>> this morning, he talks about the benefits for veterans in the 2013 budget request. then lieutenant colonel eric egland talks about how troops need your happy abroad. and matt lewis, senior contributor. "washington journal" is next. host: good morning on this memorial day, monday, may 28. right now you're viewing images

of the tomb of the unknown soldier where the president will mark the day with a wreath ceremony. since memorial day was first recognized, more than 600,000 service men and women have died in war and millions more have served. as we reflect on their service this morning we're asking our viewers today to also look ahead and give us your thoughts on the united states role in this changing world. you think america will continue to be the leader in world affairs? is the u.s. on a decline? give us your thoughts by calling in. you can also catch up with us on all the social media pages on twitter, facebook and email. a very good morning to you on this memorial day.

we've already had some people writing in on facebook about this question of america's place in the changing world. want to read a few of those for you right now. angela summer writes in that the u.s. is a busy body. we try to cloak it under do-gooding but we end up doing more harm than good. linda writes in on facebook to our question that america's role is to be a shining model of government, of, by and for the people. to attempt to influence and cooperate with others and direction that will make us safer and more secure in the long run, and make for more peaceful world. with all the money and politics and the republicans serving the 1% of the corporate interest and stopping everything that will help the american people, such as jobs, we have not been that. our current administration and executive branch have been competent. it's the g.o.p. backed by the 1% and special interest money that are stopping us from using our

full potential. we want to know what you're thinking. while you're doing that, we want to read you a few headlines from around the world that are affecting the united states this morning. the first comes from the "washington times" this morning. the headline syria denies responsibility in attack that killed 105 people.

>> that's in today's "washington times." if you want to read more, this story is also leading the "new york times." the headline is security council condemns syria. a string of leaders have criticized mr. assad for making promises, like respecting the cease-fire, then trying to put down the uprise by forg. there is another case of

shelling on civilians, this time in hamas, a center of resistence where activists and dozens have been killed in new attacks the details could not be confirmed. that again is from "the new york times" and "the washington times" this morning. give us your call on the united states place in the world. i want to read you one more international headline this one reading "washington post" this morning. u.s. diplomats among targets of iran-linked plot. in november, the tide of daily cable graphic to a u.s. embassy brought a chilling message to the ambassador.

>> precisely who ordered the hit and why was never determined, but u.s. and middle eastern officials now see the attempts as part of a broad campaign by iran-linked on tives to kill foreign diplomats in at least seven countries over a span of 13 months.

host: so you can read more on that story in the "washington post fts this morning. so we'll go to the phones and start getting your comments on america's place in the changing world. we'll start first on the republic condition line, harold from westwood, new jersey. george. caller: the world needs america now more than ever. we need to lead the way. to overcome and so forth. the thing i appreciated the most, on may 21, our president gave a terrific talk to the students at joplin high school. among other things, he said we need god. he then also said may god bless you, to the class. may god bless the class of 2012

and may god bless the united states of america. now the whole world should know that god has answered their prayers. spoke to moses 5,000 years ago. god answers us and says i will bless you if you keep my commandments -- >> host: do you think the u.s. is on a decline or a force in world affairs and will continue to be a force of the aworld? caller: we are definitely a force. i served in the 104th infantry division in world war ii. we fed the world! there's plenty of food, it's the distribution of food that is the problem. we need to love our fellow man. obviously when god spoke, he said i will bless you if you

keep my commandments. host: harold, thanks for the comments this morning. harold, a veteran talking about some of his service. we've got plenty of headlines this morning having to do with veterans affairs and military issues this morning. one we wanted to point out from cnn.com. this from yesterday evening. the head line is that a u.s. sailor is the 3,000th afghanistan war death. u.s. sailor who died last week of medical complications was the 3,000th death among coalition forces in afghanistan. host: the coalition includes 50

countries. britain has the second largest number of dead at 414, the article notes. so, want to take you also to defense secretary leon panetta was on the sunday shows yesterday talking about the role in afghanistan. want to take you to that head line as he vows enduring presence in afghanistan. mitt romney has criticized the obama administration calling the approach to afghanistan misguided. responding to romney's position,

panetta said i think you've got 50 nations in nato that agree to a plan in afghanistan. what is that direction, to take us to a point where we draw down by the end of 2014. that is the plan that's been agreed to, and a plan that is working. we'll go back to the phones on the independent line. we've got margaret waiting from new orleans, louisiana. margaret what do you think of the u.s.'s role in america in the future? caller: good morning. i think that we better start policing more and we need to fund our military. what they have planned for the military, they want to decrease everything. countries need us, ok? it may not seem like sitting over here. but, they need us. i lived in morocco for three years with the navy. they go here and don't realize they don't have anything over there. they need us to protect them.

it may not look like from where we're sitting, but that's the way it is. you have a blessed day. host: thanks, margaret. continuing on the story in the "washington post." panetta raised alrms about the looming double in the defense budget saying they would be disasterous, urging democrats and republicans to work together to avoid a budget showdown the defense department provided a budget that we think meets not own the goal of saving but protects a strong national defense for this country. the thing that does concern me is the sequester that involves another $500 billion in defense cuts that could come later this year. want to take you also on the sunday shows on cnn, patty murray was on talking about veterans issues. here's some of what she said

yesterday, now. >> the frustration is something that all of us have to be concerned about. we've got some real big decisions coming at us. we believe veterans benefits are protected under that, as they should be. we have asked these men and women to go to war. they should not be making the sacrifice. >> i guess the next question is, as is, are the veterans benefits and the increases they've asked for in the next budget enough? >> well, i think that's an interesting question to answer because it aplease not just to benefits they are supposed to get, which we will have it for, but are they getting it in a timely way. are they correctly diagnosing pstd as they leave the military. are we doing everything we can to make sure they get access to the benefits in the right kind of way fast. it's resources, but it's a lot

bigger. host: and we'll be talking about veterans benefits and other veterans issues. first, i want to continue our discussion on america's role in the world. thomas is waiting on the democratic line. good morning, thomas. caller: we can't keep invading any country we disagree with as we did in iraq under bush. hello? host: yeah, go ahead. caller: the war in iraq was a disaster, just like vietnam. the defense budget is bloated. now people are trying to war monger a war in iran, and that's incredible that we don't have a learning curve on this. we need to cut the defense budgets for the most bloated and wasteful budget line we have and we need to use negotiation rather than brute force to solve the problems of the world. host: thomas, thanks for the call.

on twitter, joseph ramirez writes -- america is not on decline but sending our brave troops into iraq for regime change was stupid. that's joseph on twitter writing. we've been talking about america's role in the world. we should give you president obama's thoughts on this. he spoke at the air force academy on the 23rd of may to discuss this subject. we'll give you that now. >> for a decade we have labored under the dark cloud of war. and now we can see a light, the light of a new day on the horizon. the end of these wars will shape your service and make our military stronger. 10 years of continuous military operation have stretched our forces and strained their families. going forward, you'll face fewer deployments. you'll have more time to train and stay ready. that means you'll be better prepared for the full range of

missions you face. also ensure the burden of our security no longer falls so heavily on the shoulders of the men and women in uniform. as good as you are, you can't be expected to do it alone. there are many sources of american power. diplomatic, economic and the power of our ideals. we've got to use them all. the good news is today we are. around the world, the united states is leading. from europe to asia, our alignses are stronger than ever. our ties with the americas are deeper. we're setting the agenda in the region that will shape our long-term security and prosperity like no other, the asian pacific. we're leading on security,

reducing our nuclear arsenal with russia, even as we maintain a strong nuclear deterrent so they never fall into the hands of terrorists. rallying the world to put the strongest sanctions on iran and north korea, which cannot be allowed to threaten the world with nuclear weapons. we are leading economically to create new markets for our goods. boosting our experts, stamps with three proud words -- made in america. host: that was president obama speaking on america's role in the world. we should note that president obama will be at arlington cemetery this morning at 11:00 a.m. for the traditional wreath laying ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier hosted by department of defense. and also, later today at 1:00, the president will be at a memorial day at the vietnam

veterans wall hosted by leon panetta. should also note that mitt romney has memorial day events planned. he will be in the veterans museum in san diego appearing with senator john mccain of arizona to discuss memorial day and remember memorial day there. we've got some of mitt romney talking about his role back at a speech at the citadel. we'll give you a listen in. >> this century must be an american century. in an american century, america has the strngest economy and the strongest military in the world.

america leads the free world and the free world leads the entire world. god did not create this country to be a nation of followers. america is not destined to be one of several equally balanced global powers. america must lead the world or someone else will. without american leadership, without clarity of american purpose and resolve, the world becomes a far more dangerous place and liberty and prosperity would surely be among the first casualties. let me make this very clear. as president of the united states, i will devote myself to an american sentry and i will never, ever apologize for america. [applause]

now some may ask why america. why should america be any different than scores of other countries around the globe? i believe we are an exceptional country with a unique destiny and role in the world. not not in the way that the way british think britain is exception or the greeks think greece is exceptional. in barack obama's profoundly mistaken view, there is nothing unique about the united states. but we are exceptional and we're exceptional because we are a nation founded on a pressure idea that was birthed in the american revolution. and in our fundamental documents, we are a people who threw off the yoke of tirni and established a government, in lincoln's words, of the people, by the people and for the

people. host: and that was mitt romney talking about his view of america's role in the world and the president before him. the president's appearance at the vietnam memorial wall today is the beginning of what is supposed to be a 13 year commitment to remember the vietnam war. it will be a kickoff event for that. that subject will be talked about in a piece by robert turner today in the "washington times." he served in vietnam as an army lieutenant and captain for more than two decades. also taught seminars on the war at the university of virginia. he writes "it will be a good thing. a lot of very brave men fought noblely in that conflict, only to return home and be treated with scorn and disrespect. i still remember my own reception following my second vietnam tour.

