colorado. there is a website if you want to find out more about the organization. gina carbone, thank you for your time. guest: for having us on. we really appreciate it. host: we appreciate all the guests that participated today. don't forget, if you want to see more of these interviews that we ated, it is on our website c-span.org. another edition of "washington journal" comes your way tomorrow. we will see you then. host[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014]

>> president obama today continues his two-day trip to minneapolis. yesterday he pledged to help that state in their recovery from massive flooding over the past month. reportseapolis tribune that the president told a town hall audience yesterday that they will have a strong partner when they know how severe the damage is. i told the governor we will be there as we get some clarity about the damage and what needs to be done, obama said. the dayton administration is currently preparing a federal disaster request that could eventually free of federal aid. today, the president will speak about the economy and his push to increase the minimum wage. that takes place at lake harriet, minnesota, near downtown minneapolis and we will have the president's remarks beginning at 11:50 a.m. eastern time on c-span. as congress begins his weeklong

fourth of july recess, remarks today from the longest-serving member of congress, michigan representative john dingell. he will be speaking on bipartisanship the national press club luncheon live at 1:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. >> we believe that all men are created equal yet many are denied equal treatment. men havee that all certain unalienable rights yet many americans do not enjoy those rights. we believe that all men are entitled to the blessings of liberty yet millions are being deprived of those blessings. not because of their own failures but because of the color of their skin. the reasons are deeply embedded in history and tradition and the nature of man. we can understand without rancor

or hatred how this all happened. but it cannot continue. constitution, the foundation of our republic, forbids it. the principles of our freedom forbid it. morality forbids it. and the law i will sign tonight forbids it. >> this weekend, the 50th anniversary of the 1964 civil rights act with president johnson's address to the nation and the signing ceremony and later, hear from reporters who covered the debate in congress. roger mudd of cbs and the herald tribune's and the glass sunday night at 8:00 eastern on american history tv on c-span3. next, remarks from former president george w. bush and joe

biden on helping -- and jill biden on helping veterans transition to him civilian life with a look at addiction, employment, and the stigma involving mental illnesses. it includes a panel discussion with former joint chiefs of staff chairman peter pace. it took place -- at the george w. bush institute in dallas.

>> thanks to the family members when you play caretaker and we are grateful for your service and your sacrifice. let's give the family members around of applause as well. [applause] as we just saw in the opening video, the bush institute, president bush supports all our nation service members inecially those wounded post-9/11 military service. it's a big year for our military service initiative under the president's leadership, we are asking how we can best serve our veterans so thank you, president bush for your leadership. looking around this room, it's clear we have a high-powered

who's who group assembled today and we are thrilled to have such participants on the panel area i know we will all learn a lot. you forpace, thank being here this morning and for your leadership of our advisory committee. dr. biden, thank you for making the trip to warm and sunny texas and we look forward to hearing from you and thank you, the kernel seen in the video for your leadership in this tremendous initiative. we are thrilled to have you continuing to serve us. i also want to recognize the good work of each of you here, the corporate nonprofit and government partners we have here today. you have stepped up to meet the needs of our service members and their families and we and they are grateful, thank you for that companies and citizens who fund these organizations. they could not do it without you. our to organizing principles here the bush center are leadership and freedom. we are always in need of the first and at risk of losing the chance for the second.

this audience certainly understands that better than anybody. you are here because your leaders and because you have a deeply held commitment to freedom area at the bush center, age of our mission -- at each of our initiatives helps as we work on many fronts. our education initiative provides innovative ways to train school principals to leave their campuses and rethinking how best to educate students during the particularly challenging years of middle school. our global health initiative is helping save the lives of those in ever come by bringing vital health care to those most in need. our human freedom work hosts dissident visitors, most recently a chinese activist, who was a blind advocate for farmers and the disabled and a north korean political prison camp survivor. initiative led by mrs. bush helps cultivate female leaders through a fellowship for a gram in egypt and now tunisia, the afghan women's project and a

special partnership for graham with first ladies around the world to help advance education and opportunity for women and children worldwide. finally, the reason we are here today is the goal of our military initiative to honor post 9/11 veterans by empowering them to live productive and fulfilling lives when they leave military service. now it's my honor to introduce a man who is doing just that, justin constantine. lieutenant colonel joined the united states marine corps after completing his second year of law school. while in active duty, he served -- he served in criminal law. he was deployed to iraq and was hit by a sniper. after recovering from his injuries, he work with the department of justice and the senate committee. he began his own business as an inspirational speaker.

you will recognize him from the video. thank you for your service and for being such a powerful example. thank you for your leadership and being here today. to be herey honored especially on such an important day. as a wounded warrior and post 9/11 veteran, transition to the private sector during a tough economic time, i'm a good representative of today's newest greatest generation. we will hear from a number of experts today and leaders on issues all related to veteran transition. at the end of the day, it truly does take a village. i hope you realize how complicated a successful transition actually can be and what an important role age of

you plays in it. wife i was airlifted, my stayed at the fisher house and was treated as royalty there. a couple of weeks later at the icu in bethesda, i got a visit. cameounded warrior project to visit me and i was getting a surgery but he left a t-shirt for me which reminded me that america cared about my recovery. as an outpatient, i learned to play golf with jim estes in the military golf association which is how i wound up for the veterans golf. i opened my own business after i talked to mike hainey and attended boot camp or disabled universe -- disabled veterans. worked with, i have a lot of corporations including a handful of blackstone companies.

i continue to get my counseling for posttraumatic stress where i get free a much-needed health care for post 9/11 veterans and their families across the country. i am really part of the chamber of commerce higher our heroes initiative, the campaign devoting resources to all of our transitioning service members and to the v.a. rehab for a gram pursuing it events small and great. in myogram that helped me transition goes on and on every veteran in this room has their own list. i hope that by showing you my quick snapshot demonstrates that america is note truly stepping up to the challenges of supporting today's vets in an unprecedented manner. when you look at me, i hope you see the millions of other post-9/11 veterans and their families. today's veterans don't need a handout but a hand up and all your court native efforts are

critical part of our successful transition. some of us are patient -- are facing tough apps to goals but we all want to be productive members of society. we all want to take care of our families just like each one of you. often when given the opportunity, we end up being leaders in our communities. the skills we bring to the workforce are unmatched especially considering being in the toughest work environment imaginable. resident bush obviously commits to the truth while he was in office and that has not changed since he left. i have seen his personal impact on a number of individual veterans is nothing short of inspiring. today's issues need to be discussed because they are good for all of america. i am incredibly proud to stand behind president bush in what he is doing today and equally proud to theoduce you president of the united states, the former president of the

united states, george w. bush. [applause] >> thank you. justin, thank you for the kind remarks. you are a better speaker than you are a golfer. [laughter] we are particularly thankful that dr. jill came. thank you for being here. it means a lot that you have come. i want to thank with you and the first lady lady do to help our vets. [applause] give margaret a shout out, president of the bush center, she was a secretary of education is doing a great job here and we thank you very much. i want to say hello to pete pace, chairman of the joint chiefs when i was president.

he was the first marine to do so. 1 [laughter] and it looks like the last marine to do so. is running our military service initiative and has a fabulous team and i want to thank you for your work. i want to thank the sponsors and supporters. it requires money to run these deals we thank you very much for your generosity or it if you have more capacity to give, we have the capacity to receive. [laughter] to be here with military service organizations, our panelists and martha raddatz for leading the discussions. a lot of people asked me if i miss much about being president. the answer is really no. [laughter] i miss people i served with and i miss air force one. [laughter] in eight years, they never lost my baggage.

