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Title: Red, White & Blue Channel: 1081 - KUHTDT Recorded
================================ ======================= >> What
lies ahead for the united states congress in 2014? Good evening,
I'm linda lorelle, welcome to "red, white and blue." For the
first time since tapping a bipartisan budget agreement in
december, congress reconvened to tackle a new to-do list for the
new year. The budget deal should mean no shutdown in 2014, but
may be plenty for both sides to bicker about. Lawmakers feuding
over unemployment benefits that weren't extended as part of the
budget deal. House speaker john boehner tempted passing new
immigration reform and the debt ceiling will need to be raised
in citing what could be another legislative battle. Tonight we
look at congress, what will they successfully check off their
to-do list and can and will there be a cease-fire between
the parties? As always during our discussion, we'll get
additional perspective from members of our advisory board,
to help tackle these questions and more, we're pleased to
welcome the u.S. Representative from texas' second congressional
district congressman ted poe, and leading the discussion as
always, our host david jones and gary polland. >> Second
congressional district, I assume ted poe would be number one. >>
I'm number one, but not my district number. >> Congressman
poe, at the end of last year we saw a different speekter of the
house, john boehner, very aggravated at certain elements
of the coalition that supports republicans. Angry, in fact,
passed budget against some of the folks, probably one of your
no votes. Recently a farm bill passed that only made token
changes with food stamps. Is there a new moderate majority in
the republican caucus? [00:02:02] >> The republican
caucus, as you call us, the majority are conservatives in my
opinion, so -- but we have all the way from lib tlt ertarians
to moderate republicans by tradition are independent
thinkers, we are not a bunch of sheep. We are vocal and we also
have different opinions, the speaker is in charge of all of
congress, including the republicans, so i don't know
that it is a bad thing that we aren't in lock, step and drink
the cool aid on every issue. >>The debt limit is coming up,
you have a letter from treasury that says february 7, it might
go into late february, do you expect the speaker to support
that limit extension? >> I think he will support that. He hasn't
said, but I suspect he will. >> Where is all the money coming to
pay for the debt we continue to incur? >> We don't have it. >>
Okay, so -- >> that has always been the problem. The
administration, every time the debt limit comes up, tells
america, we're all going to die unless the republicans raise the
debt limit and of course that does not happen, it is because
there is constant spending and there is not money in the
coughers to pay for this spending, that has always been
the problem and congress over the last several years, not just
this administration, continues to spend more money than brought
in, two answers, one people want on the left to raise taxes and
those of us who are conservative say maybe taxes are high enough,
let's cut some of the spending prioritize the spending. That is
still the problem, it has not gone away. >> The left wants to
raise wages and that put approximates money in people's
pockets and they kay pay their taxes. Isn't that a great idea?
Minimum wage increase, I don't like $10, I like $15, let's have
folks spending money and paying taxes when they do spend the
money and it comes to state covers and we're all happy.
[00:04:04] >> Of course raising minimum wage wouldn't do
anything to help the economy, we need to get government out of
the way so people can't have a maximum wage, the government is
taking money from people who are working and regulations are
stifling businesses and individuals, the cost of
regulation doesn't produce any product, those are things that
keep us from having the maximum wage and that is what republican
conservatives talk about, maximum wage, not just minimum
wage. >> You think the american businesses and people are wealth
in this country are doing poorly for some reason and -- there has
been increase in wealth in this country, it just happens to have
been at the top 1%, last three or four years. >> Well, it's a
good thing people are making money because when people like
you say make money in businesses make money, they pay taxes. I
think we should be -- should not assume that people who make
money, the american treme, are bad people, they are not, they
are living the american dream and in spite of government, in
spite of economic policy of administration, they are still
able to take cake of their families, able to contribute to
charities, able to pay employees when a business goes broke, what
happens to employees, they don't get wages. Wealth is not a bad
thing. >> We taxpayers, there are taxpayers who are out of
work and they pay taxes to get unemployment benefits. How about
extending those so the next million or so are not on the
street asking for handouts. >> Well, you have your state
benefits, the president gave us the extension, told us it was a
temporary deal to get people back on their feet, that means
99 weeks people could get up to two years to be paid not to
work. When the economic policy of the administration is
continue to figure out ways to pay people not to work. It's not
to create jobs so they can work and pay taxes and support their
families, it's well economic policies have failed so let's
figure out way to pay people not to work and that's one reason
people can't find jobs is because of the reasons that I
mentioned, the stifling of business individual capitalistic
philosophy and people have quit working. So it's helped them
find a job, not figure out way to put them receiving more
government benefits. [00:06:29] >> In fact, unemployment we have
a number of people given up because prospects are bad or
they are happy with benefits they get from government they
don't need to work. >> There is some people who take that
approach. There are people who want jobs, they have quit
looking. The work force is down to the 1970s LEVEL IN THIS
COUNTRY Percentage wise, people have just given up on looking
for jobs. That is unfortunate. >> Judge, are those people
failing or is our economy failing and perhaps a very
significant way that we have never seen perhapses in 70
years. You know, back in the depression, the one of the
cabinet members of roosevelt said anybody over 45 that has
lost a job will never get it back. And proved to be somewhat
truthful until, you know, stumbled into world war ii. Who
is failing? Our people or our economy? >> The economy is the
blame, part of the blame for why people cannot find jobs, but the
answer to helping the economy is not to it figure out ways for
government to get involved and pay people not to work f.
