Whereas, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote that "racism and its perennial all-economic exploitation-provide the key to understanding most of the internal complications of this generation;" and
Whereas, General Colin Powell offered testimony to the Congressional Black Caucus that the military presently provided the only means whereby thousands of black youth and young adults could obtain a decent standard of living and an education, going on to say that such opportunities should also be made available by the private and the rest of the public sectors; and
Whereas, tens of thousands of African American male and female young adults have never been employed and are therefore not counted in current unemployment statistics; and
Whereas, the majority of public school districts (especially those that serve the masses of urban Black, Hispanic, and poor people) find themselves facing severe financial shortfalls, staff cuts, the elimination of vital programs, and school closings; and
Whereas, those same communities are experiencing social trauma due to plant closings and the relocation of industry to countries where the wages are from $.50 to $1.00 an hour;
Therefore, be it resolved, that the General Conference of The United Methodist Church petition the President and Congress of the United States to cease all pro-active U.S. military involvement in every region of the world; and
Be it further resolved, that the General Conference petition the President and Congress to reapportion dollars that have been designated for military spending and those dollars that have been saved from base closings for domestic programs that will ensure an increase in quality education offerings in the public school systems of the country for all Americans, adequate health care for all Americans, the creation of sufficient employment opportunities for all Americans, and a new comprehensive employment training act that will funnel federal dollars into elements of the private sector that are currently in compliance with Affirmative Action guidelines, for the purpose of encouraging their participation in the retraining of American workers and redevelopment of plants within the continental United States; and
Be it further resolved, that the General Conference petition the President and Congress to conduct nationwide hearings on the creative redistribution of wealth in the United States and that these hearings include testimony from transnational corporations, industry, small business persons, the unemployed, the employed and the marginally employed, with a view toward enhancing the creativity, rights, participation, and privileges of all Americans in our world market economy.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 22341-CS-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference