The American Friends Service Committee has launched a new campaign highlighting the cost of the Iraq War which is currently costing $720 million per day. The campaign includes a video and petition:
Sign the DEFUND/REFUND Petition
Defund the war in Iraq
Refund human needs at home and in Iraq
The estimated cost of the first four years of the Iraq War is $1 trillion.
For what we have spent for just ONE DAY of the Iraq War, we could have funded:
* 95,364 Head Start Places for Children or
* 12,478 Elementary School Teachers or
* 163,525 People with Health Care or
* 34,904 Four Year College Scholarships or
* 6,482 Families with Homes
Please sign the DEFUND/REFUND petition below to shift war funding to support human needs here and real solutions in Iraq.
To Members of Congress:
U.S. military personnel continue to die in Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died since the U.S. invasion and 4 million have fled their homes. U.S. taxpayers have contributed more than $1 trillion to pay for the current and future costs of the first four years of war.
We, the undersigned, urge you to take action to bring the U.S. troops home from Iraq and take care of their needs upon return; to fund aid for the humanitarian crisis in Iraq and an eventual Iraqi-led repair and reconstruction; and to fund critical human needs here in the United States.
Click here to sign the petition.
Beyond the AFSC campaign, there has been activity in West Michigan highlighting the cost of the war. Last year, the Grand Rapids City Commission passed a resolution against the war and local groups such as ACTIVATE (Grand Rapids SDS) and the West Michigan Justice and Peace Coalition have raised the issue.
Additionally, the National Priorities Project maintains an ongoing tally of the cost to Michigan and various cities in the state. As of today, the war has cost Michigan over $13 billion and Grand Rapids more than $256 million.
Related posts:
- New Iraq Spending Request would Cost Michigan Additional $4.1 Billion, Grand Rapids $81.4 Million
- Iraq War has Cost Grand Rapids $343.5 Million
- Michigan Political Campaigns Topped $192 Million in 2006
- Gubernatorial Television Ad Spending Passes $50 Million
- Local Companies Receive over $3.5 million in Military Contracts in September
