Thus, if you pay $10,000 in taxes this year, $5,100 goes for military spending.  All other government spending--for health care, veterans' benefits, research, environmental protection, education, space exploration, etc.--is covered by the rest of your taxes. 

Much of your tax burden is going directly to support the war in Iraq.  So far, the direct costs of the war total almost $4,100 per household.  (Indirect and future costs, such as ongoing costs for veteran's care, are not included in this estimate.)  Montgomery County has contributed $2 billion to the war.

While President Bush requests nearly $100 billion in additional war spending for fiscal year 2007, his proposed budget for fiscal year 2008 would cut billions from programs that address the needs of the most vulnerable people among us, while providing more than $700 billion in tax cuts to millionaires over the next ten years. This new budget proposes heavy dependence on military hardware to obtain a diminished version of security. It substantially reduces assistance to low income children, elders, and families. It continues to neglect urgently needed initiatives to address harmful climate change.

Congress will decide this spring on the shape of this budget. Urge Congress to cut military spending and roll back tax cuts for the wealthy in order to provide real security for people here at home and around the world.

For more information on the budget, please see www.fcnl.org.

Taxpayers in the entire state of Maryland have paid $8.8 billion for the Iraq war and occupation to date.  For the same amount of money, Maryland could have paid for one of the following: