MSNBC- "The Ed Show"- Transcript: Infrastructure

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Joining me tonight, Congressman John Garamendi of California.

Congressman, good to have you with us tonight. Let`s talk...

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI, (D) CALIFORNIA: Good to be with you.

SCHULTZ: ... infrastructure.

GARAMENDI: Sure.

SCHULTZ: You bet. Do we have to cut a deal with the Republicans to get
$478 billion to get done into the budget to do what has to be done for the
country? Where is the deal here, John?

GARAMENDI: Well, I don`t know where the deal is but I do know that we
absolutely have to build our infrastructure. There are 63,000 bridges
across America that are subject to failure.

I still impose (ph) many of those are in Republican districts. Certainly,
there`s a big one right in Mr. Boehner`s district across the Ohio River
that is not in good shape at all. We call that the Boehner disaster. It`s
going to happen.

We`ve seen that happen up in Minnesota. We know that up on I-5 in
Washington State. The bridge collapsed, shutdown the economy there for a
long, long time. We need to build our infrastructure.

You`ve mentioned potholes earlier on. Oh yeah, we got potholes. We`ve got
drain. We`ve got sanitation systems, water systems, we have the need to
build high-speed internet into our schools and by the way, we need to
rebuild our schools.

This is about building for America, the foundation for economic growth.
This is not envy economics. This is the envy of America to build the
infrastructure.

SCHULTZ: What`s your response to Congressman Ryan? He`s the chairman of
the Ways and Means Committee calling it envy economics.

GARAMENDI: Well, he`s got the wrong envy. We want America`s
infrastructure to be the envy of the world.

Right now, we look to China, we look to Japan, we look to Europe and we
envy their infrastructure.

No, No, this is America, we`re the best, we`re going to build the best,
we`re not going to be second to anybody. Let them envy us. As to the
envy, he must be talking about trickle down economics.

Now, I`m sure Americans want to be rich and wealthy and they can be if we
actually create the jobs here in America, if we stick to the buy America
theme.

By now, Amtrak must have waved the buy America so that some 30 train sets
for high-speed rail on the east coast are not going to be built in America.
No, no and no.

This is America. We`re going to spend our tax money on American build
systems so that Americans can become the envy of the world, our
manufacturing and our infrastructure.

SCHULTZ: Congressman, last week when the Democrats got together in
Philadelphia, what kind of resolve came out from that?

It would seem to me that the Democrats are going to have to draw some lines
in the sand that say, look if you want this, this is what you have to do.
And put it on the Republicans, it`s their turn. They have a legislated
power. What came out of Philadelphia?

GARAMENDI: Well, just that. The President has proposed middle class
economics. He`s proposed those tax deductions for middle class from
childcare to education and forgetting the job.

All of those things are the middle class economics, build the
infrastructure, educate our kids, do the research, and pay for it by
changing the taxes and so the American corporations -- the big ones, not
the little ones but the big ones cannot escape American taxes. Probably a
quarter of...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

GARAMENDI: ... America`s corporations don`t pay much if any corporate
income tax.

SCHULTZ: Well, getting the Republicans to even mentioned that. It would -
- is quite a chore.

They`re still in the mood of saying no to everything. It`s going to be
interesting.

Congressman John Garamendi of California, always great to have you with us.
Thanks Congressman.

GARAMENDI: Thank you.

SCHULTZ: Coming up, oil workers` biggest strike in over three decades.
They don`t make a habit of this stuff but they`re pushing to market now.
We`ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHULTZ: And tonight in the two-minute drill, experience as the voice of
reason.

One commercial which aired during the Super Bowl really stuck with me. An
ad titled, "Wisdom" showed 11 centenarians giving advice for living life to
the fullest. The commercial ends with a twist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m 100-years-old and I want to tell the world what I
have learned.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Live for now because life is good. You make it good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You will learn not to cheat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are miracles all around you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay young.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Always tell the truth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Keep your eyes open and sometimes your mouth shut.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don`t complain.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell him like it is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don`t (inaudible).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hesitate and you lose.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put the pedal to the metal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Live fast

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And never, ever, forget where you came from.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: You know, too often in America we disregard the voice of
experience. I like that ad.

We always simply go for the next hot thing. Well, Dodge is still pretty
hot. Dodge connected its 100 years of being in business to the people who
have lived to be 100 years old. I thought it was pretty unique and
interesting and wise.

The punch out, they`re on strike. Why? That`s next on the Ed Show. Stay
with us.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source