A few weeks ago the U.S, along with its NATO partners, went into Libya to take over the no fly zone; Reacting with humanitarianism in mind. The people of Libya are, after all, being killed in their streets, and what supporters Libya's president, Moammar Gadhafi, does have are being used as human shields in the same streets. The U.S. has gone in under the pretenses of helping these citizens and to aid with rescue missions. Although, the future for Gadhafi reign looks grim, and Obama is adamant about not putting American troops on Libyan soil, the cost of this mission is still taking its toll at home.
Every missile we fire is priced at roughly $1 million, and as of last Tuesday the U.S had fired 162 of them onto Libyan sites. According to the article "US Role in Libya Costs Hundreds of Millions So Far" published on msnbc.com, the cost of operating a jet for one hour is an astonishing ten thousand dollars. The total flying time for one jet is twenty-five hours. These figures do not include the seventy five million dollar blow from the F-15 fighter jet that crashed last week. You do the math. These figures are anything short of encouraging.
It is hard not to have sympathy for the citizens of Libya, who are faced with this nightmare everyday. However, while we're talking about humanitarianism, my sympathy also lies with the people all around the world; Not just those in third world countries with whom we are familiar as a result of media exposure because of our political relationship with them. What about the ones without a voice? The ones without any clean water, food, or shelter?
America's out of control spending has placed us with a national deficit to be proud of: an estimated $1.27 trillion dollars in 2011... and its March. I am on the fence as to my opinions of our role in Libya, but I do know this: we are spending a hell of a lot of money to go over there and get a little pat on the back from our friends in other countries for being such raging humanitarians. I find it funny that there is always enough money for war and violence, but there is never enough money to make a massive, conscious effort to help feed, hydrate, and clothe the people of the world. I do not know how much it costs to feed people in less adequate conditions than that of my own, but I do know what we are spending to go to Libya could probably go a long way in doing just that.
The money we are spending will, no doubt, have to one day be replenished, and the unfortunate thing for us and our children is we are going to be the ones who will have to start making the efforts to do so. We are already reaping in the benefits of social security, right? I do not claim to be a saint; to have gone on mission trips or to have seen the struggle of these people first hand, but I am aware of their struggles. I am aware they exist even in our own country. We could even spend a little bit of that money to make others aware. Gasp! Imagine the idea! We claim to go into other countries for the "people" of the country, to help give them a chance at a better life, but we will not hesitate to drop a missile on those who oppose us. We kill people when that happens... I thought we were helping people? Or did I lose something in translation?
Point is: maybe our priorities for our humanitarian efforts need to be tweaked a little. We've all heard of "No Child Left Behind" maybe the government could start a humanitarian effort called "No Human Being Left Behind." Then again, with all the budget cuts going on in public education we can clearly see the dedication to the No Child Left Behind Act, but that's another post.
Every missile we fire is priced at roughly $1 million, and as of last Tuesday the U.S had fired 162 of them onto Libyan sites. According to the article "US Role in Libya Costs Hundreds of Millions So Far" published on msnbc.com, the cost of operating a jet for one hour is an astonishing ten thousand dollars. The total flying time for one jet is twenty-five hours. These figures do not include the seventy five million dollar blow from the F-15 fighter jet that crashed last week. You do the math. These figures are anything short of encouraging.
It is hard not to have sympathy for the citizens of Libya, who are faced with this nightmare everyday. However, while we're talking about humanitarianism, my sympathy also lies with the people all around the world; Not just those in third world countries with whom we are familiar as a result of media exposure because of our political relationship with them. What about the ones without a voice? The ones without any clean water, food, or shelter?
America's out of control spending has placed us with a national deficit to be proud of: an estimated $1.27 trillion dollars in 2011... and its March. I am on the fence as to my opinions of our role in Libya, but I do know this: we are spending a hell of a lot of money to go over there and get a little pat on the back from our friends in other countries for being such raging humanitarians. I find it funny that there is always enough money for war and violence, but there is never enough money to make a massive, conscious effort to help feed, hydrate, and clothe the people of the world. I do not know how much it costs to feed people in less adequate conditions than that of my own, but I do know what we are spending to go to Libya could probably go a long way in doing just that.
The money we are spending will, no doubt, have to one day be replenished, and the unfortunate thing for us and our children is we are going to be the ones who will have to start making the efforts to do so. We are already reaping in the benefits of social security, right? I do not claim to be a saint; to have gone on mission trips or to have seen the struggle of these people first hand, but I am aware of their struggles. I am aware they exist even in our own country. We could even spend a little bit of that money to make others aware. Gasp! Imagine the idea! We claim to go into other countries for the "people" of the country, to help give them a chance at a better life, but we will not hesitate to drop a missile on those who oppose us. We kill people when that happens... I thought we were helping people? Or did I lose something in translation?
Point is: maybe our priorities for our humanitarian efforts need to be tweaked a little. We've all heard of "No Child Left Behind" maybe the government could start a humanitarian effort called "No Human Being Left Behind." Then again, with all the budget cuts going on in public education we can clearly see the dedication to the No Child Left Behind Act, but that's another post.
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