April 15 Tax Day/GDAMS: New Materials & Organizing Tips
By Judith Le Blanc, Field Director, Peace Action
April 15 Tax Day and the Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) is shaping up to be a great day of grassroots activity, education and pressure on the US Congress to Move the Money from the Pentagon to fund human needs and jobs. A day when all will be reminded that not all pay their fair share, as well! Be sure to list events here.
• NEW MATERIALS:
1. State Tax Receipts: 52 state tax receipts prepared by National Priorities Project are available. You can download the receipt and paste into the Tax Day/GDAMS templates to hand out at events or post to your website. Tip: print to scale is the setting needed to print out on 8 1/2″ x 11″paper.
2. The new Pie Chart: War Resisters League has prepared its annual “Pie Chart” on where our tax dollars go as well as a training curriculum.
3. Tools for local action: Ask your mayor to issue a Tax Day/ Global Day of Action proclamation. Mayors for Peace & Western States Legal Foundation have drafted a sample proclamation, tips and background materials from the US Conference of Mayors resolution on cutting the Pentagon budget to fund human needs.
Tax Day/GDAMS not just a single day of action: part of an ongoing effort to build a movement strong enough to move the money from the Pentagon to fund jobs and human needs. The 3 webinars/conference calls organized thus far have attracted a wide cross section of local organizers. Over 100 people joined the March 19 webinar from 23 states. Recording is here.
Next webinar: April 2 hosted by the New Priorities Network and conducted by the Pentagon Budget Campaign and Rethink Media on tips for local organizers: social media, LTE and getting earned media for your events. Peace Action will give an update on Tax Day/GDAMS organizing. A draft email announcement will be done later today or tomorrow.
US groups sponsoring Tax Day/GDAMS events: Alliance for Global Justice, American Friends Service Committee, CODEPINK, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Foreign Policy in Focus, Friends Committee on National Legislation, National Priorities Project, Peace Action, Progressive Democrats of America, United for Peace and Justice, USAction, US Labor Against the War, War Resisters League, Women’s Action for New Directions & Women’s Legislators’
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[…] The Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) This is a great day of grassroots activity, education and pressure on the US Congress to Move the Money from the Pentagon to fund human needs and jobs. A day when all will be reminded that not all pay their fair share, as well! The US Congress and the President have been locked in cycles of brinkmanship over the federal budget priorities and deficits that have brought the vast and wasteful Pentagon budget into public scrutiny. The general public overwhelmingly supports cuts to military spending when shown the facts and the trade offs between human services and the Pentagon. There is a broad and growing movement of peace, community and economic justice groups pushing for new federal budget priorities. This makes GDAMS and Tax Day in the US a particularly auspicious occasion this year. We will stand with the rest of the world to bear witness to the fact that military spending, especially the impact of US military spending stands as the major obstacle to addressing the crisis problems all of our peoples face globally. Volunteers Needed! We will support passing out educational materials to the commuters at major BART stations with our local anti-nukes organizations! Location: Dublin-Pleasanton BART station, MacArthur BART station Sponsor: Tri-Valley CAREs, Western States Legal Foundation, BAD Seaweed, No Nukes Action Committee Contact: Umi Hagitani amnioticfluid@gmail.com or 917-774-4079 Preparation: visit here to know the basics http://peaceblog.wordpress.com/2014/03/25/april-15-tax-daygdams-new-materials-organizing-tips/ […]
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The Raging Grannies and Friends will sing out against war on Tuesday, April 15 at the Post Office, Hamilton Ave. Palo Alto Ca. at 11A.M.This is a project of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.(Peninsula branch) Please forward the 2014 pie chart to lsa1o@aol.com.