Q&A with Senator Judd Gregg and Speech by Presidential Candidate John Kasich

That and then take any questions you have on any subjects first. We've just come through obviously a very traumatic and difficult period as a country. The president. Was acquitted by the Senate and we should go on to the business of the government and put it behind us. I do not sense any hard feelings at least on my side of the aisle. And actually in some ways the Senate came together and we're much closer group than we were before this literally spending the day upon days of in close contact where we were on the floor together for six seven hours a day and we were in meetings when we went on the floor. We had an opportunity to see each other in a much more intense and personal way than usually happens the Senate tends to function

very much in an individual way. In fact it was described by Dick Lugar once as being 100 battleships 100 aircraft carriers with Battleship groups around them moving down the hallway never talking to each other just the opposite of courage of course last month and a half we've been thrust together at a great deal of time to talk and made great progress on issues that didn't have to do of impeachment. Usually the Senate would not be in session in January and it would be hard to find a center in Washington in January because we were all there we were all thrust together across the aisle. We were able to talk issues and get ready for the legislative session. For example in the area of Social Security you had a lot of superb discussions with my colleagues about that issue that I would have not been able to initiate had we not been sitting in the trial mode. So there was some upside to it. The other upside of course is that it shows the vitality of our government. We are

got a constitutional form of government. Once again we affirm that and that form of government is vibrant and strong and shown to work because the process worked. Impeachment being a constitutional process so there were pluses to the event. But in any scenario I think we've got to acknowledge that it's over it's behind us and let's get on with the business of governing. And as I say I think we're in a position to get off on a fast start on some of the issues and I'm really interested in such as Social Security reform. This is clearly high on the president's agenda. It's high on the Senate Republican agenda and I expect this. We are already in meetings. But I expect those meetings to move quickly into some substantive discussions whether we'll reach agreement. I do not know. But clearly there is the groundwork has been laid to move forward on this on that issue. In addition there will be major efforts in the area of education.

I believe we've got a great opportunity to get more funding for ita for example and to give the local educational school districts more flexibility relative to other federal regulations which they're hit with we're going to be reauthorized in the Elementary and Secondary School Act which is the biggest chunk of federal funding that comes out of the out of the federal government comes through the Elementary and Secondary School Act and that comes before my committee and we're already started aggressively on that and I expect us to be addressing issues like flexibility giving to local school districts more flexibility on the regulatory side. Thirdly is the tax issue you know we're taking in more money than we were spending as a government. We are running a huge surplus. The surplus is being projected in the hundreds of millions as we move into this next century. And we should be returning it to the taxpayers. There's no reason a government should be taking more from the taxpayers than it needs to operate itself

and therefore we should have a tax cut. And there'll be strong proposals for tax cuts some will be across the board like the plan being proposed by John Kasich. Some will be targeted. My view is that we should be returning the dollars and let's work out the specifics down the road but let's at least get an agreement that we're going to return dollars to people that we do not need as a government to operate. So we should have a major tax cut in my opinion coming out of this session of the Congress. There are other specific smaller issues not smaller but the issues that don't have that breadth of interest maybe certainly we will be doing something in the h o area with the Patients Bill of Rights being brought back and we will also next week for example be doing something in the area called Ed flex which is gives local communities more flexibility in dealing with education dollars will also be doing the soldiers and sailors sailors pay and pension program which is an attempt to address what is a very serious problem we have in the Defense Department right now which is that we're losing our best people

to the private sector especially our pilots and we need to start paying our people in the military better compensation giving them a better compensation package so we can keep them in the military. So there's a lot on the agenda. We are moving forward with that agenda. I think it's going to be a very positive legislative session. It is so unique and so exciting to be dealing in a legislative session we're running a surplus you know. You know I went down there there three hundred billion dollar deficits this year we're going to have $100 billion plus surplus. This is good news for the country it's important we handle it correctly obviously. And the key to handling it correctly in my opinion is to not spend it but either use it to shore up Social Security in the first instance which I think is agreement on. And then secondly to take that money and it's not needed for Social Security and use it to cut taxes. So that's where we are. I'd be happy to answer any questions. There are few presidential candidates in town I understand. I'm beginning to feel like a like a priest in a confessional with a number of people

