Bill Nelson: “during the last few weeks, there has been much discussion about whether or not we should expand our war against…”

“during the last few weeks, there has been much discussion about whether or not we should expand our war against terrorism to a specific war in Iraq. A lot of us have been on the talk shows and on the news programs. This morning Senator Brownback of Kansas and I were on CNN talking about this very subject. It is expected that we will take up a resolution with regard to a war with Iraq probably later this week. In the midst of this very public discussion, largely neglected have been conversations about a battle we are in the midst of fighting on our own soil--an economic battle against the long-term fiscal stability of our country, an economic battle involving the condition of our budget and our national economy. As we talk about protecting against terrorism and protecting against Saddam Hussein in Iraq, clearly, we have to talk about military strength. But there is also a major component to being militarily strong; that is, to be economically strong. Let's look at our condition. Last year the administration told us we could expect over $5 trillion of surpluses over the next decade. As a member of the Budget Committee, having gone through a similar situation way back in the early 1980s, I warned that that was a risky gamble. I cited the experiences of 1981 when we voted for a huge tax cut. I recalled, as we had this debate over a year ago about the projected surpluses over time, that those surpluses may not materialize.”