Close to one-third of every income tax dollar is spent on national security. This money is divided into military spending, homeland security and preventive measuressuch as diplomacy, peacekeeping and development aid. Less than a penny goes to preventive measures that help mitigate conflict and alleviate many of the conditions that can cause people to resort to terrorism.

These expenditures don’t make us any saferin fact, the insecurity in the world caused by funding big military budgets and large arsenals, instead of using resources for social and economic justice at home and abroad makes us all more vulnerable.

It’s time to create “real security” that meets people’s needslike the need for a job that pays a livable wage, the need for affordable health care for all, the need for affordable housing, the need for inexpensive, non-polluting mass transit, the need for well-funded schools, the need for nutritious, healthy food on the table and for an unpolluted environment.

The PRC works to raise these issues in the community and to change our nation’s priorities. To strengthen our voice, we have joined with others around the country who share our concerns through our membership in the National Priorities Project.

For current information on military spending and how we could fund social needs instead, please see: http://www.nationalpriorities.org/