[applause] >> we'd take you to -- right now, president obama will give an update on the situation in missouri.erguson, i've been following closely. our ongoing operations in iraq, and the situation in ferguson, missouri. with respect to iraq, we continue to see important progress across different parts of our strategy to support iraqi government and combat a threat from the terrorist group isil. first, our military operations are effectively protecting our personnel in iraq. they have successfully pushed back the terrorist's. meanwhile, we have provided arms and assistance to iraqi forces, it -- including the kurdish fighters on the front lines. today, with our support to my -- the iraqi and kurdish forces took a major step forward by recapturing the largest dam in iraq near the city of mosul. it fell under terrorist control earlier month and is vital to our objective of protecting americans in iraq. if that dam was breached to make could have proven catastrophic with floods that would've threatened the lives of thousands of civilians, and endanger our embassy compound in baghdad. iraqi and kurdish leaders were on the ground and performed with courage and determination. this demonstrates that iraqi and kurdish forces are capable of working together in taking the fight to isil. if they continue to do so, they will have a strong support of the united states of america. second, we are working to build an international coalition to address the humanitarian crisis in northern iraq. even as we help thousands of atidis escape the violence mount sinjar, many more are still at risk. we will work with the iraqi government, as well as partners like the united kingdom, canada, france italy, and australia, to , get food and water to people in need and to bring long-term relief to people who have been driven from their homes. third, we will continue to pursue a long-term strategy to turn the tide against isil by working with the iraqi government and with key partners in the region and beyond. we have a new prime minister designate there, haider al-abadi, and the outgoing prime minister maliki agreed to step down. this peaceful transition is a milestone in iraq's political development. but, as i think we are all aware, the work is not yet done. for the next few weeks, dr. abadi needs to complete a broad-based plan for the iraqi government, one that addresses the interests of all iraqis. without that, outsiders will continue to trade upon iraqi -- prey upon iraqis through division. with that new government in be able tois will defend the country from the , and they canil look forward to increased support not just from the united states, but other countries in the region and around the world. let's remember, isil poses a threat to all iraqis and the entire region. they say -- they claim to represent sunni grievances, but they slaughter sunni men, women, and children. they claim to oppose armed forces, but they after -- they claim to oppose foreign forces, but they actively recruit foreign fighters to promote their hateful ideology. the iraqi people need to reject them and push them out of the lands they have occupied, as we are seeing at mosul dam. this will take sometime and there will be challenges ahead, but have no doubt that the united nations will continue to carry out the limited missions that have been authorized. protecting our personnel and facilities both those in iraq , and erbil, and baghdad, and providing humanitarian assistance as we did on mount sinjar. coordinated closely and we will do in the weeks to come. when it comes to the security of our people and our efforts, we need to be united in our result. -- resolve. i also want to address the situation in ferguson, missouri. earlier this afternoon to my spoke with governor nixon as well as senators blunt and claire mccaskill. i also met with attorney general eric holder. the justice department has opened an independent, federal, investigation into the death of michael brown. they're on the ground and along with the fbi, they are devoting substantial resources to that investigation. the attorney general himself will be traveling to ferguson on wednesday to meet with the fbi agents and doj personnel conducting the criminal investigation. and he will receive an update from them on their progress. he will also be meeting with other leaders in the community, whose support is so critical in bringing about peace and calm in ferguson. ronald davis, the director of office of community ordinance policing service or cops is working with those on the ground. and we have been working in ferguson since the day after the shooting to reduce tensions and increase communication. let me close in saying a few words about the tensions there. we have all seen images of law enforcement in the street. it is clear that the vast majority of people are peacefully protesting. what is also clear is a small minority of individuals are not. i understand the passions and the anger that arise over the death of michael brown. giving into that anger by looting, carrying guns, or even attacking the police, only serves to raise tensions and stir up chaos. it undermines rather than advancing justice. let me also be clear that our constitutional rights to speak freely, assemble, and to her -- report in the press must be vigilantly safeguarded -- and to report in the press must be vigilantly safeguarded. especially in moments like these. there is no excuse for excessive force by the police or any action that denies people the right to protest peacefully. ours is a nation of laws. the citizens who live under them and for those who enforce them. ferguson is a community that is rightly hurting and looking for answers. let me call once again for us to seek some understanding, rather than simply holler at each other. let's seek to heal rather than to wound each other. as americans, we've got to use this moment to seek out our fair share of humanity that has been laid bare by this moment. the potential of a young man, and the sorrows of parents, the frustration of a community, the ideals that we hold as one united american family. i've said this before into many -- i've said this before. in too many communities around the country, a gulf of mistrust exists between local residents and law enforcement. communities too many , young men of color are left behind to be seen as only objects of fear. i am personally committed to changing both perception and reality. and already, we are making significant progress as people of goodwell of all races are goodwill of all races are ready to chip in. but that requires that we build and not tear down. it requires we listen and not just shout. that is how we are going to move forward together. by trying to unite each other and understand each other and not simply divide ourselves from one another. we will have to hold tight to those values in the days ahead. that is how we bring about justice. that is how we bring about peace. with that, i've got a few questions i'm going to take. i will start with jim. >> the incident in ferguson has led to a discussion about whether it is proper to militarize the nation's police forces. i'm wondering if you see that as a factor regarding the police response in ferguson. and also, do you agree with the decision by the governor to send in the national guard? >> well, i think one of the great things about the united states has been our ability to maintain a distinction between our military and domestic law enforcement. that helps preserve our civil liberties. that helps ensure that the military is accountable to civilian direction. and that has to be preserved. after 9/11, i think understandably, a lot of folks saw local communities that were ill-equipped for potential catastrophic terrorist attack. and i think people in congress decided that we got to make sure that we get proper equipment to deal with the threats that historically would not arise in local communities. and some of that has been useful. some law enforcement did not have radios that they could operate effectively in the midst of a disaster. some communities needed to be prepared if, in fact, there was a chemical attack and it was -- they did not have hazmat suits. having said that, think it is probably useful for us to review how the funding has gone, how local law enforcement has used grant dollars to make sure that what they are purchasing is stuff that they actually need. because there is a big difference between our military and local law enforcement, and we don't want the lines blurred. that would be contrary to our traditions. i think there will be some bipartisan interest in reading -- re-examining some of those programs. with regard to the national guard, this is under the charge of the governor. this is not something we initiated at the federal level. i spoke to jay nixon about this. i expressed an interest in making sure that if, in fact, a national guard is used to made -- is used, it is used in a limited and appropriate way. he described this up for role -- the support role that they will be dividing to, -- that that they will be a scrubbing -- they will be providing to local law enforcement and i will , be watching over the next several days. >> how long do you think it will contain isil? >> i have been firm from the start that we are not reintroducing thousands of u.s. troops back on the ground to engage in combat. we are not the iraqi military. we are not even the iraqi air force. i am the commander-in-chief of the united states armed forces. and iraq is going to have to ultimately provide for its own security. on the other hand, we've got a national security interest in making sure our people are protected and making sure that a savage group that seems willing to slaughter people for no rhyme or reason other than the fact that they have not kowtowed to them -- that a group like that needs to be contained, because ultimately, they pose a threat to us. my goal is to make sure, number one, we've got a viable partner. that is why we have so consistently emphasized the need for a government formation process that is inclusive, that is credible, legitimate, and that can appeal to sunnis as well