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tv   Key Capitol Hill Hearings  CSPAN  April 13, 2016 4:39am-6:51am EDT

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>> i appreciate all of your testimony very much. general jones and bono, it is great to connect with you again. ns led acoo delegation and we were able to be in rwanda and discuss the challenges. it is a wonderful complement to being here in washington and discussing the challenges. orps is headquartered in my home state of oregon. i connected with them in terms of what they would recommend in terms of countering violent extremism. they said single sector programming and multiyear programs to create programs in which youth can thrive. target the most vulnerable youth. the vigilant about making sure you don't just reach privileged youth in urban centers. counter terrorist strategies with the factors that drive
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youth to violence. connect youth voices with reforms and exclusive governance structures. i wanted to mention those and find thosewould things to fit with your own experience or if you like to take issue with them. anyone. yes, thank you. lements: mercycorps is a committed partner and does great work around the world. nothing can be more powerful in terms of averting radicalization and preventing violent extremism than having hosts and refugees , friends,de neighbors, etc. in terms of the u.s. being a leader on refugee resettlement, one of the reasons it has been
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so successful historically is that there is a real integration . in terms of preventing extremism, welcoming people into the community is the first and strongest step. thank you. >> secretary blinken. blinken: the points mercycorps makes are on the money. exactly as they said, the multisector programming is important. we have to have these interconnections. that is what we are trying to do. to bring together what we are doing on counterterrorism with what we are doing on countering violent extremism, that is what we are doing before the problem becomes a problem and what we are doing afterward, we can create much greater coordination of efforts. if you are training a law enforcement organization to deal but you are also
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helping it understand what the drivers are of terrorism, it may be able to be more effective at getting at the problem before it starts. bringing these things together is vitally important. i think they are exactly right about targeting the most vulnerable. we are trying to think about our assistance programs and work we are doing focused on the communities most susceptible to creating or having people in their midst become radicalized. it goes as far as our exchange programs to make sure people we are bringing over represent those communities and benefit from the work we are doing. exactly right as well that we need to be elevating their ours,, not so much but their voices because the people who have the most credibility are people speaking to their own. that fits in very much with what we are trying to do. >> i was particularly struck by the infosys on rigorous analysis
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-- emphasis on rigorous analysis. we have to see what is working. what is working in one part of the world may be different from what is working elsewhere. bono, i join my colleagues in thanking you for the work on one campaign and red. my daughter is enjoying interning with your organization and is moved by the mission, as so many americans are. you mentioned a number of things i want to stress. first, that aid is not charity, it is national security. so often i have asked my colleagues, if we have another dollar, do we do more for security world through these types of programs than we do through procuring another weapon, if you will? i think the balance still is too much on the weapon and forced side and not enough on this side. certainly, that ties in with the
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that i think the way you put it is it is more cost-effective to invest in stability today than to address crises later. you also noted it is important humanitarian aid and development efforts. i think that is an immediate and short-term and longer-term strategy. would you like to expand on that? bono: yeah, sure. piece, big military storm anything about general jones -- the extraordinary thing about general jones is years ago he was talking about the reimagining of the military. i went to the atlantic, is that what it is called, the big military gathering? yeah, atlantic council. there were all these phd's standing up and generals. they are so cerebral and
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philosophical. you realize the military is ahead of the politicians on this one. they really understand what has to be done. that.mazed by in an asymmetrical conflict, you cannot use the old strategies. there are new weapons needed. sometimes those weapons are education, fighting disease. it is really cheap. i remember with the aids stuff we did, i remember telling the medicines were the best advertisement for america you will ever see. he was laughing. but when he arrived, everyone was applauding. america pulls very well. it is amazing. on the long-term versus short-term, humanitarian aid and long-term development, they are coming together now.
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you cannot care about development and poverty and not care about conflict because 50% of the poor come out of fragile conflict-prone areas. so i'm learning from kelly, and she is learning from other people smarter than me. but it is coming together. it used to be two separate silos. i'm glad to say it is coming together. it was not your question, but because we were in rwanda rwanda is anhink example of a country that came out of conflict, that took our investment in aid, and actually has done quite an incredible job. i know it is frustrating for that the president went on for a third term.
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he was doing it for the security of his country. aside from that, he has done a spectacular job and he is an example of how to do this right. merkley: one of the things that struck me was the government infosys on the longer talking a struggle entities and rwandans. and yet it is a fragile moment still. one of the concerns he expressed was campaigns will cause people to immediately, even directly or indirectly, to reach back out to the tribal roots. memories are so painful. it is a situation we have a hard time fully comprehending given what passed in rwanda. i will close with noting i appreciate the emphasis on corruption. there has been mentioned on the
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global anticorruption summit in london and that the u.s. will back and ambitious set of proposals. i would love to hear more about that, but i am out of time. sen. durbin: thank you for this hearing and your suggestion on marshall plan. at the risk of ruining your political reputation, i respect you very much. [laughter] >> keep it to yourself. history tells us world war ii was a learning experience for the united states. we were not open to refugees. we turned them away. refugees from europe, jewish refugees trying to escape the holocaust. and after the war, we tried to change that policy and point in a new direction. for the most part, we have done it. now we are faced with the humanitarian crisis of our time, the refugee crisis of our time, coming out of syria, afghanistan, and so any other places. bono, i remember the first time we sat down to talk. it was about hiv-aids.