[laughter] i do miss saluting men and women who volunteered to defend their nation during war. men and women coming home are preparing for new missions as civilians. i intend to salute these men and women for the rest of their lives. [no audio] [applause] [no audio] [applause] [applause] [applause] enter the military service initiative, the bush institute is going to help. we are focused and we will be relentless in serving our vets. 9/11, more than 2.5 million americans have worn the uniform. they faced our enemies and have liberated millions and in so doing, showed the compassion of a great nation. they are the one percent of america who kept the 99% safe. we owe them and their families a deep debt of gratitude.

our country can never really fully repair vets but we ought to try. our earliest days, americans result is abraham lincoln put it come in to care for him who shall be born to battle and for his widow and orphan. when the continental congress met in 1776, 1 of its first pieces of legislation created pensions for the veterans of the revolutionary war. since then, our government has rightly made supporting our veterans a high priority. private citizens have also played an important role in supporting our vets. from service organizations to college presidents who have redesigned their curriculum for returning veterans to employers who take a chance on about looking to learn a new trade. as a world war ii generation demonstrates, veterans 10 to take up the skills and values

they learned in the military and use them in new and constructive ways when they come home. veterans have been some of the countries most successful leaders. service, some in the oval office including an 18-year-old kid who joined the military when he was 18, 41. [applause] unfortunately, not every generation of veterans has enjoyed a warm welcome home. baby boomers remember what i am about to say -- when americans uniform returned from vietnam, many were shouted at and spit upon. they were called names and they were shunned. thinkter what you may about that war, the treatment of our veterans than was shameful and wrong and should never be repeated. over the next five years, more

than one million americans will complete their military service. like those before them, they will face challenges as they readjust to civilian life. the bush center, we believe that after everything they've done for us, we have a duty to help make the transition a successful as possible. we recognize that in helping our veterans, we can unleash the potential of a generation of resourceful come in determined, and experience leaders. in so doing, we will show the next generation of americans that military service is noble and worthwhile. and when you sacrifice for your fellow citizens, you will find strong support when you come home. many organizations have taken up the cause. has partneredr with military service organizations to honor and encourage veterans at sporting events, margaret talked about the w100 mountain bike ride and some of the riders are with us. we talked about the golf term in.

-- tournament. you just met arnold palmer. [laughter] those efforts are important but they are really not enough. they are not transformative enough. of the military service initiative is to help americans understand how they can support our veterans and empower them to succeed. support for our troops is -- since 9/11 has been overwhelming. but until now, we really have not asked the important questions like who are these that's and what do they need? together with the institute for veterans and military families at syracuse university, a fine ,niversity and a vital program the bush institute has completed one of the most apprehensive studies ever conducted a post-9/11 veterans. this spring, we will publish the complete results so others can use this information to inform and enhance their work on behalf

of veterans. here is a sneak preview -- post-9/11 million veterans, more than 2 million served in afghanistan or iraq. the average veteran spent one out of every three years overseas. 17% of the vets are women. 82% of the post-9/11 veterans said they would recommend military service to someone considering signing up. they had prior service, 94% said yes. here is one of the more troubling statistics -- 84% of the veterans say the american public has little awareness of the challenges facing them and their families. it turns out most americans agree, 71% of americans said they do not understand the problems facing our veterans. civilian call this a -military divide.

research isf our that the divide is exacerbated by public perceptions, the veteran is either a hero or to be pitied. most veterans don't consider themselves heroes were victims. they see themselves as americans who took on a tough job and did it well. they don't want lavish celebrations or expressions of condolences. it never hurts to say thank you, that's not really the point. what most veterans want is to have their service understood and appreciated for what it is -- a formative experience in their lives and a source of skills and values that compare them to succeed in civilian life. our veterans have defended the american people and now they want to experience the american dream. shows thatlso post-9/11 veterans face even higher rates of unemployment and their civilian counterparts. and this is their top concern.

problems are intense for younger veterans. veterans with combat experience, veterans with disabilities, minorities, and women. sadly, the cost of unemployment is not only financial. studies show that veterans without a steady job are more susceptible to other problems like depression and addiction and homelessness and suicide. another goal of the military service initiative is to help more veterans put their skills to work in rewarding civilian jobs. from our research, we know one problem is that veterans employers both have a hard time translating military experience. it's not surprising. you don't seem many job postings saying - wanted, hunting insurgents and terrorists, willing to risk life for coworkers. [laughter] what is a veteran supposed to

put down? my last office was a humvee? our study will help employers understand what veterans have to offer and enable them to tailor their recruitment and hiring efforts. messagesend a broader -- hiring veterans is not only the right thing to do, it's a smart thing to do. i have employed a lot of people during my career and i have learned you can always teach skills. what matters most in an employee are character and value and work ethic and responsibility and that's what our veterans bring. resumes as united states military, that means you can count on the applicant to be , good leadership, teamwork skills and discipline. to employer, that should mean a lot. across our country, businesses are making wise choices to hire veterans. many companies have started programs to seek out and hire veterans and military spouses

and we are proud at the bush center to welcome some of the most innovative companies. ,-eleven and bank of america disney, ge, jcpenney, jpmorgan, prudential, usaa, walmart, blackstone, and la quinta. these employers are leading the way that there is a long way to go before the employment gap is closed. part of our initiative, we will learn from these companies efforts and we will share best practices and use our platform to spotlight programs that work. we will help more employers understand how they can improve their businesses by placing veterans and military spouses in meaningful careers. now i will point to spotlight. in our audience today is ginger collinson. are you here? there you go, thank you for coming. here's the thing about ginger -- as started work atla quinta

a manager of the front desk in savannah, georgia. she is married to a guy named curtis. he received orders for his third deployment. he leaves, she moved to irving, texas, and the choice. [laughter] la quinta helped her. when it could not find her management job, they put her on the front desk near her home but what was important is they paid her as if she was a manager. she worked hard and got promotions and the army moved curtis again this time to san antonio. she is now general manager at la quinta inn san antonio, texas. in short, by showing flexibility and care for our military, that's and their spouses, la quinta has retained a loyal and express manager and showed great patriotism for america. and we are quinta

glad you're here, ginger. [applause] some veterans are ready to enter the workforce immediately but others need to update their skills. especially true for younger veterans who entered the military right after high school or a short stint in college. the bush center, we believe it's never too late to learn a new skill. just ask laura. didn'tears ago, she think she was marrying an oil painter. [laughter] our country has a proud tradition of welcoming veterans back to school beginning with the g.i. bill in 1944. i was pleased as president to sign into law the post-9/11 g.i. bill. our research shows that while many veterans are using the g.i. bill benefits to advance their education, too many are having a tough time making it to graduation. some schools have a dropout rate

for veterans exceeding 50%. unlike many americans struggling to make it through college, the problem here is not money. the problem is fitting in. veterans account for about three percent of the higher education population and many report feeling isolated from their classmates and/or professors. there is great institutions doing good work. veterans andacting making them feel at home. , the third syracuse shout out for syracuse in a brief. of time. [laughter] they are doing great work. then there is texas tech. i have lost one political race in my life and that was to the chancellor of texas tech. are you here brother hance? here becausere not you are about to get accolades for whipping me. [laughter] most schools have really not done enough to make their campuses welcoming and accommodating.

