A monthly publication
of the
Thomas Merton Center

The Citizen's Budget Campaign
We are taxpaying, voting citizens of Pennsylvania.
We believe in government of, by and for the people.
We believe that the federal government’s budget and tax system is meant to benefit all  Americans.

Facts about George W. Bush's proposed budget:

If Congress accepts George W. Bush’s proposed budget, you and I will spend $600,000 a minute on the military, nearly $400 billion per year, an increase of 14 percent over last year. That’s well over half of the discretionary budget that Congress votes on [excluding Social Security, Medicare and similar funds].

The $396.1 billion request is equal to the combined total spent by the next 30 countries.  We strenuously object to this spending megabucks on megadeath.   This will not in any way make our nation more secure, but it will make many of its most vulnerable citizens far more insecure.*

Who would gain?

• The richest Americans and corporations.  They’d get even more tax cuts despite the fact that the richest 20% of Americans got 72% of last year’s tax cuts.

Who would lose?

• Those on Social Security, as the current surplus in the fund would melt away instead of being used to protect the program. It would mark a return to deficit spending for the first time in four years. This would threaten any attempt to insure the stability of the Social Security program.
• All who suffer from environmental degradation. The proposal cuts 5% from last year’s spending while building new nuclear weapons at a cost of $14.5 billion
• Working families and the unemployed

Click here to sign our statement opposing George Bush's budget (a new window will open, then print, sign, and send the statement)

 “If we can’t defend this country for $300 billion a year we ought to get some new generals.”
--Retired General Merrill McPeak, former Air Force chief of staff.

*Russia**, China**, Japan, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Brazil**, India, Italy, South Korea, Iran, Israel, Taiwan, Canada, Spain, Australia, Netherlands, Turkey, Poland, Greece, Pakistan, Norway, Kuwait, Denmark, Belgium, Colombia, Egypt, Vietnam & Iraq spent a combined total of $396.1 billion in 2001, or **2000)
 

Join our email list and be notified of important local news and events.

"I am against war, against violence, against violent revolution, for peaceful settlement of differences, for nonviolent but nevertheless radical changes. Change is needed, and violence will not really change anything: at most it will only transfer power from one set of bull-beaded authorities to another."  Thomas Merton
© Thomas Merton Center 2002