Government is going to get involved, help government should
help create jobs, like simple example, the keystone pipeline.
Why haven't we just approved the keystone pipeline, for all the
reasons, everybody including labor uniyops support it. The
main reason, jobs. The government says not so fast,
world war ii took less time than the approval decision of the
keystone pipeline. Government has become the problem, not the
answer to all our needs. >> You voted for this budget this, is
my last thing and then you can go. I think you voted, maybe you
didn't vote for the budget, that included $500 billion of
spending to employers in this country that support 22 million
people that, is how important government is. 22 million people
are employed because of the $500 billion in discretionary
spending that the republicans budget passed. [00:08:36] >> I
didn't vote for the budget and I know that shocks you, it was too
much spending, but I'm not sure what your point is on this -- >>
the government is major actor in improving economy and in fact
could actually do more if it spent more money on, with
businesses who will create jobs. >> That is the philosophy about
paying people not to work, that creates, helps the economy, i
don't see that either. There are government contrasts, there are
jobs that the government does pay for out of taxpayer money,
but that is not the economic growth in this country. The
growth is in private sector, not subsidized by government.
Private sector finds jobs and hires people in all of those
people contribute to the economy of the united states and to tax
structure, that is the answer, it's not more government
deciding who works, who doesn't work. >> Gary, I hear he is not
for the wpa coming back. >> I'm sure. We'll move away from
david's agenda and start talking about foreign relations. You are
on the foreign affairs committee for the house, chairman of the
sub-committee dealing with chairism, I want you to talk to
us and tell us about where should we be worried about as
americans, the hot spots in the world where american interests
are at stake and tell us kind of what is at stake and how is
obama doing? >> Where do you want to start? I guess we'll
start with the biggest problem in the world, which is iran.
Iran is a rogue nation that first of all sends their proxy
hesbollah, to different parts of the world to cause mischief. Not
just in the world, hesbollah is in syria and other parts of the
world. Al qaeda is in -- sanctions started working,
iran's economy was being hurt real bad. Their economic growth
was nothing and so they then decided they would come to the
table when we decided we want you to come talk to us about the
sanctions. What has happened, the iranians said we will freeze
nuclear weapon development, freeze, not dismantle, if you
give us some money. We said, sure, we believe you, and we
gave them $6 or $7 billion, just opponenting the inevitable. We
gave away the courthouse and the mineral rights in the kerry
deal, reminiscent of the '30s with chamberlain, peace in our
time. I was in israel when kerry made this deal, I was actually
visiting with netnahu, he said that was a bad deal for israel
and the united states. We could believe the supreme leader of
iran when he says he wants to aniaalate israel and the united
states. All of his goals are move nothing that direction.
Here's the problem. [00:11:38] >> What I will ask you on that,
the president, the agreement we signed with iran is like 10 or
15 pages that the administration has classified as secret. That
means the american people don't know what's in it. I understand
you did have a chance to read it, you can't talk about it, but
let's talk about secrecy, what are they hiding from the
american, what could they be hiding from the american people
that you can't talk about? What are they doing? >> I think the
deal, since it affects americans, shouldn't be
secretive. Americans should be able to read the agreement the
administration has put forth. That is just my opinion. And it
is long-term problem with not just iran. Say they get nuclear
weapons, then saudi arabia will get them because they are
already worry body iran. Saudi arabia, then turkey, then egypt,
more nations with nuclear weapons, middle east turmoil and
of course israel is in gun site of iran. >> You think anybody in
the world believes we know what we're doing on foreign policy? I
don't know if you have seen the audit of our send nothing
afghanistan, I don't know if anybody has, I think they are
repressing it. It says and reports are all, all 16
ministries of the afghanistan government are not free of
corruption, money is being wasted and you guys just cut
their budget by in half. You know, here we have a war that
basically another one we're losing. >> Well, as far as
foreign policy and what we're doing, what is our foreign
policy? I'm not so sure what foreign policy is. >> Get out,
because we're broke, get out. >> That is in our foreign policy,
I'm not sure what it is, it is a different policy philosophy,
opinion on the day of the week and what country we're talking
about. Our friends do not understand what our policy is.
