My Letter to Obama #
It’s a bit off-topic for this blog, but it’s important.
Please head over to Obama’s website and let the new administration know what you expect from your government.
This is the letter I just sent.
Mr. President Elect Barack Obama,We spend far too much money on policing the world with a network of bases. Our military empire is a liability. We can’t afford it. It doesn’t actually make America safer. It provides a way for crooked individuals to bilk the American taxpayer out of billions of dollars through anti-competitive contracts.
America could cut its military spending by a very significant amount, and still remain an overwhelmingly powerful world leader. Our economy cannot support the expense of tyranny, especially if you are going to actually accomplish half of what you’ve promised.
The cold war is over. The worst ever foreign attack on American civilians was orchestrated with airplanes and box cutters. Wars of the future will be won and lost through diplomacy and intelligence, and those can be had at a relative bargain. An arms race is a fruitless waste of money, paid for by the sweat and time of the people who have given you a clear mandate to improve their lives.
What’s worse, our military empire is perversely un-American. The nation that once ran the banner of “no taxation without representation” is now using its military weight to enforce policy on nations whose citizens do not get a representative in the American congress, a vote in our elections, or the protection of the Bill of Rights. Even if it seems expedient at times, oppression never ultimately furthers the American agenda. It alienates and disenfranchises the very people whose help we most need in future conflicts.
Please put an end to this outdated, immoral, and expensive offense against humans everywhere. We’ve hired you to change things. Please change this.