when we were warned don't wear your uniforms into town." host: we're taking your thoughts on america's role in the world. fred is waiting on the republican line from fairfax, virginia. good morning, fred. caller: good morning. host: go ahead. caller: 30 years ago -- american

-- america needs to change policy for the better life and more comfortable -- host: you think the manufacturing decline that you sort of hinted at is a symbol of a larger decline, is that what you're saying? caller: i'm saying they decided on purpose to make calls that will make more of them so you can make more money. and that was the wrong policy. host: fred, thanks for the call from fairfax, virginia. we'll go right to jeremy waiting on the independent line in new york, new york. good morning jeremy. caller: good morning, how you doing? i was here september 11, i lived downtown manhattan. i watched 3,000 people die in front of me. it was a terrible, terrible day. but after that i traveled a lot

around the world. i thought why would people hate us so much as to do this? i would meet people abroad and a lot of times tell them canadian. you would be amazed what kind of biased views you get when you tell people you're canadian as opposed to american. anyways, a lot of people don't understand that the big picture is if we were to stick up for the palestines in israel, that adds fuel to the fire. like hitler incorporated the germans after world war ii. you can't even mention this because you're considered anti-semitic. i think if we would step in and solve the problem like israel, we would -- i don't know, the world would be a better place. pretty much that's all i've got

to say. host: jeremy from new york, new york on his thoughts on what america should be doing in the coming years. a lot of stories today on veterans issues and military issues. another one we wanted to point out from "washington times" this morning on the front page, about the medal of honor. a long-time battle to get a civil war officer, a medwal of war honor is in its final charge is the headline. want to read you a little bit about lieutenant alonzo curbing.

host: you want to read more on that story, that's by steven in "washington times" this morning. want to give you one of our video tweet we've been working. we asked this question to some folks about what america's role in the world is. here's one of those now. >> i think america's role in the world is a very powerful one. i think what ever situation is going on, a lot of countries look to us to see how we're going to react to it. and depend on us for economic reasons as well. host: we'll share a few more of those with you this morning as we go along. we'll go back to the phones. brooklyn, new york, bobby is waiting on the democratic line. good morning, bobby. caller: yeah. let me tell you how it is. it's this simple. until we have a draft back, rich

people and politicians will continue to send our children, other people's children, poor children into harms way. they're not going to think long and hard until it comes to them. so we have to have the draft back because we're no longer number one in many things. we may be a super power in the terms of new cler bombs we've got, but we're not the superpower of manufacturing or health or education -- so until these politicians have to think long and hard about sending their own kids, it ain't going to change. host: bobby from brooklyn, new york, thanks for the call. another comment on facebook this morning from paul martin. he writes america's role in the world is to lead by example. period. take care of ourselves, do the right thing by taking care of our own people. other countries will see we are a great nation. other countries are watching us

now and see all that's going on washington, we are becoming a laughingstock. host: that's paul martin's comments on facebook. back to the phones, dean is on the republican line. good morning, dean. dean, you there? caller: yes. host: go ahead, from alaska this morning. caller: yes. host: little early there, thanks for calling in. caller: yeah, it's like 3:30 in the morning. but watching the station i'm watching, c-span, and they're talking about our involvement in the middle east.

i guess i really do, after all these years, i guess i really have a problem with how much we put into other nations and nationalities because they need, in my opinion, they need to put together their own stand and stick up for what they do. you know? we've gone over and we've killed presidents of nations. we've killed so many people because they were not democratic or because they were not. but we thought they should be. i really after all these years, i guess i've become to where i had a real problem with that. i don't know what the solution

is. i think if we backed out of all of our help overseas i think yes, that probably will be damaging. but on the other hand, how can we control all jim writes in, america's role should be to show the world how well free market capitalism and limited government meddling works. a few other stories this morning that we wanted to point out, and we'll take your calls for about another 15 minutes on this first segment of the "washington journal." continuing on the stories relating to the military and veterans, this from "the washington post," "world war ii battleship heads to last port." a famed battleship that saw action during world war ii and

carried president roosevelt to a wartime summit went to california. host: that's, again, in "the washington post" and the iowa got a sendoff yesterday as it left the harbor and passed under the golden gate bridge. back to the phones. tennessee, memphis, tennessee, joy is waiting on the i understand pen line. good morning, joy. caller: good morning. the role of america in the world is destabilizing.

i agree with so many of the other previous callers, especially the one that said you can't say the word jew or you get cut off. the rich and powerful want all of the money and power in the world for themselves alone. that's causing decision satisfaction at broad and aat home. so much killing is causing an atmosphere of despair here, so the children are killing themselves. children, 7 years old, because of bullying. children who are bullying are following the examples of what they see people around them doing, who have seen that might is right and nothing else matters if you win. there is a ripple effect for every action. there is an equal and opposite reaction. america can change laws of this country and of other countries to benefit the rich and the powerful, but america cannot change the laws of nature, and if america does not start to obey the laws of nature,

america will be destroyed by the laws of nature. host: joy from memphis, tennessee, calling in this morning on the independent line. we'll also go to middletown, connecticut, where sarah is waiting on the democratic line. good morning, sarah. caller: good morning. first of all, today i'd like to pay honor to our soldiers. i have a long history of military in my family, and i honor all our soldiers. as far as what we can bring to the world, you can bring back honor and integrity. conservatives call obama an apologist. no, he's trying to undo diplomatically the damage that bush and the republicans have done for eight years. where was the tea baggers when the secretary of defense, rumsfeld, was in iraq at the beginning of the war and a soldier stood up and said that they didn't have adequate armor, they were going through the garbage dumps of baghdad

looking for metal platings to put on their vehicles, and rumsfeld said, you go to war with the army you got, not the army you want. where are the tea baggers when the hospital under bush was falling apart and our soldiers weren't getting adequate care? host: sarah, thanks for the call. we'll talk about the issue of private organizations helping troops both on the battlefield and at home in a later segment, a segment today with a lieutenant colonel, who started a nonprofit group to do just that. want to point out another story this morning, this from "the washington post" as well on prosthetics for u.s. soldiers and spending by the military on prosthetics.

host: yesterday, cnn's "state of the union" talked about veterans issues, but specifically unemployment as it relates to veterans. here's a look. >> what's unique is the 18% number, in comparison to nonveterans in that class, the nonveterans are 15% unemployment in that sage aim. that is still a striking number. that's still far worse than

other areas, but we are having a hard time having young people get jobs today. but the biggest, scariest number more than that 18% is the fact that 780,000 veterans who are currently out of a job, 2/3 of them are between the ages of 35 and 64, and they might not have the resources like the g.i. bill and many of the other things that these younger veterans have to use. host: again, this morning, that's a shot of the tomb of the unknown soldier at arlington cemetery in virginia, right across from the lincoln memorial in washington, d.c., where there will be events later this morning at 11:00. we'll be giving you live shots this morning from that event, and you can watch it later at 11:00. back to this issue of what america's place and role is in the world. carl's waiting on the republican line from north town, pennsylvania. carl, what do you think? caller: hi, you know, i found it interesting, you had a call

while i was holding, and it just so happens that during the korean war, i spent two years up there keeping a very close eye on russia. one of our guys got shot down. anyway, what i was calling about was the fact that the capitol building you see behind me, the power there is going to be transferred to new york city and the u.n. should we go through signing some of these treaties, giving away our sovereign rights that we all fought for and a lot of our buddies died for in the war. host: what treaties in particular are you concerned about? caller: had somebody take it from new york city and do with it as they wish. host: carl, what treaties are you specifically concerned about that the u.s. -- >> caller: well, i just saw one on your channel this morning, the one that the -- they had it for 20 years, trying to get us to get involved, their national,

the expiration rights and all sorts of things that would put us in somebody else's hands. they say while -- i mean, hillary clinton says -- she's been for things overseas for as long as i've known her in politics. host: you think the u.s. should pull back completely? >> caller: and they are u.n. favored people. obama is just a plus for them. you got to watch what they're doing. host: thanks, carl, for the call from pennsylvania this morning. we wanted to point out the front page of the christian science monitor weekly magazine this morning. the headline is the next mission, how some veterans aim their warrior focus at urban blights at home. that is this week's edition of the "christian science monitor" if you want to pick that up. back to the phones. north miami, florida, billy on the i understand pen line to talk about america's role in

the world. good morning, billy. caller: yes, good morning. first, let me just say i don't think any veterans should be unemployed. i think they get a job and everybody else gets in line. i'd like to say this country has defense and it has aggression, and that's our product. when we go into these rich-oil countries, we sit there and pay for everything, and we get nothing in return financially, and it's on the backs of all americans. and thirdly torque let you know, i am a gay relationship in a relationship with a man for 10 years. he's navy, i'm air force. i really think we need to get forward in this, balls the biggest thing that people used to say you can't put a gay person in the military because they're subject to blackmail. i see with the secret service situation, that's on both sides now. and i'll take my comments offline, and thank you for c-span. host: billy calling from north

miami, florida, this morning. another tweet this morning, mike freeman writes, our role is changing. other nations see that we are tiring of role as bully four peace. that's mike freeman on twitter this morning. we already showed you one of our video tweets. got another one for you this morning on the role of the united states in the world. >> i think america should lead by example. before we do it, we need to clean it up, because we're setting a poor example. and that's it. just support human rights. host: back to the phones. manhattan, new york, rute on the democratic line. good morning. caller: hi, yes, i wanted to talk about our role in the world. i think that we should take a back seat, especially to intervention.

