In his June 21 Fine Print column, “Somebody in the government finally raises a question about war and taxes,” Walter Pincus and some members of Congress posed an interesting idea: raising taxes to fund U.S. wars.
Putting wars on the credit card (actually, borrowing from China) that our children and grandchildren will have to pay is indeed irresponsible. Here’s a better idea: End all the wars now (as well as drone strikes in various countries) and scrap any plans to start new ones.
A more peaceful foreign policy would not only make the United States safer — earning us fewer enemies — it would also be great for the budget and overall economy. The United States spends more than $700 billion per year on the military (almost as much as the rest of the world combined). That’s our tax dollars not going to, among other things, housing, infrastructure repair, cancer research, green energy and environmental protection.
According to the Global Peace Index, on which the United States ranks 88th out of 158 countries, a 25 percent reduction in global violence would add a peace dividend of $2.25 trillion to the global economy. War is very costly. Peace is not only priceless, it’s bountiful.
Kevin Martin, Silver Spring
The writer is executive director of the Peace Action Education Fund.