Kent Conrad
Kent Conrad
Gaylord Kent Conradis a former United States Senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, the North Dakota affiliate of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 1986, he served as chairman or Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee for twelve years...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth12 March 1948
CountryUnited States of America
medicare ought protect security social tax trust view
My own view is that we ought to protect the Social Security and Medicare trust funds, then, with what is left, have significant tax cuts.
babies baby begin boomers demands divert funds hit medicare nation security six social time wave
This nation is about to be hit with a tidal wave of new retirees. In just six years, the baby boomers will begin to retire. The demands on Social Security and Medicare will be dramatically increased, ... This is no time to divert Social Security and Medicare funds to other purposes.
believe cuts medicare obligation prevent revenue security social spending trust
I believe they have an affirmative obligation to come up with spending cuts or new revenue to prevent us from raiding the Medicare and Social Security trust funds,
cuts dollars fiscal fund government pay security social tax true trust using
By using Social Security trust fund dollars to pay for tax cuts and other government spending, the administration significantly understates the true fiscal imbalance of the country.
afford believe campaign claimed debt defense major massive money paying president promises protecting security social tax
I believe President Bush's campaign promises are unraveling, ... He claimed we could afford his massive tax cut, a major defense buildup, more money for education, while paying down the debt and protecting Social Security and Medicare. He was wrong.
needs social security
Certainly Social Security needs to be reformed.
budget challenges confront deal deficit eight medicare meet office percent plan president rather security social sooner tells truth worse
The Congressional Budget Office tells us by 2052, Social Security could meet only 78 percent of its obligations. Medicare is in even worse shape. The shortfall in Medicare is eight times the deficit in Social Security. But the president has no plan to deal with that. The truth is, we need to confront all these challenges sooner rather than later.
acting people surplus trillion
People are acting like this $5.6 trillion surplus is etched in stone. It's not. It's etched in quicksand.
absent bombshell information support
I think it is unlikely, absent some new information, some bombshell that comes up in the process, that I would support a filibuster.
ace across billion electric hardware large
There are large cooperatives all across this country. Land O'Lakes is a $12 billion club functioning all across America. There are rural electric co-ops in 47 states. Ace Hardware is a cooperative.
agree beyond emergency highly personnel rural scope simply
While I agree that all emergency personnel should be highly trained, this is simply beyond the scope of what we can do in rural communities.
added deeper grade income north reduced roosevelt school spending
When I went to Roosevelt grade school in Bismark, North Dakota, if you reduced spending by $39 and you reduced your income by $70, you were deeper in the hole, ... You've added to the deficit. You haven't reduced it.
boost past plan straight worse
The president's plan will give you a little boost and then look straight down, ... In fact, past 2004 it's worse than doing nothing.
began ended
Who would have thought that when we began this week, we would have ended in this way?