about immigration with daniel stein for the federation for the migration reform, and benjamin johnson of the american council -- then charles murphy on american exceptionalism from the american enterprise institute. ago, it isears estimated that the population of the 13 colonies was about 2.5 million people. aroundthe population is 320 million here in the united states. fourth of july became a federal holiday in 1870. 1938. federal holiday in good morning and welcome to "washington journal" on this july 4. we will ask you, what does it mean to be an american? the numbers are there on your

screen. we will get your calls as soon as possible. new u.s. citizens, we want to hear from you. 202-585-3883. you can always participate on social media, facebook.com, twitter, or send in an email. editorial this morning in the washington times, making july 4 unpatriotic. independence day should be the most american of our holidays, but for some people, that makes it a day to be denounced instead of celebrated. others take a stand against the holiday on misguided for decibels -- principles.

a leftist essay denounced the "mindless patriotic bubble bath." patriotism is used to justify conflict, often invoking god'd name too. patriotism in particular has gotten in the way of solving global warming, since americans believe we have the god-given right to use up all of the resources we can. the magazine suggests that americans need to get over patriotism and cure the american superiority complex. the washington times concludes -- nature, the fourth of july is idealistic and optimistic. it does not commemorate the end of the independence movement. we revisit the nation's founding

and celebrate the civic myth of a unified republic. it is a vital aspect of the education of america's children. the pomp and parade are the products of liberty claimed in 1776. this is from a column this morning in the washington post. in the spirit of revenge, he writes, as we celebrate the fourth of july, who can argue that our democracy is working the way the founders intended? and who can deny that most of the blame for dysfunction must fault of the republican party?

george washington distrusted all political parties. he warned in his farewell address that as they alternated power, parties would act in the spirit of free bench rather than the best interest of the nation. results would threaten democracy. for most of u.s. history, the major parties, while dif have acted in the shared spirit of enterprise. there was no possible compromise on an issue like slavery. today, we face no question of such magnitude. you republicans have decided not to collaborate with president obama and for filling the most basic obligations of government. 202 is the area code.

we will begin with a call from nick in fairview, tennessee. what does it mean to be an american? caller: i know what it does not mean. you have eugene robinson establishing the ignorance, liberalism -- it is only exceeded by the arrogance of their leaders. my father was an immigrant. he would be appalled what guys like eugene robinson are pushing . he left the land of persecution because of big government. all they think about is big government. andust be federalists returning to a dysfunctional theory. i love this country with all my heart. i fear for it because so many

people are buying into this nonesense and propaganda machine. we are probably in the most careless times since the store. -- perilous times since the civil war. i have fear and trepidation. the tea party is an aspect of the founders. they are disparaged and marginalized that every turn by the liberals in the mainstream media because they do not that they are trying to return us to federalism. i will even further proud when the tea party succeeds. host: jay is calling from pennsylvania on the republican line. caller: yeah, i just want to say first of all -- happy fourth. was a soviet who

said that to destroy a people, you must first sever their roots. that is what has been going on, especially with the young people. you were reading about patriotism. that is exactly what the education system is doing, just digging up the roots of these young people and teaching them not to have any pride in themselves. i wonder how they will be able to defend their borders for their sovereignty. defend themselves as people. when they get the middle-aged or something. we forgetptionalism, that every single people on earth have thought themselves to be the best people on earth. the mexicans think they are exceptional. the guatemalans think they are exceptional. for some reason, we are not allowed to think that we are exceptional. the bullies on the left are insufferable boars.

they just like to spread misery. and i want to say that i love my country. i was raised to love it. and i also know that people from all over the world who are no n-white, they want to get to america. that is a great example of how great we are. nobody wants to get to mexico. nobody wants to get to africa. they all want to come here. host: caller from las vegas, nevada. caller: yes -- host: what does it mean to be an american? eeling oft means the f being free to think. youbring something with that you pass on to the next life. rather than being a person who

wants to think of their country, rather than the world. when i hear america, i hear america for the world, not the country. that is where we lost our whole sight. the constitution -- they should have got on their hands and knees and cried for the genocide. i am an american of the world. not just using god's name in va in. god bless america. god should bless the world. host: the pew research center recently did a poll. is america the greatest country in the world? they divided by age and here are some of the results. 32% of millennials say yes. 48% of gen x say yes. 64% of the silent generation say yes.

books tv recently sat down with rockry clinton in little to talk about her latest book. one of the questions we asked her was what she learned about the u.s. through foreign eyes. [video clip] >> i learned -- i had learned before, but as secretary of state, i learned to expect the unexpected. nobody expected the arab spring until it was put upon us. we have to be agile and ready for the unexpected. we tried to build the world that we want, especially for children. and now for my future grandchild. we have to be aware that all of these other countries - all of these billions of people, they are making hard choices every day. we have to be ready for that. i am convinced that we have to continue to lead the world into the kind of future that we want. we cannot sit on the sidelines.

we cannot retreat. we will have setbacks and disappointments. becomeme, our story has the dominant story. it represents the hopes and aspirations of people everywhere. that is what i want americans to understand. the main reason why i wrote this book -- i know there is a big debate going on about our role in the world. we have some real unfortunate consequences to deal with, prior decisions unlike. we can't abdicate our responsibilities. how we define it, how we execut it, will be the stuff of political debate. the world needs us. america matters of the world and the world matters to america, for our prosperity and security and democracy. that full interview will air on saturday night at 7:00 eastern, 45 minutes and mike.

it repeats again on sunday 9:15.ng at (; books tv is on the air now. same with american history tv on c-span3. what does it mean to be an american? harry in maryland, what do you think? caller: i feel very fortunate and very blessed. there is no place else in the world that i would rather be. when i hear something like eugene robinson there, who equates problems with slavery -- what you have to deal with, like harry reid and nancy pelosi and president obama, who received a lot of support from the press -- you have to look at just how hard it is to make things work. our government was never designed to work that way, it was designed to work in a wise manner.

where'd still number one in the world, we are still the best. thank you. host: bill, writing about celebrating the revolution and keeping it going. this is on the huffington post. /14, don'trticular 7 deny the reality -- we're being dragged back into the chaos of the middle east. we are engaged in a war on terror. consent.he untested a superpower can never retire. is that the separate and equal station that was referred to? 1981, ronald reagan declared that putting people first has always been america's secret weapon. tell that to wall street titans, hedge fund managers, and ceos,

for whom profit over people has become a mantra. at home, we the people are losing that ongoing battle with societies. inequality blooms and the middle class withers. the poor are still with us, their numbers growing. how do we restore defense. it is still terrific three american. -- to be american. "common sense." allow yourself to be set on fire. because he was a tremendous journalist and propagandist, who spoke the language of the ordinary folks. payne understood and gave voice to the potential radicalism of the revolution.

as from the huffigton post. jack is calling in from brooklyn. jack? last chance -- caller: hello? host: hi. turned on your tv and go ahead. hold and tryack on again in a minute. someone will come on the line and talk to you. then we will try to get your view. first, we will go to stephen kentucky. i serveds a veteran, six years in central europe. hello? host: we are listening to you. do not listen to your tv. listen to the phone and go ahead. caller: ok.

i spent six years in central europe. as a soldier. defending freedom. and -- host: you know what, steve? go ahead -- caller: one thing that struck me about even central and wester people is that those even though they live in democracies, do not enjoy the level of freedom that we do. they are not protected from unreasonable search and seizure. host: go ahead and conclude. what does it mean to be an american? caller: it means to be free. host: thank you for calling in this morning. breaking news being reported everywhere here.

this is the british telephone scandal. colson sentenced to 18 months in jail for phone hack ing. he was a one-time media a for david cameron. the jury found him guilty of one count of illegally intercepting phone mail messages. rothstein reports that jay carney may be going to msnb c. there is a? next to the title. california, what does it mean to be an american? caller: two distinct things, as i view it. what it means, in the best sense, of what america was supposed to be -- a fellow died yesterday.

it was in the times. 97-year-old veteran, olympian. we are not the mac had a character in our people these days. it is a great tragedy. the moral underpinnings and foundations that embdo to embody the greatness that was our nation is gone. him.ee it in people like lou gehrig comes to mind. men of character and morality. now we are seeing a lot of halfwits, like nancy pelosi. people with no character, just grandstanding. what it meant and what it means now are two distinct things. host: thank you, sir. back to the pew research poll. agree with the statement, i am patriotic.

agree.millennials 86% of gen x agree. 90% of the silent generation. you missed aeter, line for veterans. there is nobody more important on the fourth of july than veterans, peter. here's a quotation -- for those who fight for fr eedom, there is a meaning that the protected will never know. do you understand me, pete? host: i understand. caller: you run out of that crowd and think that guy -- th ank that guy's hand. host: are you a veteran? caller: yes. host: when and where did you serve? caller: me and my buddies in vietnam just came back from

spending time in washington, d.c. back with all of her fingers and toes, 15 kids, 18 grand kids. that is our vietnam legacy. host: how was your trip? caller: we had a ball. we had a cab driver that took good care of us. uspicked us up and delivered and gave us an itinerary to run around. it is most beautiful city in the country, peter. everybody in america -- d.c. and seeton, the strength and power that our nation has. the strength and power, pete, emanates all the way to alabama. steve, the way he talks, the fellow from tennessee who grows marijuana in his backyard -- we should not be running anybody down today.

todyay, we should all stand up tall. pete, you keep having a good day. host: thank you for calling in this morning. this is bill in newfield, new jersey. caller: it means you should be proud. thank you for taking my call. it means you should be proud of the day. think before you go to that election booth. think about what the people we have elected have done, whether they are problem solvers or problem makers. my example would be -- we have a lot of people in washington. i have not heard anybody come up with a solution for a problem that we have. what they're doing is taking people and putting them on a bus and dropping them off and municipalities throughout the southwest. the solution would be, for lack of a better word -- i'm not using this in a derogatory sentence. there is an internment camp.

