not being needed by middle america. the and not being needed by a midamerica this is very values they had ridiculed in the previous years. the democratic party of. the democratic party had moved far less. they have certainly been leftist in many respects. >> host: but to a dramatic and over the top. >> guest: i remember you talking once about the violent devos of the peace movement. everything was just so intense. >> host: i remember when i was a kid in college and lbj how many kids did you kill today was not really a peace filled question. >> guest: henry kissinger, henry lawes, people die -- there was an anchor in an instant and scared middle america. i am not talking politically. >> host: is scared some people who were 12 looking at the 20 year-old. >> guest: just like with me later. and you could say the same thing about barack obama in 2008 and i talk about how in the world today guy who was arguably the most liberal member of the united states sent become seen as the same choice in 2008? because barack obama tempe

sustainability, all of our constituents, regardless of where they're from the north, south, west, east, middle america, share in the peace of mind they can feed their families with clean, healthy safe food. while those benefits are shared by all, it makes sense that the cost be shared as well. this project we are discussing today focuses funding on food safety and sustainability in a location that produces a large portion of the nation's seafood. by prioritizing the funding of the institute for seafood studies at nicholls state university, we are investing in a food supply we enjoy. this is about safe seafood, whether it's sthrimp or fin fish. it's about the study and making sure that the products that are delivered to america are safe for the people to consume. with that, i urge a no vote on this amendment and hope that the congress of the united states will recognize the importance of the working coast. we're not the sun coast. we're not the sand coast, we are not the condo coast. we are the coast of the united states that produces over 30% of the seafood and good quality, safe seafood that we hope

have got to figure out how to deliver that message in a way that is not quite so threatening to middle america. >> host: and gave a speech to the reagan library and i said he is building his coalition and could never punch anybody was so busy holding out his hand. that is what you are talking about. he literally send in 84 come walk with me so i granted that. >> guest: we want more people in. there is discussion with every want colin powell in the republican party or not? it is insanity. we want a guy with 72, 73 percent approval rating that was looking awful lot like republican senators in connecticut's, in maine and massachusetts? do we want him in our party were just seven white guys? i say we want everybody in our party. >> host: you talk about that in your book. i want to get away from the book because i have just about four minutes left. let me do a lightning round. i am going to give you some names of 20 and 21st century political figures, and give me a brief sentence of your thoughts on them. richard nixon. >> guest: he was brilliant and our foreign policy is still shaped by him and my

what abc and nbc and cnn are saying, they're not going to agree with conservative principles but middle america agrees with those conservative principles. all of america is going to be agreeing with those principles as they recognize unemployment rates are going through the roof and there is going to be no increase in prosperity as a result of these policies. it can still be a big tent party. you don't say you have to agree 100% on every issue, but these are our core principles. hold up the tenth. that is what i recommend the party do. >> i am best simpson originally from the state of wyoming but i am a rising junior at the university of notre dame. i have a question along the same lines as the earlier one. when i look at the political environment today, i see it as though we are becoming more and more polarized, we face one another with these arguments and we don't get much done. how do we stand strong in our values, yet at the same time not make the other side into a monster, so remaining true to our values and ideals, at the same time respecting the human dignity of the other side, not simpl

it was middle america. it was the suburbs. we lived around.we lived in meridian when he got transferred from lockheed to mississippi. then we move to upstate new york for five or six years. also loved upstate new york and then we settled down in florida, pensacola florida where my mom side of the family was from. went to public schools for most of my -- most of my schooling. one of my best experiences was 1969, being the first class of an integrated school. my parents didn't send us to private schools. we're a lot of the white flight had gone. of course 69 was the first year that mississippi schools were integrated but it was a great experience. because my mom said she didn't want me to go to kindergarten. she kept me up, so my first grade it was 50% white, 50% black and a public school that had been the african-american school the year before so it was a great experience. i finally went to private school and high school, pensacola have catholic high school. i loved the nuns and they loved me back. they let me get away with things others would