i think we tend to be reactionary in the manner we respond to other countries asking for help. we don't really investigate to find out whether or not they're friendly or they're enemies. and we're just too quick to respond, and we end up, you know, wasting lives, wasting our money, and back home, we are not taking care of ourselves. so i think we should be a little bit more deliberate in the manner in which we respond to international affairs. host: thanks for the call on the democratic line this morning. one other article i wanted to point out to you was in sunday's "washington post" in the outlook section. the headline is neither white house hopeful is a veteran, does it matter? perhaps an interesting read this memorial day, just to give you a taste of it --

host: you can read this in yesterday's "washington post." got a few minutes left here with you in this opening segment. we'll go to starkville, mississippi. rene is waiting on the independent line. good morning. caller: good morning. the u.s. is "leading" the world off a cliff and into world war

three. if i was russia, i'd be preparing for war with the united states. the united states has committed itself to interfering in russia's domestic affairs, and actually, the first skirmish in world war three happened during the bush administration where the united states encouraged the georgian leader to kill russian soldiers. this missile defense shield is right at russia's doorstep, the united states had an admitted war criminal in its path, but it gave him immunity. and how about prosecuting the admitted war criminals we have here, george w. bush and dick cheney horks killed and massacred hundreds of thousands of iraqis and millions more from their home? host: rene on the independent line from starkville, mississippi, with her opinion on where the u.s. should be going in the world. want to read you a few emails

this morning that we had gotten on the subject, this first from d.w. from seattle, washington, the health yers role the u.s. can play is a stabilizing force in the world and the most deductive role we can play is as an empire. this is a razor's edge made more complex by the growth metric we use to evaluate our economy. that was an email this morning that we received. want to give you one more from richard. you asked if america is on the decline in the world. no, the rest of the world is on the rise. of course, this means that relative to other nations, america will no longer exert the predominant influence around the planet. so, lots of thoughts on this subject this morning. i believe we have one more call from chesterfield, new hampshire. ron is waiting on the democratic line. good morning, ron. caller: good morning, c-span. i just have two quick comments. i believe we should give back to our thoughts, the way we

used to be, perhaps like before world war ii, and that's kind of a live and let live type of thing. we should promote freedom and human rights and not impose it on other countries. and as far as our veterans, god bless them. we should sell all the toxic assets that our government has been buying up from these banks, these foreclosed homes and businesses. we should sell all of that to our veterans for pennies on the dollar, so when they come home, they will have, you know, places to own, their own home, their own business. we should just do a lot more for our veterans. you know, they've given everything so that we can keep living in this great country, and we just need to do -- we just need to do more for them. host: ron, thanks for the last call here on this first segment of the "washington journal" on this memorial day holiday. up next, we'll have a discussion on the g.i. bill and

veterans education with colonel robert norton of the military officers association of america. then later, lieutenant colonel eric egland, president of an association, troops need you. we'll discuss the role of the private organizations in helping our troops. we'll be right back. but as we head out of this segment, we'll take you to a live shot from the korean war memorial on the national mall.

host: that's a live shot of the korean war memorial this morning. later this afternoon, the president, at 11:00, will go to arlington cemetery. there you can see the tomb of the unknown soldier. he'll be participating in a wreath laying ceremony at 11:00 a.m. you can go to c-span.org for details on that event. now we're joined by retired army colonel robert norton of

the military officers association of america for a discussion on the g.i. bill and education benefits for veterans. colonel norton, first explain what today's troops mean when they talk about the g.i. bill. this is a benefits program that's taken many different forms over the years. guest: it certainly has, john. for the troops, this is the greatest opportunity for them to advance their futures since the great world war ii g.i. bill. it's a tremendous program, and we are very grateful to the american people and to congress for passing this great program. actually, it was put together and established by four veterans who led the charge, four senators. senator jim webb, senator chuck hagel, senators lautenberg and senator john warner, retired senator john warner from virginia. so we had two vietnam veterans, we had two world war ii veterans, two democrats, two

republicans who led the charge, and many of us in the military and the veterans community helped to put this g.i. bill across the line. host: and so, what you're talking about right now is what's known as the post-9/11 g.i. bill, is that correct? guest: that's correct. host: that was passed in 2009, up to 100% tuition and fees coverage, monthly living and household stipend, up to $1,000 a year for books and supplies, one-time reallocation allowance, and options to transfer benefits to family members. this is information we got from military.com. how does a soldier qualify for this? how long do you have to be in service to get the full amount that we just described there? >> guest: to get the full amount, a service member has to complete three years of active-duty service. in the case of members of the reserve and national guard, there is an earn as you serve provision.

so, a basic benefit is available at 90 days of service. and then for each subsequent call to active duty, reservists and national guard can earn the full benefit at three years of military service. host: again, we're talking with army colonel robert norton of the military officers association of america. we want to hear your thoughts on this segment, if you want to call in and ask about the g.i. bill, the military officers association of america gives recommendations on how best to make use of these bills. give us a call on the democratic line, 202-737-0001. the republican line, 202-737-0002. the independent line, 202-628-0205. and we've actually set up for this segment and the following segment a special line for veterans. please do give us a call if you're a veteran at 202-628-0184. you can ask colonel norton

about this subject or any of the different subjects the military officers association of america looks into. explain what your organization is and what it does. >> thank you, john. this is the largest professional association for officers in the country. we represent all of the officers of the uniformed services, both currently serving, retired, and former officers. the officers of the army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard, and the public health service and the moaa corps are represented in our organization. we were founded 80 years ago to settlement a strong national defense and to fight for the earned benefits of our military men and women and the entire military community, including our veterans. host: and we're talking about the g.i. bill. talk to us a little bit -- do you have numbers on funding for fiscal 2013, how much we're going to be spending on the

g.i. bill? guest: well, let me start first with a little of the numbers from last year. last year, for the post-9/11 g.i. bill, there were 555,000 participants. and this included active-duty family members. these are folks who get benefits transferred from currently serving members. and the government paid $7,656, 000 for this tremendous benefit last year. the projection this year is there will be in the range of about 650,000 to 700,000 participants. so that's currently serving active duty. there are family members who received transfer benefits and veterans themselves. overall, since the beginning of the new g.i. bill, about $18.9

billion has been invested by american taxpayers in our returning warriors and their families, and there have been about almost 750,000 military men and women, veterans and family members who have participated in this enormously wonderful benefit. host: and that's the post-9/11 g.i. bill? guest: yes. host: the one that you had to serve after september 10, 200, is correct? >> guest: that is correct. host: one of the concerns that's come up with this bill and that the president has actually spoken about is some of the abuses of the g.i. bill -- the president has been specifically worried about for-profit colleges preying on g.i.'s to get the money they're going to be given by the government. can you talk us through how that concern has come up and what the president has done? guest: sure. the president listened to and heard the complaints from many different sectors, including members of the military and veterans community, like the military officers association. the issue, frankly, is that

there are some schools out there who are seeing veterans with dollar signs on their backs. this great benefit is an opportunity for our young men and women to advance their futures, to seize their futures, and the country needs an investment that produces a return, a valuable return. so about seven, eight months ago, a number of groups banded together and said, look, we're concerned, because we're seeing that some men and women are using up their g.i. bill and they're not really getting anything of value out of it. and so, as a result, we banded together a number of military groups, including the student veterans of america, iraq and afghanistan veterans of america, the american legion, v.f.w., my organization, the military officers association, and a number of other groups, and we sat down and said, look, what do we need to do to strengthen the oversight of the

g.i. bill and make sure that this investment is sound, this investment of our nation in these great young men and women who are returning from combat, that this investment really pays a dividend for the future, that they can get something practical and valuable out of it? host: because there's concern among groups like yourselves who support this benefit, that if these abuses continue, congress will cut this program back, correct? guest: that is correct. we're concerned that, if at the end of the process you don't get a degree or you don't get a degree that's worth anything, then the investment is a sunken investment and not really producing what the great world war ii g.i. bill produced. you know, there's nothing new about this. there were abuses after the world war ii g.i. bill. trade schools cropped up all over the country. congress had to step? . today, the president stepped in and issued an executive order, and it's a really good first step in making sure that the

agencies of the government do their part to make sure that this investment will work as designed. we've got the executive order says that the defense department, the department of veterans affairs, and the department of education have to work together to make sure that all schools that are participating in this program operate under the same set of rules. that's the key, make sure that the information about the g.i. bill is clear and transparent to all participants, to all applicants, to make sure that there are no gimmicks and games, make sure that we contract the outcomes and to make sure that this investment really gives an opportunity to all of these men and women who have given so much to our country over the last dozen years or so. host: and there's a good story about this in education week this month. that's www edweek.org. i just want to read a little

bit from it. it says the groups who are fighting for more protection, it says the $18 billion flood of g.i. bill money from washington they say unleashed a gold rush for-profit colleges that aggressively market to veterans because they are readily available -- they have readily available g.i. money. quality of these schools varies widely. advocates point to a senate committee investigation that found eight of the top 10 schools receiving g.i. bill funds in the first year of program were for-profit colleges. quality at these schools varies widely. so, if you want to read that story, go to edweek.org. there's been lots of different stories about this issue. how long is it going to take to rein in this process that the president started? guest: i think the process has started already. he has directed in the executive order that there will be updates from the government agencies involved in overseeing the g.i. bill and military tuition assistance every 90

days. host: go to the phones. alexandria, virginia, franklin is waiting on our veterans line. franklin, thanks so much for calling this morning. you have a question or comment for colonel norton? caller: yes, i do. i was watching trace adkins last night, as he said he would give 25 homes to our veterans. but you go -- the hardly wounded ones, and i'm sitting here thinking about, in san diego, some many, many years ago when we were watching our friends go on out to vietnam, and we had many newspaper articles just like the ones popping up today about these schools, where young girls were married to two, three, four different young men going to combat, and often they collected not just the family benefits and allotments and that sort of thing, but also collected dental benefits. that occurred. it was very widely known. the u.s.s. kitty hawk, we took

her around the horn before it went all out. so, the thing that keeps coming to mind with adkins are standing up and saying, let's really reach out to these wounded people. we have millions of homes owned by u.s. taxpayers. that's us taxpayers. i think i'm going to make that my biline, us taxpayers. we own most of the we're living with them because they cannot be sold. they will be have to given to political friends. host: are you familiar with some of the issues he brought up? guest: i'm familiar with homelessness and with jobs for our young men and women. there is a disappointing increase in the homeless this as

well as unemployment among our returning veterans. that is why this new g.i. bill is so important. it gives our returning warriors an opportunity to gain the skills that they need. they can go to vocational and on-the-job training. they can work towards licenses and certification under the g.i. bill. the g.i. bill is them an opportunity to make the difficult transition from active military service into the private world and gives them the tools and the education to make that change. host: there is an article in today's "the washington post" about a new jobs program which targets older veterans.

