War Dollars Home Resolution at U.S. Conference of Mayors: Your Mayor Co-sponsor?

[FayeforCure]

Tell your mayor to support a resolution to bring the war dollars home
posted on April 27, 2011 by awelsch
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is coming to Baltimore, Maryland for their next annual meeting, and it’s very possible that there will be a resolution urging a radical shift in national spending priorities.

The 2011 meeting will take place June 17-21 in Baltimore.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will introduce and champion a resolution to bring the war dollars home if he gets enough co-sponsors.

Depending on how you count it, the U.S. is spending somewhere between 4 and 9 percent of GDP on “defense spending.” Much of that spending is for military bases around the world, outdated cold-war weapons systems and counterproductive interventions.

It’s also money that can’t be used to support state and local governments or local community needs, and this fact shouldn’t be lost on mayors.

According to Code Pink, the following local leaders have signed up to cosponsor a resolution to shift money from the Pentagon to communities.

- Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles, California
- Carolyn Peterson, Ithaca, New York
- Dave Norris, Charlottesville, Virginia
- David Coss, Santa Fe, New Mexico
- John Heilman, West Hollywood, California
- Gayle McLaughlin, Richmond, California
- Bob Kiss, Burlington, Vermont
- R.T. Rybak, Minneapolis, Minnesota

All Marylanders who have a mayor should contact theirs and let them know that thier constituents support the resolution to bring the war dollars home. ACT NOW because May 17 is the deadline for additional co-sponsors.

Code Pink has some tools to help you get your ideas across to your mayor.

Find and write your mayor

Here is the Draft Resolution proposed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for the U.S. Conference of Mayors

CALLING ON CONGRESS TO REDIRECT MILITARY SPENDING TO DOMESTIC PRIORITIES

WHEREAS, the severity of the ongoing economic crisis has created budget shortfalls at all levels of government and requires us to re-examine our national spending priorities; and

WHEREAS, the people of the United States are collectively paying approximately $126 billion dollars per year to wage war in Iraq and Afghanistan; and

WHEREAS, 6,024 members of the US armed forces have died in these wars; and at least 120,000 civilians have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since the coalition attacks began.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors supports efforts to speed up the ending of these wars; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors calls on the U.S. Congress to bring these war dollars home to meet vital human needs, promote job creation, rebuild our infrastructure, aid municipal and state governments, and develop a new economy based upon renewable, sustainable energy.

http://ourfunds.org/2011/04/tell-your-mayor-to-support-a-resolution-to-bring-the-war-dollars-home/

[FayeforCure]

Lessons to be learned in our budget deficit fighting efforts:

The killing of Bin Laden shows that there is a very powerful way for the United States to fight terrorist organizations - through vigorous special ops.

We do not need to occupy vast tracts of Afghanistan for decades to keep al Qaeda at bay.

We can keep the terrorists on the run, decapitate their leadership, pursue their planners, track their money and foil their plots. It's hard; but it's not nearly as hard as turning Afghanistan into a functioning, modern, capitalist democracy.

http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/08/fareeds-take-counterterrorism-beats-nation-building/

I couldn't see the Duval county numbers, but here are comparable Cost Of War numbers for Orange County and what Bringing Home the War Dollars would mean to us locally:

Taxpayers in Orange County, Florida will pay $2.1 billion for proposed Department of Defense for FY2012. For the same amount of money, the following could be provided:

1.3 million Children Receiving Low-Income Healthcare for One Year OR
32,787 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR
36,331 Firefighters for One Year OR
268,906 Head Start Slots for Children for One Year OR
384,536 Households with Renewable Electricity - Solar Photovoltaic for One Year OR
1.0 million Households with Renewable Electricity-Wind Power for One Year OR
295,081 Military Veterans Receiving VA Medical Care for One Year OR
295,081 Military Veterans Receiving VA Medical Care for One Year OR
456,451 People Receiving Low-Income Healthcare for One Year OR
32,225 Police or Sheriff's Patrol Officers for One Year OR
472,734 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR
372,480 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5550

http://nationalpriorities.org/en/tools/tradeoffs/state/FL/county/orange-county/program/14/tradeoff/0/

AND let us never forget the HUMAN cost of War!!!!!!!!

[FayeforCure]

Could Jax become a leading city like LA?

This year's US Conference of Mayors is led by two women mayors, and the new President of the US Conference of mayors, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, is the author of the War Dollars Home resolution. All we need is 10 mayors to be co-sponsors. What a message that would send to the federal government!!!

