Evanston aldermen will be asked Monday to adopt a resolution urging Congress “to move our tax dollars … from militarism to human and environmental needs.”
The resolution, proposed by Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl and Alderman Eleanor Revelle, 7th Ward, is a response to President Trump’s proposal to increase military spending by $54 billion.
The resolution claims that just fractions of the proposed military budget could provide free, top-quality education from pre-school through college, end hunger and starvation on earth, convert the U.S. to clean energy, provide clean drinking water everywhere, build fast trains between all major U.S. cities and double non-military U.S. foreign aid rather than cutting it.
A memo to aldermen says local governing bodies in New Haven, Connecticut; Charlottesville, Virginia, and Montgomery County, Maryland, have adopted similar resoltuions.
The Evanston resolution appears to be based on one developed by a group called World Beyond War.
Of course they will all vote
Of course they will all vote to adopt. Throw in free bicycles for everyone too!
Resolution to militarism
Seriously,
Don’t you people have more pressing things to be concerned about. Your resolution will have absolutely no bearing on the federal government and the budget. I would think your time would be better spent being concerned about what goes on in Evanston. As far as spending money for the military, aren’t you glad our military has been there in the past? We could be speaking German this very day. Think about it.
The intent of this resolution
The intent of this resolution would be more believable if it had come when Obama was firing drone missiles all over the world. However, the left barely criticized Obama, and only now are they ‘discovering’ they are anti-war again.
No input
The city is going to speak for all residents of Evanston based on the input from one Alderman and the Mayor? Has anyone bothered to ask the citizens what they think of this? Just because other cities have done this, do we have to hop on the (very small) bandwagon? I may or may not agree with the very vague resolution, but I would like to be asked before the city I live in speaks for me. Our representatives (Aldermen) should not act without feedback from the people who elected them.
Council to travel to DMZ ?
I assume the Council will now travel to the DMZ, Iran, and other places and put flowers in the barrels of those soldiers rifles just as the Peace Movement did so many years ago—and we know how much peace they brought.
Of course the Council does not care what the residents think—they see this is a Free [Socialist] Territory—that they run for the rest of us to are not enlightened as they are.
It’s pure political posturing- Obama good, Trump bad
A total of 563 strikes, largely by drones, targeted Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen during Obama’s two terms, compared to 57 strikes under Bush. Between 384 and 807 civilians were killed in those countries, according to reports logged by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Obama’s first drone strike in Yemen hit a tribe with cluster munitions, killing 55 people. Twenty-one were children – 10 of them under five. Twelve were women, five of them pregnant. And yet no resolution from the Evanston mayor or aldermen about it. No marches, protests, rioting. Not even a peep of subdued anger. Maybe cuz Obama is a “progressive” Democrat? It’s selective outrage. Or rather, it’s pure political posturing. Sad. So sad.
Spending
Hi Al,
The wording of the resolution targets Trump’s proposed increase in military spending over the level during the Obama administration.
You’re talking about the number of drone strikes … which is not the same thing.
— Bill
Evanston a National Voice
Why is it that our elected officials feel the need to interject themselves into national issues. They need to spend more time on local problems. I love the fact that a Tilted Kilt was bad for Evanston and our alcohol related fines are higher than marijuana. Smoke weed but don’t drink and don’t have a military either. The unrealistic world the Republic of Evanston is sometimes.
Response to why interject
We must not forget that the foundation of our government/ system of organizing our rules to live by come from local politics. Whether I agree or not with this suggestion by Ald Revelle or the Mayor their action is what we all should be doing to speak our opinion.
Resolution
Have the Mayor and Revelle read that North Korea is on the verge of developing a nuclear tipped ICBM that could hit Berkley California potentially wiping out free speach forever. Oh and by the way the North Koreans don’t seem to like us very much. Iran will most certainly have the same in about 13 years if they play by the rules, or sooner if they don’t under the absurd, rediculous and extreemly dangerous Kerry/ Obama JCPOA. We now have Russian strategic bombers buzzing our shores and China firming up to controll of the South China Sea. The world has Al-Queda, Hezbollah, Egyptian Jihad,The Muslim Brotherhood, Al Shabaab, Boko Haram, AQAP and Al Nusra to name a very, very few. Obama substantially cut military spending during his tenure while at the same time alienating many of out friends and allies around the world. His feckless ( I am being kind) foreign policy has led to a world much more dangerous than it has been since the beginning of World War Two. Please Mayor and Alderman, just figure out how to pay the underfunded pensions. I for one don’t believe that further weakening our armed forces and simply install no trespassing signs on our beaches and shores will work very well..
Their mind is on other things
Remember the Council, or at least some of them, concentrate on opening new theaters, what businesses they think are winners—and should give non-market and non-necessary loans [aka gifts], increase city government employement [more beholding to them the better grip they have], promise [most of which they know will go no place but voters will remember they ‘tried’] to potential voters/donors, create positions at city hall [or influence the library to do so] that solidify their ‘progressive’ credentials, and in general do what progressives want—esp. rail against Republicans, those in the military and anyone–esp. religious—who disagrees with them even on one out of one hundered issues.
To actually understand the dangers in the world like military threats—well only the time to complain.