I'm aware that my intent with this blog has been to primarily to raise our understanding and awareness of nuclear and other issues related to survival and, at the bottom line, healthy living. However, as the feminist Kate Millet suggested with her book Sexual Politics, just breathing can be political and the issues under discussion in Washingon are too important to pass up without considering how the Federal Government spends our tax dollars.

My original plan for this blog was to discuss safety standards at nuclear reactors and our need to move more toward increased reliance on clean energy except I found that in good conscience, I couldn't do that without also discussing the current tax picture. Also, had the discussions in Washington had less of an Alice-in-Wonderland quality to them with some of the Congressional freshman seemingly going around repeatedly yelling, "Off with their heads," I might have done so. But such is not the case. And so below I include the content of a Letter to the Editor I wrote this morning expressing some of my own personal views on where the money should and shouldn't go. 
 

As the Federal Government wrangles with the budget, let’s tell our representatives: we’re tired of having more than half our tax dollars go to the military; we do support Medicaid and Medicare; and we do like the little guy.

Let’s say, “Cut back our military involvements arms build up, the cost of which –missile by missile – drains our coffers and drags us into deeper debt. And bring our troops home!”

And yes, we do want to decrease time spent on Medicaid-Medicare documentation and to redirect those savings into recipient care, thereby significantly reduce the Medicaid-Medicare cost per enrollee. And yes, do raise the taxes on the rich—that top ten per cent of the nation that owns ninety per cent of the wealth whose taxes over the past fifty years have instead been regularly lowered.  And yes, we do want unions to have the right to negotiate terms and conditions including hours, responsibilities, salary and benefits.

While extreme distracters to the right consistently move the discussion away from the real issues—health and safety, family stability, the right to work, clean environment—we need to speak out clearly through their noise: No new nuclear plants. Give us CLEAN ENERGY: water, wind, geothermal! Give little guys a voice—especially as in states where there are unions, while workers may be happier, salaries tend to be lower—so unions are not all about money.  And for goodness sake, bring our military home!

Roberta in Po-Town, Doin' the Right Thing