I've gotten to talk to recently who were running for president. But it's good for New Hampshire. We've got to keep our status as the first primary state. That's a challenge. Do I think we'll be able to do that. Certainly I'm going to work to do that. How will your deal whatever trauma translate for the rest. Yes. You mentioned all closer. I mean how will it play. Well I think it will translate very well because one of the things about the closed door sessions they were they were so much more relaxed and the atmosphere was so much more communicative than we have an hour when we're meeting in the open you know no way he was getting up and giving a fire and brimstone partisan statement. People were being referred to by the first name. There was discussion across the hall Hall all the time and discussion across the aisle all the time in a positive way. They were reinforcing comments being made constantly across across the aisle and I think that was just a really positive feeling that came out of that

that experience plus I think we got a sense of who we are of who the who we are as individuals a little bit more you know there there isn't any type of undertaking a tendency sometimes to stereotype people. And we got past those stereotypes I think. And that was good. So I do think that there is great reservoir of goodwill that's been built up within the Senate at least relative to personal relationships not only within the Republican conference but between Republican and Democratic members. And I think that can translate into positive legislative action now right off the bat. We will run into some partisan fights for example Ed flaks which we had total agreement on last year which only failed because somebody wanted to put in a whole different bill on at the end of the session. We thought we the President supports it we support it. We understand now that Ted Kennedy is going to filibuster in next week well

because he wants to put something on it that's extraneous to it or something or other. And so we'll be back in the old mode of tough competition in the Senate. But I do think there's there's a bit of feel and that it can be translated in and converted to positive legislative action. And I don't think it's going to wear off quickly. I think there is some real genuine positive relationships develop that will will grow rather than recy. The race relations with the president. I think are professional. I think at least from our side of the aisle are at. Our attitude is the vote was taken it's over. Let's move on. There are a lot of things we think we can do together let's do them. There are things we're going to disagree on let's

disagree but let's do it professionally. The the the commitment not to move to some of these extraneous what I felt were extraneous inappropriate constitutional actions like a finding a fact or censure was I think important for the relationship because the Constitution required an up or down vote on impeachment. It didn't require us to take another step in and censure or take another step and have a finding of fact. The issue constitutionally was should he be impeached. He wasn't impeached. He was acquitted. That's the end of it. And we move on. Well I'm listening and talking with them all I intend to meet with John case later today and certainly look forward to. I've talked with all of them I think and I look forward to encouraging them to come to New Hampshire often to spend lots of money here.

We keep hearing for recurring and conservative circles surplus you're not hanging around conservative circles anyway anyway I keep hearing that surplus is comprised 60 percent of Social Security funds anyway. It doesn't that total something well it's a complicated question but if you were to look at the Social Security trust fund surplus the Social Security trust fund is now running which is the amount of money paid in taxes compared to the amount of money that have to be paid. It has to be paid out in order to operate the Social Security benefits is about $100 million $113 billion this year will be paid in more than is paid out. That's the estimate. So yes this year's surplus if you want to look at it

as being a social security surplus could be looked at in those terms. And that's why we will have in our budget coming out of the Senate a proposal which says essentially we won't cut taxes until the surplus exceeds that Social Security surplus. That's the Domenici proposal. So that line crosses about the middle of next year when we will actually go into an operating surplus independent of Social Security surplus. Now you also have to recognize that that Social Security surplus is to some degree misstated when it's used in those terms and this gets very technical but as a practical matter we're running a unified budget and when we had a deficit we were accounting for Social Security and it was running a deficit. We were counting for it as an operating deficit.

So we didn't uniquely move the social security item out. So I think some argument can be made that you could use the surplus for tax cuts over and above the operating surplus and move some of those social security dollars into a tax cut. And the best way to do that of course would be to cut Social Security tax and then it could be no. No argument about the fact that you're following the dollars back to the people who were paying them in excess. And that's why my proposal which cuts the Social Security tax cut tax rate by 2 percent is I think the best approach to this because we accomplished both. We reduced taxes but we also do it by returning to people the social security dollars that are needed in order to operate the trust fund and at the same time we build up a reservoir of pre funded assets which can be used to fund the obligations down the road which we know are coming at us. So a simple answer to your question is if you want to look at it in elementary terms the

