Speak Out About War Spending
Send a letter to your Congressional Representative or Senator. Here’s a sample letter:
Letter to Congressional Representative or Senator
(copy & paste)
Dear _____________;
I’m writing to as a concerned citizen, voter and taxpayer in regard to the war in Iraq. More specifically, the cost of the war.
Regardless of whether you believe we were right or wrong to go into Iraq, the time has come to reconsider our commitment. Estimates on the cost of this war now range from one trillion up to three trillion dollars. We need to consider more positive and productive ways to use our tax dollars.
A recently published book, “What We Could Have Done With The Money” (Rob Simpson, Hyperion Books), explores fifty alternative ways we might have used a trillion dollars, ranging from tax cuts to providing a free college education for every American child who’s currently in high school.
it’s not too late. If we change course now, we could re-direct that spending to dramatically reduce our dependence on foreign oil by developing home-grown alternative fuels, we could develop enough solar power to provide electricity for 60% of America’s home, we could properly care for our seniors and veterans.
It’s time to stop wasting American lives, resources and money. We can do incredible things—without spending one penny more than we’re spending now. I urge you to stand up for responsible and productive use of our tax dollars, and look forward to hearing about what steps you will take on this issue.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
Or write a letter to the editor of a newspaper. Here’s a sample letter:
Letter to the Editor
(copy & paste)
Dear Sirs/Mesdames;
I’m writing in regard to your coverage of the war in Iraq. More specifically, the cost of the war, and how little coverage this issue has received.
Estimates on the cost of this war now range from one trillion up to three trillion dollars. Even the lower number equals $3300 for every man, woman and child in America.
A recently published book, “What We Could Have Done With The Money” (Rob Simpson, Hyperion Books) explores fifty alternative ways we might have used a trillion dollars. We could provide a free college education for every American child who’s currently in high school, generate enough solar energy to power 60% of America’s homes or produce enough alternative fuels to dramatically reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
The time has come to stop wasting American lives and money. We can do incredible things—without spending one penny more than we’re spending now.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
Here are some major dailies and email addresses:
Boston Globe
letter@Globe.com
NYTimes
letters@nytimes.com
Washington Post
letters@washpost.com
Wall Street Journal
editor@edit.wsj.com
USA Today
USATODAY.com
LA Times
letters@latimes.com
Chicago Tribune
TribLetter@Tribune.com
To find other newspapers, and where to direct Letters to the Editor: www3.capwiz.com/mygov/dbq/media/
Tips for submitting a Letter to the Editor
- Use your real name. Newspapers do not accept anonymous letters.
- Include your contact information. Provide a phone number for confirmation and a regular mailing address, even if you are submitting by email. Newspapers need this information for internal use to confirm that you are the person who submitted the letter. They will usually print the name of your town, but not your street address or phone number.
- Submit it multiple ways. Submit your letter by fax, e-mail, or regular mail - you can find submission instructions in the paper or on its web site. Sending it two, or even all, of those ways maximizes the chance of getting your letter published.
- Use the paper's online submission form. If you have internet access and your paper offers an online submission form, this is the best way to send it in.
- If you submit by email, paste your letter into the text of the email. Do not send attachments. Many papers will not even open an email with an attachment.
- If the publication has recently covered the subject, either in a news story or on the op-ed pages, make a specific reference to the story or column. This will greatly increase your chance of being published.