Avoiding the Cliff
by Mike Yarrow
After the elections Congress will meet in “lame duck” session to enact the $1 Trillion in cuts mandated by the Budget Control Act over the next decade in addition to the $1 Trillion in caps on spending already made. These cuts, “the Fiscal Cliff,” are set to go into effect January 1, 2013.
The cuts are supposed to come 50-50 from the Pentagon and domestic programs. However, the Pentagon budgets increase each year so even with the “cuts” the Pentagon budget is likely to increase over the next decade. In addition military contractors are pushing for far fewer Pentagon cuts. The House has already passed a budget with increases for the Pentagon! The Pentagon experiences over $100 billion in waste, fraud and abuse each year and is not audited!
This means that domestic programs, which have been flat-lined or cut already, are likely to be cut to unconscionable levels. Some domestic programs are exempt from the cuts which means that most of the cuts will be targeted at education, transportation, housing, renewable energy, environmental protection, child protection, elder care, etc. This when the U.S. has the second highest level of child hunger among developed countries; education levels are low compared to other developed countries; homelessness has increased; and large numbers of veterans need housing assistance and job programs. Washington State receives $27.6 Billion from the federal government for human needs as compared with only $5.3 Billion for Pentagon procurement.
Also December 31, 2012 is the end of the Bush tax cuts. There will be an all-out effort to continue them. We need to demand that the tax cuts for the rich be ended!
WWFOR is calling a meeting Nov. 15 with other peace and justice groups to plan a coordinated state-wide effort to educate the public about the cliff we are approaching and to explore creative ways to emphatically communicate with our representatives. Our $2 trillion solution is simple: don’t balance the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable and the climate. Instead, reduce planned Pentagon spending by $1 trillion or more over ten years and restore tax revenue from the wealthiest.
Senator Patty Murray is slated to become chair of the Senate Budget Committee, which will deal with the fiscal cliff. She has already spoken out to protect needed human services. She needs to hear from you calling for cuts to the Pentagon and increases to the budgets to solve the climate crisis and for human services: (866) 481-9186!
Senator Maria Cantwell is working on a new draft of her climate legislation. She needs to be thanked for her efforts and encouraged to include a tax on carbon: (888) 648-7328!
Call or write your Senators and Representatives and contact the WWFOR office to get involved!