A RESOLUTION REFERRED BY THE RICHMOND HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION TO THE RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL, CALLING ON OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS IN CONGRESS TO FUND URGENTLY NEEDED CITY SERVICES BY REDUCING MILITARY SPENDING:

WHEREAS, Richmond and California are facing serious financial shortfalls in the current recession; and

WHEREAS, Richmond and California have had to cut essential services and personnel; and

WHEREAS, Richmond’s taxpayers, even in this time of economic crisis and fiscal austerity are poised to pay $164.3 million this coming year as their share of the military budget of the United States; and

WHEREAS, Richmond taxpayers have already spent more than $50.3 million this year, and a total of $374.5 million since 2001 for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; and

WHEREAS, U.S. troops, including those from Richmond and other cities and towns across our state, have served valiantly in Iraq and Afghanistan; and

WHEREAS, more than 4,480 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq, more than 1,850 U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan, and over 45,100 U.S. troops have been wounded in both conflicts according to the Department of Defense (a figure that does not include those suffering from PTSD or Traumatic Brain Injury diagnosed after returning to the U.S. – 28,000/year according to Department of Defense reports); and

WHEREAS, hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed in these conflicts and the ongoing warfare poses great and unnecessary harm to the people of the nations of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan; and

WHEREAS, a majority of Americans now oppose the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; and

WHEREAS, the national security budget (not including the cost of the wars), exceeds $700 billion this year; there are more than 800 US military bases overseas with more than 300,000 troops (not including those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan), costing more than $250 billion per year; the administration plans to spend an additional $185 billion over the next ten years to expand and modernize the U.S. nuclear weapons complex; the budget includes weapons systems that even the Pentagon doesn’t want; there are scores of other Pentagon programs that are far in excess of what is needed to actually defend our country; and the U.S. spends more than the next 17 countries combined and 43% of all military spending in the world; and

WHEREAS, education, medical care, housing, other essential public services, infrastructure repairs, and family and private sector financing in our city and throughout the state have been cut while our financial resources have been diverted from the constructive economy to the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and other unnecessary military spending;

WHEREAS, there is a need to demonstrate support for key provisions of the federal budget proposed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus or “People’s Budget” as it relates to military spending and protection of Tri-Care, the military health care program;

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we call on U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein to oppose further funding of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, except as needed to affect the safe rapid withdrawal of all military forces and contractors, and urge them to take leadership in the Congress to bring our troops safely home, substantially reduce overall military spending, and redirect our federal tax dollars to the pressing educational, employment, health, housing, nutritional, infrastructure, energy, and environmental needs of our city, state, and country; and we commend Congressman George Miller for already having advocated support for these priorities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council of Richmond supports public discussion and dialogue about the cost of excessive military spending to our community; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we call on our Congressional delegation to support federal funding for the over 2 million new Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans – particularly the thousands who have come home disabled or otherwise physically or mentally wounded – to ensure they receive health care, housing, jobs, education and other support services they deserve; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that this council shall forward this resolution to Congressman Miller and Senators Boxer and Feinstein with a request that they act and vote in accord with its provisions.

Richmond taxpayer share of military budget: $164.3 million
National Priorities Project Cost of War Calculator – www.costofwar.com
Richmond taxpayer share of 2011 cost of Iraq and Afghan Wars
National Priorities Project Cost of War Calculator – www.costofwar.com
U.S. casualties in Iraq and Afghan Wars – www.icasualties.org
U.S. troops suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury –
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2011-08-14-military-veterans-traumatic-brain-injury_n.htm
U.S. troops suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – Iraq Veterans Against the War
http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/downloads/Operation%20Recovery%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
Iraq and Afghan Civilian Casualties – Tom Hayden
http://www.laprogressive.com/defense/civilian-casualties-hundreds-thousands-iraq-tens-thousands-afghanistan-counting/
Majority of American Oppose the War – Amanda Terkel in Huffington Post 3/7/11
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/07/rasmussen-poll-afghanistan_n_832675.html
National Security Budget exceeds $700 billion – Christopher Hellman, TomDispatch
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175361/tomgram:_chris_hellman,_$1.2_trillion_for_national_security/
More than 800 U.S. bases in foreign countries, with more than 300,000 troops at a cost of more than $250 billion/year – JOAN ROELOFS, Counterpunch 2/19-21/10 & Nick Turse, TomDispatch 1/9/11
http://www.counterpunch.org/roelofs02192010.html &
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175338/tomgram:_nick_turse,_the_pentagon
Plan to modernize nuclear arsenal at cost of $185 billion over ten years – Chris Hellman, TomDispatch 3/1/11
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175361/tomgram%3A_chris_hellman,_$1.2_trillion_for_national_security/

http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending#InContextUSMilitarySpendingVersusRestoftheWorld http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending
Impact of Spending on Military vs. Other Needs
Military Spending is the Weakest Job Creator http://uslaboragainstwar.org/article.php?id=25136
The U.S. Employment Effects of Military and Domestic Spending Priorities: 2011 Update
http://uslaboragainstwar.org/article.php?id=25093

Research performed by Michael Eisenscher, National Coordinator, U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW)