Candidate Climate Survey

 

We would like to invite you to check out Peaceworks' candidate survey. As you might know, Peaceworks does not endorse, support or oppose candidates for office. We do inform our members and supporters as to the positions candidates for office have taken on this and other issues.

Many see climate change as the defining issue of the 21^st Century, but unfortunately most of those seeking office in the mid-Missouri area apparently do not. Despite reminders and an extension of the deadline, the majority of candidates chose not to reply; this includes Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians.

Letting those running know that the climate crisis concerns you might be helpful. In the meantime, despite its limitations, we hope you find some value in what we're sharing here.

You can find the survey introduction HERE.

You can find the responses of Missouri House candidates HERE.

You can find the responses of Missouri State Senate candidates HERE.

You can find the responses of those running for federal Congressional seats HERE.

No Winners in War!

 

What's the most serious problem with the U.S. military budget?

You might say it's too big, and we'd agree with you, but that's not the answer we're looking for.

Is it the fact that U.S. military spending is greater than the next nine largest spenders, combined? (That's China, Russia, Germany, India, U.K, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, France and Japan.)

Again, the info is correct, but not what we're looking for.

The correct answer—try this on for size—is that, even though we are spending a trillion dollars a year on the Pentagon, the Trump administration is proposing a 50 percent increase in military spending for fiscal year 2027, which starts in a few months.

You heard that right, an increase of half a trillion or $500 billion; an inconceivably large sum. Some folks and some of the corporations they own or control are getting very rich and richer still, raking in the dough big time! Eisenhower got it right 65 years ago, when he called out the excesses of what he labeled the Military-Industrial Complex.

Trump recently told us we can't fund day care and suggested the states should raise their taxes to pay for it. He has also said the states should fund more of Medicaid, and he's been talking up bringing down Social Security benefits that older and disabled folks rely on.

What we're talking about here is what economists call “opportunity costs.” That is what we could do instead with the money. And clearly there's plenty that's not getting funded, despite obvious needs. We're talking about nutrition, healthcare, housing, renewable energy, education, environmental protection and much more.

Some might speculate, suggesting that the $500 billion increase figure is a gambit designed to set parameters for a debate over how much we should increase the military budget. Well, guess what, we're not looking to rein in the increase, but instead to significantly decrease the military money hemorrhage. Let's get a handle on this,folks. We need to build a Peace Economy, one that provides all of the essentials to all of the people.

But wait, we hear some of you saying, don't we need to seek peace through strength? We're not here to argue how strong our defenses must be, but rather to point out that virtually every use of the U.S. military over the past 80 years has been offensive, not defensive. In fact, one of the few things Trump has done that we agree with is changing the name, assumed after WWII, back from the Defense Dept. to the Dept. of War, its original and more honest name.

We need to point out how, over and over, the U.S. has intervened in one nation or another. Some, like the 2026 U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, have been unambiguous military wars of aggression. Others have been proxy wars, like those against Cuba the Contra War against Nicaragua in the 1980s or the coups in places like Chile in 1973, Indonesia in 1965, Guatemala in 1954 or Iran in 1953.

And those who maintain that U.S. militarism is needed in a dangerous world seem to have blinders on, as they consistently fail to notice how much of the world's violence is U.S.-initiated. And hardly ever do they question why other nations are able to spend so much less per capita than the U.S. It should be obvious to all who look, that these nations are defended adequately at a fraction of the cost we, in the U.S., are paying. Let us learn from good examples set by others and become a force for peace, justice and mutual, verifiable disarmament worldwide.

Organizing for What We Want & Need!

 

The following are the prepared remarks shared by Peaceworks Director Mark Haim at the Veterans for Peace Memorial Peace Gathering held May 25, 2026. The picture above is from our May Day demonstration.

Good afternoon friends. Thanks for being out here. In this perilous time it is critical that we make our concerns known.

We can't help but to call out the urgency of addressing costly wars, new arms races, the absence of nuclear arms control, loss of democracy, all this playing into extreme nationalism of fascism.

All these concern us and we must speak out against what's wrong.

But we need first and foremost to address what we do want.

We want and need PEACE.

We want and need universal healthcare; affordable housing, and adequate nutrition for all.

We want and need clean air, clean water, a clean, sustainable energy future and a stable climate and more.

We want and need freedom and justice. This includes social and economic justice as well as environmental justice.

This need is incompatible with fascist autocrats, with cults of personality, or with the continuous need for making enemies and making wars.

When we gather to move forward this agenda it's OK to protest, but what's most needed is to demonstrate what we want and need.

Let me clarify. Protest is a negative term. We protest what we oppose—war for example—but, when we demonstrate it includes taking a stand for what we support—peace for example.

If we hope to build a movement that's broad-based and attracts large numbers of people, we need to share a positive vision of the sort of livable future we hope to create.

For example, my sign, which I was holding earlier, says “Peace with Iran.” That's what I'm demonstrating my support for. That's not all, of course, but it's a clear example of what's needed, an agenda that all can rally behind; one that can make our lives better; one that can bring forth a livable future for ALL.

One more thing: LOVE!

As we do this work, we cannot let hate simmer. We've got to move beyond hate, fear and enemies.

We've got to care and share.

We've got to share our understanding of what Gandhi taught: the importance of being the change we wish to see.

And, lest we forget, the motto on my hat makes it clear:
“Love Your Neighbor.”

And, guess what, we're all neighbors!

Part of what's most needed today is building a strong, vibrant, broad-based peace movement; one that can attract the participation of a diverse mix of people of all ages who share a desire to create the sort of peace-loving society we've been sharing.

I invite you to join in daily peace vigils as well as weekly demonstrations and larger mobilizations. The work of creating a future we can be proud to pass on to our progeny requires sustained engagement, day-in and day-out, for the long haul. Please join us in co-creating a peaceful, just and sustainable future for all. 

Stop the War NOW!

As we write, we are two and a half months into a war of choice; a war our government told us would be won in a week or two. The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is not defensive; we were not invaded or attacked. The Trump administration has yet to justify taking the lives of thousands of Iranians.

Rationales for the war have varied from day-to-day, but they seem to have settled largely on the claim that Iran was mere weeks away from having nuclear weapons capable of launching a nuclear attack on the U.S. These claims were revealed to be false. In fact, U.S. intelligence said it would be a decade before Iran would be capable of attacking us. Clearly, there was no immanent threat. This is one more war of aggression, the most serious of war crimes; and one more war built on a house of lies.

While the loss of life and limb is our greatest concern, the economic impact of the war is no small matter. Direct costs are reported to be in the neighborhood of a billion dollars a day; money we've been told we don't have available to spend on healthcare, education or environmental protection. Add to this skyrocketing inflation and its impact on all of us, but especially on working families many who were already having to chose between paying the rent or feeding their kids.

While polls show unprecedented opposition to the war, the administration and its allies in Congress appear to accept the horrific consequences, and most of us are doing nothing to end the war.

The time has come to say “No!” We must make visible our concerns. Join daily peace vigils. Write to the White House and Congress. Raise concerns at your house of worship. Display your call for peace. Boycott companies that profit from war. Encourage youngsters not to enlist. Please, join in turning up the volume and making our cry for peace too great to ignore. 

Make Peace Visible!

We gather in a daily Vigil for Peace, seven days a week, 12:15-12:45, at the City Hall Keyhole. You're invited to join us for whatever portion of the time you can. We always have plenty of signs, but you are welcome to bring your own, if you prefer. We aim for a larger turnout on Sundays, same time, same place. Join us if you care and if you can.