[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 8, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H124-H125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          IRAQ AND THE ECONOMY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, the America I envision seeks world unity 
instead of unilateralism. It gains its power through being the first to 
help, not the first to strike. It extends itself to the peoples of the 
world to lift their burden. It is an America which, when asked for 
help, dispenses bread instead of bombs, medical assistance instead of 
missiles, and food instead of fissile materials.

                              {time}  2145

  There is a role for America in the world. It is in working with the 
community of nations to achieve the security of all nations. It is in 
restoring the promise of the nonproliferation treaty to lead the way to 
get rid of all nuclear weapons. It is through strengthening and abiding 
by international treaties. It is in assuring control and eventual 
elimination of chemical and biological weapons and land mines. It is in 
protecting our global climate.
  America can help protect the world. America can help save the world. 
But America cannot control the world, nor should we want to do so.
  Yet our administration would project American power for the purpose 
of domination. Their national security doctrines call for America to 
strike anywhere it pleases and to be the first to use nuclear weapons.
  Our Nation is now poised to go to all-out war against Iraq. Iraq has 
not committed any act of aggression against the United States. Iraq was 
not responsible for 9/11. No credible evidence exists linking Iraq to 
Al Qaeda's role in 9/11. Iraq as not responsible for the anthrax attack 
on our Nation. The United Nations has yet to establish that Iraq has 
usable weapons of mass destruction. There is no intelligence that Iraq 
has the ability to strike at the United States. According to the CIA, 
Iraq has no intention to attack America, but will defend itself if 
attacked.
  Why then is our Nation prepared to send 300,000 of our young men and 
women into house-to-house combat in the streets of Baghdad? Why is our 
Nation prepared to spend $200 billion or more of our hard-earned tax 
dollars for the destruction of Iraq?
  Why is our Nation preparing to use the most powerful military machine 
in history to wage an assault on the people of Iraq, to destroy their 
houses and buildings, to wipe out their water and electrical systems, 
and to block their access to food and medical supplies? There is no 
answer that can separate itself from oil economics, profit requirements 
of arms trade, or distorted notions of empire building.
  War with Iraq is wrong. But if war is prosecuted further in Iraq, we 
must be prepared to advance the cause of peace in this country. We must 
be prepared to stand up, to speak out, to organize, to march, to demand 
an end to the war, or to demand an end to an administration which 
insists on war.
  It is urgent we oppose this war. It will dominate our Nation's 
priorities. It will threaten Social Security and Medicare and block a 
prescription drug benefit for the elderly. It will stop America from 
providing jobs for all, health care for all, education for all.
  There are some who believe that it is unpatriotic to challenge the 
administration on the war. They believe it is politically wiser to 
debate the economy. But how can one reasonably separate war from the 
budget, war from the economy, war from America's ability to meet the 
needs of the people of this Nation?
  The administration's own top economic adviser said the war would cost 
up to $200 billion. Our Federal budget is already close to huge tax 
cuts for the wealthy. Remember when we had a budget surplus?
  Each time the administration talks about war, fear is created and 
when fear goes up, the market goes down. War will mean a sharp increase 
in oil prices, which will hurt jobs in manufacturing and 
transportation. One economic study with a worst-case scenario puts the 
cost of an all-out war plus long-term occupation of Iraq at $1.6 
trillion.
  We cannot separate war from the economy. We cannot separate war from 
America's ability to meet the needs of her own people here at home.
  We need to ask the questions: Why does America have hundreds of 
billions to ruin the health and take the lives of innocent people in 
Iraq but no money to provide health care for all Americans? Would why 
America spend hundreds of billions to retire Saddam Hussein, but no 
money to protect the retirement security of its own people? Why does 
America have money to blow up bridges over the Euphrates River in Iraq, 
but no money to build bridges over the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, 
Ohio?
  The path America must take is one of peace that leads to prosperity. 
It is one which understands that creating a structure of peace ensures 
that economic structures can be sound, affirmative of human needs and 
restorative of human values.
  This is the dream of a Department of Peace to making nonviolence an 
organizing principle in our society, making the work of Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr., a reality, and working to make war itself a thing of 
the past. It is the ethic of peace building which will cause us to take 
down weapons from the heavens and work to create a heaven on Earth.
  Peace and prosperity shall be as two pillars in a newly rebuilt 
America which provides for the economic and Social Security of its own 
people as a cause of nationhood and for the economic and social 
progress of people of other lands as a cause of brotherhood.
  This confirmation of the purpose of Nation was the dream of Franklin 
Roosevelt and the New Deal, Lyndon Johnson and the Great Society, and 
John F. Kennedy and the New Frontier. This shall continue to be our 
dream in the days ahead, that no matter the darkness, we shall hold up 
the light of America's higher purpose which calls to us across the ages 
from Washington, Jefferson and Adams, through Lincoln to the present 
day. Our Nation has a higher calling.

