My name is Jack Shinkman, I am 10 years old, and I am a member of an Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) Advocacy Team in Herndon, focusing on the need to rein in Pentagon spending. Our team of 15-20 Quakers and other friends is one of more than 60 such teams around the country trying to educate the public and our representatives on these issues.
The Audit the Pentagon act, an act to make the Pentagon open up about what their money is really being used for, should unquestionably be passed. More is being spent on the military now than at the height of the Cold War; a lot of the money the military uses is probably being wasted on weapons that are rarely used for any necessary purpose.
The $601 billion spent on the military could have been used to provide wind power to 595.33 million households. Also, $1 billion dollars spent in the military creates 6,800 jobs, much less than the 15,300 that education would create with the same amount of money. Another reason to cut down the spending is the waste. $125 billion has been wasted by the military in the past 5 years. Think about all the things $125 billion can do!
Jack Shinkman
Oakton