MILITARISM

AND THE
WAR
ECONOMY
MILITARISM AND THE WAR ECONOMY

Michael Brennan’s Responses…………………………………….2

Mark Lawrence’s Responses………………………………………3

Chellie Pingree’s Responses………………………………………5

Ethan Strimling’s Responses……………………………………….7

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MILITARISM AND THE WAR ECONOMY

1. Would you vote to reinstate the military draft? No.

2. Are you willing to introduce, co-sponsor and/or promote

legislation that would amend Section 9528 of the No Child
Left Behind Act to protect the privacy of American high
school students? Yes. In fact, I have proposed completely
repealing No Child Left Behind.

3. Do you believe that the US should ever employ private

military contractors? If so, how do you propose holding
these contractors and corporations accountable? No.

4. Are you willing to introduce, co-sponsor and/or promote

legislation that would offer tax exemptions,
reimbursements or credits to weapons manufacturers
doing business in Maine? No.

5. Are you willing to introduce, co-sponsor and/or promote

legislation that would convert a minimum of 15% of
current U.S. defense spending to provide for social
programs? Yes.

6. Are you willing to introduce, co-sponsor and/or promote

legislation that would establish a Department of Peace?
Yes.

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1. Would you vote to reinstate the military draft? No. I

oppose reinstating the military draft.

2. Are you willing to introduce, co-sponsor and/or promote

legislation that would amend Section 9528 of the No Child
Left Behind Act to protect the privacy of American high
school students? I would vote to repeal all of No Child Left
Behind.

3. Do you believe that the US should ever employ private

military contractors? If so, how do you propose holding
these contractors and corporations accountable? To the
extent that private contractors are employed, their activities
need to be held to the same strict standards as our military
personnel. This includes competitive bidding and auditing of their
use of funds. Strict accounting practices need to apply and it
must be clear that any incidents of abuse will be punished.
It is inevitable that any military department must contract
for some goods and services. However, the increasing trend to
contract out substantive military functions, including but not
limited to security services, is a dangerous trend and must be
stopped.

4. Are you willing to introduce, co-sponsor and/or promote

legislation that would offer tax exemptions,
reimbursements or credits to weapons manufacturers
doing business in Maine? I have no plans to introduce, co-
sponsor or promote any such legislation. I would look at any
proposal before Congress individually and with the same scrutiny
I would apply to all such tax exemptions, reimbursements, or
credits.

5. Are you willing to introduce, co-sponsor and/or promote

legislation that would convert a minimum of 15% of
current U.S. defense spending to provide for social
programs? I believe we need to end the war in Iraq now and use
the money we are spending there and put it towards our
domestic needs, including paying down the deficit and investing
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in families through social programs and infrastructure

investments, to name a few.

6. Are you willing to introduce, co-sponsor and/or promote

legislation that would establish a Department of Peace? I
support the establishment of a Department of Peace that would
work to diminish the role of violence in this country and around
the world.

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1. Would you vote to reinstate the military draft? Yes.

2. Are you willing to introduce, co-sponsor and/or promote

legislation that would amend Section 9528 of the No Child
Left Behind Act to protect the privacy of American high
school students. Yes. Information not otherwise given or
publicly available to military recruiters or other organizations
should not be mandated available through a child’s school by
federal funding of education.

3. Do you believe that the US should ever employ private

military contractors? If so, how do you propose holding
these contractors and corporations accountable? No. The
use of contractors in Iraq has clearly demonstrated that people
engaging in combat must either be U.S. soldiers or be held to the
same standards of accountability and conduct. I spoke out
against the use of private contractors, both because of
accountability and cost, before our invasion of Iraq was fully
executed. You can see that footage on my website:
http://chelliepingree.com/issues/iraq_1.html.

4. Are you willing to introduce, co-sponsor and/or promote

legislation that would offer tax exemptions,
reimbursements or credits to weapons manufacturers
doing business in Maine? No. As a State Senator I fought
against many of these types of tax breaks and would continue to
do so in Congress.