take people there. have medical care for them. make sure they do not have some kind of ailment. and, in that internment camp -- have school for the kids to go to school. have animals and farmland that people can roam through. and, if they can get a job way outside, let them go to work. when they are 18, they can go in the military. do not just drop them off. take these people and put them somewhere where they can have food and live like a human being, rather than putting them on a bus. caller: host: host: think you -- host: thank you. the democratic national committee is visiting six cities that want to host the

democratic national convention. columbus,, cleveland, brookly, philadelphia, and phoenix are in the running. they will decide in early 2015. they're saying that they will make an announcement in august. arkansas,all is from independent line. what does it mean to be an american? questionhat is a big -- native americans, and this immigration thing. these days, we say send them all back home. immigration,op not make anybody a citizen. yourself latinng american, african american,

asian american -- just be an american. you are an american if you're born here. stop tyrannical laws. like being forced to pay for this hardship. this is independence day. let's be independent again. host: mcdaniel cap offers cash for proof of runoff vote fraud. election andoff is taking the first step to challenge the outcome. they said they have found 4900 examples of improper voting in the june 24 runoff. most people who voted in the primary and the runoff, said they do not register voters by party. bans one person from

voting in a primary and another party's runoff. he did not release documents supporting their claim. reminder, we have a fourth line set aside this moment. if you are a new u.s. citizen, we want to hear from you. -3883 is the number. next up, maxine in new york city. good morning to you. caller: good morning. it means a lot to me to be an american. i go down with the african slaves and the natives. to see people dying trying to come over here to be a part of this and to see my grandkids say who is the president? they say barack hussein obama

and the country is doing so well. i am happy today. i'm mostly happy with the way our country is changing. to pulle people trying us back, but it will never happen. white people, we do not hate you. we all have to get along. i live in harlem. there are plenty of white people here. we do not bother them. i am happy to see them back. what is the hate going on? give it up, please. we are good people. white people are good people. i work with white people. what are you afraid of? enjoy this day. thank you. host: thank you. andrew is calling in from gaithersburg, maryland, on the new citizens line. when did you become a citizen? caller: originally from trinidad and tobago. host: when did you become a

citizen? caller: 2005. that was -- i was in germany because i had joined the military. the 1st --ng with after i came back from my first deployment, i raised my hand and pledged allegiance to this great country. host: why did you become a citizen? caller: good question. peter, people from the outside -- foreigners, we look at america and america represents such hope and aspiration. one thing america does is they do a good job of marketing who they are.

when you see foreign countries and small island, you think if i just get one opportunity to get there, i know my life could be so much more. i can attest to that. my upbringing of the child was one of difficulty. my family -- my grandmother migrated here 45 beers ago. -- years ago. and then, she said for my mom and them. eventually, my mom sent for me. here offered such a great opportunity. on this fourth of july, when i think what it is to be an american, i think optimism. peter? still there, host: we're listening, sir. caller: the greatest

demonstration of that optimism was showcased recently with the world cup. i am from the caribbean islands. occer, as they call it in the u.s., that is something we do on a daily basis. i remember when the coach was saying that america could not win. fan,u are an avid sports you know that a proud american -- you could not believe that coming out of someone representing the u.s. we always have a can-do attit ude. everybody was optimistic. for one second, we really believe that we could win the world cup. i have to be ahonest. we did not have a chance. i am being realistic now. but boy, was i fan. host: when your goalie was your

best player, you know you're in trouble, right? caller: right. there is a wall between the goalie and -- but peter, one thing i want to metnntion. i lost a good friend and i never got in touch with his family. he died in 2004, peter. he died, i remember losing him -- there was a chance to reach out to his family. he is a good friend of mine and i never got to tell his family how much of an awesome friend that i had. he was really really good friend of mine. we met in basic training in 2002 in fort knox, kentucky. we became close friends. from arizona, his brother used to play for asu. i remember we would deploy and

leave kuwait. the last day before we left kuwait, we met up again in germany. we were both stationed in germany, in different places. he was sent to iraq. peter, one of the saddest days for me in the army was when i got back to germany and i gave a guy a ride -- we were talking, just having a casual conversation. he said, yeah, her mother when --i remember when truman died. i had to slam on my brakes. i remember it every day. i have an e-mail from him since 2004. it is in my e-mail box. ay, ifs patriotic d the family is listening -- peter, thank you for allowing me

to share the story. suzie is calling from port washington, maryland. caller: i am calling to tell you what america means to me. it means that we have a wonderful diverse group of people here. everybody has contributed something here in the united states. group -- a divse erse group because everybody is different and we all have something to offer the united states of america. i think we should sit back and think about this. fake about the integrity that america -- think about the integrity and the face that america wears. here, except god made us all like that. be a color thing. we should be grateful that we

had that first group of people. host: thank you. from the washington post, funding in jeopardy. the long-delayed new headquarters is having trouble in congress against with lawmakers seeking to end funding for the project. cuts withmend construction. it is already a decade behind schedule. fy15 request should be cut to zero according to documents. they have already recommended slashing $25 million from the administration's request. the final amount for the decade-old project billed as critical is unclear. a little bit from the washington post this morning. also, a new book is coming out

on francis scott key, author of the star-spangled banner. we celebrate his 200th anniversary this year. here are some key facts from the book about francis scott key. he would become a member of the nation's first kitchen cap, serving as an unofficial advisor to andrew jackson. he was a prosecutor in the first case of an attempted presidential assassin. he had 11 children. his sister married roger tammy, later supreme court justice. inducted into the american songwriters hall of 6 years after he wrote his one big hit. what does it mean to be an american? as,ter in wayco, tex republican line.

caller: i am proud to be an american, basically, how america used to be. i am still proud to be an american. america was for america in the past. now i am not sure who america is for. there is a strong influence of communism. i don't know what else to call it. this is been going on for a while. is majority of the media extremely left-wing. i don't understand how they believe what they believe. it does not make sense to me. you see this with your eyes. i don't even understand what i am seeing anyhow. help.nnot i don't think she could possibly believe the stuff she says. it does not make sense. she is one of many.

se, not a republican per but i go for the person that i believe will be the best for future. people vote because somebody buys them a pizza or a telephone, it is not correct. i think they goofed up in the past, when they took away the draft. when you finish high school, that is a couple years of their life. first time they get away from their parents, first time they get away from authority. they're on their own. people fail that first year at college, because it is party time all the time. it is sad, in the united states. we will probably grow up in the u.s. and not know what the s stands for.

we are getting closer and closer to socialism. when people cannot be proud of america, it is a sad situation. recently, in california, it was cinco de mayo. that was the revolution celebration for mexico. i am pro-mexican. i understand where they're coming from. so, the vast majority of the mexicans i have met are patriotic. xas seems to be the most patriotic state in the united states. host: thank you for calling in on july 4. we are asking for this first hour, what does it mean to be an american? we asked congress that same question and here are some of the responses we got via twitter. a democrat from wisconsin says,

opportunity to pursue your personal goals and dreams without here or prejudice or persecution. rick santorum talked about it as well. host:[video clip] >> we have a crisis of people in the middle of america feeling disconnected. if we are not the party and we are not the movement, we are providing a way out and a vision. it is good and true and based on family and work and education. technical schools -- if we are not the movement, then we are lost and the country is lost. ladies and gentlemen, we have an opportunity to help transform america. host: fourth line set aside for new americans. 202-585-3883. florida,acksonville,

what does it mean to you to be an american? caller: let me say good morning to my good friend, 35 year watcher of c-span. it has been a long time since i have talked with you and it is good to see you. i am a true native american. i was born in america. combat veteran of vietnam. anymore, tot sure be honest. i think the wars that we have used in the constitution, the quoted aboutou people being given a fair shot, is just mixed now. we have proven to be a great country by not tolerating the evils of slavery that i hear a number of callers talking about and questioning.

very unsure about what i believe is verbal hate, affecting the united states now. all of us are. all ethnic groups in th ee military makes this country great. when i hear those disparaging things about people, like myself, who have been the most loyal to this country -- when it comes to believing those things that the founding fathers said. i'm a little bit confused. i think that we are a great country. the people on both sides. during civil rights -- we are celebrating 50 years of civil rights, particularly for the group of people who were enslaved. a lot of people were not the same color i am.

a lot of white people, to be exact. they did diane they did believe in the constitution and they did believe in fairness. they were not racially biased. i remind the nations that african-americans are the only ethnic group who were enslaved and brought over in chains. ranny and fleeing ty dictatorship in that kind of thing. athink that the nation owes lot of expectation that things will be better. they will be better for my grandkids and other groups. and i think that we need to go forward and do what will be the right thing. good to see you, thanks a lot. host: arnold is calling in from smyrna, tennessee. caller: to be a true american, you must have the same beliefs

as a very famous american. you might remember him. he fights a never-ending battle for truth and justice. and the american way. do you know who that is? host: i think you are referring to superman. caller: yes, i am. truth and justice -- if truth and justice is not your way, then you are not in the american way. i have written a book. i have done my little part for truth and justice. i wrote a book and put it on mine. it is free. i mentioned this before on your show. www.lovegodislove.org. "divinde of the book is intervention."

may i give one other example of what it means to be american? host: yes, sir. caller: you have to be an isai ah 32 liberal. if you want to read those verses on your own, you can. host: we will have to move on and keep things going. thank you for calling in this morning. isakson,ohnny republican from georgia, says being american is about standing united and embracing freedom and serving our country. next call is jason in columbus, ohio, on the republican line. what does it mean to be american in columbus, ohio? caller: good morning. i served in the united states marine corps for four years. thank all the other veterans who have served this country.

