Talking Points

·         Did you know that the US dedicates more tax dollars to military spending than the rest of the world combined?

·         Did you know that local tax payers here in our (city, county, Congressional District) contribute $________( go to www.costofwar.org) to the cost of war?

·         Did you know that our dedication to bloated military spending leads to cuts in essential services at the local level (e.g. Community Development Block Grants)?

·         Do you agree with proposals to reduce and redirect military spending from war to meeting essential needs at home?

·         Concerning your beliefs on military spending, do you believe you have a listening partner in the US Congress / White House?

·         Do you agree that local City Council Members have both a right and responsibility to weigh in on the local consequences of federal spending priorities?

Millions of Americans are concerned about our out-of-control military spending.  Many who share our views are frustrated by the lack of responsiveness when reaching out to Members of Congress or the White House on these issues.

According to a STIMSON study, 70% of US citizens are calling for reductions in military spending.  Unfortunately, they are making the call to an unresponsive US Congress with a 17% approval rating.

For over 10 years, we have watched the death counts rise. Soldiers and civilians are dying without justifiable gains. A main objective of the war in Afghanistan was to ”remove the Taliban.”  Now the US governent is actually negotiating with them to regain political power as we attempt to reduce US troops involvement. We have been bombing and rebuilding roads, bridges, and buildings in the Middle East, only to rebuild them again with US tax payer dollars.

Meanwhile, our local communities suffer because federal dollars are being cut to our city councils.  For example, “Community Development Block Grants” are being cut in the Federal Discretionary Budget, while military spending takes up over 50% of said budget.  Community Development Block Grants help to rehabilitate neighborhood homes and buildings, make improvements in our streets, water, and neighborhood centers.  They fund activities related to energy conservation / renewable energy.  They help small businesses, which results in job creation and job retention.

Too many people think federal tax dollars have little relationship with local city council budgets.  This is simply not the case.  Our country’s dedication to war is hurting people oversees and it diminishes our quality of life here at home, at the local level, in our towns and cities.

Local taxpayers here in our (city, county, congressional district) have contributed $________ (see www.costofwar.org) to the cost of war.  If that money could be used in your area, what do you think needs better funding (schools, roads, health care, police, fire, etc)?

Would you like your city council to weigh in on connections between military spending and cuts in our communities?

Would you call your city councilor now and urge inclusion of our resolution and a vote?

Would you attend a “working group meeting” to help us introduce and pass this resolution?

This is not a long-term campaign.  It does not have to be time-consuming.  We’ll be meeting weekly until our vote in October.  We can get a meaningful victory in a short amount of time.

Will you help us?  Yes?  Great!  Here are the details.

What:

Where:

When:

Thank you for your support and willingness to take action.