Alert
Tell Congress They Must Cut Military Spending
On Feb. 2 Sen. John McCain unveiled a bill that will stop next year’s automatic cuts in military and domestic spending – and make federal workers pay for the deficit instead. There’s a similar bill in the House. It’s part of a huge right-wing push to stop any further Pentagon cuts.
Senator John McCain wants to keep us from bringing military spending under control. Don’t let him do it.
Under last year’s deficit deal, military and domestic programs are supposed to be cut equally over the next ten years. The Pentagon has barely been nicked. Its budget will shrink for one year, then start growing again. But domestic programs have suffered massive cuts.
Now McCain wants to stop the clock, suspend next year’s cuts, and establish the principle that military spending cannot be touched. It’s up to us to say: NO!
McCain is just one loud voice in a huge pro-war choir. The whole military-industrial-Congressional complex is rejecting limits on military spending. They’ve churned out a distortion-packed video , filed “stop the cuts” legislation in the House, and released a study on the economic impact of Pentagon cuts .
If they succeed, we’re cooked. The Pentagon will keep growing and eating up more of the federal budget. There is no way we can recover from the recession if we don’t cut military spending and shift hundreds of billions of dollars to the jobs and services we need in our communities.
The hawks are drawing a clear line. It’s the Pentagon or us. Let’s help Congress make the right choice.
1. Write your Senators and Representative. Click here for a sample email to your Senators and Representative. Tell them to speak out for real Pentagon cuts and real domestic spending increases.
2. Write a letter to the editor. Click here for a sample letter, talking points, a fact sheet, and tips for writing letters to the editor. Click here for a link to your local newspaper and a template letter.
And please forward this to everyone you can. Together we can win this one. Almost half of Americans say we can cut military spending safely. Let’s get that message to Congress and into the media.
On Feb. 2 Sen. John McCain unveiled a bill that will stop next year’s automatic cuts in military and domestic spending – and make federal workers pay for the deficit instead. There’s a similar bill in the House. It’s part of a huge right-wing push to stop any further Pentagon cuts.
Senator John McCain wants to keep us from bringing military spending under control. Don’t let him do it.
Under last year’s deficit deal, military and domestic programs are supposed to be cut equally over the next ten years. The Pentagon has barely been nicked. Its budget will shrink for one year, then start growing again. But domestic programs have suffered massive cuts.
Now McCain wants to stop the clock, suspend next year’s cuts, and establish the principle that military spending cannot be touched. It’s up to us to say: NO!
McCain is just one loud voice in a huge pro-war choir. The whole military-industrial-Congressional complex is rejecting limits on military spending. They’ve churned out a distortion-packed video , filed “stop the cuts” legislation in the House, and released a study on the economic impact of Pentagon cuts .
If they succeed, we’re cooked. The Pentagon will keep growing and eating up more of the federal budget. There is no way we can recover from the recession if we don’t cut military spending and shift hundreds of billions of dollars to the jobs and services we need in our communities.
The hawks are drawing a clear line. It’s the Pentagon or us. Let’s help Congress make the right choice.
1. Write your Senators and Representative. Click here for a sample email to your Senators and Representative. Tell them to speak out for real Pentagon cuts and real domestic spending increases.
2. Write a letter to the editor. Click here for a sample letter, talking points, a fact sheet, and tips for writing letters to the editor. Click here for a link to your local newspaper and a template letter.
And please forward this to everyone you can. Together we can win this one. Almost half of Americans say we can cut military spending safely. Let’s get that message to Congress and into the media.
Quotes:
A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching
spiritual death. Martin Luther King, Jr. The military budget is not on the table. The military is at the table, and it is eating everybody else’s lunch. MA Congressman Barney Frank, summer 2011 deficit negotiations NATIONAL:
| CUT THE PENTAGON, FUND THE T
The MBTA is proposing huge cuts in service and drastic hikes in fares that will leave people in Arlington and the Boston area without critical public transportation services. The T cuts will particularly affect those who depend on it and can least afford it: working people, seniors, and students. And to protect our environment, we need more good public transportation - not less!
