1000 community centers to create wi-fi enabled systems to give families what they need. >> comcast is partnering with c-span along with these other television providers to give you a front row seat to democracy. a new mobile video app from c-span, c-span now. download today. colin powell has died after complications from covid-19. he was secretary of state from 2001 to 2005 in the george h.w. bush administration. the first african-american to hold the position. mr. howell served as chair of the joint chiefs of staff from 1989 to 1993 and national security advisor from 1987 to 1989. he was 84 years old. here is some of our live

coverage today. i want :00 p.m. eastern time, a conversation about housing access with officials from hud, hosted by the bipartisan policy center, and walking castro of texas with the atlantic council. or watch online at c-span.org or on our new video app, c-span. ♪ this is the washington journal for october 18. a new poll asks people about the role of government. most respondents told the polling companies they think many things could be done by individuals or businesses. there is more to the poll on people's opinions of government power. we will ask you to tell us what you think about the role of government, whether you would

prefer a reduced government role, maybe you think government needs to do more. (202) 748-8001 for republicans, democrats (202) 748-8000 and independents, (202) 748-8002. texas your thoughts at (202) 748-8003. you can also post on facebook and our twitter feed is available @cspanwj. the headline is americans revert to favorite reduced government role. joining us is to talk is the u.s. social research director. thank you for your time. guest: hello. host: what prompted this poll? we take up all -- guest: we take a poll every year. it is called our government survey. we ask on a different topic and have been doing this since 2000.

in september we asked all about government, what americans think about government power, all levels of government, federal state, and local on their performance. quite great trends updating this year after year. host: one of the specific questions is about the role of government as far as doing too much. 52% of those respondents said that was the case. 42% said government needs to do more to solve problems. comparing that to 2020, 143% wanted government to do more. those are the numbers. give us the context of the result? guest: to repeat, we give people three options, would you rather have more government services, less government services, or keeping the status quo. we have not asked it every year. the largest response is always a

preference for less services and reduced taxes. last year that dipped. the 42% had been 56% earlier in the decade. in september, the final months of the trump administration, still in deep lockdown, that point only 42% wanted less government. a record high at that time said they wanted more government, even if more taxes. this year we went back towards normal with 50% thing we want less government and less taxes in the present wanting more government and more taxes -- host: one of the other questions you ask people about the government having too much power, we will show people the results. that questions proposed amongst

republicans, democrats, and independents come 82% of republicans saying they thought the government had too much power compared to 59% of independents. 63% of democrats say government has the right amount of power. how these numbers compared to previous ones? guest: that is a question where we did not see any change in overall attitudes. we had 54% this year sing the federal government has too much power. you're saying there has not been a change. the response is typically the government has too much power. there has been a huge change by party. republicans typically are the ones that think the government has too much power but there less likely to think that when there is republican in office. last year 61% of republican said the government had too much power, this year that went up to 82%. 82 percent is about what

republicans were saying turn the obama years. that is a typical attitude. democrats said 51% said the governments had too much power, that has plunged to 19%. in the context of everything that is happening in washington with discussions of infrastructure spending is that 19% among democrats is a record low, even lower than the percentage during the obama years. democrats obviously in more of a growth mode in terms of government. host: you also asked people about what the government does and whether those types of things could be done by individuals or businesses. can you give us the context? guest: this is a trend that goes back to 1992. you think the government is doing too many things that should be left individuals and businesses and should to be doing more to solve the country's problems?