Social Security surplus will essentially be the surplus for the balance of this year. But starting next year they'll actually be in operating surplus on top of Social Security surplus. Yes I agree that 60. I think there is agreement between all parties that 60 to 60 percent of the surplus over the next 15 years should go to the Social Security trust fund in some form in order to make sure that we assist in balancing that trust fund in the future and that's about what we need in order to do the trust fund to do the Social Security job correctly. The president's plan also had a number of other elements in it which I do not agree with. Which are our very serious problems. He double counted 2.8 trillion dollars. That's been confirmed now by the GA o the CBO. And just today by

the Social Security actuaries which essentially creates huge outyear problems for the trust fund. Trillion dollars of new taxes would have to be passed in order to fund that double counting. And his decision to use the trust fund to invest in in the marketplace to invest in equities is a mistake. Under the structure he's using because it will essentially end up with a government nationalizing the marketplace which as Alan Greenspan said would be a disaster because it would be first time it would create a terrible precedent but secondly it would create it would make the markets inefficient because the government investment would be done for political reasons in many instances and that's not an efficient way for the marketplace to be managed so that's a poor idea. It's a starting point but it's not a very good one. And can be asking questions.

Well we don't know yet but we're going to have a huge increase in educational funding and the majority that if not all of it in my opinion should go to special ed because as I've said on numerous occasions I don't believe we should be initiating new educational programs such as the president wants in the area of school buildings or in the area of afterschool programs or added teachers until we pay for the program that we have on the books which of course is a special ed program which is creating all sorts of problems within the local communities ability to allocate their funds. So the best thing we could do for local education is pay the bill that the federal government said that would pay on special ed.

And so yes there's a good chance we could see a very significant increase in special ed and new relationship when we see the image portrayed. Are you saying that that some of what each other before this whole thing began unfortunately is to some degree. Yeah there's there's always a tendency to stereotype even when working body of a 100 people you know somebody takes on a image or a character that to you tends to define them. And you always assume that that's the way they're going to be and it turns out that when you're working together as we were for a month and a half maybe they aren't quite so strident or maybe they aren't quite so difficult to get along with her or maybe some of their thoughts and ideas do make sense. The most dramatic example of that of course was the Kennedy Graham agreement which was reached in the PRI the first private conference. I mean here's to

people who are at the opposite end of the spectrum both of whom when they get up tend to cause the other caucus to go in clinch their fists teeth and groan who in this private conference in the old Senate chambers at the end literally reached in a commendation which allowed us to move forward in a very constructive way and it was totally spontaneous and very positive. You. Know I don't I think that the the vitality of our party is going to be defined in the year 2000. In large part by a presidential nominee. And if we put forward a nominee who's got

the energy and vision integrity and character we as a party will be in a very strong position. I think this will be ancient history in a year and a half. You know we are a nation that has a fairly short attention span and you know that's because we're Florida looking country. We're not a backward looking country. We've always looked over the next hill we have never look behind us as a nation. And so I don't see this as having any long term impact it would have I suspect had there been removal. But since there wasn't I don't see that this is going to. Well thank you all for taking time to come by the day. No 10 no questions honestly. Tax policy. Good deal. That's a whole different ball of wax. That's why you.

Got it all. And I hope everyone enjoyed the lunch for me to walk around the state with Congressman Casey. I know he's enjoyed himself and is looking forward after he gives a few brief remarks to make up for another half an hour with all legislators who are here. So right now I'll just turn it over to them. Welcome Congressman. I still like it fine. Conan O'Brien looks like to be with you anyway. How's he doing. Is he doing a good job. We love him. We love having Bruce Burkey who I think is where is where is Bruce. Bruce is my girl up here. Call me Berkley's boy you know. Anyway this is my wife

Karen who came with me here. You know you'll like her a lot more than your wife. The other day your wife my wife made a speech and people showed up after each and three hundred ninety nine of them were talking to my wife and one guy holding the hog was talking to me. So now I got here anyway. Listen I've been coming up here. This is like come on me. And I was here you know all these other times trying to shake hands and everything but I figured it out. Don't cut your hair too you get here cut your hair. You. Celebrity is 10 bucks so I'm not used to paying high prices. Anyway I want to I want to tell you that I was a state senator I was elected when I first I started working as a I for

the state Senate. I should go back and tell you a little bit about my history. I went to Ohio State OK and my father and mother drove me over there from Pittsburgh. Get me started in school and some even heard this story maybe before but I should tell you again to give you a little history. I was in school for a very short period of time when I received the fine for something that got on my dormitory and I didn't like it. So I went to see the president University up there fighting everybody and I went in to see him and I had a big office and I was undecided. I said Well like I said you know maybe this is what I ought to do you know become president this university. And I said Bill what are you doing this job. I said well did I do this and that tomorrow I'm going to go down and visit with Richard Nixon because I was the only college president supported in 1968 and I said Well I'd like to go with you. I'd like to tell Nixon a couple of things too and he said well you can't go and I said well if I write a letter would you give it the next day. And he said yeah I guess I could do that.