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my reaction and the reaction of most to the crisis was fear. am i going to die? how many people are going to die? is there any way to stop it? the reaction to the refugee crisis, the first reaction is fear. how many people are coming? are they going to threaten us? it is not unusual for us to face new challenges with the first reaction in fear. we've certainly grown out of it when it comes to hiv-aids. we are. much more knowledgeable and thoughtful and know what we can achieve the question is, will we get back on the right track when it comes to refugees? we have to get back to the reality of a lot of deserving people. i was on the island of lesbos and i saw them coming in on these leaky rubber boats with little babies with water wings. that is all they had to protect
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them as they came across the straits. i thought how desperate these people must speak to risk their lives and the lives of their children and bring only what they can carry. my question is more of a general question. i think the genuine concern in europe and other places is about the uncertainty of when this is going to end. is there going to be an end to this flow of refugees? is there a finite number we have to contemplate in terms of absorbing into germany, absorbing into sweden? how many? uncertainty is certainly understandable. as you have said, speaking of your expense in africa, this is not confined to the middle east. i remember when an ambassador from italy told us syrians ranked third in the countries sending us refugees. my question to you is this. if this you in crisis is not
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abnormal but the new normal in our world where people are living longer because of public the extremee we see ideology, extreme poverty, extreme climate, can we engage our friends of the world of like mind to make investments to allow these people to stay in place rather than strikeout in desperation to find some refuge, some opportunity? bono: it is a giant challenge. but it is a very american one. i think if you get your best and , as i'mt focused on it listening to you today, you can see that we are going to get somewhere. in the private sector, there's mark zuckerberg trying to bring access to the internet to people
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cannot afford it. i have had conversations with larry page at google, lots of people, tech people. they are determined, incredible parts of your society. bill gates, we can do anything in the one campaign -- we cannot do anything in the one campaign without bill and melinda gates. warren buffett. it is the whole country that is showing the way. it is not just the public sector. it is the private sector. it is going to do it. we can do it. they have done studies on bringing the internet to developing countries. it is transformative. that is just one thing. electricity, innovations in solar. it is incredible to bring power to africa. it is really good. these are transformative. is only thing i worry about
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i am great at raising the alarm, and there is a serious crisis, and we really need to attend to it. but i don't want to drive down the vision of this away from what it could be because it could be your greatest chapter. you were talking about tighter, the influence -- you were talking about the influence of china. in 50 years time, if the united states walks away from the continent of africa and just c edes on the influence to china, it will be seen as the worst on policy mistake of the start of the 21st century. it is that big. why would you? these people love you. they are entrepreneurs. they are smart. they're coming to your universities. it is great china is competing. one thingesident xi,
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about him is he is very big on tackling corruption in china. now i want to see that in africa. if he starts to tackle corruption in africa, it would be transformative. i am not sure he is watching c-span at the minute, but i would love to have that conversation. [laughter] >> mr. chairman, thank you very much for this hearing. thank you all. sen. graham: thank you very much. a couple of observations and we are trying to be proactive. the goal of this hearing is to focus on the problem. it is going to get worse if somebody does not deal with it now. it is better to invest now or you will pay later. losing jordan, i don't think that will happen, but we have got to get a grip on this refugee crisis. it is not just providing food, shelter, and clothing. it is providing a way to integrate them to countries over there so they don't come here. it is designed to undercut a radical extremism, which is a hopeful life versus a glorious
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death. 10 years ago when you first tackle the aids crisis, no one could have imagined in their wildest dreams how successful it had been and we still have a ways to go. mother to child aids transmission has been reduced by 75%. there are five countries inside the 20 yard line that can be self-sufficient when it comes to dealing with her aids problem. south africa leading the charge. millions of people alive today because of what we did 10 years ago. to the american people, if i thought that was a way to do this different, i would choose it. i don't want soldiers to go over there unless they have to go, and i can't find a way to provide security over there without some of us being there helping in that endeavor. i cannot find a way in my own mind to deal with countering violent extremism without some kind of international plan of which we will be a part to change the economies of these
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regions to give people hope. the more education a child has, the better off we will do. after 37 visits to iraq and afghanistan, i can assure the american people they are not buying what these crazy people are selling. they don't want to go down that road. they don't want to turn the daughters over to isil. they being the mothers and fathers. i can promise you are safer here when we are people -- helping people over there. this concept of coming up with a marshall plan for the 21st century, call it what you like, is long overdue. we spent a lot of money. the most important thing we have lives, andnt 6000 thousands of people have their lives disrupted, legs blown off, traumatic brain injury, i can go on and on. i would like to make the next and use more successful. the only way i know how to do that is to have something outside military solution to complement security once you achieve it. because once you achieve
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security, you will lose it if you do not do the things we have talked about. with that, i want to thank you all. senator leahy, if you want to say anything, we will wrap it up. the risk ofat damaging your career back home, i agree with you. here areof the people people we have known for a long time. : you haveaham made an enormous difference. i hope you will look back on this hearing and say this is when it began to change. sen. leahy: we have to bring both m party members together to vote. why are we giving 25% of our budget to aid? it is a fraction of 1%, and the return -- pay for it now or pay many many times later on. what you have given us is a lot of ammunition to work with, both republicans and him
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any questions for the record can be submitted until friday, april 15. hearing is adjourned.
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[indiscernible conversation]
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>> great seeing you. wonderful job. >> thank you.
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a eople need to hear general speak. that's part of his very legacy. >> what's better than coming from a rock star? >> there's a lesson in the way ou treat them. you know, there's a phrase called second exile where people are not just exiled from the countries they're running
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from but then they can't move when they're in a host country and feels like a second exile. i think turkey deserves more support in that. the turkish people can really embrace the refugees the way we're reading and hearing about them, they deserve to be saluted. and the other stuff in the human rights, i'm not happy about in turkey. the stuff i don't understand and in areas the refugees have been turned back but that should not take away from the turkish people leading the world in their embrace of refugees. thank you. i've got to go.
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>> brian murphy, everybody. he's head of security. >> you want to sit at the hearing desk? >> i'm just doing mr. murphy's bidding. [laughter]
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>> good to see you again. >> what a thrill. >> as an orthopedic surgeon, i think of you every day almost. you're an orthopedic wonder. > he wants to send you a bill. >> i think coming back, another two months, the 18-month period where the nerves come back. so maybe i'll get some repreeve. but nobody seems to mind.
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>> it happens when you have a good partner, makes up for it. >> you were terrific this morning. >> i'm a writer, not really a speaker. >> your writing was masterful this morning. >> you can read well which is hard to do. >> and you have the pictures. i like the pictures. hard for me to read a speech. i'm not very good at that. anyway, i've got to run. >> god bless you. >> got the first page. we'll take care of the rest. >> shawn, s-h-a-w-n.
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he was hospitalized a year. he's a star athlete. >> this is the same guy? >> his brother. two boys. they were poisoned a year ago. you met their mother. it was a pesticide. a banned pesticide. they were there and asleep at night and went into a coma and have been hospitalized for a year. >> where was this? >> virgin islands. >> and their mother met you about nine months ago. that's the one good night she's had all year. >> god bless. >> keep writing.
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>> waste and inefficiency is the subject of a house oversight and government reform committee hearing this morning. members here from the u.s. comptroller general and representatives from the pentagon, i.r.s., and centers for medicare and medicaid services. live coverage at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span 3. this afternoon, washington metropolitan area transit authority general manager briefs members of the house subcommittee on the safety of the d.c. subway system. live coverage at 2:00 p.m. eastern on c-span 3. the national lieutenant governor's association held its annual meeting looking at ways to advance federal-state relations. this panel focuses on veterans
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issues including mental health care, homelessness and job placement. >> thank you, governor. there was a great session. i'd like to ask director blackburn and general agger to come on up to the stage. >> i know this is an issue that lieutenant governors are leading on nationally. and before i was elected lieutenant governor, for a short time as lieutenant governor, i continued to serve as officer in the pennsylvania army national guard, and as a judge advocate, so i got a chance to serve with folks who have been to war and also get a lot of exposure to our veterans. and as lieutenant governor, i want -- one of the things i
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wanted to do was find a way to connect more and more with folks from the military and veterans. i toured all of our major military installations in pennsylvania. and i asked a lot of questions and listened. and one of the things that we found out that was that we have to get a little bit better at communicating with our veteran community and connecting with them to the programs that they are vitally in need of. so it's a fundamental issue of communication. so our next panelists -- and i have the privilege of introducing them -- are going to talk about that vital issue of these -- of our folks, our heroes that we're really interested in and finding ways to support them and serve them as they've done for us. so join me in welcoming director scott blackburn of my -- of the my v.a. task force in
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the u.s. department of veterans' affairs. [applause] >> there's been a change. we're going to play off with each other. >> is it ok with everybody? it's not in my script. >> are you adaptable? >> i am. who the heck are you? > i might be in trouble. >> no pressure. >> with that, with all hell breaking loose now here -- so beforehand we'll have carol ecker, retired general and vice president of military and veterans' affairs. she's from pennsylvania. and the panelists are going to play off each other. so with that, general, take over. >> great to meet you. >> you, too.