also, i would like to say good morning. put americans first grade i think -- today when we celebrate, think of us as a group of one. american first, anglo-american, african-american -- celebrate your history. that is fantastic. to me, we are all one group. being just american is what it is all about. host: and the washington times, cost estimate of administration fix is sticker shock. wait times were so bad that officials cannot calculate the cost for fixing the agency. that has become a major hurdle as lawmakers push for a quick fix on capital hill.

the house and senate passed bills, trying to get a handle on the wait times and other problems impacting v.a. clinics. when they met last month to try to hammer out a compromise, they ran into problems over the cost. it is a little from the washington times this morning. corey, in safety harbor, florida, is next. caller: hello. i think that what it means to be an american is to live in a country that has a $6 trillion debt, that has the largest amount of prisoners in any country. are on that many people this pro-american high. and are not focusing too much on our terrible congress that cannot make any decisions. they are fighting themselves for the sake of fighting. and i myself am still proud to be an american.

i think that we have many issues, like any other country rid at think that is something we need to really focus on. when we look at these immigrants coming in, i think that if they are people who are willing to work and benefit our economy, then why not? if they are people who are taking our jobs, then obviously the person who has those jobs is not fit to have that job. then someone can place them -- replace them. that is capitalism. host: how old are you? caller: 15. host: have you always been interested in politics? caller: yes. host: where is safety harbor, florida? caller: near tampa. south. host: are your parents active

politically? caller: no. host: all right. do they watch c-span with you? caller: not really, i wanted alone. host: all right. do you think there has ever been a time, maybe this is not the right question -- has there ever been a tenant we were not struggling with issues or some of the different opinions we have in this country? caller: i am sorry, i am not much of a historian. i can tell you from sure logical timee, there is never a when there is not a battle between parties. that is kind of why i am an independent. people kind of stick to her republican or democratic stance. then they close their minds to any other ideas that come up. they say i'm going to vote for that romney or whatever because

he is republican. i label myself as a republican. because he is a republican, i will over him. i think that kind of ideology has been going on for a long time in our country's history. it is a major form of ignorance. yes, i think that there have been problems at all times. i don't think there has been a problem this high. it is a major depression. i think this is a real bad time, especially with our debt. host: thank you for calling. caller: i am visiting safety harbor. i live in orange county. i go to school at miguel high school. host: what do you want to study in college? caller: i am thinking of going into molecular genetics. host: wow. those are two words i have heard

of, but i have no idea what they mean. thank you for calling. he mentioned that romney. there is an article, the case for mitt romney in 2016. you can find that at politico's website. democratrth carolina, -- caller: good morning. i am from hi rob, north rock, north high carolina. i do not consider myself to be an american. i consider myself to be a person of this nation. my family was born here. my background family was born here. i related to every person from mayan tribal the nation. i do not discriminate against people. the tribal native people were the first legs in this country

you call american. they were not black, they were just as bound and captive. i do not understand people who get on these kicks of thinking that guns and money win everything. guns and money have ruined my nation for greed. they have talked on the trees and ruined the soil. they pump things in and out of it. they have ruined my nation for grade. -- greed. host: so, what is july 4? what do you do on july 4? caller: we have the prettiest lake in the world in high rock, north carolina. it is a beautiful morning. and nobody has fouled this area up too bad.

host: marcia fudge, a democrat from the cleveland area, on being an american. she tweeted back to us -- it means i should have the right to make my own reproductive health care decisions. committee backs down on free trips. the house ethics committee has reinstated a requirement that lawmakers disclose all privately funded trips on annual reports. the panel earlier this year quietly scrapped a decades-old stipulation that lawmakers for work all three travel on their yearly financial disclosure forms, provided those trips were separately. this was reported on monday. the ethics committee has said that they need to be reported. philadelphia, on the republican line. howie, you are on.

what does it mean to be an american? caller: it means a lot, sir. thank you for taking my call. i usually call about politics and history. to me it is about love. i love everybody in this country. i love being an american. i served in the coast guard. it government never did back. herbert hoover was the last person to talk about love. love is what it is about today. not politics. i hear a lot about greed. there is no question about greed. if something bad was to happen, who would be blamed for it? the little guy will be ducking and hiding somewhere. i just love c-span. i love "washington journal."

host: what do you do in philadelphia? caller: basically, i am a nutritionist, dietician. i try to help people. i do not try to disregard what they put in their body. i try to help people to remain healthy. it is love. that is what it is about. you have to love one another. i love being american. happy birthday, america. presidenthday, ex calvin coolidge. i love the governor, i love you, i love everybody. host: all right. spreading a little love here on july 4. 826, thomas jefferson and john adams died on the same day. rocky, san lorenzo, california. independent line. caller: good morning.

unfortunately, i am kind of ashamed to be an american. i will explain why. i do not think -- corruption is so bad in this country that capitalism -- we're supposed to be republican, not capitalists. flag should be a $ on our because that is all that seems to matter. when you find out that corporations are people, there is something wrong with that. very, very wrong. there is also this -- they talk about the liberal media and there is liberal media. but there is a very well-organized ratight wing propaganda machine in this country. you have to hand it to these people. they are organized. they repeat the same things over and over again.

i guess americans are just a bunch of sheep that can be guided wherever they want to be guided. having the same thing said to them. finally, i think it turned into a bloodthirsty country. we just go and ignore sovereignty of other countries. kill innocent civilians. and have no conscience about it. that is another thing that concerns me. this country has really gone in the wrong direction. there is no united states of america anymore. it is all about money and corruption and politics. it is a really sad thing. host: go ahead and finish. caller: i hope it turns around, i really do. it does not look too good. caller: -- host: thank you, we will leave it there.

when the conversation going on on our facebook page. comment from rodney -- not into a lot of that rah-rah stuff, we are not where we need to be in terms of equal opportunity. it seems the definition changes every year in terms of what it means to be an american. and disheartened by the vast majority coming from other places, yet we are turning away others. gostill have a long way to to truly be called the home of the brave and land of the free. on twitter, a lot of comments here as well. says it is called independence day, it means freedom from oppression. meanssays being american being grateful that i was born here and not somewhere else. vulcan, wealachian are not a nation of immigrants, but a nation of citizens.

be have total and up as solute control over the border. taoist says the founders were not against big government. in the last hour, we will return to this topic. we will talk about, is america an exceptional nation? kind of a twist on what we have been talking about this morning. we have all heard politicians and pundits talk about america being an exceptional nation. that is where our is going to go in the last hour. up next, we will talk about immigration and some of these issues. we will have a roundtable discussion on that. first, john mcardle went over to see the archives of the u.s. we talk to him about being a collector in chief, declaration of independence, etc. here's that interview. [video clip] >> we are standing inside the national archives at

pennsylvania avenue. nine blocks from the white house. we are joined by the archivist. the, best known for restoration of the declaration of independence. how many documents are you responsible for? ofabout 12 billion pieces paper, miles of film and video. >> in all of that, do you have a favorite document? >> i have lots of favorites. >> which would be? >> a letter that annie oakley wrote to william mckinley. who would supply rifles and ammunition? a letter that ralph waldo emerson wrote for his application for a job in the attorney general's office here. lots of wonderful examples from our records that i would cite as favors.

>> are all of those also available to the public? >> they are. the national archives was established that the american public could have access to the records of the country. they could hold the government accountable for its actions. all the records are available. >> so, this agency was started in the 1930's. who was responsible for those documents before that? >> state department had them for many years. the charters were at the library of congress, just before they came here in the 1950's. >> your job title is also known as collector in chief of the united states. how did you get that title and do you prefer it? init came from an article the new york times about me when i first started the jobs here. that started the phrase.

it is not an official title, but i like it. >> how does one become the collector and chief? >> i was director of the new york public library. i got a call out of the i got a call out of the blue saying they were looking for me for this job. >> what did you study? >> i am a librarian. >> what were your areas of research? >> a literature major, a history minor, and i'm the first librarian to be the archivist of the united states. >> how does your job change in a much more digital age than back when this job person started? >> -- first started? >> that are actually similarities. i took a look at everything robert connor, the first archivist of the united states, looked at what he was up

against. to fire, were subject ieft, what, -- flood, and inherited a situation where we are creating electronic records across the government, not in such a haphazard way, but the same issues around making sure the records are created in a way that they will be safe forever is a challenge that i face just like robert connor did in the early days. >> what is the digital collection like on a daily basis compared to the paper collection? >> we started cutting electronic mail in 1996 during the reagan administration. we have 20 million e-mail messages from the clinton white house. bushve 210 million from 43, and i am projecting well over one alien in this -- one

billion in this administration. back into a sense of where we are going. >> what is your mission statement on electronic records question mark what electronic records -- records? what electronic records are you responsible for gathering? >> they are format-neutral. they are the same kind of guidelines. whenever of those federal records -- records created in the executive branch, agencies, are of historic, and legal value that were them being kept forever whether it is paper or electronic. >> but the papers, the declaration of independence, the bill of rights, they seem to be the most popular exhibits here. how many people see them? next about 1.5 -- >> about 1.5 alien people. -- billion people. >> we are not shooting in the rotunda. dark.a little

why is that? >> to protect them from overexposure to light. >> what would happen if it was lit up? >> they would fade even more than they are faded now. the declaration is very faded as it was hanging in direct sunlight or many years before it came to the national archives, -- for many years before it came to the national archives and because a copper plate was made to create copies. sam items -- sam adams wanted copper copies, so we think they lifted a layer of linked off and put it on a copper plate and it because itetch is an exact replica. that started the deterioration. >> is that the process where the

mysterious handprint in the corner of the declaration came from? >> we do not know. we did not know whose that is or when it first appeared. >> what is the history of this building? >> it was built during the room -- and depression. the architect was trained in rome. 72 columns that surround the building are very much his signature statement. he did the jefferson morrill -- .emorial it is one of the largest construction projects during the in the city. it was originally built with a glorious interior courtyard with a fountain and what mr. connor found out as he was discovering where the records were and how many there are, there was not enough room for the records they had to scrap that original plan

and build a 21-power structure -- 21-power structure in the middle of the building. >> there has been an expansion of the building since then. >> we are now in 44 sites across the country. does that may records encompass? >> 12 million, warning million 40 address -- 40,000,040 graphs -- 40 million photographs. as day before the fourth of july. what is that they like? >> we have a wonderful dramatic reading of the declaration of independence, very much like i envisioned it happened across the country when it was first shared. i grew up in boston. i had visions of what it was like when they were reading out the declaration of independence for the first time. most people are familiar with

the preamble, "we the people," but most people do not spend a lot of attention on the next section which is the charges against the king. here we have reenactors that read it out in the crowd that sit on the steps across the street and in the street respond just about the way i expected and 1777 with76 outrageous moves -- booa. . -- boos it is pretty engaging. >> for people that have not heard that, are they surprised how long the section is? >> they are. we have regulars that come back. last year for the first time i recognized some regulars that were actually reading along as we were reenacting.

