This was a decision I never thought I would have to make.  It was a difficult decision that has weighed heavily upon me.  But for the sake of my family, my neighbors, my constituents, and our country, I know it is the right decision and I am proud to stand by our President. 

The resolution authorizes our President to use military action against Iraq as a last resort.  He has said that he will continue to work with the U.N., and that he will seek to form a coalition of allies to disarm Iraq, if necessary. 

This week, our President explained very clearly that Saddam Hussein is a malicious tyrant with weapons of mass destruction and the ability to use them.  He has ignored U.N. resolutions.  He has supported terrorism.  He cannot be trusted, and he can no longer be tolerated. 

I have met with President Bush twice in the past two weeks to discuss Iraq and the threat Saddam Hussein poses to America.  He gave me the evidence I need to support this resolution.  Saddam Hussein is training terrorists to make and use weapons of mass destruction.  He has these weapons, and he will use them against America.

Our responsibility in this matter was clear.  We rose to meet this challenge and passed this resolution so our men and women in the military, our allies around the globe, members of the United Nations, and yes, even Saddam Hussein himself will know that we are united in our mission to make America safe again. 

I have a brother-in-law who serves in the U.S. Air Force.  I have a first cousin in the U.S. Army.  I do not want war, none of us want war.  We all want peace.  We all want to know America like we did before September 11, 2001.  I don’t want war, but what I do want is to prevent another attack on our people.  September 11 taught us a painful, but unforgettable lesson about the evil that our enemies are capable of displaying. 
Our world has changed, our enemy has changed, and our approach must also change.

“The system many of our seniors depend on for their income, to which they contributed funds their entire working lives, is in jeopardy,” Ross said.  “Right now, the Social Security Trust Fund is counted as part of our nation’s budget surplus projections, giving the politicians in Washington enough access to raid it, with no plan on how to replenish it.  Social Security as we know it today will be broke by 2041, and that’s assuming the trillion dollars the politicians have borrowed from it gets paid back by then – there is no provision to ensure this money gets paid back.  This is wrong.”

The first bill Ross introduced as a member of the House of Representatives was the Social Security and Medicare Off-Budget Lockbox Act of 2001 (H.R.560), which prohibited the Social Security and Medicare Trust Fund surpluses from being used in national budget surplus projections. 

“There is no substitute for the lifelong, guaranteed, inflation-protected benefits provided through Social Security,” Ross said.  “Taking money out of the Social Security Trust Fund to make long-term, speculative investments in the stock market is a privilege not all Americans can afford and it shortchanges all of our low-income seniors. 

“Some insist that private accounts are the only way to save Social Security.  Private accounts take away from the Trust Fund; privatization is gambling with a stock market that has proven to be unsteady.  Had we begun investing two percent of the Social Security Trust Fund in the stock market in 1998, it would have lost $31 billion.  Our seniors cannot afford for us to gamble away their income.

“I have seen what it is like for seniors to live from Social Security check to Social Security check.  That is why I am fighting so hard to ensure the future of this program.”

“I am pleased to have helped secure this much-needed funding for these projects that are so important to our communities,” Ross said.  “This is the first step in securing the funding I have requested for our district.  I am particularly proud of the funding for the City of Bradley.  The city has been struggling since last year’s fire destroyed their city hall.  This funding, in addition to the grant funding I announced earlier this year, will help to rebuild necessary municipal offices, revive an area vital to the heart of this community, and restore civic pride in this wonderful community.”

Funding for projects in the Fourth Congressional District are as follows:

· $200,000 for the Bradley City Hall and Community Center – The Bradley City Hall was destroyed in a fire in September of 2001.  Plans for the new municipal complex include a Community Center with a seating capacity of 120, which will also serve as a senior center, and a new Fire Station to replace an older station that is no longer adequate, making fire protection inefficient.  The complex will house a variety of city offices, and will serve as a meeting place and center for community activities. 

· $200,000 for the Dermott City Community Nursing Home – Currently the Dermott City Nursing Home is limited with space and equipment, leaving them unable to offer satisfactory services such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy to their residents.  This funding is for construction and equipment for a rehabilitation and activity room.

· $250,000 for University of Arkansas Agriculture and Water Resources Project – This funding is part of a five year vision and action plan to address the state’s water resources problems.  The plan is designed to develop bioenvironmental engineering solutions to provide state of the art watershed management tools, significantly reduce the non-point source of pollution of the surface and ground waters, and provide adequate water to meet urban and agricultural demands.

These funding projects now go to the full House of Representatives for approval and then to a House-Senate conference committee for their consideration.