love to toutities a diverse student body and that's important but it's hard to imagine a more valuable contribution to cap is diversity in a group of people who chose to spend their early careers risking their lives for their country. the military service initiative will work with leaders in higher education to promote innovative programs that recruit, retain, and graduate veterans. pleased to introduce you to a veteran who went back to school, john raftery. as a marine, he helped lead the charge to liberate baghdad in 2003. when he came home, uses g.i. bill benefits to get a degree in accounting. he took the job that did not work. it's got to be hard from liberating baghdad to being an accountant. [laughter] he went to syracuse university. entrepreneurship boot camp for veterans with disabilities -- it's a program that helped the

kernel and help a lot of others. using skills he learned along with the accounting degree, he founded patriot contractors in texas. a magazine recently ranked as business is one of the fastest-growing private companies in america. he is not only provided for his family but some of his employees are fellow vets. where are you, john? are you here? thank you, welcome, glad you're here. [applause] that's an important story of how a university committed to veterans can give a meaningful transition to civilian life but the story also highlights another challenge facing veterans today. when he returned from iraq, john was diagnosed with the condition known as ptsd, posttraumatic stress disorder. a problem with ptsd is not the condition itself. the problem is the stigma

surrounding the condition. partly because it is mislabeled as a disorder and partly because many people are not aware of treatment options. suffering from posttraumatic stress are reluctant to seek help. of publict misunderstanding, employers cite this sometimes is a reason for not hiring vets. missions of the military service initiative is to help end the false stigma surrounding post traumatic stress and get -- and help veterans get the treatment they need. as most doctors today will tell you, posttraumatic stress is not a disorder. stress is an injury that can result in the experience of war. like other injuries, it is treatable. the military and medical communities have made great strides in developing effective

way to reduce and over come pts like depression. it can be controlled through medication and therapy and other treatment. like most serious injuries, and rarely goes away on its own. those affected must get help. we'll use our platform to make clear that veterans receiving treatment for posttraumatic stress are not damaged goods. they are not mentally shattered. they are people who got her defending our country and are overcoming wounds. employers would not hesitate to hire an employee getting treated for a medical condition like diabetes. or high blood pressure. and they should not hesitate to hire veterans getting treated for posttraumatic stress. [applause] one of the leaders in this area the -- is pete chiarelli

we want veterans to reach their full potential. dave smith is one veteran and i got to know him near amarillo. he was originally from akron and served in the marine corps and was a team leader. he took part in heavy fighting. when he came home he experienced severe posttraumatic stress.

he stands up in front of a bunch of cowboys telling a story. he said one night he came home drunk and he pulled out a shotgun and looked down the barrel. gun intoly, to put the another room and locked the closet and went and got therapy. last year, he graduated from u cal berkeley with honors. he interned in the u.s. stock exchange. i don't know why he did that. we invited him to join us today but he is in swaziland. he went from looking down a shotgun to traveling around 11 countries and 11 months to build bible schools and teach english, math, science and working in the field and digging water wells. inspiration to our vets

and he should be to our fellow americans prayed he is living proof that pts does not have to be in oslo -- obstacle to a successful life. his story also highlights one of the more uplifting aspects of veterans returning home. many of those who have served in uniform have devoted themselves to helping other vets. many have not worn the uniform also help. according to our initial 46,000h, more than organizations have a mission at least partly related to serving veterans. that's a huge number. it's a great testament to our country is strong support for veterans. it can be overwhelming for newly returned veterans looking for help. while these organizations have good intentions, isis act some deliver better results than others. the bush attitude is undertaking a project to help measure their effectiveness. data likeok at

numbers of veterans served and quality and consistency of outcomes produced. we will conduct case studies on some of the leading most effective organizations. to pit one group against another. our goal is to prove effectiveness. our goal is to help our vets. ofwe will share measures effectiveness and create a roadmap as an assessment tool. this is so that all organizations can hold themselves to higher standards and be able to match good intentions with good results. we will laugh this tool next fall at our next military service initiative summit. the goal of military service initiative is to empower veterans to make a smooth and successful transition to spacex us the light. we will do that by spreading civil-tion to reduce the

military divide and opening new opportunities for employment and by helping service organizations deliver better results for our vets. there is no doubt in my mind that this generation of veterans is just as good as any group of veterans before. there's no doubt my mind that they will be the leaders of our nation and there is no doubt in my mind as a result of their leadership that america will continue to be the greatest country on the face of the earth. thank you for coming. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the director of the

military service initiative at the george w. bush institute. [applause] >> good morning, president rushed has charged us to empower veterans to make a smooth and successful transition to civilian life. militarye veterans and families reintegrate seamlessly, others feel disconnected were isolated from the very people they served while in uniform. many post-9/11 veterans and military families return home to face transition challenges that include employment, education, housing, health and wellness, family, or unique wet -- women's veterans issues. the george w. bush institute seeks to bridge these gaps by uniting and empowering the work of communities, nonprofits, businesses, academia, philanthropy, and individual citizens, empowering with presidential leadership, convening power, and leading research and resources.

