on the american dream. if we keep going down this path, if we allow the health care law to kick in, the empty promises to continue, we might find ourselves in a place where more americans see themselves as a dependent. we convert our safety net, designed to help people that cannot help themselves or people down on their log get on their feet, we turn the safety net into a hammock that lolls able- bodied people into the lives of complacency. whatever you call that, that is not the american dream.

we have these tipping point coming. we have ugly mess that we have to face up to. we have momentum going in the wrong direction, and that brings me to the man. we have a president that is making it worse, bringing us in the wrong direction. president obama cannot run on his record. has anyone fill the gas lately? i filled up my truck last night, and i could not get it to fall, because it cut me off at $100 because the credits card will not let you buy more gas. the tip the economy with the poverty rates. president obama can not -- look at the economy. look at poverty rates. president obama can not run on his record. a lot of centrist told me he will triangulate. he will work with you guys just like bill clinton did in welfare reform. not this guy. this is not a bill clinton

democrat. he is committed to his ideology he is committed to the transformation away from the american idea, away from our first principles. so, he will not run on his record, and if he is not want to change his tune and ideology, what does he have left? he will have to divide america in order to distract america. he is going to play in the politics of envy and division. we see it every day. he is speaking to people as if they are stuck in their current station in life, and victims of circumstances outside of their control, and the government is here to help them cope with it all. when i was flipping burgers at mcdonald's on the interstate, when i was working for oscar meyer, selling bologna, real bologna, by the way -- [applause]

>> when i was working three jobs out of college, waiting tables to pay back my student loans, i did not think of myself as a victim. i saw myself on a road of opportunity, trying to realize my version of the american dream, pursuing happiness how i define it for myself. [applause] >> the idea that we are stuck in some station and the government is here to help us cope with it is an old idea. it is an idea that the president wants to create this new narrative said that we think if you go with the republicans, they will throw you to the wolves. it is a dog-eat-dog world, and if you want security in your life, stick with us.

i tell you what, it is a false choice. it is an empty promise. if you want to look at what this false choice looks like, we have already been given a glimpse of what an obama presidency unplugged would look like. did you see that thing with the russian president? unbelievable. if you see what they're doing in implementing this health care law, in my view there are hundreds of new regulations that have not come out with this thing. if he is willing in a controversial election year to have these new government- granted rights trampled on our constitutional rights like our first amendment right to religious freedom and liberty in a tough election year, what do you think he is going to do after he never has to face the voters again in implementing this health care law? so, the good news. -- we can turn this back. we can do this. we showed you how to get off of

debt and decline, on to prosperity, pay off our debt, we apply our first principles -- if we show you exactly how to do this. we need to offer the country a choice of two futures -- have a sharp contrast, so the american people can decide which they want their country to be, not some backroom commission. we owe you the respect of letting you decide what you want americans and american to be in the 21st century. if we win that kind of affirming election, then you have given us the authority, the responsibility and the obligation to save the american idea and the american dream for a generation. [applause] >> we can do this. we can turn this around. the country is not going to be fooled. people know what is at stake. people know we are on the wrong

track, and good news is if you reapplied the ideas that made us great, we can get right back on track, and that is what this is all about. i want to make an introduction. i, like the rest of you have a vote on tuesday to make, so i, like the rest of you, our thinking, what do i do? who is the best person? i have known these gentleman for years. newt gingrich is a brilliant man, a friend for a long time. i serve with rick santorum for a long time. i have nothing but good things to say about these men, the one i've of the votes i have to make on tuesday, what goes to my mind is who will be the best president? who is most likely, most willing and able to deliver on the reforms that are so necessary quickly, and who has the best chance of defeating barack obama? [applause]

>> i think the primary has been helpful. i think it has been constructive. it has brought these issues to the fore, where we are having the debates we need about the big ideas, but there comes a point where this primary can become counter-productive. if we keep dragging this thing on, it will get us off of the mission and the goal which is this -- save our country in november by replacing barack obama as our president. [applause] >> that is why for me and my vote, i think we need to coalesce around a person who we think is going to be the best president, who is going to deliver these kinds of reforms with the courage, experience, and ability to do it, and who gives us the best chance of realizing this vision and

putting it into practice, and in my humble opinion, that person is mitt romney. [applause] >> this is big. you know what? wisconsin, we have a big responsibility. we have a big opportunity. the whole country is watching, wisconsin, and we, on june the fifth, tuesday, and in november, we can take back our state, reapplying our founding principles, and we can help decide the fate of this country. then, we will look back at this moment and know it was a time in history where this generation stood up to do what was right to protect the next generation, just like our parents did for us. please join me in welcoming to the stage, governor mitt romney. [applause]

