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Group to protest budget

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



SPRINGFIELD Ever wondered how much federal tax money flows out of a community and how much of it comes back in funding and services? The members of the Pioneer Valley Project (PVP) were prepped on figures for Springfield in anticipation of participating in a rally in New Hampshire on May 21.

The PVP, a faith-based organization of congregations and unions in Springfield, will be one of the organizations around New England that will attend a meeting on May 21 with the New England Congressional delegation. The goal of the meeting is to persuade the representatives to amend the federal budget proposed by the Bush Administration.

The PVP objects to changes in the budget that would cut adult education and job training money by 65 percent; a decline of 35 percent in block grants to cities for housing and economic development; and a $60 billion decrease in Medicaid over five years.

In preparation for the rally, the PVP members listened to a presentation on April 26 by Greg Speeter, the executive director of the Northampton-based National Priorities Project, at the Bishop Marshall Center. Speeter's non-profit group analyzes federal spending and taxation on local levels so people can tell in what way their tax dollars are being used and how much of it comes back to a community.

Speeter told the group that the federal budget would cut $367.7 million in discretionary grants to state and local governments in Massachusetts and that the programs constituting the No Child Left Behind Act would remain under-funded by $206 million. Specifically he said the city of Springfield would have $1.4 million in Community Development Block Grant funding cut by the new budget. Running the group through an exercise that allowed them to show what they would fund with federal tax dollars education, health and job training were the top picks Speeter then discussed how the money was actually spent.

According to his analysis, the average household in the city paid $3,036 in federal income tax in 2004 and that almost one third of it $910 went to military and defense spending. Health was the next highest funded category with $615, but education was only $111 and job training was $12.

Although he qualified his remarks with a condemnation of the 9/11 attacks, Speeter questioned the need to spend as much money on defense and noted that the $422 billion this country spent far outweighs the $13 million combined budget of the "threat" countries of Iran, North Korea and others. The $422 billion military budget does not include the cost of the war in Iraq, he added. When asked by one PVP member if the congressional delegation will listen to them, Speeter's answer was simply, "Yes." The PVP is looking for people in the greater Springfield area to join them in this protest. The organization will be running a bus to New Hampshire on May 21. To learn more about the event and to reserve a place on the bus, call 827-0781.