Byron Dorgan: “let me talk, just for a moment, about the economy. I have listened to some of the discussion, and I know there is a…”

“let me talk, just for a moment, about the economy. I have listened to some of the discussion, and I know there is a tendency to talk about the economy and to talk about, the other side is to blame. It is always the other side that is to blame. It does not matter which side you are on, you are just pointing in the opposite direction. And I suppose there is some blame that can be availed to virtually everyone in Government for our problems with respect to the American economy. I worry, however, there is not very much attention being paid to the economy. Today's speeches in the Senate represent a departure because in most cases nobody wants to talk about the economy these days. We have very serious, relentless, difficult problems in the American economy. Just take a look at what is going on in the economy. More people are out of work. More people are losing their jobs. More people are losing money in their 401(k) accounts. The stock market is behaving like a yo-yo. The big budget surpluses that we were told last year would last forever--most of us did not believe that, but that is what we were told: These budget surpluses will last for as long as you can count, so plan on the next 10 years of having consistent surpluses, and let's spend it now in the form of tax cuts--well, those surpluses have now turned into deficits, and big deficits. Big surpluses have turned into big deficits.”