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>> that's what you get when you put a general and director on the panel. thank you, lieutenant governor. i appreciate that. thanks for having me here. i just say it's retired general, which really sounds good to me, though i really enjoyed my time serving with the pennsylvania national guard as well as the deputy commandant at the work college. it's also great to switch over and serve the public sector. i consider it to be continued service. i was asked to speak today about some of the challenges of our transitioning veterans because i've seen both sides of it, both as an individual who didn't back transition and then in the private sector assisting our veterans. it's important to understand every year about a quarter of a million, 250,000 veterans return to our communities across america. a 2014 study done by drew lieberman and katherine stewart revealed that the general population considers our
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veterans as broken heroes. who are more likely than nonveterans to be unemployed, undereducated, homeless, experiencing mental health issues, but the reality, however, is so much different and much more complex. and it's important that we all challenge these claims in order to change the public perceptions of our veterans. these are not broken heroes. i like to think of them as hidden heroes. are there any veterans in the room? can you stand up if you are? [applause] >> we have dave back here. does he look like an air force pilot to you? so he's hidden -- other than he always wears blue suits. i don't quite get that. he's a c-31 pilot in the national guard. you wouldn't know it.
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i think of all the hidden heroes. i would add, i think i speak for most veterans that we certainly don't consider ourselves heroes. we're doing our job for our nation. granted, the public tend to call us that but i don't think you'll ever hear any of us calling that. they're not broken heroes. the majority of veterans return home seeking new challenges and new opportunities. they're looking for ways to continue to serve their community and their country. so just think about it. almost half of today's veterans were members of the all volunteer force. so it makes sense these were individuals who volunteered to serve in uniform so it follows when they return home, they volunteer to serve their communities. and they're uniquely qualified to do just that. they are experienced, their leadership abilities, their training, their very home skill set continue to seek solutions to the challenges that face our community. in recent years, we've seen
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veterans leading across the nation. very important movement. think of disaster relief and community preparedness. what do you think of? team rube con. think of promoting physical fitness? who ran across the nation with the flag? team red, white, and blue. combating homelessness. the 100,000 homes campaign. increasing educational attainment, our student veterans of america. so these folks have come back -- and these are just a few of the incredible organizations, and they've come back and continued to serve. but too often negative stereotypes about our veterans ominate the public dialogue. the everyone american leaves that veterans are likely to experience unemployment, incarceration, homelessness and various other issues. and these motions are in fact misconceptions. they paint, as i said, a
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picture of veterans as broken. and as a result, many of us feel pity much more than we feel respect. and i think of them as hidden heroes. and so we need to make sure we understand who they are among us and highlight their contributions to our communities and our nation. a great report is out there that i recommend you all read. 215 veterans civic health index. it was a report prepared in partnership with american express, the william flora hewlett foundation and points of light. and the purpose of this report was to foster understanding, and i quote, the civic straints of the veteran population and provide a data informed platform through which to eliminate the misconceptions about veterans. i'd like to cite some of their findings. employment. the veteran employment rate has
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been below the nonveteran rate every year for the last decade. from 2015-2014 the average unadjusted nonveteran unemployment rate was 13% higher than the veteran rate. income from 2005-2013 veterans have consistently earned significantly more than nonveterans. homelessness. nonveterans comprises 91% of the homeless population while veterans comprises 8%. there are 578,000 homeless individuals across the u.s. and almost 50,000 of them are veterans. so that's a small portion of the total homeless population. post-traumatic stress disorder which many veterans like to think of as post-traumatic stress and not call it a mental disorder. there's a movement out there to eliminate the disorder descriptor of that. the u.s. department of veterans' affairs estimates only between 11% and 28% of veterans experience ptsd even
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when considering the highest end of that 20%. this is a very broad spectrum. it's still true the vast majority of veterans do not experience ptsd. but many americans think it's much higher. if somebody popped a microphone right now or spilled over a glass of water and it made a loud noise, dave, what would happen to me? he's observed it. i have a hyper startle reflex. i can't stop it. i don't know why it's there. but do i have ptsd? does it impact my ability to contribute to my community? that's the other issue. veterans might have some of these. i also was bitten by a large german shepherd and every time i go past a german shepherd, my leg hurts. but do i have ptsd? let's be careful how to define this. ptsd is a human condition, not a veteran condition. 5.2 million adults experience it during a given year.
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and about 7.8% of the population with ptsd, of the total population will have ptsd at some point in their lives. education. four-year college completion rates are higher among nonveterans than veterans. 33% of nonveterans complete college and 28% are veterans. however, veterans participating in the g.i. bill are completing degree programs on par with their nonveteran counterparts. think about the slirn population. there are 21.3 million veterans in the united states. that's 9% of the adult population. the median age of all veterans is 62 years old. in general, veterans are more likely than nonveterans to be married, more likely to have completed high school and more likely to go on and progress through college. the veterans are far more likely than nonveterans to have some college experience and are less likely than nonveterans to have completed a four-year
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egree. that same trend does not exist for women veterans and have better profiles than their nonveteran counterparts. additionally veterans participating in the g.i. bill complete at the same rate as raditional students. with i cite these statistics, i'm not saying we should not continue to help our veterans. what i'm saying is that we need to look at the rest of the veteran population. the narrative focuses on those veterans with homelessness, unemployment, ptsd, but sometimes we forget to enrich the lives of those veterans who are returning so that they can continue to contribute to society. please don't go out here saying get rid of the programs assisting our veterans. that's not what i'm saying.
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i'm saying let's widen the aer chur and look at the healthy, contributing, enhanced, resilient veterans helping our communities and they are in fact civically more healthy than nonveterans and consistently show higher levels of community engagement. in fact, over the last century, veterans from all generations have outpaced the general population in their habits of civic responsibility. they show more mature civic engagement as indicated by involvement in their communities, service to the community includes both formal and informal volunteering which is a very important indicator of civic health. not only do they deliver critical services through volunteer but they also are much more likely to participate in the political process. than the nonveteran population. and our young veterans have the highest rate of volunteering among all americans. but despite the fact that i just shared with you, a
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discussion which was sponsored by madil national security journalism initiative, deitsen and newtson, indicated veterans entering the job market going to college suffer severe stigmatism that they are likely to have mental and emotional problems and that very myth is holding them back to attaining full contribution and meeting the potential that they have. many voices are calling for this narrative to be changed. and it is improving. think about organizations like got here six. they are dedicated to responsible reflection of veterans in the media and entertainment industry. this very report is often cited, i think it was just cited by our undersecretary of the army, acting secretary of the army patrick murphy. so we are changing that narrative. i want to share with you the final recommendations from this report.