it was signed by the president late last year. a few steps from the article -- a few stats may artifrom the article. host: talk about the hired heroes act. guest: it is a great new program which includes a program that will begin on the first of july

. it is program that will be for older veterans aged 30 to 65. this benefit is targeted to those who have difficulty holding down meaningful work. it will be available for one year and will open up the montgomery g.i. bill to these veterans for a point of one year to enable them to get started in training on skills in a work area that is in high demand in the workplace. we're very excited about this. upwards of 99,000 veterans from this age group who are unemployed and they can begin applying right now and about 9000 have so far. host: you mentioned the

montgomery g.i. bill. we have some stats from the veterans administration. members in roll and pay $100 per month for 12 months. when did this first get instituted? guest: it is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month. it began as the first g.i. bill in the all-voluntary force era. at the time, the late 1970's, there was a huge debate as to whether there was a g.i. bill needed for people that are volunteering. the draft was over.

why we do need a g.i. bill? this bill was passed into law and is still in effect and pays about 1407 $5 a month for full- time schooling but it does not have a housing allowance or book allowance. but it is still out there and still in existence. we think at some point it should be put on the shelf and what the post-9/11 be the g.i. bill for the 21st century. host: we're talking with colonel colonel robert norton with the military officers association of america. he served in south vietnam as a platoon leader and one on to a distinguished career. dave from middletown,

pennsylvania. did we lose you, dave? we will go to william on the democratic line from nashville, tennessee. caller: good morning, colonel. i appreciate you for your service and all veterans for their service on this memorial day day today. host: do you have a question about the g.i. bill? caller: 8 tax incentive for hiring veterans. i believe it is discriminatory in pointing out one particular group. how are your feelings about that? guest: i do not agree with that point of view.

this includes tax incentives for american employers so that they will attract and bring into the work force our returning men and women. only 1% of our population has served in the past dozen years protecting the rest of us. they have in dort multiple tours of duty -- they have endured multiple tours of duty. they have the challenge of transitioning back into the workplace. this is good for employers, good for them, and good for the economy. host: general mcchrystal wrote a piece yesterday in "the wall

street journal." are we going to have funding to continue to fund the g.i. bill for all these folks getting ready to exit? guest: yes. it is in part of the budget called mandatory funding. if yout be paid for, i fyo will. the health-care budget is paid through annual appropriations. we will have thousands of men and women returning over the next few years and it is important we retain the health- care system over that time. host: scott from atlanta, georgia. caller: good morning. i am 59.

i served and i'm wondering if you can clarify -- is there a basic distinction between veterans who served in peacetime as opposed to those who served in wartime in terms of entitlement to benefits? guest: there is a distinction in terms of some benefits. but a veteran is a veteran is a veteran. that is so we feel about it. there may be unique benefits that are available as a result of an injury or disability which occurred in the line of duty. that can occur either in a peacetime training setting or it could occur in a war zone. all men and women who have served our great nation in uniform deserve to be honored as

veterans, including members of the reserve and the national guard who have served out a full court and were not called to active duty under title 10 orders. host: uma on the republican line from florida. caller: good morning, colonel martin. i have spoken to the governor -- i have written to the governor and to the local senators about how we can help the wounded veterans who are returning from the wars. they may be physically disabled but if there might is strong and they can listen and speak, i have been trying to see if we can get the big corporations who were sending the jobs abroad in

these call centers. instead of them going abroad, if we can train these young men and women to be speaking to people from their homes. they can be employed in their homes and they can answer this call centers. i would be happier to listen to a call back and speak proper english then a voice i cannot understand. it would be a healing process for them. they would be talking and interacting with people. otherwise they are sitting injured with their homes -- in their homes. guest: thank you for the comment and question. i think many american companies, all sizes have reached out to men and women serving today.

that's different from my generation when we came back from vietnam. eartening to to see the outpouring in many communities. my association is involved in a project called community blueprint. cannot local businesses and colleges and universities, local health care providers to welcome home our great young men and women who are returning to our shores from iraq and afghanistan. host: scott from wisconsin. caller: good morning. i have a question about credit to be exempted -- i think it is a great program. i am 45 and going back into

college for these people will be a big challenge. you have to learn so much so fast. my suggestion would be to give them some grace on the number of credits they have to take to be eligible because it will be a slower process for them. are you looking at something like that? that is challenging for somebody who never grew up on a computer to learn these programs and to go to school. guest: that is a great question and a great comment. this issue of credits and the acceptance of military experience for credit or for a job certification is an important issue these days.

we have been encouraging higher education community to look honestly and fairly at the military experience and training that military men and women gain in the armed services. we think young men and women who complete vigorous training and have all that experience afterward in fields like medicine, transportation, they deserve an opportunity to have that experience and their training evaluated towards college credits. yes, it is important for schools to provide a welcoming atmosphere. that is why many schools are already stepping out and establishing vet centers on

campus where veterans can meet and share experiences and ideas and can get the support they need to make 10 transition into the college life -- to make that transition into college life. host: what your top recommendations to avoid these scams and how best to make use of the system? >> take your time. if a guy with the opportunities that are available to you -- evaluate the opportunities that are available to you -- guest: take your time. look up a school and see what the costs are, what the various programs are.

it is a good start. it is not everything we would like it to be. it is version 1.0. we are working towards version 2.01 . pick the right school for them. it is called college navigator. it is a good tool. there is a g.i. bill tool that can help you do the first level research to determine what is right for them. they should ask a lot of questions and to visit campuses. be careful about offers that seemed too good to be true. host: jim has a question on twitter.

guest: i might agree with that, john, for sure. i think in the real world, that probably will not happen. there ought to be full and fair credit for military training and experience. only the top 25% of those who are eligible to join the military actually can qualify. only the top 25% in this country. you have to be a high school graduate. these young men and women are the cream of the crop. there ought to be credit for their accomplishments in serving our great nation. host: andy is waiting from

florida. caller: i would like to thank the colonel for his service to our country and the veterans. i would like to say a lot of these big companies went overseas. they have mostly -- they are selling to us. now they are seeing we're out of jobs and possibly they will come back. i watched the ryan plan -- host: we're talking about the g.i. bill. caller: i am getting there. first day will take away our social security and our medicare -- as they will take away --

away thety will take our social security and medicare. guest: their benefits are not negotiable. they are the 1% of our population that has gone into harm's way and have preserved the freedom. they have kept us safe after the horrific attacks of 9/11. we understand there has to be cuts and the nation is in tremendous economic challenges in front of us. the folks that should be at the end of the line in terms of imposing those cuts are our military men and women. host: did you see the comments from senator collins?

heart in what she said? guest: we appreciate all of our leaders stepping up. we need to make sure that their health care and their disability compensation and their g.i. bill is preserved and protected are those who have served in uniform. host: jamie on our veterans line waiting to talk to colonel north and. caller: good morning. i served on okinawa. guest: thank you for your service. caller: i am transgendered. i have never been able to avail myself to any veterans' benefits because of the discrimination and ridicule that i had.

why am i not able -- i got an honorable discharge. i have top-secret clearance. i participated in some difficult operations on okinawa. i am not able to enjoy any of my benefits because i cannot get an honorable discharge certificate. host: any advice you can offer? guest: talk to the folks at the v.a. if you have applied for benefits, they will ask for your discharge certificate for military service, which would document your service in the armed services of the united states.

thank you so much for your service. host: another veteran calling. al is from nashville, tennessee. caller: i am a veteran. i appreciate his work. the idea of the needs to be non- governmental organizations such as wounded warrior is illustrative of the problem. the country is not taking care of veterans as they should be. there would not be a need for wounded warrior or other projects if the country was taking care of veterans. president obama said he would come out and do some things for veterans. he ginned up a program for

veterans to hunt for non existing jobs. the dollar cost up traumatic brain injuries or all the other injuries -- you can't put a dollar value on that. if you have that money in a separate account for v.a. medical, you don't have to go back every year and grovel for money. these benefits are negotiable. they are negotiated every year by the politicians, most of which they have not searched and do not know anybody who has served. host: i recommend you listen to our next segment. a group will be helping veterans. your thoughts on his question

and comments. guest: in this great mockery of hours, itt valuable to have all matter of groups speaking and represent the folks that are members of their organization. that's part of our political process. there is a long history of veterans groups who have banded together to represent the interest of veterans of particular eras speech to congress about needs of particular groups. we do not want to rely just on what the government is saying or not saying about particular programs. it is important for groups to get out there and to present their own message about the needs of the veterans. it is important for those who

have served to continue to interact with their elected leaders so that they can explain the challenges and the opportunities that our military men and women face. host: james from kentucky is next. caller: good morning. a big thank you to all the veterans and service men and women. guest: thank you. caller: [unintelligible] i question is with president bush, the iraq war, i know it will take several years for withdrawal. one of the plans implemented for work when the guys and ladies

comeback -- what are the plans? and with president obama, it seems like he is dragging his it and little b in get getting things done. it should not take 10 years to get these men and women back to work. host: the post-9/11 gi bill has not taken 10 years. guest: was passed in 2008 and became effective in august 2009 . it has been in place less than three years. the veterans would just be finishing up their program over the next year so.

