to see that there is a way to minister and to witness -- my father used to say that he and others were ordained, but all of us were called to be ministers. [applause] i also want to say, right off the bat, it was a great chance -- we were swapping stories about not only five years ago when faith and freedom coalition started putting things together in wisconsin wasn't even the governor, but way back i still have one of my old christian coalition shirts from 20 years ago when my good friend from wisconsin, one of our first leaders, thinking about those days and what an impact that had, i mentioned at the reception, but i met a young

woman about one year ago and it was so touching because when we were at marquette and helped with the crisis regnant see program, to help -- pregnancy program, to help people going through a difficult time, it was interesting, the daughter of someone who had been in college who had given up her daughter for adoption, who was now in her 20's and they reunited. she introduced me because she knew we had been involved. i said, if there was ever a reason to doubt pro-life, that moment made it all worthwhile. [applause] i also want to say not only thinking about faith, that freedom. i say this often. i want to talk about it not just in our state but where we need to head with this country. the most important thing off the

bat is that, freedom is and dowd by our -- endowed by our creator, defined by our constitution, but ultimately defended each and every day by the men and women who proudly wear the uniforms of these united states. [applause] before we go a step further, i would ask this simple request. if you have served our country in the military, or if you are a family member of someone who served our country today, would you stand up and be recognized? [applause] we can talk a lot about freedom

but it doesn't happen without men and women like those that you saw standing. it has been so great to be in philadelphia earlier today, but to think about the founders. i will tell you a little story about that, but thinking about all the challenges we face today, particularly when it comes to believers. the supreme court decision coming up on marriage, and i believe that marriage is defined by one man and one woman that is something the states should decide. far bigger is the debate about religious freedom. having come from philadelphia, seeing the statue of william penn, thinking about how he and many others came to flee religious persecution and sometimes there are people who think it is freedom from religion. it is freedom of, not from.

[applause] that is important. our founders had a good idea, they realized that no states, no government entity, should demand what religious faith you practice, but they also knew saying we would not have the establishment of a state religion or state church, we should also check the rights of people who believe, to practice that faith. in a society where it is important to respect the rights of others, part of it means respecting believers. that is what that was all about. i get frustrated thinking that in today's society it only works for certain elements of society. it was meant for all of us. i am proud to be from estate where in the last few months, we have it inherently written into our state constitution. it protects religious freedom in the states constitution.

we have not had the same battles as some of the other states. i would argue today that it is not just in my states constitution but our countries constitution. defends the right for everyone of us to believe what we want, worship where he want and not have those rights infringed by any form of government. [applause] it is an honor to be here with you today. i know that you share those beliefs. i want to tell you about some of the optimism i have for the future. penny did a good job listing a competence. some think it was just -- listing accomplishments. something it was just about taking on big unions. we did. but it was also taking on big government special interest and taking money out of their hands and putting it in the hands of

the taxpayers. [applause] that's what it was about. we change the economy and made it better. we changed our fiscal standing. we had four years in a row with a balanced budget. the only pension system in the country that is fully funded. we have a rainy day fund that is 165 times eager than when we first took office. we went beyond that. one of the things people don't know, even in my own state, we made changes not just with collective bargaining, we said we are getting rid of seniority and tenure. we can hire and fire based on merit. [applause] we can hire and fire based on merit. we can pay based on performance. we put the best and brightest in the classrooms and we can pay them to be there. i get tired of hearing that

conservatives don't care about education -- we do. we just want to put that money to use in the classroom not bureaucracy. that is why we reformed government at the public sector level. we lifted the cap on choice schools and expanded it statewide. i trust parents to make the best decision if given the choices. [applause] we defund ed planned parenthood. we signed major pro-life legislation. i believe law-abiding citizens should be able to protect themselves, their families and their loved ones. we even did something so amazingly sensible. we said, it is now easy to vote but harder to cheat. we require a photo id to vote in

the state of wisconsin. the reason that i tell you all of that is not to break. maybe -- brag. not too much. it is a lot of work. it was a great team effort. i tell you that, because wisconsin is a state that has not gone republican for president since ronald reagan was last reelected. in 2009, when i first thought of running for governor, we spent a lot of time thinking, talking praying. we knew how tough it would be, considering how difficult it is for republicans in our state. we had two reasons. one is named matthew, one is named alex. my two sons. they are 19 and 20 and traveling the country, but then we were

worried the state was traveling in the wrong direction. we didn't just win the election, we helped the state assembly go from all democrat to all republican majorities. [applause] along the way, in 2010, we didn't just do that, we did what we said we were going to do. shortly thereafter, 100,000 protesters came into the capital. the occupy wall street movement did not start in manhattan, it started in madison, wisconsin. after they lost, they went to new york. at one point, racial duffy, the wife of -- rachel duffy, the wife of sean duffy gave me a bumper sticker. 14 senate democrats left the state and went to illinois to stop things. we figured out a way to change

things and we got the bill passed. the duffy's gave me one of my favorite stickers that said one walker beats 14 runners. [laughter] [applause] that wasn't enough, so they tried to take out our supreme court justice. then they tried to take out six members of the state senate. then they tried to take out rebecca clay fish. because of the help of many of you here, whether a $20, $30 or $40 contribution. many of you mentioned that you actually prayed for us, the most potent thing you could do, we became the first governor and lieutenant governor in the country to win a recall election. [applause] thank you.

