• Listen to this segment

• Listen to the entire program

At a time when the U.S. is experiencing the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression, and the country is mired in close to 15 trillion dollars worth of debt, U.S. military spending continues to consume the federal budget. The nation’s military budget is more than that of China, Russia, India and the rest of NATO countries combined. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq cost taxpayers more than $150 billion dollars a year. Of the 3.5 trillion dollar US annual budget, 58% is allocated for military spending while education makes up a mere 9%. Aside from the economic burden to the taxpayer, there are also the moral and social implications of our aggression throughout the world. Unfortunately, many Americans are unaware of the breadth of the military industrial complex. Now, the War Resisters League has put together a workshop for high school students to learn about the all-consuming war machine which dominates our economy. The workshop curriculum uses hands-on techniques, readings and discussions to build student awareness of the issue. Starting with a breakdown of the federal budget, the curriculum goes on to analyze war profiteers who benefit from the continuation of global conflict to the justifications for the occupation and war in Afghanistan. Students can gain a concrete understanding of priorities through exercises like allocating pennies into labeled jars proportional to our annual federal budget.

GUEST: Ali Issa, national field organizer for the War Resister’s League

Download the curriculum here: http://www.warresisters.org/sites/default/files/BombsandBudgets3.pdf