host: charles from kentucky on the democratic line. caller: i joined the army in 1963, had two tour in vietn am. i retired from the army. it was my understanding i had to use my education benefits within 10 years after i retired. i started going to college to get a degree in business management. i received letters that might education benefits were expiring -- that my education benefits were expiring. they said i would have to find some other type of financing because my benefits ran out. i only had three classes to go to get my degree and i cannot afford it at that time.

i was working a full-time job. i leave home at 5:30 in the morning and did not come home till 11:00 p.m. at night. my education benefits expired. i had four children and i cannot afford to pay for my own education. guest: something does not add up and that is unfortunate. thank you so much for your service. the g.i. bill at that era, a service member had 10 years from the date they completed their military service to use that. the new g.i. bill has it longer window of 15 years. it is unfortunate that your experience does not seem quite

to track and i'm sorry to hear about that. host: we have a veteran on the independent line, albert from virginia. caller: how are you today? i thought i was going to talk to colonel norton. host: you are. caller: i went into the military at 16, 1974. i was transferred to paris island and i got injured. i got out and went home. i never applied for no benefits or anything. lately i did apply in every time i applied i get turned down. i got an honorable discharge. what do you do with a situation like that?

guest: thank you for your service. we appreciate the service, especially on this memorial day. this is the 50th anniversary of that war. you should visit with one of the groups that specializes in helping veterans with their claims. there are a number of them out there and they do good work. they are very good at what they do. do not try to go alone. use one of these groups. that is the way to go back and appeal your client before the v.a. host: you talk about the fact that the president will be at the vietnam war more , the wall.

the white house has been talking about vietnam vets to not alwdid not always received the respect they deserve. guest: thank you so much for the question. coming home was challenging and difficult and it is the reason that i do the work that i do today. when we came back, we were told, "you better get out uniform because you'll be ignored and consulted." -- insulted. that's not true today. today our men and women are welcome to home. we feel we've been given a special gift and a special privilege. fell inr those who tel

vietnam. we know that they have tremendous skills and tremendous talents, tremendous leadership to give to our great country. we honor them on this special day, this day of remembrance and celebration. host: kerneled norton of the -- norton of the military officers association of america, thank you for coming on. up next, eric egland. then a chat with matt lewis of the "daily caller." we will be right back.

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need you. tell us how your group is different. guest: it is a great day to think about what we can do as americans. how to mobilize the american people. i served in iraq and afghanistan. i saw a couple of things that led me to start this group. i saw thousands of care is that are gathering dust. people meant well but they were kind of wasted. i was going out on patrol as an advisor and seeing a lot of times the troops did not have the things they needed for their mission. i thought with the time and energy and money was channeled

into mission essential supplies and equipment. i came home and started speaking to local groups. people wanted to know how to help. they did not feel like they had a great opportunity to make a difference. that was the birth of the troops need you. i wrote a book about how we could change course in iraq and we started the organization. host: let's start with your overseas efforts. guest: relations of building supplies. the key to kantor and sir disease is different from .raditional warfare' you try to influence population.

things like metal supplies are to start a clinic -- things like medical supplies, water purification systems, school supplies, sports equipment. we had a combat unit. the last medical unit had shut down. the doctor was not driving a taxi cab because they did not have supplies. we got in touch with the unit and were able to deliver all the medical supplies they needed to reopen the clinic. it is critical operational in. . they were winning influence in south baghdad.

we had nine troops that were killed and a few were captured. those medical supplies were able to open a clinic and get our troops back on good footing with the local population. host: you can talk with eric egland, give us a call. 202-737-0001 on the democratic line. 202-737-0002 on the republican line. 202-628-0205 on the independent line. a special line for veterans, 202-628-0184. how do you go about doing this? how'd you get the supplies to the places they need to go? guest: it boils down to a

approach. we listened to the combat units on the ground for what they need. the hierarchy may think they know better. host: how do you reach out to those folks? guest: the pentagon. host: how does the organization to find out what is needed. guest: people reach out to us. we do that. we don't go through official channels. we follow all regulations and things. there is a bureaucratic mind-set where higher echelons that kind of live in palaces -- they don't know what the units or those out

of control. we go directly to those units. that is part of the challenge. contacted us. this was way out in afghanistan near the pakistan border. they were getting a lot of enemy activity. they said they did not have perimeter security. cameras and things like that. they said, we do not have any perimeter security. fra red hunting for re cameras. they cannot see them with their

night vision goggles. they go from seeing shadows at night to getting pictures of what these guys look like and how many there are and what they are carrying. host: you think it would embarrass the pentagon enough to get these guys the supplies that they want. have you seen an increase in the pentagon's ability to give these troops what they need? guest: everybody is trying as hard as they can. winning wars or prosecuting wars overseas is the ultimate complexity. what we have more of an olive nation? nobody is perfect. we should do an all-country effort.

the unit said, this is perfect. this is what we needed. i got a name out that said they use these to stop rocket attacks -- got an e-mail. you have to have a door or an address. state repositioned the cameras toward the village -- they repositioned the cameras toward the village. they went right to the door. no more rocket attacks. this could be the first time a private group helped stop rocket attacks. every unit has unique needs. delivered tanks.

it is well-suited to bullets, vehicles, and things. electronics, equipment. that was the gap that i saw when i was out there. i go as a volunteer. i am a career military guy. this is my chance to get a sense of what these troops need and then to deliver. host: nicky is a veteran in new orleans. caller: hi. we're trying to start a nonprofit ourselves. we're calling it our soldiers

keepers. my husband was a combat engineer. coma. thin a the spouses have been pretty much ignored. many of us have had to taken over roles when our spouses or injured. there is a lot more males now in that role. they are taking over for a veteran wife. i would like his comments on what he thinks the troops would need and what our services need. assistance in ways of computers and other technology that a lot of spouses are now going to have to use. they are becoming the primary caretakers.

guest: thank you for all you do to support your husband in his recovery. .hat you're doing is great this is the american spirit at work. i encourage you in your efforts. we have a homefront operation. it boils down to three categories. we focus on the severely wounded veterans at walter reed, for belfort, and other hospitals are run the country -- fort belf voir. a lot of veterans request groceries. a soldier gets wounded and his income balls down to gi benefits

to go to school. in terms of money in his pocket, ou're va disability -- your v.a. disability and social security. they are on a fixed income and they have young kids or they would like to start a family. you can assume the needs are farther up the food chain. we supported a family of command that lost three limbs. he is a married father of four. we got him a specialized laptop. his son made a leap and destroyed the laptop. he wants to finish his degree in

cybersecurity. he has an intention lined up. these folks are trying to move forward. they sometimes have unique needs. we also do weddings. we support troops with their mission. when you are returned and wounded and healing, that mission is moving forward with your life. what you're doing is great. find out what the needs are. let us know how we can help. host: we have a reaction from jim on twitter. do you get that kind of reaction? guest:yeah. yeah. i started this five years ago.

i make reservist -- i am a reservist. there is a marine unit that had 100 families. the water is so contaminated they could not get good water. they built a pumping station but allocated and iraq -- but out and iraq blew it up. let's get these water purification systems and put them in the house of the family. that changes the equation. if somebody tries to take it from them, they will support us.

that is an example of an innovative approach. i was hoping at the beginning we would do more mission test essential equipment and government would adjust and overcome that. i'm getting more requests for mission essential equipment. this is a cell phone interceptor. this is requested by special forces in afghanistan. we're shipping them right now. when you go on patrol and you go into a village in contested territory, you end up -- hold whole world can see

you coming when she moved over the ridge line. special forces teams are getting cut into smaller and smaller groups. let's say you have six of these devices. then you take your teams and turn them into eight teams because you try to cover more ground. "we'll send you into a less contested village." this is all contested territory. i want the guy i am working with to get the kind of support. it underlines the need for american people to get involved. host: they will get in touch with you through the website. we have a question on twitter.

guest: people send care packages and put a lot of candy in them. you can put socks and soap and some candy and things. host: that are always needed? guest: not really. the care packages go to folks on the big bases in the palaces. we're talking steak and lobster dinners once a week. you have everything you need. maybe some comfort food. we're doing a great job of supplying the troops on a large bases. a lot of times the care packages

and up collecting dust. host: jesse from louisiana. caller: good morning. i appreciate your service. redt witih thh the tails. i like to speak kilobit about care of our servicemen -- i would like to speak a little bit about care of our servicemen. we could relieve a few minor problems such as fatigue, pain, relation, etc. you have points on the hand and the feed and the body -- feet

the you can manipulate and relieved certain systems in your body such as your bladder, your liver, etc., to start functioning. host: do you deal on the medical side? guest: we have not done operations like that. it is interesting to get to know these severely wounded troops. or your service.servic we need to give our healing veterans more access to. i have gotten to know a number of these veterans personally. i think we could modify the system to empower the troops.

