By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, December 2, 2024
Thousands of civic-minded people have been voluntarily helping out the not-yet-extant pseudo-government agency named after the ruler of not-yet-sunk Venice: the DOGE.
On a convenient webpage they are signing a petition and sending tweets to billionaire efficiency-creator Elon Musk. The petition reads:
To: Elon Musk at the Department of Government Efficiency
Here’s how to improve government efficiency and cut spending: Audit the Pentagon, stop handouts to military contractors, and slash the 60% of federal discretionary spending that goes to the war machine.
Here Are Some Specific Ideas for Things to Cut:
Spying, $80 billion.
Funding other countries’ militaries, $51 billion.
Homeland Security Dept., $69.2 billion.
Nuclear Weapons, $24.8 billion.
Overseas Contingency Operations Slush Fund, $174 billion.
Military bases in other countries, ca. $100 billion.
Pentagon Base Budget, $544.5 billion.
Here are a few of the comments people have helpfully added to the petition thus far:
I’m tired of hearing about cuts that hurt people — cutting foodstamps/obamacare/medicaid. Cut where the waste is, waste that threatens our existence. CLOSE MILITARY BASES outside/inside USA, no money to upgrade nuclear arsenal, cut funding to Israel-Ukraine-Taiwan. . . Do something good for once!
We need to invest in infrastructure and in the future of our kids, not in wars. Dismantle all the bases that the U.S.A. has around the world, and use those resources to develop technology that will benefit humanity.
These are great for starters. Personally, I recommend cutting zillions from the space program. We have no business playing in outer space when there is so much poverty and suffering here at home. Of course, if you were paying a reasonable amount in taxes, that would help immensely as well.
Excellent! I am so proud of World BEYOND War for creating this project.
Defund the military. Stop killing people.
Social Security and Medicare are not part of the discretionary budget. Quit acting like they are.
Hopefully the man who gave us the Tesla will look into the pollution resulting from war and militarism (which isn’t even counted in emissions targets thanks to America’s refusal to join accords otherwise) and realize how many billions of dollars (and tonnes of CO2 emissions) could be saved by working on this issue. The world is watching.
There is NO MILITARY SOLUTION!!!
Easy pickings with less negative impact on the U.S. economy. Change the weapons makers into home solar units and heat pumps to reduce imports.
Populations and our environments will die if we don’t stop wars. Just think what 60% of the federal budget could pay for if we could use diplomacy rather than militarism.
Git er done, Elon!!!
Cut military spending in all its forms, and use the money for . . . healthcare and climate protection.
Our country needs basic services–food, safety, shelter–which will create peace, not war.
Please have the courage to cut these pieces of the military black hole.
It’s about time humans stopped wasting money to harm each other. Be the first to reduce the military budget.
You *know* you can save money at every connection the government has with the military. Republican President Eisenhower had it right when he warned us about the military-industrial complex.
Also that ‘5 Eyes’ stuff that involves NZ and Australia spying on our neighbours on behalf of the US.
Slashing the above from our expenditures will also make us safer as a nation, and improve other nation’s image of us.
US and NATO military policy is disgraceful! I am ashamed of being a citizen of the Western world.
Funding for military expenditures is an extraordinary amount of money in the US budget. This seems like an obvious place to begin cutting the budget.
Cut the military….and add a bit more for education.
Diplomats and negotiators need to be working on peaceful resolutions,
No millitary spending, but proper education and health care.
Dear Elon, in the end, so to speak, evil beings (as in war makers) destroy themselves, being wholly parasitical. Don’t feed the parasites!
No comment necessary, it’s staring you in the face. How did the song go, “All we are saying is give peace a chance” – and save billions of dollars along the way, plus millions of lives.
Thank you. We need less spending on military and more on ways to come together, help each other, and work for peace.
No one has ever touched the military budget. Let’s see what YOU can do.
Enough!
Among other strategies, PLEASE SLASH THE 60% OF FEDERAL discretionary SPENDING THAT GOES TO THE WAR MACHINE – NOW, NOW, NOW !!!
Stop funding Israel and Ukraine by ending supply of arms using our tax dollars.
Many of your cuts are peanuts compared to our bloated military budget. Truly reduce spending – reduce more nuclear weapons than we need to destroy the entire planet.
Yes, please stop this insanity!!!
War is costly – peace is priceless.
It’s the most obvious way to reduce the budget and save lives.
Trying to figure out what you know about quality and efficiency after seeing how many recalls your electric cars and trucks have had.
Every man, woman and child in the U.S., regardless of income level, suffers from the not-so-gradual disintegration of American infrastructure due to an ongoing lack of federal dollars to assess, refurbish and rebuild basic components of a modern nation.
ENDING WAR WILL SAVE THE WORLD! BE OUR WORLDWIDE HERO!
Have the courage to imagine a better world!