I mean who doesn’t like a good parade? Especially one that costs ~ 45 million dollars. I know that phrase, The King’s Parade has become popular. And as much as he’s been pining for a personal parade, it was just a coincidence that the President’s birthday was on the same day as the US Army’s 250 year anniversary. The Navy’s 250 year anniversary is this October 13th. If it turns out that the President had his communion on that date and battleships and nuclear submarines are lined up on the Potomac, well then at that point, I think we have an issue.
I think one of the major issues the public at large, all 99% of us, has, is that in a time of cutting services and handing out tax breaks to the wealthy, is this an appropriate time to have a no expense will be spared $45M parade?
The weather was miserable, not saying the big guy upstairs did not have a something to do with that but the scheduled Fighter Jet fly over was scrapped due to the weather. And not for nothing, but the last time I checked the Air Force was not part of the Army. But we did have over 6,000 troops a marching. There were also helicopters, various military vehicles and anywhere between 50 to 150 of our most sophisticated hulking tanks. The nice ones with automatic transmission and the undercoating each weighing 70 tons.
To give you an idea how much 70 tons is, the Space Shuttle weighs about 70 tons. Think about what that would do to your driveway. Ten full grown elephants weigh about 70 tons. In any case, the cleanup is going to be extensive and expensive. This year’s pot hole repair season will be coming early to DC.
One question, wasn’t Elon Musk and DOGE, and the big bombastic bill supposed to address waste, fraud and abuse. I think a reasonable person would have to agree that this over the top parade checked two of the three boxes, right? Waste & Abuse. I mean outside of the guys under the umbrellas selling Sabrett hotdogs or the street purveyors of Trump paraphernalia, where is the payback on this event? Maybe this is why Elon hit the road. He probably recommended nixing the parade and got himself nixed.
In an era of belt tightening and deficit reduction, could the 45 million dollars not have been spent more appropriately? We have 750 Billionaires in this country. $45 mil divided by 750 is $60,000. Think of all the good that could have been done by writing the billionaires a $60K check. Each could buy a nicely equipped BMW 4 series. Come on, who doesn’t need an extra BMW lying around? Or a modestly appointed he or she-shed…when you just need to get away and don’t want the hassle of dealing with your private jet. I’m not up on the going rate for diamonds or gold, but I have to believe a stylish pink ring can be had with $60K.
Don’t you love a good distraction? But here are some other things that the $45 million dollars could have been spent on: Feeding or taking care of Veterans. Restoring SNAP/Food Stamps for children and seniors at risk. (We have the technology to determine those who are most in need.) Restoring support for cancer or Alzheimer’s research. How about re-funding the centers that combat cyber-crimes which are exploding out of control?
In the end, we the people, are forced to confront and judge the activities of our leadership, and remember: Are they doing the right thing? We can put the needy and greedy ultra wealthy aside. It’s been made abundantly clear by more than 50% in our government that the dues paying billionaires just have to have more. And lucky for them, we have a sensitive president who understands their critical needs. But if we’re going to have a parade for the military, maybe ask the majority of the military what they feel would be the best use of funds for such an event. A big bombastic parade that God rained on? Or celebrate and help the men and women who sacrificed for our country and now need housing and or medical care that was recently taken away.
