Letter to the Editor: U.S. Budget Need to be Re-aligned with Eye Towards Military Cuts

May 1, 2011

Nancy Taylor wrote this letter to the editor in the Ann Arbor Times of May 1, 2011.

With the U.S. economy in deep trouble, it's time to ask the unthinkable questions about our "untouchable" military budgets. The U.S. military spending has jumped from $1,500 per capita in 1998 to $2,700 per capita in 2008, and we are now spending 50 percent more (even excluding the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq) than we did on 9/11.

It's time to ask our legislators to realign our budget so it reflects our concerns about human health and welfare. An article by Mark Thompson in the April 14 issue of Time ("How to Save a Trillion Dollars") outlines how that might be done.

A budget vote is coming up in the U.S. Senate: please contact Senators Levin and Stabenow to tell them how you feel about the budget and the use of your tax money.

Nancy E. Taylor, Ann Arbor