these attitudes have waxed and waned over the years depending on circumstances in the country and the presidency, whether it is republican and democrat and how active they are. last year we saw one of the rare times that half or more of americans said they wanted the government to be doing more. it was 54% last year, this year it has fallen back to 43%, which is more typical of recent years. huge party differences on that. 80% of republicans think the government is doing too much and only 18% of democrats agree. host: as far as this poll is concerned, any other interesting things you found other than the questions we had talked about? guest: just that there is eight tied that affects everybody in terms of the circumstances of

the country, whether pandemic or a recession. demand for government changes a bit. it seems so much by party, there two factors going on. what is interesting is to follow the independents. on that basis, attitudes have been steady on these questions, except for last year, when independents clearly showed more desire for government than they usually do. this year it is back to normal. host: the u.s. social research director for gallup who took this poll. you can find the results online, people's perceptions and views of a reduced government role. thank you for your time. we will turn to you for the remainder of the hour as far as you view government. maybe you agree with those on the pole as far as seeing reduced role of government. maybe you think more needs to be

done. here is your chance to call and let us know. republicans (202) 748-8001, democrats (202) 748-8000, and independents, to give your perception of government role, (202) 748-8002. you can also text us at (202) 748-8003 and poster a social media sites as well as some of you did. richie says when it comes to the role of government, the government is supposed to protect our rights. the bigger question is who the government works for, not necessarily the size. of course i oppose socialism and communism and fascism, but i also oppose emasculated governments, which is what we have now come as far as needs of the poor, the working and middle-class know. on facebook adding after seeing government screwup all it touches, i want to see it contained.

then saying if we had a government that works for the broad mass of people, this would not be happening. some of the thoughts. you connect doors under the facebook page or if you want to send us your thoughts on twitter or text as well. eugene starts us off come outline for independents in albuquerque. what you see as far as your comfort level. caller: americans are concerned about big government. we need government to ensure our basic rights, our constitutional rights. we also need to have united nations rights. the universal declaration of human rights to ensure everyone has a right to food and housing and health care.

the united nations -- [indiscernible] the u.s. is violating international law by not enforcing the united nations human rights. host: why do you think bigger government will give us that? caller: all the other countries like in europe or in canada where they make sure everyone has health care. host: that is eugene in albuquerque giving us thoughts on the role of government. our guests reference this. it's at republicans and independents become increasingly likely of saying there is too much regulation of business, less likely there is right amount, saying 72% of republicans and 42% of independents say there is too

much regulation. the remainder of independents divided evenly be saying it is too little regulation. adding more democrats last year said this was the right amount of regulation involved. that is a topic of business when it comes to the topic of health care. one of the topics when it deals with how the government deals with these issues is vaccine mandates. that was part of the discussion yesterday. it was the arkansas governor talking about republican legislatures across the nation pushing back on vaccine mandates. here's part of that conversation from yesterday. >> republican state legislatures have gotten aggressive and trying to insert government either into overreach on local government decisions or on private sector decisions. are you concerned about the direction of your party, that there is the sense of -- it is not a small government party, it

is a my government my way party, at least in the state legislatures. >> is an important debate on liberty. my view has always been, which i believe is consistent with the principles of our party, that lets stay out of interfering with private business decisions. these are not large employers. they could be a small employer that wants to protect their business and their employers and their customers. they often have those decisions. if you say the government can come in until the employers what to do, the same thing -- the next thing is they can say we should not have drug-free workplaces. i think that is wrong. i am a former head of the dea and i think employers ought to make decisions. if someone does not comply they lose their job. we require that in many different sensitive businesses across the country.

i think when you're talking about a restraint on government, let's be consistent. i do not want the federal government doing the mandate, i do not want the state government doing a mandate. let's try to be consistent. host: vaccine mandates part of the conversation when it comes to the role of government. gallup telling us that americans are telling them they favor a reduced government role. maybe that is your opinion. maybe it is not. call and let us know as far as the role of government and the level of comfort you have with it. (202) 748-8001 for republicans, (202) 748-8000, and independents, (202) 748-8002. if you wish to texas, -- if you wish to text us, you can do so at (202) 748-8003. this is from our twitter feed, saying i would prefer smaller

