Senator Corker at World Affairs luncheon says deficit spending is the greatest threat to America.

Today I attended a luncheon conference of the World Affairs Council here in Nashville at the Renaissance Hotel . I did not do a count, but probably 300 people were in attendance. Civic leaders, business leaders, non-profit leaders, religious leaders, academics and current and former political leaders were in attendance, including former Mayor Bill Purcell and Congressman Jim Cooper, and several State Senators and Representatives.

Governor Bill Haslam introduced keynote speaker Senator Corker, and the event also featured Wes Blumenshine from Caterpillar Financial, Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran Wayne Culbreth (USA), and Pastor Dan Scott from Christ Church Nashville, who all described why programs funded by the U.S. International Affairs Budget are critical to Tennessee’s future.

Senator Corker spoke for maybe twenty minutes sharing his experience in Washington as the senior minority member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and his various travels around the world in that position and his evaluation of the challenges we face in the world and his views of America's position in the world. Corker was then interviewed in a casual set-down interview by David Brody, Chief Political Correspondent, Christian Broadcasting Network.

During the interview, Brody asked a Senator Corker what he saw as the biggest threat to American security today. Corker replied that that was "no-brainey." He said, by far the greatest threat to our national security was America's deficit.

“Withdrawal from leadership will make us less safe, have us miss opportunities for greater prosperity and stability, and potentially sow the seeds of greater indebtedness. There’s no nation in the world that is impacted as much as ours when there’s economic stability around the world. But the greatest threat to our ability to lead is our fiscal situation. I was asked recently in a discussion with young people about how the U.S. can regain our competitive advantage from a rising China. I said then and will reiterate today: we must get our fiscal house in order.”

He said if we do not get an handle on run-away spending we will not be in a position to exert influence in the world. He said if we cannot solve the debt crisis, nothing else we do in the world will matter.

Hearing Senator Corker's comments about the deficit made me even more disappointing with the so-called conservatives on the Metro Council who on Tuesday night voted to send the Congress a letter urging them to end sequestration, make no meaningful spending cuts and take the counter productive action of increasing the corporate income tax.

When cities around the country unanimously pass resolutions such as the shameful resolution passed by our Council on Tuesday night, it must weaken the resolve of members of Congress to address this serious threat to our national security. I do not see how patriots would not have voted for that resolution. 

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