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we must all challenge these stereotypes, dispel the myths, and recognize our veterans and their civic leadership. so when we talk about some of the challenges facing veterans, let's talk about the other side and those veterans who are helping their partners in facing some of those challenges. we all can take a moment and learn about military history and the veteran experience, read the books, watch the movies, watch the videos. there's a great one out recently. anyone see the american experience? i think it comes on friday nights on tbs? they just did one about the evacuation of hanoi and saigon. it's amazing to watch. not everyone takes the time to watch these. so take a moment to understand that and engage veterans in conversation. don't just say thanks for your service. say, what are you doing now? what did you do? these stigmatize mental
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illness, nonveterans and veterans in institutions must work together to change the cultural narrative about veterans. and there's something that we can do, also, as veterans. we need to tell our own stories. i often referred to the story when i go to the home depot so as a general officer, we have the placards on our windshields in order to get on and off base. mine has a star saying i can get in and out of carlisle army base and i haven't gotten around to get the stuff to take it off. so if i'm in the car alone and you forget what you usually pick up doing a home project, someone will come up to me and say -- very often someone will come up to me and say oh, where did your husband serve? and now, i get a little irritated, and i usually say h, he served in world war i. just to see if they can do the
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math. and then i say ok, let me help get the story out there. and i stop. and i explain that i have served in the military and that my husband supported me throughout the 30 some years of service and i tell the story. do i feel like doing it? no. but we must reduce the civil military divide. and we have to stop telling our stories only to each other. if you go to a meeting like this -- this is unusual, actually. but if you go to a panel about veterans, guess who is in the room? who are we talking to? we're talking to veterans, people that like us, that like our stories, that think we're wonderful, we could pat each other on the back. we are not moving the needle. so go to those organizations that don't particularly want you to be there. tell the story, dispel the myth. and let's change that narrative. my own recommendation, then, of course, is get out there and
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tell your stories. and i have one resource i'd like to share with the lieutenant governor, and that's your assets right in your back yard, and that is the reserve and your national guard forces. these service men and women live in both worlds but often are asked to keep them very separate. anecdotally, i can tell you almost 75% of the people i speak to have no clue what the guard and reserve is, nor do they understand the difference between the guard and the reserve. the difference between these two components. so i ask you to showcase their contributions in your state, allow them to be the ambassadors that will reduce the civil military divide. profile them. they can put on a suit or they can put on their uniform and they can speak to both groups. but let's bring them out and let's show that she are interconnected. right now we have several national guard units activated. colorado just activated their
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guard for the blizzard. oklahoma national guard is out supporting wildlife suppression. i mean, not wildlife suppression. wildfire suppression. don't quote me. back that tape up. i'm in trouble. wisconsin just activated the national guard today for a storm. michigan national guard has been activated for the flint water crisis. louisiana, we have them activated for the floods and the drug interdiction missions and that doesn't even catch on all those guard and air guard units that are on stand by for operational -- operation noble eagle to protect the skies over america, over our homeland. they're all ready to go up and scramble at a moment's notice. so i ask all of you to share their story. you've got the power to bring them out. they report to you and your governor. so please showcase them.
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so thank you for taking a few moments to share this, and i'm hoping you'll help us get the word out and slowly we will lessen that civil military divide. thanks. [applause] >> thank you, general. excellent. now we'll hear from scott blackburn from the >> thank you very much. thank you carol. to tell anspired me little bit of my story. i am a veteran. i was a young army officer when 9/11 hit. i will never forget, i was in georgia that day, a signal officer transition course. my unit did not get called up, but i raised my hand and i was able to get a detail and headed over.
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soon afterwards i was in the middle east and was also one of the first troops on the ground. -- if anyone was familiar with operation anaconda. army. a big time for the had few people in the army any combat experience at all. i remember going back to alaska and i was the only guy on the combat patch.a i was a cool guy. i had dreams of doing other stuff in the military, but i was combatort by a non- injury, back injury. i got medically discharged. the v.a. was there for me. i applied for the vocational rehab program.
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i was able to go to harvard business school. wouldn't have been able to afford harvard business school any other way. i went to mckinsey and became a partner there, turning around fortune 500 companies. i saw phoenix happening on the news. second rick perry cap -- shinseki was a chief of staff at the time. he became the chief of staff the same week that i came into that commission and was the chief of staff throughout. it was unfortunate to have to see him resign. working with all these companies to try to transform the culture. the v.a. needs that. the v.a. needs that.
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shortly thereafter, i see bob mcdonald was named the secretary. bob was on the board of one of the companies that i was working at. a few days later, my telephone rang, how would you like to serve your country again? that is something that really stuck with me. my service wasn't done yet. it was cut short by a back injury that i had. once you take the oh's, it is for life. itnce you take the oath, is for life. the vfw's of the world that are doing so much great work, i wanted to continue to serve. i wanted to continue to serve. ed e -- a peer. nded appear.
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i'm going to give you a picture to share here. to,first one is bob likes just grounding himself in the v.a. mission. why we are here. we are here to care for those who have borne the battle. values of the v.a.. these were developed by secretary shinseki and the team. when bob came on board he found that there is no better mission in the world than caring for our veterans. our values are fantastic. ,ut they weren't being lived not consistently. great, my v.a. is all
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about the filling that mission. my v.a. is about living our values. we will turn around and fix it, that is what we have been focused on doing. heroes thatlso as are doing amazing things every single day. this was an e-mail that i got about two months ago. it was from somebody at the white river junction hospital up in vermont. somebodystory about going above and beyond. fear-based much of a culture, people worried about stepping out of line. people worried about following the rules, saying no, i can't do this because of x, y and z. we are going to do the right thing no matter what.
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we are going to say the answer is yes, and we will find out how. livingston was a nurse on duty that day and a veteran did not show up for an appointment. no big deal. of our places up to 20% scheduled appointments are no-shows. up oreteran always showed if they were late they would call. something did not fit right. she wasn't going to move on to the next the point. she called john richardson, and john said, this person hasn't been missing this long, the rules say we're not supposed to -- this that and the other. let's look into it. to goed officer gardner in track this down and say can you investigate this a little bit.
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drove by the veterans house and saw there were no tracks of snow on the ground. he said i'm not comfortable with this. , andd local authorities they found a veteran between two pieces of furniture, could not access food or water. if they had just followed the rules and done their job, he would not be here today. lived our values, they lived our principles of integrity and commitment. they went above and beyond and today the veteran is alive and recovering. tellingsing this story because this happens every single day. is getting. is about to the core of our values, a cultural trance formation --
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transformation. to talk about as well, a chart that bob mcdonald likes to use. as he likes to say, he is the lowest ranking member of the organization. when he walked into his first meeting everybody called him secretary mcdonald, everybody is standing up, he said you have to be kidding me. this is not about me. this is about veterans. we are flipping the pyramid. served,e the people who the employees, the frontline employees and the one who served them our jobs as leadership is to make those people successful. that is a major cultural shift going on at the v.a. right now. it is about the veterans. it sounds simple, but your
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behaviors are very very different if you are all about the v.a. it is about the person you are trying to serve. thing that we have launched, and initiative called my v.a.. term comes from we want veterans to be proud of the organization that fulfills that mission of caring for those who have borne the battle. that is not the case everywhere. say we have to served our time. we will continue to serve our country. we have no regrets and we are very proud of what we have done. --eight is a organization the v.a. is the organization that helps us out.
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proudt the veterans to be . we want employees to show up for work and say they have the best mission in the world. i get to serve veterans every day. there is no place i would ever work. i don't mind that i am not paid .y -- like the private sector this is my work, this is what i want to do. we don't create that employees -- that environment for a lot of employees. we want to change that. we want the american public to say, this is a model of efficiency. every dollar that goes in is going to go right to the veterans. unfortunately, that is not how a lot of people view it these days. we are going to fix that as well. she's -- strategies that we are trying to look at the v.a. right now.
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one is improving the veteran have ance, to, you can't great experience if the employees don't have a great experience. if you think of the best customer service organization, starbucks, comcast, organizations like that, these are the best places to work. if you went to starbucks this morning, you would not have had a great experience if that bury sta didn't take that extra effort. we are trying to create the employee in power meant -- empowerment culture, identifying problems and fixing them on the spot. and what is extremely relevant here is a partnership.