government, but that would necessitate that corporations lower their profit priority. bc venice saying there's no question government is bloated. with congress out of control and nepotism running rampant, those charged with our security abandon their posts long ago. dump the thousand generals at the pentagon, the war profiteers, this current congress. diane in her twitter feed, saying when it comes to the role of government, america seems to be missing history. the effects of the big government and popular dependency on the government is full of genocide and death. that is some of the opinions from our facebook and twitter feeds. samples in the washington post wrote about the gallup poll, saying "over the past 29 years by gallup strand on this question, there is only one other time when half the country favor were active role for

government. this team in the immediate aftermath of the attacks on september 11 of 2001, when the desire for more government was focused on security issues and defending the country from foreign terrorists rather than on whether to spend more to do with health and economic issues. other than that moment in last year, americans have been wary of too much government. the reality confronts president biden as they pushed ahead to pass the bipartisan infrastructure package and the democrats package of social initiative and climate programs. like bill clinton and barack obama, mr. biden faces the twin challenges of asking voters to support more government while trying to persuade the government -- the public the government is capable of doing what the president says is needed." taking issue at the gallup poll, talking about the role of government. yesterday secretary pete buttigieg talking about the administration's efforts,

particularly with climate change. we will show that in a bit. you can also calls on the lines, post on our facebook feed, our twitter feed, if you want to tell us about the role of government and what you think is the proper role. randy in madison, wisconsin, independent line. what is your thinking? caller: if you think about it, look at the role the government plays in our society right now. all of the taxes that we pay for our roads, our health care, all sorts of medicare and medicaid, all of that stuff, i do not understand where this limited role comes in? quite honestly government plays a large role in society and a beneficial role. the fact that you have this gallup poll, gallup is a partisan organization to begin with. i do not understand why you think people think this is a

limited role? host: these are the people telling gallup they prefer a limited role. caller: but it is not even true. host: let's go to keith in denver, colorado. democrats line. caller: i have to agree with the last caller. we have other polling that we should cite. build back better, when you go issue by issue, overwhelming majority of americans, both republicans, independents, and democrats agree with most of the stuff in the build back better, from universal pre-k to two years of unity college and expanded medicaid, medicare -- republicans call it socialism. they say things like keep your

hands off. that shows the disconnect, correct? host: let's start with the gallup poll. what you think is wrong? caller: the caller proceeding me, i am a pr person, 30 years in the pr business. gallup is rated c. methodologically, they conflated the role of government with taxes. right there there is a flaw in the design. host: why is that? caller: when you say the role of government, that is where the question should end. when you say lower taxes, then you are mixing two elements. the average person cannot separate that.

when you ask them, are you for free government funded universal pre-k, 70 plus percent of all americans say we want that. host: you cite that figure. what do you base that on? caller: these are not democratic polls. i challenge your producers to pull up polling on the build back better elements from various sources. host: that is keith in denver. one of the questions, you think the federal government has too much power or the right amount of power or too little power? this is from gallup showing the trend over time going back to 2002 between 2012 and 2014.

60% of those say the government having too much power, that is ascending to 54% in the current day. when it comes to the right amount of power, that trending as far as the blue line, as low as 32% as far as 2013 and onward , and up to 36% in the current day, 9% of american sickly government has too little power. that is the result of the gallup poll. you can talk about that we think about the role of government and what you favor as far as the role of government is concerned. republicans, (202) 748-8001, democrats (202) 748-8000, independents (202) 748-8002. this is a person on our twitter feed saying reduced government role means to let the wealthy segment of our country run their businesses the way they want, which includes not protecting the workers. poor people do not need help

from the government, they just need stronger bootstraps? mike on twitter saying there be more control enforced regulation. the role has to be what it is now but it will have to level with people before much longer about the realities the world faces. those are some of the transfer mark twitter feed. -- those are some of the trends from our twitter feed. climate change was one of the topics pete buttigieg talked about, prickly as efforts in the biden administration packages dealing with climate change, some of those efforts may go by the wayside in an effort to come up with a final bill. here are some of the discussion from yesterday. >> a clean electricity standard will likely be dropped because joe manchin says he cannot support it. you supported a clean electricity standard during your campaign. how disappointed are you this will potentially not be in the bill? >> the administration and the

