Bellingham City Council: Pass resolution urging Obama and Congress to bring our war dollars home
- Target:
- Bellingham City Council
- Region:
- United States of America
In spite of a Washington State $3 billion projected shortfall for 2013, recent school district layoffs, lower than average household incomes, lower than normal salaries relative to cost of living, and a sluggish housing market, economic indicators, though tenuous, seem to be holding for Bellingham, up to now.
However, a US economy mired in war, recession and Washington DC’s failure to reverse its debt-driven economic course, communities like Bellingham - Scranton, Pennsylvania, Stockton and San Bernardino, California and many more on the brink – find themselves in dire financial straits.
Since 2001, well over $1 trillion has been spent nationally on the wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Washington nearly $28 billion has gone to war spending and over $220 million has been taken from the city of Bellingham to fund the wars and occupations. This dollar amount is just the tip of the iceberg. This figure does not include military regular pay. Potential future costs, such as future medical care for soldiers and veterans wounded in the war, are not included.
These numbers do not account for the wars being deficit-financed or that taxpayers will need to make additional interest payments on the national debt due to these deficits.
Our city cannot sustain this economic drain, now more than $6,300 per average household, and rising. Why should millions of our tax dollars be spent destroying the cities and lives of workers and students in foreign countries? Why should our tax dollars be spent supporting repressive regimes in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world? Jobs, housing, education, health care, and a green transition should be our priorities. We need to bring the war dollars home now, where they belong, and reinvest in the future.
View resolution here http://tiny.cc/fuvehw.
Additional video - http://costofwar.com/state/WA/city/bellingham/
Because of a US economy mired in war, recession and Washington DC’s failure to reverse its debt-driven economic course, communities just like Bellingham - Scranton, Pennsylvania, Stockton and San Bernardino, California and many more on the brink – find themselves in dire financial straits. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Since 2001, well over $1 trillion has been spent nationally on the wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Washington nearly $28 billion has gone to war spending and over $220 million has been taken from the city of Bellingham to fund the wars and occupations. Potential future costs, such as future medical care for soldiers and veterans wounded in the war, are not included.
Our city cannot sustain this economic drain, now more than $6,300 per average household, and rising. Why should millions of our tax dollars be spent destroying the cities and lives of workers and students in foreign countries? Jobs, housing, education, health care, and a Green Transition should be our priorities. We need to bring our war dollars home now, where they belong, and reinvest in the future.
Support the Bellingham City Council resolution, drafted by Bellingham’s Veterans For Peace and Whatcom Peace & Justice Center, urging President Obama and Congress to reconsider our National priorities by ending the war in Afghanistan and eliminating bloated defense spending , and redirecting federal tax dollars for urgently needed city, county and state services and projects.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Bellingham City Council: Pass resolution urging Obama and Congress to bring our war dollars home petition to Bellingham City Council was written by Gene Marx and is in the category Miscellaneous at GoPetition.