we have a chart showing how much this would raise taxes in middle america as opposed to the east coast and west coast. it creates more bure being a sis an adds -- bureaucracy and adds more layer. why do my colleagues believe creating an energy tax is necessary? it is all rooted in fabricated global warming science. last week the administration produced another alarmist report on global warming which, of course, is nothing new. it takes the worst possible predictions of the united nations intergovernmental panel on climate change. by the way the assessment reports are not reports by scientists, they're reports by political people, policy people. and i have to also say, and -- i've said this on the floor of the senate many times before. a lot of the things that come that are not in the best interest of the united states, come from the united nations. that's where this whole thing started in the middle 1990's, it was the ipcc of the united nations where it started. it is no surprise that such a report was leased in time for the house vote on waxman-markie. what is clear, is that despite m

middle-class. -- for america's middle-class. middle-class americans and small businesses have too much at stake when it comes to their health care. the democrats emerging bill rages -- raises taxes, rations care, and puts bureaucrats in charge of medical decisions. it amounts to a government takeover of health care that will force millions of americans of their own plans and into a government sponsored plan. republicans know there is a better way. we have got better solutions to make sure that the middle-class has access to high-quality, affordable health insurance. i hope that the democrats will continue -- or begin to work with us to craft a bipartisan bill that will really address the needs that we have in our health-care system. we do not want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. >> as co-chair of the tuesday group, we're coming together with a health care reform that we will unveil on tuesday. what that bill will do is substantially reformed health insurance markets, backing employer provided care which already covers

today pushing for rough passage of a bill that is going to make health care for expensive for america's middle class. but let's be clear. washington cannot afford to repeat the same mistakes made on the stimulus, the omnibus and the budget and the bailouts. small businesses have too much at stake when it comes to their health care. it raises taxes, rations care and puts bureaucrats instead of doctors and patience in charge. it would force millions of americans off their own plans and into a government-sponsored plan. republicans know there is a better way. working with roy blunt, the chairman of our health care solutions group we've got better solutions to make sure that the middle class of america has access to high quality affordable health insurance and hope that the democrat also continue or begin to work with us to craft a bipartisan bill that will really address the needs that we have in our health care system without throwing baby out with the bathwater. >> as co-chair of the tuesday group, we are coming together with a centrist health care reform bill that will unveil on tuesday. what

he noticed that middle-class america was not being representative -- represented. their concerns were not being addressed. and they were not given the tools to achieve their dreams and aspirations. from chuck to dick gephardt, to jim jones, to john, bill, and barbara. obviously, to that great chairman and 91 who we will hear from later. i thought about the congressm from mississippi. the great leader in the senate from connecticut, joe lieberman. i thought about dave bliss here this evening. i thought about ellen and the great senator from indiana. i thought about my dear friend and vice chairman and partner in sharing -- in sharing this organization. and of course, my immediate predecessor, my friend, the great governor. for we have all been a part of something very special. mainly because of the courage and determination and tenacity of a fellow black men who is now a fellow again that you will see later, and our friend al from. tonight's dinner is special, not only for those of us in this room. what al did more for our party and the body of politics, and the mos

caller: at the heart of all america's problems in the middle east is america's creation of israel back in 1948 which was essentially an invasion of muslim territory. it has been muslim territory for 1300 years. these jewish people in europe and in north america thought there were entitled to invade palestine. to take over that territory. there has been a war ever since. host: connected to the iranian election? caller: i america does: iran just the way it did not like iraq because they are the biggest enemies of israel. host: a republican as a line from minnesota. caller: good morning, i think the president is taking the right approach. in the past america has been blamed for meddling in the affairs of other countries throughout the world. many callers yesterday work using the president of meddling in the iranian effort. since he based his foreign policy by coming into office on a general policy he would like to establish and it is unclear whether ahmadinejad will prevail or someone else will take power he cannot undermine ahmadinejad because he may have to sit down with him and negotia

