As Wisconsin-type protests are threatening to break out all over the USA ‘ and regular people are taking huge hits because, as we are being constantly told, “our country is broke” ‘ many are becoming concerned that money spent on our military is money denied other needs in our society. And that comes with a human cost. Reading in The Atlantic, March 15 issue, about how the USA plans to spend $900 billion to buy and operate a fleet of 2,400 new F-35 fighter jets ‘ and then hearing how our country has no money for public-employee benefits, schools, parks, and so on ‘ got me going. (I completely support the USA having the military wherewithal to take swift and decisive action when necessary, and I support our support of the rebels in Libya. But the time has come when the domestic cost of our military budget needs to be considered.)
People in Minnesota are taking action. At breakfast in Minneapolis last week, a friend of mine shared a resolution Minnesotans are giving to their state legislature in hopes of balancing their state budget not by stripping away services to poor and middle-class people, but by reconsidering our military budget. Like many good ideas, it’s courageous but (sadly) probably futile. Still, these numbers are hard to refute. Here’s the resolution:
Whereas Minnesota is faced with a $5 billion budget shortfall; and,
Whereas past budget cuts have resulted in painful reductions in essential services and future cuts would further erode the quality of life for and, in fact, endanger the lives of many citizens; and,
Whereas many cities and communities in Minnesota are laying off police, firefighters, teachers and other essential employees; and,
Whereas past budgets have been balanced by cutting social services, under investment in essential infrastructure, and other measures that push the crisis onto local governments and the poor; and,
Whereas Minnesota taxpayers even during these times of economic crisis and fiscal austerity are poised to pay approximately $26 billion over the next two years for their share of the Defense Budget of the Federal government; and,
Whereas Minnesota taxpayers alone have already spent more than $27.5 billion, and will spend $8.4 billion more over the next two years for the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; and,
Whereas 58 cents of every dollar of federal discretionary spending is devoted to military purposes; and,
Whereas military spending priorities at the national level negatively impact budgets and quality of life at all levels of government and society; and,
Whereas our nation desperately needs to better balance its approach to security to go beyond military defense and include the economic, social, and environmental needs of our communities, state, and nation;
Therefore be it resolved that we call on Senators Klobuchar and Franken, and Representatives Walz, Kline, Paulsen, McCollum, Ellison, Bachman, Peterson and Cravaack as well as President Barack Obama, to shift federal funding priorities from war and the interests of the few, to meeting the essential needs of us all.
All statistics are available from the National Priorities Project.
Imagine the impact of US military expenditures on your state’s budget. Maybe you’ve fantasized about winning the lottery. You could do the same for your state if somehow our country (which spends as much as the rest of the planet combined on weapons) became only modestly militaristic and hammered a few extra swords into plowshares.
Talking about the dollars wasted on the military incenses many good security-minded Americans. But I believe the irony of our age is that our military itself ‘ because of the way it bleeds us economically and frays the fabric of our society ‘ is actually becoming a threat to our national security. Yes, that’s irony. What is it about the sacred cow of military spending in today’s USA? Thoughts?
