Insist on reduction of military spending

Another government shutdown and debt ceiling crisis are on the horizon. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is a member of the conference committee charged with submitting formal budget recommendations by Friday.

Grassley knows, as does every other member of Congress and every economist, that a dollar spent on the military creates far fewer jobs than a dollar spent in education, alternative energy or infrastructure. He knows that the Pentagon never has been audited. He knows that military spending constitutes more than one-half of federal discretionary spending and is fraught with waste. He knows that the United States spends more on military than the next 10 largest-spending countries combined.

He should listen to what he already knows. He must insist that a substantial reduction in military spending be the first step in addressing our fiscal crises. We must insist that he listen to what he already knows.

Ed Flaherty

Iowa City