a young man who noticed in 1984 and 1985 that middle-class america and the mainstream america was not being represented. their concerns are not being addressed, and there were not given the tools to achieve their dreams and aspirations. i thought back on the great leaders of this organization from chuck robb to dig gephardt to jim jones, at 2 barbara kinelly, obviously to the great chairman in 1990 and 1991 with whom we will hear from later. a thought about the congressman from mississippi. the great leader and the senate from connecticut, joe lieberman. the hon. joe long. i thought about roy romer and did mccurry who is here this evening. i thought about the great senator from indiana. i thought about my dear friend of vice chairman and partner in chairing this organization, now senator tom carver. of course, my immediate predecessor, my friend, the great gov. tom vilsack. we have all been a part of something very special because, largely, the courage and determination and tenacity of a little fellow back then who is now a little fellow again, and you'll see later, in our friend al f

a young man we noticed in 1984 and 1985 that middle class america and asian america was not being represented, their concerns were not being dressed, and they were -- addressed. i thought back on the great leaders of this organization, from chuck robb, to dick gephardt, to bruise babbitabbit. john jones. obviously to the great chairman in 1990 and 1991. i thought about the great ag secreta secretary. the great leader in the senator joe lieberman. the honor reliable joe long. i thought about the honorable roy romer. i thought about ellen tauscher and the great senator from indiana. i thought about my dear friend and vice chairman and partner in chairing this organization, the great then governor and senator now and my immediate prepared ses -- predecessor. for we have all been a part of something very special because largely if not mainly because of the courage, determination and tenacity of a little fellow back then who is now a little fellow again whom you will see later in al from. tonight's dinner is special not only for those of us in this room but for politicians and those who have benef

same thing for electricity, and you may get the same price to transmit electricity can from the middle of america to new jersey, as it would be to bring in off the coast line of new jersey, than that it's going to undermine the economics of all the projects along the east coast, because it hasn't factored in how much it costs to transmit that electricity 1500 miles of the way into the east coast market. and so the question then becomes how many new jobs have we created along the east coast of the united states if there is no incentive in the clunker for mr. izzo because he is almost bound by his obligation to the shareholders to take all of this very inexpensive but subsidize electricity coming in from the midwest? so how do we square the circle so that mr. izzo and mr. joos and others aren't disincentivize to produce renewable electricity within their own service areas? >> the people that are receiving the power, they are using the power are paying the costs. that is what it really comes down to. if you are not talking about mailing that letter from the decota is to some other region of the coun

he made very clear how anxious we are to see peace come to the middle east and how we support a two-state solution that has been america's policy in the middle east for many years. but there's a -- there's another component to that. that component is that the palestinians have to show good faith too. by showing good faith that means recognizing israel's right to exist. adhearing to prior agreements and doing other things that would demonstrate, including ending the terror and violence against israel that they are serious partners for peace. eliot, when they talk about sitting down at the peace table you need to have a partner at the peace table, particularly one that recognizes your right to exist. if your peace partner, so-called, doesn't recognize your right to exist, what are you negotiating? for your right to exist for 10 years, 20 year 30, year, when the palestinians show good faith by truly ending the terrorism, recognizing israel's right to exist, adhering to prior agreements that -- calling for peace and other measures, then the israelis can have the security they need to sit down and negotiate a two-state soluti

this new national energy tax, washington continues to grow more and more out of touch with middle class america and families in my district. i urge my colleagues to vote down the rule and oppose the underlying bill. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, how much time do we have? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida has 6 1/2 minutes remaining. and the gentleman from florida has 7 seven minutes remaining. mr. hastings: i would inquire of my friend if he has any additional speakers? mr. diaz-balart: yes. mr. hastings: i would reserve at this time and allow that you go forward. mr. diaz-balart: thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves the balance of his time. mr. diaz-balart: i yield two minutes to the distinguished gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith, is recognized for two

why does this bill neglect middle class families in america? why is it we are only going to help some people who would qualify for the earned income credit for individuals with no qualifying children? further down here it says, the secretary determines experienced a reduction in purchasing power as a result of the provisions of this act. it's a flatout admission that every american is going to pay more for all of their energy. and it goes on and on and on. ladies and gentlemen, does this give you some idea of why the american people think their congress is out of touch? the idea that the federal government can create this giant bureaucracy to try to control how much co-2 gets into the atmosphere. we know that if we were to do our all-of-the-above energy strategy, we would see renewable sources of energy on the scene available, producing jobs more quickly than under the underlying bill. we know that under our bill you can actually have nuclear energy plants being built, cleaning up the air at a much faster rate than the underlying bill. but ther