as shiites and kurds. we have made significant progress on that front, but we are not there yet. i told my national security team today and i will say publicly that we want to continue to communicate to politicians of all stripes in iraq -- don't think that because we have engaged in airstrikes to protect our people that now is the time to let the foot off the gas and return to the same kind of dysfunction that has so weakened the country generally. dr. abadi has said the right things. i was impressed with his -- with the conversation i had with him about an inclusive government. but they've got to do this. because the wolf is at the door and in order to be credible with the iraqi people, they will have to put behind some old practices and create a credible united government. when we see a credible iraqi government, we are then in the position to engage in planning not just with the iraqi government, but also the regional actors, the folks be on -- beyond the middle east, so we can draft a kind of joint strategy, joint counterterrorism strategy that i discussed at west point some years ago at the national defense college. our goal is to have partners on the ground. if we have effective partners on the ground, mission creep is much less likely. mission creep happens typically when we start deciding that we are the ones that have to do it all ourselves. and because of the excellence of our military, that can work for a time. we learned that in iraq. but it is not sustainable. it's not lasting. and so i've been very firm about , this precisely because our goal here has to be to be able to build up our structure not just in iraq, but regionally, that can be maintained. and that does not involve us effectively trying to govern or impose our military will in a country that is hostile to us. >> [indiscernible] >> i don't think, steve, at this point i'm prepared to provide a blanket answer to that. a lot of it depends on how effectively the iraqi government comes together. i think you will see, if, in fact, that government process moves rapidly and credibly, that there will be a lot of actors in the region and around the world that are prepared to help and step up assistance, many of whom may have been reticent in the last several years because the perception was, at least, that baghdad was not being inclusive and was going to be self-defeating to put more resources into it. i think you will see a lot of folks step up. suddenly now, iraq will have a variety of partners. and with more folks unified around the effort, it is something that can be accomplished. it also means there is a prospect of sunni tribes who are ts in the areanc isil now controls saying, now we have options. we would rather work with a central government that appears to understand our grievances and is prepared to meet them, rather than to deal with individuals who do not seem to have any values beyond death and destruction. i'm going to take the last question from somebody who after 41 years, i understand has decided to retire. anne compton, everybody here knows, is not only the consummate professional, but is also a pleasure to get to know. i was proud to be able to hug her grandbaby recently. and i suspect that may have something to do with her decision. but i want to say publicly, anne, we're going to miss you and we are very proud of the extraordinary career and work that you have done, and we hope you are not a stranger around here. [applause] anne compton. [applause] i suspect you may get some cake at some point. >> [laughs] let me ask you -- this is an interesting time in your presidency. one of the things you have emphasized in the past few months, the last year or so, is this reach out to my brothers keeper, and to a generation does not feel like it has much. sending the attorney general to ferguson is a place. has anyone asked you to have you considered going your self? is there more you can do not just for ferguson, but for communities that might also feel that kind of tension and see it init rocked -- see it erupt the way it has in ferguson? >> we have seen this around the country. this is not something new. it is always tragic when it involves the death of someone so young. i have to be very careful about not prejudging these events before investigations are completed. because although these are issues of local jurisdiction, the doj works for me. and when they are conducting an investigation, i've got to make sure that i don't look like i'm putting my thumb on the scales one way or the other. it's hard for me to address a specific case beyond making sure it's conducted in a way that is transparent, where there is accountability, where people can trust the process, hoping that as a consequence of a fair and just process, you end up with a fair and just outcome. but as i think i think i've said on some past occasions, part of the ongoing challenge of perfecting our union has involved dealing with committees that feel left behind. who, as a consequence of tragic histories, often find themselves isolated, often find themselves without hope, without economic prospects. you have young men of color in many communities who are more likely to end up in jail or in the criminal justice system than they are in a good job during college. -- or in college. part of my job that i think i can do without any potential conflicts is to get at those root causes. now, that's a big project. it's one that we have been trying to carry out now for a couple of centuries. and we've made extraordinary progress, but not enough progress. the idea behind something like "my brother's keeper" is, can we work with cities and communities, and clergy, and parents, and young people themselves all across the country, and school superintendents, businesses, corporations, and can we find models that work that movies john madden on to a better track -- move these young men onto a better track? part of that process is also looking at the criminal justice system to make sure that it is upholding the basic principle of everybody is equal before the law. one of the things that we have looked at during the course of investigating where we can make a difference is there are patterns that start early. young african-american and hispanic boys tend to get suspended from school. at much higher rates than other kids. even when they are in elementary school. they tend to have much more frequent interactions with the criminal justice system at an earlier age. sentencing may be different. how trials are conducted may be different. one of the things that we have done is to include the department of justice in this conversation under the banner of "my brother's keeper" to see where we can start working with local communities to inculcate more trust, more confidence in the criminal justice system. and i want to be clear about this, because sometimes i think there is confusion around these issues. and this dates back for decades. there are young black men that commit crimes. and we can argue about why that happens -- because of the poverty they were born into and lack of opportunity, or school systems that fail them and what have you, but if they commit a crime they need to be prosecuted. because every community has an interest in public safety. if you go into the latino community or the african-american community, some of the folks that are most intent on making sure that criminals are dealt with are the people who have been preyed upon by them. this is not an argument that there is a real crime out there and that -- that there is no real crime out there and that law enforcement does not have a difficult job. they have to be honored and respected for the danger and difficulty of law enforcement. but what is also true is that given the history of this makery, where we can progress in building up more confidence that our justice system is acutely aware of the possibility of disparities and treatment, and that there are safeguards in place to avoid those disparities. where training and assistance is provided to local law enforcement, who may just need more information in order to avoid a potential disparity. all of those things can make a difference. one of the things that i was most proud of in the state legislature way back when i had no gray hair and none of you could pronounce my name, was i had passed legislation requiring videotaping of interrogations and confessions. and i passed legislation dealing with racial profiling in illinois. in both cases, we work with local law enforcement and the argument was, you can do a better job as a law enforcement official if you have built up credibility and trust. and there are some basic things that can be done to promote that kind of trust. in some cases, it's just a lack of information. we want to make sure we get that information to law enforcement. there are things that can be done to improve the situation. but short-term, obviously, right now, what we have to do is make sure that the cause of justice and fair administration of the law is being brought to bear in ferguson. in order to do that, we have got to make sure we are able to distinguish between peaceful protesters, who may have some legitimate grievances, and they may be long-standing grievances, and those who are using this tragic death as an excuse to engage in criminal behavior and tossing molotov cocktails, or looting stores. that is a small minority of folks, and they may not even be residents of ferguson. but they are damaging the cause, not advancing it. thank you very much, everybody. