Iran War is being paid for with our tax dollars

I just paid my federal tax bill — ouch.

I don’t complain about paying taxes; we live in a complicated society that requires a lot of government-funded infrastructure to function. But right now, a massive amount of our federal tax dollars (and even more debt) is going to fund the illegal and immoral war in the Middle East. Consider: Based on reports from the Pentagon, the cost of the first 6 days of the war was some $11.3 billion (yes with a B) or $1.3 million per minute. Yes, in the time it takes to read this letter, our government will have spent at least $2 million on ships, soldiers, armaments and death.

For the same spending over two weeks, we could provide free college tuition to every family earning less than $125,000/yr; in three weeks of war ($35 billion), we could have a nationwide pre-K program; or for the same 3 weeks, we could restore the health care subsidies the current administration dumped last year.

Personally, I’d much rather be building up our infrastructure and social safety nets than bombing oil facilities, killing school girls and raising our gas and other prices here.

— Beth Bennett, Boulder