79th U.S. Conference of Mayors Prep for Baltimore Meeting
Posted May 11, 2011


BALTIMORE - The 79th annual U.S. Conference of Mayors will be held June 17-20 in Baltimore.

At the helm will be conference president Elizabeth Kautz, mayor of Burnsville, Minn., and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake.

Topping this year's agenda will be discussions on the economy, job creation, transportation, high-speed rail, homeland security, immigration and energy efficiency. The conference's last day features a mayoral debate and vote on policy resolutions that will be forwarded to Congress and the Obama administration to provide input and help shape federal legislation.

On June 20, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will be seated as the new president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. As the new leader, he will set the agenda for the coming year, appoint committee and task force chairs and assume the responsibility as national spokesman.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more, resulting in 1, 210 such cities. Each city's mayor is represented in the conference.

The conference will be held at the Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel, 400 W. Pratt St. A draft of the June agenda is available at www.usmayors.org. This year's title sponsor is Siemens.

http://baltimorerealestate.citybizlist.com/1/2011/5/11/79th-U.S.-Conference-of-Mayors-Prep-for-Baltimore-Meeting.aspx

[FayeforCure]

Yay, mayors with common sense!!!

We did it!! U.S. Mayors Pass Resolution To Bring 'War Dollars' Home

BALTIMORE -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors approved a resolution on Monday calling for an accelerated end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That resolution will now become official policy of the mayors' organization -- a small symbol of growing opposition to the war in Afghanistan. The mayors are asking that money spent on wars abroad be used in the United States to develop cities and towns. The last time the conference approved a resolution like this was during the Vietnam War.

On Sunday, Muhammad Younus Nawandish, the mayor of Kabul, expressed some reservations about the idea of an American withdrawal. Nawandish spoke to the conference on Saturday. He told HuffPost that his country was still "in need of security from the international community."

"We understand that the U.S. military will not stay in Afghanistan forever. But still we need your existence for the stability of Afghanistan. If they withdraw now there is a possibility of falling Afghanistan back into during the Taliban regime," Nawandish said through an interpreter.

Debate over the resolution primarily centered on whether it showed sufficient support for American troops abroad.

Pete Lewis, the mayor of Auburn, Washington, cited his own service in Vietnam, arguing that the mayors would repeat "the mistakes another generation did" if they signaled a lack of support for troops abroad. The resolution was amended to make sure no one could interpret it as a statement against service members.

Another amendment suggested by Mayor Mick Cornett (R-Oklahoma City) made sure the resolution also called on President Obama -- in addition to Congress -- to redirect funds to cities and towns.

Before that amendment was approved, Cornett said the resolution should have been referred to the "ideas we oughta stay the hell away from committee."

But Mayor Paul Soglin (D-Madison, Wis.) said that the resolution, which did not call for an immediate withdrawal from wars abroad, was "rather temperate."

"This one does not call for an immediate withdrawal, but it calls for speeding up the effort for ending this war," Soglin said. He and other Democratic mayors supporting the resolution cited the immense cost of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as motivation.

Mayor John Dickert (D-Racine, Wis.) said, "I believe that we should pass the resolution just to simply say that we think that we need to reevaluate where our funds are going and that they are rebuilding our country."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/20/us-mayors-afghanistan_n_880370.html

[wsansewjs]

But why the mayors' concern is on the war, not their own city they need to look after?

-Josh

[FayeforCure]

But why the mayors' concern is on the war, not their own city they need to look after?

-Josh

Josh, is it because there isn't enough federal money for cities' infrastructure, social services to pregnant women like WIC and the like?

Just today on the front page of the TU:

Jacksonville third worst for traffic deaths among pedestrians
Posted: June 20, 2011 - 1:54amInfographic
Deadly in Jacksonville

From 2000 through 2009, 342 pedestrians were killed in Jacksonville, making the area the third worst in the country for walkers, according to a report from Transportation for America. Older pedestrians have a higher death rate:

- 121 pedestrians, or 35 percent, were 50 years and over.

- 67 pedestrians, or 20 percent, were people aged 60 and over.

- 26 pedestrians, or 7.6 percent, were 75 years and older.

Florida hard on walkers

Between 2000 and 2009, 5,163 people were killed while walking in Florida, according to a Transportation for America study. Florida's overall Pedestrian Danger Index is 182.8, which ranks first out of 50 states.

Florida was ranked seventh nationally in the fatality rate of pedestrians over 65. A total of 21.50 percent of Florida's pedestrian deaths were 65 years and older, while 12.90 percent were 75 years and older.