president are committed to bold climate action, exactly what legislative form that takes is what is being negotiated right now. the bottom line is we have to act on climate for the good of our children and for the good of our economy. i viewed this as a planetary maintenance issue. the longer you take to do something about it the more it will cost in livelihoods as well as lives. we need to act. the president has lead on this from day one, rejoining the paris climate court. while the piece i worked on in transportation is limited, it is a big one when it comes to making more affordable and easier to drive electric vehicles and dealing with carbon and other sectors of transportation. we have to get this done. our future depends on it. host: people tell gallup they prefer a reduced government role. you may agree or disagree. this is scott in thomasville, georgia. good morning. caller: i am in the majority

with that gallup poll. i do think government needs to be less in our lives. we function better by not being managed and micromanaged. my children have taught me that. the more i tried to control them and tell them what they need to do, generally they do not do very well. sometimes when i let them feel the pain of their bad decisions, feel the pain of things they do not do that they should do, a lot of times they adjust. they do not adjust to me. host: why do you think that is the right approach when it comes to the role of government? caller: because i think as people we do not like to be controlled. that was one of the good things in the trump administration. i do not think he did any great things, but government was so busy inviting -- busy in

fighting the economy and people were productive in and of themselves. when you start trying to overtax people and try to control things and people -- a democrat said ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country. we do not need to rely on government, we need to rely on ourselves. host: that is scott in georgia. next arlington, virginia, independent line about the role of government. your comfort level with the of government. good morning. caller: good morning. everything is controlled by corporations. government does not have everything except the military. everything we purchase in this country is controlled by corporations. it was the government? the government is the congress,

the white house. there controlled by business. people do not understand. everything is controlled by the rich, the corporations, the people who have money. they take your taxes right when you make it. host: you think the role of government should be reduced? caller: no. it should be turned around. take money out of politics. the majority of people, 99% should be in control. who is in control now are the two parties and the rich people. they spent over $30 trillion since 9/11 until today. this new congress now, they were asking for help for the poor people, they said that is not

right. the republicans want to spend money and come up with our freedom. host: next will hear from randy in williamsburg, virginia. caller: good morning, america. the make america great again will back better, all of these slogans ring hollow for me. the problem is at the state and local level, let's take education for example, students far outnumber teachers, and local governments hire the most people in every town in america. what happens is small business is not allowed to compete with not-for-profit and local

businesses with national not-for-profit and all of these other companies that are side of fossils for a lot of government employees. small businesses is never given a chance to make a difference in their local communities. host: how does that relate to the role of government, or the role of government you are comfortable with? caller: let's take a look at bike paths. we have one that people love, but to be honest with you they have about 1000 riders a day and that is a stretch. there is a not-for-profit capital could capital trail foundation, and like last person called and, the owners who are on the board, there on many boards of the local not-for-profit.

that not-for-profit now controls tens of millions of dollars that the department of transportation gives to them from the federal government, and they don't it out to the local not-for-profit that are held unaccountable and demonstrate no measurable improvement in anything. host: that is randy in williamsburg, virginia. we will hear from carl in chicago, democrats line. caller: the biggest problem in this conversation is defining who is the government? are we talking about the employees of the federal government? are we talking about congress and the senate? when the republicans have it, they want nothing to do. host: what lead you to believe

that? caller: just take a look at the last two groups of republicans who have been in office. when bush was in, most of the money went to the war we knew we were not going to win. then when trump got in, money only went to the states republicans controlled. host: that is carl in chicago. just to show you the results of apollo, you heard our guest talking about it, when asked if the government was doing too much, 52% responding in that way. when it comes to the question of government needing to do more to solve problems, 42% saying that

