is going down. the bagpiper played amazing grace. ronald reagan participated in that. he met them once a year. they would select pallbearers or speakers. then, it would happen in retirement. it was a constantly evolving document. craig ryan said at one point they had to keep changing speakers and pallbearers because ronald reagan kept outliving everybody. they have the lowering of the flag. there was an advancement never military base. 21 gun salutes never military base. cannons were fired. bell was told 40 times for the 40th president. in to thes goes planning of the book. which, by the time of the funeral is a play-by-play

composition of everything that was supposed to happen. he was supposed to do what, where, why, and how. host: marilyn, independent line. here go. caller: thank you. ok, i want to wish you both the merry christmas. one of the things i disapprove about mr. reagan as well is next bush, asmr. george h w well as donald trump, they all play on the cold that we talked about. they ignore the silent majority. reagan with the philadelphia mississippi. bush with the heart thing, and george was doing the same thing. what really bothered me is during the nixon administration, they imported a lot of heroine

during the war on drugs. admiral ortar distributors of cocaine throughout the minority community. yet, they were on television saying say no to drugs. it has caused a tremendous amount of harm and minority communities. this is an off-base. another thing about mr. reagan, one of the things i disagree with, it seems like all the time he was in cabinet meetings, he was always sleeping. he was surrounded by people like mr. reagan. he was trying to get people to fire. over and destroyed our country. that is having a tremendous negative impact on our country. host: thank you for the call.

guest: i do not know how to unpack this. ronald reagan left office in january. he had a 40% approval among african-americans. which was astronomical for a republican going all the way back to eisenhower. when he left california, one of the things he noted was that he had promoted more african-americans than any previous california governor in history. that included pat brown. a republican. reagan went to the county fair, -- host: the falling asleep story? guest: that is not true. there is a picture of him

working at a cabinet meeting. he later assign it to his chief of staff. he cited gmc. he said i do other things that fall asleep. if he did.ow maybe he did. and his defense, they are probably pretty boring. host: our last call this morning. this is ted on the republican line. you are up. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i take issue with a lot of the callers who dispute ronald reagan's trickle-down economics. these many years later, people think of the entirety of that would comes from the governing. the government cannot give you anything. first, it has to take something from you. policy weren's

great policies during his presidency to put the country on the right track. i will need training -- maintain that i remember i was like -- it was like a public broadcasting station. that many of the conservative republican policies that reagan instituted were largely dismantled by the succeeding presidency of george herbert walker w bush. today withbelieve the increased differences thing that trickle-down economics trickle-down economics to ronald reagan were about money being spent. it was about my choice helping to grow the economy. host: i got you. we are running out of time. i have to kind of leave it there. guest: we always hear this thing that trickle-down economics.

that created 18 million new jobs. trickle-down economics eliminated inflation which was a real threat to the american republic. countries that had been destroyed by inflationary spirals. the problem was that they believed trickle-down economics led to a lowering of interest rates. it led to a turnaround of americans faith in government and their future which in 1980, a lot of americans told pollsters that their children's future would be worse by 1989. , whatry measurable way you call it reaganomics or trickle-down economics or conservative economics or whatever, it worked. so, i do not know how may times i can say that. host: the last act, the final years, the emerging legacy by ronald reagan. craig shirley, thanks for your time. merry christmas.

and our final half hour the program this morning, we want to repeat the question that we started with about the american dream. we want to get your thoughts on if it is still attainable in this day and age. if you think it is and you want to tell us why, zero 2748 8000. if you do not believe so 202-748-8001, if you're not sure 202-748-8002. we'll take your calls momentarily. you more want to show from our newsmakers program. garcia is a guest this week. thealk about the impact of everybody succeeds act. the success of no child left behind which congress passed this month. >> i think everybody who believes there's real potential here for changing the face of public education and get surprises or punishments. we are saying it is a new day.

the country woke up last friday. we had a new world. were not first time we under this national cloud of no child left behind. we actually have an implementation team on the national level so that our state affiliates, our local affiliates and all the coalitions being built with them, school psychologists and parent groups and disability rights groups. civil rights groups, coalitions are coming together on the building, district, and state level. what they're looking for from the national education association is a framework. study this law and tell us what our opportunities are to start advocating for the support. the voice of the educator. my parent that says this is kids school. i should have something to say about this. all of those things were pretty

much shut out under no child left behind. it is very strict. it is the only number that counts. people say this is the only thing we will look at when we say your school has made adequate progress. they were all illusions. we want something real. >> by your account, states will be quickly changing. they have accountability systems and teacher evaluations. >> yes, because the accountability issue under no child left behind, they said hit your quota of kids. what we liked, the one thing that we disliked that came out of the 2002 no child left was the first time they aggregated the data. they did not give us the right data, they only give a standardized data. whereaid we want to see the gaps are. between affluent children and poor children.

