Praying for Peace While Paying for War?

David and Jan Hartsough

Dear Friends,

This year Tax Day is July 15. Thought you would be interested in this letter my wife and I have written the IRS refusing to pay for wars and preparations for wars. We find it very difficult to pray and work for peace and then pay for wars.

We would welcome your thoughts about how you respond our government’s demands that we continue to pay for their wars and all the senseless and immoral bombing, droning and preparations for even a nuclear war which could put an end to all life on our beautiful planet.

For more information about war tax resistance, go to NWTRCC.org (National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee).

Peace, David Hartsough

Dear Friends at the IRS,

We are Quakers and cannot in conscience pay for the killing of other human beings, or pay for war and preparations for war. Human life is too precious to drop bombs on people because we do not like their governments.

Developing a new generation of nuclear weapons which could put an end to life on our beautiful planet is immoral and insane.

Giving the Pentagon hundreds of billions of dollars does not increase the security of our people when we are cutting funds for schools, libraries, job training, diplomacy work at the State Dept. and now even the EPA and the transition to a renewable energy future.

The wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere, and increased use of drones have NOT increased our security, but rather have created more enemies of the United States.

Our tax dollars are also being used to prepare for wars with Russia, Iran, North Korea and China, which could easily — by accident or intention — become a nuclear war which could kill billions of people.

Let’s end the “war on terror” and all wars and bring our tax dollars home to meet the needs of the American people.

Fifty-four percent of everyone’s tax dollars go for wars and preparations for wars. Together with our IRS Form, we are sending a check for 46% of what we owe made out to the Dept. of Health and Human Services.

We ask that you designate all those funds for health, education and human well-being — and NONE for war and killing. The other 54% — which goes for war and killing — we are contributing to organizations working for peace and justice, and programs meeting human and environmental needs in the US and around the world.

Instead of paying for war and killing, we are joining together with others to build what Martin Luther King called the “Beloved Community.”

We hope and pray that all the taxes from people worldwide can go for schools, good health care, food and housing for all people on earth which will help create a healthy planet for our children and all future generations. 

Sincerely, David and Jan Hartsough