Peace Facts

compiled by Lisa Ann Pierce, WAMM

In a letter to citizens of Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Public Schools superintendent and chief operating officer wrote, "We must cut our budget by $30 million for the 2002-2003 school year. On the heels of the $25 million reduction we took this school year, we want to prepare the entire community for painful cost-cutting decisions ahead."

According to the National Priorities Project, 38 percent of Minnesota schools need extensive repair or replacement. Minnesota is ranked twelfth in the nation of states with schools in disrepair.

The proposed Bush Administration budget for fiscal year 2003 allots nine percent of discretionary spending to education, training, employment, and social services combined.

The proposed Bush Administration budget for fiscal year 2003 allots 53 percent of discretionary spending for national defense.

"The combined military spending of Russia, China, Iran, Syria, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Cuba and Sudan is still over $190 billion less than the total military spending of the United States."

In October 2001, "the U.S. Department of Defense awarded Lockheed-Martin Corp. a contract that could be worth upwards of $200 billion to build its new radar-evading Joint Strike Fighter. Lockheed, the nation's No. 1 defense contractor, beat out rival Boeing Corp. for the coveted deal, the largest in U.S. military history."

Defense corporations have enormous influence in Washington, as evidenced by an October 2000 report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). The report studied ten of the top 23 U.S. defense contractors in 1998 (Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Litton Industries, General Electric, GTE, Textron, Humana, Exxon, and Allied Signal).

Wondering how much these contractors profited and how much they paid in taxes? Here are the findings of ITEP's report:

Total 1998 profits: $21.4 billion
Total 1998 sales to U.S. military: $29 billion
Total 1998 taxes: 11.8% or $2.5 billion
Total 1998 tax breaks: $5 billion

In 1998, the defense industry gave $10.6 million in campaign contributions, with $8.2 million going to congressional candidates. In the U.S. House of Representatives, 369 of 435 members received contributions, averaging $15,261 per candidate. In the Senate, 82 of 100 members received gifts averaging $26,371.

According to a report co-written by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Citizens for Tax Justice, and Public Campaign, "after the GOP took over Congress in 1994-and control of writing tax laws-top tax-avoiding companies sharply increased their contributions to the Republican Party and its candidates. In the 1992 and 1994 election cycles, the GOP received 54 percent of the contributions from these companies while the Democrats received 45 percent. By the 2000 election cycle, Republican candidates and party committees received more than twice as much campaign cash as the Democrats. Thus, campaign cash followed the power to make laws the companies wanted-not any ideological preference or principle."

WAMM Action!

Is it any wonder the defense budget is increasing now more than it has in a decade? Do you think this has anything to do with money in politics? We do.

WAMM is part of a coalition-Minnesotans for Fair and Clean Elections-that is working to replace the current campaign finance system in Minnesota (after all, changes at the state level will impact the future of national campaign finance).

Fair and Clean Elections proposes a system where regular, non-wealthy community leaders can run for office and every person's vote really counts. The Fair and Clean Elections bill would do three things:

1. Establish full public funding for elections.
2. Place limits on the size of contributions to parties and legislative caucuses.
3. Provide matching money to respond to independent expenditures.

Some ways you can take action are:

1. Contact your Minnesota state legislators and urge them to support the FACE bill:
   Senate Information 651-296-0504
   House Information 651-296-2146
2. Work to get an organization you are involved in to endorse Fair and Clean Elections
   
3. Call in to radio talk shows
   
4. Write letters to the editor
   

For more information on Fair and Clean Elections, or to get involved in the campaign, contact

Fair and Clean Elections
1821 University Avenue, Suite 307
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55104
651-641-4040 (phone)
bfraser@mapa-mn.org
www.lwvmn.org/face