WomenPowerPeace

Someone is finally saying that taxes are valuable!

I enjoy the whole campaign brouhaha -- speeches, debates, commercials... And I can listen with a fair amount of equanimity to the blah blah blah.

But one thing has been pushing a very big button on me -- and that's the conversation around taxes: Republicans say they're horrible and are killing small businesses and the economy, and they will lower them -- and the Democrats will raise them and pick your pocket and give you nothing but pork and earmarks and overhead projectors.

But at the VERY SAME TIME, the Republicans also say they will raise teachers' pay and "ramp up education" and win in Iraq and take care of the mortgage crisis and bail out the banks... and, lower taxes.

YOU CAN'T HAVE BOTH. It's making my skin itch. Democrats, CALL THEM ON IT. I don't like to pay taxes, okay? But I do like to have bridges that don't fall down; and schoolkids who don't contract diabetes because they're too fat and sedentary; and elderly neighbors who have enough to eat; and veterans who got wounded for me getting proper healthcare for the rest of their lives; and SO ON.

And hey! All that costs money! So if you want a civilized society, shut up and make the best use of those tax dollars.

The wise Thomas Friedman had this to say in the New York Times:

Palin defended the government’s $700 billion rescue plan. She defended the surge in Iraq, where her own son is now serving. She defended sending more troops to Afghanistan. And yet, at the same time, she declared that Americans who pay their fair share of taxes to support all those government-led endeavors should not be considered patriotic.

I only wish she had been asked: “Governor Palin, if paying taxes is not considered patriotic in your neighborhood, who is going to pay for the body armor that will protect your son in Iraq? Who is going to pay for the bailout you endorsed? If it isn’t from tax revenues, there are only two ways to pay for those big projects — printing more money or borrowing more money. Do you think borrowing money from China is more patriotic than raising it in taxes from Americans?” That is not putting America first. That is selling America first.

Sorry, I grew up in a very middle-class family in a very middle-class suburb of Minneapolis, and my parents taught me that paying taxes, while certainly no fun, was how we paid for the police and the Army, our public universities and local schools, scientific research and Medicare for the elderly. No one said it better than Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: “I like paying taxes. With them I buy civilization.”

I can understand someone saying that the government has no business bailing out the financial system, but I can’t understand someone arguing that we should do that but not pay for it with taxes. I can understand someone saying we have no business in Iraq, but I can’t understand someone who advocates staying in Iraq until “victory” declaring that paying taxes to fund that is not patriotic.

Elements of the economic mess - add in the outsized military budget

For years, we've been harping on the size and nature of the Pentagon budget. It sucks up OVER HALF of our discretionary federal budget. It spends billions on useless and outmoded weapons systems. And it makes us feel that we are a country that HAS to use its military super power, or we're not in control.

And of course, while we funnel all that money over to that half of the pie, the other half is ignored. Our bridges crumble, our levies collapse, our middle class can't go to college -- or the doctor.

Now that the economy is in freefall, lots of people are examining our federal budget more closely, and asking questions about our choices. And a light is now shining on that Pentagon like never before.

Today, Deepak Chopra posted a plan for how to repair our ailing economy. And a good part of that plan addresses the military budget; the reliance on military power; and the neglected areas of our country.

8. Launch an immediate project, in the $50-100 billion range annually for the next 5 years, to rebuild and expand American infrastructure, including bridges, roads, hospitals, sewers, public buildings, green transit, alternative energy projects, and broadband capacity.

9. As fast as possible, zero out the $10 billion/month we spend on the

Iraq

war. Reduce annual defense spending to $600bn per, saving $100bn annually, and spend a third of the savings on each of the following: a crash green fuels program, further infrastructure improvements, and reduction of the national debt….

First, this question assumes that military spending could not be reduced to pay for the entire package and still leave the

U.S.

military with extraordinary high level of funding by historical standards.

The American people must realize that even after the minor 10% cut recommended above, military spending would be dramatically higher than when George Bush took office, and that we are so broke we can no longer afford to spend more than the rest of the world combined on military matters. We have been on a permanent wartime funding in this country since World War II and such funding, more than any other single item, has led to the brink of financial ruin. Like every other empire that has preceded us, we must understand that the cost of maintaining a global military presence exceeds its value to us and is not making us safer and that the time has come for us to take our responsible role as one very powerful nation amongst a family of nations rather than continuing to attempt to run the world at the expense of the American taxpayer. We can no longer afford to have hundreds of military bases around the world nor continue to procure weapons at the staggering rate we have for over 60 years. President Eisenhower warned us precisely of this danger in his Farewell Address at the completion of this second term. It is time we took his admonitions to heart.