[[Page H125]]

         [Ceremonial Swearing-In Jan. 5, 2003, Cleveland, Ohio]

                          Iraq and the Economy

                      (By Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich)

       The America I envision seeks world unity instead of 
     unilateralism. It gains its power through being the first to 
     help, not the first to strike. It extends itself to the 
     peoples of the world to life their burden. It is an America, 
     which when asked for help, dispenses bread instead of bombs, 
     medical assistance instead of missiles, and food instead of 
     fissile materials.
       There is a role for America in the world. It is in working 
     with the community of nations to achieve the security of all 
     nations. It is in restoring the promise of the Non 
     Proliferation Treaty to lead the way to get rid of all 
     nuclear weapons. It is through strengthening and abiding by 
     international treaties. It is in assuring control and 
     eventual elimination of biological and chemical weapons, and 
     landmines. It is in protecting our global climate.
       America can help protect the world. America can help save 
     the world. But America cannot control the world, nor should 
     we want to do so.
       Yet our Administration would project American power for the 
     purpose of domination. The National Security doctrines call 
     for America to strike any where it pleases and to be the 
     first to use nuclear weapons.
       Our nation is now poised to go to all-out war against Iraq. 
     Iraq has not committed any act of aggression against the 
     United States. Iraq was not responsible for 911. No credible 
     evidence exists linking Iraq to Al Queda's role in 911. Iraq 
     was not responsible for the anthrax attack on our nation. The 
     United Nations has yet to establish that Iraq has usable 
     weapons of mass destruction. There is no intelligence that 
     Iraq has the ability to strike at the United States. 
     According to the CIA, Iraq has no intention to attack 
     America, but will defend itself if attacked.
       Why then, is our nation prepared to send three hundred 
     thousand of our young men and women into house to house 
     combat in the streets of Baghdad. Why is our nation prepared 
     to spend $200 billion or more of our hard-earned tax dollars 
     for destruction of Iraq?
       Why is our nation preparing to use the most powerful 
     military machine in history to wage an assault against the 
     people of Iraq, to destroy their houses and buildings, to 
     wipe out their water and electric systems and to block their 
     access to food and medical supplies?
       There is no answer which can separate itself from oil 
     economics, profit requirements of arms trade, or distorted 
     notions of empire-building.
       War with Iraq is wrong. But if war is prosecuted further in 
     Iraq, we must be prepared to advance the cause of peace in 
     this country. We must be prepared to stand up, to speak out, 
     to organize, to march, to demand an end to the war, or to 
     demand an end to an administration which insists on war.
       It is urgent we oppose this war. It will dominate our 
     nation's priorities. It will threaten Social Security. It 
     will threaten Medicare. It will block a prescription drug 
     benefit for the elderly. It will stop America from providing 
     jobs for all, health care for all, education for all.
       There are some who believe that it is unpatriotic to 
     challenge the Administration on the war. They believe it is 
     politically wiser to debate the economy. But how can one 
     reasonably separate war from the budget, war from the 
     economy, war from America's ability to meet the needs of the 
     people of this nation?
       The Administration's own top economic adviser said the war 
     could cost up to $200 billion. OUr federal budget is already 
     close to a $200 billion deficit due to huge tax cuts for the 
     wealthy. Remember when we had a budget surplus?
       Each time the administration talks about war, fear is 
     created and when fear goes up, the market goes down. War will 
     mean a sharp increase in oil prices, which will hurt jobs in 
     manufacturing and transportation. One economic study with a 
     worst-case scenario puts the cost of an all-out war, plus 
     long-term occupation of Iraq at $1.6 trillion.
       You cannot separate war from the economy. You cannot 
     separate war from America's ability to meet the needs of our 
     own people here at home.
       We need to ask the questions: Why does America have 
     hundreds of billions to ruin the health and take the lives of 
     innocent people in Iraq but no money to provide health care 
     for all Americans?
       Why would America spend hundreds of billions to retire 
     Saddam Hussein, but no money to protect the retirement 
     security of its own people?
       Why does America have money to blow up bridges over the 
     Euphrates River in Iraq, but no money to build up bridges 
     over the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland?
       The path America must take is one of peace which leads to 
     prosperity. It is one which understands that creating a 
     structure of peace ensures that economic structures can be 
     sound, affirmative of human needs and restorative of human 
     values.
       This is the dream of a Department of Peace making 
     nonviolence an organizing principle in our society--making 
     the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a reality--working to 
     make war itself a thing of the past. It is this ethic of 
     peace building which will cause us to take down weapons from 
     the heavens and work to create a heaven on earth.
       Peace and prosperity shall be as two pillars in a newly 
     rebuilt America which provides for the economic and social 
     security of its own people as a cause of nationhood and for 
     the economic and social progress of peoples of other lands as 
     a cause of brotherhood.
       This confirmation of the purpose of nation was the dream of 
     Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal Lyndon Johnson and the 
     Great Society, and John F. Kennedy and the New Frontier. This 
     shall continue to be our dream in the days ahead, that no 
     matter the darkness, we shall holdup the light of America's 
     higher purpose, which calls to us across the age from 
     Washington. Jefferson and Adams through Lincoln to the 
     present day.
       Our nation has always had a higher calling, despite the 
     darkness of 911 and the official response to it. It is a 
     calling to maintain the quest for democracy, for freedom and 
     liberty at times of peril as well as in times of peace. That 
     higher calling is our heritage. The words of Francis Scott 
     Key still echo:
       ``Oh say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave, o'er the 
     land of the free and the home of the brave?'' he celebrated 
     the link between freedom and bravery: it takes courage to 
     live in a democracy. It takes courage to stand up to 
     terrorists and maintain basic liberties. It takes courage to 
     lead the way toward global disarmament while some are bent on 
     destruction.
       It takes patience to face dictators around the world and 
     not be tempted to bomb them into submission. It takes wisdom 
     to have great power and to make gentle its presence in the 
     world.
       And it takes compassion to understand the plight of peoples 
     world wide who themselves are trying to survive, to live out 
     their own humble lives despite having conditions which are 
     challenging or governments which are oppressive.
       My friends. This is still your government. You have a right 
     to have a say in how its destiny is being charted. That right 
     derives from our very Declaration of Independence, which 
     claimed self-governance as a basic right. Government does not 
     just happen in Washington, DC. It is the result of a process 
     that takes place in thousands of cities, villages and 
     townships. It is also a process which also takes place in our 
     hearts, which is brought to life by our love of country, and 
     our love of each other.

                          ____________________