Lets fight a war for change. America is having one of its worst economic depressions since the 1930’s. Millions are out of work and people are ready for change. However, while most of the blame for this downtrodden economy falls to the fat cats on Wall Street, there are other culprits involved. The United States is one of the largest military spenders in the world, accounting for 42.8% of total military expenses in the world in 2010. The United States spends more on national security than the rest of the world combined!

Not only is it necessary to reduce this enormous budget, but also to reinvest in peacemaking skills instead of war making ones. Here in America we have war colleges, such as West Point and the Virginia Military Institute, but do we have any colleges that specialize in peacemaking skills? We have a $3.5 trillion dollar budget and roughly one-third of it goes to the military. Reduction from this budget must occur in order for America to regain confidence in a government that has forsaken them.

— Nick Magyari, Reg. 1215

A version of this letter first appeared in the Dec. 8, 2011 print edition of The Lowell.