And our enemies don't think we have a policy and that is one
reason, not the only, but one reason there seems to be
instability, they don't know where we stand on these
important issues about terrorism, about proliferation,
we have national surveillance effort going on, international
surveillance effort, many friends of ours are probably
happy to know it is happening and they are participating in
and not having to pay that much for, so they could be free of
terrorist activity. You maybe should give us some credit about
that surveillance state that we have. [00:14:12] >> Well,
surveillance of on international issues regarding security of the
united states is one issue. But what has happened is this
administration has passively approved spying on americans,
which unfortunately it doesn't seem to bother a lot of people.
Spying, the right of privacy, yeah, it is basically gone in
this country, when the nsa can seize millions of records of
individuals and say, we're doing it in the name of protecting
you. Produce the one terrorist. If it is a criminal case, should
-- >> david. >> A criminal case should be public record, let's
see the case. >> I think we have put some people in prison who
have been aiding and abetting foreign enemies of ours. >> But
that is not the same as spy og america and is that occurring
across the board, the nsa has gone viral when it comes to
spying on americans and have to be reigned in. The author of the
patriot act said the patriot act does not allow for spying on
america, seizing of private information. Are you kidding me?
This is the soviet union. Gary and I went to the soviet UNION
BACK IN THE '80s, I HAVE Seen what that was like. >> They were
spying on us. >> I want to go back, david, to talk about the
world. So you talked about iran, you talked about better than
iraq where the united states left and at the end of the day,
what did we leave in our wake in iraq since we decided to cut and
run? >> We made iran a powerful country as a result. >> We
helped, I say we helped, unfortunately, iraq is tumbling
back to the way it was before we came in. >> All the money and
lies wasted for nothing. We can give that one to obama, i guess.
Afghanistan, train wreck, right? >> It's getting to the same way.
>> We will cut and run there. [00:16:12] >> We've told
everybody when we are leaving just like we did with iraq, bad
guys are waiting us out to some extent, they are not waiting us
out. Both very unstable governments. The future for iraq
and the future for afghanistan is not good. Pakistan will come
to afghanistan, become influence in that country. Pakistan is not
an allie of the united states, they play both sides, our,
chinese and terrorist. >>The president identified pakistan in
top three worries about our american security. Pakistan was
number three. >> That is why we should quit giving them aid. Why
are we giving them aid? I've introduced legislation every
session almost, last few years to cut the aid to pakistan. We
don't need to pay them to hate us, they doll it for free. All
of a sudden, we still give pakistan money. Things like that
do not make sense. >> Does linda have a comment from an advisory
board member? >> It is always important to get additional
perspective from other members of our community. We ask members
of our advisory board to weigh in. Blogger ree-c murphey has
this question. The president in his state of the union speech
threatened to use more executive power if congress did not work
with him. How far is too far when it comes to executive
order? >> Okay. So president obama is going to use executive
order if you don't do what he wants. Congressman poe, maybe we
should abolish congress. >> The executive order is not in the
constitution, it's been used by several presidents, obama though
has said I will use it if congress doesn't do it my way.