children with disabilities, and children who are esl. those populations of kids that are seriously disadvantage came to school needing so much. the law said people should know what they are getting, but we should know how they are doing. more permission on the full interview you can see on our website at c-span.org. you can find more information there and watch the program sunday at 10:00. the american dream still attainable? we want to hear about you in the final time of the program. 202-748-8000, if you say yes. if you say no, 202-748-8001. if you're not sure, 202-748-8002 . the washington post this morning takes a look at the islamic state. we also focus on what is going on in somalia.

the headline is that the islamic state seeks a foothold in somalia. they write that a month-long recruiting campaign and somalia has also paid a sum dividends in october. trite --lim cleric is the muslim cleric is trying to bring followers with him. a person with permanent resident status for apparently leaving out that for the islamic state peered so far, they have resources and somalia. the islamic state image appears to have grown among militants. right now it is the best propaganda machine going. this expert and director of research, that is a nairobi-based -- base. first on the question about the american dream, what do you think? caller: i think it is absolutely attainable. you can achieve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. if you live in the united states of america today, it doesn't

matter what color you are, what religion your comment does not matter at all you can achieve those things. and there's no reason in the world why the structure that we have typically is not attainable. --s goes from nirvana vermont, not virginia. host: let's hear from harry in georgia. he does not believe the dream is attainable. hello. caller: merry christmas. i think because of policies i think the american dream, the idea it really happened after world war ii. , i was sure this radio, people say this is not the country i grew up in. the country we grew up in, i am 64 years old, the country we grew up in was the result of the

depression and the social policies, not world war ii. all the government spending that gave jobs to people. when i grew up, you had doctors and lawyers and machinists all on the same block. itall had our sidewalks and schools. we had massive amount of government spending. truman and roosevelt continued these policies. chairman with the marshal program, and eisenhower with the interstate highway system. the system in which the common man, because of union support by the government could live a , based on hard work.

host: let's hear from gus in texas. he says it is still attainable. tell us why. caller: good morning. the reason why i am talking about this is because i'm living proof of it. i love my trickle-down economics. i am 66 years old. based on that age, and my life experience, i'm looking at millennial's at the office. i am retired. they're asking questions. i cannot give them one answer. i usually answer questions in a paragraph. i'm a vietnam vet. we survived the poll tax in the 40's and the 50's. i can also say that i love elvis presley. i survive psychedelic music. so, it is all attainable.

mentors.t my they all have college degrees. very successful. some of them just like trickle-down economics. host: chain from pennsylvania is not sure. -- shane. caller: i think it depends on what you define as american dream. i think for people that have not been raised in a country like this, i think that -- host: you're breaking up a little bit. i'll put you on hold. can get to awe better location. i think those which are on. then, we will try you back. in the meantime, is go to dave and amarillo texas. he said the american dream is not attainable. caller: i do not believe it is still attainable.

it used to be that if we worked hard, then we can succeed. nowadays it seems like if we work hard, we have 57% of the country split that does not have to work. believe people are entitled to have the same advantages the working class does. host: another story about isis in the paper. this is from the new york times talking about the islamic state dispatch urged the group that a five suicide squad has assaulted police officers. it has been identified as the second regiment of them. the children iraqi soldiers with suicide bombs by detonating hidden explosives. they collaborated statements by the site intelligence group. it taken together, statements were the first assertions by the militant group that it has inflicted damage on iraqi military forces.

let's try shane, again. pennsylvania. caller: thank you. i'm glad you just mentioned the last comment there. i think still pertaining to the american dream in attainable, i'm not sure, but i am leaning towards it. i think we are in a broken system. i think that is due in large part to the military-industrial complex. i think that until private contractors who basically fund isis in the middle east -- until the system is fixed from the ground up, until the tax system is fixed from the ground up, income tax, those are all unconstitutional. i think what i was going to begin with is what you define the american dream as. i think it is definitely attainable for a lot of people. we aregeneration i think more pessimistic when it comes to that. i'm 26. i think our political system

just needs a big makeover. think whathappens i most people believe is the american dream is attainable. host: before you leave, can we have a snapshot of what you think the american dream is? caller: i think the american dream is being able to live in a society where you are not oppressed by anyone financially. -- which come obviously is the ideal idea behind the country. we are covertly oppressed by many institutions. dream beene american attainable very difficult. host: kansas city, missouri, kevin -- i'm sorry bruce, good morning. caller: good morning.

i'm a cpa kansas city. i'm near retirement. i have worked with a lot of entrepreneurs, people who build successful business. i'm definitely of the opinion that there are opportunities available in the country. that is for the kent -- that is define it as making middle-class status and having financial resources. we will be the first one up in the morning. thething we have to do is controlling government entitlements. worktake away from hard and entrepreneurship. and people being able to fend for themselves and make things happy. unemployment benefits are

dropping to a four-week low. this is from jen at the washington post saying that claims felt for the weekend. the median forecast in the survey is tuna 70,000. the lowests reach since the 1970's. a tight labor market this year experienced workers encouraging employers to forgo reductions in staff. limited dismissals and hiring helped persuade federal reserve policymakers last week to raise the benchmark in 10 years. edward is up next. dream ishe american not attainable. go ahead. yes, i think that it is stewart in new mexico who you are referring to. i am in agreement with several of your other colors.