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> on the next washington journal, a look at how the obama administration has been handling events in the middle east and ferguson, missouri with dan berman. after that, we continue our weeklong discussion of resident lyndon johnson's great society with patricia does stacy harrison. she will talk about the public broadcasting act signed by president johnson in the 1960's. then a discussion with tom scully about the creation of medicare under lbj. as always we will take your phone calls and look for your comments on facebook and twitter, starting at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. c-span presents debates on what makes america great, evolution, and genetically modified foods, issues spotlight with in-depth looks at veteran health care, student loan debt, campus sexual assault. new perspectives including global warming, voting rights, fighting infectious disease. and our history tour showing the sights and sounds from america's historic places. find our tv schedule one week in advance at www.c-span.org. about know what you think the programs you are watching. call us or e-mail us at comments@cspan.org. join the conversation. like us on facebook. follow us on twitter. >> reconstruction of gaza will be a priority once a cease-fire is agreed to between hamas and israel. we will also hear from the israeli ambassador to the united nations. >> these 7000 hundred 34 -- the 7234thpound -- the meeting of the security council is convened. in accordance with the council ames and procedure, i honored to welcome the representative of the secretary-general to participate in this meeting. it is so decided. the security council will now begin consideration of item two of the agenda. you, mr. president. we meet today against the backdrop of the region with severe tensions and severe political state in iraq, as well as the recent attacks from serious against lebanese armed forces and internal security forces in the lebanese town. given the security council has already. already been ceased of these very serious violations with the the 15th august of solution 2170 on countering the threats of isil and anf. and the express statement of august 4 on lebanon, i would like to focus my briefing on the situation in israel and palestine with an emphasis on gaza. as we meet the temporary cease-fire is holding. now on the fifth and last day of the extension with israel, israeli and palestinian delegations meeting separately with egyptian authorities in a crucial effort to break the deadlock of violation. -- deadlock of violence and retaliation. i recently traveled to cairo in support of these important talks, and the secretary-general to engage with the parties and stakeholders to end the violence and reach a durable cease-fire. and the hopes of the people in israel for sustainable security rests on those talks. we call on the delegations to live up to the responsibility. by the deadline later today, midnight cairo time, we urge the parties to reach an understanding on the durable cease-fire that also addresses the underlying issues afflicting gaza or make substantial progress towards it. at the very least we hope the cease-fire will be extended and the situation remains quiet. we all shared a relief that no blood is being set up a moment. -- shed at the moment. we also regret it has taken too much time and too many lives to achieve the goals. the third major escalation in gaza in six years is appalling. almost 2000 palestinians have 459 areled, of whom children and 239 are women. it includes more than two thirds civilians. some 10,000 palestinians, roughly a third of them have been children, have been injured. 64 soldiers, two israeli civilians have reportedly been killed. a few dozen israelis have been indirectly injured by rockets or shrapnel. in the face of this devastation and loss of life, the united nations has mobilized every effort, including the personal engagement of the secretary general and working closely with international stakeholders, to end the violence. we did not relent, despite setbacks, because the loss of civilian life was so unbearable. on two occasions we were successful. on 17th july and 26 to july. the temporary cease-fire that currently prevails has provided reprieve for the past eight days and will like to commend the government of egypt for brokering it. it is essential to allow the -- that the guns remain silent to allow civilians to resume the necessities of daily lives and allow for recovery efforts, addressing the many needs of the people in gaza such as urgent repairs of water and electricity networks and finding more viable shelter for those displaced were not able to return to historic -- their homes. mr. president, it remains my conviction that we must not leave gaza in the condition it was in before the latest escalation. otherwise the restrictions will continue to fuel instability under development and conflict. -- instability, underdevelopment, and conflict. i am afraid the next escalation will be just a measure of time. as i talk to general assembly recently from cairo, the basic equation must consist of ending the blockade on gaza and addressing legitimate concert -- security concerns. this has become more urgent given the impressive amount of -- unprecedented amounts of destruction, brought up on the strip and corresponding unprecedented level of the reconstruction needs have not yet been completed at there are -- but there are indications the volume of construction will be about three times needed after the so-called consulate in 2000 -- 2009. approximately 16,800 housing units have been destroyed or severely damaged, affecting 100 thousand palestinians. reconstruction is the main priority, while exports and transfers are crucial to help the economy get back on its feet. construction materials will not -- must be allowed into this effect. their access to gaza must be facilitated in such a way that fulfills israel's security concerns. the united nations stands ready to lend its support in this regard. for years the u.n. has been importing construction materials. this comprises robust measures to monitor the exclusive civilian use of materials entering under the mechanism. this attempt -- system has worked to prevent destruction of materials, allow successful implementation of crucial projects and build trust. reconstruction of the magnitude which is now needed can only be involved with the palestinian authority and private sector in gaza, meaning larger quantities of materials are required to enter gaza. we stand ready to explore with relevant stakeholders how the u.n.'s mechanism can be expanded to monitor the reconstruction program in gaza. mr. president, the engagement of the donor community will be indispensable to help gaza back on its feet. we support today's announcement by norway and egypt to host the conference once a durable cease-fire is in place and adequate access conditions have been established. i am heartened the government of national consensus is resolved to spearhead the construction -- the reconstruction for gaza. as part of assuming its rightful responsibilities as the legitimate government of palestine, the government and corporation with the united nations and other international partners, last week i met with the deputy prime minister in gaza. i discussed with the deputy prime minister and cabinet ministers the way forward. he assured me the government national consensus is committed to addressing the urgent challenge of government, reconstruction and security. as part of bringing gaza back as part of one palestinian government. i reiterate the appeal i made last week and gaza. i call on all to rally behind the government of national consensus and empower it to take charge and affect transformative -- effect the transformative change that gaza so badly needs. right now gaza urgently needs houses, hospitals and schools, not rockets, tunnels in -- and conflict. we expect hamas and all of the factions to act responsibly and -- in this regard and refrain from actions that run counter to the agenda. president, we have been extremely troubled during the escalation by breaches of environment ability. on three occasions there was a direct hit on schools that were being used at the time with full knowledge of the parties hostilities as shelters for gazans live look their home to seek safety. a total of 38 people were killed in those three incidents and 317 were injured. 11 iraqi colleagues were killed in the line of duty. others have been paying the ultimate price for their heroic efforts trying to alleviate suffering for which we honor their memory. on the 29th of july the gaza branch of my own office was hit by a number of projectiles which caused damage to the main building. on three occasions rockets were found in schools vacant at the time. these incidents are intolerable, and they were an example of the disrespect for international law the safeguards u.n. installations and staff and protects civilians. the secretary-general has called for a thorough investigation into the incident. it is not yet clear what kind of cease-fire understanding will emerge from the talks and whether it will be reached by the fast approaching deadline. that said, in any case we believe a sustainable solution must address the issue of governance, reconstruction and security in the context of the return of one legitimate palestinian authority to gaza which will undertake institutional restructuring, including of the security sector and we should also -- should also gradually include the exclusive control of the use of force through the palestinian security forces to border crossings and throughout gaza. none of this will be easy but we see no other way to change it in gaza. as needed and incorporation with other partners, the united nations will support the consensus in the tasks, taking advantage of our presence on the ground. we are ready to take on the role -- provided we are resourced and mandated accordingly and underline the importance of international monetary agreement in support of cease-fire understandings. i trust the council will consider taking whatever action needed in support of a durable cease-fire at the appropriate time. the flareup in gaza has been accompanied by increased tensions and violence in the west bank. since the 23rd of july demonstrations took place across the west bank, including in jerusalem almost on a daily basis, especially around checkpoints and refugee points, often resulting in clashes with israeli security forces. the most significant took place on the 24th of july during the holiest night of ramadan when palestinians, including officials, marched on jerusalem. a total of 17 palestinians were killed, including two children and some 1400 injured. israeli security forces conducted almost 300 search and arrest operation, arresting 620 -- 623 palestinians. 