So I wrote this letter and tell Nixon how I thought he was doing it a little P.S. You know let me know if you want to talk about this. You know I have seen time so Nixon wrote me back and invited me to the White House believe it or not so I went upstairs and called my mother and I said I'm going to need an airline ticket in the United States wants to have a meeting with me in the Oval Office. So they were going to get me out of school anyway so I went down and I saw Nixon and I had spent 20 minutes with him in the Oval Office which is longer than I've spent in the last 16 years in Congress in the Oval Office. Anyway I went from that experience and I tried to get a job and I couldn't I try to get a job in the government and I couldn't. And I applied that first they that nobody would have me the next year I applied again. And white I said we can give you a job and health and human services. So I got on a Greyhound bus and packed my suitcase and went down to Washington and I slept on it in a library on a cot had my clothes in a broom closet at the fraternity house an American university

and I was working at the National Institutes of Health which by the way I think is one of the real gems of our country. I mean it's a place where you can do basic science research to help cure a lot of the big problems with the diseases that we have in this country. And my party the Republicans. Have really boosted the funding. I mean it has been a big commitment. And you need to know that you know we're not we're not very good at the PR of telling people what we do and sometimes. But we have a real commitment to it anyway so I'm working on it at NIH. Every weekend I would hitchhike to the beach and a guy came by to pick me up and he happened to be a Democrat and he worked for John Kennedy who I've always been fascinated by. And the next summer he said to all the Congress and ask them for a job. So I wrote to about 300 of them and I got about a hundred letters back and they all rejected me. So he hired me that summer. And then when I graduated from college and graduated in December and I was going to go to law school the following September. So I went out looking for a job and I went knocking on doors in Columbus where the statehouse and I walked into the

statehouse because everybody else told me no never because I didn't think you could ever get a job in politics unless you knew somebody. So I walk in and some guy got fired and they had an opening and because they spent a couple of years in Washington doing this work they hired me so I became an intern so I did that for I guess a couple of years and then I quit my job to run and I ran and everybody thought it was a joke. The part didn't want to give me the nomination and I ended up driving me crazy and they ended up the end for me just to get me off their back. And then I got elected to the state Senate. I was 26 and for a while I rode a motorcycle to work you know and all that but I was in the legislature and I loved it and I was just back last week with a lot of my friends. I I believe I believe in the legislature I believe in dispersing power. I think the federal government ought to have a limited amount of authority and I think that it ought to represent what I like to call the one size fits all mentality.

Take civil rights civil rights in New Hampshire is the same in Ohio as it is in Colorado. California it's one size fits all. We don't want any any variety or variation on that. But when you take welfare reform which was in Washington we wrote we ran one size fits all we made yardman if we get it out of Washington and let the legislatures get it they won't be able to break things. And you know what. It's exactly how it works and we dispersed power where we push power down. And frankly we should run our country from the bottom up. People want to be in charge of planning for their retirement and being able to have IRAs. You know for the baby boomers and their children education if you want to have education choice which I support by the way because I think it takes public education. I think it empowers teachers to do better in the classroom. But if you want to have education choices as a federal leader I ought to be encouraging you to do what you want. You want to develop education that best fits your kids. And the one size fits

all when it comes to welfare. I wish you'd pass. Well we tried to work with this Charlie. And I believe in a charity tax credit. I think that if the state of New Hampshire wants to design a program where you invest in your own local community to help solve the problems of the poor then there all of the way for you to keep your money here and I have to send them to Washington so that we then send it back with all the strings. I mean it's called a charity tax credit. And for those that are interested I want to get you some information about it. In other words somebody in New Hampshire wants to get 250 bucks to the Habitat for Humanity. In this town. Well then why do we have to send it to HUD in order to get it back. Why don't we just keep it here. We'll fix our problems better that way. That doesn't mean we eliminate what it means we have another choice more options. And I'm a big believer in that because for several reasons. I believe in them you know for some economic reasons. But I want to tell you the other reason we're going to run our country

from the bottom up. The people the more money they have in their pockets the more they can do for their family and their community and for people who are in need. And I'm a big believer that the more I look I'm going to be a citizen someday and I'm not here to lecture. I'm just talking as a citizen now. Forget that I'm running for anything. OK let me just be a citizen. Please don't make that smaller because it gets smaller and the people over here have more of mine. I've got less power. I mean isn't that what it's all about. It's about the strength of the individual specially in New Hampshire. Live Free or Die. I mean it is about the bottom up from society. And that's what I'm fighting for. And so with me I want to send you a lot more responsibility. I want to keep the one size fits all in Washington but I want to celebrate diversity. And creativity innovation which you can bring us and then I also tell you once you get the power maybe you ought to send it down don't get locked on to it yourself send it to other people it

