This past Christmas, my boss told us we had a few options for a Christmas party. We could have a party in the office, a catered affair, we could rent a limo and hit various hot spots around town, we could reserve a spot at the local casino...
As soon as he said that, most everyone agreed. They wanted to go play the slots.
Well, he said, if we do that, there's a certain amount in the budget we could allow you all to have, although of course the company doesn't advocate gambling. (Wink, wink.) Then we have to choose, do we want to bring spouses or significant others along? Because if we bring them, the expenses of providing enough food for all will cut into the funds available for gambling money...
Again, everyone (well, except for me and one other person) agreed: No guests.
As the day of the party approached, people were notifying the boss that they probably wouldn't be coming. The reason? They were disappointed that they couldn't bring a guest!
I'm only forty-one, so i don't want to seem like a cranky old guy, but I've never seen a time when people were as childishly selfish as they are now. We'll give up our civil liberties at the drop of a hat, but ask us to stop talking on cellphones while we're driving, or contribute an extra penny of every purchase to help pay for desperately needed services? Forget it.
Which brings us to Iraq.
The Decider wants to send 20,000 more troops over, and is requesting an additional one billion dollars on top of the money already being spent, for some kind of program to make Iraqis feel good about themselves.
Where will these additional troops come from? Where will we find this extra money?
Simple! The troops will come from the ranks of the poor, via heavy recruiting and duplicitous promises in economically blighted neighborhoods, and the money will come from the future. Like all good Americans, we'll charge it, and worry about paying for it some day in the far-off future.
What we most certainly won't do is ask anyone to sacrifice. During any previous full-scale war--and keep in mind, America has been at war in Iraq longer than we were actively involved in Worl War II--there was at least some level of sacrifice for most Americans. Even during Vietnam, the previous benchmark for unpopular wars, the draft was in effect. Yeah, children of privelege didn't have to worry about it--kids like Dubya Bush--but most young men of a certain age, and their families, felt the impact. Being from the upper middle class wouldn't necessarily save you.
Now, no matter how many Support The Troops magnets you see on cars, the war's an abstraction to most people. Yeah, we can say we support the troops, but would any of us sacrifice anything for their benefit?
Don't ask me now, I'm playing the slots.