17 israeli security forces were injured. settler attacks resulted in 19 killed and 12 other injures. 12 settlers were injured by palestinians. on august 4, an excavator driven by a palestinian ran over and killed an israeli pedestrian and then turned over a bus, injuring five israelis. a palestinian was shot dead i -- by police on the scene. the same day an unknown motorcyclist shot and killed a idf soldier in jerusalem. mr. president, last but not least, we must not lose sight of the bigger picture. the increasingly restless situation in the west bank, together with the gaza crisis should be a bleak warning to all concerned what the future will bring if we do not reverse the negative trend. towards a one state reality which is now on the parties' doorstep. the state of permanent conflict and restlessness must be halted at once. the conflict and occupation that began in 1967 must be ended. the two state solution is the only viable scenario in this regard and we must urgently recall all and support both parties to return to meaningful negotiation talks. thank you. >> i thank mr. surrey for his briefing and now invite the council to continue on the discussion. the meeting is adjourned. >> now we will hear from the israeli ambassador to the united nations. >> ladies, gentlemen, first of all, thank you. i would like to start by saying i agree, for once, with the special envoy of the united nations saying we need more schools and hospitals and gaza than rockets and terror tunnels. ladies and gentlemen, in recent weeks, you heard the words "disproportionate" used over and over again. the word is used so often and incorrectly i can only assume people do not know what it means. perhaps i can clear up the confusion by defining it. having orionate -- showing a difference that is not fair, reasonable, or expect did. -- expected. now that we understand what it means, i can tell you the only thing that is disproportionate are the accusations being made against israel. have you ever wondered where the u.n. gets its casualty figures from? i will tell you where. from hamas. let me be clear. israel regards every civilian casualty as a tragedy. but let's be honest about what is going on. peopleurposely puts its in harms way as part of a propaganda war. and yet the u.n. is quoting numbers provided by the same terror group. i have here a page of the hamas combat manual on urban warfare sounding gaza. each and everyone of you will receive it in a second. it specifically calls on terrorists to use civilians as human shields as a combat strategy. hamas evening uses the human shield strategy to eliminate political enemies. it would shoot fox on members and a leg to prevent them from leaving their homes. this way they were able to get rid of their enemies and raise the casualty count. ah members are being murdered by hamas, our good colleague, the palestinian delegate, cannot muster a words of condemnation. i did not hear him say a word of condemnation about what hamas has done in gaza. another example of the way in theh hamas obscures casualty count comes from the ministry of the interior. it publishes ad lines forbidding people from posting pictures, names, or information on terrorist fighters. this allows hamas to claim every terrorist killed was a civilian, and the u.n. seems happy to go along with this exception. u.n. biasmes to the against israel, this is just the tip of the iceberg. is an outspoken critic of israel. this is the understatement of the day. william shotts to leave the gaza inquiry. this makes as much sense as choosing count dracula to lead the blood bank. ladies and gentlemen, the bias goes deeper. just think to yourselves, ok -- media outlets. have you ever seen on media, on footage, not after, but during events? have you ever seen a launch of a missile from gaza taken with so many tv cameras? well, you know, you can miss 100, you can miss 500, you can miss 1000. but missing 3500 missiles launched wrong gaza, never taken once in one camera? that is a surprise. why? because hamas did not allow those pictures to be taken. now you hear more and more stories. people coming out from different outlets. i could go on. the bias goes deeper. on three separate occasions, hamas rockets in schools. is this reasonable? hamas rockets in schools? least one instance, the rockets found were handed back to hamas? is that reasonable? or acceptable? time and again, israel warned of the schools were being used to incitement,sraeli shed be terrorists, and storing large rockets. surprise, surprise, the french reporter who recently left gaza released a video showing how rockets were launched steps from a u.n. building. that is on record. according to newly released figures from the idf, 30 rockets were shot from you and facilities, 248 were shot from schools, and 331 were shot from mosques. u.n. bias gentlemen, and accusations against israel will not help promote a lasting cease-fire. they will not promote the rehabilitation of the gaza strip. they will not he can hamas. it takes courage to stand up and speak the truth. in short supply in this institution. the security council recently condemned isis and boko haram, groups that share the same radical hardline strategy and ideology as hamas. when will this institution find the time also to condemn hamas and designated as a terrorist organization? ladies and gentlemen, hamas has been able to get away with its the support and sponsorship it receives from qatar. wants to appear progressive. he and his family have gone on an international shopping spree, buying the campuses of six american universities, the department store in london, and a football club. as the world's richest country, qatar has shown it controls the it can buy, brad, or bully its way to -- it can buy, bribe, or bully its way to owning anything including be 2022 world cup. has also funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to hamas which has enabled en masse to build terror tunnels and purchased thousands of rockets thisiran, instead of using money for schools, hospitals, kindergarten, and everything that would build a society. ladies and gentlemen, the united nations wants to take constructive steps. it must aim its condemnations where it belongs, at hamas and its sponsors. thank you very, very much. thank you. >> here are some of the highlights for this weekend. friday on c-span in prime time, we will visit important sites in the history of these civil rights movement. saturday night at 8:00, highlights from the new york canceror them, including biologist andrew has so, and q&a with congressman charlie wrangle at 8 p.m. eastern. on c-span2, in-depth with reiter and religious scholar reza carson saturday night at 10 p.m., and lawrence goldstone on the competition between the right brothers and glenn curtiss. c-span3 history tv on friday at 8 p.m. eastern -- a look at hollywood's per trail of slavery. saturday night at 8:00, the 200 anniversary of latent or and the burning of washington. and sunday night at 8 p.m., former white house chiefs of staff discuss help residents make decisions. let us know what you think about the programs you're watching. call us, or e-mail us at comments@cspan.org. join the conversation. like us on facebook. follow us on twitter. julian castro is sworn in by vice president joe biden. joe donovan who is now the white house budget director. >> all right. state your name -- do solemnly swear. that i will support and defend. the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic that i will bear true faith and allegiance to the same that i take this obligation freely without any mental reservation for -- or purpose of evasion well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office of which i am about to enter so help me god. >> congratulations. [applause] >> former vermont senator james jeffords died sunday. well in these senate, he announced he was leaving the -- he gaveparty democrats the majority. here is his farewell speech to his colleagues in 2006. >> even a diehard red sox fan has to give the devil his due. on independence day in 1939, he told the crowd at yankee stadium that he considers himself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. i consider myself pretty lucky, too. i was elected to the house of representatives in 1974. that was not the best of the -- best year to be a republican candidate. i was among the freshman class of 92 noon members. harkin, only 17 of us were republicans, and as chuck grassley and i walked down the aisle of the house, he, with crutches, and i with a neck brace, one democrat muttered, "there's two we almost got." time is not just about all of us. with that retirement and that of henry hyde in the house, chuck grassley next year will become the last remaining member of the republican class of 1974, an iron horse in his own right. the silver lining for me in the electoral losses suffered by the republicans was a chance to land senior positions on the agriculture and education subcommittees that would quickly throw me into the thick of things. throughout my career in the house, i focused on those two issues. in 1988, with the retirement of bob stafford, i ran for and won a seat in the united states senate.