"Taxpayers" deposited money in the following percentages: education -- 30 percent, environment -- 21 percent, health care -- 19 percent, military -- 10 percent, housing -- 8 percent, transportation -- 8 percent, and other (administration, Congress, foreign affairs, and judiciary) -- 4 percent. Participants also requested that the results be published.
These priorities differ from that of actual federal spending over many years, when the Pentagon has consumed approximately 50 percent and Education 7 percent of discretionary spending. The coalition provided each voter with suggestions contrasting the government's tax and spending priorities, such as reducing spending on weapons and increasing funding for education, health care, housing, mass transit and the environment.
Using federal and state statistics, the National Priorities Project has prepared graphs and tables for North Carolina and Orange County. More information is available on the Web sites www.nationalpriorities.org and www.warresisters.org.
The coalition urges taxpayers to tell their priorities to those in Washington.
Margaret Misch
Member of Peace Action
Chapel Hill
