Stop War Profiteers from Stealing $1 Trillion From People’s Needs

By Sally Jane Black

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke out against the evils of capitalism, racism, and militarism in one of his last speeches. He was speaking about the Vietnam War, the invasion of a country that sought independence from colonial/capitalist occupation. The targets of the capitalist class are new but the struggle is old: today’s Iraq and Bolivia are yesterday’s Vietnam and Chile.

The evils of militarism, racism, and capitalism are connected, and opposing all three is crucial to defeating the capitalists who oppress and exploit us.

In the more than 50 years since Dr. King’s speech, the United States spent over $20 trillion on war.

In December 2019 Democrats and Republicans passed another war budget that will cost workers $738 billion. When other aspects of the budget dedicated to warfare are included it is over $1.1 trillion dollars. A trillion dollars is a thousand billion.

Politicians claim that there’s not enough money to fight climate change or provide universal healthcare and free college education. But Republicans and Democrats together authorized funding for the terrifying Trump Space Force in the new war budget. The workers of the world produce all the wealth we need to thrive, but the capitalists steal that wealth and waste it on their endless wars.

Permanent wars enrich the war profiteers, threaten our security
This money does not “stimulate the economy.” The trillions of taxpayer dollars handed over to war profiteers are not invested in expanding our productive capacity. The sole ‘value’ of missiles and bombs is expended in the act of destruction. In order to sell more weapons, the capitalists have to keep starting wars which only destroy the lives of more workers. This economy of horror is not sustainable. When this leads to an economic crisis the workers will once again be made to pay the price.

End imperialist wars, fight the capitalist class
The role of the U.S. military is to terrorize the working class and oppressed nations of the world. The U.S. capitalist class uses force to dominate and occupy countries for the sole benefit of Wall Street. The Afghanistan Papers prove that the U.S. military, politicians, and capitalists knew there was no leaving once the war began. They intended to occupy and exploit Afghanistan, not to liberate it. This one war alone has cost nearly $1 trillion.

Our only chance at liberation is to stand up to U.S. imperialism and militarism everywhere. We must demand our money go to schools and healthcare—not to drones and bombs. It’s not just a matter of improving our lives here in the U.S. It’s not just a matter of rearranging where our taxes go. Ending these wars would be a victory for the world’s working class, oppressed nations, and the environment (as the military is the world’s top polluter). Our liberation depends on it.