A Budget for Peace-People-Planet

To: members of United States Congress
cc: President Obama

Our Future Security and Prosperity Require Meeting Dire Needs at Home, Cutting the Bloated Military Budget, and Reinvesting in America

The current budget negotiations, scheduled to be completed on December 13th, must focus on meeting neglected dire needs at home. This includes:
· Adequately funding critical social needs, including food stamps, Social Security, improved and expanded Medicare for all, and public education including college,
· Creating a full employment public jobs program to jump start the green economy (a Green New Deal) - making wars for oil obsolete and rescuing our climate future, and
· Rebuilding vital infrastructure.

Many of these programs either pay for themselves (Social Security) or save money through inherent efficiencies (Medicare for All, clean renewable energy infrastructure). Additional revenue to support other critical programs can be drawn from:

· Creating a more progressive income tax for individuals and corporations as well as taxing Wall Street speculation, and · Reducing military spending that is either wasteful or excessive and aggressive, a posture that is increasingly winning us enemies and losing us friends.

The $1 trillion in current annual United States military spending is equivalent to the rest of the world’s military budgets combined. A 50% cut would leave us a budget that is still two to three times the size of China’s, the next biggest spender. U.S. military expenditures have doubled over the past decade without improving security. At the same time, our shift towards a policy of “full spectrum dominance” and expanding American empire has proven counterproductive to peace and security. It multiplies our enemies seeking revenge and it’s tragically expensive in blood and treasure.

All this makes cutting the bloated military budget not only possible, but essential. Savings should come from these urgently-needed reforms:

· Instead of being policeman for the world, refocus on defending America. Using the protection afforded by strong natural borders, we should utilize the traditional approach of defending our nation from invasion or military aggression against our territorial integrity. Fortunately, two of our borders are oceans and the other two are long standing allies, (Canada and Mexico). We do not need to militarize these borders against nonexistent military threats or in violation of the human right to seek refuge from economic or political oppression. A strategy of true defense will deliver the biggest savings of all, and will allow us to finally demilitarize following cessation of hostilities after WWII, the Cold War and Iraq. It will enable us to end the war on terrorism and engage more cooperative, effective approaches to foreign policy. We should close the 1,100 U.S. military bases and outposts in more than 130 countries, including Europe, Japan, and South Korea, saving $100 billion a year. We do not need expensive new bases to encircle China with the “Asian Pivot.” We must put a halt to the increasingly aggressive use of drone and special ops strikes around the world -- which create more enemies seeking revenge. We can restore international law, human rights, and diplomacy to their rightful positions as the primary tools of U.S. foreign policy.
· End the blank check for wasteful, unaccountable military spending - $100s of billions per year. An attempted audit of the DOD by the Clinton administration found that $2.3 trillion of $7 trillion in transactions could not be justified, suggesting up to a third of DOD expenses may be due to waste or fraud. War profiteering by military contractors should be eliminated and prosecuted. The revolving door between government and military contractors should be shut.
· Use government employees instead of expensive, fraud-prone contractors - up to $100 billion per year.
· Bring all troops and military contractors home from Iraq and Afghanistan - $96 billion per year.

· Reduce the size and cost of the military's back office bureaucracy - $80 billion per year.

· Ratchet down our numbers of dangerous, expensive nuclear weapons - $35 billion per year. Russia says it would match these reductions. The current effort to upgrade these weapons undermines nonproliferation and disarmament, and encourages the spread of nuclear weapons.
· End the production of obsolete or malfunctioning tanks, planes and weapon systems that are mothballed as soon as they are delivered - $10s of billions per year. Enormous funds are spent to refight the battles of WWII and other recent wars rather than reflecting current military tactics and needs.
· Part of the savings from the military cuts should be re-invested in converting military facilities and companies for use in the green economy. Military workers should be re-trained and employed with a five year job guarantee as part of the Green New Deal. Impacted communities must have the lead role in planning nationally funded, locally-controlled green economic conversion to ensure their transition to a healthy, just peaceful future.

National Organizations (initial)

Backbone Campaign
Coalition Against Nukes
Code Pink
Fellowship of Reconcilation
Freepress.org
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
Green Shadow Cabinet
Hip Hop Congress
Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution
No FEAR Coalition
Organic Consumers Association
Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign
PopularResistance.org
Progressive Democrats of America
Roots Action
US Labor Against War

Additional National Organizations

Acronym TV
Camp Casey Institute for Peace and Justice
Friends & Family of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (FFALB)
Occupy Catholics
On Wings Of Care, Inc.
Project for Nuclear Awareness
Radiation Truth
Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk, U.S. Province
Women Against Military Madness

State Organizations

8th Day Center for Justice (Illinois)
American Friends Service Committee, Colorado Office
Budget for All (MA)
Call to Action Wisconsin
Colorado Coalition for the Prevention of Nuclear War
Green Party of NY
Hunger Action Network of New York State
Maine Bring Our War $$ Home
Maine Social Justice
Minnesota Arms Spending Alternatives Project (MNASAP)
Peace Action of NYS
Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center
We Refuse to Be Enemies (CT)

Regional and Local Organizations

The Alchemical Nursery Project, Inc. (Central NY)
Ashland urban orchards (Oregon)
Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace (NY)
Bijou Community of Colorado Springs, CO
Brooklyn For Peace
Bryn Mawr Peace Coalition
BTMM
California State University Green Party
CODEPINK LI, WOMEN FOR PEACE
CPIS, Colorado Springs - Citizens for Peace in Space
Diaspora Puertorriqueña
Drone Alert - Hudson Valley (NY)
Fairmont, MN Peace Group
First Unitarian Church of Honolulu
Fort Greene Peace, Brooklyn NY
Golden Ponds Farm (WI)
Hunger-Outreach St. Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo NY
Kansas City Criminal Justice Task Force
Larishar Fine Media Arts (PA)
LeFlore Communications, LLC (WI)
Liberty Lovers
Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives
Nicaragua Solidarity Fair Trade Resource / AFGJ
North Olympic Peace Network (WA)
Occupy SoUl (south Ulster county, NY)
Ohio Valley Peace (OH)
P.A.C.G.
Pacem in Terris (DE)
Pax Christi Long Island
Peace Action Montgomery (MD
Peace & Justice Action League of Spokane
Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois
Peace Committee of the First Unitarian Church, Denver
Peace Economy Project (Missouri)
Peace Now!!! (HI)
Peacemaking Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington
PIoneer Valley Green Rainbow Party Local (MA)
Polarity Center of Salem (OR)
Raven Rocks, Inc. (OH)
R.O.S.E., Residents Organized for a Safe Environment (CA)
Santa Barbara Frack Back To Save The Central Coast (CA)
Social Action Committee of the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Palm Beaches (FA)
Sonoma Valley Peace & Justice (CA)
South Florida Raging Grannies
St Pete for Peace (FL)
St.Michael Catholic Church, Biloxi, MS.
Suffolk Veterans
Syracuse Peace Council
the Ave Project
The Peace Farm (TX)
Toledo Coalition for Safe Energy
Tri-Valley CAREs (CA)
US Labor Against the War – NYC Chapter
Veterans for Peace Chapter 27 (MN)
Veterans For Peace Chpt. 34 NYC
War vs Human Needs, South Florida
Wellness Continuum (LA)
WESPAC Foundation Inc. (Westchester NY)
WHANAP (West Harlem Action Network Against Poverty) (NY)
Women Against War (Capital District NY)