To the editor:
President Eisenhower famously said in 1954, “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.”
In spite of his warning, the U.S. has continued for the past 68 years to overspend on the preparation for war, while underfunding human needs.
We believe that communities are not made more secure with endless military spending, but rather by providing for education, health care, low-cost housing and preparing for the effects of climate change. Reps. Barbara Lee (D-California) and Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin) have introduced the People Over Pentagon Act of 2022 (HR 8040). This bill would reduce military spending by at least $100 billion and free up $1 trillion for domestic and international human needs over the next decade. The Congressional Budget Office produced a report in 2021 showing how $100 billion could be cut from the Pentagon without impacting security.
We encourage everyone to learn more about shifting money from the military to local needs and we urge Rep. Jared Golden to sign on as a cosponsor of HR 8040.
Mary Beth DiMarco
Pax Christi
Houlton
