Peace Vigil on April 12, from 10 to 11:30 AM: for Tax Day

Please join us on Saturday, April 12, from 10 to 11:30 AM on the Walpole Common at the corner of Main and West Streets, bringing attention to how our U.S. tax dollars are used. April 15 is right around the corner, the day our Federal tax returns are due. We will be holding a  40 foot “Budget Banner”. The banner is comprised of multiple colored segments, graphically illustrating the federal government’s discretionary budget, including military, education, health and human services, housing, justice, labor, and environment. The length of each segment is proportional to the size of that program’s budget, clearly showing how much is spent for each. Discretionary spending accounts for  $1.15 trillion of the proposed 2014 budget. The banner gives visual significance to the large amount the US spends on Pentagon programs and the military. Our country spends more on the military than the next 13 biggest military spenders in the world, combined. The banner also illustrates how tiny are the portions going to social services, programs that are important to each one of us. The Ryan budget proposal particularly targets these social services for devastating cuts. We need the Budget for All that supports social services and the needs of people.