Monday, May 25, 2015

Flushing America Down The Drain

Spend, spend, spend.  Flush, flush, flush.  How many times since the start of this blog have you seen the suggestion that the United States of America quit passing out our money (and also our war supplies) by the fistfuls, at least long enough for us to stabilize our own economy?  How many times have you read that we are helping people who do not like us and do not want our form of democracy or democracy at all?  Do you remember Karzai, who took our money with one fist and then turned to accept the money of our enemies with the other?  People will take money from various sources, but money does not buy commitment.  Money does not buy democracy abroad  --  especially for individuals who do not want our lifestyle.


It is tempting these days to tell hawks  --  especially John McCain types who want to interfere everywhere  --  to shut their pie holes.  Why can they not understand that we should not fight another country's battles for them, especially when their own military men are prone to throw down their weapons and run away at the slightest threat?  Yes, they did it again in a recent ISIS or ISIL surge.  We are flushing "good money after bad", even attempting to teach them to fight, if they are going to react with cowardice right and left. 


It seems that never in American history have so many congressmen been harping on spending less while they simultaneously chomp at the bit to get boots on the ground in many areas.


Under the current administration, our country has shown some wisdom about the American role in foreign wars.  And, God forbid, we actually have been delegating some responsibility. 


Middle Eastern cultures are used to war.  They might not even have an inkling how to live in peace.  If we remove their dictators, do we ever ask, "what then," anymore?  Learned people predicted many years ago that it might be unwise to remove certain dictators.  They thought the culture of the countries might just fall apart.  Were they right?  Well, it seems possible.


There are those, of course, who think that by funding these wars we are protecting our own freedom.  That's a real stretch in some cases.


The bottom line on these wars is they drain our resources and it seems for naught.  We need to stop supporting everyone's causes at least long enough to get our own economy in order.  It isn't improving infrastructure we need to stop  --  or helping our own poor  --  or educating our own children.  It is constantly pissing away our money on forcing our own goals on others and financing everyone's economies but our own that must cease.