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we cannot do it all on our own. not in that position to serve veterans in every single case. -- worked very closely with all the state directors. it has been a joy. we were just down in alexandria a couple of months ago. i am looking forward to seeing all of them again and in san antonio the summer. , comcast andector .rganizations like that fantastic partners. rubicon, team red white and blue. legion. the american a tremendous organization that goes to veterans every day. nonprofits. we are looking to partner with them.
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thing that i will touch down is weitting also understand that we have a few challenges. we have a multi-year transformation to go on. there are a lot of issues that dv a that we need -- at the v.a. that we need to address. we set our agenda for 2015 and we basically said we are not naive that said there is an election coming up. all bets are off as far as who the next president will be. regrets and buckle down and get stuff done and lay the foundation to deliver the service that we need to deliver.
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priorities that would be in green. on the right-hand side set of the critical enablers in blue. in each one of these, bob has said we are meeting every other individuals -- every other week. what we need to do in the hall meeting, homelessness get heather french on the phone, because we need to work with them and push the agenda there. who are the other partners that we should be partnering with? who has the metrics that we are pushing hard on? it is quite a challenge. we have to do it.
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we are looking forward to continuing to partner with you. the heroes that are out there and unleash that sense of service and that sense of pride to help people back on their feet after the service. [applause] great job, both of you. now it is time for questions. or lunch. both of you, thank you for your service to the country. everyday.9/11 pin
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i understand where you're coming from. served, i understand your feelings, but i never want to forget those who help a lot. , and i havehings been working with, is welcoming them home. we are in a different world now. haveof these men and women been overseas three or four times come home. i believe we have to have more programs for them, and their
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families, because the family is separated and it is hard for them to come back sometimes, .ome back to the regular life i guess what i'm asking both of you, as veterans, they need to help -- the help as much as you possibly can. come saturday, i'm supposed to be going to a campaign meeting for veterans. that teaches them how to get , getved in politics involved in their local communities. you see it in different levels,
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many colleges have resource areas that want to sit down and talk to each other and sometimes you need a pat on the back, right? my question is, as a lieutenant second-in-command, what would be the best thing for us to do in helping the veterans? is there a way that you have seen in other states to get in there and really have an ability
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-- talk about what they are doing but at the same time helping them? it is not a hand out, it is a hand up. first i'd like to reiterate that i am not suggesting that we help these veterans. a hand up, that is a great way to put it. population,a needy it is a population that is deserving of exactly that, i hand up. this all the scares me. there is never one best there are so many solutions. i would suggest that we all widen the aperture, and look at the whole veteran population and how they can help one another, and we can help all of them by focusing on one sector, we can omit other sectors.
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it doesn't mean you ever exclude those who are in drastic need. i would never suggest that. but the wider population may just need a hand up. theirave announced success with veteran homelessness, that is just wonderful. that is what i would suggest. one best thing, widen the aperture. things, thatf resonated with me. haslder brother, jim, already has seven deployments overseas, 32 afghanistan and 32 afghanistane two and three to iraq. the -- widening the
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aperture is a great piece of advice, showing appreciation is a tremendous -- a couple of tactical things as well. two quick event -- quick ideas. --re is a big push with eva or was ahe va, choice act. i know it's stumbled out of the gate, as you probably heard. working with the private health care companies in your state, preaching a little bit of patience and collaboration, so that veterans can get the care they need, whether it is at the v.a. or the private sector. we have a lot of different cases where some hospitals don't want to deal with waiting to get paid by the gov enby the government and things like that.
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with the feedback we have gotten from veterans is they don't want choice, because the wait times are longer and the care is not as good. they are notases, getting the support that they need. there are a lot of different at fault,i won't say but working together to do that. if you can help to sponsor that over the next year or two and we can fix that system, so the veterans get the health care they need. another tactical thing, connecticut was the first state in which we set up my va. we launched it in hartford and worked with sean conley on that. you probably know linda as well. what we are doing and what we have found is that in a lot of cases issues were not getting resolved that local levels.
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they would and outgoing up to the governor's office, various different channels and never getting results. we saw a couple of models that were to really well, san diego was a model that worked fantastic, where they had local community members convening veteran service organization, states and politicians, nonprofit ride it sector. the v.a. saying how do we solve these problems. they were able to resolve the problems closer to the front lines. place have 46 of those in today, after connecticut being the first one. the cities,stly connecticut, alabama, state wide.
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if we could work together on some of those things to make them successful, help to strengthen the communities. what we found is about in half of the cases like kinetic cap -- connecticut, to create a new entity. we are trying to fix that, where we should get at the table and help solve some of these issues at a more local level. >> thank you. general and director, i am from the south, south dakota. one of the questions i wanted to is whatm you, general, is the most exciting thing you are working on with comcast right now? director, your antidote is interesting from a procter & gamble perspective.
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it would be good to have different choppers. program andged care an unmitigated disaster in some areas. a lot of it is the handoffs. the lack of communication, and the inability to -- for people to get referrals. a lot of followed is still out.ring --fall a lot of it is frustrating. an example of a higher level veteran that they lost all of the records, and it was just prostate cancer. as a prospector -- procter & they should shop through it and see if it is
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working or not. by the way, go navy. [laughter] that man a coin for answering that question about comcast? i'm retired. i was not looking for a job. i found ame to me, so purpose with comcast and have the opportunity to continue to serve. i do believe in helping the military community, not because it is a nice thing to do. i report to the chief operating officer. me, we need the military talent. we are growing. we have placed the customer experience at the top of our effort. we know that military talent can help us meet our customer needs. that is darn exciting.
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they have given me an entire department. they have funded me. i said this will be a deciding factor. i have been so supportive. that is very exciting. we have places emphasis on not only hiring military talent, retaining, developing, promoting and meeting the needs of our military customers. when you now call into your customer care agent, we have a code, or if you go online we have a code that says i would like to suspend my service through to military assignment. that was never there. so you could call up and say, i am being reassigned, and the agent might say to you, that would be a disconnect fee. we all know that is against the law. to ensure that we are meeting
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the needs of our military customers, we are careful to ensure that the agent understands the needs of the military community, and provide them the products and services that they need. because they are a unique group. ask, having an apartment which is exciting, we are looking for transition programs will be on hiring there. partnership with telik commission engineers, they do certification programs moving -- for those moving into the media industry. we have a partnership with scte, and the signal installation, individuals who are facing transitions within three to six months
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transition programs. these individuals, while they are still getting paid to the -- by the government, they are preparing for the next step while they are still in. they are taking the certification programs, coming to us at comcast to think of it as internship. they have no requirements to join us. we have no requirement to hire them, but you can bet that we want to. , we know that industry what veterans bring to the table. bringing higher-level veterans and putting them on high-level positions. i think that is the future of transition. very exciting. we are looking to do this across all of the states. general.you,
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thank you for calling out the national guard to rhode island. we are very proud of the national you do the full weekend. the comments that were made. i have one practical question. when i visited v.a. hospitals and visit with the veterans, they have tremendous stories and want to share their story. it was interesting, i have seen that people do not share their stories enough, but in that
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setting, they do. facilities, they want to expand. the only way they can expand his up. -- is up. there are federal regulations against going up on facilities. i'm not sure if you are aware of that. it was pointed out to me by the management team and medical staff that they need to expand. and iquite a facility know veterans in our area and beyond take advantage of it. motives ande right the right experience to do a great job for the veterans. maybe comment on that or get back to me, that would be great. >> i don't know the specifics, so i will have to get back to
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you on the specifics. plan, whatlights the is the right thing and let's find a way to yes. it's the right thing is to expand up, let's find out what is holding us back. we are specifically, working with both sides of the aisle, congress and the senate, on a legislation packet. one of the priorities is on construction and will be using. i would love to get more information to get the specifics of that rolled into that agreement and to be able to fix it. if it is the right thing to do, we want to do it. i am from massachusetts originally, i'm very familiar -- on the secret shopper portion, i love the idea. i actually go to the washington the v.a. and send all my notes
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to brian, the leader there. i think there is tremendous value in that. one of the things that is doing is that we are putting together a veterans experienced team and deploying them to the field. folks going to have 182 actually doing that type of work. as a matter of fact, this morning i met 12 folks joining our southeast team, people from ,ampa and orlando and alabama actually getting those guys on board. i would love for them to be plugged in. the first week, i want them to go introduce themselves to the state director of veterans affairs. >> thank you both.