>> do you have a favorite in those fiveory years of the fourth of july in the national archives? they are all wonderful. it is just the fact that so many people turn out for this, and it is, just as it is every day as i walk through the rotunda and to the people that are here to see tangibleers, the documents of our democracy that still attract attention. i is a powerful -- it is a powerful message. >> we appreciate the time. >> thank you. "> "washington journal continues. host: for the next hour we'll be talking about the issue of immigration and we are asking the question is immigration helpful or harmful to the united states? we want to focus the conversation around the question.

we will go ahead and put up the phone lines. and finally, we want to hear from you u.s. citizens. -- new u.s. citizens joining us to frame the conversation, daniel stein and benjamin johnson. mr. johnson, is immigration helpful, harmful, somewhere in between for america? guest: it has always been very helpful, a critical part of who we are as a nation. it is a resource that has served of new, the arrival people bringing a new sense and vitality of what aims to be an berican -- what it means to an american. it has been a huge asset. i will concede over the last 25 or 30 years it has been an asset

we have not managed well, but that, i think, is really the point of congress trying to fix this law. we have to do a better job of managing this valuable resource. host: daniel stein. guest: immigration is an idea that in the abstract sounds wonderful. we love the idea of immigration, we love america more. for the last 35 or 40 years we have had the highest sustained levels of immigration in our history by a longshot, and we see increased overcrowding, congestion, structural unemployment, a disappearing middle class, we have lost our edge with the rest of the world. because we have an immigration flow every snowflake in a blizzard pleads not guilty. you have too many people with less skills, less education.

our immigration flows need to be much lower. maybe 300,000ion, a year based on a merit system based on skills, english language ability -- we can not the the home of last resort for everyone who wants to move to a country where they think they're going to be better off. guest: benjamin johnson -- host: benjamin johnson? guest: other than every dark in our history, we have immigration flows that are consistent with what they have always been, a share of our population. this has always been a good thing. we have mismanaged it. again, i do not think anyone who has experienced an opportunity to work with immigrants, who has been around immigration system, sees the vitality of a diverse workforce that we have in the united states can walk away

thinking anything other than this is a really good in, a blessing that the united states has that there are people trying to get your trying to be part of the american experience in the american dream. we have to promote that. it is not a time to run away from it. these artificial quotas, what we need is an immigration system that responds better to legitimate demand. we spent so much time and money trying to control the supply and we do not know where the legitimate demand for immigration is, the demand for immigrants to join families or our workforce. we have to do that the right way. host: what is the annual legal limit? >> for workers --guest: for workers it is 140,000 workers. about 220,000t is four those getting reunited with families.

it has been that way since the 1990's and every other aspect of and we have the same immigration numbers we have since cell phones were the size of our shoes. legal immigration is running over one million a year. regiment left out certain cap -- benjamin left out certain categories. is still too high to effectively administer and manage one of the reasons why the american people are getting more and more upset about the out-of-control flow is there is a mismatch between the country's needs and the flow and size of immigration. you see, for example, the lowest native-born labor precipitation rates in decades. employers prefer to recruit

foreign labor. you have had a marginalization of a disappearing in a class. there is no viable economic model for the united states for americans with less than a college education, two years of college. we do not know how they will live the american dream. to artificially inflate the supply of less skilled labor to immigration is to shift onto the taxpayer the cost for this labor subsidy for employers. 30 years ago we had some of the best school systems in the world -- california, fairfax, county -- fairfax county, virginia. we have seen an impact on public education, welfare, dependency ratios, food stamp use. it goes on and on and the reason is we are in meeting people not because of what they know but who they know.

are will be the 50th anniversary of the 1965 act, and while it was noble to equalize where people could come from, the structure is often uncontrolled cutaways of immigration that the american people can no longer control. host: let's get some calls in. sean. kansas city. democrat. caller: how are you doing? i think immigration, as long as they do it legally, i agree with it, but the way they come here illegally, raking laws -- breaking laws -- americans have follow laws. they are terra tell isaac -- they characterize everything. they only hire their people. just like the mexican soccer games -- they are cheering for

mexico and wanting america to lose. you are in america. you should want us to win. the majority of the money they make they send back to their country. less, doingre or this for the country, by using our resources. host: we got the point, sean. benjamin johnson? everyone can agree that the preferences for immigration to be legal and not illegal. the reason many of us are asking for immigration reform is so that we and you deal immigration as we know it. the problem is we do not have channels. we are educating americans at a rate that ought to be better, but nonetheless americans are getting older and better educated every year at least the americans moving out of the job, jobsill spectrum

that require less than six months of training or only a high school degree, and immigrants are coming into those workforces. i understand that could be shocking for certain communities that see immigrants for the first time in 100 years, but the truth is these folks want to be part of these communities. they have done a lot. they have traveled a long way. wes is no different than celebrate st. patrick's day. this fear that immigrants do not want to be part of the country because they feel a connection to home is just wrong. be, is where they want to where their fortunes are, and the overwhelming majority of immigrants and tend to be part of this country. host: barbara. republican line. go ahead. i'mt: -- caller: originally from the u k and i became a proud citizen in 1978 and my sister became a citizen on the 16th of june this year, and i attended the ceremony.

there were 97 other people there. it was fabulous. i would like to say being a legal immigrant these days, people omit the word legal and they think immigrants. you are so proud to become american when you do that there is nothing else like it. even when i joined the military and spent 28 years, i was never more proud than i was when i became a citizen. today, with all of the illegal immigration, it is really thatng a downer on people people used to admire and welcome immigrants. now with the illegal immigration going on, people think oh, no, immigrants. i am a proud american. so is my sister. we love this country, and when we choose to become americans, it is the most proud moment of our lives.

host: thank you. daniel stein? guest: congratulations. it is great to hear your story. it is something we want to encourage -- immigration and naturalization, a continued part with the a simulation focus takes place between first coming in and taking the oath of allegiance. for many immigrants that follow the rules, seen the breakdown of the legality of our system, the nature of it, how increasingly we have an administration that wants to reward lawbreakers, those that jump the line, jump the queue. many people want to come to the country because they think it works, that if you play by the rules and work hard you have a chance of prospering in the the the american dream. the amnesty bill in congress continues to send a message that america does not work that way. if you jump the line, jump ahead of the queue, you will get

ahead, and that is antithetical to basic core fairness, and we all believed to what the square deal is in this country, it is making people upset. processthe procedural that has been built and demanded by the aclu and other advocates that is on wielding, unmanageable, and costly. for the taxpayer to pay for the procedural process of hearings and appeals and delays that these organizations want has proven to be something unworkable. you have delays, backlogs -- when these children are being brought in by the administration and dust all over, they will have an opportunity -- bust all over, they will have an opportunity. immigration is a benefit, something bestowed by the american people. it is no different than any other public and at that it is a simple matter.

the idea that there has to be almost a criminal trial to the deportation process which is so elaborate and expensive just because someone says they do not want to go home is proving to be unworkable. host: bill. myrtle beach, south carolina. independent line. thank you very much in thank you for c-span. this is a resort area. in our area, the president of the chamber of commerce just went to washington and requested visa people, young russian children, chinese kids, and israelis brought in here -- they brought in 5000 in our area to take jobs that people in our area would love to have. hotel owners say they offer , but it0 an hour jobs never materializes when you

check on the applications. are doingy what they to us and they can get away with it. the chamber of commerce is as crooked as the day is long. we are under investigation for our president paying bribes to different politicians. how do we fight it? what do we do? host: thank you, bill, we will stop it there. mr. johnson, the increase in j visas. is a waya way --guest: for people to convince the american culture. it was designed as diplomacy, showing people what america is about. i think it has been enormously successful. i will not deny that there are issues related to enforcement in a lot of areas and some of the problems with that, contrary to what dan talked about earlier, we are spending all of our money on order offenses and 10 grounds on the ground -- boots on the

judges and you have making determinations about how immigration law is being used. i would say most resort areas have found that the young kids that used to turn out to work in those t-shirt shops and sandwich stores are not showing up in the same numbers. we have a lot bigger crowds and more businesses in those communities that we have ever had before, and there is a role for immigrant workers in those communities. with the local workers need to be doing is stepping up and having a conversation about the kinds of needs we have in our economy and how we can encourage more pay -- more young people to be engaged and how do we fill the gaps with the immigration system. amy. chicago. i than on the north side of chicago. let me tell you something.

