structure, a pernicious structure relative in france to islamophobia, you don't have the data that can look at the problem with a complete set to understand what is taking place. set and it mayta be incomplete and we need to complete it. >> i have the card that says time and i think you all might be hungry for lunch. if you can help me in thanking our analysts -- our panelists for a great conversation. [applause] >> all this month on c-span,

we featured first and second prize winners of our do you meanry student cam competition. middle and high school students created videos answering the question what does it mean to be american? now it is time to introduce our grand prize winners from mckinney, texas. their winning entry is titled what it means to be american. >> the topic of accountability in government was what we believe was a really important topic in describing what it means to be an american because it is something that was pretty clearly written into our constitution,. beyond that, i think what surprised both of us the most was the sheer amount of knowledge available to us to go through and research and on my part, i was a little bit surprised at just how much

effort and planning goes into producing a documentary. we were not trying to make the film that was going to win. you guys -- we just got a topic that we were so passionate about and went with that. >> even now i'm having trouble processing what this means. it is amazing that this message will be spread throughout classrooms across the country. >> and we're going to washington, d.c. to drain the swamp. >> to be american means to hold your government accountable. america has a corruption problem. 70% of american respondants said corruption was widespread in the government. when america thinks about corruption, it is common to think about criminal bribery and illegal money. that is not all that corrupts it. what is the role of

accountability in our government? >> when you live in a representative democracy, it is essentially and definitive of what america means that we hold our representatives accountable. the american people, what happens when you get to d.c. is a totally different story. or corruption is an american tradition. >> our country was founded by framers who understood that concentrated power is always -- to liberty. >> where does this make it into the principles and structures of our government? >> the founders believe that only a government responsible for people is just. going back to the very founding moments that was an essential element of the american creed. >> the declaration of independence says we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.

to secure these rights, governments are ips constitutes among men. that is the purpose of government. deriving their powers from the government. > if republic rests within the corruption of its principles. where has the united states distract from this. >> judges judging violations and theyegislative making law, execute brocks sis executed largely by people who are not leblingted. -- elected. progressive as far as the more representative society to be able to give people power and authority over their government opposed to just, you know, a we willy elite class. it hasn't necessarily lived on

in our democracy regardless of how many protests, plans and laws passed. the successful fight against corruption's accountability in government was a distinct quality. >> once they are in power and become dependent, they have to go out and be dependent on lobbyist contacts or the ways that industry influences their behavior. >> relationships when they manifest themselves in the political arena to get things done were one person is a form of corruption. it has done that by distorting the original meaning of the necessary and proper clause. for carrying and execution of enumerating powers. it has moved all of our politics to the federal level.

the federal government has pretty much unlimited power today. >> how can citizens hold the government accountable for abuses of power. >> start thinking of purpose-driven decisions. on a local level. you can come down here and get in our face and express our view and you will be heard. there is much more access and accountability. >> forms that can catch fire and -- federal reform. we see it the only way through now is doing this at the state and local level. >> the public can't really -- half of everything. i think voting, people to represent you, entrusting that role to members of congress, that you believe in is really as much as anyone has time for except for a select few. >> we have had almost 80

anti-corruption resolutions passed around the country. in ohio, the gerrymandering. we have more anti-corruption democracy measures on the ballot in november than at any point in american history. i would say this movement is taking hold and fols are getting the idea that we cannot wait. >> in short, it all comes down to us. citizens have the powers vested in them to hold the government accountable rather than just sit around and complain. citizens are vocal in doing it. in this most cases the people are willing to recognize the nation's flaws even when politicians don't. you may remember the gallup poll at the beginning of this film. it shows how well we seek to

keep the government in check. t of the 20 nations we surveyed, the u.s. has by far the most anything sieve view on corruption. so stand up. participate. and exeveryonify what it means to be an american by holding everyone accountable. >> you can watch every winning student cam documentary online at studentcam.org. >> c-span's "washington journal" live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. coming up this morning, dennis hayes, co-founder of earth day and president of the bullet foundation discusses the creation of earth day and sustainable development efforts. also going us politico senior writers to talk about the news

.f the day and their new book be sure to watch c-span's "washington journal" live at 7:00 eastern this morning. join the discussion. >> today the kizer family foundation hosts a forum on the trump administration's initiative to end h.i.v. transmission in the u.s.. live coverage beginning at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span 2, online at c-span.org or listen live on the c-span radio app. >> this week on the communicators, james lewis talks about the cyberstatus of russia and china. made thehas since 1979 elicit acquisition of western technology one of the cardinal points in its program for economic development, tech logical parity. it would be hard for them to give it up and they continue to

siphon off intellectual property much as they have for the last 20 years using the internet. >> tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span 2. s. supreme court justice clarence thomas was the featured speaker at pepperdine university law school's recent 2019 annual dinner. he discussed his selection process for clerks, his views on the role of the judiciary, and this is about 35 minutes. [applause] mr. gash: welcome back to our community, justice thomas. justice thomas: thank you.