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i just wanted to quickly comment about the energy that comes from the local and federal collaboration. the secretary came back home to gary, indiana and it is unusual for someone of that level to show up early, but probably typical of him, after spending a few hours with him. a tour of gary, indiana. we opened a veterans village for homeless veterans. the local,nderscore state, federal collaboration and what it really does. i'm seeing it on the ground.
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specifically what you alluded to, scott, in my hometown in indianapolis, indiana, we're working with the v.a., the ymca, and, brilliant, it is going to work. i just want to commend you for .hat effort it is making a difference, so thank you. michael: that was a great discussion. thank you very much, appreciate it. as i escort our speakers off the panel, we want to ask one of our colleagues -- >> madam secretary, we probably of our delegate votes to the next president of the united states.
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[cheering] >> waste and inefficiency is the subject of a reform committee meeting this morning with representatives from the pentagon, i rest and centers for medicare and medicaid. >> ohio governor and republican presidential candidate governor kasich gave remarks in new york city.
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kasich: thank you and thank you to the club. it is great to be here this morning. this is really a wonderful clubhouse, the organization is so steeped in history, as well as the history of our party and country. the club was founded by leaders of the suffrage movement with the new voting rights in mind. it was intended to be a place where women could meet and share knowledge about political issues so as to be better informed. as new voters, women could participate in the choice between candidates and their ideas. it is in that spirit that i speak to all of you today. i'm going to talk about the choice america faces in this
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election. it is frankly a choice between two very different past. -- paths, as we make this choice, do not kid yourself, the entire world is watching. the world is watching because america civilizations brightest , they depend on our peace and stability. presidents come and presidents go. while the president really does matter, it is the democratic principles that have made us that leader for more than two
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centuries that have been sturdy enough to transcend political and ideological differences a civil war, two world wars and a century of technological and societal upheaval. through it all, we have remained history's greatest force for good. we stay true to who we are. one nation under god with liberty and justice for our. all. this election may be one of the most consequential. the next president will face so many complex pressures. it will force tough decisions only our leaders, but from every one of us. we will not always like our options. the issues we confront from fighting isis, handling russia, to addressing displaced workers,
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civil rights, the new plague of drug addiction at home as well as slow economic growth and rising debt. think about it. they are all critical. this cannot be understated. it can overload us if we let it. even in the face of this multitude of complex problems clarity can emerge. from the fog of anxiety the choices can be reduced and then reduced and reduced again. they eventually are whittled down to just two. here they are. are we going to turn our backs on the ideals of america that
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has seen us through two centuries or are we going to reform america? this is our choice. for some of the challenges we face that each to present could .ive rise to fear or anger that can be paralyzing. for these people, america is seen as a broken place and the people who did the breaking are people with less money. people with different sounding last names or different religious beliefs or colored skin or lifestyles or whatever. we have been told america has become dark, that we are no longer strong.
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we are told we are no longer respected. we are told that foreign governments are controlling our destiny as they have been smarter than us and tougher than us. is oficture of america course always followed up with warnings of our impending destruction. for many americans these fears and this outlook are as real as the building we are in today. and the anger they cause is real. it is true, we are fighters in america, but we fight for what is good and what is right and when we do that we win. don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. when we come together, when we unite as a country, america always wins. for those who are angry or afraid, i want to assure you
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there is another, better way. to deal with this. some who feed off of the fears and anger that is felt by some of us and exploit it feed their own insatiable desire for fame or attention. that could drive america down into a ditch, not make us great again. just as disturbing are the solutions they offer. we have heard proposals to create a religious test for immigration, to target neighborhoods for surveillance, to the 11.5 million people, impose draconian tariffs which would crush trade and destroy american jobs. we have heard proposals to drop out of nato, abandon europe to russia, possibly use nuclear weapons in europe, end our defense partnerships in asia,
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and tell our middle east allies that they have to go it alone. we have been offered hollow promises to impose a value-added tax, balance budgets through simple and whimsical cuts in waste, fraud and abuse. we have been promised that unpopular laws shall be repealed simply through the will of a strong man in the white house and that supreme court justices will be empowered with some new extra-constitutional ability to investigate former public officials. i have stood on a stage and watched with amazement as candidates wallowed in the mud, viciously attacked one another, called each other liars and disparaged each other's character. those who continuously push that type of behavior are not worthy
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of the office they are seeking. [applause] and as for me, i will not take the low road to the highest office in the land. i simply will not do it. just as an all-consuming fear of america in decline ends in visions of america's destruction, a political strategy based on exploiting americans instead of lifting them up inevitably leads to divisions, paranoia, isolation, and promises that can never, ever be fulfilled.
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i say to you that this path to darkness is the antithesis of all that america has meant for 240 years. some have a different response to the pressures they see bearing down on americaand themselves. it would never occur to me that america would break, or could break, breakfrom challenges to our economy or security. we harden with resolve through ingenuity and coming together. we can't sit by idly and expect fate or destiny to sweep in and rescue us. we always roll up our sleeves and get to work when the going gets tough. we have never seen the american spirit fail. america's strength is that we are bound by shared ideas, by communities and families and people who are free, creative and giving.
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this is what makes america great, not some politician or some law. the spirit of our country rests in us. you, and you, and you, all of us. and, notwithstanding all our challenges, america still is great. take any measure, whether it's life expectancy, medicine, nutrition, technology, innovation, transportation or even economic power. america's economy is still the largest and most productive in the world. we're bigger than the next two economies china and japan combined. america still leads the world in making things. america is among the largest exporters of goods and services in the world. america is home to six out of the top ten universities in the world. america is the world's inventor and leads in intellectual property.
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don't let anybody, particularly a politician, tell you that america is not great. that doesn't mean we aren't capable of drifting. we can drift and we have been. and, too many americans are still being left behindor are making it but feel betrayed by a system that became "too big to fail." too many feel that government and politicians have betrayed them. there are a lot of americans who ask why no one is speaking for them? why is it, no one is working for us? why is it, you hear all these promises from politicians and nothing comes of it? those who are concerned about this are right.
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for too long, politicians have been making promises based upon polling or what was politically expedient. this is not leadership. leadership is the willingness to walk a lonely road with a team of people with their eyes fixed on the horizon focused on solving problems and healing our country. leading is serving. there is a better, higher path. true leadership means pursuing it, even if it is hard. the sacrifice is part of the job, however, because leaders can't lead unless they are servants first. to run for president you have to respect the dignity of a job where close to 320 million people are depending on you. [applause] our campaigns should be full of ideas that provide energy and solutions, innovations and excitement for whatever office we are running for.