compared to 2020 when 43% wanted government to do more to solve problems. 82% of republicans as well as 59 percent of independents in 19% of democrats saying the government has too much power. 60% of democrats and the government has the right amount of power. you may agree or disagree with those thoughts. you may:, republicans (202) 748-8001, democrats (202) 748-8000, and independents, (202) 748-8002. maggie in ohio on our independent line. caller: i just wanted to say i think the government is completely out of control. i do not want them trying to force a shot into my arm. i can make decisions myself. i have immunity to the vaccine. i do not want marxism in this country and that is what we are

having, and i think a lot of people do not understand that is what we are having. it is clear if you watch what is happening and what they're trying to do some the control they are trying to take away from your life and put it in their hands. i do not think bill will put up with it -- i do not think people will put up with it. host: that is maggie in ohio, giving us a call when it comes to issues with the vaccine and the vaccine mandates. this is from calmly of falls, maine -- this is from columbia falls, maine. caller: i want to thank you for taking my phone call. i have a simple question. for this 2400 page bill the democrats want to try to pass. why cannot that be held in print so the public can read and see what is in that bill that they will not let anyone know about. host: there is some finalization

going on. since we are asking about the role of government you're comfortable with, what would you respond? caller: i think the democrats are trying to hold back. they should let everyone know what is going on. host: david in maine on a republican line. yesterday you heard dr. fauci, particulate taking a look at the upcoming holidays in the comfort level he feels as far as what he is recommended to people. here is part of that discussion. >> we know the best way to keep safe is to be vaccinated. what are your guidelines for the upcoming holidays? will you be giving out halloween candy? what we do thanksgiving, christmas, the other holidays? >> i believe that particularly in vaccinated people, if you are vaccinated and your family members are vaccinated, those were eligible.

young children are not yet eligible, that you can enjoy the holidays from you can enjoy halloween, trick-or-treating, and certainly thanksgiving with your family and christmas with your family. that is one of the reasons we emphasize why it is so important to get vaccinated, not only for your own safety and that of your family, but also for the good of the community to keep the level of infection down. when you do that there is no reason you cannot enjoy the holidays in a family way the way we have traditionally done it all along. host: this is from california, independent line. whereabouts in california is fortuna? caller: it up in the redwoods, god's country. host: joran, go ahead -- you are on, go ahead. caller: to answer the question concerning the role of

government, it seems to be important to consider whether the people in power have an altruistic concern, a real concern of the well-being of the people or if their intent is malevolence. to cut to the chase, democracy is no better than fascism if the people in power, the majority hate the minority. the only way this democracy works is love. if it is run with love than the government stands a good chance of helping people. if the government does not have a true interest in helping people, then less government control would seem to be better, less government involvement. host: how would you rate the current rate of government as far as their interest in helping people? caller: it seems to be governments throughout history, go back as far as you want, eventually becomes more of a

self-serving entity and a promotion of its own power than actually helping individuals. i guess everybody can judge that. host: you relate that same sentiment to the federal government at large or your local government? caller: the thing is the larger a group the more power it has, inherently dangerous it becomes to the individual, especially one that does not agree with that. host: let's go to ron in springfield, virginia. caller: there is a definite role of government. that role should be the essential things that benefit americans. the one thing that is lacking in all these conversations is we need single-payer health care. a big percentage of the population already has that. all of the military, medicare,

medicaid, they need to expand that to the rest of the population. there are things the government should not be doing. that is things like occupying and palming multiple countries at any given time, ensuring the multinationals such as apple are sitting on hundreds of billions of dollars in cash. due to forced labor overseas. there are things the government should do. the interstate system might be something we can point to. a new interstate system for high-speed rail. the government does have a role, but not what it is doing now. the government is out of control because it works for -- our congress works for special interest. in their work for us as americans they have a central role. host: why do highlight health care as far as one of those things government should be focused on? caller: that is critical.

