Comments on: Musings on Obstructing a Public Way, War Tax Resistance, and More https://nwtrcc.org/2017/02/01/6009/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=6009 Thu, 02 Feb 2017 20:07:10 +0000 hourly 1 By: liz matthews https://nwtrcc.org/2017/02/01/6009/#comment-833 Thu, 02 Feb 2017 20:07:10 +0000 http://nwtrcc.org/?p=6009#comment-833 In reply to Erica.

Hi Erica…yes I have many questions. And I don’t know where to start. I divested from the stock market b/c I was reading and listening to people like Richard Wolffe and Michael Hudson–great non neo-liberal experts. And they make a lot of sense (I’m now super anti-capitalist…almost anarchist). But then this other issue of war comes up and it leaves me in a quandary. It seems that if I try to protect my retirement by putting my money in bonds, I then end up contributing to war–and I don’t want that either. Sometimes I think it might be easier to just bring my money home and put it under the mattress. I’ve tried to consult with my retirement people (vanguard) and they are not much help. I swear to god, if there’s someone out there that could create a site that explains this money bull crap in a really simple straight forward way, it would be helpful, and probably make them quasi-rich. I guess I just have to keep reading and searching for the answers.

]]> By: Erica https://nwtrcc.org/2017/02/01/6009/#comment-832 Thu, 02 Feb 2017 19:10:15 +0000 http://nwtrcc.org/?p=6009#comment-832 In reply to liz matthews.

Hi Liz, I don’t know too much about the bond market, but US Treasury does have a lot of bonds and a lot of military-related debt (see the latest WRL pie chart: https://www.warresisters.org/resources/wrl-pie-chart-flyers-where-your-income-tax-money-really-goes). It’s likely that if you invested in government bonds that you would be helping to pay for the military. I know that some people look to invest only in renewable energy mutual funds, or only in community development banks, or in socially responsible funds that don’t invest in the military, or things like that, to try to avoid paying for fossil fuels and military expenditures. There aren’t many easy answers when it comes to investments!
Let me know if you have other questions.
All the best,
Erica

]]> By: liz matthews https://nwtrcc.org/2017/02/01/6009/#comment-830 Thu, 02 Feb 2017 13:43:44 +0000 http://nwtrcc.org/?p=6009#comment-830 does anyone know if divesting from the stock market in general, and investing in the bond market instead, helps with defunding the military? I have read/heard that 20% of treasury bond money goes toward the defense/military. so in my effort to defund fossil fuels (which are connected to the military), I end up supporting the military–and if this is true (the 20%)–I feel stuck. I don’t know what to do.

]]> By: Steven C Wilson https://nwtrcc.org/2017/02/01/6009/#comment-829 Thu, 02 Feb 2017 09:26:00 +0000 http://nwtrcc.org/?p=6009#comment-829 It is becoming almost laughable if it didn’t hurt so much. Obama starts with two endless and meaningless wars and leaves office with seven wars being waged simultaneously. That doesn’t even count the OILigopoly oppression being pressed against peaceful native American water protectors in North Dakota as I write this: the National Guard is being used to shove and arrest indians on their own land for the crime of objecting to an oil pipeline that will destroy water resources being used by millions if it ruptures.

It’s always about the oil even when the solar and wind solution has become competitive with fossil fuels. Oil, war profiteers, greed, corruption of our government.

]]> By: Larry Bassett https://nwtrcc.org/2017/02/01/6009/#comment-828 Wed, 01 Feb 2017 22:33:34 +0000 http://nwtrcc.org/?p=6009#comment-828 Thanks Jason you have put my 2017 federal income tax filing into new perspective. When I refuse to pay the approximately $130,000 in federal income taxes that I will owe I will be depriving the Zumwalt of one or two missiles. Staggering! On the other hand I will have hopefully redirected $130,000 to meet human needs in the past year.

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