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because we all have to look our families in the eyes and know that we raised the bar. i want to be able to look my wife and daughters in the eyes and know that they're proud of me and the campaign we are running. american leadership is at its finest when it buckles on that irrepressible "can do" spirit that says anything is possible and that everyone can participate in america's blessings. you see, we can restore our economy, rebuild our military, make america safe from terrorism and re-engage as the leader in the world again.
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we can do this with reasonable and proven solutions rooted in the american ideals that have seen us through tough days before. the proven solutions are right in front of us. we know what needs to be done. there is no better and quicker cure to america's challenges than to grow the economy and stimulate private sector job creation. to have the resources to solve problems we need economic strength. in the 1990s when we balanced the federal budget, paid down the federal debt, cut taxes and created surpluses, the result was a sustained period of economic growth, lower interest rates, job creation and national prosperity. businesses were growing, unemployment was at historic lows and nearly anyone who wanted a job, could have one. in fact, the labor market became a buyer's market for the job seeker.
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this was no small feat. think for a moment about what we did: for the first time since americans walked on the moon the federal government had a balanced budget. we didn't only balance the budget. we were also able to reform welfare, end generational dependency; reform the pentagon to strengthen our defenses, cut the capital gains tax and much more. you know, i tell younger audiences about this and they look at me like i'm crazy. [laughter] they don't believe it ever happened. but, we know it did and it can happen again. it just takes leadership, the will to challenge the status quo and a willingness to work across the aisle. yes, we have to be willing to work with the other party.
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you see, i think that americans are not only fed up with washington for what they have not done but also tired of the partisan bickering. that doesn't mean you compromise your principles. i don't think anyone would accuse ronald reagan of compromising his principles. that's because ronald reagan was a leader. in 1994, the republicans captured the house and the senate and had the majority for in years.time the people who showed up could care less about pulling, focus groups, election, anything else. they came committed to building a stronger america and when you paying downit, debts, reforming welfare,
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andrming the pentagon building military strength, all that was accomplished in a short period of time because we were focused on helping the american people. one of the things that i have learned on this campaign is that it is the job of a leader is to first slow down and listen. we need to listen carefully. then, you set an agenda that meets america's needs and you bring everyone together to make it reality. there's no place for dividing, polarizing, pointing fingers or trading on short term political gain. i hold to this philosophy of leadership because i watched great leaders practice it
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, they have been successful, and frankly, i've seen it work in my own experience. i worked for ten years to pass that balanced budget. it was hard work. when i became chairman of the budget committee, our team was able to get it done - even with a democrat in the white house. we were proud when we reformed welfare and as a member of the armed services committee we all came together to reform the pentagon and realign our military services that resulted in a central command structure that allowed the services to work together. it's the same formula we used in ohio. we were facing an $8 billion deficit and had lost 350,000 jobs. in a few short years we turned that deficit into a surplus of $2 billion and gave ohioans the largest tax cut of any state in the country. we even repealed the death tax. [applause]
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ohio has now created 417,000 private sector jobs. it's working. and we continue to work to make sure that no one is left behind. this can work for america again as well. today across our country, when the politicians lips are moving, the people think they are being lied to. a lot of people have wondered, why does he keep thinking -- talking about what he has done? y? i'm a citizen too. when someone comes to my door and want to know if i will vote for them and they tell me what their promises are, i look them in the eye and say, i know it you say you're going to do, but
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i want to know what you have done. i have had enough people tell me what they're going to do for you have never gotten it done. what have you done in your lifetime? we don't have time for on-the-job training. we don't have time for empty promises. we have got to have somebody with the experience and the success to deal with our problems in a turbulent time. based on the fact that my strengths in washington and ohio successful, getting everyone to work together and provide for everybody, i have proposed a 100 day agenda for when i am president. we will restore our economy with a fiscal plan to balance the budget. we will freeze all federal regulations for one year except health and safety, and rebuild our rulemaking system to stop crushing small businesses.
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we will simplify and reduce taxes on individuals so all americans can keep more of what they earn. we will reduce taxes on businesses and and double taxation so businesses will invest in america and not have their money trapped and invested in europe. we will send job-training back to where we live in the states so the state can be the andratories of innovation laboratories of modeling what works. we will protect the border and use common sense on immigration a guesthat will include worker program and fix social security so we can keep their promises to our seniors and future generations. when we do these things, we will unleash economic growth.
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it means higher wages and more jobs and the restoration of the american dream that our children will inherit a better america than we received from our parents. with increased stability and strength america can rebuild its military while at the same time reform the pentagon to operate like a 21st century enterprise. we will clean it up. [applause] we will resume leadership of the world and as we do that we will treat our veterans with respect and lift them to make sure they have what they need whether it's healthcare, jobs or housing.
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when america is strong, less dependent on debt and growing economically, we can reclaim our place as a leader in the world. finally, when america is strong and actively engaged in the world, the world is a safer place and america is a safer place. you know, this is why we do these things. this is about how we want our country to be. you see, economic growth is not an end unto itself. it is a means to make possible everything we want for our nation and our communities and our families. and, by the way, as we have growth, we have the ability to bring in from the cold those who live in the shadows, those who are forgotten. the poor, the mentally ill, the disabled. as americans, we believe that everyone deserves a chance to get ahead.
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we give them the chance when we give them a hand. everyone should have an opportunity to pursue their god given destiny. yes, there is much to fix in america. yes, there are reasons for our anxieties and fears. our country has been drifting. why? because we have forgotten the formula that makes us strong and caved to political considerations instead. not leading, thinking of ourselves and what is easy. that is not the path to success in our country. we've seemed to have lost our way. we are stalled. we are at risk of jeopardizing a better future for our children. i understand why americans are fearful and distrustful and looking for a reason for the way
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they feel. i was raised in a small pennsylvania steel town where if the wind blew the wrong way, people would be out of work. it's awful to feel that insecurity. to feel that circumstances are out of your control. to feel like nobody cares and all the institutions have abandoned you. but, we americans have overcome challenges before. some think that the anger some americans are expressing is defined by some nostalgic look backward for simpler times. i simply do not agree. what americans are looking for is that quality of leadership we are sorely missing from the past to address today's problems. at each moment of crises in
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america, we have united as a country and a people. it's always been our secret weapon. it's so simple but it is also invincible. i spoke earlier about the spirit of our country. but, let me say, our strength and spirit does not reside with a president or any politician. our strength resides within ourselves. the spirit of our country rests in the neighborhoods.
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it rests in our people. we are the ones with the strength to change the world. the power is within each and every one of us. a united america is undefeatable. we are an exceptional country. and that's because we are the exception in history we are not an ethnic group or religion or language. we are that last great hope for earth that reagan often spoke of, because we have shown that when people from many different backgrounds and ideas and beliefs come together with a common, noble purpose, to be free and just, we are unbeatable. two paths. one choice, the path that exploits anger, encourages resentment, turns fear into hatred and divides people. this path solves nothing, demeans our history, weakens our country and cheapens each of us. it has but one beneficiary and that is to the politician who speaks of it.
