Portside

“Stop funding wars, and stop funding the rich, and stop funding [big] tech. Stop giving away our money to the billionaires — tax the rich and give us a dignified living. We want what we need and we want it right now."

Critics of the Biden administration’s Build Back Better plan to increase funding for U.S. education, healthcare, and action against climate catastrophe say the U.S. can’t afford it, there are no such qualms about ramping up funding for the military.

To make these submarines, including Australia’s, we are talking about commitment to a very long-term and large-scale program involving funds, funds, and more funds.

Congress’ power of the purse was ignored, but lawmakers remain divided over how to respond.

We need to a new “people’s” military as a force that could truly defend the American republic, focused above all on supporting the Constitution, freedom of speech, the press, and assembly, the right to privacy and due process, justice for all.

In the pandemic year 2020, 76 years after two American atomic bombs left the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in ashes, the world’s nuclear powers increased spending on nuclear weapons by $1.4 billion more than they had put out the previous year.

"Wasteful spending at the Pentagon will do nothing to help our country recover from this pandemic."

Americans must resist the temptation to try to forge national unity through hostility and fear. Developing a mutually beneficial relationship with China will not be easy. But we can do better than a new Cold War. 

Solving our child-care crisis requires strong, bold policies. World War II government efforts to ensure accessible and affordable high-quality child care points the way to the kind of bold action we need.

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