we say, what do you need? i want to know what you say you need. it is the same thing when you're healing. i have met with doctors who would love to help the wounded veterans but it is a nightmare bureaucratically if they're not part of the v.a. infrastructure. why couldn't we offer tax credits? then they get access to things like you mentioned, reflexology. let the troops have access to and understand the difference opportunist that they have and let them pick what works for them. out. expos dses come this is front-page news because

the bureaucracy was trying to stop us from helping the veterans. once it came out, everybody went into damage control mode. "we're sorry." it is bigger than that. it is not what the american spirit is all about. i am a big fan of the ideas that you're talking about, jesse. host: here is a picture of you getting a hug after you delivered a large screen television from the troops need you. the work you did was featured from walter reed. we have a question from bill on twitter. guest: i like it because it is a

flag pin but done in the same style as we wear our uniforms. we delivered some furniture. we had thrown them a wedding. moving forward with their lives sometimes means throwing a wedding. "i want to marry and move forward with my life." josh did not have the money. we have volunteers fly out from the west coast. there were so excited. they went to walter reed and started meeting these folks and found out about josh and katie. we were or if -- we worked

with a bridal store. he doesn't have the money to fly in. the nail salon, the flowers. we were able to throw them a wedding. the chaplain was struck when i explained we were able to pull this off. he said, right now i can name the 12 wounded veterans that would love to marry their long time sweethearts. host: how many people are involved in troops need you? give us a size of the organization. guest: we have supported thousands of troops overseas and hundreds of troops on the home

front. what makes it possible is the generosity of everyday americans. we have about 50,000 people who have donated or volunteered provided time and money. host: troopsneedyou.com. guest: that is right, troopsneedyou.com. caller: i appreciate what you're doing for the troops. i have concerns about what you're doing on the operational side. there are things like rapid technical transition that should be followed when you're introducing geared to a soldier or sell your that has to be incorporated with the support --

to a soldier or sailor. rrying 40 toeady caring 4 50 pounds. i am retired navy. there is a process in place. let in th. helping the silver with a wedding, that is fine -- and a soldier out with a wedding. host: do you run into these concerns? guest: thank you for your service. those are the billion dollar programs, to deploy a massive

communications systems with a freight headquarters or inside a vehicle. that is a different scale that only a large organization can do. i totally respect that. echinus touches on a mindset that says there's already a process in place. i will go more basic than the radio signal interceptor. how about gps or body armor? they took all the body armor in iraq and moved it to afghanistan. in iraq, most of what you are doing is driving around all day. you can have a massive body armor kit on you if you are sitting in a vehicle. you can hold a lot more weight.

if you are in afghanistan at 15,000 feet elevation walking up bridge lines and down valleys, you are on foot. we have deployed the modern body armor to units that have not got it. the same with gps. we had gps for special forces. they were the same ones issued in 2003. they have gps, but it is broken. host: does it incorporate their gps in the current system? guest: i am not going to sit around and not let these guys have gps. in afghanistan, there are times you would rather have gps than anything. there are not roads in some places. you need this type of support. to say there is a process in

place, and get this. sometimes you will have someone at a certain level say we do not need this and this is taken care. tell that to the dark on the ground who says i need this. because of my background, i am able to verify these things and validate these requirements. we do not just send stuff because someone sends us an e- mail. it is interesting to see the mindset from headquarters and the bureaucracies that say they do that. maybe it on a briefing it's as you do that, but the guys are on the ground are not getting it. we will get it there faster and quicker and let a large organization catch up. host: we have about 15 minutes left with eric egland from troops need you. the next call is on the

independent line. caller: to add on to the last comment, why do the service men who have been discharged and are now homeless put in a position to decide what is needed for the troops? that is to out on to what was just said. service members provide service that lasts a lifetime. and they come back home apply for benefits, they're told the benefits only last for tenor 15 years. these benefits should be put into lhasa they never expire saw a person does not have to worry about it or fight with officials in offices that have no clue.

it should be mandatory that somebody who was in the service has the ability to go to school after 25 years when he wants to go to school. it should be freedom of choice. freedom has been taken away by legislation. host: the couple of questions. start with his first. guest: we have done that. it is a great idea. we have healing veterans. we have found projects they can work on that help us with our overseas mission. they are able to use their expertise. we're able to pay them. it works out great. inclement-wise, it is more project-oriented. -- employment-wise, is more project-oriented. we have a couple of employees, but we do mostly project work and independent contractors. it is amazing what you can get done with a few clicks of the

mouse in getting connected to units. we are extremely lean. that is one thing i emphasize. sometimes programs grow. they start off great focus on their mission. eventually incrementally it becomes about a program instead of the mission. we stay mission-focused on that. another example is something like this. this is a laser pointer. what we were seeing in iraq -- this is a powerful laser pointer. we were about in iraq as counter-terrorism adviser. we found a unit where a guy had gotten one of these. this is about $200. they were using them to warn oncoming vehicles. one of the biggest problems was that iraqi drivers were not seen

the check points. the troops were having to open fire. they are not attackers, they just do not see it. is chaotic driving out there. the troops come up with great ideas, but the barack receipt is not responsive. -- but the bureaucracy is not responsive. that is an idea he came up with. it was brilliant. it was part of my job to say let's get this in. we went to the rep. equipment force. they said the assessment center has to look at it to make sure it will integrate with everything else and to the safety check. that is fine. i had to follow up with this. six months later, they said we are rejecting it. we will not by those for the trips. they said the laser pointer is not eye safe. if you held about two inches away from your eye for one minute, it could damage your eye.

obviously nobody is doing that. this is for combat reality. you are putting this through a window instead of killing them and the family. it is the mindset that is not responsive to listening to what the troops say they need where we step up. we need an organization founded by the private sector so we can be much more responsive to these needs. host: a comment on twitter. they say that the troops know what they need and what they need is often less costly than what is provided. guest: that is true. they know what they need for their particular mission. there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. indeed, an infrastructure for

radio communication across afghanistan. that is costly, but for good reason. -- you need an infrastructure for review commission across afghanistan. that is costly, before. reason. we had a unit. this will go back to people wondering why the government is not taking care of this. they are for the large requirements. we had a unit contact us in afghanistan. they said they did not have showers. they ordered a shower. they paid $100,000 for a shower trailer. six months later, they still do not have it because it does not get delivered. all kinds of bureaucratic excuses for why they do not have it. this is what they did. they took a porta-potti and cut a hole in the roof, ripped out the guts, put an igloo cooler

on top, and that was the shower. i found a business that made them. they said they do not ship them. i had to go into my intelligence training to get him to give me a straight answer. at the end he said it is on the gsa schedule. the gsa is the government catalog of everything you can buy. you can buy these showers for afghanistan through the gsa schedule. on the schedule, they charge about five times more than you or i could buy them as a private citizen. that is an example of it being cheaper. i called them back. i got a different sales person. i said i need to order three

field showers and ship them to me here. we then repacked them and ship them out. we got them to afghanistan. it took an extra day because of -- it took an extra three days because of shipping. host: how do you know the gear you ship does not get confiscated? guest: we get confirmation they got it. we usually send out a little at a time and make sure it works, that they got it, that is what they need. then we refine from there. as far as the military condoning, what is this mindset that the government has to approve everything a citizen does? we'll bay and comply with regulations. we do not ship things rigidly obey and comply with regulations. we do not ship things you are not allowed to ship. one thing where units can get in trouble is when they get this, they need to put it on their

receipts so it becomes property of the unit. if someone takes it home with them, that is a violation of the joint essex -- joint efiks --e thics regulations. people standing up and getting this. we have been doing this throughout our history from the revolutionary war. people identify gaps and say they can help to fill that. we need to rekindle the spirit of america. host: let's go to katherine on the democratic line from ohio. caller: thank you so much for c- span. i am probably one of your biggest supporters. i have 80-fold question this morning. my son-in-law and daughter were

married. he went to somalia. in 911, he reenlisted. he did a one-year tour in iraq. he was home for a short time. he did a 15-month tour. then he did a second 15-month tour in iraq. when he came back, he is not the same man. he had never been physically injured, but mentally he is not the same man. he and my daughter are now divorced. they have to their children. my question is concerning my grandkids. their needs have never been met. their father has been home from the military. in august, it will be five years. they have both asked to use his educational benefits. because he is not the same man he used to be, he has refused to

allow his children to use his educational benefits. do they have any other recourse? can they go over his head? can something be done? host: is that something you know about? guest: i would call the local veterans administration directly and explain the situation. for people entitled to benefits, there are recourses for the if someone is incapable or unwilling to initiate the process there are work arounds to do that. i wish you the best of luck. it touches on the larger issue. war is hell. it is really tough. the toll it takes on people and their extended family when they come home, it is really tough. maybe we can start your wars. i think that would be good. troops need you will be there to

help with whatever it is. host: let's go to charlie on the line. caller: i worked with marines. i can see they could use equipment like this. all of the troops can use different equipment. i belong to the church. we have been sending care packages with postage for $500 for 75 packages. if we knew what equipment the troops needed or wanted, we would have sent that it probably in smaller amounts, but none the less there. i am reading a book called " eating soup with a knife." this book talks about what the colonel is saying. the higher echelon dictates what they think the troops need.

