imogene, your thoughts? world's gdp growth this year. is there anything we can learn? obviously they're taking our jobs but surely they must have programs we can perhaps look at here and use. >> number one is they are more voracious and focused on the sci-tech field. we did a survey a few years ago which for middle and high school students 4 in 10 say they would be very unhappy in a job that requires a lot of math. that says a lot about the way we teach math and our perspective. we really need to get geared up to focus on these issues. >> that's what you get when you go from a culture of memorization to a culture of experimentation because experiments are fun. memorization is not. jonathan, go ahead. >> in the president's state of the union address he made a big deal about in sourcing and changing the tax code and incentives and things to get companies to stop sending jobs overseas and bringing them back home. is that just feel good window dressing or is that something that is real and would be effective? >>

her uk act. >> i love imogen but she has nothing. the kentucky wildcats has nothing on the ohio state buckeyes. this is a good town, man. this is a good town. >> again, it's interesting to watch all this. it plays into a lot of what we talk about all the time, which is the debate america deserves. we're on a 30 million jobs tour asking why we are not debating these issues of tax reform, trade reform. they don't have any interest in this. they have an interest in whether you believe in birth control or not. what happens if you don't believe in birth control? does that mean it doesn't work? >> you get pregnant. so those men on that stage could get pregnant. >> so then they would believe in birth control. >> so if men could get pregnant, we would be talking about the tax code and jobs. >> nukes in iran, jobs, we'd be talking about tax reform. >> you also have the press, which is constantly pushing this. who brings it up all the time? >> if i think it's in the interest of politicians and the press to focus on wedge issues because it's be

thank you so much for making the trip. >> great to see you, dylan, imogene, rob. can't see you but i know you're there. >> is you guys later. >>> straight ahead who is keeping america hooked on oil? and what is preventing america for its energy independence. we're connecting the dots right after this. my wife and i have three wonderful children and they make my life just perfect. we were having too much fun, we weren't thinking about a will at that time. we were in denial. that's right. [ laughter ] we like our freedoms, but at the same time we have responsibilities to the kids and ourselves. we're the vargos and we created our wills on legalzoom. finally. [ laughter ] [ shapiro ] we created legalzoom to help you take care of the ones you love. go to legalzoom.com today and complete your will in minutes. at legalzoom.com, we put the law on your side. it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk. the day starts with arthritis pain... a load o

one issue, this next story is sort of instructive, i feel, imogen, you can buy and sell the tax code,est, you're the pistachio guy, you're the oil guy, whatever it is. it's gotten so bad in america someone has put in a piece of legislation to create a $250 tax credit in the event that you grow a mustache. now, that is an obvious corruption of the electoral process, the two sets of rules and all that. but before we judge, before we judge, let us misunderstand the potential power in our society were more men to have mustaches as a result of their more empowered and masculine state, they will function in a way more useful and beneficial to society, which i think was the argument behind the tax benefit. this was the help america initiative. by bringing more mustaches forward. you don't think that's a good idea? >> so wrong. facial hair, bad, unattractive. fundamentally -- >> what about empowering? what about a man's right to choose? >> america has a debt problem, dylan. we need to go back to history, look at the historical president, 1535, henry had a beard. start taxing things, not credi

imogene lloyd webber is with us in lexington. the rest of the megapanel are on the east coast. before we get into tax policy i want to address imogene's early morning confusion when you saw the uk. >> i did. i was taking an early morning walk. it was before i had my tea so i wasn't really awake. i saw a sign saying uk housing and i thought finally britain's exports are working. however, no. it was actually the university of kentucky and i woke up by the third sign. >> it does show some american solidarity with the brits we are willing to use the same letters. >> absolutely. as far as our corporate tax rates go that is the one thing we are slightly beating america on. >> how so? >> we are going to have the lowest rate by 2014 at 23%. currently 26%. so, yes. absolutely this is very smart. yeah, let's lower the corporate tax rates. it slightly ruins the narrative of mitt romney as well. >> it makes it politically difficult. rob cox, here is the issue i had with the whole tax debate in this country very simply. i'll give you rates until i'm blue in the face on 50 different things.

this is imogene with a question about food. >> i'm visiting new york with my family. you recommend? >> i love her. >> new york pizza while you're here. >> and go to magnolia bakery and just get one warm cupcake. whatever comes out of the oven, get that one. doesn't matter the flavor. >> go down to chinatown and get their wonderful food. then have the best lamb chops you've ever had at neary's pub. >> she's, like, i don't know what she just said. >> you asked the right girls. they love to eat, too. next up, pala from italy with a question about valentine's day. >> what did you guys get for valentine's day? >> do we have to go through this again? >> tell her. >> hoda had the greatest valentine's day ever. >> went down to the lobby real quick, by boyfriend was in a tuxedo with a woman playing a violin. >> at 5:00 in if morning. >> i was boo-hooing. >> then on the treadmill, what did you get? >> i got roses. the hits kept coming. i can't say anymore. what did you get? >> something else. >> i got a bear. a big bear, a vermont stuffed teddy bear. but it was the thought that

