Train for Change! Peace Action Education Fund's Move the Money Training Program, and FaceBook Action to Press Prez Candidates to Cut Pentagon Budget!

 In 2012 Elections, Economy, elections, Move-the-Money, Obama, Peace Action, Pentagon Budget
President   Dwight Eisenhower warned the nation of the dangers of a military   industrial complex which had begun to influence all aspects of our society   – “economic, political, even spiritual — felt in every city, every   State house, every office of the Federal government.”Ike   was right!

More   than half of all yearly discretionary spending goes to the Pentagon budget   separate and apart from the costs of the wars. Now they employ more than   1,000 lobbyists, nearly two for every Congressional representative. Take a   moment to go to Facebook and let the presidential, and your congressional,   candidates know that Ike was right!

Post   to Facebook: “Time to change national spending priorities, move the   money from the Pentagon budget to fund jobs and community services.” http://www.facebook.com/mittromney and http://www.facebook.com/barackobama

A   new grassroots movement is growing in support of moving the money from   weapons and wars to funding our communities. The movement is mobilizing to   pass city council resolutions calling on their Congresspeople to cut the   Pentagon budget and bring the war dollars home.

NC Peace Action organized in Burlington, NC for passage of the most recent   local resolution in a town of 50,000 where 14% of the population lives below   the poverty line. They may have lobbyists, but we are organizing a   politically empowered grassroots movement.

Peace   Action has partnered with National   Priorities Project to   create a model for a one day Move the Money Training. The trial runs in New   York City, Ohio and Maryland brought together community groups organizing on   labor and voters rights, poverty issues, veterans’ issues, along with faith   communities and peace activists. The participants are on the front lines of   the struggle for our communities.

The   Move the Money Training drills down into the details of the federal budget   spending priorities and how it prioritizes the Pentagon over human needs .

The   federal budget is a document much like the US Constitution and the Bill of   Rights which shapes and, in some cases, dictates how we function as a society   and therefore should reflect our core values and priorities. Through   interactive exercises, the Move the Money Training provides an opportunity to   explore the roots of the fear mongering on reducing the Pentagon budget. We   examine the ways we can take action together to weigh in on the national   debate underway in the 2012 elections and in the halls of Congress.

We   are still refining the Move the Money Training curriculum. We are preparing   to give the trainings in other parts of the country and then provide the   training materials for others to use.

Until   we are effectively mobilizing tens of thousands of everyday people into the   debate with the knowledge of the federal budget and a sense of grassroots   political power to counter the fear mongering, we will not change national   spending priorities. The Move the Money Training plus the local initiatives   to press local elected officials to take a stand are critical elements of   movement building to challenge the might of the military industrial complex.

Weigh   in with the presidential and congressional candidates and tell them: ”   All the polls show that a majority want the Pentagon budget cut at least 18%   What are you going to do to change national spending priorities?” Mitt Romney on Facebook and President Obama on Facebook

And   Like Peace Action on Facebook

The   Move the Money Trainings is one effort to strengthen community, labor and   peace movement alliances for a fundamental shift away from a militarized   federal budget and foreign policy. Please post information on your efforts at   http://www.facebook.com/peaceaction

Power to the Peaceful,
Judith LeBlanc
Field Director
Peace Action Education Fund

 

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