this country is going to help -- hell. we are being invaded. i'm an african-american woman. i voted for obama twice. this time i am voting republican. i want the tea party or anyone that could help us -- everyone that comes into my store is card, which is a foodstamp card. these illegal immigrants know how to gain the system -- game the system. host: we are being invaded, dan stein, she says. thet: what is going on border is akin to an invasion and many americans you when you have millions of people here illegally, something is not working. there seems to be political division because the democratic believeems to politically there is a benefit

to immigration and they are encouraging and providing benefits, drivers licenses and all kinds of things at the state level to reward and incentivize illegal immigration. we have to look at what has happened to teenaged unemployment. youth unemployment -- how young people are doing, millennial stash we stand here and say -- millennial's -- we say we need these visas. we have this alphabet soup of visas and americans are catching on and saying we are not seeing labor displayed. we have become a tiered society with subordination. immigration is being used to subordinate americans with less education. the funny thing is the structure of a law that was created that we are living under right now was part of the civil rights movement in the 1960's, and next year will be its 50th anniversary, but and then period

of time, the population has grown by about 60 million people and a lot of those people are substitutes for american workers. you know if they keep saying? americans are not good enough to -- not in the country good enough to work in manufacturing, high tech -- we need foreign workers in foreign students do everything. as a result, virtually all of the new jobs created since 2000 have gone to immigrants and since the recession and has been primarily the foreign born that have benefited. that is totally skewed and something is not working right. until leadership wakes up to the reality that the immigration --top to ds a top won restructuring, we will never put americans back to work. guest: other than your final comment, that we need to restructure immigration, i could not disagree more with your dark view.

what are you are suggesting is the immigration population is responsible for our health care problems, overcrowding, ed schools issue -- you have laid at the feet of immigrants the problem of every social ill. that is nonsense. those are complicated problems we have to address to the health care system, through the health care system. guest: do you want immigrants to sign up for health care? the senate,is not united to filibuster. those problems deserve a better response than it is all the immigrants fault. it does not comport with reality. host: go ahead. guest: if you look at the increase in our school-age population, it is almost entirely immigration and a lot of it illegal. your ability to provide quality public education depends on the yourty to do without

infrastructure in anticipation of who will use those facilities. out-of-control immigration overcrowd public schools, housing, infrastructure, and the affect exit impossible to deliver government services. virginia has almost no -- west virginia has almost no immigration, why are there problems in education there? guest: you're putting words in my mouth. does it mean we do not have the immigrant that creates the technological equivalent of the airplane and start big business? we have good folks coming in, but we have an aggregate that is not serving the public interest. on the border,on it is been proposed setting up camps in the countries from where these people came from. what is the solution to what is going on right now? guest: i'm originally from

arizona. i know the border well. what is happening is driven by a germanic uptick in violence from the northern -- a dramatic uptick in violence in the northern triangle. we have seen aharon the spike in violence. there has been a 350% increase in the murder of women and children in honduras alone. migration refugees, folks fleeing real violence and arriving at our borders, and it requires a multi pronged approach. nobody is asking that we open the doors and except everyone, but contrary to what dan said about a disregard for due process, americans ought to be proud that we treat people with decency, due process, and respect. i think the answer is we need to invest in judges and adjudicators to take a look at the facts of these cases, particular when you are talking about 10-year-old and well-heeled kids. let's look at what is going on -- 12-year-old kids.

let's look at what they are going through. if they are eligible for asylum, we should consider that, but they are not, we have to make sure the places we send them back to will not subject them to more violence and abuse. do the right thing, do not have a knee-jerk reaction based on fear and anger. host: we will give you a chance oath to duke it out at the end of the hour. this is "the new york times." calling from jacksonville, florida, jose, who is a new citizen. caller: good morning, sir. thank you for taking my call. host: how long have you been a citizen? caller: since 1997. host: what was the process like for you? caller: not difficult at all

compared to what my father had to go through 32 years ago, .eaving three kids in haiti i tell you what, that was a good investment, and i have heard respect for him that he sacrificed his life. a lot of haitians were coming from haiti. we have a different policy but my father sacrificed his life. we should not be afraid of immigration. immigrants are not a problem. our politics and our system is a problem. media is dividing this. these are two eloquent speakers, but you sit and listen to the views, you see why we are so confused, have so many problems. 32 years ago my father came here. 24 years ago he brought us here.

since then, i have been in the military, and i ran the highest -- i ranked the highest rank you can as an enlisted person. my sister has two bachelors degrees. my brother has a bachelors degree and a master's degree. i have two other sisters in college right now. what is the problem? we have seen sons and daughters of immigrants are against today's immigrants. host: just to put this out on the table, what is your view about you legal immigration -- illegal immigration? caller: we have a order. -- border. anyone who thinks we can fix the border -- it is a long border. good fences keep good neighbors -- but the thing is we can not police the border. we have a supply and demand that

relies on those so-called illegal immigrants. the producers in our country. we cannot produce things because of the stuff we put in food but we allow that food to come from overseas to feed our kids, but the things here are not being grown because there is nobody in the country willing to put the boots on the ground to work on these farms. host: thank you, josé. quick comment from each of you. dan stein. guest: i want to applaud your hard work. you are a success story. this country has undergone some of the greatest ethnic change in any country in world history and american should be proud of that, but the question becomes a matter of control and who decides. under a democratic society, the american people are supposed to be able to pass through congress

laws and limits that are enforced, and the sense of national self termination is key to the idea that we have a system that works. in today areoming effectively never going to leave , as all of the evidence from the last 35 years suggest is the case, and if they will be getting public benefits, ebt cards, public school, or health care, there is a resentment because the core base of consent has been violated. you will continue to see public education about the immigration issue grow in this country as long as there is a sense of the american people have lost having any say in who comes in, comedy comes in, and how we enforce the rules. -- who comes in and how we enforce the rules. guest: i think the caller is right -- succeeding, and moving up from the position you had when you first came here is the quintessential american story.

the reason we have a legal immigration in the country -- illegal immigration in the country today, prior to the in 2008 of the economy we had two signs at the border -- one said help wanted and the other said keep out. we were creating jobs where americans were not as engaged as they had been in the past. thaty there are some jobs the american workforce is not interested in is not an insult. it is a fact that we are educating and encouraging kids to move up in the education spectrum. 10% of our labor force that has less than a high school diploma. in 1965 half of the u.s. workforce did not have a high school diploma. it is not a surprise to anyone that we had fewer americans participate in those areas of the economy, yet in the boom years those were the areas of the economy creating jobs. what we fail to do is create a way for those folks to come legally, and what they did, and

for sure, is come around the system instead of through the system. a new u.s. citizen we want to hear your story. --host: if you a new u.s. citizen, we want to hear your story. rich. go ahead. caller: what an interesting discussion. the statement about jobs -- not cleaning up jobs to cover illegal citizens coming in -- we started a party here with the dream act inviting people to our house and he keeps expanding. sooner or later when we go to 10 million, 100 million, we will have to say no. someone will have to be the bad guy. we made it worse with the tsunami from the dream act. come on in. as far as jobs for college students -- it might only be 10%, but if you are the student that cannot get the job because legal is coming in here or

because of a special visa, it is a different story. if your house, because you had to pay 10% or 20% more because of the expenses and you lose your house it is still personally and that thing. -- bad thing. if you are a lawyer, you will make a ton of money. i will hang up and hear your answers. host: mr. johnson. guest: immigrants have made important contributions all over the country. they are highly entrepreneurial. you see them starting businesses in detroit and its burden. those places -- pittsburgh. at those places set up offices to attract immigrants the community. need is for an immigration system that manages and maximizes the value of that flow. we have, over the last 35 years, abandoned immigration system. we have not updated the numbers, not made a concerted effort to

align the value of our immigration system with the needs of our economy and as a result we have the immigration system working against our economy instead of with our economy. thatnswer is to demand members of congress get to doing their jobs and regulate it -- regulate immigration system. and money notme just on building fences and police officers at the border, but time and money creating a smart immigration system that works for small and large communities across the country every -- country. guest: the people benefiting are the immigrants, the chamber of commerce, democratic party, immigration lawyers, big foundations of, and others who want to reengineer the electorate. who is not being consulted? the american people. we have outsourced jobs, yet we are running immigration program like it is 1910 and henry ford just opened up his first auto plant. continue tolous to

drive american workers underground and out of the labor market. anyone who is raising a child seeing how college graduates are struggling can see how the labor is skewing the market away from the american workers. there is not a single job that they say americans are able and willing to do. new citizen from glendale heights, illinois. from, and howu did you become a citizen? downave to turn the volume on your tv. we will have to move on to paul in north carolina. caller: yes, please let me finish my comments because where i live the whole demographic of our state has been changed as a result of this. there has been some positive, but some huge negative. the whole concept that americans

are not doing these jobs -- i come up through the 1970's, worked on farms my whole life. worked mystruction, way through college on the same types of jobs, put myself through school. now, that would be impossible. all of these jobs that they say americans will not do -- we stand construction sites that were poor whites and poor blacks. tell us one thing positive, and one inc. -- in your view about immigration and then one thing negative. caller: i am getting there. saysresult of everyone americans do not want to work these jobs, that is false for one thing. it is positive for those that have higher the immigrants because they have been able to mistreat these people, do

whatever is necessary to keep the cost down and everything else. and all of that have loved it because they can do these people any old way. usa net is a positive and negative, correct -- you are saying that is a positive and a negative, correct? the positive is people have contributed to the community in churches and that sort of thing. we are going to leave it there. i think we got his points. dan stein, any short,? isst: i think the caller pointing out network recruitment about where employers are grinding the face of the poor by recruiting illegal labor and a lot of the jobs that used to provide initial training for young american in how to learn

how to work, the ethics of working, the habits of working, are being taken away. the argument that young people do not want to do these jobs is really a false dilemma because in the end if the employers see the legal workers being willing to do that work they will prepare them, they are more exploitable, and for the american worker it will be a difficult thing socially. that is all we have seen in market after market. elites have this position, bring them all and, who cares about the rule of law, and the american people have a different view. shaw, glendale heights illinois are we are listening heard you are a new citizen. tell us where you're from and when you became a citizen? shaw, i'm sorry.

