Strange Bedfellows: A Call for Reordering National Priorities from Three Social Justice Perspectives

It has been argued that in the United States the basic human rights to adequate food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and education have been violated because of the diversion of resources for military purposes. This article presents justice principles that address issues of fairness in the distribution of resources and in the claims and demands made for them. The implications of a policy initiative to reorder the nation's fiscal priorities are examined from three diverse social justice perspectives: libertarian, utilitarian, and egalitarian. Justifications for reducing defense spending, funding human services, and resuscitating a stagnant economy through revised tax and appropriations policies are found in all three seemingly incompatible perspectives. Social workers are urged to form coalitions with those from disparate philosophical perspectives who support common goals to reverse the fiscal trends of the past decade.