We are excited to release a timely update to a popular UFE workshop, "War and the Economy: Too Many Guns, Not Enough Butter."
This interactive workshop explores the impact of war and militarism on the US economy, examines militarism from race, gender, and class perspectives, and demonstrates how war and militarism drain communities of basic resources.
What makes us safer: more militarization, or investing in global climate and green energy solutions?
For far too long, corporations have been encouraged to make a profit off of war. Companies like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Raytheon are actively resisting the gathering of human rights data because it might hurt their bottom lines. These weapons manufacturers stand to make a fortune off of a new war, but should the U.S. government really be working with them?
The United States spends more on our military than any other nation in the world. At the same time, our own communities are in crisis. People are still struggling to recover from the Coronavirus pandemic, and several states have reported budget shortfalls for 2022, despite significant investments of federal funding.
Our nation’s budget reflects our nation’s priorities. A choice to increase military funding means less money is left to fix the problems people have been struggling with long before the war broke out: low wages, inadequate healthcare access, unaffordable housing, the climate crisis, and more. It doesn’t make sense to spend trillions on war and tax cuts for the wealthy, while claiming there "isn’t enough" for things like forgiving student debt or expanding Medicare.
We encourage you to take a look at our revised and updated “War and the Economy” workshop. Use it in your organizations and communities to create a stronger, more fair economy. Share it with others who could use it in their work. And if you have ideas for a custom workshop, let us know! Together we can create a more just and equitable future.
Click HERE to view the workshop
If you would like to see a Spanish language version of this workshop, please contact Jeannette Huezo at [email protected].
This workshop is free for all to use. Our training materials are rooted in an accessible popular education methodology, so that everyone can be a leader in the movement for economic justice. To support our work, please visit www.faireconomy.org/donate. Thank you for your efforts toward a fair economy!