i am the same age as several of them. i'm 63. -- i'm not going to contradict myself and say the american dream is attainable by everyone. i think some people can get it. i think it is increasingly lifecult, if i take my own which is the only life i have to compare it to, i was a school teacher for 30 years. my retirement is minimal. been teaching for 15 years in the state of new mexico. i have a masters degree the entire time. this is back in the 1980's. my children qualified for wic. that is a sad statement about what teachers make. no teacher is going to achieve the american dream, because of that.

and people -- until people realize that attaining the american dream is one thing that has to be fueled by financial people whoonly the have financial resources will attain that true american dream. whatever it is. i think it is just a drink. host: let's hear from patrick in new jersey. good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. i have been an agreement that the american dream is not attainable during this time. we already lived through our best at times. the infrastructure for the employment rate to increase has diminished. also, with this 30 year stagnation of wages, people cannot keep their head above water to maintain a standard of life that is defined by the

american dream as being able to be an middle-class consumer and help drive the economy. what has been happening due to the income inequality is that all the income is going to the , they're not investing in the united states. they are investing outside of it. as we have seen with these various economic agreements. all the jobs are going out. there never coming back. , andn part to that fact the increasing population of the united states, we are not going to ever reach full employment with the current structure we have now. thank you. host: from dallas, texas, here is richard uses the american dream is to attainable. caller: good morning. i absolutely believe it is attainable. between now and 50 years ago the world is more competitive. -- mi on you go -- am i

on? host: yes. caller: there used to be cars in detroit, now we cannot even compete against japan or europe. we need more education. it is not a question of money. you can transfer capital quickly. andn hit my computer button change my 401(k). i could pick a mercedes stock. it is attainable, which is the more education. we harder work. host: if you go to the papers this morning, there is a story in the new york times that talks about the food cafeteria service in the house and senate and how there are complaints among members about that. especially over sandwiches. jennifer steinhauer said there has been an eye crowd for vendors saying the options are not available. they carry fewer sandwiches made to order. for a while, the salad bar disappeared.

-- on to satisfy satisfaction and paranoia. people believed that poor selection in fewer workers than less good service. it is atrocious that nancy pelosi, the minority leader set up a new affair. they were described as overly sloppy. similar sentiments have been uttered repeatedly and always. dire thation is so the households food in a spot that is anonymous to the senate. a spokesman for kevin mccarthy of california majority leader was spotted soaking down in the senate side several times a week toting fares from the rival chamber saying they had a sandwich and a great cup of joe. there is more on that available. let's go to michigan. not sure if the american dream is attainable. caller: hello.

question isith the that there are actually two separate american dreams. in theone, that is based idea that the economy should help serve the people. the other one says that it should serve business. socially, you have one that wants to ensure rights, and incarcerate minorities and not give help to the poor. the other side says these things are important, we need to help these people. it just depends on which side you are on. i happen to believe that the government should serve the people. not business. not wall street. host: a story on the front page, other stories taking a look at their ryan hostages who will now get compensation for the time they were held in the late 70's and 1979 saying that in the huge spending on friday were provisions that would give each of the hostages or their estate if 4.4 million dollars.

victims of the american a busy bombing in east africa will also be eligible for benefits under the law. we go to maryland. good morning. you are next. yes, i think that the rich are getting richer, because the politicians refuse to work for the common man. politicians thought it was milliono bring 300 chinese out of poverty, which means that it has come to our shores. around the world, 300 million jobs around the world are now being held by the chinese. have more billionaires and more millionaires increasing than here. millionaires are getting less, thanks to our politicians who choose not to close tax loopholes and work for

the rich. drug use has increased by 400%. more and more 50-year-olds are committing suicide while our factories are lying vacant. more and more jobs are going abroad. aboutg has been done bringing in proper skills to the new generation. that is all i have to say. i do not think it is attainable. not in the next 20 years. every day there is a staff of people behind the scene to make the program happened. we never really see them. on this christmas day we want to highlight some of them. people are coming in every day 365 days a year. they are joining us. with that in mind, i want to thank john gallagher, john

roberts, there the staff that are serving this morning on our journal program. again, these people are here almost every day doing the program. others as well. i want to give them a special thanks especially in christmas day. that is it for our program today. another program comes your way 7:00 tomorrow morning. merry christmas. we will see you then. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪ announcer: on the next "washington journal" the chair of the group level the playing

field on efforts to open president with the base candidates. year end tax preparation advice. plus, your phone calls, tweets, and facebook comments. >> three days of featured programming this holiday weekend on c-span. friday evening, congressional republican leaders honoring former vice president take -- vice president dick cheney at the capital with an unveiling of a marble bust. >> when the vice president had his credits going off the deep end, he asked his wife, does it bug you when people refer to me as darth vader? she said, no, it humanizes you. [applause] [laughter] announcer: saturday night at 8:30 p.m., an in-depth look at minority communities.