the middle class is getting reamed. the poor, their health care is subsidized, the rich are fine, the middle class, with the advent of the high deductible health care plans, the middle class is getting destroyed. people have to go bankrupt. maybe people can call in, people who broken arm and it cost them $20,000. health care is essential. that is one thing that benefits everybody. like the interstate system, there are things the government can do to benefit all people. that should be the focus, not just picking and choosing those things the top donors want such as war and destroying our manufacturing base and things like that. host: that is ron in virginia. we are basing it from the

results in a gallop general attitudes when it comes to the role of government, those favoring a reduced government role, even the gallup poll saying government is doing things people and businesses should be doing. you can agree or disagree with the ideas that some of our colleagues have brought to the table. (202) 748-8001 for republicans, (202) 748-8000 for democrats, and independents (202) 748-8002. this is sherry from our twitter feed saying when it comes to the role of government, when the government is the largest employer in insurance companies are the richest, something is very wrong in the u.s.. this is from tony off of our twitter feed, saying when it comes to the idea of taxes, which a caller brought up earlier, saying taxes are the cost of government. taxes need to be considered when

discussing the role of government. then from a viewer saying reduced government roles means the next catastrophic weather event does not come to help you or your property and then you're left to rebuild your own business. for the role of government, those are some of the things being shared on our various feeds. our facebook page, you can also call us on the line. betty and elizabeth town kentucky, democrat line, your next up. caller: thank you for taking my call. i am concerned when he talks about the gallup poll, i want to know what is the sample they were using? they went into the southern states they would get more towards whatever the republicans are doing. what is the sample they are using? the other thing is we are a

republic. we are not a democracy. we elect representatives who supposedly represent our interests. the only problem we have is we have lifelong senators and representatives. they have made a career out of it. that was not the original intent. the original intent was you would serve a certain amount of time and he would leave, and there would be a rotation, which would keep fresh ideas coming in. we need to understand that there is always going to be a need if the people do not recognize we are the government. we the people are the government, according to our original documents that tells us what we are to do as the government.

it is our responsibility. host: when it comes to the current level of comfort you have with the role of government , where's that place for you as far as what government should be doing or not doing? caller: it depends on what they are doing. i do not think the government should be in areas such as vaccinations. that is something being americans, we are stubborn and we do not want anybody to tell us what to do. that is running against a brick wall. do not pick a fight in an area you cannot win. host: betty in kentucky, democrats line. also hundred democrat line, anthony from new york. caller: thank you for being america's complaint department and i appreciate your patience

with all of the colors. i want to give you a quote from an 18th-century lawyer and writer. he has had a democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government, it can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largess from the public treasury. from that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most from the public treasury and democracy always collapses. the average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. these nations have progressed from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness. host: that is the quote, but what you think about the role of government? what is your personal preference? caller: we have gone through those cycles that he had warned us. he said it is the human

condition that reigns supreme. we can never deviate from what ultimately happens in all governments, whether it is communism, socialism, capitalism, they all meet the same brick wall where people selfishness and self interest always rules the day, and then we end up back to a dictatorship. magazines with the vaccines we are at a dictatorship. the bank bailouts, the country is broke. nancy is back for more money. host: piercing the government is doing too much. caller: it is broke. don't you see it? nancy is surrounded by a 17 acre estate with all the money in the world but she is still a politician. chuck schumer, the same thing. host: let's hear from eleanor in germantown, tennessee. caller: i think the problem is they are never held accountable

for what they do. they break the law because they do not know what the law is. they do not know their own job descriptions. they are never held accountable. if they would stop the criminal activity they would have just the right amount of power. host: give me an example of that. why do you think that? you said they break the law. give me an example. caller: i heard a guy who is having a town hall say he had never read the constitution and did not care, we do not need it. host: as far as level of government, what is your comfort level? caller: what they have real authorization to do. stop appointing bureaucrats to make up the rules, that they cannot pass a law to authorize.