ñ senator stafford was a tough act to follow. he had held just about every office in the state of vermont and had an enormous impact on the federal policy and educati education, the environment, and elsewhere. i was lucky when i got to the senate that there were openings on both the education and environment committees. and early on i learned what the senate can be at its best. in 1989, congress was in the midst of reauthorizing the clean air act. even though i was a freshman, the door was open for anyone who had the time and interest. as john chafee, george mitchell and the rest of us forged a strong renewal of the clean air act, i realized that these were the moments i enjoyed most. i realized these were the mome moments i enjoyed most when smart and committed people wor worked together to solve tough problems and improve the lot for americans. every year since has provided similar moments, from rebuilding our roads to rewriting our food and drug laws. probably the billin biggest ande most rewarding challenge for me has been in the area of education. from my first day -- first year in the house when we enacted the education of the handicapped a act, to work that continues today on the higher education act, i have tried to do my best to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to reach his or her potential. there is plenty of work left to be done to reach this goal, and nowhere is that more true than in the district of columbia. a decade ago, congress stepped in to try and help the district resolve the problems plaguing its overall budget and its schools in particular. and as chair of the d.c. appropriations subcommittee, i helped lead that effort. the city is to be commended for its record of fiscal responsibility in the years since and i hope the superintendent, the new mayor, the council and school board will be able to make similar progress in improving the city's school system. while vermont has always been home, i have lived in the district of columbia since coming to washington. luckily, i have never lost the ability to be moved by the sight of the capitol dome. its majesty struck me when i first came to washington, and it still does today. under that dome and in the bui buildings around it work thousands of good people. we are all privileged to work with a whole host of people who get too little recognize in addition, from the person reco recording my words to the people who put them in the "congressional record" while we sleep, not always easy tasks in my case. ours, too, is not always an easy task. i know it is hard for the public to understand the reality of life in the congress, but the continual travel, the campaigns, and the unpredictable hours of our jobs can take a toll on our families. i have been blessed with two wonderful children, laura and leonard, here with me today, fies feistaaifies city, funny n incredibly strong wife, liz. they have had to put with a lot over the years. three decades in the blins is ae eye in history. but what a tremendous change in our country we have been throu through. when i came to washington we were only three decades removed from the second world war. my childhood heroes were heroes of that war, and it seemed as thoaferry family had a -- and it seemed as though every family had a family or son or uncle who served and sacrificed in that war. but when i came to washington, an entirely different war was being waged in southeast asia. vietnam has colored much of our thinking since. whether vietnam had too much or too little influence upon the ensuing three decad decades is h larger debate, but we would be better served in world affairs today by being less haughty and more humble. i regret that my departure from congress, like my arrival, bin s our country at war. young and even not-so-young bhernamericans are sacrificing e and limb while the rest of us are making little or no sacrifice. it seems to me that the very least we should do is pay today for the fiscal costs of our policies. instead, we are floating i.o.u i.o.u.'s written on our childr children's future. this year we have no budget, and we are unwilling even to debate most of our basic spending bills before the november election. 30 years from now we could well face the biggest crisis in government since the civil war, if congress and the white house do not adopt a more honest approach to government. the basic exact betwee basic con generations is being broken. f.d.r. was right to borrow heavily to finance world war f i but are we justified doing so today? earlier this month i was privileged to attend the dedication of a monument in virginia commemorating the sacrifice of more than 1,200 men of the vermont brigade during the battle of the wilderness. the tangle thickets of the 1 19th century had given way to mature forests. the individuals are largely forgotten but our collective memory must endure. today we use blocks of granite to remind us of the sacrifices of the civil war. in its immediate afte aftermathu would think no such reminder would have been needed. but 140 years ago, so the story goes, a northern congressman literally waved the bloody shirt before his colleagues to enflame them against the south for alleged misdeeds. true patriotism is the i incredibly bravery of these and those men whose too brief lives ended on that wilderness battlefield. waving the bloody shirt then or today is anything but patriotic. the beautiful capitol dome above us, completed even as the civil war concluded, should serve to inspire us. i am an optimist and have been every day of my life. with lincoln, i hope that the mismystic cords of memory will stretch from every battlefield and patriot grave to the hearts of the living and that we will soon again be touched by the better angels of our nature. mr. president, i wish you and all of my colleagues good luck and godspeed. thank you, mr. chairman. [applause] >> next, utah republican senator mike lee talks about president ronald reagan's economic recovery act. the legacy of the bill passed 30 years ago and reagan's role in transforming the conservative movement. [applause] we are so honored to each of you here today and our c-span audience as well commemorating the largest tax cut in american history on august 13th, 1981. the young americans foundation is committed to ensuring that young americans are inspired by the ideas of individual freedom, a strong national defense. thousands of american youth to these principles. we accomplish our mission by providing a central conferences can say seminars, internships. in 1988, young americans foundation stepped forward to save president reagan's western white house. they believed as he did that america is one generation away from extinction. in his farewell address to the nation, he said all change begins at the dinner table. rex lee often discussed various aspects of judicial and constitutional doctrine around the kitchen table from due process to the uses of executive power. ronald reagan also said there's a flickering spark in all of us which if struck at just the right age can sharpen our appetite for knowledge. i think it's safe to say that rex lee helped light that strike for his son, mike. he gave his a unique hands-on experience and understanding of government up close. early on, senator lee developed a deep respect for the constitution and today fights to preserve america's profound documents in the united states states senate. before he entered the united states senate, senator lee received his undergraduate and j.d. at byu. he had two clerkships, one including for the not quite yet u.s. supreme court justice sam alito. he was an assistant u.s. attorney and then went back to the supreme court for a year under sam alito. he spoke at the center immediately after his 2012 election and then returned back in 2012. he really understands the importance of reaching young people with ideas. so it's no surprise he's been before an audience much more than his colleagues. i like what world net daily had to say about him. he was called the gop's renaissance man. >> thank you so much, daniel for that kind introduction. thanks to all of you better being here. it really is an honor to be here at the reagan ranch. aisle also happy to have my wife and daughter with me. jails and john are not with us now. every time i think of james and john, i think of an experience i had a couple years ago when i was driving down the road with both of them. we were going someplace fun. we were listening to a popular song on the radio. it was a song he had heard many times before, but for some reason the words came through more clearly. i understood what the singer was saying. i was horrified. these were threatening words, this was not words that any god-fearing father of three children would listen to. i seized the volume knob and i said, guys, these words are horrible, why are we listening to this? my son, without batting an eye said, dad, it is not bad if you don't think about it. [laughter] all of a sudden, i thought, my son john must be advising the president of the united states. [laughter] there are a lot of things around us, particularly in washington, that are not bad, but only if you do not think about it. but you are here today because you are thinking about it. you're trying to make the world a better place. i am honored to be invited to join you for this occasion. it really is an honor, by the way, to be invited to speak here on this occasion today -- or at anything, on any occasion. for a conservative politican, being invited to speak at the reagan ranch is a little bit like a musician being invited to play a set at sun records or a ballplayer taking the field at fenway park. this is just a great opportunity, by which i am very humbled. as i have been preparing for today's event, i thought many times about exactly where i might have been on this day in 1981, on august 13, 1981. and i have not been able to identify exactly where i was, but i believe my family had just moved to the washington, d.c. area. as danielle mentioned, my dad took a job early in the reagan administration as president reagan's solicitor general. we moved into a quiet suburb of washington, d.c., and it had a different feel to it than my hometown of provo, utah. [laughter] ? r i felt like an outsider in our nation's capitol. 