we try that twice. we will have to move on. .j. tweets in -- it's the attitude of waiting the mexican flag while earning the american flag -- after they get here, they don't give a dam about the usa. guest: who is earning in the american flag? the fact that some people wave the mexican flag during a soccer game -- the culture is not under threat when we wave irish flags italianatrick's day, or flags on columbus day -- it is a big part of who we are. i understand for some communities they have nothing immigrants for 100 years, but any of the communities that say there are all these changes going on, these dramatic new faces arriving -- there was another time when almost every new place in america, the same thing was happening -- then it was germans, the dutch, or the italians, or the irish. this experience of an influx of

new faces and cultures and new is not a new food, it new phenomenon. i actually think that in addition to developing an doigration policy we have to better about an integration policy. those communities need help sorting through what the arrival of those folks mean. i have no homes about us about us-- qualms thinking more creatively about how to address the immigration issue, but the idea that this is something we have to be afraid of in american culture is under threat -- it was wrong when benjamin franklin said it about the germans to under 50 years ago and it is wrong today. host: patricia. providence, rhode island. new citizen. where are you from originally? caller: good morning. i'm originally from columbia. host: when did you become a citizen? caller: i became a citizen in 2001.

host: what was the process like for you? caller: it was difficult because i came here legally but my visa was processed and ready to go. my papers were lost. i had to pay a lawyer $5,000 to find them. i finally got my papers and when my son was going to apply for citizenship, his papers were , so we had to go through the same process. immigration needs to reform. i have heard the story for many people. please go ahead. comment, theyan are blaming immigrants for all the damages in the country, but at the same time you are shipping jobs to china, india, everywhere, so is it immigration or a real plot against americans

by americans, which is what i for making products with no conditioning and the rules and regulations americans have to produce anything are overwhelmingly high. is that americans against americans or is it an immigration problem? host: patricia, we will have a guest respond to that, but when you look at what is happening at the border with texas and california with all of the kids, the people, the camps down there, what is your thought? caller: i think we see a humanitarian problem, mainly. it hurts to the bones for you to leave your country. i do not think anyone would leave their own country just because they want to come to america. they leave their country because of an overwhelming need for safety.

i think that is what happens. i do not understand why we do not think about policies to protect those people. i agree that there has to be laws, but at the same time, we have gone all the way to iraq to fight for the rights of those people at the same time that we are not thinking about the rights and humanitarian problem of the people coming here. is much less costly than going to those wars. host: thank you, ma'am. dan stein. guest: what you have here is a total conflict of visions between me and mr. johnson. problem,his as a labor increased immigration, accommodate the flow because more people want to come in, then we could really realistically afford. in our view we need less immigration and better controls. the people coming through the border from central america are

responding to a series of policies this administration has articulated -- the demands for the amnesty bill, the deferred action for childhood arrivals programs that was illegal and unconstitutional, the change in what are called dhs enforcement policies that basically says unless you're one of the few people, nobody goes home, and the talk of the additional executive action, young people here there is a vehicle for the trafficking act and parents will not be deported to take this opportunity to come to the country. to changes inpond singles on our fourth policy. to learnountry have how to do toward illegal behavior and encourage compliance with our law. unless your attitude is like the borders be open and let it be a market-driven system where we accommodate evil coming in --

people coming in, you have to come up with creative ideas about what will bring about any full control. "new york times" this morning guest: somebody needs to go dagon immigration. on immigration. i would much rather have theress than administration, but in the absence of congress doing their job, the executive must do their job as best they can. there is an enormous amount of control and authority. the idea that he is serving congressional authority is nonsense. the executive branch is in the business of enforcing immigration law -- enforcement a any law has always involved

question of priorities. i think it is right for the administration to prioritize to ourthat are a danger communities first, and to focus energies on issues like drug cartels, smuggling rings, and gangs, before we worry about picking up people that take their kids to school. that is a smart use of resources. as to the issue of more immigration or not, the truth is i am not sure we need more immigration, for we need is for more of the immigration that is happening is to be legal, and we have to align the system with the realities of our economy today and once we have done that we ought to be able to look at immigration flows and make sure they match our economy. i am not asking anyone for more immigration than we are getting now. i am asking to regulate immigration flows in a legal way to avoid exploitation. e-mails in --

president obama is not bringing these children into the country, but trying to modify loss to expedite deportation procedures. no eartholorado says right citizenship from now on -- it will cost the system more money over time than those people will ever get back in taxes in their lifetimes. james finally says all men are created equal, equal chairman of the law, liberty and justice for all. withinent contained these hollowed words celebrate our nations birthday. michelle. minneapolis. republican. you are on the air. immigration -- hurtful or helpful to the u.s.? caller: hi, c-span. i have been sitting here for 30 minutes listening to this and my head wants to explode. i do not know where to start. i think it is a little bit of both. i have no problem -- and what really frustrates me is people

are talking -- people say republicans hate immigration, we do not like illegal immigration. i am polish. my grandparents came from poland for god's sake. we came here legally. i have no problem with legal immigration. i want the system fixed. i resent people talking about comprehensive reform. look at what comprehensive reform did to our health care system. andthose of us that work get health care through our companies, it ruined my health care plan for somebody else. number one, take care of the borders. --ber two, employer id check make that mandatory. number three, entry exit. number four, worker visas for the low-end, for the farmers. i was raised on a farm. i understand.

we connect people who know anything about math in this country. fixing the system, we want to talk about comprehensive. as an american, i do not want to immigrantord illegal and citizenship in the same sentence. host: that is a lot of points. a quick response. mr. johnson. guest: what you outlined in terms of things that you identified have to be done sound like a comprehensive solution. the concept of copper insert immigration reform is recognizing that the components of the system work better what all of them are functional. you have identified the need for enforcement, the need for better worker flows, and the need for interior enforcement as well. those are the components of copper insert immigration reform that we are talking about. --are trying to say comprehensive immigration reform

that we are talking about. you cannot expect to build a fence unless the fence has an .ight -- a gate the concept is recognizing that you have to have the enforcement these right, and that is all we're doing right for the last 15 years. it is time to pay attention to workflows, family flows -- fix other aspect of the system that need to be reform. congress can walk and chew gum. the idea that they have to do this he smelled is silly -- piecemeal is silly. caller: --guest: it was an excellent call. when people say they do not have a problem with legal immigration, what they are saying it is great, but it needs to be limited. looking at the dome of the capitol, traditions going back to ancient rome that the legislature, which is the representative body of the american people, and under our

constitution congress makes the rules in which people come to this country, how many and what are the rules, the executive is the one that enforces these rules. now, if the executive board to deny the admission of an alien that is arguably eligible for admission under law, the aclu and the litigation bar was litigated to the supreme court, but because of the issue of legal standing, a rogue president that takes it upon himself to let 20 million illegal immigrants come into the country and give them work documents, no force or power in this country can stop it, and it does president takes it upon himself to start rewriting immigration laws without the consent of congress is a path toward tyranny, a president we do not want to see and we will oppose it with every thing we have. guest: the administration's job is to figure out how these laws are enforced. they admit people, decide who get denied every day. the president did not admit 20,000 people.

the deferred action is a statement from the president there is a group of people that is widespread, universal agreement -- these kids that came here, it is not fair and it is not right for them to be removed. guest: was it legal admission? he is not going to waste enforcement resources before he focuses resources on smuggling. guest: that is patently untrue. guest: you may disagree. that is on the question cap the authority. every law enforcement officer makes decisions every single day. guest: what do you want the president to do? guest: do i get to finish -- every law-enforcement officer gets to make the decision to point -- to arrest that person. some people get a speeding warning. i amet a pushing the president to fix what he can with our immigration

system. guest: by not enforcing the law? host: that will end the back-and-forth that we will go back to calls with shannon. independent line. caller: i have a couple of points to make. work with a lot of vietnamese. english,teach them help them study for their citizenship. that has beennds here since he was 5 -- his brother, who is now deceased, went through the process of died almost one month before he was due to come here with the family.

so, the five-year process is pretty much no one void. he has to start over. he has to get his brothers family here. the second thing i want to talk about is they need to do something about immigration legally to come here and make it easier. five years is extremely too long. you have something like that, it is traumatic, especially when they are all waiting for them to come. the second point that i would like to make is the breakdown of our education system here -- when i went to school, one i was younger, we had -- when i was younger, we had a trade shop, auto body shops, auto repair, woodworking. host: can you do all of those things? guest: yes, i can get --caller:

yes, i can. it is creating an educational treating -- teaching trades that are easily accessible without a college education. host: dan stein. guest: you are raising a number of issues, some of which are not immigration-related, but my contention is american people on who comes say and how many. then you quotas and get delays. on public education, in 1982, the supreme court said every kid here illegally has to go to public school and we taxpayers have to pay for it. that was not as big of an issue in 1982, but today you have millions of illegal children here, parents here illegally, and schools are overboard and try -- overburden trying to provide english as a second language. then the company's turnaround

and say we are not teaching americans anything. you cannot be the last resort for all the world's displeased and dispossessed. a country should do its homework, and the first duty of america is to take care of its own. twitter -- the legal immigration process is an asinine, convoluted mess. monti says immigrants come with healthy work habits badly needed in our he economy -- economy. yethaitians get a raw deal are so industrious here in the states. bob. independent -- indiana. democrat. we only have a few minutes left. caller: hello? yes. live 10 miles from elkhart, indiana, and the streets in elkhart, indiana, are lined with

help wanted signs, and there are more illegal immigrants in elkhart, host: does that bother you? caller: my other point is i think it's a shame that illegal immigrants get treated better in this country than our own veterans. true?is that what benefits does somebody who is here illegally get? guest: none. they're not eligible for welfare. their only eligible for emergency medical care. hospitals may be moral decision that of somebody shows up at their doorstep they won't ask for immigration status before

they save their lives. any are not eligible for public benefits. it is been that way for decades. that an earlier color said they have a knowledge of how to game the system. guest: they are not eligible for benefits. if you have a child that is a citizen, it is eligible for benefits and that does occur. we do look out for our own. mixed statusy families. i think we have a misconception of what undocumented immigrants are. citizen children or legal spouses. the system is fundamentally dysfunctional in terms of addressing their needs. host: his birthright citizenship important to maintain in your view? guest: that we would amend the

constitution rather than fixing the immigration system seems the height of absurdity. birthright citizenship is a egg problem. it needs to be corrected legislatively or updated to the modern world. illegal alien children's get public schooling. that is the greatest cost. a lot of that is public education. it is one thing to say that technically people might not be eligible, they get it. dates don't verify status. lobbyists have opposed the needed reforms to improve integration in verifying status for benefits. everybody knows the system is broken down. if we allow kids in our communities to grow up without an education --

host: landon is from richmond, virginia. caller: this is america. when people come to america they have to think about being an american. if you are an immigrant here from anywhere else, you are here now. you made it and you follow the rules and you took care of things. i am a black man. i am in virginia. what happened in mississippi when you had like people going to vote in a white .an in a

they have got to start thinking about what is going on. we have gerrymandered districts. immigration is what brought america together. host: thank you. finally, madison virginia. caller: i believe it benefits the country. this is been going on for a while. congress enacted supplementary security income in 1974. could,65 years or older and 30 days later say they have low income and they would get all the benefits of ssi. they would get free medicaid.