our work is grounded in the research that the president mentioned. this year, our work will include those three new resources -- the full research study in the spring that will cover the experiences, concerns, and needs of the post-9/11 veteran and military family. we will perform that analysis on specific issues related to jobs or post 9/11 veterans to identify those specific barriers that keep veterans i'm getting jobs and identify how we close the post 9/11 employment gap and start those meaningful civilian careers. thatll create and release tool this fall to allow military serving nonprofits to assess their effectiveness and help funders align their resources to those organizations having impact and to provide information for veterans to help them assess which organizations to turn to for assistance. us research also informs

empowering our nations warriors and convening distinguish leaders across private and public sectors at the national and local level on the stage, in the audience, and those watching online. coming together to examine how americans can more effectively support our transitioning warriors and their military families. our agenda includes a conversation, serving those who serve america with two prominent national leaders, distinguished veteran, and a distinguished business leader. who rose to the top of their professions and represent those who need human capital to flourish in a profession that has already leverage that talent to ensure our freedom and security. after a short break, we'll hear from two distinguished panels, the first will address transition and reintegration issues for this generation of veterans and military families and set the conditions for how the private and nonprofit sector can help. our second panel will address

how the private and nonprofit sectors can effectively support those transitioning worriers and their families from the perspective of communities and nonprofits, business, education, and philanthropy. we are extremely grateful that our conversation and panels will be moderated i have very distinct journalist and recognized expert with direct experience in the war zone and here at home with our warriors and their families -- abc senior foreign affairs correspondent, ms. martha raddatz and will include a form for questions from the audience. as we heard from president bush, our government has rightly made supporting our veterans a top priority. the department of defense, department of veterans affairs, department of labor and others, all of whom are represented in this room today, make herculean efforts to support this population and the commitment of our government is also embodied in the leadership and work of joining forces out of the white house. bidenond lady, dr. jill

works to bring attention to the sacrifices made by her military families. sheis a military mom and so also understands firsthand how difficult it can be to have a loved one deployed overseas. her children's book " don't forget, god bless our troops" speaks directly to military family issues. forces the joining initiative, michelle obama and dr. jill biden have issued a national challenge to all americans to take action and find ways to support and engage our military families in their own communities. ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the second lady of the united states, dr. jill biden. [applause] [applause]

>> good morning, everyone. it's wonderful to be here in dallas and is my first time visiting this institute and it's truly beautiful. for theuc,olonel howe kind introduction and all you do for military families, our servicemen and women and most importantly for your service to our country. president and mrs. bush, thank you for your leadership in this vital discussion about how we can best empower our nation's post 9/11 veterans as a military mom. -- post-9/11 veterans. as a military mom, that is something that is so close to my heart and you can only tell i'm a military mom because of my camo cast although you might not have seen it because it is camo. [laughter] general pace, thank you for being here. one of the best parts of my role as second lady is spending time

with so many veterans and military families. as i've traveled across the country and the world, i am always inspired by the strength and resilience of our military families. while the troops serving our nation may be only one percent of our population as the president said, we want to make sure that 99% of americans are supporting them. our military families have done so much for our country and each of us can do something in return. nearly three years ago, first lady michelle obama forces toated joining encourage all americans to support and honor military families. since that time, america has stepped up in workplaces, our schools, and their communities and what we have seen has been truly inspiring.

businesses are making it a priority to hire veterans and their spouses. like the president said, from mcdonald's, 50,000 veterans have to citibank, at&t -- companies are answering our nations call. just last week, the first lady announced that more than 100 companies in the construction industry have committed to hiring more than 100,000 of american veterans over the next five years into high-paying long-term careers. companies big and small are stepping up not just because it's the patriotic thing to do but because it's the smart thing to do. they know that our servicemen and women are some of the highest skilled, hardest working employees they will ever have. educators are stepping up their efforts to help her military

kids. there are military children in every school district in our country and often teachers, counselors, and other students really have no idea that these children have a parent serving in the military. that is why efforts like operation educate the educator are so important. it's the joining forces commitment signed by more than 100 colleges of education to train future teachers on the unique needs of military kids in schools. on average, i'm sure most of you know this, military children attend 6-9 different school systems. to reach transition, they have to leave their friends, adjust to a new school, and once again try out for a new sports team. that's why raising awareness about the interstate compact for military children is so important. the compact helps ease some of

the many challenges military transferringd when schools due to a parent's reassignment. this includes simple actions like making sure parents have access to a copy of the students acords or giving the children month from the time of enrollment to get the immunizations they need. sureis also about making veterans who returned to cap is communities like mine succeed. more than one million people have been able to use the post 9/11 g.i. benefits to further their education. as an educator, it is so important to me that we provide the tools and resources our service members and their families need in order to succeed on campus. important, we need to tell the story of what they bring to the classroom.

our nation's doctors have stepped up to make sure they are prepared to meet the unique needs of their research -- returning servicemen and women. organizations representing nursing colleges, medical schools, and family physicians have all pledged their support to enhance the preparation of our nation's medical providers to support veterans and their families.

while these efforts i have mentioned are not always in the headlines, they are offering support in real and meaningful ways. our family experience this first hand when my son beau deployed to iraq for one year. iat year was very tough and certainly don't need to tell anybody in this audience what that feels like. it was tough for me and jo but it was especially tough on his wife hallie and their two small children. i learned just how much it means when members of the community reach out to support a family with loved ones overseas. sometimes, it's the littlest things that matter most like a neighbor shoveling your driveway, a friend dropping off a warm meal, or your church putting your name and the bulletin and members of the church praying for your family. that is what joining forces is all about.

these are commitments that much -- that might reach thousands of veterans to single acts of kindness to make all the difference to a military family. as we continue to wind down these wars and more and more of our troops return home, many have served multiple do play men's. i'm sure many of you have. dealing with women's seen and unseen, we have and will continue to have much more work to do in the years to come. in my role as second lady, there is so many stories that stand out. but there is one of particular that really i will never forget. in 2010, my husband joe and i visited iraq. we were visiting the troops on the fourth of july. while we were there, a general told me a story that i will never forget. he told me the story of his six your old daughter who was

attending a christmas play. one of her classmates burst into tears and the teacher ran over and asked what was the matter. they were playing theave maria and she said that's the song that they played at my daddy's funeral. he died fighting in iraq. unaware that she was a military child. of course, that story is heartbreaking to anyone who hears it. me as also the moment for a teacher that crystallized what i knew that we had to do to ensure a greater understanding of the military child experience. the morning after i heard that story, i talked to my staff about how we had to find -- what we had to do -- to find a way to raise awareness both inside and outside the classroom about what

military children experience. shortly after we returned from iraq, we began to work on what is known as operation educate the educators which is the commitment made by teaching colleges to prepare future teachers. exactlye of effort is what we were trying to do across every pillar of joining forces. as more and more americans have a real understanding of what it means to serve, the more that they are ready to step up and do their part. we are also doing our best to reach out to military children and also to the many caregivers who give so much love and support to our wounded soldiers. in our care for her winded warriors have significantly impacted this generation returning home. in one of the books i teach in

my classroom, " it's calledbetter," they described how there has been a tremendous remarkable drop in the number of deaths of wounded soldiers. now there are entire surgical teams who travel in humvees directly behind the troops onto the battlefield. givenate trauma care is before wounded soldiers make the long trip to germany or facilities like walter reed or brooke army medical center. these advances in care also mean we have a new challenge and that is how the best help recovering warriors over a lifetime. this means we are also seeing a new type of caregiver, young spouses, siblings and parents caring for their loved ones.

