We need to control military spending

Most of the 2012 federal budget hype is on how to reduce the deficit and the national debt, and much of that comes from folks who voted two months ago to increase the deficit and the debt by continuing tax cuts to the wealthiest.

Now the proposals to reduce the deficit focus on cutting discretionary domestic spending. Because such spending is a small part of the budget (12.4 percent), “they” say it must be cut drastically in order to have any effect on the deficit. What is being glossed over by the president and by most in Congress is our Defense Department budget. The $553 billion proposed for the Pentagon is larger than all discretionary domestic spending put together. And that figure does not include the $118 billion for our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, nor for homeland security, most nuclear programs, veteran affairs, etc.

Pentagon spending has doubled in the past 10 years. The U.S. spends nearly as much on military as the rest of the world combined. We are engaged in the two longest wars in our nation's history. We are addicted to military spending.

We need to break the addiction and insist on getting military spending and policies under control. We owe it to ourselves, our soldiers, and our veterans.

On behalf of veterans for peace Ross Porch, David Martin, Carl Beyerhelm and Jeff Strottmann, Iowa City; Ralph Scharnau, Dubuque; and Paul Deaton, Solon.

Ed Flaherty

Iowa City