♪ i was born free i was born free >> thank you. ♪ thank you. please. thank you. what a remarkable thing to do which it get up on saturday morning and, listen to politicians. you guys are just fabulous. i appreciate you being here, and i know you're not just here for me. i particularly appreciate the extraordinary introduction of your congressmen paul ryan. what a leader in our party. what a conservative. [applause] >> i very much appreciate his support and endorsement, and appreciate the that the you are

focused on doing what has to be done, getting our country back on track, and replacing barack obama. that is a job we need to get done soon. [applause] >> i listened to congressman ryan, and he described almost every policy area that we confront, the challenges we have, and the importance of this election. i thought i would take a moment to talk about the process, the experience i have had of getting a chance to go across the country and meet fellow americans. i had not expected as a young man that i would have the chance to do what i am doing. i thought i would be in business like my dad was all my life, yet he later in life decided to run for office, and the opportunity opened up after the olympics in 2000 to to go back to my state, and i now find myself with the chance to go across the country and i meet the people they you do not see on the news. the people you see on the news

have done something unusual, and generally not a good thing. i get to meet every day americans who do not make the news, but nonetheless inspire. i come away from this process more enthusiastic and more optimistic about the future of our country, because i have seen the american people firsthand. [applause] >> i mean, i was in appleton yesterday. i met a husband and wife in their 60's. they expected to be retiring about now. they purchased a couple of duplexes as rental properties to be the end, for their retirement, but the home values have collapsed, some 30% under the president, so they are not able to require. one is working at a company that only has $1 million in revenue, and he is a salesman, so how many sales people you can

afford a small company is something he has to worry about, and his wife works at a department store. both are working hard, but both are committed to making sure their future is bright. they have a son out of work, but they are helping him. tough times, but people that are not discouraged, not despondent. i met another woman yesterday from avastin who was born outside of this country, came here, and has two children, sons in their 30's. one of them is disabled. she works as a translator. she loves her work. she provides for herself and her family. a remarkable story of american spirit. i was at saint louis to get a guy was working for the city in

the landscaping division, and decided to start his own landscaping business. he has some two hundred people working for him. his only worry is gasoline prices, driving around from home-to-home, which is not easy to do with the price of gasoline, and he hears that the epa is thinking about regulating carbon emissions from lawn mowers. then, he thinks how can i afford replacing lawn mowing equipment and snowblower snacks not a lot of snow this year. he did not have to get them out often. another man i met in san antonio, texas, he came from this country from cambodia in 1976. he went to work in a restaurant, then as a taxi driver in new york city, decided to save money and apply to business school, got an mba and started working in government-

related positions, ultimately became part of the white house team for george w. bush and was appointed ambassador to the united nations. 14 years after coming to this country. he said you could not imagine the motion i have as i stood before the foundations, said that i come representing the people of the united states of america. [applause] >> there is no other nation on earth like america. i used to travel around and see different countries, and i was always proud of the fact that i have a special gift no one else had. i was american. there was no question in my heart said it was special to be american. i wonder why it is as i tell you these stories and meet people across the country that we are

an extraordinary land with extraordinary people who live done more to lift people around the world of poverty than any other nation. free enterprise, as we promoted -- [applause] >> and of course, the greatest contribution was not just free enterprise and the concept of freedom itself, but the sacrifice of our sons and daughters over many wars to free people from tyranny and despotism. this is a remarkable land. [applause] >> i wonder, as i think about those things, if it does not all go back to the very foundation of america, that when the founders of the country crafted the words of the declaration of independence, i believe they chose in those few words and principles a vision for america that would make this unique and

exceptional in the world, not only the freest nation, but the most prosperous and the greatest. you know those words. they concluded by brilliance or inspiration that we were endowed by our creator with the rights, and among those rights would be life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, and those rights, and those associated with them, i believe, are what made america what we are, and today those rights are under attack by this administration, which is one more reason why we have to replace this administration. [applause] >> this is an election not just about a person, not even about a party. is about a vision of america. we are going to choose the

destiny of america, just like the founders chose a couple hundred years ago. we will choose what america is going to be like over the next hundred years in this election. this is an inflection point, where we decided we're going to be committed to the life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, or a different course. president obama believes in a government-centered society. he does not call a. , but if you listen to his speeches he believes government calling our lives will do a better job doing so that individuals. you see that item after item. think about the economy. did you realize that government at all levels today consumes 37% of the total economy? 37%. if we allow obama-care to stand, it will consumed directly almost half of the total american economy.

