Thank you for David Evans` thoughtful series of articles on Congress`
response to the end of the Cold War, as reflected in the budget priorities of the 102nd Congress.
As Evans` Oct. 5 story, ”Congress skips the peace dividend,” points out, Congress has unfortunately forgone the opportunity this year (as well as for the past three) to reduce military spending and invest in economy-building measures like rebuilding the infrastructure, education, health care, affordable housing, and job creation and training. Instead, in 1993 we will spend $274 billion on ”defense”-an amount that represents more than 90 percent of what we were spending before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.
His story ”Senators seek to ease pain of defense cuts” (Oct. 9) holds the key to achieving substantial and appropriate cuts in defense spending-economic conversion. The Senate should be applauded for its $1.6 billion plan to retrain and support laid-off workers, help defense contractors convert to civilian production and help impacted communities.
We can safely afford to cut the military budget by 50 percent in five years, but congressmen, fearful of job loss in their states and districts, won`t vote for the necessary cuts until a strong program of economic conversion is in place.
The president`s and Congress` decisions on federal spending priorities in the foreseeable future are the key to regaining America`s prosperity, addressing the structural causes of the deficit and creating an international environment that values and moves toward peace, democracy and sustainable economic growth.