this brings me to the story of two brothers, kyle and brett of rockford, michigan. kyle was injured during his ,irst employment to afghanistan sustaining multiple pelvis fractures, an ankle injury, nerve damage to most of his right leg. when kyle first into the white house in 2013, he was in a wheelchair. when he came to our home a few months later, he was walking. kia will tell you that much of his progress is due to the fact that his older brother brett was able to help serve as his caregiver and brett will tell you the reason he was able to help his brother kyle was because of the va caregiver role which was signed by president obama in 2011. the v.a. caregiver role provides training, counseling, supportive services and a living stipend to

post 9/11 caregivers. because of the v.a. caregiver roles, brett's employers kept his job open so he could fill this important role for his brother. at brett is back in chicago his job and kyle is doing great and they both credit the caregiver rule as critical to kyle's recovery. that example gives us the entire picture. government doing its part, business doing its part, and one person doing his or her part. that is what this is all about. americans stepping up to do their part. there is no greater priority that we as a country have been to fill what my husband joe calls our nations most sacred obligation, serving our returning troops and their families as well as they have served us.

for winded warriors and their caregivers like kyle and brett, for the returning servicemen and women trying to complete their college education or embark on a new career, and most of all, for the families of those like the six-year-old girl that i told you about whose loved ones are never coming home, there is so , as we can do as a country americans, to support them. that is why all of you are here today. thank you for participating in this important discussion and for continuing to drive the conversation forward into real meaningful action on behalf of our servicemen and women, our veterans, and their families. thank you, may god bless our troops, and their families, thank you. [applause]

ladies and gentlemen, please welcome martha read its, chief global affairs global correspondent, abc news. [applause] general peter pace, united states marine corps retired. [applause] and stephen schwartzman, chairman and ceo and cofounder of blackstone. [applause] >> hello, everyone, i am so proud to be here. i know i am announced as a reporter but when the subject is our veterans, i am not objective about service and sacrifice. i am very pleased to be here but i do want to pick apart

president bush's speech. i think he'd ever read the leaves. did you notice he dropped to the d from ptsd? thank you, president bush. that's a really great first step, to have a former say that it's not a disorder. that helps remove the stigma. i am very honored to be with these two gentlemen today. i want you to just look here. they are representative of what can be done, what can be done to employer veterans, to help them make the transition. we have supply and we have demand. [laughter] employees onean million people in blackstone. , as former chairman of the joint chiefs, 2.5 million returning veterans already in one million more to come and i

want to start with you, general pace. who are these veterans and what do they have to offer? >> thanks for a much. thanks to you and steve for being here today and mr. president and mrs. bush and everyone here. this is terrific, thank you. dr. biden, god bless you. to all of you here in the andence, i know many of you i know each of you are here because you love your fellow countrymen who are serving the country me thank you for being here. who are these veterans that we are trying to empower? first of all, they are patrons -- they're patriots, every single one of them has enlisted or reenlisted multiple times since 9/11. theynote -- they know and knew what their volunteering to do. there were volunteering to enter the united -- the armed forces of the united states while the nation was at war and they fully new and expected they would deploy to work. -- to war.

they are incredible patriots. they also knew how to grew at they planted meaning that had their own personal desires but these are men and women who subordinate themselves to what the organization needs. whatever you asked them to do, they will do to the best of their ability. they are decision-makers. the admirals and generals plan the battles but the lieutenants and captains and lance corporal's and sergeants, they are the ones who make the , that taken the fly the commander's intent and turn it into victory. you understand how that can translate into today's business environment. compass. a great moral you don't go into the ugliness of war and come out the other side without having taken a measure of yourself. wheremen and women know

their limits are with regard to their own moral compass and what they will do in the they are certainly courageous. clearly, the valor kind of courageous. he leaned important, as ashley as they transition, is the courage to speak their mind, to know who they are, to question authority when it should he questioned, and to help the leaders understand how best to lead in the direction in which they should lead. they are very comfortable with uncertainty. that is what the battle is about. they are men and women of incredible integrity. someone once said, if you have integrity, nothing else matters. you do not have integrity, nothing else matters.

these men and women have integrity area they are team builders. there are team players and team builders and they are leaders of the worst order. -- of the first order. and they know how to take care of their people. i do not care if they are in business or military service. all of us want to work for a caring leader. that is what these young men and women are. caring leaders. it leads to great imperatives for our nation area imperative number one is moral and ocean. yes, we have a discussion about one percent defending the 1990's, but more important for where we're going and where their future is how they fit into the social structure of united dates.

they are the next best generation, the leaders of the future tom of the option endures, the io's, the men and women who our great-grandchildren will look to for leadership and who will take the country on the path the president describes, which will remain the best nation on and it. a national security imperative, we have the world's front -- finest armed forces, not just because we have incredible machines, which we do, but more importantly, because we have incredible young men and women who volunteer to serve. it is the knowledge that the fellow countrymen respect what they do, the knowledge that when they do serve, that all of you who serve and watch this on television now are out there ready to watch them at home.

empowers our best and brightest to volunteer for a military service. a last imperative is that of global competitiveness. since i'm sitting next to next or, i will let him and take it. >> you set a goal at blackstone to hire 50 house and veterans. -- 50,000 veterans. tell us how that is going and what you have seen in these veterans, including the transition and whether there is difficulty in the transition. >> it is an interesting program. i was at the house -- the white house. i never saw two husbands fall in love faster. was a terrific introduction of the initiative. passion you have heard from her and from mrs. obama and from the

president and vice resident, it is really since year and important. my hat is off. before i answer your question, i would like to congratulate president bush. we have known each other for 47 years even though we look like we are in our 30's. [laughter] it is good to talk about such important things in a great way. with laura as well, a wonderful facility doing great rings. in the hiring of veteran, that is an interesting and. we would not have gotten involved with the program without the white house initiative. we like leading our own normal

lives. i was at a business round table meeting. the first lady came by and laid out a problem, to have really high unemployment for this group of people. you are having 20 suicides today. -- per day. i was sitting here leading -- listening to this. saying, what is this, what is going on here? she asked, like any good sales person, can you people help us? we would like to get commitments from you. to hire veterans. i remember reading the meeting and there are others ethers and i flew back to new york and was sitting in my car doing my

normal reading. i got to my apartment. i did not go up because i was making pretend i would relax when i got home. i kept aching about. usually, in the business world homily do is with operation, not just one person rule. this one, i decided to change the decision-making process. i was sitting in my car, and i am not good technologically, so i was dictating and i dictated a note to the first lady and said, we have a lot of people who work for us. just doing some numbers in my head, we could easily hire 50,000 people so why shouldn't we? next or do -- yesterday, i sent myself to work. i could see that look and said, are you doing this?

this is just the moral rain to do. -- the moral thing to do. they come back. why should they not be able to get jobs? he talked to me about what it was like to get back here he said come i want to kill people sometimes heard it is not what i do. i just did the those in the military. i find the trees and shot bad guys. i do not want to be in swat teams. i want to reenter society. i said, look, we will just do it. sandy, put your hand up. sandy is the head of our human this is group.