closer to the people and that's going to get to the people who said what America's all about. And I'm going to tell you one final thing let me take a couple of questions as we get more power we have more responsibility and we get it we cannot afford to let people fall through the cracks in our society and have nothing. So it means that as we get more power we have more responsibility to have bigger hearts and a bigger conscience. You know I get it from Faith in God. Some people get it other ways. But what I do know is that we all have to be better leaders wherever we are. And so what I'm committed to in my job in Washington. And should I move beyond the exploratory committee and run for president. And you're going to hear me say and I want you to do it. It's not my job it's your job. To design what works in New Hampshire. Finally about about me and all this this campaign so

you just spend half a day with me. You will people say how are you going to distinguish yourself. Spend a half a day with me and you'll understand we were out knocking on doors today. We ran into this Democrat holding these two big dogs you know and they said don't go talk to him. By the time I was done he's going to leave me in his house to meet all of his friends. We could talk these issues through. I'm going to do this the way that Carter did it and the way that Clinton did it I'm going to come to New Hampshire and I'm going to want to get in your homes. I want you to see me. I want. I'm going to just try it. You know I'm going to come here and say look inside of me here's who I am. This is what I want to do for my country and this is what we can do to get together. My dad was not a millionaire. My dad wouldn't even didn't have the connections to get me on the little league baseball team let alone get into the White House. But you know that's the great thing about this this movement is it's not going to win so what this is about this movement is all about is everybody's hopes. And I've been very

blessed and I've had a great opportunity to already improve my country. I asked all of you do not sell me short. Don't sell me short. You know you know Indiana Jones he's like my hero you know and I'll tell you this I'll get out of the cave and I'll have my hat at the same time. By the way I don't like snakes either but the fact is we're going to be up here. This will be one of my second home. I'm going to have a couple of homes. My foreign travel involves you know New Hampshire and Iowa. I know they're going to go overseas I'm going to Amsterdam my wife and I will spend a lot of time in Iowa and New Hampshire and I want to tell you one final thing about the process let's never change whether I'm glad or whether I lose. It's not about me. The process of people being able to come here and meet you and know you and have you know us and to make a good choice. It's the screening process we need. We don't want to run presidential

politics as to who has the most money and can get on television. Iowa and New Hampshire they're the way that that really has watched some of the greatest things that happened in our history. Don't let it be changed. Fight for it and you need to know. Somebody told me the other day that there is a state called Delaware. I never even heard it. Anyway. I'll be glad to answer your calls OK. We're about to launch. So first of all. Yeah. And I like you know you're you know that you know so well I think you probably know I'm against going to possible. Right. OK. Well Tim Russert actually he asked me a question on Meet the Press on Sunday and I gave him actually gave an answer I said no no I'm not going to get bigger and bigger issue.

I've served on the Armed Services Committee now for this will start my 17th year in the last few years I haven't been able to be active and I stay very up to things. I led the effort in the house to get us out of Boston. You know why. Because I think when we get involved in civil wars that are not in our direct national interests and we don't have a good chance of success and we don't have a timetable to get us in and get us out. We meet with failure and I'll give you a couple examples Somalia. Where we went in and try to resolve a hatred that has lasted since the Europeans divided Africa Lebanon. I have voted against Ronald Reagan and on because I didn't think our Marines were supposed to be policemen. I don't think that is their job. Now I supported the president in Grenada and I supported the president President Bush when we went over to to find Saddam because Saddam was about aggression against another country. It was about the development of nukes and it was about oil whether we like it or not it is an important issue that affects us directly.