if they would learn their job descriptions. host: that is eleanor in germantown, tennessee. one of the many calls this morning about the role of government. this gallup poll we referenced saying when it comes to the recent poll taken, general attitudes, more americans reverting to reduce government role. there is details within the poll , you can find it at gallup.com. as well as sample sizes, you can look there. highland park, illinois. hello. good morning. caller: in the past, government has helped our country considerably. many of us have medicare. to meet is the greatest value. we are all helping each other

stay healthy and keep healthy. we saved the world from hitler's. if it was not for the united states, europe would all be under fascism. government has a role. we are not perfect. when government is called to do something, we do it. we have a terrific interstate system. you can try from miami to seattle and not stop anywhere if you had that much fuel. i do not think people should be so pessimistic about our government. host: when you see polls that say as far as the current trend is concerned showing a favoring of reduced government role, what you think of that? caller: i think people are watching the right wing media too much. they are being influenced by

propaganda. just look around and see what government does for you. it is amazing. let's say transportation. look around and try to be thankful. that is all i can say. thank you very much. host: that is lou from highland park illinois. you're welcome to call in and the 15 minutes or so we have left. (202) 748-8001 for republicans, (202) 748-8000 for democrats, and independents, (202) 748-8002 . jennifer jones saying small government is why corporations have so many loopholes. republicans have claimed to be the party of small government but they've made sure the government makes it easier for the rich to stay rich. richard somerville saying it seems we get is less taxes and loss for rich people to get away with whatever, the same with corporations, bankers, and

pharmaceuticals. if we spend $600 or we try to make money the same way rich people do we go to jail. al from facebook saying all of these paul's have been all over the place. one make -- one week the majority of americans support a thing come the next week americans oppose the same thing. week to week americans do not what they favor apart from answering poll questions while being uninformed about the topic. you can agree or disagree with those topics. our viewers from facebook and twitter. joe in ohio, republican line. caller: how are you doing today? host: i am well. how are you? caller: i believe the reason we have the government is protection of our borders and the american people. beyond that, there are areas this government has spread into

that they have no business being in. host: why do you think it is limited to those two things? caller: that is the way the constitution was written. they have no business being in education. that is the responsibility of the state and local governments. they have no business being involved with the drug companies and mandating vaccines. that is an individual choice. that is the way our constitution is written. my point is the constitution was created so the federal government was designed to support the states, not to take over from the states. host: you think states have the right role or response as far as the role of government? you think they have the right amount of power? caller: i think they've given up power. they have allowed the federal government to take over because

politicians are corrupt. our entire system, we have so many corrupt politicians there never held accountable. you've had a couple callers call in the last 15 minutes, like the gentleman reading with a guy from the 1800s wrote. he nailed it. our government is corrupt. all they care about is their power. they do not give a dam about the people. host: let's hear from david in new york. caller: can you hear me? host: you are on. caller: a lot of talk about the constitution and of people would just read the preamble to the constitution, it describes perfectly clearly what the government is about and what it is supposed to do. three things. it can be read in less than two

minutes out loud. if people would hear that, they might be able to assess whether the representatives are actually living up to the purpose of the constitution. host: what would uss? -- what would you assess? caller: it says the purpose is to provide for the common defense. this is been done in many ways. it has also been overdone. the second thing is it says to promote the general welfare. one would assume that all bills coming out of congress would be to promote the welfare of the population, which it does, depending on what part of the population you are. there is a great deal of the population which is not benefiting. the last one is to maintain

liberties for everyone. depending again on who you are, how much liberty you have. it is a mixed bag. it is not perfect. it seems, as your previous caller said, the politicians seem to have lost the idea of what the government is supposed to do. host: let's hear from marcia in north carolina. republican line. caller: hello. you are asking a woman about the laws and what laws they had broke. the laws they had broke his not securing the border. host: you are still there. go ahead. you are still on. caller: another law is the