now, our laws are being set up by lobbyists. the pharmaceutical companies. office senator warner's and asked what his virginia doing to help these refugee children on the arizona and texas borders? the answer was all on fences. area in virginia agreed to take them and then changed their minds. committeeng to get a together to see what we can do. up paper bagto see over the statue of liberty. i think we should get smarter. host: where are to have 30

seconds for closing statements. guest: happy and dependent state. immigration is a great idea. there could be too much of a good thing. my colleagues thinks too much is never enough. the american people will have to stick together and get immigration levels down. guest: two big problems right now. one is immigration reform. congress keeps taking this issue around by -- like a political football. move the reform to the house of representatives and have a debate. this is a real opportunity for america to show what we are made of. we can do the right thing and treat these children with decency. gentlemen, we appreciate

you being on "washington journal." we have less than an hour to go. we want to turn back to this topic. we want to talk about it. we want to know what you think about america as an exceptional nation. what does that phrase mean to you? you have heard on didn't use it. asrefer to ourselves of -- an exceptional nation. i want to know what that means to you. you can see the numbers on the screen. you can start dialing in and we will take those calls in just a few minutes. even though it says outside u.s., you can call if you're listing outside the united states. that is also set aside for new citizens. it hasare a new citizen,

been interesting conversation. we would like to hear your story. we will be coming back to that in just a few minutes. ♪ >> remind your children when we are the first generation of americans who have experienced attacks on the continental united states. we have felt what it was like to have our government buildings attacked. them that freedom is not free. that is what the star-spangled banner is about. that is what this commemoration year is about. tell let story and lift every

voice. c-span3, the 200th anniversary of the star-spangled banner. ofit the college classroom professor joel auel. 8:00, a preview of president george h w bush in a peaceful end of the cold war. my first reaction was surprise. i had worked for mr. sterling. i had coached the clippers in the year 2000. he invited me to his daughter's wedding. i had no idea what was going on. i wase of my association, confused not knowing exactly

which set of facts mr. sterling stood behind. when his words came out it was so obvious. it was disgusting. find thatse of it to type of sentiment in someone who relies on black americans for so much of his success and public profile, it was amazing. someone't believe that could have that much bigotry inside and think that it was ok. sports.k at racism in .xploring the red planet discussions on gun rights and the personal recovery of gabby giffords.

"washington journal" continues. host: is the united states and exceptional nation? that is our question for the next 50 minutes. if you are a new citizen of the united states, we would like to hear your opinion. the founder of the heritage foundation has written this op-ed.

this is steve in south carolina. what do you think? steve is gone already. john is in new hampshire on the republican line. happy fourth of july to you. i think it's somewhat misleading. it is an exceptional nation when you look at other countries around the world. there is a lot of controversy.

we have the best opportunity for our children a. they can follow their dreams. widow have to worry about fighting every day with drug cartels. ist is a great deal of what rhyming people in central america here. we are a melting pot. my grandfather was irish. he went through a lot of different registers. overall, we are an exceptional nation. host: darrell is in long beach. caller: i think the exceptional part of our nation is that we have no trouble having a concentration camp in guantánamo bay. anybody can be the president of united states.

i think that is a misnomer. scriptures,to the that makes us really exceptional considering even our money says in god we trust. bring its drones in and do whatever tom that makes us and another exception. us, weody did that to would take exception to that. that is my comment. lena is in florida. what do you think? we used to be, but we aren't anymore. we don't have a decent congress.

they are not trying to get along to make things easier for people. i am 89 years old yesterday. i have seen a lot go on in this country. it started out great. we don't know what happened. we are just a little disappointed. my father came from italy. he had to have friends that would accept him and keep him and feed him until he found a job. in a coal mine for one dollar a day. he became a citizen. we do not owe these emigrants a life of freedom when we didn't have it. i worked 25 years. i am disabled. a lousyl security was $200 a month because i didn't

report for two months. hoped the girls would make it but they didn't. i didn't make enough money to live. i have lived a horrible life all of these years. i went to welfare once. home and me to sell my live off that. i had a seizure in the office. mn about me.a da we need a moratorium right now. immigrants coming into this country until we straighten out our problems here. when do you think the u.s. was exceptional?

is there a time in our history? caller: i can't remember how far back. business ind up my 1968, i felt the change then. i got ill. i was in bed for 20 years with diabetes. i have no legs. i don't work. i have a strong mind. i would love to be a troubleshooter for the country. host: thank you for calling. thank you for watching c-span. happy 89th birthday. brenda is in tallahassee, florida. what is your thought? caller: we are an exceptional

nation. i am one who has worked for 35 years. from 17 years old when i began working. at age 50, i had heart problems. i filed for disability and it took three years to get on my disability. thank god i finally got on. that was after working 35 years and paying into the social security system. i was diagnosed with breast cancer. i am glad i got on it. i stayed out of debt. i paid off my debts. my home is paid for. host: let's go back to the concept of exceptional nation. what is it mean to you? we are a country where

we let freedom reign. we are soon losing that. if hillary clinton is voted and we will totally lose it. that is what the democrats are doing to our great nation. john is in mississippi. think america has an exceptional country but i also have a problem with it. be exceptional and has to address the oppression of african-americans. it's applied wealth for europe. it's applied wealth for america. as america has gotten wealthy off of the poor, we still have

the downtrodden. i live in the poorest states in america. there are no jobs here. job.ld love to work a i love america. i am a veteran myself. i feel ugly can't take care of the whole world. do?: what do you caller: i am in the gaming industry. other than that, there are no jobs for anyone other than the industry i am in. it is an economically depressed area. until america addresses its , i can see thes direct results of it right here. i am from chicago and i can see a direct result of what it has

done to our country. we have a system that is based on incarceration. additional system that is destroyed. we have big companies exploiting the four. we need to address those issues. joining us is charles murray. he is joining us from his home. he is a scholar. he is the author of several books. why do you think america is exceptional? i don't think he is hearing us. we will go back to your phone calls and figure out why he is not listening or could not hear us.

this is trenton, michigan. good morning. is the united states and exceptional nation? caller: good morning to you. i hope you have a safe weekend. i think we used to be exceptional. at this point i think we are not. our congress is shown how childish it can be. we've got voter suppression. we've got a war on women that has been going on forever. we have accomplished nothing except for what mr. obama can do on his own because of congress. we are nothing like the semblance of a third world nation. except all i have to say it is a shame.

becauseant to come here we were an exceptional country. we can no longer lay claim to that. look at the v.a.. that will tell you what you need to know. neglectfulptionally of our own citizens and that is the shame of it. host: this is neil in alabama. hello? this isike to say that an exceptional country. if you don't leave that, just look around. country,n't like this move out. it has to come to a stop sooner or later. it can't keep going on the way it is going. we will destroy the whole country. you can't let everybody in the

world come into this country. we can only sustain it so much. i put that on the congress and the president. for the last two years we have elected to bad presidents. the next time people go to the november, everybody become an independent and let's get rid of the politicians. they are the problem. if we get people in there that know what the people knows and they are not going to be paid off with sacks of money. we can clean this mess up. we have to get people in there that are going to do it. george is in virginia. citizen since new

1996. i am from the philippines. host: why did you become a citizen? to an: i was married american citizen. host: do you have dual citizenship? caller: yes. when somebody talks about the united states as an exceptional country what do you think of it? even in the beginning .merica was discovered the continent until a specific time.

even in no other religion was allowed except the christians. if this nation was controlled by the old world, they would not be able to go to the world. the other religions have too many restrictions. host: is july 4 national day of the philippines as well? caller: we were controlled by spain for more than 300 years.

americans took over the see.ppines, you can they started school. now the philippines have the largest high school in the world. we appreciate your perspective. we will move on to ron in delaware. caller: i believe the united states began as an exceptional nation. the founding fathers were wise enough and were on the side of truth.

god gives rights to individuals. thatcame from countries had usurped the rights of individuals with their governments. systemied to set up a that would maintain rights for people. government did not overstep their bounds. as we have gone on, lobbyists and various other forces have created a system that is based on the wealthy and the well-to-do and the people with the power. lost ourividuals have rights. it is time to go back to the wise mess of the founding fathers and the truth that

manner given rights by god. administration is usurping the power way above where they should ever be able to go. using government to try to control everything, which never works. to say andof more are more in touch with what the truth is than the government. some of there tweets that we've been receiving.

