April 14, 2023
Dear Friends at the IRS,
We are Quakers and cannot in good conscience pay for the killing of other
human beings, or pay for war and preparations for war. Human life is too
precious to drop bombs on people because we do not like their governments.
Developing a new generation of nuclear weapons that could put an end to
life on our beautiful planet is immoral and insane. Giving the Pentagon
hundreds of billions of dollars does not increase the security of our people.
Real security requires increasing funds for education, health and human
well-being, and demanding a shift from militarism to diplomacy.
People around the world see the climate crisis as the biggest threat to our
future, and it cannot be solved by the military. In fact, the U.S. military is
the world’s biggest polluter. The massive militaries of the U.S. and NATO
did not prevent Russia from attacking Ukraine. Our tax dollars are being
used to prepare for wars with many countries, including China, Russia, Iran,
and North Korea. We are fueling a new nuclear arms race and a climate
catastrophe. We need to redirect our tax dollars from the “War on Terror”
and ALL wars, and bring our tax dollars home to meet the needs of the
American people.
Fifty-three percent of U.S. tax dollars go for wars and preparation for wars.
So, together with our IRS 1040-SR Form, we are sending a check for 47%
of what we owe made out to the Dept. of Health and Human Services. We
ask that you designate all those funds for meeting human needs and NONE
for war and killing. The other 53% that goes for war and killing, we are
contributing to organizations working for peace and justice, and for
programs meeting human and environmental needs in the U.S. and around
the world.
We join together with others to build what Martin Luther King called the
“Beloved Community.” We hope and pray that all the taxes from people
worldwide can go to meet human needs and address the climate crisis.
Sincerely,
David and Janet Hartsough
