Either instead of or along with defunding police, for a much better, stronger society, let's do the following, instead. I've been saying this for years.
Time to 'Reinvest in People' and 'Cut Weapons of War': Barbara Lee Unveils Plan to Cut Up to $350 Billion From Pentagon
We pay more out, year after year, than any other country, far and away, for what we call "defense." We buy bombs and weapons and have bases all over the world.
You'd think we were still fighting World War II.
And we just keep increasing how much we shell out for this "defense."
It's insane. It's not rational. It's certainly not moral nor necessary. It's not making us stronger, either, as a nation. This businessman said this correctly and it was 3 years ago.
Chinese billionaire Jack Ma says the US wasted trillions on warfare instead of investing in infrastructure
And keep this in perspective, too, before anyone says it would weaken us as a nation.
If we cut our defense budget in half---cut it IN HALF---we'd still, still outspend and overspend EVERY OTHER NATION IN THE WORLD. Still.
Then, after that, how about we STOP INCARCERATING SO MANY AMERICANS.
Check this out.
United States Still Has Highest Incarceration Rate in the World
We incarcerate more people THAN ANY OTHER NATION.
Put that into perspective.
China has approximately 1.43 billion citizens.
India, 1.353 billion people.
We, the US?
We have a paltry 329 million people.
But we jail more fellow Americans than ANY OTHER NATION, to repeat.
How is this not insane? It's completely, totally unnecessary. Again, obscene and immoral.
Here's a thought.
Instead of jailing so many people, how about we take that money and, oh, I don't know. INVEST IN THEIR SCHOOLS, instead?? Invest in health care? Invest in social programs? Take care of our people instead of throwing them away?
Check out this one statistic:
America Spends Much More on Prisoners
Than Students
The U.S. spends more on prisons and jails than it does on educating children – and 15 states spend at least $27,000 more per prisoner than they do per student, according to a new report. (link below) And along with this incarceration is the fact that, since the end of the Civil War, we, the United States, have also disproportionately incarcerated FAR more African-Americans as a percentage of our population.
Black Americans incarcerated five times more
than white
Let's stop this insanity. Let's stop this ugliness. Let's stop this waste and stupidity.
Let's do this, America.
Let's invest in our people.
We'll be far stronger, all of us, because of it.