33 years later, i still do. but that was my first real exposure to the reagan administration, was through my dad. serving as the solicitor general under president reagan, my dad's job was to communicate to the supreme court of the united states he official litigating positions of the reagan administration to the court. so, that was his client. the u.s. government was his client. the president of the united states. therefore president reagan was my dad's client. he had to learn how to channel reagan's voice and reagan's message to be supreme court. he enjoyed that job very deeply. right off the bat, i could tell this was going to be an interesting set of circumstances. right off the bat, even as a 10-year-old, i somehow intuitively understood this would be an historic administration. i definitely knew my dad had an interesting job, in part because the solicitor general of the united states has a ceremonial uniform of sorts that he wears while arguing for the supreme court. it is called the morning suit. if you have watched "downton abbey," you might have seen one. it consists of a coat with long tails and some funky striped pants, and as it turns out, as my dad later discovered in court, you're never supposed to wear a button down collar. he was reprimanded by chief justice burger for doing that. it was a treat to go to court and watch them argue in court, starting when i was about 10 years old. one of the main reasons initially was i knew if i expressed interest in going to the court with my dad, i could miss school for a few hours. but in time, i learned much more about the supreme court and what my dad was doing in front of the highest court in our land. when i got there, when i watched him argue these cases on behalf of the reagan administration, i did not always understand everything that was being said. it was in some respects a little bit like attending church in a foreign language. you had to hold very still. in fact the security personnel at the court would come around and tell you to sit up straight if you were slouching. you couldn't talk. you had to pay attention. so, i did. even though i could not understand all the words, i started to understand there is a rhythm to the court. i loved watching my dad argue there and watching him represent these positions, represent president reagan. what i learned most of all in court was perhaps the fact that there is a certain cadence and a certain rhythm to being a good advocates for good government, and that is what he was. but just as there is a familiar cadence among skilled lawyers, so, too, there is a familiar cadence for conservatism itself. no one understood that cadence better or more completely than did president ronald reagan. he had the cadence of confidence. he had the cadence of courage. he had the cadence of compassion. you roll all of these things together with the conservative message, and you have a winner. the next time you place a call to the reagan ranch, i hope you will be placed on hold. there is a reason for that. i ordinarily would not tell someone i hope you get placed on hold when you call a particular number, but really, trust me on this one. you need to get put on hold next time you call the reagan ranch. trust me on this. if you're lucky enough to have that happen to hear the hold message, you will hear that confident cadence of courage in the voice of ronald reagan. it is my hope that today and moving forward, those of us who honor his legacy will not just talk about him, but listen to him, and do our best to learn from and ultimately act like him. that is what we need to do as americans. for all americans - but for conservatives and republicans in particular - the legacy of ronald reagan will always serve as an inspiration. but it should also serve as a great challenge to each of us. it's that part -- reagan's enduring challenge to the movement and the party and the nation he revived -- that i'd like to discuss today. as you know, this is the 33rd anniversary of president reagan's signing of the economic recovery tax act of 1981. it's amazing to think that that happened right here but just over there. i'm giddy almost thinking about it. i wish i could've been there at the time that i should have thought of that, asking my dad if that was one of the perks of being the son of the solicitor general. he did not occur to me at the time. today, conservatives tend to think of that moment as the beginning of reagan's legacy, and of the country's triumphant era which would eventually usher in the longest peacetime recovery in american history, victory in the cold war abroad, and the restoration of the american dream at home. 20 million new jobs. a forty-nine-state landslide. "tear down this wall." "shining city on a hill." cadence and courage. that's the reagan conservatives all remember and revere. but i submit that is not the only reagan conservatives need to study and emulate most today. the obvious achievements following august 1981 provide a showcase of what we can learn from our 40th president. but some of the most important lessons we can take are from reagan's hard and heroic work leading up to his electoral victory in 1980. the four-year stretch between 1976 and 1980 was a time similar to our own. the unemployment rate was coming down, but still too high. the economy was recovering, but not enough to restore broad prosperity. energy dysfunction, rising prices and an unfair tax system were eating up what gains working families did see in their take-home pay. but it wasn't just about statistics. humiliating failures of leadership at home and abroad throughout the previous decade had taken their toll as well. a psychological pall was descending on the country, leaving americans uncharacteristically anxious and pessimistic. when grinding stagflation steered us toward yet another recession, many americans began to wonder if our best days had come and gone. it was in that time, in my view, that reagan did perhaps the most important work of his career. ronald reagan in the late 1970s was a prominent figure, but not a powerful one. he was no longer governor. his primary challenge against a sitting president of his own party had failed, and made him a pariah among a resentful republican establishment in washington. and the conservative movement he led was once again in the political wilderness. the situation was bleak. but, as always, where others saw obstacles, reagan saw opportunities. he saw what too many in washington did not, that a disconnect had opened between the american people and their leaders. president carter's approval rating fell into the 30's, and congress's into the 20's. that seems high by today's figures. [laughter] according to the latest figure i saw congress was hovering right around 9%. i think that makes us less popular in america than fidel castro. [laughter] one of my colleagues said who on earth are those 9%, and why do they approve of us? [laughter] this was not a great time for our country. the republican establishment, timid and unimaginative by nature, hoped the democrats' unpopularity might allow republicans to win a few elections by default. but this status-quo strategy did not interest reagan. it did not interest him at all. reagan wanted to build a new republican party, a new majority coalition, a new conservative movement that would not just cut across party lines, but permanently redraw them. he had a much bigger vision. reagan noticed that, aside from america's political and economic elite, the rest of the country suffered under increasingly liberal policies. they were holding down those who were most in need of economic opportunities. the political, corporate, and media opinion leaders were doing just fine. the people shouldering the brunt of big government's failure were the working men and women of and aspiring to america's middle class. they were the ones whose neighborhoods saw rising crime rates. they were the ones whose communities were threatened by family breakdown. they were the ones whose jobs were hanging by a thread. they were the ones whose children couldn't to go to college, whose sons and brothers came back from vietnam only to be insulted by those they had fought to protect. they were the ones who couldn't afford gas and groceries because of the energy crisis and inflation. unlike the poor, who attracted washington's sympathy, and the rich, who could influence public policy, the mass of americans in the middle were being ignored, slighted, and left behind by the political class in washington. the 19th century economist william graham sumner had a term for the american caught in the middle, "the forgotten man." as sumner put it in his famous essay of the same name - "[the forgotten man] works, he votes, generally he prays, but he always pays, yes, above all, he pays. his name never gets into the newspaper except when he gets married or dies. he is strongly patriotic. he is wanted, whenever, in his little circle, there is work to be done or counsel to be given. all the burdens fall on him, or on her, for the forgotten man is not seldom a woman." it was these familiar friends and neighbors from all races and creeds and regions, people all americans know and most americans are, that ronald reagan believed made our nation good and great and beautiful. they were the ones, reagan understood, conservatism could help the most. indeed, in a national review essay a month after the 1964 election, before his name was ever on a ballot, reagan reminded a defeated conservative movement - "we represent the forgotten american, that simple soul who goes to work, bucks for a raise, takes out insurance, pays for his kids' schooling, contributes to his church and charity and knows there just 'ain't no such thing as a free lunch.'" to ronald reagan, these americans were never forgotten. from the beginning, he built his politics around a profound respect for the honest, hardworking men and women who made america work. many of these americans, like reagan himself, believed government should stand on the side of the little guy against unfair concentrations of political and economic power. they still believed that. and so did reagan. it's just that by the late 1970s, the democratic party's leadership in washington had gone washington. the new left did not oppose, but had come to enjoy, the unfair privileges of concentrated power. the ruling class in washington not only ignored working families' interests, but openly disparaged their values. now, reagan knew that while middle class americans were disillusioned with washington democrats, they were equally suspicious of washington republicans, with good reason. liberalism may have been liberalism may have been failing, but to many americans in the late 1970s, conservatism was at best a cobwebbed theory. reagan needed a way to transform this anti-liberal majority into a pro-conservative majority. he didn't