THIS WAS FOWARDED TO ME BY THE Baltimore Anti-war Coordinating Comittee.
We could joined up with this idea and co-sponsor a march, throw all our organizing efforts into this project or try to network with them if people are interested maybe?
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This is the proposal discussed at the last meeting of the Baltimore anti-war
coordinating committee to bring to the national United for Peace meeting on
Sunday March 9.
**************DRAFT*****************
PROPOSAL ? for the national United for Peace meeting, Sunday March 9
We propose the United for Peace coordinate anti-war actions in all US state capitals (and Washington DC local government) on a single day ? April 5 or April 22.
The focus would be on the domestic costs of war. Specifically, we would contrast the massive cutbacks that states are being forced to make in their education, health, and human services budgets, and the massive amount of money being squandered on war.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that states will be grappling with $100 billion in deficits by June, when they close their 2003 budgets and begin their 2004 budgets (1). Almost all states are required to balance their budgets, so the difference is projected to come from mostly from massive cutbacks to social programs, and to a much lesser extent, from tax hikes to low-and-middle income people. The Bush ?economic stimulus? plan will only reduce state revenues by cutting taxes on the wealthy.
The National Priorities Project estimates that the war on Iraq would cost $100 billion, and the occupation of Iraq another $50 billion (2). It is likely to cost many times that.
We believe that this action would draw thousands of new people and organizations into anti-war activity, and to provide a vehicle for concrete local organizing against the war.
$100 billion is:
• The cost of health care for all uninsured children in the US for 5 years
• Triple the federal funding for K-12 education
• The amount of cutbacks that states will be making to their budgets in the next few months.
OR
• The cost of a war on Iraq!
Money for state social programs, not a war on Iraq!
$100 billion for peace, not war!
They?re taking the shirts off our back to pay for this war!
Regime change begins at home!
Not my president!
Resources:
www.cbpp.org/statecrisis.htm
www.nationalpriorities.org/Issues/Military/Iraq/CostOfIraqWar.html
Notes:
(1) Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, ?The State Fiscal Crisis Is Impeding Economic Growth; Federal Aid to States Would Be Most Effective Stimulus,? February 2003.
(2) National Priorities Project, ?The Cost of Invading Iraq,? February 2003.
Proposed by:
Baltimore (MD) Anti-War Coordinating Committee
Coalition Against Global Exploitation
Stop US Tax-Funded Aid to Israel Now! (SUSTAIN) - Baltimore
Left Turn ? Baltimore
And others!!!!!