Town meeting agrees to question war spending
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Amherst Bulletin
Scott Merzbach
11/19/2010
Town Meeting has endorsed an ongoing public dialogue about how Amherst tax dollars are being used to fund wars overseas, even as a student representative from the University of Massachusetts told the assembly the measure goes too far. At the final session of fall Town Meeting Nov. 10, the _Resolution to Bring the War Dollars Home,_ presented by Ruth Hooke of Precinct 8, generated a passionate discussion after the Student Government Association at UMass raised objections to its content. Hooke said she was satisfied with the outcome, even though it drew more opposition than she expected. The vote was 74-32. "I think it's a wake-up call," Hooke said. "I just wanted people to know that we're not just spending a lot of money, but it's getting out of hand and we need to do something." But Nathan Lamb, a student senator at UMass, said the SGA's position, approved by a 13-11 vote, was that the resolution crossed the line between simply opposing the wars and not supporting troops. As many as 500 students at the university are either current members or veterans of military service. "When you oppose a war through defunding, you would be neither supporting the war nor would you be supporting the troops who are risking their lives to protect your safety and your freedoms," said Lamb. Hooke presented a fact sheet with information provided by the National Priorities Project estimating that Amherst residents have spent $133.8 million in tax dollars on the military since wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began in 2001. The sheet indicated that the money could have funded the salaries of 1,796 elementary school teachers for one year or 15,169 slots for children in the Head Start program. Hooke said she understands the concerns that the resolution might lead to funding being cut off to servicemen and women and putting them in danger. The sole intent, she said, is to stop the wars and bring military personnel home safely. Lamb said he was disappointed by the vote, but appreciated that several Town Meeting members agreed with his viewpoint and hopes this will serve as a way to increase student involvement in town affairs. Many communities and organizations are adopting similar resolutions, including Northampton. "We're part of a movement that's really important," Hooke said. The article asks U.S. Rep. John Olver and U.S. Sens. John Kerry and Scott Brown to oppose legislation for additional funding for military campaigns in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. It also attempts to influence the House of Representatives to terminate funding and support resolutions prohibiting an increase in troop levels in Afghanistan. The resolution also calls for a public discussion of the cost of the wars. One such discussion, on the impact of the wars on the economy, was scheduled to take place earlier this week at Grace Episcopal Church.