want to spin them, or play on their fears. he respected them, he wanted actually to persuade them. he knew that abstract theories and negative attacks weren't going to cut it. reagan needed to make conservatism new, real, and relevant. he rebuilt conservatism with a concrete agenda of innovative reforms to directly help and empower all of the forgotten americans whom liberalism always leaves behind. he advocated marginal tax-rate reduction. this, reagan correctly promised, would allow workers to keep more of their own income, raise wages, and create new jobs. he advocated a strong dollar. this, reagan correctly promised, would help us gain control over the inflation that was gnawing away at middle-class wages, savings, and aspirations. and he advocated an aggressive defense build-up. this, reagain correctly promised, would help us expose and defeat an aggressive, atheistic, and violent empire that threatened the life of every american, and the future of every child. so often, reagan's success is chalked up to his personal attributes. these were not insignificant, and are missed to this day. his charm, his humor, his political and communication skills. he had all those things when he ran for president the first time. but alas, those personal attributes alone were not enough. we must always remember that in 1976, conservatives found a leader for the ages, but they still lost. by 1980, they had forged an agenda for their time, and only then, with an agenda and a messenger for that agenda, did they win. armed with this agenda, reagan not only confronted liberalism head-on, he also connected with those long-forgotten americans by aligning his movement, his party, and his message around them. it's time for us to do it again. the similarities between the late 1970s and today seem to grow by the hour. now, as then, our economy is struggling. the great american middle class is beset with anxiety. stagnant wages don't keep up with the rising cost of living. for too many americans, opportunities seem to be narrowing, and the american dream seems to be slipping out of reach. meanwhile, a chasm of distrust is opening between the american people and their government. both parties are seen as incapable of producing innovative solutions to growing problems, or uninterested in even trying. reagan's "forgotten americans" are once again being left behind. once again, the left has betrayed the trust of the american people. but the right has not won it back. so it seems to me that conservatives today need to do what reagan did in the late 1970s, identify the great challenges holding back america's working families, and propose concrete, innovative solutions to help overcome them. just like reagan did, as conservatives today we need to re-apply our principles to the challenges of the moment. we need to offer the country a new, positive reform agenda that remembers america's forgotten families and puts the federal government back on their side. a real conservative reform agenda has to do more than just cut big government. it has to fix broken government. reagan did just that a generation ago. since then, new challenges have emerged, demanding repair, and conservative principles can once again point us toward exciting, innovative solutions. i find it interesting that most americans feel forgotten, left out of the debate, left behind in their efforts to get ahead, while shouldering the burdens of failed policies, without a voice in what matters most. the ironic part of having a podium and a microphone is that most americans want someone in washington not to speak to them, but to listen to them. "fix it," they say. "turn it around," they demand. "will government ever work for me, or will i always be working for it?" reagan listened to the forgotten and the disillusioned american. can we be our best? i know that we can at least be better. congress can do better. se we can expect more out of our leaders, more out of ourselves. we can fix, cut, and tear down walls that confine our liberty, in any era. we can expect more. we can expect reform. let me give you a few examples. a conservative reform agenda needs to reduce taxes for families. today, marginal tax rates are much lower than they were in august 1981. they are so low that almost half of all households pay no income tax. but most working families are still overtaxed, some by thousands of dollars a year. how? because of the hidden double tax the current system imposes on parents through the payroll tax to fund our senior entitlement programs. many tax-reform plans today ignore this problem, and would actually raise taxes on working parents. for single parents, this might as well be a "keep out" sign on the front door of the middle class. it's an unfair attack on individuals, families, and neighborhoods, forcing them to make decisions based on what government wants instead of what they want. conservative tax reform today needs to fix this unfair parent tax penalty, to level the playing field for the hardworking families raising the next generation of americans. a conservative reform agenda also needs to spur economic growth. new jobs come from new businesses. but all the taxes and regulations government foists on the economy actually hurt newer, smaller businesses and help large, politically connected corporations, which can afford all the lawyers and lobbyists to comply with all the rules. people who fear that the economy is rigged today are right. it is, and government rigs it. today in washington, economic policy is driven by a corrupt alliance of big government and big business conspiring to keep out the new, disruptive competitors that innovate, transform, and create new jobs and growth. true conservative reform should level the playing field for all businesses, small and large, new and old. that's where new jobs, innovation, and growth come from - from main street, not wall street, k street, and pennsylvania avenue. look at our nation's infrastructure. america needs more highways, more bridges, more local transit. but the old federal transportation trust fund is now permanently insolvent because 20% of the money it takes in is skimmed right off the top by special interests, bureaucracy, and inefficiency. real conservative transportation reform could cut out those beltway middle-men. we need to create a 21st-century, open-source transportation network of sustainable, local innovation that empowers america's diversity and ingenuity. another example is our broken higher-education system. today, the exploding costs of and restricted access to college are leaving millions of workers without the skills to succeed in the global economy. millions more are being saddled with more debt than they'll ever be able to repay. washington sees this structural dysfunction, and immediately launches into an argument about, the interest rate on student loans. we shouldn't be arguing about tenths-of-a-percent on $40,000 tuition, we should be fixing the system so college doesn't cost so much in the first place. and we need to increase access to new schools that can accommodate the needs of non-traditional students, like single parents, who can't afford to study full time. a conservative reform agenda must confront a welfare system that isolates the less fortunate. a reformed system would start to bring the poor back into our economy and civil society. real welfare is not about dependency, but mobility, designed to make poverty temporary instead of just tolerable. a conservative reform agenda must include plans for an energy revolution. just look at what's going on in north dakota and texas and elsewhere. let it create all the jobs and opportunities and energy independence it can. let all energy producers compete on a level playing field, new technologies and old, large businesses and small, with equal opportunity for all and cronyist subsidies and special treatment for none. and finally, this approach shows us that we can't just cut obamacare, or even repeal it and go back to the old system we had before. instead, we need to move forward with real healthcare reforms that empower patients and doctors, not big government and big insurance companies. under the radar of the mainstream media and beltway politics, the conservative reform agenda we need is starting to take shape. as you can see, the content is different from reagan's agenda. but the goal is the same, reforming outdated policies to put government back to work for those forgotten americans. growing our economy and strengthening our society. and finally bringing the american dream back into the reach of every american willing to work for it. 33 years ago ronald reagan set over there and signed into law the historic tax bill. it was midmorning, a fairly heavy fog. as he was signing that bill into law, the sun seemed to be cutting through the fog. it was morning again in america. that time approaches us again today. like reagan's, the agenda i am describing is based on something too often missing in our politics today, respect for the american people. as president, ronald reagan understood that the forgotten americans were the people really in charge. and they still are. the people, not billionaires on wall street, are the customers who decided which products and services and businesses would rise and fall. the people, not the activists and academics and celebrities, decide the values that guide our neighborhoods and define our culture. and ronald reagan was okay with that. he celebrated it. his agenda was designed to give ordinary americans even more power to make those decisions. he respected them and trusted them, and thought the government should simply get out of the way. he knew the answer was not to get america to trust washington, it was to get washington to trust america. today, some see it as ironic that as reagan decentralized power to a diverse, divided nation. and as he did so we came back together. but it's not ironic at all. it's the tried-and-true genius of the american way of life that has sustained our exceptional republic for more than two centuries. reagan's agenda was an attempt to empower americans to come together to make our economy more wealthy and our