the reason i tell you not to brag so much as to say thank you. many of you were a part of that. we had 300,000 donors in all 50 states. 75% gave us $50 or less. it was a true grassroots effort. as inspiration going forward if we can do it in a state as blue as wisconsin, there is some doubt we can do it anywhere in america, and we can do it right here in the nation's capital. let me give you three quick reasons why that is important. growth reform, and safety. sometimes people in this town get confused. i like to come in. i believe tomorrow. i will leave because i cannot

stay too long and washington. i collect 68 square miles surrounded by reality. i love to see the monuments, but i have to get out of town. sometimes people like the president and hillary clinton get confused. they think that you grow the economy by growing washington. last year alone, six of the wealthiest counties in america in and around washington dc. that is where it has grown. the rest of us, you go to counties all across america where the people create jobs, not the government. it is time we get the government out of the way so people in america can put more people back to work. some of the best ways to do it is to get government out of the way. rain in the regulations. repeal obamacare and put

patients and families back in charge. use the abundance of all of the different power and energy supplies we have in this country and this continent that literally fuel the economy going forward. we should lower the burden, not just on individuals but job creators. some more will come back from overseas and we can put more back to work. some of the liberals get confused and they think, why are you so obsessed with lowering the tax burden? i am proud to say that in wisconsin we cut the burden by $2 billion. individual rates and lower property taxes lower today than four years ago. people wonder why i obsess, i have a simple story. on february 6 we celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary. [applause] thanks.

you should clap for her for putting up with me for 22 years. [applause] thank you. she would ask for more claps if she were here. i learned a critical thing not long after i was married. i made a critical mistake off the bat. i went to a place called kohl's department store and i bought something for the price it was marked. i have learned over the years if i buy a shirt i go to the rack that says it was $29.09 and now it is $19.99. then i get a little insert that says 20% off, or the flyer that gives me 30% off, then i take it to the coupon and then my wife swoops into her purse and pulls out some of the kohl's cash, and then they bring it up and tell

me that they are paying me to buy the shirt. not quite, but it feels like it. how does a company like that make money? they make it off the volume. they could sell you those shirts at $29 london i sense or -- at $29.99, or reduce the price and broaden the base. a few of you can pay those higher rates, but wouldn't it be nice if the price went down? i call it the kohl's curve. we start to fix things like the marriage penalty. we are encouraging through policies, not discouraging marriage. [applause] we know that it is not only did we sound -- biblically sound and

morally sound, it is empirically sound. if you have a mother and daughter involved in raising the children it is not just in our hearts, we can prove it. children are much better off much more likely to finish school and get a great education. that is point one. growth. the second thing is reform. in washington, you have people like the president and hillary clinton who somehow leave that the measure of success is how many people are dependent on government. medicaid, food stamps, unemployment. for the rest of us, it should be just the opposite. how many are no longer dependent on the government. that is the difference. there are some in the media who say that means we want to push people out.

we understand that true freedom and prosperity do not come from the mighty hand of the government. they come from people living their own lives through the dignity born of work. when i was a kid my first job was washing dishes at the restaurant. i started flipping hamburgers at mcdonald's. my friend paul ryan grew up 15 miles down the road. he was flipping burgers. but his manager told him he had to flip burgers in the back because he did not have the interpersonal skills to work the register. [laughter] that's true. kid him about that if you see him. growing up in that small town my mom worked part-time as a bookkeeper for a men's clothing store, raise my brother and i. my grandparents, on my mom's

side were farmers and did not have indoor plumbing. my dads dad was a machinist for 42 years. when i look back at my life, i realize we did not inherit fame and fortune from our family. the belief was that if you work hard and play by the rules you can do and be anything that you want. that is the american dream. [applause] think about that. it is one of those things, great to challenge people when they think about this. government and entitlement is not the answer. it is about helping people get the skills and qualifications they need to succeed on their own. not one of my classmates ever said to me, someday when i grow up i want to become dependent the government. nobody signed my yearbook, good

luck on becoming dependent on the government. i met some really amazing people, many who came legally from around the world, many who i have been blessed to meet will tell me, the reason they came to america was not to become dependent on the government. the reason they came here was because it was one of the few places left in the world, where it did not matter what your parents did for a living, you can do and be anything that you want. the opportunity is equal for all of us. if you don't remove or anything else, member this -- if you don't remember anything else, remember this. there is a reason we take off the fourth of july and not the 15th of april. we celebrate our independence from government and not our dependence on it. [applause] the third thing to talk to you

about, safety. what are you talking about? safety? what is that mean? some people in washington call it national security. i collect safety. -- i call it safety. when i see a video of a jordanian pilot burned alive in a cage. when i see christians beheaded because of their faith -- that is not something you read about. that is something you feel. in your heart and your soul. it has risen to the top of my list of priorities. [applause] i cannot tell you how frustrated i am with this president and this administration. we have a president who drew a line in the sand and allowed it to the crossed. a president who called isis the jv squad.

