Since World War II, the percentage of Federal funds from income taxes that goes to the military in the United States has varied from about 45% to 90%. While spending on the pandemic has skewed the numbers to the lower end, the average taxpayer paid around $2,200 to the military in 2022. While it is… Continue reading
Militarism
Divesting from the US Military: “War Tax Resisters” Protest with Their Money
The Blog this week is an Opinion published by In Depth News and written by Lincoln Rice MILWAUKEE, USA, 17 April 2023 (IDN) — Since the beginning of 2022, the US has dedicated over $30 billion of military aid for war in Ukraine. Most of these funds will be used by the Department of Defense to… Continue reading
The Season of Growth and Resistance
“…we cannot turn a blind eye to the people within our community whose basic needs go unmet, knowing that more will join their ranks with budget cuts. What if instead we insisted upon diverting $20,000 to 2,800 homeless households a month? What if, since no one is listening to our pleas of no intensified war… Continue reading
Report on the 16th International Conference on War Tax Resistance and Peace Tax Campaigns
The 16th International Conference on War Tax Resistance and Peace Tax Campaigns Geneva Switzerland September 17, 2022 Participants: Switzerland, UK, Germany, Italy, Colombia, Belgium, USA, attendance both in person and online. NWTRCC participants Ruth Benn, Cathy Deppe, Eleanor Forman, William Ruhaak. Major Organizing for Conference: CPTI–Conscience and Peace Tax International Board of Directors, with… Continue reading
This Is Not A Drill
Pink Floyd was not a group I followed lo these many years, although a few of their songs are familiar. Ed made a CD mix of music to accompany our trips to view total eclipses of the sun, so of course Pink Floyd’s “Eclipse” made the cut. “Money” was a hit single in the U.S…. Continue reading
It’s Up to Us to Make Space for Peace
My older brother’s career and expertise is in the fields (literally) of anthropology and archeology. He has done digs mostly in the Midwest, and funding for this work often comes from the civilian (presumably) budget of the Army Corps of Engineers, which is required to have land surveys done before they shift rivers, manage a… Continue reading
U.S. Weapons, Ukraine, and War Tax Resistance
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought the horror of war back into the forefront of many in the U.S. who never think about it. It has been easy for many to condemn the actions of a hostile, powerful, and well-funded military when it is somebody else’s. It is much easier for NPR and late-night… Continue reading
Support War Resisters
Every year on May 15, International Conscientious Objection Day, War Resisters’ International (WRI) organizes solidarity with conscientious objectors (COs) and draws attention to their resistance to war. This year, with the ongoing war in Ukraine, they turned their focus on the resistance of conscientious objectors from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, and published statements from the… Continue reading
Finding Peace in A Constant State of Uncertainty?
Uncertainty. Unknowns. Confusion. These aren’t my favorite feelings or states of being. After talking and interacting for nearly four decades with other humans, I feel confident saying a lot of people share my dislike for those feelings. In my experience practicing war tax resistance by filing taxes and refusing to pay or being a non-filer… Continue reading
No War, No Warming: Fund Our Future
In these discouraging times for antiwar activists and humanity at large, it was good to be out marching around with like-minded folks and getting encouraging support from passers-by, including tourists from near and far. War tax resistance is a quarterly, paycheck-to-paycheck or even daily act of resistance to war, depending on your method, but it… Continue reading
Pentagon Spending: Efficient at Destroying but Inoperable for Healing Our World
The revolving doors of the Pentagon opened up this week to the 8 largest U.S. weapons manufacturers and the war strategists to come to the table. They were making plans for a war in Ukraine that may continue for years. It was as if a dream that had been brewing for years appeared to be… Continue reading
The Untouchable Pentagon
The bright red slices of pie on War Resisters League’s new “Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes” flyer have shrunk well below 50% this year. For years we’ve been demanding a budget that prioritizes humanitarian and social needs over military spending. It almost makes us want to celebrate…almost. Biden’s budget proposal for FY 2023… Continue reading