Rather than military, let's spend on child care, housing

I, too, applaud The Herald's recent editorial ("Making quality child care affordable, accessible," The Herald, March 1) and Mr. Dickerson's letter in response. Do you know that if you work in a Swedish day care center, you have to have an advanced degree in play? It's my understanding that here in the U.S., you must merely be willing to work at minimum wage and not have a recent history of child sexual abuse.

Our housing situation doesn't fare much better. In Snohomish County, there were at least 858 homeless in Jan. 2018, ranging in age from 18 months to 72 years. On March 11, President Trump is expected to call for deep cuts to non-defense programs while increasing defense spending in his FY2020 budget plan. Out-of-control defense contractors help drive up military spending. The CEOs of the top five defense firms took home $97.4 million in 2017.

We need to reject Trump's spending cuts and invest in housing assistance and other critical services that reduce poverty. Call the offices of Sens. Maria Cantwell (202-224-3441) and Patty Murray (202-224-2621) and your U.S. representative and tell them they need to reject Trump's budget proposal.

Donna Munro

Bremerton