I wrote this almost 3 years ago, early on in my blogging days, but sadly it still seems to be ringing truer than ever…
During Desert Storm, the first war in Iraq, a student in my class raised his hand and asked me a question.
“Hey, Mr. Picone, did you see that general on TV who was showing the video where a cruise missile tracks down an Iraqi truck and blows it up right there on a bridge?”
“Yes, I replied. I did.”
“Well, continued the student, how much do you think that old Iraqi truck was worth?”
“Oh about 20 to 30 thousand dollars,” I guessed
“And that bomb with the camera inside that tracked it down and blew it up. That cost a few hundred million didn’t it?”
“Yes, I think you’re right.” I said.
“So my question is, said the student who was about to give me something very interesting to think about, If our country is Spending 200 million dollars to blow up a 20,000 dollar truck how long can we keep that up before going broke?”
He asked me that question in 1992 and although I had no answer for him then, apparently my answer should have been, “Oh, I’d say about 16 years!” War is stupid because eventually we all go broke. You can bet money on it! Just ask Egypt and Greece and Rome and Persia and Spain and England and France and the Soviet Union and…now…US.!
We owe 18 trillion dollars and have no plans for paying off that debt except for the proposed dismantling of our Social services, pension systems and national infrastructure. Some plan, huh?
All civilizations eventually either spend all of their money on feeding the wealthy’s appetite for more wealth or on war, neither of which is an ingredient in any recipe for the extended prosperity and growth of a civilization and its people. And we here in the United States are doing both…at the same time!
Education however, no matter how expensive it may be for a civilization’s inhabitants to fund, sustain and expand never leads to the end of anyone’s civilization. When will we ever learn that?
ipledgeafallegiance 
You can post this every year, it will still be valid
Very true. It would be much better if they could take that money and put it into education systems to change the way children are taught and incorporate multiple intelligence’s or figure out ways to save the planet from all the pollution. Greed and the misuse of power is going to be the downfall of any nation. I just don’t understand why everyone just can’t get along. In the end everyone just wants love and wants to be loved. Let’s just focus on that instead of all the war and hatred with one another. 🙂 Great post! Kids are so insightful and wise.
Still stupid.
Namaste