mandates are illegal. there is no executive order. pfizer and them are illegal because it is still an emergency. it has not been passed. i could go on and on. host: to level should government be operating? how much influence should it have? caller: it should be operating in our security. american security. if you notice the illegals do not have to take a shot. the people coming into the hospitals and taking over are not following the mandates that biden has put forward in the media because it is illegal. host: the fda itself fully approving that pfizer vaccine,

which from the release on august 23, saying they prove that for covid-19, the vaccine will be now be marketed -- it goes on from there to give us the status of where vaccines are. we are talking about the role of government. the gallup poll saying when it comes to general attitudes, americans favoring a reduced role of government. in washington, d.c., this is george. independents line. caller: one of our principal problem comes from how the two party system has devolved. a few suggestions as to how we might improve that. one would be stripped dollar limits on contributions and banning any corporate contributions weather above the table or below the table. the second would be term limits on the house of representatives, limiting their terms to 16 years total and the senate 18 years total, the supreme court 18

years. creating some type of stakeholder for interest of the future in the interest of children as opposed to stakeholders with money promoting their personal interests. finally, mandatory education in history and government. host: those are mechanics. what you think about the role the government plays? how would you identify that? caller: how would i identify it? the problem is in some areas it is too broad and in some areas it is too narrow. depending on your political persuasion that defines which areas you think it is too broad and narrow. there is too much money put into defense. it is taking over a lot of the country by our militaristic attitudes. we do not need 800 basis and the kind of money that goes into the defense department. host: let's go to harmon in seattle, washington.

caller: hello. the question that you are asking , that depends on which party is in power. you have these warmongers, they do not want to stay in afghanistan for 20 years and spend trillions of dollars. as soon as somebody tries to get them to take care of the people in this country, poor people come all of this kind of stuff, they ask the question where we would get the money, who will pay for it? that is the first thing they ask. host: you have democrats in control of the white house in 2 -- democrats in control of the white house and congress. what would you say is the role of government? caller: they should be very involved, especially with this pandemic and all of this kind of stuff. we have these two people acting like they are democrats, you

understand, when they are really republicans being controlled by mitch mcconnell and all of this kind of stuff so they cannot get anything done. that is the same thing about these other people. when they are in power they say we do not want abortions, but as soon as the kid comes here, they are through with him than. host: we will hear from john in breezewood, pennsylvania. democrat line. how are you? caller: i want to make perfectly clear i've been a candidate for federal office in united states congress. i lost. democrat joe manchin is a great union democrat and a great democrat that represents the united mine workers. number two, are you still there? host: we are asking people about

the role of government. what you think? caller: i believe the federal government has overextended its constitutional authority immensely. one of the things the other people do not talk about that is in the constitution, it says the government is required to maintain postal routes. that is in the constitution. you can read it. host: when it comes to overextending its authority, will you offer as an example? caller: the coinage of money. the federal reserve being created and has totally destroyed the u.s. economy. totally unconstitutional. in the constitution there is nothing about a private central bank issuing our money and charging us interest. abraham lincoln was right when he made the greenback. host: that is john in pennsylvania. mary owens from twitter saying federal control is necessary.

states prove they are incapable of self-rule so right now we need a lot of it. gaylord campbell texting us saying if you take citizens united out of government and increase corporate and the 1% taxes, we need better environmental protection. people on the role of government. let's hear from jason in maryland, republican line. good morning. caller: good morning. first of all, as far as the government extending itself, i've been sitting back for the past four years. we have seen the fbi manipulating evidence, doctoring evidence, there is no accountability from anybody anywhere. hillary clinton, it has been proven she was behind the whole russian, but there is no accountability. for you to say the pfizer vaccine is fully approved, lemme ask you something. can you sue pfizer?

caller: but you can not sue them , so it is not fully approved. host: finishing off calls this >> democratic congressman texas will be of the atlantic council to talk about you was global engagement. that will be live or watch online at www.c-span.org for our new video app, c-span now. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government, we are funded by these television companies and more including charter