middle class families, not increasing it. yet the evidence suggests that by taking up this cap and trade bill, we are aban conning this submission. according to the m.i.t. study, the legislation before us will force america's middle class families to pay as much as $3,100 in higher prices every year. the e.p.a., meanwhile, estimates that a family of four will pay an additional $1,100 each year. the impact on jobs is equally dismal. a c.r.a. international study finds that legislation, when fully implemented, will cost america $2.-- 2.3 million to 2.7 million jobs, this at a time when hundreds of millions of workers are losing their jobs every month. in the midst of a severe recession, why contemplate a plan that amounts to a growth-killing millstone around the neck of small businesses and all american consumers. mammings, it's not the utility the oil companies and other producers who will bear the cost of this new regime. we know that the companies will pass their higher costs along to the consumers and small businesses that rely on their services this means more expensive bills for all americans on everything from electricity to heating to gasoline to groceries. we also can't forget that this national ener

rural america, low and middle families, will suffer the most under this new tax. we all want to protect our environment, but we should accomplish that there innovation and investment not by government micromanagement that undercut america's ability to compete globally. i urge all members to protect the american economy and livelihood of millions of american families and say no to this gigantic national energy tax. >> new york. >> i like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts. >> he is recognized for two minutes. >> i want to commend mr. rangel and waxman who have attempted to forge a consensus on this legislation. the bottom line to this legislation as proposed today is that it will make america less dependent on foreign oil. remember, despite what they say, there is an element on the other side of? the concepts of climate change in global warming. it is very difficult to find middle ground if they reject the science of our time. part of our job is to make some difficult decisions. this climate change bill we have before us today makes those tough

this will punish middle-class farmers and across the nation. america needs a comprehensive energy plan, not a national energy tax. local, state and federal officials have stressed the need for policies to create jobs. this cap and trade proposal will fail to do that when america needs them. we will lose jobs, manufacturers will move their plants to other countries with cheaper energy and lower taxes, hurting american workers and the environment globally. in the past years i have watched house democrats defeat every meaningful proposal for job creation that has been proposed in this chamber and we have to bring an end to that. this bill is nothing more than the economic colonization of the heartland by the coastal states like new york and california. the one thing i will tell you, it is not about energy but confiscation of wealth. vote no to protect our children's future. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from new york. mr. rangel: i would like to inquire. we have one speaker, and it would be me to co

why does this bill neglect middle-class families of america? why are we only going to help some people who qfy

a budget that didn't include a tax cut that was promised for -- yes, you guessed it, the middle class in america. and if the democrats get their way they'll be paying for a national energy tax on anyone who has the audacity to drive a car or to flip on a light switch. over and over again the people who followed the rules are being left behind by washington. are democrats going to leave the middle class behind on health care as well? the fourth coming plan from democratic leaders will make health care more expensive, limit treatments, ration care and put bureaucrats in charge of medical decisions rather than patients and doctors. that amounts to a government takeover of health care and it will hurt rather than help middle-class families across our country. the administration likes to say they can expand health care and lower costs at the same time, but i think that's just simply nonsense. you can't add millions of americans to the government health care rules and reduce costs unless government takes control of medical decisions, rations care and limits treatment, all of which will reduce quality

middle-class families, not increasing it. the evidence suggests that by taking up this cap and a trade bill, we are abandoning this fundamental mission. according to an mit study, the legislation before us will force america opposing middle- class families to pay as much as $31 million in high prices every year. the epa estimates that a family of four will eventually pay an additional average of $1,100 each year. the impact on jobs is equally dismal. an international study finds that the legislation will cost america 2.3-2.7 million jobs. this at a time where hundreds of thousands of workers are losing their jobs every month. in the midst of a severe recession, why would we even contemplate a plan that amounts to a growth killing milestone are around the neck of small businesses and all american consumers. madam speaker, it is not the utilities, oil companies, and other producers that will bear the cost of this new regime. we already know the companies will pass their higher costs along to the consumers and small businesses that rely on their services. this means more expensive bills for all americans from everything to electricity, heating, gasoline, and groceries. this energy tax come down -- it comes d