This is not burger king. He cannot have it his way, we go
through congress, we learned that in ninth grade civics. He
wants to bypass congress, it is unconstitutional. Violation of
the philosophy and letter of the constitution to say, okay,
congress won't pass a law? I'll use my pen, he will rule by pen
and phone, use my pen to issue a new order and I'll call the epa,
or whatever I want to call and tell them to follow this new
rule, which is as effective law. Constitutional situation I think
should be very disturbing to most americans and those things
are illegal. [00:18:33] >> And track record of doing it. He did
it on obama care, he changed the rules scomplft right. They are
like, he makes a decision. Why do we need congress? >> He can
dribble without the basketball, you are faster if you don't
dribble. That is his theory. >> There is no court that says
anything he did as far as taking discretion to postpone
implementation of obama care was, there is anything wrong
with it in terms of the law. He is a dictator, but the supreme
court and everyone else has said, go ahead, that is your
right. >> He is getting a pass on it, i think, it has -- the
court systems have to be the ones to rule and only one they
called him out on on were the so-called recess appointments he
said were recess appointments. >> That is going before the
supreme court now. >> Yes. That is the only small suit i know. I
don't see them anywhere in the constitution that the president
can just write his own laws. We're irrelevant. He said we're
irrelevant. He'll go his way if we don't do it his way. >>
Grandstanding. Headlines. Widespread terror in syria,
massive war crimes going on. I mean, should we be there? Do we
invade them? What do we do? >> We certainly don't supply arms
to the rebels, you've got on one side you've got the government
of syria, bad regime, supported by russia and iran. Rebels
supported by saudi arabia, turkey, you have outside
criminal gain that come into syria that are opportunists. We
can't tell the difference in rebels, even though some people
say we're going to give guns to moderates, what may be moderate
today is terrorist next day. We made the mistake in libya are
taking sides. >> We shouldn't be supplying guns. You have two
terrorist groups fighting each other. You have hezbollah
fighting. The rebels have come in, terrorists groups have taken
some is of the territory and are in control of that. Syria is a
mess, but we shouldn't be taking sides. I do think the united
states should help with humanitarian aid. [00:20:52] >>
I was at a refugee camp with families were, I think we should
help there, we certainly shouldn't be escalating the war
by giving guns to anybody, we don't know who these people are.
>> It is your opinion then disint grating countries like
iraq and syria, afghanistan, are far more threatening to world
peace and security of israel for instance, than is iran?
Immigration of those countries far more deadly possibility for
us and our security and as well as -- >> I wouldn't say more
serious problem, iran is the real problem, of course they are
effective in syria, but the syrian civil war is something
that has to be resolved, I think by the arab league, the folks
involved in it. The united states shouldn't come in and
start escalating the killing of anybody by supplying arms to
either side. >> All right, let's go back, we didn't talk about
egypt. >> We can go back to egypt. >> I'm sure you have been
there. >> Just pick your country. >> Tell us about where
things are in egypt? Brotherhood out, military back in. >>
Military back in, they regained stability and they are still
accusations, I believe they are valid, of persecution of
minorities, christian groups, for example, churches are being
burned. Egypt is not a good place to go on vacation. >> It
is cheap. >> You may get a good rate, you weren't invited to the
rockets game when they had israel night. In the big box
seat there was the israeli consulate head and the egyptian
one, apparently they are still friendly. >> I guess they are.
What I want to ask you about -- >> the relationship between
israel and egypt is relatively good now that the military is
back in power. The stability between that area of disputed
border area, they seem to be getting along better. [00:22:55]
>> The stories until gaza, until tomas is out of gaza, there will
be instability in egypt and the egypt military has stated that,
maybe to you, but they realize that is the problem. >> I'm not
the -- >> hamas is another terrorist group, shoots rocket
intoes israel on daily basis. >> Next area of the world, china
and expansion of the american zone into territorial water of
surrounding countries like vietnam, philippines and the
like, what is your -- you have been there, what is your take?
>> It is monodoctrine. The chinese want to control that
entire area of the world, they call the south china sea, which
contains a lot of countries, are very concerned about china
saying this is, we control this maritime area and it is vietnam
and malaysia, and thailand and of course the philippines,
countries concerned about the expansion of chinese influence
and that is what they are doing, trying to say that we are the
guy in the neighborhood. >> What should the united states do
about that? We allegedly pivoted to yeas asia under the
administration and foreign policy. >> The united states
should make sure the sea lanes remain open under the
international agreement we all have signed. Some of the basic
things like that. Make sure we support the freedom of the seas
and the chinese will continue to push until somebody tells them
not to. >> Not necessarily militarily. >> You guys have not
talked about israel that much, I want you to give us a guess if
you can on whether or not the john kerry peace for israel and
palestinian plan he will submit and has submitted which everyone
expects netannahu to sign off, will end upbringing peace to the
area? [00:24:58] >> Absolutely not. That is a failed plan. It's
the chamberlain plan of the '30s THAT BROUGHT WORLD WAR II. I
don't see anything in that. It's based upon a simple test that we
trush the iranians. >> Are you kidding me? That will not solve
the problem. I don't see that occurring at all. It that it
will bring peace in our time. We have the internal problem of the
palestinians in israel, that is not going away. >> Thank you.
Thank you, congressman, poe, time is up. Linda, on to
sobering thought that peace is not coming in our time. >> Great
discussion, thank you, congressman. Remember you can
catch "red, white and blue" every friday at 7:30 p.M. On
channel 8 and again saturdays at 6:30 p.M. We invite you to visit
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don't forget to like us. Thank you for watching, see you again
next week. Good night. [00:29:53] >> With his writing