Congress’ priorities are out of whack

by Zach Chasnoff, Organizer for Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment (MORE)

Letter to the Editor 10-8 St. Louis Post Dispatch

The night before the shutdown, the Pentagon awarded $5 billion for 90 contracts to military corporations. This isn’t about Obamacare; this is about budget priorities that have been out of whack for decades. Just as Congress will continued to be paid as they put 800,000 federal workers on furlough, contracts will continue to be awarded for weapons systems and parts manufacturers during the shutdown. They just won’t be announced until after the government reopens.

In uncertain economic times for so many Americans, the shutdown will cost $300 million a day. Vital social services on which people depend are being withheld. Other essential personnel are being required to work without pay.

People are hurting enough. Sequester cuts are hurting Missourians and our local economies. As the upper class consolidates its wealth, the attack on the middle and lower classes continues. People are essential. It’s time we stopped looking at war as an essential item and started prioritizing people. This shutdown hides subsidies and tax forgiveness for large corporations and the super rich, as well as all the money being wasted on weapons systems and endless war.

We want a government truly for the people. One that cannot be shut down.