-- human resources group. we are not quite as accomplished. we committed. even in politics, you cannot round up like that. we looked at it and said, ok. how do we organize this? what we did is used the white house people. they are terrifically well organized. do not underestimate the department of labor. this is the real deal. we have the military people come up and basically talked to the

heads of our companies and say, ok, this is what we're doing. here are the goals for each company. we learned their israel friction here. -- real friction here. think about it. you get the mobilized. the mobilized. bilized. the people are not trained -- i guess i should say in the civilian world. the first thing we encountered is, what do you do here? how do we increase the probability of success? what we said to the forces that be, look, we have got to have access to these people before we get dumped out into the real world.

this is why i say to this group of people who work on this, there really terrific here and basically giving us act that's the military people a year before they are being mobilized. that is amazingly good. you can help train them and now we have gone back to the government and said, why don't we use the g.i. ill to get an effect. -- g.i. bill to get and affect. i still generalize unless they happen to be civic. how do you know what the right is? they're just like humans. they may be smart and have all the characteristics you say. what you need is some kind of internal rotation. but we have gotten is, we committed for 50,000 over five years.

in the first nine months, the commitments were very pacific. -- specific. we started as soon as we sent the letter in. we hired 10,000 people in nine months and so now our commitment. we have three dallas companies who are here today. that is half of our commitment for our companies.

the companies themselves are really enjoying this. it is helping to bring culture. it is the in people who are really terrific. >> briefly, before we talk about that, would you both talk about what the issues are we have to solve from your point of view, from the companies who are not doing this, the people who want to reach out and hire veterans. >> the biggest problem for everybody is, on one side of the wall, you have got millions of veterans and you have great companies who want to hire them. understandably, we cannot share databases from the military side of the corporate side.

and vice a versa. suspecting the privacy, but the able, for those who elect to, to have their names furnished to american corporations that want to hire them though that we can do this. you have got 3 million jobs in the united states now that are vacant. but what those jobs are, where they are, and individuals who are capable and have the capacity and want to fill them, there is no connective tissue there. and if we could do that nationally, i think we could go a long way. not 50,000, but 100,000 over time. folks who will do great for his

is. is not about veterans who are victims. we have veterans with national resources. if you want to be selfish about it as a business leader, why would you not hire the credit -- why wouldn't you hire these people? >> some of this is sensitivity to how you do the match. i think it was something like 12 needs who happen to be bigger and then you have. the construction, these that look like they were hiring 1000 people, over a five-year time.

there is a reason why every company is -- of sickness in size in the country is not doing this. if they were the people who run the company, a reader here in the press, they are actually pretty nice people. they are well-intentioned. i think a little door to door sales would not the a that hang. -- bad thing. you could get in and talk to these people, they will help you. there is no net costs of doing this because -- absent the 10th will stuff of mismatches and [indiscernible] i think we just need more people stepping up. >> and talking about it in a dialogue like you're having

today. >> if we're just talking to ourselves, it is interesting. an important here it but, you really have got to be talking to the people who are not in the church. >> i want to open it up for questions. we have about 10 minutes for questions. if you will wait for the microphone, raise your hands first, and state your name please. wait for the microphone unless you have a really loud voice. >> i am an army window and partner for a company moving manufacturing the mainland, china him about the united states. [applause] thank you very much. it is the right thing to do.

we manufacture golf products. when everything is said and done, there will be very few golf. us made in the usa. what we found is very valuable. i know everyone of my local recruiters in the houston area. i have gone recruiting and asked am too asked to their -- to ask their compute -- recruiters. the biggest thing i think is a cap as an employer and veteran is that these young men and women need to continue to go good about the fact that they made the decision to get out because they are very worried about what her future brings. >> let's have general pace talk about that. thank you. >> thank you for what you're doing. there is uncertainty for the military families transitioning. they are proud of their service.

they made the decision to return but they are nervous. they have never had the experience in corporate life in corporate america. it makes you nervous. listen. i was nervous about that in 18 six -- 1962 when i was transitioning. i get that. i really applaud what you are doing. would it not be great if you see patient's coming out, if you could say to the institution, i will leave next year, i will go

back to new jersey, and i'm interested in these tanks. if that could be put into a database, then the corporate world could go into that and say, we are looking for x number of people in new jersey. you see where i'm going. if we could just break down the one major barrier between the normal supply of the people and the median for very talented people i must that you get linked together much more efficiently. >> that link starts early. another question. over there. >> thank you. i'm with the navy league. as a veteran and then a worker in the defense industry, my observation is even in the defense industry, we wanted to

hire veterans and had veterans still side jobs. we had other type jobs. from an industry point of view, my biggest problem as a manager there, or division director, was that my hr recognize the skills of the people coming in. when he got into an advertisement, a corporation, hr control the industry. my question is, how do we educate hr people to recognize the skills veterans bring and the underlying capabilities a have your they are not in the strict. i believe they are somewhere else, thank you. >> i want to congratulate the ladies. if i had a voice like yours, god knows what would've happened.

i think the hr question, hr departments work for companies, and actually want to please the ceo. they basically do what they're told. you have to do this from the top. this is not a level upper. the ceo of the company has got to say, this is a priority, this is what we're doing, this is why i ache it is a good ring. it sounds like a big waste, but it is a small race and it is focused. you could have somebody come out and talk. you have to have a meeting. you cannot just do it yourself. have to be from the top, with the coordination, and then you could use other companies as

references. we set up the hr will. we have meetings to generally function among our companies. one meeting with the ceo. one meeting -- this is not the same time during the year -- one meeting with hr people. where has the country come to that you need a separate meeting. this is like a subject at that meeting. if you were to nice that way, it will happen for you. if you are just a free-floating malik you'll trying to make it happen, it is just too hard. there is a support system the white house has put in place. if you see sandy later thomas a tall guy with white hair, he can tell you how we're doing it and looping in.

it really works. it really works. but you have to be part of the system. one more question. >> if i could just chime in. >> you can see that clock. i live by that clock. >> this can have a major impact. the intent is to share best ideas and publish them so that over time, trafford leigh, just using your example, have a manual,, that is aimed at hr personnel. and what it is about military people, so the millet -- the military can they they want that

done but the photos can go to. that is what the initiative can really help with, i think. >> i am with the foundation for the advancement of medicine. you have's open about the need to break down barriers, to be able to connect the data from the dod to the v.a. to the civilians died. -- civilian side. sir, you mentioned you were actually able to get in a year prior to separation. i'm wondering how you did that and what we need to do to break the barriers down. >> great question. >> a microphone for sandy so i stop talking generally and you actually learn a thing? do you have a microphone we can use in the on? -- in the front? >> i think exactly what steve said about the different parts of the government.