5. Are you willing to introduce, co-sponsor and/or promote

legislation that would convert a minimum of 15% of
current U.S. defense spending to provide for social
programs? Yes. There is no question in my mind that the war in
Iraq is a drain on all of our domestic priorities and that we need
to shift a substantial portion of the defense spending into health
care, education and domestic investments that would begin to
reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
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The next President and Congress are going to be faced with

critical decisions regarding the size and distribution of resources
devoted to national defense. At $541 billion (54% of the
discretionary budget), President Bush’s FY09 Pentagon budget
request (Department of Defense plus the nuclear weapons
portion of the Department of Energy) eliminates no major
weapons systems and is 5% larger in real terms (adjusted for
inflation) than the FY08 budget request. If this budget is
approved, which observers expect it to be, it will be a 44%
increase since 2000. This would make the Department of
Defense budget at its highest level ever, in real terms--and that
does not include war spending. $200 billion for the war in
FY09 is a conservative estimate. We are currently spending $12
billion a month in Iraq.

6. Are you willing to introduce, co-sponsor and/or promote

legislation that would establish a Department of Peace?
Yes. The need for such a thing speaks to the serious failures of
the Bush administration, as our State Department should carry
out this function.

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1. Would you vote to reinstate the military draft? No. The

military should remain an all volunteer organization.

2. Are you willing to introduce, co-sponsor and/or promote

legislation that would amend Section 9528 of the No Child
Left Behind Act to protect the privacy of American high
school students? Yes. Section 9528 of the NCLB Act requires
local schools to give student’s name, address and phone
numbers to any military recruiters upon request. This private
information is given without parental knowledge or consent and
it enables military recruiters to aggressively recruit minor
students at home by telephone calls, mail and personal visits.
While students and parents have an opt-out option, this
information is not always readily available. A better policy would
be one that protects a student’s privacy while giving an opt-in
option to those who want more information on military service.
Schools should also limit institutional recruiters (including
military) access to a few times a year on campus.

3. Do you believe that the US should ever employ private

military contractors? If so, how do you propose holding
these contractors and corporations accountable? No. The
Bush administration has embraced the alarming practice of
outsourcing the United States military. Private military
contractors have been essential to the war in Iraq and are used
to perform a variety of jobs, including security. Private
contractors have been hired to maintain sophisticated U.S.
weapons systems such as the B-2 bomber, they help operate the
Aegis missile-defense system, they offer protection for non-
military transport convoys, help train Iraqi police, and provide
every-day support services for the troops. Yet there is lack of
public information about the costs involved in using private
contractors and the standards around the hiring, performance
and training of employees. Private contractors also lack
accountability and are not held responsible under U.S. law for
abuse and other transgressions. Private contractors in Iraq have
been linked to the killing of innocent Iraq civilians, the abuse of
Iraqi prisoners, supplying substandard materials to the troops,
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and have been suspect in widespread war profiteering. We

should not be relying on private companies whose overriding
principal is making money, but instead we need to return these
jobs to our military who are dedicated to servicing our nation.

4. Are you willing to introduce, co-sponsor and/or promote

legislation that would offer tax exemptions,
reimbursements or credits to weapons manufacturers
doing business in Maine? In short, my answer is no. I have
been opposed to special interest tax breaks that do not benefit
the community since I started serving on the Taxation
Committee. I will continue this policy in Congress.

5. Are you willing to introduce, co-sponsor and/or promote

legislation that would convert a minimum of 15% of
current U.S. defense spending to provide for social
programs? Yes. The United States accounts for almost half of
all world wide military spending. There has been a renewed
military build-up in this country beginning in 2001. Bush’s 2009
proposed budget includes increases in both war spending and
non-war military budgets while cutting important programs for
children, the elderly, and lower income households. This is a
travesty. While it is important to provide for a strong defense
there is certainly ample room for cuts to be made in our military
spending.

6. Are you willing to introduce, co-sponsor and/or promote

legislation that would establish a Department of Peace?
Yes. Last year, Ed and Elaine Brown retreated to their fortified
compound in Plainfield, New Hampshire, declared they did not
recognize the federal government and pledged to die in a storm
of bullets rather than surrender to federal agents. News reports
recalled similar standoffs at Waco and Ruby Ridge and detailed
the bloody endings. However, months after the New Hampshire
standoff began it ended peacefully, with no shots fired, when US
marshals walked on to the property pretending to be supporters
of the Browns. The US Marshals chose to pursue a nonviolent
resolution, one that was amazingly successful. Just imagine what
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our nation might accomplish were we to examine practical,

diplomatic, nonviolent solutions to domestic and international
conflicts. We study war, we should also study peace.