Understandably, the first reaction I get when I tell people we're going to get the U.S. government to refund to its citizens $4,826,000,000,000 is: "What? We can't afford that. Our government is already in hock over $19 trillion and every year since 2000, we've been running a deficit."
Aside from the fact that the deficit spending -- which has been the focus of overwrought debates, ultimatums, government shutdowns, and a celebrated hand grenade tossed back and forth in the political blame game -- is both unnecessary and entirely intentional, the ultimate impact of the Peace Dividend is actually to remedy such fiscal irresponsibility. The Peace Dividend refund drives a whole host of fundamental reforms which will over time help to put our financial house in order. However, that's a topic for another blog.
The Peace Dividend is paid out over three years. Thus, each year we have to come up with a little over $1.6 trillion each fiscal year.
Here's how we do it. Here's how we raise a minimum of $1.6 trillion dollars each year . . .
$200 billion . . . cut from the official DOD budget.
$83 billion . . . cut from future Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria war budgets.
$45 billion . . . cut from homeland security agency budgets.
$32 billion . . . cut from the black budgets of the NSA and CIA.
$102 billion . . . raised from closing tax loopholes and taxing offshored money.
$469 billion . . . ending unnecessary and counter-productive corporate welfare.
$103 billion . . . raised by making corporations pay their fair share of taxes.
$400 billion . . . raising income taxes on the wealthiest to what they were in 1975.
$177 billion. . . raised from financial transaction tax on public trading.
$250 billion . . . raised by issuing domestic-use-only Peace Dollars.
$250 billion . . . raised issuing Peace Bonds for investing in a peaceful future.
I better slow down! I'm already way over $2 trillion!
Now, as you all know, I'm not an economic analyst, a statistician, a financial wizard of any ilk. Yet, I was able in broad strokes to demonstrate how simple it is to make the necessary adjustments. Granted, my plan will have to be fine-tuned by acclaimed and self-anointed experts. But before the proselytizers and pretenders armed with skepticism and hatchets subject us to their pompous, pedantic and patronizing pruning, just bear this in mind . . .
The Peace Dividend is a refund due to American citizens. That is a given. Read my book. It's all there. I didn't make this stuff up. The facts are clear. American citizens have been the victims of the greatest rip-off of tax money in the history of the world. They deserve -- and should demand, no excuses, no negotiation, no compromise -- a full refund. No analysis can alter this reality.
Yes, it may be unprecedented. It most certainly is controversial. Traditionalists and those who have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo -- because it keeps them wealthy and in the centers of power -- will declare it outrageous! Insane! Irresponsible! Impossible!
But the the truth is, what is outrageous, insane, irresponsible, and impossible is to promote and pursue never-ending war, keep needlessly killing innocent people -- including our own fine young men and women in uniform -- continue to turn America into a pariah in the world community with the incessant bombing and support of terrorist proxies. What's truly outrageous, insane, irresponsible, and impossible is spreading chaos, destruction and death, fomenting terrorist attacks and an unparalleled refugee crisis across the globe. What's outrageous, insane, irresponsible, and impossible is the pursuit of a psychopathic agenda of imperial conquest, which has destroyed our democracy and imposed a vulgar, savage regime of fear here at home, in the form of the insidious and fraudulent War on Terror. This madness must be stopped or America will crumble under the weight of its own hubris and delusions of grandeur.
The point here is a simple one. What's not lacking here are the mechanics of finding and refunding the money. What's lacking is the political will. What's lacking is any sense of responsibility among our corrupt pay-for-play political leaders. What's tragically lacking is the public awareness of how far out-of-control the situation is. Were people to wake up to what's really going on with our military madness, imperial delusions of world empire, and ruthless oppression of everyday citizens under a systematic, propaganda-fueled, carefully crafted and entirely orchestrated regime of totalitarian control by a veritable handful of rich and powerful elites, heads would role!
Maybe I'm naive, but I'm hoping it won't come to that. With 300 million guns at hand, when things start getting violent, we can only expect a bloodbath to unfold. My sincere hope is that the urgently required regime change is still possible non-violently. We do this by replacing any uncooperative legislators with ones who understand that their obligations are first and foremost to their constituents, that being elected to represent us, implies that they actually will represent us, putting our welfare and the health of our families and communities ahead of all else.
I propose the Peace Dividend as a decisive test. It's a line in the sand.
Either "they" are for it or against it.
It's how we decide who to vote for. If a candidate won't support it -- by signing a legally binding contract to guarantee his or her support -- we find one who will.
The games are over. The rich and powerful plutocrats have had a good run. They've bled the country and its citizens dry. Now it's payback time.
If the politicos who've created and perpetuated the mess we're in can't own up to the error of their way and fix the problem, beginning with proper redress in the form of a full refund of the money taken fraudulently from good, decent, hard-working Americans, then they are not serious about making the necessary changes, regardless of what they say.
Either they give us our money back, or they get their walking papers.
They do not deserve our support and will be removed -- unelected -- from office.
These soon-to-be ex-congressman and presidential hopefuls are very talented people.
I'm sure they'll do well on the comedy club circuit or selling time-shares in the Caribbean.
[ This originated at the author's personal website . . . http://jdrachel.com ]
Paying For The Peace Dividend
