Today, as the national debate over sequestration cuts and budget priorities wages on, locals will make their voices heard by delivering hand-written letters and “Money for People, Not for War” photo petitions to Rep. McMorris-Rodgers, Sen. Patty Murray and Sen. Maria Cantwell. This is the latest in a series of actions from community members calling for Pentagon cuts and shifting funds to education, healthcare and community needs, according to the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane.
Today, tax day, is also the Global Day of Action on Military Spending. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute released a report today on world military expenditures, which shows U.S. spent 47 percent of total global spending on weapons and war in 2012, more than the next 10 nations combined, at a cost of nearly half the country's federal budget.
The PJALS campaign “Money for People, Not for War: Bring Our Billion$ Home” is endorsed by over 1,100 individuals and 17 faith communities, organizations and businesses.
“Our communities and families are in a jobs crisis, yet our country is set to spend 47 percent of our income tax dollars on military spending in 2013. That's the wrong priority, because Pentagon spending creates far fewer jobs than spending on health care, education, and other domestic programs,” said PJALS Director Liz Moore. “The U.S. leads the world in military spending, spending more on weapons and war than the next ten nations combined, almost surpassing the rest of the world. After more than a decade of war and unprecedented increases in war spending, the U.S. economy is nearly stalled, the nation is in deep debt, and millions of people are out of work with no job prospects in sight. It's time to cut the wasteful Pentagon budget, which is rife with abuse and fraud. Struggling families need Congress to shift that spending to job creation, care for Veterans, lifeline programs like Social Security and Medicare, and other efforts that quicken economic recovery for everyone.”
The petitions will be delivered at 1 p.m. today. Delegates will walk from the PJALS table inside the Spokane Transit Authority Plaza on street level to the offices of McMorris-Rodgers, Murry and Cantwell.
