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We, the residents of the greater Binghamton area, advise the President and Congress that the greater Binghamton area and its citizens strongly support the men and women serving in the United States Armed Forces in Iraq and believe that the best way to support them is to bring them home now.
Furthermore, we urge the Binghamton City Council to consider and pass the “Support our Troops, Bring them Home Now” legislation. This bill, similar to the Woosley resolution currently before Congress, urges President Bush to develop a plan to provide for the timely withdrawal of United States Armed Forces from Iraq.
According to the National Priorities Project (http://costofwar.com/), a non-profit research group that focuses on the impacts of federal tax and spending policies at the community level, this war has already cost New York taxpayers over $15,000,000. Based on Congressional appropriation estimates, NPP reports that the taxes spent thus far on the invasion and occupation of Iraq by Binghamton residents alone could have funded instead:
* 384 teachers in the Binghamton City School District, or
* Insurance, for one full year, for 13, 268 Binghamton children, or
* The construction of 199 additional housing units in our city, or
* One year of Head Start for 2, 934 local children
Additionally, recent reports suggest that the trauma experienced by servicemembers from war and occupation will continue to adversely affect our local community for many years to come, both fiscally and qualitatively. On May 19, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reported that one in four Iraq War and Afghanistan War veterans had already sought medical care from VA facilities. And as this administration cuts funding for Veterans and human services, states and municipalities are being asked to either pick up the tab or deny much needed treatment to our honorable servicemembers and families. What’s more, the divorce rate among military families has jumped by more than 70% since 2000. Families torn and ruptured by the prolonged trauma of war ultimately undermine our shared, democratic aims of a healthy, stable community.
We, the undersigned, in light of the growing fiscal, social, and human costs of our continued occupation in Iraq, and as residents of the greater Binghamton area, strongly urge the Binghamton City Council to pass the “Support our Troops, Bring them Home Now” legislation. |
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