The topic candidates all avoid

The Subject No One Dares Discuss

a letter by

Harley L. Sachs

So here we are in the midst of a presidential campaign and there is one issue none of the candidates dare talk about: our militaristic state and its bloated budget. The United States has a military budget larger than the next ten countries combined. The United States exports more arms than any other country. Clearly we are in the death business.

There is endless argument about cutting entitlements, primarily for the sick and elderly, e.g. Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, but nothing about reducing our military outposts all around the world, nothing about cutting the Pentagon budget which cannot even be audited. We are engaged in wars abroad, wars in countries that were not a threat to our freedom, and our military forces are psychologically and physically broken with more suicides of desperate, hopeless, and damaged troops than ever before. But it goes on.

George W. Bush got us into these wars without provocation, which is a war crime and waged those wars on borrowed money. In all previous wars we paid a war tax. One way to cut back on this madness is to make a law: no war without a ten percent across the board war tax and universal conscription, men and women. Faced with that situation, the public would refuse. Instead, probably fearing that the public would revolt, the government has activated the National Guard and also hired private contractors, a.k.a. mercenaries, to maintain our military presence abroad..

Of course, the military-industrial complex employs a lot of people but is the death industry where you want your tax money spent? When do you say to the candidates “Stop”? Worried about death panels? They are in Washington and are called the Pentagon.