As I consider the likely cost of the parade scheduled for June 14 I seriously wonder how many disabled veterans the millions of taxpayer dollars spent on this debacle could have helped if spent for the right purpose of helping veterans? Or, how many active duty soldiers and families might have benefitted from this money spent for their living expenses?
As a retired Army officer, I can appreciate saluting the Army's founding. I cannot appreciate the waste of taxpayer dollars for a "show" that appears intended to glorify a politician whose past does not include any military service at all.
Tim McDonald
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It's funny when left-leaning writers complain about government costs. Did Mr. McDonald complain about money wasted on DEI and "social justice" programs under previous administrations? How about taxpayer dollars going to support illegal immigrants using our infrastructure, schools and healthcare systems? What about billions spent overseas through left-leaning "foreign aid" agencies like USAID? Is it reasonable to use federal dollars to support liberal "news" agencies like PBS, NPR and Voice of America?
Locally, does the writer think it's wise to use tax money to fund the mayor's liberal social programs instead of using it to fix roads as he promised during his first campaign? I'd rather see him fix potholes than gloat about Chattanooga's status as a national park city, which is probably another waste of local funds raised through confiscatory property taxes.
As for funding our service members, the new budget (part of the Big, Beautiful Bill) adds billions to rebuild our military after decades of decline under both Democrat and Republican administrations. It also strips funding for new IRS agents passed in the Inflation Production Act (as it should have been called) under the previous administration while massively increasing outlays for border enforcement and control.
Additionally, the military parade was not to glorify an individual. Rather, it was to celebrate and honor the Army on its 250th birthday. The president's birthday happened to fall on the day of the parade, and trying to conflate them is just another sad, weak complaint against him.
Morgan Smith
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After listening to Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the rest of the GOP ramble on about promoting efficiency in government spending, Americans will now be forced to pay for a $45 million military parade to celebrate the President’s birthday. While the GOP is pushing a spending bill that both increases the deficit and cuts healthcare for countless of hardworking Americans, Trump is staging a taxpayer-funded show of force to stroke his ego.
We should be outraged. Military parades are not traditions of healthy democracies. They’re the calling cards of authoritarian regimes, more likely to be seen in North Korea or Russia. Perhaps Trump’s admiration of Vladimir Putin gave him the idea in the first place.
Regardless, lavish displays of military might for a single political figure send a dangerous message, especially when that figure is simultaneously threatening potential protestors at the event and promising vengeance against anyone who dares to dissent.
This isn’t just wasteful, it’s sinister. It again highlights the fact that this is a leader who sees himself above the people, entitled to their money, their silence, and their loyalty. We cannot normalize this behavior. We cannot shrug it off as just another Trump stunt. A $45 million tribute to power and intimidation is not patriotism, it’s a warning shot.
This parade is not just a birthday party. It’s a glimpse of the country he wants us to become. We should be alarmed, and we should speak up before it’s too late.
Walker Rhodes