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the other path is the one america has been down before. it is well trod, it is at times steep, but it is solid. it is the same path our forebears took together. it is from this higher path that we are offered the greater view. and, imagine for a moment with me that view. fear turns to hope because we remember to take strength from each other. uncertainty turns to peace because we reclaim our faith in the american ideals that have carried us upward before. and america's supposed decline becomes its finest hour, because we came together to say "no" to those who would prey on our human weakness and instead chose leadership that serves, helping us look up, not down.
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this is the path i believe in. this is the america i believe in. and, this is the america i know all americans want us to be. please, join me on this higher path. together, united, we can reclaim the america we love and hold so dear. and lift all of us up to partake in its, and the lord's, many blessings. thank you. [applause] ♪
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>> donald trump and hillary clinton holding onto a significant lead. joining us is the director of the institute for public opinion. thank you for being with us. let's first talk about donald trump. senator ted cruz running third in the new york state primary. why such a commanding lead? >> when you look at republicans in new york it is a different ball game. new york does not have the tea party numbers, the white evangelical numbers. the very conservative numbers of people that ted cruz has been propelling his campaign with. john kasich is not very well known here.
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he has only done well in ohio , really. that leaves it to donald trump who is from new york. there are a lot of voters in new york who are looking favorably toward him. that is why he is running up the score here. he is not the second choice favorite of most people. he sort of gets the number he gets. the kind of numbers he is getting could be that he is going to win all 95 delegates. >> governor kasich has been spending some time in upstate new york. not a whole lot of votes their. what is the strategy? >> and ted cruz was in the bronx. it is done by congressional district and if they can keep donald trump below the majority
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there are a few delegates to be had here and there. these are long shots. the lion share is heading terms trumps way. on thee new yorkers ballot, donald trump, bernie sanders, hillary clinton. can you recall a new york primary that has gotten this much attention this late in the process? lee: not on both sides. no. this is very unusual. new york is a different ballgame. we are definitely going to demonstrate that in turn of hillary clinton may break the winning streak. the frontrunners situated on the democratic side to do very well.
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>> let's talk about hillary clinton with a 14 point lead over senator bernie sanders. lee: it is all about age. when you look at the people who are under 45, that is going the sanders way. when you look at people over 45, that is going clinton's way. there are more of them then younger folks. clinton is running a 14 point lead. new york is a closed primary. democrats only can vote. sanders has been doing well with independents elsewhere. he does not have that option here in new york. that makes a difference. there are a lot more african-americans and latinos in new york than there have been elsewhere. this state right now is going clinton's way.
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she had a good approval rating, 62% state-wide. it is no accident she is talking about how proud she was to represent new york. new yorkers look back at that time in her term very favorably. she does very well in new york city. upstate is breaking even between them. but the lion chair comes from the suburbs and that is why she is is in the front as she is. >> secretary clinton and bernie sanders will meet. bernie sanders is in italy, off the campaign trail, back in brooklyn on sunday. does this impact any momentum he may have from the debate? lee: we will have to see. that is why they do campaigns. it is a choice he made it to
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to change the deck a little bit to make things go on a different path. right now, the one path he is on , he wants to chip away at the number of delegates going clinton's way. right now, new york will do just the opposite for sanders. it will add to clinton's margin, not narrow the gap. sanders is looking to change the equation. who knows whether that will have an impact favorably for him or not. he clearly needs to do something to change the pattern in new york. he's looking at a situation where he is more likely to pick have clinton pick up more delegates. >> hypothetically, if it is a tramp/clinton race, will new york be competitive? lee: at this point new york
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would not be in play. hillary clinton would get 61% to trump's 32%. that is a 29 point edge. when you match up sanders it is a 31 point edge. new york is a very blue state and would remain so. >> thank you for being with us. we appreciate it. lee: my pleasure. >> this afternoon, paul we do live coverage at 2:00 on c-span3. speaker of the house paul
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ryan formally rolled out a 2016 presidential bid on capitol hill yesterday. paul ryan: good afternoon. i just returned from a week long east to meetiddle with our allies and partners there. isis. conversations about i will tell you. it is really amazing how our politic is followed so closely overseas. i was asked about it everywhere i went. while i was overseas, there was more speculation that someone other than the current candidate will emerge as our party's nominee. i want to put this to rest once and for all. as you know, i've stayed out of this race and remained neutral. as chairman of the republican convention, my job is to ensure that there is integrity in the process, that the rules are followed.
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that means it is not my job to tell delegates what they should do. but i have a message to relate today. to do inoo much work the house to allow this or have my swirl motivations questioned. let me be clear. i do not want, nor will i accept, the nomination for our party. let me speak directly to the delegates on this. if no candidate has the majority on the first ballot, i believe that you should only choose from a person who as actually participated in the primary. count me out. i simply believe if you want to be the nominee for our party, to be the president, you should actually run for it. i chose not to do this. therefore i should not be considered, period. end of story. i just think it would be wrong to go any other way. let me say again. i'm not one to be our party's
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nominee. i will also be clear about something else. not running does not mean i am going to disappear. when i accepted the speakership i did so on the condition that i would do things differently than they had been done in the past. for i made it clear that this one, would be a policy and communications focused speakership. i made clear last year that we would the running a policy -- we would be putting together a policy agenda and offer a clear choice to the american people. that is what i told my colleagues what i would do and it is exactly what i have been doing. look, there is a big debate going on right now. it is about what kind of country we are going to be. as speaker of the house i , believe i have not just an obligation, but an
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to advance that debate. insults get inked more than ideas. but we still over to the country to show what we would do if given a mandate from the people. we have an obligation to give a choice toure, a clear talk about solutions. that is why i have been giving speeches. that is why i have been communicating a vision for what our party and our country can be. i believe we can be an optimistic party. a party defined by our belief in the limitless possibility of our people. we want a party defined by solutions. by being on the side of the people. we want to apply our principles to the problems of the day, embrace free enterprise, and reject cronyism. promote upper mobility. offering solutions to those
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stuck fighting poverty. a strong and focused military. a health care system that promotes choice and flexibility. a secure border. a government that allows people to fulfill their america idea. this great idea that the condition of your birth does not determine the outcome of your life. that is the agenda we're building right now. this job provides a platform of for a conservative vision for our country. i am intent on using this platform not for me but for my house colleagues that believe conservatives and holds the keys to a competent america. role and i am in a position to play that role, to prepare for the fall campaign with the nominees.
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we can earn the mandate he we need to do things right, to fix our problems and get our country back on track. thank you. reporter: a lot of people said this is exactly what he said about being the speaker. what do you say to people that are skeptical of you? paul ryan: apple and oranges. luke, those are apples and oranges. being speaker of the house is a far cry from president of the united states. i was already in the house, i am already a congressman. i was asked to take a responsibility within the that i have a part of serving in. that is entirely different than getting the nomination from president from your party without running or the job. it is a non sequitur comparison. reporter: what happens if this goes to a second ballot? what happens if someone from the floor put your name in? paul ryan: i will not allow my name.
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i'm opposed to my name being put in place. the rules committee will decide what the rules are. but i would encourage the delegates to put in place a rule that says you can only nominate for someone that ran for the job. reporter: does that mean that you think it should only be the three candidates remaining? paul ryan: i will leave it up to the delegates. i believe if you want to be president, you should run for president. when we select a nominee, we should be selected so when who actually ran for the job. i will leave it at that. thank you very much. i appreciate it. is thee and inefficiency subject of a committee. representatives --