michael is in washington dc. caller: good morning. like to say that i believe that america has the potential to be exceptional. once we come back to the realization that we are the employers and the government is the employee. employers.be the that is all i have the say. charles murray is with the american enterprise as to to. he is the author of several books. mr. murray, when you hear the question is america and exceptional country, what is your answer?

caller: we used to be. it is not a matter of opinion. in the first century after the beginning of the country, everybody in the world who came here were unanimous in saying there were exceptional characteristics that they agreed on. it is not etched in stone that we always have to be that way. i would argue that we were exceptional in the 19th century. think of the things that made us exceptional. one was the physical setting. the buffer of the atlantic ocean on the east and the frontier to the west. a they had profound influences on american culture. there is the american ideology. was thee it unique

degree to which the government was an extremely small presence in american life. close tocountry became the degree in which we had limited government. you can take the culture the united states had. american neighborliness. there are countries that have a history of generous hospitality. very few cultures have people living in proximity to each other who have cooperated the way americans did. , they still have

exceptional elements but not nearly as much as we used to. host: is there any way to getting back to our exceptionalism? caller: is there any chance at all? host: is there anyway? america has historically had great awakenings. they have had profound effects on the culture. it is conceivable we will have a civic reawakening that would do the same thing. the odds are low. is only optimistic element there is a great attachment among an awful lot of americans to this heritage.

conservatives and moderate democrats alike. there is potential there. i am not very optimistic. calledhe book is "american exceptionalism, an experiment in history." back to your calls. david is in west virginia. it helps if i pushed the button. sorry, david. what do you think? caller: that depends on how you use the word. we don't think we can learn anything from other countries. other countries have universal health care, why can't we? can we just not handle it? we are totally arrogant about

other things as well. we believe weq, were right no matter what. was ahing we were sold political light to get us to do with they wanted. exceptionally gullible to let politicians run our lives like that. freedom.we have we have no freedom. host: this is ricky in maryland. how are you? happy independence day. i am from nigeria. i have been here for 22 years.

i became a citizen eight years ago. you arrived on july 4? ok. you hearou think when about america as an exceptional nation? caller: it is. the only problem we have is we are divided by our politicians. they are doing everything they can to incite people against each other. we can work together to make this country a great nation. i am proud to be an american.

there are pulling the country apart. thank you. host: what do you do in the area for living? caller: i am in the medical field. ricky, originally from nigeria. this is andrew base of it. you wrote this in 2008. why did you write this? that was a time when the economy was going bust area the it became clear that the iraq war was a disaster. not to mention an unnecessary war. i was hopeful that at that

moment the time might be right seriouslyans to examine this claim of our uniqueness and our mission to the rest of the world. that hope was in vain. i did hope for it at the time. host: do you think that? the u.s. has been unique in the past and considers itself not in such a good way? caller: to make the obvious point, every nation is unique. every state in the union is unique. massachusetts is different from texas. australians and nigerians and egyptians can all make the same claim. claim tolitics, this

exceptionalism is not that we are different. there is an application that we are better or chosen, that we represent what the world is supposed to become. definition of freedom has a universal application. that extension of this notion of uniqueness has tremendously pernicious effects for ourselves and for many others. my agree. what other pernicious affects are there? caller: do you mean apart from iraq or foreign policy? host: let's go with iraq specifically. i think in the realm of

foreign policy, american exceptionalism impedes efforts to see the world realistically and to distinguish between problems that are important and those that are not so important. between issues where we can make a difference and those that are beyond our capacity to affect. the arab world for years,t three world -- has been in the midst of this upheaval originally called the arab spring you. by arab spring was triggered the u.s. invasion of iraq. it destabilized. as we have watched the arab spring unfold, what we have seen

is the initial expectation that democracy that will be quickly fulfilled. that was naïve. what we have on our hands in anda and libya and egypt certainly in iraq is one hell of a mess. i don't believe we have any serious ability to affect that situation. wisdom would lead us to take modest approaches and keep a low profile. if you believe in american exceptionalism and you believe that we have this enormous toponsibility, you want stick your nose into these affairs as those who want to

intervene in the syrian civil war or wish to renew the american war in iraq would propose. host: when you hear a politician say america is the greatest country on earth, what is your reaction? reaction is one of regret. our politics sees that as a significant statement. lead --d think that the people in political life would have more important things to discuss. that is rhetoric that gets in the way of a serious political discussion. i regret that. host: are you working on a book currently? caller: i am trying to get

around to a book that will be a history of united states military involvement in the middle east. all of these conflicts and that have absorbed so much of our attention for the past three decades. on tvhe has been a guest several times. if you type in his last name in the search function you will be able to see several of the book events that we have covered with him. thank you for your time. back to your calls. is the u.s. an exceptional nation? what do you think of that concept? caller: thank you for taking my call.

the men and women who got to vote in iraq. that is american exceptionalism. voted because we gave them their freedom. the same people who were against the vietnam war are in their 60's. the iraqi war was voted on by congress. we did it as a nation but we blame one person. i miss the bush stays. woman with herat there teach we sit .tudents to hate on that

we need to start voting. we need 80% voting. host: brad is calling from ohio. you are on the air. i hear all these conservatives clinging to their guns and talk about freedom and liberty. we are not an exceptional nation. everybody knows it. just drive from one state to the next. it is horrible seeing people in poverty. seeing people starve and struggle. congestion conservative movement trashing children coming here to have what we have.

it is disgusting to see americans treating these especially these pro-lifers. host: logan is in south carolina. what do you think? mostr: it is the exceptional nation in the world. there's nowhere else in the world you can go and lay your head down at night and get a good nights sleep and go to work the next day. that everybody believed what they want to believe.

i think something needs to be done with a lot of things. the government is just a big money racket. lewis is in georgia. believe the united states is an exceptional country. i believe we are one of the only countries in the bible. the mark of jesus christ was pain-and-suffering. that is how he brings about change. that is where we're headed. we're going to get some pain-and-suffering. it is going to come out of the oldest book. what country do we live them? get ready.

i don't do a whole lot. i used to make plywood. i turned trees into product. i am retired. host: thank you for calling in. maryland.n just north of where we sit right now. happy july 4. my feeling is that when i was ago, weup many years did feel like an exceptional country. thist say that through watching what has gone on in the i really feel,

pain from this man. it makes me feel that we are not exceptional anymore. presidency has been so sabotaged and obstructed by this congress that it doesn't make me have that same wonderful feeling i did growing up. i really don't know what the reasons are. cynical.at they are that is the part of the country that is not exceptional anymore. there is something more cynical going on. they could not possibly obstruct everything he does unless there is a reason. i i just find it painful to watch this president who is a decent man. i don't know what else to say.

if they are not going to do their job, he does have to do his. once again let me say that we are not the people we once were. this is larry in virginia. just a few comments. the exceptionalism and america is no longer relevant anymore because of the conservative approach that america has tried to deal with as far as politics are concerned. on one of your book tv shows i was listening to an author talk about conservatism and they were saying that it was an anglo-saxon american philosophy.

philosophy cannot apply to this country because of immigration and everybody here came from somewhere. the reason we have the problem's before us is because of the amount of drugs sold in the country. because of the wars. we really need to sit back and reevaluate what is going on in this country. tv, threeking of book days of book tv on c-span two. you will see been carson, she is doing an

interview that we conducted in little rock. then carson is on this weekend. in-depth program. this will be on sunday at noon. he will be join us tomorrow at noon on sunday. he will take your calls and comments. john is in maryland. what do you think when you hear exceptional nation? caller: let's look at what others have said. called thentury was american century for a reason. in wars fromvolved

1914 and we did not come in until 1917. woodrow wilson was president. he ran on keeping out of the war. finally he decided to go in. we made the difference. the germans are winning that war and we turned around. versailles and reparations and it ruined the german economy. it made them so ticked off that allowed for hitler to come to power. hitler was made the chancellor in 1933. he could be the fuhrer. obama thinks he is above what his powers are. he thinks he is an emperor. this is what happens in nuno put any restrictions on the head of

state. he is the guy saying we are not exceptional. guy is so unaccomplished in the private sector. said, we have to conclude here. comp broke a has written books about the greatest generation. of questionable idiot. that was just in maryland. is the united states and exceptional nation? caller: happy fourth of july. i believe we were founded by exceptional people. used to unite us and

distract us. we have met the new boss and he is the same as the old wasp. we have been duped. host: this is tony on twitter. kathleen is calling from montana. i'm sorry, this is sandy. and young kathleen and we will get to you. of course it is an

exceptional nation. we are the most free nation in the country. i hear people talking and putting down the united states. i don't know what they are living in. we have the power and that is the problem. we hand over the power. that is the problem. by the comments people are making. we have had years of public schools and the media feeding into the lies. it is coming to fruition.

we are an exceptional nation. the government is the people. until we finally realize that and believe that. we are going to hear from kathleen in montana. caller: hello. i would like to mention one thing. i was born in montana. boarders of montana, we have seven nations. we have reservations. we have groups who consider themselves legally to be nations. these are examples of true nations. i am afraid it is time for us to decide what the word nation

means. if we were a nation, we would be a group that agreed on things. a financiale is institution. close to where a nation would be. the 238 fourth of july for the united states. the population at the time was 2.5 million people. today it is about 320 million it. inwas a federal holiday in a 70. a paid federal holiday in 1938. the town is pretty dead today. people will come down for the

symphony. we will be back here tomorrow morning on "washington journal." to c-span caller thank you for being with us. ♪ >> it is the fourth of july. at 11:00 a.m., president obama will speak at a naturalization

ceremony at the white house. this evening, the president and first lady celebrate the fourth by hosting men and women, servicemen and women and their families with a barbecue, a concert, and a view of the fireworks on the south lawn. day, weindependence finished up "the journal," talking about american exceptionalism. all day long on facebook asking you what it means to be an american -- some of your comments from our facebook page -- we welcome your