it is not what happens on the ground. as far as helping troops coming home healing, many of the churches would be willing to do this if there is a way to recruit your outfit to come to we would like to have a kernel come and speak to several churches and our area that do this kind of work. host: col. egland, i will give you a chance to comment on that. guest: thank you for your service and what you are doing in your community and church. the church network has been phenomenal from my church to church is always around the country who see this. they are already doing efforts to help. they say this sounds like something where i can really make a difference in someone's

mission overseas or the healing process at home. that is my dream, to have folks getting on board and channeling. if you are going to spend the time, money, and energy, you want it to make a difference. i have done that across the country speaking to groups and helping people understand. you can send me an e-mail. troops need you@gmail.com. get in touch. i would love to collaborate. host: troopsneedyou.com. guest: with counterinsurgency, it is a bottom-up form of warfare as opposed to conventional conflicts where you need to command from the top down. it is a different mindset. in afghanistan especially,

general petraeus' model, insurgents need three things. they need time, people, and a safe haven. they have all three of those in afghanistan and pakistan. counterinsurgency four things. they need legitimate national authority, a sense of national identity -- and advisers said there are no afghan people. he said there are no afghan people except in kabul, but only because it pays so well. it means is so tribally the verse, it would be difficult to get anyone who represents a national identity. doing counterinsurgency, if you need infrastructure they do not have. you need a trip ratio -- troop

ration. 100,000 troops and 10 more years would not change that. we are 0 for 7 on the factors need to succeed in the counterinsurgency environment. host: next, we will continue our spotlight on the columnist series. we will be joined by matt lewis. as we go in to break, we want to leave you on this memorial day with a shot from the world war ii memorial. we will be right back.

host: you are looking at a live shot of the world war ii memorial on this memorial day. later, president obama will be laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier. that is going to happen today. live coverage begins on c-span at 11:00. we continue our six-part series on the colonists. it is a spotlight on different

columnists around the country. each day we will feature a different columnist. on saturday, we had mona charen of the national review. today we have matt lewis of the daily caller. we're joined now by matelots. explain to us what the daily caller is. some people have called the conservative answer to the washington post. guest: i think a better model with the conservative politico or huffington post. it has only been around 2 1/2 years. our goal is to break news. we also have commentary from a center-right perspective as well. i do some of that. a lot of breaking news. the perception has been that the

media is skewed leftward and in some cases, vetting was not done from the center right perspective. we have focused on operation pressed and furious, a look into the case for attorney general holders with gunrunning into mexico. that is the kind of story that 20 years might have been largely ignored by mainstream media. outlets like the daily caller can talk about it and drive the stories into the mainstream. host: you cover congressional and presidential race politics. talk about being a conservative columnist in the campaign season. talk about your role in the primaries and what you see as going forward. guest: being a conservative center-right journalist or

conservative blocker -- blogger is really exciting. all of these adust publications are important. who are the voters reading? i would argue owlets like the day the cold are more and more are were people who vote in republican primaries go to get their information. the voice we have is becoming increasingly powerful. i do not intentionally pay attention to metric. host: can tucker carlson speak to that? guest: i can say we're growing and ramping up. host: talk about your role in calling out the mainstream media when you think they have gone out of bounds. you had a well-known piece about marco rubio in january when researchers -- reuters wrote a

story about him. guest: reuters wrote a story about mark a review. i think it was meant to be somewhat of a take down. they issued five corrections or retractions based on my reporting. some of the things they talked about were widely known and came out during the primary process. senator rubio had a heated contest against the then- governor charlie crist in florida. there were allegations of ethical and proprietary. he had used a republican party of florida credit card. he reimbursed the party but there were allegations of malfeasance that had been cleared up during the florida primary race. there were other issues they just got wrong. it happened a few months ago. some of the details now escape

me. the fact that reader's -- writers -- reuters, a highly respected outlet, would issue five corrections points to the need for conservative and center-right new media outlets. 15 or 20 years ago, a piece like this might have been written about senator rubio. the washington post may not have got around to checking it out. the news outlets might not have. when it is in print, it becomes the gospel truth. people take it to be true whether it is or not. that could have impacted whether senator bill becomes a running mate for mitt romney. -- whether senator rubio becomes a running mate for mitt romney. the fact we were able to correct the story and make it more likely he is the running mate could change history. host: give us a call in this morning.

we would love to hear from you. any questions you have for him about what he does or life as a columnist. you have got her start as a blocker -- you got your start as a blogger. tell us how that makes you different from some of the old school columnists. guest: it is a combination. some people go to journalism school. they're better writers and me and maybe better at grammar and the fine details, but they also might be more inclined to let the reuters story pass because there is the goal boy -- good old boy network. there is a media establishment.

americans have grown tired of feeling like the media is covering up for themselves or not holding each other accountable. i have had a unique experience which has helped prepare me. i started off blogging at human events. i worked at townhall.com during the 2000 primary. i got to ride with john mccain. in 2008, the fact he would invite conservative bloggers on was historic. it was a big deal. back then, being a blocker -- blogger -- senator mccain

deserves a lot of credit for making that a seamless immigration -- integration. he treated bloggers the same way as the establishment media. that means he called us all jerks in may from a loss of. he was very ahead of the time in regard. it was a great experience. what are brought to the table was a conservative viewpoint. i am considered one of the old hands at blogging. and this sort of new media. i was able to bring the twitter world into it. it was great. i got to work for people like

respected journalists. they taught me how to report and write and some good things about working in the mainstream media. i think maybe i taught them about richard -- twitter and what is happening in the 21st century with media. your columns include a lot of humor. talk about the importance of humor in your columns and relating to readers. guest: i try to be funny. my philosophy is we should have fun. i know we're talking about very important issue. there are times to be somber and solemn. by and large, i think we should be friends and have fun. i think it is possible to have heated disagreements over philosophy and politics and still be friendly. i am happy to say there are some very good people on the left and right to agree.

whenever you are doing, if it looks like you are having fun, it is more fun for the readers and viewers. there is the thing about being a fire breathing conservative or liberal but some people like. at the end of the day, people like to have fun. a try to. -- i tried to. host: let's go to bill in georgia. caller: matt, i like your column. i have read you a couple of times. i am a democrat. i think you are part of the mainstream media even though you are a blogger. all of you journalists need to talk about savings versus social security. it seems like young people are making a lot of money and want to put aside for themselves and their future and not care about the nation's future. have a great memorial day. guest: the caller makes an interesting point. what is the mainstream media?

we could have a debate about this today. the fact i am on c-span means i am not just a blogger and the negative stereotyping that goes along with that being in pajamas and your mother's basement. i have been there. it is harder to generate -- today to say what is the mainstream. i do think is healthy -- it is healthy. the have mainstream media folks who have been around forever her starting to -- who are starting to blog and use twitter. right now, a lot of americans are struggling. we have to be cognizant of focusing on america and how we can be part of a community. i consider myself conservative

individualist. i think it is important to talk about the importance of community. i would encourage young people to save as well. i do not think it is a problem. likely we are not saving enough. i do not see that as a problem. certainly we have to think about community as well. host: he asks about the future. guest: i think is likely in the future most journalists will start out as bloggers. if you are a young entrepreneurial person, there are a couple of different paths. outlets are closing down. if you are a young person and want to be a journalist, you could try to get a job at the

new york times or washington post and work your way at or you could start your own blog. i have an internet just started for me. the way he got the internship was by criticizing the -- me. i wrote something about the nebraska senate race a couple of weeks ago. he wrote me criticizing me in a respectful way. he used twitter to contact me. the next thing you know, he is now helping us out. it is the start of a great journalism career for him. host: let's hear what someone else from nebraska has to say. charlie is on the democrats' line. caller: i have a lot of problems. we're looking for a solution. i do not have enough time to go through all this. they say washington is only as good as the voting machines. right now, they do not pass the

smell test. somebody investigate the insecurity of all electronic voting across america? this is a shame for the american citizens and our veterans that fought for security and have been illegally constitutionally elected government. guest: i think he is talking about balance security and making sure elections are not stolen. this is vitally important. you can have everything else go right, but if the elections are stolen at the ballot box, none of the matters. i would point to james o'keefe, a conservative activist and journalist, who has been doing good work on this issue. showing up with cameras, hidden

cameras at ballot places and demonstrating that you can steal elections or that you can cast numerous ballots using fake names, dead people voting, without ever showing an idea. -- an i.d. i am very much against anything that would have to do with voter disenfranchisement. i do not think it is unreasonable to say you should see how -- show some form of i.d. when you vote. one way to become disenfranchised is to have the elections to one from you are people fraudulently voting. a lot of states are addressing this. i think it is probably for good. host: asheville, north carolina, is next. neal is on the independent line. caller: i heard you talking

about the reuters piece and not doing a good job of covering mark a review. you came up with the answer of having a more politically conservative views on the issues and so forth. i think having the notion of having another outlet of conservative people doing the same thing reuters is doing would not handle it. maybe objective bloggers like yourself criticizing both sides and try to get to the truth on all matters as well as just reuters and the mainstream guys right now. guest: that is a good point. raiders -- reuters is like the a.p. if they write something, is

taken as gospel. maybe they would have fixed it. maybe the rubio campaign would have contacted them. maybe they would not have. in this case, it was me, but it could have been another journalist that pointed it out. i will say this. i agree. traditionally, the mainstream media is skewed to the left. i do not think most journalists are intentionally attempting to bypass the news, but i do think they see things from a liberal world view. i think it is important we have conservative out with getting things and holding them accountable. this stuff happens on both sides of the aisle. you asked about going forward what i think conservative b

loggers and journalists ought to be doing, i think part of it is holding mitt romney accountable. i think if you look at what happened during the bush era, conservatives who were co-opted and went along with the spending and did not question things, they did not do him or conservatism a favor. i think our job is to be truth to power and hold both sides accountable. host: how often do you leave your office for a story? guest: i do go out. i do leave the office and go out. that is a big step. people are tied to offices in general. host: how do you get ideas for what you write about? guest: there are journalists who

