Dear Congressman Himes, Senators Murphy and Blumenthal and Mr. President,
I am going act in accordance with the Article 1 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, join the movement of conscientious objectors and refuse to pay 24% of my federal taxes this year. Instead, I will redirect that money to supporting human rights because the federal government is lacking significantly in doing so. Article one states that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” yet the United States budget and resulting actions of the military do not align with this article. It is well documented that millions of civilians get killed by US Troops every year. We spend significantly more on private contractors and nuclear weapons than on foreign aid, support directly for our troops and foreign diplomacy. This demonstrates the federal government values violence, imperialism and manifest destiny over protection of our citizens and protection over citizens of the world. The United States continues to spend millions of dollars supporting non-democratic regimes while claiming to be a “civilized” and democratic nation. I am outraged at the treatment of detained people at the US-Mexico border and the lack of accountability taken by the federal government for the negative health impacts, including deaths, of people while they are detained. I am outraged at the way poor people are incarcerated without trial and the way mass incarceration destroys many people’s lives, disproportionately affecting African American and Latinex communities. As a Jewish American, I am outraged by the gift of over $716 billion dollars to the Israeli Defense Force to continue the violent occupation of Palestinian land. Because of my opposition to war and my value of human life, I oppose 24% of my tax dollars and will be happy to pay as soon as the federal government stops killing Black and Brown people all over the world and acts out of the value of dignity for all people.
Respectfully,
Jennie Kogan
27 years old
Stamford, CT
