January, 2007

The American people take a stand for peace

Total Outlays (Federal Funds): $2,251 billion. About 50% of federal spending is for the military. Graph courtesy of the War Resisters League: http://www.warresisters.org/piechart.htm

The American people demanded an end to the Iraq war and government corruption in the January 2006 midterm election. The Democrats now have control of the Congress. The question before us now is : how do we insure our demands are answered?

Our starting point is to look at the cause of the problem. That is, that capitalism is a system that profits from war. There's no money in human need. At the heart of the economy is the military industrial complex. The military industrial complex is the feeder industry that stabilizes the economy and keeps the corporations expanding.

For example, it is estimated that the Iraq war will cost an inconceivable $2.267 trillion. That money goes into the profit ledgers of a multitude of corporations who make war both imminent and possible. That is, Lockheed Martin, Halliburton and Boeing, which makes the $283 million B-1 bomber. It goes to those industries that provide the steel, chemicals, energy, science and transportation for armaments, and to the clothing, insurance and construction industries that provide the clothing, housing and health care for the 1.4 million-member armed services.

War provides the corporations with the stable market they need to accumulate profits that, in turn, guarantee their global expansion. There is no way to through the military industrial complex out. If you take away the military industrial complex, you don't have industry. War is an integral part of and engendered by the capitalist system.

Further, most politicians are beholden to the corporations who give them the money to get elected. The price tag for the 2006 mid-term elections, for example, was an astounding $2.6 billion or more. The average cost of winning a senate seat is almost $8 million. Where did that money come from? It came from the big corporations, those that profit from war and war production.

What makes the situation so dangerous is that today, the military industrial complex is among those forces that have taken over the government. Their vision is a fascist America to protect their interests. The government, police and military are in their hands. Only the masses of people can bring about change.

We revolutionaries are in a race for the hearts and minds of the people. We must show that the health care, education, housing and other necessities that are so desperately needed -- and that are in plentiful supply -- are not available to the poor under capitalism. The unprecedented $563 billion military budget is draining the country dry. Imagine how many schools, hospitals, cultural and recreational facilities could be built with that money. Taking on this fight, exposing the politicians and parties that refuse to stand up and fight for the needs of the people, is the key to uniting the American people around a future of abundance and peace.