are always out and about prowling. they can find wifi anywhere. i do not know how they do. a lot of what i do is honestly done through bones and twitter, -- phones, twitter, and e-mail. i broke a lot of stories that people who were in iowa and new hampshire more did not break. i did a lot of it from the confines of the daily caller. there is something to be gained from being on the trail. it is important to be out there, get outside the beltway to listen to folks who are not skewed by the echo chamber here. a lot of times, people think because they are out in iowa or new hampshire covering a race that they have a better

perspective. i think some of the sources can be developed fine by e-mail and phone. i was in new hampshire in 2008. i was utterly convinced barack obama was going to win the democratic primary in new hampshire. real reporting would have told you that. of course, we were all wrong. it was not a product of not being in hampshire -- a new hampshirer, there were a lot of things that played out. host: let's go to the phones. caller: just last week, you were in the back taking notes on c- span. guest: i was not. caller: that was not you at the white house press conference? i could have sworn it was you. host: what is your question? caller: there is so much

corporate vice in the media. -- bias in the media. i do not understand how things become street. like this young man in texas who has been in jail. chris diaz was indicted for 4 grams of marijuana. he has been in jail for a year. he is a bad d --ad -- dad and hazmat medical card. they have made an issue of holding the sky. a guy who is a dissident in china becomes national news. he gets a full ride at nyu. they said to get him out of there before they kill him. they are killing this guy you is -- who is an asthmatic in jail. the government and mainstream media are avoiding the medical

marijuana subject because it is not politically expedient. you find something that might be a diamond in the rougher votes, they are -- in the rough for votes, they are on the bandwagon. same with immigration critic it is sad. host: let's give matt lewis a chance to comment. guest: i feel your pain in the lock -- noah not stories will be big. i wrote a story the other day about president obama with this wind turbine company called tpi in iowa. it was a big deal. are reported -- i reported it turned out tpi received much more of their funding from private equity, which president obama has been attacking, and through government subsidies. during the speech, president obama was criticizing companies

that received tax benefits who send jobs offshore. it turns out tpi has three factories abroad. that should have been a huge story. nobody picked up on it. it went nowhere. i cannot figure out why some things are right blow up and some things -- i write blow up in some things do not go anywhere. i want to address the specific case he cited. my dad was a correctional officer for many years in maryland. i have great concern over putting people in prison who commit somewhat minor offenses and turning them into real criminals. i think that is a major problem. i have written about it at a daily column. you will find a lot of conservatives and libertarians- leaning conservatives, bill buckley supported the decriminalization of marijuana.

there is known about the drug epidemic is horrible, but i think it is -- there is no doubt that the drug epidemic is horrible, but when you put people in these institutions to turn them into real criminals. it is horrible. we need real prison reform. there's a group called prison fellowship that does some of this work. they also do ministries. this is a huge debate, absolutely. host: let's go to arizona, carol is on the republican line. caller: i have a few things to say and then want to ask you questions. thank you for doing something about fast and furious. just like trayvon martin's parents, his parents want to know what happened with fast and furious. he was a soldier who survived iraq and its killed in arizona by our government. our government is not doing

anything about it. when you talk about the mainstream media, i watched the man who wrote "game change,"he said the press does not like mitt romney. they downplay it. he goes he will not find a nice story about mitt romney from the press. just like when they did the gay marriage, the president, he said the main street media wanted the president to do this. you always see positive stories. he is making fun about mitt romney what he wants to do to the education system. i would like to know why they are not spotlighting arne duncan and the president the way they left the chicago schools in such a mess. i do not want them telling me how to run our arizona schools. how many kids graduate there? why was something not done?

they had mayor daley, the president was a senator. arne duncan was the school superintendent. they did not know how to fix the chicago schools. we can get school choices in arizona. it is a big game changer. host: not lewis, a lot to choose from there as well. guest: it highlights the importance of the new media and having outlets like the daily caller. fast and furious is a very big story. i have not been covering it that much. matt boyle has been the point man at the daily collar and has done some great reporting on that. if there were not outlets from alternative cable news outlets and new media outlets like the daily caller, i do not know if fast and furious would even be known.

would they even report it? i think it is great we live in a time that we have other outlets that can drive these stores. it still has not broken through to the degree i think it might. maybe the story will go away. maybe it will turn into something significant. i think questions need to be answered. andrney general holder president obama over to the public to talk about this in greater detail. my colleague has offered to go on the golf course if president obama would grant him an interview to do it. if nothing else, it is great we live in the company in a country where technology has allowed dissenting view points and proper vetting. host: what is the deal with the gun give awayguest: the daily ca section on the website about

guns. there is a gun give away every week between now and election. you can sign up for a contest. the guns have the bill of rights on them. host: why are you giving them away? guest: it is a promotion for the gun part of the website. as you can imagine, it has proven a bit controversial. if you win the contest, if you go to your local gun shop in your community and your subject to the rules and laws that govern your municipality. that is important to know. host: is that part of the reason for the promotion? i am sure you knew you would get attention by giving away tons. guest: in a lot of places around

america, this would be greeted with a yawn. some people would greet this with a yawn. some parts of america, this is not uncommon. i will say goodbye product has been terrific publicity for the day the caller -- i will say a good byproduct has been terrific publicity for the daily caller. caller: this is about the birth control issue. federal law is prohibiting discrimination. it states practices that have the effect of discriminating against individuals for race, color, national origin,

religion, or sex. the ninth birth control is discrimination towards females -- denying birth control is discrimination towards females. one last thing. there is hardly any voter fraud. it does not change any results. thanks. guest: i guess he is talking about the hhs decision that has been a big deal. it is a church and state religious liberty question. there are a lot of catholics and people of faith regardless of the nomination who were very concerned about the issue, the hhs decision that would require religious institutions to provide contraception and abortifacients that go against their conscience.

it has been a huge debate. i do not think it is going away. newkirk,'s go back to oklahoma. caller: i was wondering, do you think the politicians pay close attention to the blogs and feedback and that might have something to do with whether they move to the corners or to the left or right? the more important question is, sometimes when you are blogging if you are conservative, will you write a blog if something polls well.

a lot of conservative voters think we should tax the people that make $1 million or more. it might poll well. as a blogger, will you put a conservative spin on the blog or put a conservative spin on it if you do not agree with what you are writing about? guest: my blog is a hybrid of reporting, analysis, and opinion-cometary. i do put my spin on it because people go into it knowing it is a reported blog. it will be some reporting along with analysis and opinion. i make no apologies about that. i tried to be intellectually honest. i consider myself a writer is a

conservative. i think that is different from somebody who has an agenda. the best way to look at it if you are going to divide -- this has gotten very confusion with many gray areas because of new media. i do make a distinction between what are called journalist- bloggers and activist-bloggers. as long as you are transparent, it is fine. an activist-blogger is pushing an agenda and using new media methodist to do that. i would say a journalist- blogger is seeking the truth become at it from a perspective. i have a center-right view that will influence my riding. i have a goal to educate and tell the truth and cover stories that are not being covered and elsewhere.

i think to me that is the big key. there are stories that would not be told if we were not there to tell them. they would be ignored otherwise. host: let's go to hawaii. jim is waiting on the republican line. caller: i have a question for you and will give you a scenario in a second. it will exemplify what we see out of the mainstream media. do you know the name raymond allen davis? guest: it sounds familiar, but no. caller: the pakistan and media said he killed two people in lahore, pakistan. he was arrested. before he got arrested, there was a dispatch of of vehicle to

pick him up. he shot two people in a public place. the people dispatched to get him killed people rushing to get the sky. host: get your point about the mainstream media. caller: the foreign media said he was cia and they arrested the sky. they had john kerry trying to get him out. president obama was talking about the geneva convention tried to get him out. it came not in the british media he was cia even though the u.s. government was denying it. the government had asked them not to mention that. they ended up sending like to dollars million to get this guy off and pay off the families to get him out of there. the media, new york times

included, was basically bought off by the government. host: has the government ever asked you not to run something? guest: not yet. this brings up the larger issue of the public right to know. there are instances where journalists could report things that would endanger american lives and have no benefit to the public. on the other hand, there are instances where the government wants to suppress information and dissent. it is fascinating when you go abroad and read newspapers. the american media is very good at delivering a lot of information. international coverage does not get the attention it deserves. maybe it has to do as americans being focused on our own country. when you go abroad and read

papers, it is. how much international news is happening we are not aware of. host: let's go to mike on independent line. caller: i have been wanting to ask somebody a question about social security. i have been hearing different numbers about 10,000 a day are retiring or 10,000 a month. it will put a big burden on the social security system. i have seen graphs of how many people are working compared to how many people are retired. i have not heard any statistics on if there are 10,000 people retiring a day, is somebody taking their jobs? the other statistic is, how long do they think people will live after they retire? host: matt lewis, i do not know

if you are a jobs expert. guest: i am not an expert, but the entitlement reform is an issue right now. paul ryan has been the point person on this in the republican party. it is incredibly dangerous politically. it takes incredible heroism to talk about this it is so easy for the other side to demagogue and say you want to take away social security or whatever. it is so damaging. this is like the third real you cannot talk about. you cannot have an honest discussion about it. i am one of the people who strongly believes we have to have entitlement reform to preserve the safety net. i think they should raise the social security retirement age. when i was a kid in western maryland, if you were 65, year-

old -- you were all. using old. maybe kids think i am old now. i certainly think health care has gotten better. the aids people -- the age people with two has increased. there are not enough people working to pay for the people retiring. nobody wants to do something radical. just raising a few years could make the program more sustainable so it is there when we get around to retiring. host: let me ask you about your interactions with your readers. you recently wrote the wanted more feedback from your readers. how do you deal with negative feedback and do they give you ideas for your column? guest: this is something you