The second reason why we need not concern ourselves with reducing our domestic spending is because it is precisely that domestic spending that will re-ignite our economy to levels as yet undreamed of.

A trillion here, a trillion there

Lots of media stories about the calls FLOODING into Congress about the $700 billion bailout. Voters are outraged! at the enormous amount of money! pouring out of our treasury and toward rich people! and banks!

And they should be. But they should be this outraged every. Single. Day. Because for decades now, billions of OUR tax dollars have been sucked up by rich people. And huge wealthy companies. And no bid contractors who reap egregious profits...

Not Wall Street -- but Pentagon. Yep, they get BILLIONS every day. Yep --every year, more than a BILLION DOLLARS EACH DAY goes down the five-sided hole... Sure, some of it goes to our troops; some of it goes to vital machinery and vehicles and equipment. But a WHOLE LOT of it goes to outmoded, arcane, unnecessary, overpriced toys that do little more than make some wealthy defense contractors even richer...

Chalmers Johnson weighed in today:

There has been much moaning, air-sucking, and outrage about the $700 billion that the U.S. government is thinking of throwing away on rich New York bankers who have been ripping us off for the past few years and then letting greed drive their businesses into a variety of ditches. In fact, we dole out similar amounts of money every year in the form of payoffs to the armed services, the military-industrial complex, and powerful senators and representatives allied with the Pentagon.

On Wednesday, September 24th, right in the middle of the fight over billions of taxpayer dollars slated to bail out Wall Street, the House of Representatives passed a $612 billion defense authorization bill for 2009 without a murmur of public protest or any meaningful press comment at all.

On 9/11/08: Seven Years of Famine in the Land

Rev. Amanda Hendler-Voss is faith communities coordinator of WAND's Women of Faith in Action program. She wrote this piece on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of 9/11. Thanks.

Seven Years of Famine in the Land
by Rev. Amanda Hendler-Voss

There's an old, riveting tale from the Hebrew Scriptures about Joseph's years of imprisonment before he emerged as a rising star in the Egyptian kingdom. The false accusations of his powerful employer tossed Joseph into prison indefinitely. While holed up in captivity, he interpreted the dreams of fellow prisoners, accurately predicting that one would be executed in three days and another restored to his office in Pharaoh's household.

Two years later, the Pharaoh dreamt of seven emaciated cows devouring seven sleek, fat cows. The dream troubled Egypt’s king. He sent for many wise men, but none could interpret his dream. However, one member of the king's cabinet recalled how a young Hebrew named Joseph once interpreted his dream, and so the Pharaoh sent for Joseph.

Joseph interpreted the king’s dream this way: "There will come seven years of great plenty in the land of Egypt. After them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; the famine will consume the land." Joseph then moved swiftly into a bold policy recommendation. He suggested that twenty percent of all that the land produced during the good years be reserved for the seven years of famine. Pharaoh did just as Joseph recommended. In the years of famine, he opened storehouses of grain to those who suffered in Egypt and beyond.

This story came to the mind of columnist Thomas Friedman recently at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. With the pounding of hundreds of Chinese drums reverberating in his chest, he confessed: "I couldn't help but reflect on how China and America have spent the last seven years: China has been preparing for the Olympics; we've been preparing for Al Qaeda. They've been building better stadiums, subways, airports, roads and parks. And we've been building better metal detectors, armored Humvees and pilotless drones." He concluded, "When you see how much modern infrastructure has been built in China since 2001, under the banner of the Olympics, and you see how much infrastructure has been postponed in America since 2001, under the banner of the war on terrorism, it's clear that the next seven years need to be devoted to nation-building in America.” Can I get an amen?

Since the terrible tragedy of 9/11, we have learned that national security cannot be narrowly defined. We are not secure when our economy is in shambles. We are not secure when our bridges crumble and the housing market collapses. We are not secure when our children lack access to health care coverage. We are not secure when glaciers melt and hurricanes batter our coastlines. We are not secure when the U.S. has lost its good standing with allies around the world. We are not secure when children in poor countries are indoctrinated by extremist schools because no other educational opportunity exists in their community.

The bottom line is simply this: pouring money into George W. Bush's war on terror has not made us any safer in the last 7 years. And his economic policies that turned a robust surplus into mounting debt have weakened our nation from the inside out.