But Bosnia and I happened to be a Croatian. Bosnia is a civil war. Kossovo is a civil war. They have been fighting over there for centuries and it took the iron fist of Tito to stop it for a period of time. But I just don't believe that putting our people there is going to is going to accomplish a whole lot. In fact could involve us directly in the fighting in Kosovo. We don't know how these things are going to turn once we're there. The Europeans want to go and we can give them technical assistance fine. You know we worked with them for 40 years and we trained them for 40 years the fight against this massive attack across the falling gap with the Russians certainly they can go and take care of some of the activities that are going on in Europe. I'm willing to support him but I don't think we ought to put U.S. troops there because I think will be there. All of our lifetimes. And he is not in our direct national interest. And I don't see that the chances of

success are very great. That does not mean that the United States does not assert itself in the world. But a great power asserts itself when it has the support of the public. When we have a timetable and a great chance of success. I last time I was here in New Hampshire I had a town hall meeting with students. And they went out to Columbus to talk about Saddam. And he got ridden out of town on a rail. You remember that the administration. I'm up here at a town hall meeting defending Clinton and the need to go against Saddam. OK. So I think there are absolutely legitimate times when a when a superpower has to act. One final thing. You know assembly lines in. Making money. Yes that's fine. But I'll tell you when it involves sending technology to countries where they can use that technology to develop weapons of mass destruction could end up being one of our worst legacies. And we have not been a leader on this and the politicians have got to tell some of these business people

you're not going to sell this stuff. Period. You say we talk stuff he's not a politician. Check me out. For 20 years what I have said I've fought and I've done. Whether it's balancing the budget or bringing down the two are now going up against corporate welfare trying to have a good welfare bill. You know I when I say something I don't know that I can always get it. Takes a long time but I mean it. I'm not talk I mean it. I think you've got to put your actions where your mouth is and if you're not going to do it don't say it. And if you say you screw up say I screwed up I'm sorry I screwed up. I hate it. Yes sir yes ma'am. I am. You know kind of spend some of the social issues. Well I'm pro-life with the you know I think there are legitimate exceptions on rape incest and life of the mother. I think that faith is

very important in our society. I don't want it messed around with the government because of governmental Wreck-It. I don't want the religion in cahoots with government OK. But what I will tell you is faith is very important to me because it teaches me about humility. It teaches me about caring. And I'm not going to say that's the only way that people can discover virtue. But it's worked for me and I find that when I pray I'm a better guy for it. And but I think that what we have to do with the social issues in our country is to figure out I believe this how to bring people together and we got this huge meeting down in Florida where they're saying the Republican Party is or whatever look here's I think what we have to do as Republicans we can have our position but we don't have to be narrow. We can we can respect other people's positions. I'm not a real big believer in self righteousness even though I practice sometimes I don't think it's healthy so I can have my view and you can have your view. I don't have to beat you over the head but I don't have to change my

position to get along with you. Is that all right. I mean some of my best friends are Democrats. My father was so you know what the heck can I do. Yes. Or liberals. Well you know what liberals are by the way. Look liberals are people who basically believe in Democrats basically believe we should run the country from the top down the basically. And we wanted to tell us how to live our lives. I'm a believer that people can get right. And that the power starts where we are. I mean they stole Jefferson from us. OK. Jefferson didn't even want to be for the constitution because he thought it sent too much power to the central government and did not honor the power of individuals. I believe in people. And I don't want anything getting in their way in terms of being able to achieve their destiny. So in a nutshell the Liberals believe they don't trust people. That doesn't make them bad. They just think that's the best way to go. Conservatives believe people

can get it right. But when they get there when we get our power we have responsibility with it. Yes yes sir. Do you believe that. Yeah. Here's what I think we should do with a surplus after all I was involved in creating it. OK. First of all last year we paid down six billion dollars in the public debt. Did anybody know that. Of course not. Nobody knew it but we did and this year we're paying down debt as we speak. And I feel richer right now anyway. I think that the surplus ought to be used to get us more. Good news. I think the surplus first and foremost ought to be used to make sure that Social Security is not just there for the seniors but it's going to be there for the baby boomers and their kids. And how do we save it by allowing us to create these IRAs individual retirement accounts with some of our money for the baby boomers. And I think the surplus can be part of the solution. But I've got to tell you another thing sir.

Let Money sit around in Washington like putting ice cream in my refrigerator. It ain't going to be there tomorrow. We will spend it. So I also believe in a tax cut. But in the meantime while we're working on Social Security we'll be paying down some debt. And that's a good thing. But I tell you it's not a choice between paying down debt and tax cuts it's really a choice between tax cuts and more government. Now. I don't I'm not a big government believer as you can tell. And so I want to do both Soul Security tax cuts in the meantime we can pay down some more of this debt. One final thing. A large part of our national debt gets driven by the money we owe ourselves on Social Security so that when we fix Social Security for three generations we're going to wipe out half of our national debt just in the process. We get what we call a twofer. That's a pretty it is that if that's in a dictionary. With that we're in the dictionary. Yes ma'am.