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is building weapons it doesn't need; maintaining over 700 military bases around the world; continuing the war in Afghanistan; and preparing for confrontations with Iran and China that will endanger us all. The T's total debt is $8.1 billion. (The Big Dig is the main reason the T has a budget shortfall this year of $161 million). For the price of a new Ford Class aircraft carrier ($9 billion each), we could pay the T's total debt. You can: -Join tomorrow's city-wide rally in Copley Square tomorrow/February 13 from 4:30 - 6:00 pm. Many will be leaving from the Davis Square T stop with Occupy Somerville at 4:30 pm. -Let your representative and Senators Kerry and Brown know we want to cut military spending and give more transportation aid to the states, so our communities can live. 202-224-3121 in D.C. -Speak out at the MBTA's public meetings: Schedule: http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/public_meetings/ Or send comments to the MBTA by e-mail to fareproposal@mbta.com or by mail to: Fare Proposal, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 3910, Boston MA 02116 Make the connection to our national priorities! Donate to the 25% Campaign!The 25% Campaign needs your help to print materials and support our organizing effort. Please donate generously. Donations are 100% tax-deductible.
Make checks out to "Massachusetts Peace Action Education Fund" and write "25% Campaign" on the memo line. Mail to 11 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. Or click "Donate" below to pay securely online. NEWS
-January, 2012 The 25% campaign launches its 2012 plan. The 25% campaign merges with Massachusetts Peace Action Join us on January 28th for the Mass Peace Action Annual Meeting!! -November 8, Arlington 25% Solution sponsors Town Hall Meeting, Taking on the Budget Debate -October 2011-25% campaign does teach-in at Occupy Boston --Summer 2011 - Local Fund Our Community groups in MA help educate and build support for the People's Budget ---July, 2011 Arlington launches Resolution campaign --- June, 2011 Massachusetts Democratic Party votes in favor of the People’s Budget! http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/article.php?id=24275 ---25% campaign joins new Statewide network! Fund Our Communities, No War Boston Speak-out March 22 2011 Video25% Campaign Stands with Wisconsin
 25% Campaign Stands with Wisconsin  Barney Frank hosts Town Hall Meetings
Rep. Barney Frank hosted 3 town hall meetings in October, - in New Bedford, Wellesley and Taunton - inviting people to discuss the economy, the budget and why he thinks it is essential that our country scales back its worldwide military commitments and cuts excessive military spending. Speaking to seniors in Taunton, Frank said "If the congressional “super committee” tasked with cutting the federal deficit by identifying $1.2 trillion in savings over the next 10 years fails to consider military cuts, social programs that help seniors will likely be slashed. On Friday October 28th, Rep. Barney Frank told wickedlocal.com and GateHouse Media editors and reporters he believes federal budget cuts are a “zero-sum game.” He said Congress needs to cut military spending or it will be forced to cut something else, such as Medicare and Medicaid. (see article here) Boston Speak-out
March 22, 2011- Over 200 people attended a Boston community speak-out tonight to talk about the impact of a third year of state budget cutbacks on education, health care, elder services, teen jobs and other programs.
Over 20 community leaders addressed the crowd, explaining why their programs are important and why the community depends on them. Yawu Miller of One Massachusetts.... made the point that affluent taxpayers pay a smaller share of their income in Massachusetts state and local taxes than do the poor and middle income. The event promoted "An Act to Invest in Our Communities", sponsored by State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, which would raise $1.2 billion to plug the state's budget gap by taxing those who can best afford to pay -- those making $100,000 a year and over. In a grand finale, members of Boston Coalition to Fund Our Communities - Cut Military Spending 25% unfurled a room-sized bar graph showing that most of the Federal government's discretionary income is spent on the military. Daryl White of the Boston Coalition stated that just half the cost of one of the F-35 fighter planes now flying over Libya would cover the entire Boston school department budget gap for this year. Just one hour of the Afghanistan war would fully fund the Boston youth jobs program for one summer. The event was sponsored by New England United for Justice, One Massachusetts, and the Boston Coalition  Cambridge UJP and Greenport lead tax day protest at Central Square Post Office, April 18, 2011 |
