When Will We Furlough the Wars?
War spending is stealing jobs & lives!
Thousands of government workers in Hawaii and around the U.S. are being furloughed, and government services are being cut. Congress failed to extend unemployment benefits to a million unemployed workers. Yet the U.S. House just voted $33,000,000,000 more in supplemental funding for the wars. Next year’s federal budget allocates $159,000,000,000 to “contingency operations” for the ongoing slaughter and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. There seems to be plenty of money for the wars and Wall St. bailouts, but little or no money to help working people, the poor and unemployed, and maintain government services.
I’m puzzled. Why aren’t government officials and government workers, and everyone else, raising their voices in protest to stop these endless wars and redirect war spending to unmet human needs at home? Where’s the outrage? Why the silence?
The U.S. spends more than $2,000,000,000 per day on its military budget and the figure keeps rising. While 2 cents out of every federal tax dollar goes to education, 54 cents goes to military spending. No wonder there are so little funds left to provide needed government services and pay workers a living wage. Now it’s reported that even Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are heading for the chopping block. But not the sacred cow of militarism. The cost of just 1 year’s war funding could pay an annual salary of $30,000 to 5 million workers.
(Read more http://www.alternet.org/story/145705/)
Many counties and states are even worse off than Hawaii. In California, more than 200,000 state workers are being put on $7.25 an hour minimum wage resulting in an annual salary of $15,000 when the average state worker had made $65,000 annually. At that rate it won’t be long until many more people lose their homes and life savings.
Like in Vietnam, the U.S. wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan are immoral, illegal, unwinnable, and unsustainable. They are bankrupting the U.S. morally and financially. It is long past time to stop the killing, furlough these wars, bring the troops home, and put people back to work at home. We need to unite for justice, peace, and the earth. The time is now!
Join the Furlough Friday Peace Vigil!
Jobs Not War! Break the Silence!
Stand Up & Protest!
1. Mourn all victims of violence. 2. Reject war as a solution. 3. Defend civil liberties. 4. Oppose all discrimination, anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic, etc. 5. Seek peace through justice in Hawai`i and around the world.
Contact: Malu `Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box AB Kurtistown, Hawai`i 96760. Phone (808) 966-7622.
Email ja@interpac.net http://www.malu-aina.org
Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet (July 9, 2010 – 460th week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office