is a different approach but it uses the natural resources we have here in america to, number one, decrease dependence on middle east oil but also create great jobs in america and ensuring energy independence. i think it needs to move forward and we need to first defeat the captain and trade pact that will literally run millions of jobs out of the country and raise electricity prices. i think you will see a different contract in our approaches. host: a key component appears to be a dramatic increase in nuclear power. can you talk specifically about that? guest: it has been about 30 years cent in new nuclear facility has been built. we have about 100. our goal is to build another 100 facilities in the united states in the next 20 years. we have over 30 applications already pending. there is a very long bureaucratic process, very expensive and cost prohibitive for people to build nuclear power but it emits no carbon and it is a reliable source of energy and cheaper than many other options. most of europe has gone to nuclear power. it is a safe and reliable way to the use energy. unfortunately in this country we h

>> at the time that merrill lynch and bank of america initially announced their merger agreement in the middle of september this was before the congress had passed the t.a.r.p. law and so they had been no capital injection and no expectation of capital injection. both merrill lynch and bank of america received capital in the middle of october during the intense phase of the banking crisis. and an additional $20 billion was injected as you say on january 16th. that was based on a review of what the supervisors and the other experts at the federal reserve believed would be sufficient to reassure the market that bank of america would be stable going forward. they have used the capital to support their activities including lending and they have course are reaping the government dividends. they hope to repay these part of the t.a.r.p. in the future. >> i am sure this might be the experience in other members' offices. i represent a district in los angeles, and we get calls every day, up to ten to 30 calls a people who have gone to the bank and they are not having their bones restructured. and, i am

rule america, low and middle income families will suffer the most under this new tax. mr. speaker, we all want to protect our environment, but we should accomplish that for innovation and advancement, not by government micromanagement that undercuts america's ability to compete globally. i urge all members to protect the american economy and livelihoods of millions of american families and say no to this gigantic national energy tax. i yield back. >> the gentleman from new york? >> i would like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts, chairman neil. >> the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. >> i want to commend mr. rangel, who has attempted to forge a consensus on this legislation. the bottom line to this legislation is that it will make american less dependent on foreign oil. despite protests from our friends on the other side, there is an element on the other side that rejects the concept of climate change and global warming. it is very difficult to find middle ground there as a side that simply projects the size of our times. a part of our job in g

concern on the republican side, and i'm sure many democrats too, is the cost of living for middle-class families in america. there are many issues that come before us that deal with that. the level of our taxes, the level of tuition. if we get medicaid spending -- excuse me -- under control, states will be able to fund the states of tennessee and nebraska better. but another way to do that is to train the world. people walk into stores in america and look

america. the sneaky middle of the night move means that the administration doesn't want to publicly answer any questions on their exit strategy on gitmo. americans want, need and deserve to know exactly where these terrorists will go come next january, and we don't want them here in the united states. we don't need al qaeda recruiting and training hardened criminals in our prisons. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, nothing about coal is clean. from extraction to team contamination in appalachian, nothing, i repeat nothing about this energy source is clean. in order to extract coal from the ground, mountains are literally blasted apart, killing wildlife and animals and it causes severe health problems. over 1,200 streams in aplashea alone have been buried or contaminated because of mountain top mining. in order to prepare the coal for burning, an overamount of water is needed to clean the coal

there's a become coming out entitles myths illusions and peace, finding a new direction for america in the middle east by dennis ross, the mideast envoy who is working on iran, and david mccove ski. so i'm interested not what they have to say about the arab israeli conflict. so that's another book i will be going through. another book is by david sanger of "the new york times" entitled the inheritance, the world obama confronts and the challenges to american power. having read him for years, he is a traffic reporter and now -- a terrific reporter and has put together on what the president of the united states has basically inherited. he has been on my show, he is smart and i think this is going to be an important book. finally, the one fiction that i want to read this summer, i hope to read others but want to read the new book, a mad desire to dance. because he is such a terrific writer and what he writes is so important. i was really moved by what he said a few weeks ago when he spoke openly about having lost his foundation, so much money in the bernard madoff uproar, fiasco. he was so smart and

