Rounding up for the Army?


Posted On: Saturday - February 9th 2019 3:43PM MST
In Topics: 
  Curmudgeonry  Economics  US Feral Government  Big-Biz Stupidity

This ain't the widows and orphans club.



Unless by that you mean, creating widows and orphans.


While visiting a take-out eating establishment on my travels last week, I was asked if I wanted to round up the change "for the army". "For the army? Are you kidding me" is what ... I wanted to say. "Nah." was all, as I took the advice of a young guy years ago to pick my battles. Really, though, does the US Army need my spare change? Maybe it'll come to that when the financial stupidity stops (though, even then, I'll not be donating my change). Just the visible portion of the US military budget is in the $700,000,000,000 range yearly. Let's see, my 85 cents is exactly 12.1 x 10-9 %! Quantum physicians, or even quantum physicists, for that matter, don't like to deal with numbers this insignificant. No, I'd rather use my change for half a pack of peanut M&Ms, thank you, Ma'am.

I've given change to the late Dave Thomas's establishments, almost every time I've gone to Wendy's over many years, as that money is to go to help kids get adopted. Peak Stupidity has rightfully given Big Business in these "pages" lots of grief, but I make an exception for lots of privately owned or owner-dominated businesses. I feel that Wendy's would make a lot better use of my charity than the big charities like The United Way, and the US Army would be in a class by itself in wasteful "charity" cases.

Another thing was that I use cash a lot, something I recommend for multiple reasons (see Chipotle - no credit, no debit and hold the E. Coli, along with Cash is King - Part 2 and Part 3). Hmmm, I did wonder one thing first, than another thing:

1) Did the young woman just not like making change? I know math is hard and all, but ...

2) I began to wonder later on, if I'd have heard the same request were I using a card to pay. I'm not sure I'll get a chance to check that out, but I might. Who makes the effort to check - on both ends of the transaction - if it's done in cash? How do I know this money is really going to I-corps, 1st battalion, 2nd division, 101st Airborne?

It's probably mostly for reasons that I don't like how the American military is using the hundreds of billions of dollars to "defend" our country that this thing pissed me off. I'm not thanking the troops everytime I see a guy in military garb, as this is not the big one, WWII, and many say even that one was not a proper use of the US military - that's arguable for sure. No, I'm not at all thankful for your service in Afghanistan or Iraq, Syria, Yemen or a hundred other places. Sorry, it's not personal. I know most of you are doing a good job at what you're doing, but it's not the right thing. Some are putting their butts on the line too, with a few getting maimed or killed, but it's not for the right thing. I'd rather you all be at the southern border of the US, actually defending something.

From what I've seen though, the cash is flowing pretty well to you all too. Other than special units and airmen, I know most are in it just to get training in skills on the taxpayer's dime, get some college money, or it's really your only way forward. That's fair enough, but let's be honest about it.

Peak Stupidity will just have to present this same song by the Ben Folds Five that we already featured way back in a university bubble post, as Mr. Fold's lyrics are excellent. The song covers a lot, but it applies so much to this post that, well, you've just got to listen to it AGAIN!

Ben Folds explains his thoughts about joining the Army:



It's from their album called The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner.

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