we have the conversation with the dod. we expressed a need and they were on it. anyone has access to it. any and we are, we're doing on behalf of anyone. we are not doing things just on behalf of lack on. -- blackstone. >> they will hire him in the budget. >> [indiscernible] they coordinate with? >> he is running the program on behalf of the first lady. [laughter] [applause] -- stand up so people can see you. [laughter] [applause] the reason why it is important for him to stand up is because he is the coordination point. he will get us -- this stuff >> we go now to minnesota where

the president has begun his remarks. >> i believe that even when it thosed raking and hard, letters are an act of hope. it is a hope that the system can listen the. that somebody will hear you. that even when a washington seems tone deaf to what is going on in peoples's lives and around kitchen tables, there will be seven that stands up for you and your family. that is why i came here. i want to let rebecca know and i wanted to let all of you know don't see it on tv sometimes. it is that with the press and pundits talk about. i amhere to tell you, listening. you are the reason i ran for president. stories are stories i've

lived. [applause] when i saw those young teenage mom's, i thought of my mother. when i see rebecca and then i think of our struggles when malia and sasha were younger. these are not distanced from me. i ran for president because i believe this country is at its best when we are all in it together and when everybody has a fair shot and everybody is doing their fair share. [applause] that is how i got here. that is how michelle and i were able to succeed. [applause] i have not forgotten. though you may not read about it or see it on tv all the time, our agenda and what we are fighting for every day is designed not to solve every

problem but to help just a little bit. to create more good jobs that pay good wages. jobs in manufacturing and construction. we are fighting to train more workers to fill those jobs. to guaranteeng every child a world-class education, including early childhood education. [applause] that is why we are fighting. we want to make sure that women make the same amount of money as a man for the same job. [applause] that is what we are fighting for. we are fighting so everybody has a chance. are fighting to vindicate the idea that a matter who you are what you look like or how you grew up or who you love [applause]

or who your parents were or what your last name is, it doesn't matter. if you're doing the right thing, like ben and rebecca are and you are being responsible and taking care of your family, you can make it. we can do that. things, ifme basic we make some basic changes we can create more jobs and lift more incomes and strengthen the middle class. that is what we should be doing. [applause] i know it drives you nuts when washington isn't doing it. it drives me nuts. [applause] the reason it is not getting even basicay commonsense ideas can't get through this congress. sometimes i am supposed to be

politic about how i say things. i'm finding lately that i just want to say what is on my mind. [applause] let me just be clear. i want to think about this. . republicans of blocked every single serious idea to strengthen the class. you may think i'm exaggerating. 11 go through the list. they have said no to raising the minimum wage. they have said no to fair pay. they have said no to extending unemployment for 3 million people who are looking every single day for a new job.

we know it would be good for those families who are working hard to get back on their feet but for the economy as a whole. rather than invest in working families and getting ahead, they voted to give a massive tax cut to the wealthiest americans. don't boo. i want you to vote. [applause] over and over again, they show they will do anything to keep in place systems that help people at the top but don't help you. they don't seem to mind. there are obstruction is keeping a system that is rigged against families like ben's and rebecca's.

i am not saying these are all bad people. they are not. when we talk about our families we get along fine. many of them will knowledge when i talk to them. they will say they wish they could do something more. they can't be too friendly towards me because they would be run out of town by the tea party. sense that get a they don't know what most people are going through. they keep offering the theory of the economy that has failed for the middle class time and again. they think they should give more tax breaks to people at the top and invest less in education. they should let big banks and polluters do whatever is best for their bottom line without any responsibility to anybody else. they want to drastically reduce the safety net for people trying to work their way into the middle class. if they did those things, they

think jobs will prosper and everything will trickle down. just because they believe that, that doesn't the the rest of it should be believed. we have tried it and it doesn't work. we know from our history that our economy does not grow from the top down. it grows from the middle out. we do better when the middle class does better. we do better when workers have decent benefits. we do better when a young family knows that they can get ahead. we do better when people who are working hard know they can count on decent childcare at an affordable cost. if they get sick, they will not lose their homes. somebody iser when stuck in a job that is not paying well, they can get retrained without taking on huge

mountains of debt. that is when things come. -- hum. we could get a lot of that done right now if congress would just think about you. and not about getting reelected or not about the next election or not about some media soundbite, but just focus on you. [applause] i want to work with democrats and republicans. my favorite president was the first republican president. abouts not a statement partisanship. this is a statement about america and what we are fighting for. i'm not going to let gridlock and inaction and willful threatennce and greed

the hard work of families like yours. we can't afford to wait for congress. without themhead wherever i can. [applause] why i required federal antractors to pay $10.10 hour. that is why i made sure more women had the protections they need to fight for fair pay in the workplace. [applause] that is why we launched more high-tech manufacturing jobs. some of you may have read that when we take these actions and now republicans are mad at me

for taking these actions. they are not doing anything. now they are mad that i am doing something. i'm not sure which of the things i have done are most offensive. they've decided they're going to sue me for doing my job. in the heat of the moment i may have said i wanted to raise the minimum wage so sue me when i do. i did not think they would take it literally. giving more working americans a fair shot is not about what i can do. it is about we can do together. act, ingress does not have tried to rally others to help. i have talk to ceos and the

governors. they don't have to wait for congress to raise the minimum wage. just raise it right now. have raised theirs, including and a soda. more than 460,000 of your neighbors are poised to get a raise. [applause] job applications went up to the roof. i got a letter from a proud mother in minneapolis who wanted me to know that her son starts his employees at $15 per hour at aaron's green cleaning here in town. [applause] there they are. we are just proud of his people

centered business centered model. congresse to wait for to do some good stuff. on monday we held the first ever summit on working families. we heard from a lot of other families like ben and rebecca. they count on policies like paid leave to juggle everything. we had business owners who said they became more profitable when they made a family life easier for their employees. more companies are deciding that workplace flexibility and higher wages is good for business. more cities and states are deciding it is good policy for families. the only holdout standing in the way of change for tens of millions of americans are summer, -- republicans -- some republicans in congress.

i want to be blunt. you justtch the news, see that washington is a mess. the basic attitude is everybody is crazy. if you actually read the fine print, it turns out the things you care about democrats are promoting. we are just not getting enough help. my message to republicans is join us and get on board. if you're mad at me for helping people, join me and we can do it together. [applause] we will do it together. i am happy to share the credit. [applause] you're mad at me for doing some things to raise the minimum wage. let's pass a law. let's give america a raise. if you're mad at me for taking executive action for women to

find out that they're not getting treated fairly in the work ways, let's do it together. you can share the credit. [applause] me fixing aed about broken immigration system, let's hold hands and make sure that the country continues to be a nation of immigrants. i want to work with new. but you have to try to deliver something. [applause] anything. [applause] they don't do anything. except the block me. and call me names. it can't be that much fun. it would be so much more fun if they said, let's do something together. interested inore growing the economy for you and

the issues that you are talking about instead of trying to mess with me, we would be doing a lot better. countryt's make this great, when we work together. that is the american way. more than ever, with the fourth of july next week and team usa moving on in brazil -- [applause] we should try to rally around some economic patriotism. we rise and fall as one nation and one people. let's rally around instead of giving tax breaks to millionaires, let's give tax breaks to families. instead of protecting companies are shifting profits overseas to avoid paying their fair share, but put people back to work rebuilding our roads and airports. create good jobs and

