[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.
____________________