Our Values, Our Questions

Pentagon waste

Military experts say the Pentagon wastes $60 billion each year on obsolete Cold War weapons and excess nuclear weapons. The Priorities campaign advocates for shifting that funding to human needs – health care, education, job training, renewable energy and deficit reduction.

• I’m very concerned about the priorities in our federal budget. The Pentagon spends more than half of America’s discretionary budget – as much as the rest of the world combined spends on its militaries. Military experts say we could shift $60 billion from the Pentagon to human needs like education and health care without weakening our defenses. Would you support this shift?

Sensible budget priorities

When presented with the facts about the federal budget, 2/3 of Iowans want to shift their tax dollars from the Pentagon to programs like education, health care, and energy independence.

• Military experts say the Pentagon wastes $60 billion a year on obsolete Cold War weapons and excess nuclear weapons. If elected, would you reduce the Pentagon budget, by how much, and where would you shift the money to?

Rebuilding schools

A healthy, safe, comfortable environment is essential to learning. Yet, about half of America’s public schools need repair and 4 in 10 are environmentally unsafe. With an investment of just $10 billion a year, we could rebuild every aging public school in America over the next 12 years.

• Every year, the Pentagon spends 10 times more than what our federal government spends on public education. Military experts say $60 billion a year is wasted on obsolete Cold War weapons and excess nuclear weapons. Would you shift some of that spending to public education?

Children’s health care

Children who have preventive health care do better in school and better in life. Their parents are less likely to miss work and more likely to be productive on the job. Children with health insurance are 7 times more likely to receive preventive care than those who lack it. Yet, more than 40,000 Iowa children and up to 9 million nationally, lack health insurance. With an investment of just $10 billion a year, we could provide health coverage for every American child who lacks it, and restore $2 billion for medical research.

• 9 million children in the US lack health insurance. Yet every year, the Pentagon spends 9 times more than what our federal government spends on children’s health care. Military experts say $60 billion a year is wasted on obsolete Cold War weapons and excess nuclear weapons. Would you shift some of that spending to children’s health care?

Renewable energy

Americans understand the importance of reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Energy experts say that if we fully applied efficiency technologies available today, America could cut its oil consumption in half, and that the savings would be $70 billion a year by 2025. We would also revitalize the automotive, truck, aviation, and hydrocarbon industries; create a million jobs in both industrial and rural areas; rebalance trade; make the United States more secure, prosperous, equitable, and environmentally healthy; encourage other countries to get off oil too; and create a more developed, fair, and peaceful world.

• We need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and energy experts say we have the technology today to cut our country’s oil consumption in half. Military experts say $60 billion a year is wasted on obsolete Cold War weapons and excess nuclear weapons. Would you shift some of that spending to investments in renewable energy?

Job training

Hardships and vulnerability are created in the families of the quarter-million American workers who lose jobs each year because of federal trade policies or agreements like NAFTA. When federal policies create job loss, we are obligated to support and train laid-off workers.

• A quarter-million workers lose jobs each year because of federal policies and trader agreements like NAFTA. The $6 billion for job training in the discretionary budget averages just $240 in training and support for each of these workers. Military experts say $60 billion a year is wasted on obsolete Cold War weapons and excess nuclear weapons. Would you shift some of that spending to job training?

Homeland security

Americans are understandably concerned about safety from terrorism, but most community-level leaders admit they’re unprepared to cope with a major event.

• Would you support making our communities safer by shifting some of the $60 billion that military experts say we waste each year on obsolete Cold War weapons and excess nuclear weapons to community grants for homeland security?

Humanitarian aid

Every 5 seconds, a child dies from hunger-related causes. With $13 billion, less than one-fourth of what military experts say America is wasting every year to stockpile weapons we will never use, we could feed all of the 6 million kids who will otherwise die of hunger-related disease across the world.

• Every 5 seconds, a child dies from hunger-related disease. That’s 6 million children a year. Military experts say $60 billion a year is wasted on obsolete Cold War weapons and excess nuclear weapons. Would you shift some of that spending to international food assistance?