making progress here in america and america and minnesota. let's not stacked the deck in favor of those who have a lot. let's help people who have ingenuity but needs a hand up. this is not rocket science. there is some things are complicated. this is not one of them. let's make sure every for old america has access to high-quality preschool. knowat moms like rebecca their kids are getting the best quality care and getting a head start on life. schoolsdesign our high to make sure their kids are better prepared for the 21st century economy. lead of senator

franken. [applause] american thatry lost a job because it was shipped overseas, we will train you for an even better when. [applause] let's rally around the patriotism it says our country is stronger when every american can count on affordable health insurance. and medicare. and social security. and women earn equal pay and a family can make ends meet if their kids get sick. when nobody who works full-time as levering -- living in poverty. let me just wrap up by saying this. sometimes things get discouraging. i know that our politics looks

her family rogan and washington looks like it is never going to deliver for you. they are focused on everything but your concerns. i know that when i was elected in 2008 and reelected in 2012, so many of you were hoping that we could get washington to work differently. sometimes when i get stymied you think maybe not. maybe it is just too tough. maybe things won't change. i get that frustration. washington,ics in they have written me off more times than i can count. i'm here to tell you to not get cynical. frustration,f the america is making progress. despite the unyielding

opposition, there are families who have health insurance now that did not have it before. [applause] there are students in college you could not afford before. with are troops home their family after serving tour after tour. don't think that we are not making progress. [applause] it is easy to be cynical. today it is trendy. cynicism passes off for wisdom. cynicism doesn't liberate a confident. it doesn't build a transcontinental railroad. it doesn't send a man to the moon. it doesn't invent the internet. it doesn't give women the right to vote. make sure that people

are treated equally a guard was of race. cynicism is a choice. hope is a better choice. receive i want you to thousands of acts of hope. every dime 70 sits down and picks up a pen and writes to me and shares a story just like rebecca did, she said in her letter there is a silly thing to do to write a letter to the president. on some level i know that staying silent about what you see and what needs changing it makes any difference. i am writing you to let you know what it is like for us out in the middle of the country and i hope you will listen. i am here because rebecca wrote to me and i want her to know that i am listening. [applause] i am here is present because i want you to know that i am listening. i ran for office to make sure

that anyone who is working hard to meet their dreams has some in washington who is listening. i am going to keep listening. i will always keep fighting. your concerns are my own. your hope for your kids are my own. be working going to to restore the american dream. i am not going to get cynical and i will say hopeful and i hope you do too. thank you. god bless you. it god bless america. ♪ ♪

grab your ticket and your suitcase. thunders rolling down this track ♪. ♪ you don't know where you're going now. but you know you won't be back. ♪ darling if you're weary. lay your head upon my chest. ♪ will take what we can carry. and we'll leave the rest. ♪ big wheels roll through fields where sunlight streams. land of hope and dreams. ♪

♪ i will provide for you. i'll stand by your side. nowll need a good companion . for this part of the ride. sorrows.ind your let this day be the last. tomorrow there'll be sunshine. and all this darkness past. ♪ big wheels roll through fields where sunlight streams. ♪ hope andn a land of

dreams. ♪ ♪ this train, carries saints and sinners. of this train, carries loses -- losers and winners. train carries and gamblers. this train carries lost souls. carries -- faith will be rewarded. heel the steel wills saying. bells of freedom ring. ♪ ♪

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trade all aboard. dreams about before did. >> president obama is wrapping up his two-day trip to minneapolis. theerday he pledged to help recovery from recent flooding. as congress begins there recess, john dingell will be speaking on bipartisanship the national press club luncheon. 1:00 coming up live at eastern. thatlog dcs is reporting blocking d.c.'s decriminalization of marijuana past. harrisntative andy introduced the amendment to the financial services

appropriations bill. he said marijuana is dangerous to the developing brain. it is not a jurisdiction issue. that is just bad policy. this is an opportunity to stop bad policy from going forward. spoke incongressman opposition to the amendment saying it is unfair for congress to tell bc how to spend its locally generated revenue. the district of columbia is no debt -- different. journal, we focus on the issue of legalization of marijuana. we have been asking viewers if they would support recreational marijuana. and 86 say no.

of you can still weigh in on facebook.com/cspan now we have a denver-based reporter. host: ben marcus is join us. how did colorado come to allow for recreational pot sales. guest: we passed a medical marijuana law. it was always very small.

not many people were registered. 2009, dispensaries took off. these were medical dispensaries. they just exploded. hundreds of them throughout the state. the state created some of the strictest regulations in the nation. background checks for owners. plant counts. inspections of buildings and all of these things. wee people say that because normalize medical marijuana in that way and the sky had not fallen, it made people feel more comfortable passing recreational marijuana laws. we should not be spending so much time and money locking up people for marijuana offenses. we should not be wasting money on a law enforcement for this kind of thing. those messages resonated with voters.

it was also a residential election year. it passed overwhelmingly. the law went into effect. what changed? what changed for them when they wanted to sell recreational marijuana? dispensaries that existed before could switch to recreational. no new businesses within the first year statewide. in denver, none for the first two years. they had been open for a long time and they got first crack at it. only dozens opened on the first day out of 500. those businesses were the ones that saw tons of sales. lots of people came in from kansas and wyoming and all over the world. as weeks have gone on.

we have more than 100 dispensaries that have been switched. they are selling both. there are still 500 dispensaries and 400 have yet to which. we have yet to see the full realization of this market. it takes time for these businesses to sell. you have to know where the product is coming from. these businesses don't have traditional bank accounts. getting loans is difficult. replacing the fire sprinkler system in your ld before you can switch to recreational, there are hurdles that we are only seeing about 1/5 of the shops open actually do it. host: a new tax name as well.

guest: it is more than 30%. taxed upwards of 35%. the price of recreational marijuana is medical. it is substantially different. mostly because of the tax rate. it is a supply and demand issue. limited amount of supply. you are seeing dramatic price differences. medicalone reason why marijuana is not going away. the price is cheaper. it costs less than $20 to keep your red card registration. if you are a heavy user, it makes sense to stay in the medical market.

when you step into one of these dispensaries, you will see two counters. one is for recreational and the other is for an id or a photo id. the medical side, they need to have a red card that shows they have an actual ailment that is covered by a medical statute to get that marijuana. it is significantly cheaper. michael -- ben marcus is with us. we will ask more questions. you may have questions and other issues related to this. if you leave in the eastern and central time zone, we have a number. if you live the mountain and pacific time zone we have another. if you're a colorado resident, give us a call.

a recent story takes a look at sales. $14 million in january. $22 million in april. talk about those figures and what is expected as far as revenue for the state. guest: i think the state revenue projections are still off. it is almost impossible to know by the end of the year -- you cannot extrapolate. you cannot say we have four months of tax data, so we multiply that by three, and that's how many sales in taxes we will have at the end of the year because every month, more and more stores are coming online. more and more people are coming to colorado, realizing that there is recreational marijuana for sale here.