who calls yemen a success story. who calls iran a place we can do business with. i removed her as a kid, in the late -- i remember as a kid, my brother and i tied yellow ribbons around the tree, because my friend was the youngest marine held hostage. they held americans hostage for 444 days. he ran is not a place -- iran is not a place we should be doing business with. [applause] i think about how mixed up this obama-clinton doctrine is. we have a president who, earlier this year, stood up and told the graduates that the number one threat to the military in the world today is global warming.

i have a message for you -- the number one threat to the military, to america, to the world, is radical islamic terrorism and it is time that we do something about. it. [applause] we need a president in this country who understands that israel is an ally and starts treating her as such. [applause] we need to send a message once and for all, that we need a leader in this country who will

have the courage to look the american people in the eye and tell them something that might not be easy to say. it will not take a day, a week or a month but the enemy we face today cannot be like one in the cold war where containment is enough. our enemy today is like a virus. if we don't take it out, it will take us out. we need someone with the courage to say that on behalf of your children and mine, i would rather take the fight to them instead of waiting to bring the fight to us. [applause] there is a lot at stake in this next election. the choices that we make. do we continue a third term of this president's failed policies? particularly how he has been

intricately involved in these failed policies we have been talking about. or do we need a republican that can get things done? i would ask you to consider this for a moment. we have one of the best fields the republicans have had for president since 1980. [applause] we haven't made an announcement yet, but we just formed two days ago what we call a testing the waters committee. you can go to scottwalker.com for more details. if we were to get in, we can do some thing unique. there are two groups. fighters who are fighting the good fight but they have not one any of those major fights yet -- won any of those major fights yet. there are another group who are good at winning elections but

they do not take on those tough fights. if we were to throw our hat in the ring, what would make us unique is that we do both. we fight the good fight and we win those fights over and over again. they made our state better because of it. in america that is not just what republicans want, what conservatives want, i think that americans want someone who will wake up in the white house every day who will say, how do we fight and win for the hard-working american people? i want to end with this optimism. as challenging as these times are, as difficult as these choices are that will be made, i am optimistic. i love america. we are a can-do country.

unfortunately we have had a can't get it done government, but with the right leadership we can make america great again. not just because of our state but many of our friends have done similar things in the states that you live in. many of our states are an immediate source of optimism for the future. what makes me optimistic about the future of this country is because of our history. i reminded of where i came from earlier today -- philadelphia. i grew up in a small town. we never had a chance to make it to philadelphia. that was tough. as a kid, i love history. i thought of our founders as bigger than life. superheroes. after i was married, we had a chance to go to philadelphia. here i was, pumped up and

excited. to see where the superheroes worked. we went to the national park service and went by the liberty bell then we made our way to independence hall. the sun was coming up, i was ready to be blown away. we got into the hall, as many of you who have been here know, it is not much bigger than the dais we are on right now. i looked at the chairs and the desks and it dawned on me, these were ordinary people. these were ordinary people who did something extraordinary. they didn't just risk their political careers, they didn't just risk their business ventures, these were patriots who risked their lives for the freedoms we hold dear today. ladies and gentlemen tonight, i

would tell you that moments like that remind me and inspire you as well, that what has made america great, what has made us exceptional, it has been all throughout the nation's history. be it economic or fiscal, military or spiritual, what has made america amazing has been all throughout those times. there have been men and women of courage, who have been willing to think more about the future of their children than their grandchildren than they thought about their own political futures. this is one of those moments. this is one of those times in american history. the moment and opportunity where we can look back and tell future

generations, we were there. we heeded the call. we did what was required to make america great again. i have every confidence that with your help, we will make america great again. thank you for the chance to share with you. [applause] >> the new congressional directory is a handy guide to the 114th congress with color photos of every senate and house number plus bio and contact information. and look at congressional committees, the president's cabinet, federal agencies and state governments. order your copy today at c-span.org. >> next, "q&a" with author

stephen upuleo talking about his book. after that, the interview with presidential candidate ted cruz. >> this week on "q&a," our guest is author stephen puleo. he talks about the assault of charles sumner on the floor of the u.s. senate. mr. puleo: i wanted to figure out what got