It’s Time for Peace and Jobs!
WHEREAS, members of the New Jersey State Industrial Union Council, support our brave men and women in uniform and their families;
WHEREAS, the drawdown of troops can be done in a way that can safely accelerate the transfer of responsibility to authorities in Afghanistan;
WHEREAS, the severity of the ongoing economic crisis has created budget shortfalls at all levels of government and requires us to re-examine our national spending priorities; and
WHEREAS, the people of the United States are paying approximately $111 billion per year to wage war in Afghanistan (www.costofwar.com );
WHEREAS, nearly 2200 members of the US armed forces have died, tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, and many thousands of U.S. troops and civilians have been wounded in Afghanistan since the coalition attacks began (www.icasualties.org).
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NJ State Industrial Union Council calls on the President and U.S. Congress to:
- End the war in Afghanistan now, bring all our troops home and care for and support them upon their return
- Create good jobs at living wages: invest in our communities and our people to sustainably grow the economy and put people back to work
- Assure communities devastated by hurricane Sandy, that reconstruction is performed in the public interest with full transparency under the direction and control of local, state and federal governments and is accountable to the people
- Train and hire veterans, the unemployed and youth from historically disadvantaged communities to perform cleanup and reconstruction as a part of a broader national jobs program to rehabilitate inner cities, build affordable energy-efficient homes, repair/replace public infrastructure and develop sustainable manufacturing for the 21st Century
- Redirect our nation’s resources from war and uncontrolled Pentagon spending to fund social programs and public services, protect and improve Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, repair the social safety net, meet the challenge of climate change, and reduce poverty and inequality.
- Rely foremost on determined diplomacy and patient negotiation, rather than military power to respond to international disputes, differences or conflicts
- Require those at the top of the income ladder, giant corporations and financial speculators to pay their fair share of taxes.
The NJ State Industrial Union Council:
- applauds and welcomes the Jobs-Not-Wars campaign (www.jobs-not-wars.org),
- will send copies of this resolution to the President of the United States and our state’s representatives in the U.S. House and Senate; and
- will notify the media of the position it has taken in order to encourage local residents to support the action taken by this body by personally signing the Job-Not-Wars petition.