The endless war in Iraq has exacerbated the threats we face, providing to terrorists "the greatest recruitment propaganda imaginable," according to former counterterrorism coordinator Richard Clarke. This war has been both unethical and ineffective in resolving the genuine threats of evil in our time. It has taught us that military victory does not ensure political reconciliation, solve the root problems that perpetuate violence, or strengthen the social fabric of civil society. Gen. David Petraeus said there is no "military solution" to the Iraqi insurgency, adding that political negotiations were crucial to forging any lasting peace.

Furthermore, this war is just too costly. Friedman adds, "Trying to build democracy in Iraq, which I supported, was a war of choice and is unlikely to produce anything equal to its huge price tag." How much will our grandchildren pay for this war? Three trillion, when all is said and done, the experts say. Here’s an easier number to wrap your mind around: $720 million per day. We could be building 84 new elementary schools daily in our nation, or housing 6,482 families affected by the mortgage crisis, or adding 423,529 children to the health care rolls--each day. Instead we are pouring dollars into war as the Bush administration continues to insist that Iraq is the front line in the war on terror.

Instead of engaging in costly war is if it were the only tool in our toolbox, the next President must bring troops home safely and soon, eliminate Pentagon bloat by getting rid of obsolete weapons systems (like missile defense), and invest in a diplomatic surge that will secure our shaky relationship with nations around the world.

To respond effectively to terrorism, we need to rebuild our security infrastructure by investing in the three pillars of effective, responsible foreign policy: development, diplomacy, and defense. Development supports people at grassroots levels to help them improve their communities and address the root causes of instability. We need to invest in development—both at home and in nations where terrorism is on the rise. Diplomatic initiatives forge strong partnerships so people, nations, and regions can work together to address issues of security through political and legal negotiation. They emphasize conflict resolution and peace building strategies on local and international levels. Currently we spend 90% of our defense dollars on military action, 6% on homeland security, and a paltry 4% on preventive measures. When we balance our investment in development, diplomacy, and defense, the use of military action to safeguard national security truly becomes a last resort.

Examining our knee-jerk reaction to 9/11 through the lens of all that we've learned in seven years of famine time, the wisdom of Joseph's advice to Pharaoh is surprisingly relevant. Save up for our children's future. Strengthen national security by investing in infrastructure. Shore up social security by preparing for the hard times that come in the life of every nation. We can't afford anything less in the next seven years.

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For WAND’s congregational study guide (a great resource for fall religious education classes) on non-partisan get out the vote efforts, please visit: “In Times of Great Decision: How Congregations Can Take Part in Legal, Non-Partisan Election Activities.”

Are we really the world's policeman?

My kids have a lot of stuff: toys, books, clothes. I suspect they have less stuff than most kids in this country, but compared to my childhood, they have A LOT OF STUFF.

In my sisyphusian efforts to clear out the stuff, I often just stop and weigh it all. They can have so much stuff because it doesn't come from here. The persons (likely kids) who make this stuff live far away, and make very little money, and live very close to the ground.

We make very little anymore that my family consumes. We try to find and buy the stuff that gets made here, but we simply can't, sometimes.

So what do we make that we can consume? and export?

Military. Military toys (guns, bullets, nightvision goggles, ships, airplanes); and military might. It's coming to define our economy, and our role in the world. Nobody does it better.

Tom Engelhardt:

"Here it is, as simply as I can put it: In the course of any year, there must be relatively few countries on this planet on which U.S. soldiers do not set foot, whether with guns blazing, humanitarian aid in hand, or just for a friendly visit. In startling numbers of countries, our soldiers not only arrive, but stay interminably, if not indefinitely. Sometimes they live on military bases built to the tune of billions of dollars that amount to sizeable American towns (with accompanying amenities), sometimes on stripped down forward operating bases that may not even have showers. When those troops don't stay, often American equipment does -- carefully stored for further use at tiny "cooperative security locations," known informally as "lily pads" (from which U.S. troops, like so many frogs, could assumedly leap quickly into a region in crisis)....

“Let's face it, we're on an imperial bender and it's been a long, long night. Even now, in the wee hours, the Pentagon continues its massive expansion of recent years; we spend militarily as if there were no tomorrow; we're still building bases as if the world were our oyster; and we're still in denial. Someone should phone the imperial equivalent of Alcoholics Anonymous.”

Take a dollar; rip it in half; give one half TO THE MILITARY

That's what you're doing when you pay your taxes. Just about. Argh.

