Where your taxes go

Guess what, we always say we are number one in the world for all sorts of things, but did you know we are NUMBER ONE in the world for incarcerating people?  Iran, Russia and China pull up behind us in the number per capita that are in jail.

"The United States' incarceration rate is, according to official reports, the highest in the world, at 754 persons imprisoned per 100,000 (as of 2008). 

A report released in 2008 indicates that in the United States more than 1 in 100 adults is now confined in an American jail or prison. The United States has 4% of the world's people and 25% of the world's incarcerated population."

HALF of all persons incarcerated under state jurisdiction are for non-violent offenses which costs YOU the taxpayer from $18,000 to $33,000 per year to keep them in jail.  Every year, tens of thousands of nonviolent, productive, otherwise law-abiding citizens are locked in cages with the most dangerous criminals in our society for marijuana convictions.  In fifteen states you can get life in prison for simple marijuana possession if you are a habitual offender and only six years for murder.  In California the average sentence for a convicted murderer is 3.3 years.

Here is another one for ya: "U.S. military spending has risen to nearly half of the global total, but the U.S. share of global output is eroding steadily as other economies grow faster." Korb and Thomson

    "Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes … known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.… No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare."— James Madison, Political Observations, 1795

The UN was set up to promote peace among nations through cooperation and collective security.  Its annual budget is 1.8% of the worlds military budget and even with all its problems it is grossly underfunded.  The entire world spends more on their militaries rather than contribute to international cooperation and peace.  No wonder we can't enjoy a level of security that we all should demand in this era. The reason we aren't secure is we won't pay for peace but we will pay for war. 

Defense spending increases during economic turmoil.  Some $2.4 trillion, or 4.4%, of the global economy "is dependent on violence", according to the Global Peace Index.   If only the world understood that peace delivers economic prosperity and stability maybe more would contribute to a world that is good for business.

Between spending on the prisons and the military as long as we are controlled by our fears we will fail to see how wasted our tax dollars are.  War(the drug war and the war on terror)and the machinations behind them will prevail.  Massive military spending does not lead to peace.  Incarcerating non violent prisoners does not lead to safety.  We see this every day and yet we continue to believe in failed policies.

When we invest in ourselves peace and safety are results that will benefit all.  Start evaluating where your tax dollars go, stop complaining about poor people and start investing in peace.  Join me in supporting the creation of a Peace Department. Just click on the button above to get involved.