A Dollar
I was driving across town yesterday when an idea came to me. I think I had just heard something on the radio about funding for troops injured in the war. It occurred to me that funding really shouldn't be a problem. I mean, suppose every person in America gave one dollar, that's just the cost of a typical cup of coffee in most quick-stop stores, to any troop seriously injured in the war. For that matter, why not give a dollar to the family whenever a troop is killed? Would that be too much to ask of us Americans to give that tiny little bit if someone died in service to our defense?
I know what you're thinking. A dollar isn't much. It almost sounds like I'm trivializing military service and sacrifice.
But there are 300 million Americans. If we each gave a dollar, each person who gives his or her life would receive $300,000,000 from us - 300 million dollars apiece!!
There have been nearly 3,500 American military men and women killed in the war so far. For a family of four, that would mean each family of four would owe the families of those killed in action $14,000 - not small change for a family of four by any stretch of the imagination.
I don't know where you'd draw the line here in terms of "seriously injured" but reports have it that there are a lot more serious injuries than fatalities in this war. Let's suppose there were five times as many troops seriously injured as killed. That would mean we would be giving a dollar apiece to a total of 21,000 troops so far. A family of four would owe the troops $84,000.
The nation as a whole so far would owe the troops $6,300,000,000,000 - 6.3 trillion dollars.
Now I ask you, can you afford to give just one dollar to a man or woman who looses life or limb in your defense?
It would seem that the answer is a clear and resounding "No!"
One might wonder if we "Support the Troops" Americans are spending even a penny apiece for those individuals killed or seriously injured in this war.
I know what you're thinking. A dollar isn't much. It almost sounds like I'm trivializing military service and sacrifice.
But there are 300 million Americans. If we each gave a dollar, each person who gives his or her life would receive $300,000,000 from us - 300 million dollars apiece!!
There have been nearly 3,500 American military men and women killed in the war so far. For a family of four, that would mean each family of four would owe the families of those killed in action $14,000 - not small change for a family of four by any stretch of the imagination.
I don't know where you'd draw the line here in terms of "seriously injured" but reports have it that there are a lot more serious injuries than fatalities in this war. Let's suppose there were five times as many troops seriously injured as killed. That would mean we would be giving a dollar apiece to a total of 21,000 troops so far. A family of four would owe the troops $84,000.
The nation as a whole so far would owe the troops $6,300,000,000,000 - 6.3 trillion dollars.
Now I ask you, can you afford to give just one dollar to a man or woman who looses life or limb in your defense?
It would seem that the answer is a clear and resounding "No!"
One might wonder if we "Support the Troops" Americans are spending even a penny apiece for those individuals killed or seriously injured in this war.
posted by Bill | 9:20 AM
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