Dear Senator Schumer, Gillibrand and Congressman Tonko,
I have done a little research on defense spending and I was disturbed and shocked to learn that 54% of our tax revenue is spent on defense, which is the biggest in the world (see the charts by www.nationalpriorities.org). I also read an article titled:  
The Tragic Decline of the American Military, in the 2015 Jan/Feb issue of The Atlantic magazine (p. 73).  
I encourage you to read it. 

 

The Jan/Feb 2015 issue. Read the featured article on PAGE 73, titled:  THE TRAGEDY OF THE AMERICAN MILITARY. By James Fallows. Here's the introduction;

"THE AMERICAN PUBLIC AND ITS POLITICAL LEADERSHIP WILL DO ANYTHING FOR THE MILITARY EXCEPT TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. THE RESULT IS A CHICKENHAWK NATION IN WHICH CARELESS SPENDING AND STRATEGIC FOLLY COMBINE TO LURE (CHEAT, DECEIT) AMERICA INTO ENDLESS WARS IT CANNOT WIN."  (Find it also online at THEATLANTIC.COM)

These are some of the things I found out in this article. 
The USA spends 144 million for one single F-35, but we can't even replace the M-16 rifle. One that has caused many of my fellow vets to die. This rifle sometimes jams during combat! A fact that is well stated in another article (in The Atlantic), and it is titled: Gun Trouble, by Robert H. Scales (p.80), a former US Army general. He said that all US infantrymen, about 100,000 of them, should have been issued a new better and more modern rifle, but have not. A new riffle would cost no more than 140 million- the cost of one F-35. A new rifle would be more lethal/powerful, and in addition would save lives. A new riffle would cost about 100 million ($1,000 a piece). But the US has not done this. It rather spends it on high-tech gadgets  (or sophisticated weapons), like the F-35, rather than providing and protecting our infantrymen! Shameful!
The first article also states that the US has an easy trigger- has made war making too easy- as a matter of fact, many leaders in the US government are always eager to go to war. However, most of our politicians in Congress don't have any family members, any children, who have been in any recent wars, like the one in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Why?  The answers seems obvious- The leaders/warmongers in Washington create wars, and others do the fighting for them!

I also asked myself these 3 questions during my research; Who goes to war? Who pays for war? and Who benefits from it? It is evident that it is the poor and the middle class who pay for it! With our taxes and our blood! While the rich, the influential and the powerful defense corporations/contractors,  and many leaders (warmongers and/or defense puppets) in Congress make excuses, deceive the public and start the unnecessary wars! Many of these, US war hawks, always promise that they will shrink the size of our government, by reducing spending, so they tell us, they can save money and bring down the deficit. But that's not true! These are lies! Facts speak louder than words! Because these people, who say these things, always increase defense spending, and they lie and deceive the American people. They also slander leaders who don't want wars, and in fact use confrontation (instead of diplomacy) as away to cause more wars! They are hypocrites, deceivers and cowards! That's what they are! Because they only  shrink the government by cutting social programs, like social security, health care, education, and many other programs that have a negative effect on the middle class and the poor. And not on on them, of course!
I hope you will not fall in this predicament, this path, taken by the warmongers, the lies and deceit, which is ruining America and our military. I hope you will work to stop this insanity, because it is an immoral path, one that wastes taxpayers dollars, human lives, and our national resources- by creating unnecessary wars, which in turn bring only suffering, death, destruction, fear and distrust among our allies.
Our nation needs to change course, one that is based on cooperation, diplomacy, and peace. A way that tries to build consensus among nations of the world, for peace and prosperity of all.
Thank you.

Here's my research article on...
HOW MUCH DOES WAR COST THE USA? WHO PAYS FOR IT? in taxes and blood/human lives? 
WHO PROFITS FROM WAR?
Many Americans never ask themselves the three questions above. If they did Republicans would not continue with the same tactics/bull crap. Republicans always say they want to shrink the size of the government, yet they always increase defense spending! They repeated this litany in their last two presidential debates. I wonder why no one has the balls, the courage, to ask these buffoons the 3 questions above.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE GRAPHICS here below, and FIND OUT WHERE MOST OF OUR TAX DOLLARS GO. KNOW THAT...
"The U.S. outpaces all other nations in military expenditures. World military spending totaled more than $1.7 trillion in 2013. The U.S. accounted for 37 percent of the total.

U.S. military expenditures are roughly the size of the next nine largest military budgets around the world, combined." 
(Source: www.nationalpriorities.org)

I HOPE THAT You WILL REMEMBER THESE FACTS, AND AT THE NEXT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION you WILL vote for a person who will not spend most of our taxes on making wars!

Also TAKE A LOOK AT THE US DEBT CLOCK! Click on the link below. It will show you how much the US government spends on everything, from defense, health care, social security, how many people live in poverty, how don't have health care (over 40 million!), how many people are collecting social security, and other benefits, etc. http://www.usdebtclock.org/
INFORMATION ABOUT HOMELESS VETERANS. From National Coalition for Homeless Veterans http://nchv.org/index.php/…/media/background_and_statistics/

WHO ARE THE HOMELESS VETERANS? WHO FIGHTS THE US WARS? NOT THE CHILDREN OF THE RICH AND POLITICIANS!
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) states that the nation’s homeless veterans are predominantly male, with roughly 8% being female. The majority are single; live in urban areas; and suffer from mental illness, alcohol and/or substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders. About 12% of the adult homeless population are veterans. Roughly 40% of all homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic, despite only accounting for 10.4% and 3.4% of the U.S. veteran population, respectively.