then, when you consider the intrusions of power they are putting into industries like the automotive industry, the financial-services industry, the energy industry -- they will control either directly or indirectly over half of the american economy, and we will have to stop and ask ourselves, are we still a free economy? do we believe in free enterprise, or are we becoming what some of the most unsuccessful countries have become, a government-dominated economy? these are the choices we have to make. the president continues to build government larger and larger, creating more and more dependence upon government. this is a time when he is willing to put together trillion dollar deficits. can you imagine that as your legacy, and he has done it every year.

if i am president, we are going to cut federal spending, cap federal spending, and finally have a balanced budget amendment. [applause] >> government-centered society is crushing economic freedom. you understand the impact of regulations, for instance, and how it could make it harder for small businesses to grow. let me mention another one. taxation. we know high taxes make it harder for people to make ends meet and kill jobs, but let me give a little granular to that. the president wants to raise the marginal tax rate from 35% to 40%. think about that for a moment. do you know how many people in america were in businesses that are taxed at the individual level, at the marginal tax

level, not the corporate tax rate? 54% of american workers work in businesses that are taxed as individuals, so when you raise that tax rate from 35% to 40%, you kill jobs. that is what he is doing. he would rather have money for the american people than for small business that encourages free enterprise and economic and fatality. there are some other ideas. one of the special ideas on obama-care is to apply a 2.3% tax on sales of businesses. if you want to start some new idea, and own profitable business, you will get taxed even if you are not profitable. one russian company said they would have to lay off two hundred people to pay the new tax on their business. then you heard the vice president yesterday -- did you

hear him yesterday? he has a lot of things to say, does he not? [laughter] >> anytime you're a looking for something to go after in a political sense, just listen to the vice president. >> the vice president has material for us. [laughter] yesterday, he was talking about taxing companies all over the world. if you are here as an american company, we will tax you for your enterprises. does he not understand this means the enterprises will leave and go somewhere else? they just kill economic freedom. they make it harder and harder for our economy to grow and would be allowed to work. the proof is in the pudding. look at this recovery. the weakest recovery we have seen since hoover. this is a time for freedom. it is not a time for the

government to dominate society or the economy. [applause] you know, i think the american worker should be able to join a union and form a union if they would like to. i do not think you need to be forced on them and i do not think that unions should be able to take money out of a worker's pay check and give it to a politician that the union boss wants to give it to. [applause] you know that religious freedom is under attack. again, under obamacare. they want to dictate to the catholic church that the employees of the catholic church have to be provided by

the catholic church with health insurance that gives them free contraceptive entry sterilization treatments despite the fact that this violates the conscience of the catholic church. if i am president of the united states, this great choice we have will make sure that in my case, i will restore and protect religious freedom. we are one nation under god and that must be maintained. [cheers and applause] life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. life was the first of those. i want to protect the sanctity of human life. if i am president of the united states, unlike this one, i will restore the mexico city policy. i will defund planned parenthood and i will take our money out of the united nations population fund. [applause]

i mentioned to you what it was like being able to travel abroad and standing in a little taller, a little straighter because i knew i had a gift that others did not have and that was i was american. something we all share. i think that means a different thing to each of us. it means something important to all of us. people understand it is important to be american. it is exceptional and special to be american. our president does not have the same feelings about american exceptionalism that we do. over the last three or four years, people have begun to question that. on this tuesday, we have an opportunity to vote. to take the next up. to bring back the special nature of being american. it to not turn us into a government-dominated society

like we have seen other nations pursued but to restore to this country of principles that made this nation the greatest in the history of the earth. to restore our commitment to the pursuit of happiness. i represent someone who believes in the stunning principles. the president says he wants to transform america. i do not want to transform america. i want to restore to america the principles that made us the hope of the earth and together, we will do that on tuesday and every day thereafter until we get back the white house. thank you. thank you. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage, from the wisconsin coalition, jesse garza. [applause] >> hello, everyone. are you having fun today?

[cheers and applause] [cheers and applause]