From Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes, FY2014 (Released Feb 2013)
Millions of workers in the United States live off the Pentagon and its contracts. The 3.2 million DoD employees include active military, civilians, National Guard, and Reserves. But there are another 600,000 contract employees. About 1,600,000 supply the military with food, health insurance, weapons. Countless scientists and academics accept Pentagon money for research. Politicians get campaign contributions from military contractors and save jobs in their districts even when the Pentagon doesn’t want the weapons system. The U.S. is the #1 arms exporter, fueling wars around the world.
All this military spending doesn’t make us safe. According to “How Terrorist Groups End,” a Rand Corporation study of 648 terrorist groups active from 1968-2006, 83% either reached a peaceful political solution or were eliminated by local policing actions. Ten percent achieved victory. Military action overcame the groups in only 7% of the cases.
Don’t work for endless war. Demand jobs and money for real security: save the environment, repair infrastructure, improve health care, and educate children for life without war.