Let's say you pay $10,000 in taxes. Do you wanna see where it goes? Probably not. But here ya go:

Of the $10,000 you paid in taxes:
$4,200	goes to Past and Current Military
$2,200	goes to Health
$1,000	goes to Interest on Non-Military Debt
$900	goes to Anti-Poverty Programs
$400	goes to Education, Training & Social Services
$400	goes to Government & Law Enforcement
$300	goes to Housing & Community Development
$300	goes to Environment, Energy & Science
$200	goes to Agriculture, Commerce and Transportation
$100	goes to International Relations

Who knew Eisenhower was so damn smart?

I mean, anyone with a campaign slogan that says "I like Ike" can't be offering much more than a genial bald head, can he?

But he was. And when he made that final speech upon leaving office, he told more truth than anyone could have imagined at the time.

We are in a constant state of preparing for war. And this can only mean: you look for war. And when you find it, it justifies the preparation. And so on, into infinity, until we're all dead.

Attack on Georgia Gives Boost To Big U.S. Weapons Programs | Wall Street Journal

Russia's attack on Georgia has become an unexpected source of support for big U.S. weapons programs, including flashy fighter jets and high-tech destroyers, that have had to battle for funding this year because they appear obsolete for today's conflicts with insurgent opponents.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has spent much of the year attempting to rein in some of the military's most expensive and ambitious weapons systems -- like the $143 million F-22 Raptor jet -- because he thinks they are unsuitable for the lightly armed and hard-to-find militias, warlords and terrorist groups the U.S. faces in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has been opposed by an array of political interests and defense companies that want to preserve these multibillion-dollar programs and the jobs they create.

This is from Eisenhower:

Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.

Double your budget, double your fun

NOT ONLY does the Pentagon get OVER HALF the federal discretionary budget (over $500 billion a year) -- it gets it, and then, it does WHATEVER IT WANTS with it.

And when you're talking that kinda money, you KNOW someone's doing something crafty with it. Right? Isn't that the oldest story in the book?

But the fact is, we're not paying enough attention to what's happening with that whopping budget. The NYT on it today:

A lot more spending and far too little oversight, those are the bottom lines of two disturbing new reports on the Pentagon’s flawed-to-broken budgeting process. The Pentagon’s inspector general plaintively reported this week that his staff is overwhelmed. For good reason. The Pentagon’s budget has doubled since 2000, while the number of auditors has remained static.

Is this REALLY what our country has become about?

I fear this administration has reduced our country to a military superpower that has not much else to offer. Our economy has been hollowed out; our social infrastructure is wobbling under the weight of serious problems; our people are frightened and defensive.

But we make real cool military toys! And we make more of them than anyone else, ever! So just try something, Iran! We're a schoolyard bully, pushing Iran in the chest til he caves and spits at us, and we can let loose.

Not by accident, mind you; this administration has funneled more money into our military complex than any other country, ever, anywhere. More than a billion dollars A DAY. And, no, that's not about the wars; it's just daily business. Frida Berrigan:

1. The Budget-busting Pentagon: The Pentagon's core budget -- already a staggering $300 billion when George W. Bush took the presidency -- has almost doubled while he's been parked behind the big desk in the Oval Office. For fiscal year 2009, the regular Pentagon budget will total roughly $541 billion (including work on nuclear warheads and naval reactors at the Department of Energy).

The Bush administration has presided over one of the largest military buildups in the history of the United States. And that's before we even count "war spending." If the direct costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the Global War on Terror, are factored in, "defense" spending has essentially tripled.

Well, okay, we do a couple other things well. We make music and movies and amusement parks like nobody's business. So if we're not entertaining you, we can watch you move around in the dark and then lob soemthing lethal at you...

More cows than people; more butter than guns?

My folks were born and bred in Vermont. Which claims to have more cows than people -- though I guess that's not true. (It does have the most cows per capita of any state, for what that's worth.)

What it also has is a lot of progressive politicians and smart counter-thinking people. Among these: Sen. Bernie Sanders. Just today he authored an op ed in the Boston Globe about our favorite thing: the waytoobig military budget. And how it sucks up the resources that should go toward real security: healthcare, education, transportation, housing.

Or cows. And butter. Instead of guns..

Today, Bush's military budget is $515 billion, more than half of all discretionary spending. This is in addition to the $200 billion a year being spent on the war in Iraq, and another $16 billion spent on nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, as military spending explodes, the middle class in America is shrinking, poverty is increasing and the gap between the very rich and everyone else is growing wider. While we now spend $94 billion more on defense than three years ago, poverty and hunger are increasing, 47 million Americans lack health insurance, and an entire generation of young people wonders how to afford college.