imogen lloyd webber, tim carney, and sam cedar. to the wrestling match that we'll get into ourselves, let the world know that america now has 311 million and one american citizens and a very adorable new citizen to report from the east of irish heritage. and american patriotic through and through. congratulations. >> thank you. thank you very much. >> you want to announce the child's name? >> margaret mary. it's actually her name and her grandmother's name. >> congratulations to you. >> and mom and baby are both doing fine. >> wonderful. and the giants won the super bowl. you're doing pretty well. >> as far as she knows, every sunday is a huge bout of excitement. >> so everybody at this table, you're the most >> i don't think there's anything the president could propose in terms of a budget that's going to pass with the republicans. i think within the confines of the deficit deal that the debt deal they struck last year, he's presented something that he can get some rhetoric. i'll tell you this. i like the fact that investment divi

imogen lloyd webber, tim carney. one, american energy independence. we have to get out of there.e have to get out of there now. that's not going to happen for a long time no matter what i say. the second factor, with the hypocrisy, who is paying who and this nonsense and depending on the country. it seems at some point we have to acknowledge that the united states is rationally creating an incentive for people to create nuclear weapons. the only way to get rid of the united states either as buying you off or going to kill you, you get that and you're free from daddy. which is a totally nutty incentive. >> but i think the oil angle gets overplayed. there's an ideology at play. you mentioned john mccain and george bush and people in the obama administration too. there's either ideology we need to spread democracy everywhere, or there's the, you know, powers rice doctrine that wherever there's some atrocity, the united states needs to intervene. so it's deed-help belief this is the u.s.'s job to do it. >> but, you know, i would like to have a shoutout for the will sewn yans and huma

imogen lloyd webber, i want to do this as three separate things.et's start with syria, which is by far the most tragic. it's unbelievable. guy benson is here as well. syria, obviously there's a desire this weekend to condemn it. we saw it at the u.n. the russians and chinese said no. i personally would like to know more about what are all these relationships and what does the resolution mean. or is this another war? do we know what we're talking about before we get worked up? >> there's a limit to what we can do as the west as it were with syria. because fundamentally, there's a limit. they have a naval air base within syria. it's our one in the mediterrane mediterranean. >> let's back it up a minute. i'm going to do a little of what i said i wasn't going to do. the egyptian government using egypt to support mubarak and suppress the people. that switches around. we're on this side of it. now you have assad who is taking money from somebody else. the issue in the middle east is there's a rampant hypocrisy. is there any path through this carcus that'

imogen lloyd webber is here. it's so political.ck obama is doing deals with the oil men. maybe? i have no idea. but i do know that since i was about six or seven years old, i hear people yammer about the straits of hormuz and i'm watching all these countries around the world getting more and more energy independence whether it's social or wind or drilling or natural gas, and i watch america fight with each other. am i seeing something? am i missing something? >> where i think you're off target is in thinking that other countries are necessarily doing a good job of gaining independence. european countries that built up renewable energy resources -- >> i'm not suggesting that. i'm saying we haven't even decided as a nation to pursue energy independence. >> we say we want to make gasoline cheaper to buy more gasoline. >> i know. >> part of the reason we're talking about the strait of hormuz has less to do with the price of gasoline and more having control in terms of political issues. but it's not necessarily -- we're not just in the

imogene, jonathan, and rob are with us.gain, i watched these ads, jonathan, and i can't help but think about my samurai in the cave three months after the war ended swinging his sword wildly at the wall. here we are with a big spender, insider, and a mud slinger. right. and meanwhile america is on a totally different page that we talk about all the time but it is interesting to watch. right. well, we have to keep in mind something here. you have these two men who are going after not a general electorate but a republican primary voting electorate. and so the messages are very direct, very pointed. you can see that in mitt romney's -- the super pac ad going after rick santorum over big spending and hillary clinton, all these scary words that are supposed to gin up rage or enthusiasm within the republican party primary electorate. and i'm not sure it's going to work with rick santorum because his -- his brand is not fiscal. it's social. and as we've seen in all of these contests up until now, you know, while people are worried

and here's imogene belsley of peoria, illinois. i was there with the groundhog last year.the weather right though. 102, plays bridge every day and goes out to dinner once a week. if i did that i wouldn't be so fat. the lovely dorothy. what a pretty name. dorothy geiger from orangeburg, south carolina. that's a lovely town. 103 and loves to tell stories and she likes to read her bible. can't go wrongdoing that, i'll tell you. won't find dirty words in the bible. from the halls of montezuma down to greenwood, mississippi. ellis smith, an ex-marine. once a marine, always a marine. 102 today. he was in world war ii. a hero. we have twins. this happens about four times a year. the lovely and exciting ida cheatham and lena cook. they are 102 years old today. both from missouri. what can you say besides happy birthday, happy birthday? say it twice. ida and lena, twins. now back to new york city. >> thank you, willard. coming up, a workout that means no wimps are allowed. out's a workout for women that can make a grown man cry. first, this is "today" on nbc. it's such a tough... y

the daughters were named imogene and adeline, and johnson educated them as if they were white, and eventually he married them off to white men in washington, d.c.. unfortunately julia died from cholera in 1833, and so what did richard johnson do? he took up with one of her sisters. [laughter] julia's brother accompanied johnson during the campaign of 1836 in new york. marcellus, the man he was caught took the opportunity to flee to the abolitionist, and when johnson turned to the father daniel to be his personal servant, daniel took the opportunity to flee street to canada. in the 1858 senate election when stephen douglas accused abraham lincoln of favoring what was then called the amalgamation which was then called miscegenation lincoln asserted that the racial mixing took place most often where slavery existed, not freedom to read a very subtle argument, and then he went on to say as mr. douglas with your girlfriend richard m. johnson and the audience of course new what the reference was. let's think about the black military service. let's start with the civil war. much attention for our ge