society more rich. reagan knew, and proved to a cynical elite, that freedom doesn't mean you're on your own, it means we're all in this together. and really, that is ronald reagan's enduring challenge to conservatives, and republicans, and all americans, to believe in each other. to trust and respect the courage and industry and wisdom and ingenuity and compassion and hope of our people. a renewed commitment to reform can not only put america on the path to recovery, but reunite our nation after too many years of bitter division, and empower our people after too many years of falling behind. a new generation of problems demands a new agenda of solutions. to answer reagan's challenge, and to once again remember america's forgotten families. ronald reagan signaled the cadence of courage from this spot 33 years ago. it still echoes from these hills. today our duty is to answer the call. we must dare to be better. dare to look ahead past the next election, into the next decade and beyond. dare to make the changes today that will shape the america of the future. i invite each and every one of you to enlist as 21st-century reagan revolutionaries. see beyond the next eight years into the next 80. join me in taking the road less traveled. we are the forgotten americans who have new ideas, start businesses, start families, volunteer as room mothers and little-league coaches, we are the flag raisers, the builders, the workers and the inventors. we are the dreamers and the stewards, we are the shopkeepers by day and the homemakers at days' end. we are the people who james madison, george washington, thomas jefferson, and abraham lincoln, had in mind and ronald reagan did not forget. we are the light emanating from the city on a hill, we are the keepers of the flame, the guardians of liberty. we are the people, the unassuming heroes marching forward in reagan's cadence of confidence in that quiet adventure we still call the american dream. thank you very much. may god bless america. [applause] they asked me if i would be willing to answer questions. i will be happy to do that. you can ask anything you want, law, politics, gardening, fashion, rock music lyrics, i don't know, anything. >> my name is dorothy scott. i would like to know why congress can't at least pass a law that the language of the united states is english? >> it is english. we continue to operate our government proceedings in english. i think one of the many reasons why we need to continue to speak in english and write our laws in english is because ours is a society that operates on the basis of rule of law. our laws consist of words, and in order for them to have meaning we have to be speaking the same language. i do not know why this is a controversial topic. in my opinion, it should not be. >> it is very expensive, and all of my ballots come in five different languages. it costs money. >> it is important to remember that our elections are run on a state and local basis. state and local governments will determine the precise composition of the ballot rather than congress. >> question or suggestion. assuming the republicans get control of the senate, maintain control of the house, you still have a veto to look forward to on anything too strong. can you write legislation that would give enough but still solve the problems? if not you are looking at two more years of spitting cats. >> yes. if any of you did not hear the question, he is asking whether -- if republicans are able to take the majority in the senate, if there is any legislation we could get past into law given the fact that we have a president who will not likely agree with republicans all the time. i think there are a lot of reforms that americans want and that americans need and that president obama would be hard-pressed to veto. there are a lot commonsense solutions that have been there for a long time. i've cited a few examples of things that i think this or any president would be hard-pressed to veto. one that i will mention briefly relates to the way we fund our transportation infrastructure. currently, the federal government collects 18.4 cents per gallon on every gallon of gasoline that americans buy. we take that to washington and we run it through the washington filter and then the people in washington decide on the basis of a very complicated formula how to redistribute those funds back out to the states. nearly all that money is spent by the states. what we need is not more government bureaucracy, what we need is more steel and concrete in the ground. i have a proposal that would reduce the share that is collected, that would be enough for us to maintain the existing interstate system. the difference between 3.7 cents, and 18.4 cents would be collected and spent by states and the best reason to do that is because you achieve about a 20% efficiency gain when you do it that way. this will result in more money going to concrete and steel going into the ground. that in turn relates to more affordable housing that is accessible for most americans, and is conveniently located close to where americans want to live and work. it is the kind of reform that i think any president would be hard-pressed to veto, given that all it is doing is applying basic constitutional conservative principles to an everyday problem. there are countless other examples that we can point to. i do not have any delusions that we will go in there and suddenly reverse everything the president has done. there are a lot of things that can be passed will not survive the veto. that is not recent enough make every effort to get republicans into the majority of the senate because there is a lot of good we can do. it is time to release harry reid with a vote of thanks as the majority leader. [applause] >> i like what you have said all along. i probably will not get a chance to vote for you unless you run for president because i am from maryland. back in my younger days i did quite a bit of work for the party. i am too old now. maryland is a democratic state, always has been, probably always will be. now since i have done that work i keep getting these eight-page things from the republican party, and they were written by people with an iq of maybe 70. the very last page is asking for how much money you're going to donate. these days, the first time i see a congressman submit a bill for term limits, i will start giving money again. [applause] >> fantastic question. even though you cannot vote for me, i can vote for you, and i am happy to do it. one of the things that i'm happy to vote for and that i have cosponsored in the senate is term limits legislation. i am a strong believer in the need for a constitutional amendment limiting the amount of time that anyone can spend in congress. there are lots of different proposals about exactly how many terms somebody ought to be able to spend. anything would be an improvement. as a rule of thumb, i think 12 years in either house on to be enough. but would be two terms for a senator or six terms for a member of the house. and i strongly support that. one of the reasons why i think term limit legislation has become important, the founding fathers thought about imposing term limits and they decided against it. they had good reason to do it and one of the things are built into their equation was that we have term limits and then everybody will be out every two years for reelection anyway. but what did not exist then was the system that exists now. members of congress in both political parties and both houses will sometimes use their seniority as a cudgel to coerce more votes. they will say you are a citizens of a free republic, and you can vote for whoever you want but do not cast that for anyone but me because of the seniority i have. i have too much power for you to get rid of me. therefore your vote for anyone other than me will come at a high-price, you will lose money and power and influence. i think it is offensive any time we attach a price tag to our most sacred of fundamental rights. [applause] >> i just finished my first year at santa barbara, california. some things about politics in general and why i think the real reason people should want to get into politics is so that we can help this country. we are in a very dire situation right now. we need to save this country. i like what you said about how it is our job to turn the anti-liberal majority into a pro-conservative majority. one is tough to talk about his with the elections coming up, will we be able to do that with the party we have now, or will we have to fundamentally change the republican party. expanding into more libertarian conservatism. can we do this as this republican party, or we will have to change? >> great question. i wish you well at uc santa barbara. i wish you well in combating resistance from your professors on your ideology. i think about how to bring down that word politics into its constituent greek roots. it has two roots. poli, meaning many, and ticks which are bloodsucking parasites. [laughter] the best measure for what a party can do in any election cycle has to start with a baseline for what it has done in the past two or three election cycles. they are very big into the idea of where they might come down on every issue. they are very keen on the idea that there might be some limit to how much of each dollar you earn of the federal government can take away and how much the government ought to be able to intrude into your life from washington dc. there is tremendous potential as we invite more and more people to join this cause. for us to have people to have -- who have not voted or have not voted with a party, to know the they have a place with us. it is what reagan did, and that is what we need to do now. >> thank you so much for joining us today. i have two questions for you. firstly about our foreign-policy and the kind of leadership we are seeing in the white house, or lack thereof. specifically regarding russia and ukraine. what kind of action do you see coming out of congress, being endorsed at the white house with regard to economic sanctions? the second question isbo

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