I'm only calling on women today. Yes except for you. But you got that HB 1 0 9 on so that makes you weird anyway. Are you getting all this right now. Here's what I think we should do with that. Federal employee I'm a federal employee so I get to take my money and I get to invest in a cafeteria a list of investments that are approved by you know all of us to Congress maybe the Federal Reserve Board. But essentially I get to direct it if I want to be in stocks or if I want to be in stocks and bonds or if I just want to be an in bonds I got that choice. But the reason why we have to invest in our economy over time ma'am is this reason. Not me. So secure these pay as you go. There's a lot of

people who are supporting the retirees today there's a lot of baby boomers when the baby boomers retire there aren't going to be enough people to support them. So part of the way out of this is we're going to have to grow faster. You know we've got to have our accounts growing faster. So if I can put some of my money in the stock market invest in the economy and I can make 7 or 8 percent. Then there's some hope for my kid. No I don't think you should just give me my money and I'll give it to Uncle Joe and he buys pork bellies in Indiana. But I think we can have some options some more secure than others and we ought to have a basic social security program. But couple that with the ability of my of my being able to create this individual retirement account I think is the answer on Social Security and we've got to be very careful the way we explain it because it all makes people nervous. But we're going to have the best people. Take a look. Yeah. We think these are the best tested programs and the risk adjusted programs. Put your money in the most secure or the you know the ones that were not secure which means you put it more in stocks. Now I

screwed up I had a lot of my money I'm kind of conservative you know I put my money in too many bonds I have more in stocks. I'd be rich I could come up here and finance my own campaign you know. But no I believe that that's part of the answer. These individual retirement accounts. Yes sir. This is. Release those come back. OK. Now we're in the legislature and Democrats are spending. Yes. Yeah. Well first of all we do still spend on a lot of pork barrel and the Republican Party has gotten somewhat shy about continuing to cut wasteful spending which I think is a mistake. But you know that's where we are right now and. You know I was never trying to balance a budget. I was trying to get power out of Washington but we explained it as balance in the budget. So we got a balanced budget because we're done. No we're not going to get you more programs. Why don't we let you. Why don't you why don't we let you write a lot more of the rules on Medicaid. You'd be able to be in a position of where more poor people would get help. But we don't trust you. But let me tell you about

the surplus. OK let's assume the surplus is $2. OK it's going to be a lot more going to be you know 2.6 trillion but $2. A dollar of it comes in from the Social Security taxes. If you're going to hold this the other dollar comes in from all the other taxes. And what I'm suggesting we do is the money that comes in from the Social Security taxes we save it to fix Social Security and we take the other dollar that comes in from all the other taxes and we give it back to people. Now mean me tell you we have to listen. I don't want to mess around with dollars or what do they call those who are those people that Gore was meeting with. You know those get to do this. So I'm not asking you know I'm just kidding anyway. And now I lost my train of thought where was I. So we were like What was your dream.

Oh I wanted to tell you. About the about the tax cuts is what I'm going to tell you Look I'm for a 10 percent across the board tax cut. I devised. The family tax credit that was geared to people under $100000. We did a lot of targeted tax cuts. OK. And if you aren't a left handed cab driver drink get a cup of coffee in New York you didn't get a tax cut. Now I'm going to tell you this and just you know whatever whatever it's worth. They say well the 10 percent across the board reduction in rates for every American will favor the wealthy. Look I don't think the Republican Party ought to be the party of redistributing the wealth. That's what the Democrats try to do. We're ones that believe if you work hard and you get ahead there ought to be incentives to get ahead. We shouldn't punish you for being successful. Now we did targeted tax cuts. Now it's time to do a broad based tax cut so everybody can get some. And I'm not going to fall victim to the you know being defensive about the

fact that that people who pay a lot of taxes don't deserve some break. I mean. They're paying up to half of what they earned to government at every level. And look being a mailman's kid I learned one thing early on. The only people who hate the rich are the guilty rich. And you know we did targeted tax cuts. Now it's something to do that combined both John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan and that is to reduce marginal rates to restore incentives and create more jobs in this country keep it going. That's what it's all about. So I just hope that you know we will not fall into being of redistributing the wealth. I hope that we will say that the economic system that rewards and but doesn't favor rewards hard work ought to be a real foundation of what our party is all about. Yes sir you did that I thought you were Teddy Roosevelt OK especially kids. Well I mean Charlie Bass is back in his car. Last time I was here and drag me