>> guest: the caller purports to know what the middle-class and working-class america want. i think he is mistaken. again i repeat 80 percent of the american people say their health care is either either good or excellent. second, there you hear a fundamental divide in the caller between his point of view and mine and that is that everything that is desired is not just desirable, it is a right. it is an entitlement. health care is a right. well, a right is an enforceable plan and, as a matter of fact, it is in a right in this country. housing is important, it is not a right and it seems to me that we should probably avoid casting every policy choice in this country as a right because this kind of right talk makes it very difficult to split differences. >> host: ohio for george will, we have six minutes left. >> caller: good morning c-span and mr. will. a first of all abc in the white house, there will be no money that will come out -- c-span news to talk about dick durbin and can i disagree with you on iran and north korea. i believe iran is more dangerous than north korea.

book coming out this summer entitled myths, listens and peace, fighting in a direction for america in the middle east by dennis ross, a longtime special middle east envoy who is now working in the obama administration on iran among other subjects and david wyss is a fellow at the washington institute. david and i go way back and used to work with me so i'm interested in what these two guys have to say about the arab-israeli conflict since both of them either worker covered so long so that is another book i will be going through. another book is by david shanker of "the new york times" untitled, the inheritance: to the world obama confronts and the challenges to american power. having read him for years in "the new york times" i know what a terrific reporter he is. he has now put together was really an important book on what the president of the united states has basically inherited. he has been on my show, he is smart and i think this is going to be an important book i will learn something reading from. finally the one fiction piece of fiction that i want to read this summer i hope to read and s

book coming out this summer entitled myths, illusions and peace: finding a new direction for america in the middle east by dennis ross who's now working in the obama administration on iran among other subjects and david m makovsky. i go way back with david, he used to work with me, so i'm really interested in what these two guys have to say about the arab/israeli conflict since both of them have either worked or covered it so, so long. another book is by david sanger of the new york times entitled the inheritance, the world obama confronts and the challenges to american power. having read him for years in "the new york times," i know what a terrific reporter he is, and he's put together what's really an important book on what the president of the united states has basically inherited. he's been on my show, he's smart, and i think this is going to be an important book, i'll learn something reading this book. and finally, the one, the one fiction, piece of fiction that i want to read this summer -- i hope to read some others, but i definitely want to read elie e wiesel's a mad desire to dance. i was

it was just a middle-aged couple driving across america in a heat wave. and just as they received no secret service protection, ex-presidents back then also received no pensions. harry and bess truman were on a fixed income so as a result, they were frugal travelers. one night they stayed in a cheap motel. another night in indianapolis. they crashed with friends. they took most of their meals at roadside diners as my exhaustive research has revealed they were partial to fruit plates and iced tea. bess seemed to enjoy cantaloupe. never before and never since has a former president and first lady mingled so casually with their fellow citizens. it was a road trip unlike any other in american history. i've written a book about it. i happen to think it's a pretty good book. you can decide for yourselves. before i tell you more about the trip let me tell you a little bit about myself and how i came to know the story. in college i majored in folk-lore. yeah, you may be surprised to learn that folk-lore is not a lucrative profession. [laughter] >> so shortly afte

america. in the middle of a recession when we have 9 percent unemployment and automobile businesses are having a difficult time and are spotlighting defective worldwide competition we give you an example. tennessee is in idle state and a third of our jobs are on jobs. every one of those suppliers is sitting there watching costs. and just a little bit to the cost of making it part to a car in tennessee and it increases the want the chance that that will be in mexico or in germany or japan where summer else. we have already seen with the legacy costs for health care did to detroit. they say it was a major things of this is no time to be adding a health-care cost to employers in america who want to try to compete in the world marketplace. so that is why reluctantly say that any version of this bill the matter how much i admire and appreciate the hard work of the staff will explode in the complexity and astronomical spending and never succeeded. there is a better way to deal with this. instead of stuffing low income americans into one failing government program medicaid, and creating another gover

