U.S. Budget Priorities
This chart represents the 2007-2008 U.S. discretionary budget, the portion of the budget that the President and Congress create each year. It does not include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and interest on the national debt.
The “New Direction Congress”The portion of the budget already devoted to the military is approximately 60%. But according to Nancy Pelosi's year-end message, the "New Direction" Congress is "authorizing funds to begin increasing the size of the Army and Marine Corps." This is madness! We have more than 800 military bases around the world. We don't need more. We spend as much as the rest of the world combined. Additional spending will not make us safer. California faces a $16 Billion budget deficitThe Governor has proposed substantial reductions to virtually all state-supported services to close the state's budget gap. The Legislature will consider these proposed reductions and other options during upcoming budget hearings.
Crumbling Infrastructure
Structural stability of bridges is rated on a scale of 0 to 100%. The I-35W
bridge in Minneapolis scored 50%. The Doyle Drive approach to the Golden
Gate rates only 2%.
The U.S. military has been far stronger than any potential opponent for decades. Yet, in recent years, we've doubled military spending at the expense of investing in our people. As a result, the economy is increasingly vulnerable. Bad trade deals and manufacturing flight have hollowed out our industrial base. Outsourcing and lack of vocational training have weakened our middle class. Our universities produce too few engineers, scientists, doctors and nurses. We continue to rely on old technology that spews pollution into our air and water. Much of our infrastructure is reaching the end of its useful life. Each day, national debt mounts. The collapse of the Soviet Union was accelerated by its invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Just as we are doing today in Iraq, the Russians poured resources into war. Similarly, the Roman Empire's attempt to control too much territory was a major reason for its disintegration. We now have more than 800 military bases around the world. Even more are planned. The good news is that Americans have always been remarkably resilient. By moving away from a war economy, we can return to fundamentals: investing in education, career training, green jobs and technology innovation. We must end George Bush's nightmare in Iraq, then shift our priorities into sustainable economics and fiscal responsibility!
The choice is simple. Do we continue to invest
in military might or do we invest in people?
Paid for by Barry Hermanson for Congress 2008, FEC #C00441592
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Structural stability of bridges is rated on a scale of 0 to 100%. The I-35W
bridge in Minneapolis scored 50%. The Doyle Drive approach to the Golden
Gate rates only 2%.