down the street until I said Uncle we're going to try to do much more on special ed. You know we've already done some because of Charlie and Sununu. John Sununu they both done a great job. I think this one of the alternatives and then we'll close because I'm talking too long. You know how you get your welfare money and you've got to keep it in the welfare with the block grant your caseload is down. Why don't we just let you. And you're supposed to keep it in welfare of course we all know money is fungible but nevertheless we're playing this this deal. Why don't we say that if you save some money on welfare because you have lower caseload you ought to be able to use some of the extra money to deal with with special ed give you more flexibility to be able to do what you want to do that meets your needs. I think that's a very good idea. And we may do that in addition to a few more bucks. With the mandate. I know. I know it but you got to tell you Candy you don't want to get on that. You don't want to get on that slippery slope because the first time you start yelling about the mandates the feds

put on you I'm going to have somebody come in the door is going to talk about the mandates that you put on them. We're all guilty. We're a little bit you know. But you know what you should going to the table. Again what we're doing. And we did in the Congress my great friend Gary Condit who's a Democrat along with Rob Portman who's a Republican have passed a number of bills to end not only mandates on local governments but now we're working to end you know mandates on business. Over a hundred million dollars I mean it's exciting stuff hey thanks everybody I'll see you again. You can. Do About It. And my grandfather and I'm learning more and more I'm going to come to ask house where I'm going. Can we do that for you and me for you with the waiting room

open guy I don't really tailor anything. And whatever happens happens right. OK. But I think it's a it's a good clue to let you know that there is a balance. OK. Thank you. Thank you. OK. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Good. To see you again someday hand over something go do together. Hey Karen. Karen I gave a lot of your people a card information on our county Canadiana a market. It's always good to see you know that the bell in Napa County Lincoln Day dinner gave birth to me like this. Maybe we can go back to how we roll.

I want to talk that Charlie is about to run and I'm going to make a new one. I got disgusted a lot of things just to get that. I understand what you're saying it takes time and you get it and it doesn't work right. We've got a problem but one that I'm sure of your 47 percent that only you've got to look at it. Thank you. All right. Thanks for being with us very much. My son was in your town. Do you care. You got to have a coffee with them or the series. Well we were sure that we got to have a coffee I love coffee he'll do it. I don't know what we need to get on about carrots. Let me give you one. Oh my goodness. So sweet and it kind of sums it all on my arm

and you to help me think about it. I mean we're in this together. It's our time. Believe me I'm going to have Republican meetings and I would love to have you up week. You've got what it takes. Yes. Where is the energy level. I mean like you said we don't want to see you know what we've been seeing that the parties is still fresh air and fresh it's always good for you to see if you live in a coffee life and I'll keep wanting to I that I have some difficulty getting rid of them making money. Check check. Now how long do you think you.

Make the decision. I don't know. I mean that will be up to to all my handlers. You know you boxers have handlers and I got political handlers. They know what the timetable is. And we're actually ahead of schedule right now we're somewhat ahead of schedule and raising money and that will be a very big part of when I can make the additional announcement. Well I don't I don't normally when you get to know me and people here get to see me. I don't have a problem usually with setting myself apart. Normally people want me to wear camouflage so I'll be less. Less somebody that's obvious. I don't worry about that. I had a you know if you were here today to see the meeting with the legislators asked them if they think the John K-6 a different kind of a politician. I'm just myself and either that's going to work or it is and I'm not going to put two scoops of ice cream in my mouth or stand on my head or start viciously attacking one of the other people in the race. People are going to be drawn to me or they're not. And I think that if I can come here enough I believe I'll be very successful.

Bottom up in people's homes that's what's going to take for me. I sit at the fireplace in the winter and in the summer to sit in a nice air conditioning room or outside and let people know what I'm all about I'm willing to answer their questions. Tell him about what my vision is and to build this thing one street at a time. I was out knocking on doors today and in the course of about a half an hour I got three people who agree to have house parties for me so that's the way I'm going to do it. And you know what you see with me is what you get if you think something else fancies come and you got it wrong. But the question is. Just like Congress right. Well over 100 years well it's going to happen we are going to elect somebody from the house it might well be John Kasich. I mean look you know I balance the budget something that hadn't been done in 30 years along with my colleagues and I led the way on that. And you know 30 years was hard to do but 100

years sounds a lot more fun. Look I'm I'm kind of the Indiana Jones of American politics you know I'll I'll get the Joels and get out of the cave and also have my hat. And I think