middle september this was before congress passed the t.a.r.p. law so there had been no capital injection or expectation of injection. both merrill lynch and bank of america received capital in the middle of october during the intense phase of the banking crisis. an additional $20 billion was injected as you say january 16, that was based on a review of what the supervisors and the other experts of the federal reserve believed would be sufficient to reassure the market that bank of america would be stable going forward, they have used that capital to support their activities including lending, and they of course are repaying the government dividends. they hope to repay at least part of the t.a.r.p. in the future. >> i am sure this might be the experience in other members' offices. i represent a district out in los angeles and we get calls every day, up to 10 to 30 calls, people who have gone to the bank and they're not having their loans restructured and i am very curious about where that money went when it went into the system. it's like trying to unscramble eggs but i know that the consumers and owners of property are not being assisted with refining th

creating a greater dependence on middle eastern oil at a time when we need to be creating a national energy policy that uses our national resources to create good jobs here in america to fund and bridge us into those alternative sources of energy like wind, like solar, like nuclear power, so that we can truly reduce our dependence on middle eastern oil and give those young children an opportunity to have good jobs here in america using american natural resources to propel them. . we have a bill that takes in all of the above approach, actually utilizes american natural resources, our oil, our natural gas, their -- there are estimates that we've got almost 100 years of natural gas reserves here in this country. in fact in louisiana the largest natural gas find in the history of our country occurred just three years ago. i know one of my colleagues will be talking about that. we've got the ability here in our country to secure our energy independence. we've got legislation we filed that would help us secure that energy independence. they won't allow us a hearing on this bill because they are promoting this cap and trade energy tax. a tax on energy that again as we ta

in short, america has been a steadfast and reliable security partner for our friends in the gulf and middle east for a long time, and will continue to be. today's -- today's environment in the gulf poses new dilemmas and opportunities to expand national borders. iran nuclear missile program, a terrorist networks, militias and criminal groups, iraq and improved security situation, injuring need to protect the free flow of trade and vital resources and the security situation in afghanistan and pakistan. this also has implications in te east. this covers a wide range of matters, from trade and infrastructure to counter terrorism and regional stability. for a few minutes i want to focus in particular on missile, air time surveillance and defense. we have made good progress in this area over the past two years. several council nations are acquiring or expressed interest in shared early morning. real-time information on air attacks that would allow maximum time for nations to defend themselves. all tcc countries who have expressed this desire for systems this demonstrates their commitments to reg

believe it or not latin america compared to other parts of the world has been doing better than africa or israel-palestine, you know, the middle east, southwest asia, pakistan, central asia. so latin america has been relatively well off. second, the latin americans -- the lathan leaders do not help themselves in relations with the united states. when you have leaders of -- freely elected and democratic governments like chile, for example, going to havana to kiss the ring of fidel castro because that's basically what they were doing, it doesn't elevate the president of chile to the level of fidel castro. it lower them to the level of fidel castro. it helps fidel castro. or when you have a summit meeting like in brazil not too long ago where all these presidents of latin america get together and all they do is criticize the united states. that's all they did. they were lucky, frankly, that this received zero coverage in the u.s. media because if it had been covered, it would have just added to this bad image that latin america has in this country. so when latin americans why don't we get more attention from the united states, li

but in the middle of that, all of these issues that we're required to address in order to put america on a better course towards a better future in. the middle of all of, that this piece of legislation, the travel promotion act of 2009, might be one small glimmer, just one small bit of hope for more bipartisanship rather than less. because this piece of legislation is so persuasive about the interests of this country that we have republicans and democrats who have come together to say let's do this, let's do this in the interest of this country's economic future. mr. president, i yield the flo floor. and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. roberts: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. roberts: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. roberts: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that i may proceed for approximately 16 minutes as if in morning business. the presiding office