County pedestrian deaths (2000-2009)

Baker
Pedestrian deaths: 3
% of deaths that were pedestrians: 11.5
Fatality rate per 100,000: 2.1

Clay
Pedestrian deaths: 30
% of deaths that were pedestrians: 13.6
Fatality rate per 100,000: 1.8

Duval
Pedestrian deaths: 248
% of deaths that were pedestrians: 19.1
Fatality rate per 100,000: 3

Nassau
Pedestrian deaths: 22
% of deaths that were pedestrians: 13.2
Fatality rate per 100,000: 3.4

St. Johns
Pedestrian deaths: 39
% of deaths that were pedestrians: 11.9
Fatality rate per 100,000: 2.5

Source: Transportation for America


   
June 20, 2011 - 01:54am

Jacksonville third worst for traffic deaths among pedestrians

A nationwide problem is confronting cities like Jacksonville that for decades designed streets for fast-moving vehicles.

What planners didn't consider was the aging of America, a trend laid bare by the 2010 census.

Older people simply don't have enough time to cross the street.

"Streets are no longer primarily for moving traffic as quickly as possible. That's a very 1950s notion of middle America," said Noah Budnick, the deputy director of Transportation Alternatives, a New York research and advocacy group. "Our streets are where we live in this city, and walking is the primary mode of how people get around."

Related: Concerns raised about public transit for Jacksonville seniors

Transportation for America, based in Washington, highlighted the issue recently in "Dangerous By Design," a study of traffic fatalities from 2000 through 2009. In that study, Jacksonville was ranked as the third worst metropolitan area for pedestrians, with 16.1 percent of all traffic deaths being people on foot.

Nationwide, older Americans are nearly twice as likely to be killed while walking than those under 65 years of age. A total of 8,458 pedestrians 65 and over were killed from 2000 to 2007, according to the transportation study.

Older pedestrians represent 22 percent of total pedestrian fatalities during that period, despite comprising only 12.4 percent of the population.

From 2000 to 2007, 853 pedestrians in Florida aged 65 years or older were killed. Older pedestrians died at a rate of 3.7 per 100,000 residents in Florida, compared to 2.7 per 100,000 for residents under age 65. Florida ranks No. 7 nationally for the highest fatality rate for pedestrians over the age of 65.

Transportation for America and Transportation Alternatives link the disproportionate number of elderly victims to street plans that failed to anticipate a number of social shifts in the country: the first of the 78 million baby boomers turning 65 this year; more retirees moving to urban areas; people living longer; and walking being the main form of exercise for the elderly.

The 2010 census showed growth in the percentage of middle-aged and elderly people far outpacing those 45 and younger. By 2030, the 65-plus crowd is expected to account for 19 percent of the nation's population.

"We're going to see lots more people living to 85 and beyond," said David Goldberg, spokesman for Transportation for America. "The impact of having designed our communities so totally around being able to drive for your every need is going to be felt in a very significant way."

But state departments of transportation have largely ignored pedestrian safety from a budgetary perspective, allocating only about 1.5 percent of available federal funds to projects that retrofit dangerous roads or create safe alternatives, Transportation for America states.

In response to concerns raised by Transportation Alternatives, New York launched Safe Streets for Seniors in 2008. Among other things, the program calls for the installation of "countdown" signals at 1,500 intersections. The plan â€" initially budgeted at $4 million â€" also will introduce speed bumps, extend curbs, add medians and make other changes in response to accident data.

Foremost among Transportation Alternatives' demands is an adjustment of signal timing. Budnick said the assumption is that walkers can cover 3.5 to 4 feet per second, but most elderly walkers manage 2.5 feet per second. The city's Department of Transportation says 1,265 intersections with signals have been timed for a walking speed of 3 feet per second; Budnick says the slowdown should be expanded.

Now, with the latest reports and the census underscoring the aging of America, advocates are hoping to press the federal government to require federally funded road projects to take into account new designs aimed at pedestrian safety. Separately, a bill sponsored by Rep. Jason Altmire, D-Pa., and introduced in the House last month would direct the secretary of transportation to carry out a program in all states to improve road safety for senior citizens.

"Getting around independently â€" it's something you take for granted until you reach those later years," said Robin Leaman, who is 80 and lives in Manhattan's Lower East Side.

This report contains material from The Los Angeles Times and Transportation for America's report, "Dangerous by Design."



Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-06-20/story/jacksonville-third-worst-traffic-deaths-among-pedestrians#ixzz1PrKS7eGZ