joining me now is the former chairman of economic advisers to president obama, allen kruger. thank you for being here today. we've been waiting for this moment. is this the year that we finally kick out of the -- and get into a better growth rate? >> i think we're going to see some pick up in growth this year. we've gotten past a lot of the damage caused by the great recession. i think we've gotten past a lot of the fiscal head winds. >> does that mean gdp at 3% or better? >> i expect it to be in the 3% range and it will build from there. if congress raises the debt ceiling, if europe remains stable and continues to expand a little bit, i think we could see growth in the 3% range. >> that's a lot of ifs that are in that equation. we've thought this before only to have springtime see things fall apart. what's in store for the economy this year? >> i wouldn't say things fell apart. i'd say we've gradually been healing. 2013 was about the same as 2012. given the fiscal adjustment and the end of the payroll tax cuts and the sequester, i think that's a sign that the underlying eco