Posted on 06/13/2005 1:56:37 AM PDT by nickcarraway
It is an amazingly hot, humid night here in Northampton, Massachusetts, home of Smith College. I have just finished giving a fund-raising speech for our son's fine school, Williston-Northampton, a few miles from here in Easthampton. The audience was extremely pleasant and appreciative except for one angry young fellow. He resented my saying that public education was a morass. "Don't criticize it unless you're doing some thing to help it," he said.
"I help it a lot," I answered. I calculate that I pay roughly -- well, a lot -- in property tax in California, another fortune in California income tax, and have zero children in the school system. Isn't that helping?
Well, he just wanted to be angry and frustrated. He's a public school teacher. I would be angry and frustrated too if I had to do what he does all day. My hat's off to him.
Anyway, I came back to Northampton and the streets are filled with happy people walking around eating pizza, eating ice cream, skate boarding, drinking beer. I sort of feel sick about it because I just read that five Marines were killed Saturday in Iraq.
How can we all be so happy when such bad stuff is happening in Iraq? On the other hand, why give in to the terrorists and let them control our heads? Still, I feel sick at heart about the Marines.
I read that the Army and the Marines are not meeting their enlistment quotas and I have two thoughts about this problem:
One, pay them a lot more. Not just a little more, but a lot more. Much, much more. They are indispensable. Let's treat them that way. If we have to raise taxes to do it, let's do it. These guys deserve a great life style if they offer up their lives for us.
Second, why would anyone join the Army if he reads the newspapers and watches TV? The mainstream media show the military doing three things: being criminals, abusing captives, killing civilians, torturing the innocent -- that's one way Then they show the Army being stupid, making mistakes that get people killed. That's the second way. Then they show the military getting killed.
Who would want to join a military that's criminal, stupid, and a deathtrap?
But what if the media showed the military building schools, saving little children's lives, feeding families, getting sick people medical care? What if the media showed smiling, grateful Iraqis thanking the Army and the Marines? What if the media showed the military winning battles and capturing and killing terrorists?
But this is the more true picture of the military and it rarely gets showed.
Again, why wouldn't the Army and Marines have trouble attracting recruits if the media is endlessly saying you have to be a fool to enlist?
Well, I guess it never ends, does it?
Ben Stein is a writer, actor, economist, and lawyer in Beverly Hills and Malibu, and author of "Ben Stein's Diary" each month in The American Spectator. Click here to subscribe.
Thanks for the article. Ben has a directly casual manner of uncommon sense.
"One, pay them a lot more. Not just a little more, but a lot more. Much, much more. They are indispensable. Let's treat them that way. If we have to raise taxes to do it, let's do it. These guys deserve a great life style if they offer up their lives for us."
I couldn't agree more. I actually think the estate tax should have been kept - why give the Paris Hilton's of this world another tax break they don't need while good Americans are dying for *them* in Iraq?
It is also criminal the way returning injured vets are treated and how hard they have to fight to receive the benefits they are due.
Iraq is the medias Vietnam and make no bones about it, with their attacks on our military it only gets more of our boys killed. I think that is what they want.
"don't need"....I don't think you need a computer to post on FR...Take your computer down to the local commissar...
Don't call me a communist, you prick. I'm happy to have a small propotion of my estate taxed when I die, if the money will be spent supporting our troops and reducing the size of the budget deficit - WHICH OUR CHILDREN WILL HAVE TO REPAY, WITH INTEREST.
Sounds like you're just selfish bud, think of the country and the future.
ok...
Without a doubt! It's going to get worse media wise- May we all hold together with the resolve required of above and beyond...
One, pay them a lot more. Not just a little more, but a lot more. Much, much more.
But what if the media showed the military building schools, saving little children's lives, feeding families, getting sick people medical care? What if the media showed smiling, grateful Iraqis thanking the Army and the Marines? What if the media showed the military winning battles and capturing and killing terrorists?
But this is the more true picture of the military and it rarely gets showed.
Our Great Nation has had traitors in Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches at varying times throughout our history- from foundation to today. Surely, that is not surprising to you. Yes, I do commiserate with you on Biden, McCain and many others treading both sides of the aisle.
I had been in Iraq for 5 months before going home for a two week leave. Before coming here, I hardly ever watched the news.
While at home in Texas, I took the time to watch a few television newscasts from some of the major networks. I was absolutely APPALLED at the way they portray the US military and their mission in Iraq.
This is a dangerous place to be at any given time but it is no where close to the "wild west" picture portrayed by the MSM. I've personally been on over 30 convoys in the Baghdad area. We took fire only once. To believe the myth of the MSM, every convoy gets plastered (or something close to it).
As an amateur radio operator with special operating priveleges from the Iraqi government, I have the opportunity to talk to native Iraqis. We don't discuss politics over the air but we do sometimes do so in emails. It seems that most of them are very happy to be out from under the murderous regime of Saddam. The attacks from terrorists sicken them as much as us. You will NEVER hear the MSM relating that fact to the American people.
There's a lot of positive changes happening here. Too bad our MSM is so polluted with liberal hate to tell the actual truth.
SGT C.
Baghdad, Iraq
How about you talk to your buddies, Bono and Mikey Moore, and tell them they "don't need" their money. As soon as they give everything away and live on $40,000 a year, just like me, I might start listening to them.
By the way, it's nice that you're willing to give away everything you've worked for to the State, but don't imagine you have the right to make such decisions for others.
CoGard Vet ('76-2000) sending prayers & pride to you, brother... and standing ready to protect the Constitution against all enemies Foreign & Domestic unto the moment our Lord sees fit to issue my final PCS orders.
Pass the word to your platoon mates - we believe you are our Best & Brigtest; America's Greatest Generation.
God Bless
I'm not a fan of Bono, or Moore, don't be so presumptious.
By the way, it's nice that you're willing to give away everything you've worked for to the State, but don't imagine you have the right to make such decisions for others.
I never said that, I said a SMALL percantage, you obviously have a problem with reading comprehension. By the time I die I will have benefited a lot from OUR governments spending (roads, law & order, SECURITY - Aghanistan & Iraq doesn't come for free!!) so I don't mind a small proportion being taken - I'm not going to need it, and my children will have earnt their own way in the world so anyting I leave them will be a bonus.
Have you written into your Will that if you don't owe any estate tax that you are donating a certain amount of your estate to the federal gov.?
While at home in Texas, I took the time to watch a few television newscasts from some of the major networks. I was absolutely APPALLED at the way they portray the US military and their mission in Iraq.
Robert G. Scott, SFC, USA (Ret)
You wanna keep the estate tax? Why squander everything your parents worked for (and paid taxes on, their entire lives) because of Paris Hilton? You must be very young.
I agree. But I would like to see Stein use that economic mind of his and expound on this a little more. Guys don't join the military for the pay...Or maybe they do?
Unemployment is way down in this country. Perhaps this is a factor in the reduced enlistments?
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