[GPSCC-chat] Congress War Vote

[Gerry Gras]

FYI,

from Barry Hermanson via the GPSMC list,

Gerry


--------- Forwarded Message ---------

I just sent this message out to the San Francisco Green Party County 
Council and to the GPCA Coordinating Committee regarding the war funding 
vote in Congress.

Please review/edit and post to wider lists.

I'm sure that you have seen the notices from various peace groups about 
the vote this week to provide a $33 Billion supplemental appropriation 
for the war in Afghanistan.  We are encouraged to call our 
representative in Congress and ask them to vote no.

As you do, please reflect for a moment:  No member of the Green Party 
would vote to give a bloated military more money.

Missing in the messages I have seen, is some very basic information.  We 
all know that $33 Billion is a huge amount of money.  But did you know that:

1.  $33 Billion represents less than a 5% increase to our total military 
budget for 2010.
2.  President Obama has asked for an increase in the Pentagon budget for 
2011 while many other agency budgets will be cut.
3.  The Pentagon currently consumes nearly 60% of our entire national 
discretionary budget.
4.  The United States spends almost as much as the rest of the world 
combined on our military.
5.  The United States has bases in more than 100 countries around the world.
6.  No other country has a military base on our soil.
7.  The $33 Billion figure is what we will spend today.  The cost to 
taxpayers will be several times that amount by the time it is paid back 
with interest.
8.  33,000 troops.  $1 million to keep 1 soldier in Afghanistan for 1 
year is an outrageous sum.  I'd like to know:  How much of that is going 
to private contractors like Halliburton?

I strongly support our troops, but it is time that our military receive 
the same type of scrutiny as our social service agencies currently have 
to endure.  It shouldn't be difficult to find 5% of waste in an 
organization who's annual budget exceeds $700 Billion.


Barry Hermanson
Co-chair, California Green Party Coordinating Committee
415-664-7754
barry at notmypriorities.org