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New “Students” Flyer Download an Acrobat PDF by clicking on the image to the right — or — Read the text below |
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STUDENTS and WAR
The government needs two things to carry out war: soldiers and money. They want you to join the military, and they want you to help pay for it too.
YOUR LIFE
The government tries hard to entice people into the military:
- Recruiters roam high schools, colleges, and malls. They don’t talk about war. They don’t ask you to think about what it would be like to kill. They tell you about college money, but not that only 15% of enlistees ever graduate from college or that one-third of all homeless people are veterans (www.objector.org).
- Many who sign up feel they have no other options, because they don’t have money for school or other training programs—things the government could fund if so much money didn’t go to war.
- The war in Iraq is bringing calls for a new draft, and more people are worrying about the possibility of going to war (see www.nisbco.org for updated information).
- Stay informed and find out what you can do: www.youthandthemilitary.org/orgs.htm or www.comdsd.org.
YOUR MONEY
You may decide that the government is not getting your body, but what about the money? With the high tech weapons and gear used today, the military needs money even more than it needs soldiers.
- $14,000 = one cluster bomb
- $1 million = one Tomahawk cruise missile
- $2.1 billion = one stealth bomber
- Over $5,000,000,000 per month for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan
- Half of each federal tax dollar is used for the military: paying for past wars (veterans and debt), today’s wars, and future wars (see www.warresisters.org/piechart.htm).
- Each dollar that buys a missile is money that can’t be used for schools, health care, aid to impoverished nations, or cleaning up the environment
THERE’S TALK OF A DRAFT.
OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE
BEING DRAFTED TODAY!
YOUR CHOICE
Right now, you might not file your own taxes. Your parents might claim you as a dependent on their tax returns. However, if you have a job, chances are the federal government is taking some income taxes out of your paycheck. Each time you start a new job, your employer will want you to fill out a W-4 form, which controls how much tax is taken. If you use a phone, you’re paying the 3% federal excise tax and that money helps to pay for war too.
War tax resisters are people who have decided to make a choice about how their tax money is used. Like being conscientious objectors to military service, war tax resisters object to their tax dollars going to war and refuse to voluntarily pay for it. They often give the money to groups who take care of people instead. This can lead to collection efforts by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Our network helps with information, resources, and support.
If you would like to know more, please contact us!
NWTRCC was founded in 1982 as a coalition of local, regional and national groups supportive of war tax resistance. Through the redirection of our tax dollars, NWTRCC members contribute directly to the struggle for peace and justice for all. NWTRCC will put you in touch with groups in your area if you contact us at the address below. Contributions from individuals sustain our efforts. Your financial support will help us continue our work.