PeaceWorks, politics and pizza
Tyler Allen
Issue date: 4/13/09 Section: News
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Those activists are part of PeaceWorks Kansas City, an organization dedicated to ending the production of all weapons of mass destruction.
Last Tuesday, PeaceWorks held a Tax Day Pizza Press Party at Minsky's Pizza, 5105 Main St.
"Today we are trying to draw attention to the fact that the United States is still spending 50 percent of the federal discretionary tax dollar on the military," Patricia Nelson, vice chair of PeaceWorks K.C., said.
The group used pizzas to illustrate the pie chart of tax dollars.
According to PeaceWorks' statistics, the Iraq War costs American taxpayers $720 million a day.
The organization would rather see this money spent on things like education, health care, renewable energy and job creation.
On the day of the event, the front page of The Kansas City Star featured an article about a $500 million project that will create a new Honeywell manufacturing plant for non-nuclear parts of atomic weapons here in Kansas City.
"The Kansas City Star is applauding this $500 million project to build nuclear weapons," Henry Stoever, board member for PeaceWorks K.C., said. "They talk about it being non-military parts, but they do make the carriage, the triggering system, the guidance system, etcetera."
In fact, 85 percent of those nuclear weapon parts are made in Kansas City at the current Bannister Federal Complex.
Some see the new Honeywell plant as a plus since it will keep over 2,000 jobs in the area. It is also estimated the plant will generate millions in tax revenue once complete.
But Stoever sees the consequences of producing these products.
"I look at it as if you were building gas ovens, if you were helping run the concentration camps of Nazi Germany," Stoever said.
According to The Star, Zimmer Real Estate Services and CenterPoint Property Trust will develop the new plant.
Stoever said the city is going to invest $40 million for infrastructure.
"They are letting a number of employees go, they're cutting the police department short, they are cutting things with the parks department," Stoever said. "And yet here they are contributing $40 million. It doesn't make sense."
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