This weekend was that most hallowed of American holidays, the 4th of July. And while I was watching some of the different celebrations of American independence on Television (i.e. blowing the fuck out of some clouds with fireworks) a definitive trend emerged. Over and over again we were told to “Salute the Troops” “Pray for the Troops” “Thank the Troops” “Recognize the Military Gives Us Our Freedom” and everything short of Nick Lachey asking us to go out and give a soldier a blow job. All of that made me wonder where the real root of America’s freedom was in this celebration, and why they weren’t mentioned. I’m talking about the American worker.
Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t meant to be about the US military or say that they do nothing. I’m not saying that. And obviously Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day are more than appropriate holidays to recognize their sacrifice. But if we’re talking about the single biggest factor in America’s reign as world power and all the freedoms that entails, well then we have to recognize our workforce. I’m not saying that we don’t have “The World’s Greatest Military.” I’m just saying that without the world’s largest economy we wouldn’t have the world’s largest military.
The American taxpayer keeps the lights on so to speak. It was the industrial revolution that propelled America to the top, not the war of 1812. And technological innovation has kept us on top.
America’s greatest foe of the last half century was vanquished without a single direct boot on the ground. The Cold War wasn’t ended with a war, but with the enemy’s economic collapse (brought on, ironically, by a war in Afghanistan). None of this is to say that the American military should be taken for granted. Only that the American laborer should be given more due on July 4th.
Unionized jobs and the US middle class are what make this country great. They’re what lets us have the world’s largest military in the first place. I’m not sure that the war in Afghanistan is really a fight for freedom (the Taliban isn’t exactly an invading army), but the fight for the majority of Americans to hang on to every dollar they can against a top percent determined to outsource jobs (and money) to China IS. For China knows all too well that they don’t have to declare war on the US to take away our freedom. They merely have to call in our debt. So buy American, shop American, open a factory in American over Asia, and do the most you can to make sure America stays a free country.
Good point. We fund the “World’s Greatest Military”
the military is bankrupting us…it costs so much it’s strangling business and the current deficit shows that
the american worker has definitely taken some hits over the years. That is what is wrong with our country. Workers pay the taxes and no one wants to pay the workers.