By September 30, 2010, taxpayers in the United States will have paid $1 trillion (most of it borrowed from other countries, like China) for total Iraq and Afghanistan war spending since 2001, not including possible supplemental funding attached to the Afghanistan “surge” authorized by the Obama Administration.
While 57% of the federal budget is spent on the military, 48 out of 50 states face significant deficits, which are projected to increase in 2011. This has triggered deep cuts in funding to already stretched and underfunded programs and initiatives.
The 'If I Had a Trillion Dollars' video project asks young people from across the country what they value. What would you do with $1 trillion – for yourselves, your families and your communities?
For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided for people in the US:
308,396,946 People with Health Care for One Year OR
22,599,968 Public Safety Officers for One year OR
17,944,326 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR
161,777,753 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR
188,536,667 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5,550 OR
8,139,680 Affordable Housing Units OR
461,193,337 Children with Health Care for One Year OR
143,595,239 Head Start Places for One Year OR
17,188,969 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR
1,083,271,391 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year
Contest rules include:
• Each entry must be produced by young people ages 13-23. Middle and High School aged participants will compete in one group and College aged entrants in another group.
• Each entry must run only 1-3 minutes.
• Each entry must be a reflection or reaction to the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan reaching $1 trillion.
• Each 2G maximum entry must be uploaded to the contest site by July 31, 2010. (Contact mzerkel@afsc.org for info on how to upload).
For full video contest rules, visit the special site set up by the American Friends Service Committee and National Priorities Project.
