we're addressing it, cost restructuring, going through it as painful as it is. >> doug, ken langone, , good morning, how are you? >> good to see you. >> good to see you. >> i ride all over the united states, and the roads are in terrible, terrible shape. by the way, you make, i think caterpillar defines the meaning of the best of american quality. the stuff you guys make is -- >> thank you. >> absolutely -- well, it is. you see it, and you realize end dur ra endur rans of it. if we get the focus in america, which we desperately need, how much of a tail wind does that give caterpillar? >> boy, i agree with you, ken. it's not just the roads -- >> bridges. >> the supports, the airports, all kinds of infrastructure we have fallen so far behind on, and, frankly, there's efforts in the states, you know, a number of states pass ed tax increases. the state of georgia is a good example getting after it. but we really need the federal highway fund step up again. i'm confident we'll get that, and multiyear hopefully, but that helps us a lot in the country, could be a catalyst going into next spr

people that have preceded me in this role are incredible businessmen, incredible financiers -- ken langone, joe perella, mario gabelli. incredible artists like luciano pavarotti, frank sinatra, zeffirelli, to give you a sense. so it's unimaginable to be able to follow in their footstep and very humbling. but at the same time, i am moved and honored of doing that. >> you know, the contributions of italian-americans, it is such a part of the fiber of this country for, you know, for so many decades, scores of decades. there is controversy over the columbus day parade, as every year, it seems to me. eight cities have now changed the name of the columbus day parade, and i'm not sure americans link columbus with saluting italian-americans. it's almost two different things in some ways, right? >> well, columbus discovered america and was an italian. and so this columbus day has been around since the 1800s, and we respect everyone in the country to decide what they want to do. but we wish they would come to new york city and join us at this incredible parade and see what italian-americans are all

. >> going to the langone guy, are you less -- you work for ken, maybe you won't laugh if i say somethinglary clinton. is it helpful to hear things like that? >> well, i go back to what you said earlier, that the united states is developer of technologies. >> treading lightly on this. >> exactly. look at the great advances in the past, ct, mr, united states, and u.k., united states, and ace inhibitors, extractions, coronary bypass, and that contributes to the economy and is great for patients. >> there's one case of a hedge fund guy, he buys a company, and he -- >> right. >> you want the other side. go ahead. have at it. >> i think he's a terrible bad actor. >> i know. but you can't use that and throw the whole industry under the bus and decide -- >> the question is whether so -- he's a bad actor in the absolute extreme. the question is whether there's other bad actors less extreming and then what do you do about that? >> right. you do something about -- >> don't cut off innovation then. >> treading lightly. dpl that >> that's the question. there's a find line of crazy pricing and cutting