Americans waking up to Israel’s hemorrhaging of their tax dollars

Slowly but surely, Americans are waking up to the paradox of their government spending more and more of their tax dollars on Israel while cutting public expenditure, allowing the country’s infrastructure to fall apart and letting states go bankrupt.

The latest instance of this awakening comes from Spokane, in the state of Washington, where the Spokane Veterans for Peace group has funded a huge billboard facing a major highway calling for an end to the US tax-funded extravaganza for Israel.

“Stop $30 Billion to Israel” 14′ x 48′ billboard facing westbound on I-90, outside Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and near the Spokane, Washington, suburbs. Interstate 5 bridge collapsed in Washington state

US citizens are becoming disenchanted with their government putting Israel ahead of the American people

According to the group’s website,

Spokane Veterans for Peace, Chapter 35, has funded the placement of a 14′ x 48′ billboard facing westbound on I-90, between Cour d Alene and Post Falls, Idaho, urging that we “Stop $30 Billion to Israel”. This was a joint collaboration with an anonymous matching funder who has helped place dozens of similar billboards across the country, many of them sponsored by local Veterans for Peace chapters.

Israel is the largest recipient of American aid in the world, larger than all other recipients combined. We note, too, that funding for Israel has substantially increased in the face of the sequester that has devastated social programs and infrastructure spending domestically.

While social programs and infrastructure in the United States, across the board, are being devastated by the sequester cuts, AIPAC (American Israel Political Action Committee) successfully lobbied Congress to INCREASE aid to Israel, not to include it in the sequester cuts. The U.S. will give Israel an additional $200 million dollars during this fiscal year, on top of the $10 billion already slated.

American aid to Israel is given in cash at the start of each fiscal year.  The only stipulation imposed on Israel’s use of this cash gift is that it spend 74 per cent to purchase U.S. military goods and services.

Spokane Vets for Peace views our $30 billion funding for Israel as both unnecessary and counterproductive to the aims of 1) peace in the Middle East and 2) filling domestic needs.

The Mondoweiss news website quotes the co-founder of the Coalition to Stop 30 Billion to Israel, Armen Chakerian, as saying: “The coalition has helped put up billboards in 10 cities around the country, including Denver, LA [Los Angeles], San Francisco… and Spokane.”

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