the exporting of terrorism all over the middle east, all over the world. asia, africa, latin america, the united states. we have seen terrible persecution of followers of jesus christ and now the constant talk of the coming of the islamic messiah. this is exactly what the bible foretold 2,000 years ago. jesus said in luke chapter 21 that in the last days, quote, you will hear of wars and revolutions. he said, do not be frightened. these things must happen first for the end will not come right away. matthew 24, jesus said you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars in the last days. he warned of terrible persecution. he warned of rampant lawlessness. he warned of the rise of false prophets and false messiahs. and 2000 years after he said it, 30 years ago we began to see this islamic revolution explode onto the pages of our newspapers and coming to our homes and our country in a very real and dramatic and dangerous way. what's more, bible prophesy tell us specifically that percent of ezekiel chapter 38 and 39 the hebrew prophet ezekiel writing 2500 years ago writes of a day when rus

america's success. it's what helped build the middle-class and sustained it throughout the 20th century, and it's a source of deep pride for the generations of american workers whose hard work and imagination led to some of the finest cars the world has ever known. it's a pillar of our economy that has held up the dreams of millions of our people. these companies and the industry must stand on their own, not at words of the state." so, to conclude, the government's move is aimed at providing stability for the automobile industry and for american workers across our great nation in these uncertain economic times. our science of th sense-of-the-e resolution affirms that the taxpayer should be protected and the government should get out of the auto business as soon as possible. through this resolution the senate leaves no question about the government's future role in the u.s. auto industry. thank you. i yield the floor. i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call:

middle class conversation to people who are actually struggling. not like oh, i cannot go on vacation. that, to for us to say "we need america back" when some people have never had any first place -- soap opera-middle-class language, which it sold middle class language. -- so upper-middle-class language. those that just do not do what we do now. [applause] >> yes, i think one of the dangers, and this has been a danger of our world here in the progress of community is that we can win without winning without anybody. and who will win, and who wins first, and seconds, and third, and forth, -- and second and third and fourth, are we after certain candidates winning and maintaining control, or are we after empowering people? i think there is been a longstanding problem there. this is one of the reasons why i think obama is great, is that there are folks who feel that they have a state who did not feel they had a state, and there are folks who are speaking up themselves, and part of what i do is trying to get these marginalized voices in the conversation. the progress of world on some level wants to be welcoming and didn't some wa

middle east. president obama is no different. he pledged america will continue to be present and engaged in this part of the world to protect our enduring interests and those of our allies and partners. as we look ahead lacasa pledge to keep these efforts strong and make them even stronger. to cast aside old animosities and work together and friendship forging ever closer ties between your militaries and u.s. central command and with each other. all of this will bring in better brighter future for all of our people. thank you very much. [applause] >>> now a senate hearing on high-speed rail. a federal stimulus bill includes $8 billion for states to build high-speed rail lines. in this hearing we will hear from pennsylvania governor ed rendell and the texas high-speed project. additional witnesses include the heads of the federal railroad administration and amtrak. this hearing, chaired by senator lautenberg of new jersey, is just under two hours. [inaudible conversations] >> we could do several things. often at the events meant to be full day just

how i got to where i did on trade and i told him, for blue-collar ohio and america, manufacturing is the ticket to the middlelass. it is the opportunity they need and we have to keep our focus on manufacturing. these trade agreements have done coupled with what we do with the imf and enforcing poor countries to cut back on education, it has made the poor country's poor. they have done well because they practice trade according to the national interest. >> why is he interested? >> he knows i have been interested in trade issues and we talked about it during the campaign. he wants to work with me on trade and manufacturing. >> i wonder if he give you indication he might be pushing forward. >> no indication nor did i ask. >> what is your attitude about pay or play? a system that provide some means of taxation on the individual or the individual's employer to get them into the system. is this something this country needs to adopt? >> we did not discuss that. this is my opinion. we have got to find some way that employers are playing this. either the insured -- we cannot have a health care system where all the bu