Where is our Sacrifice?

Wayne and I had coffee this afternoon at Chocolaterie Stam in Ames. As I sat there looking at all of the wonderful chocolates and gelato which they sell I asked Wayne about the fact that the average American citizen seems to have sacrificed nothing for this war in Iraq. This is not meant to belittle the sacrifice which our young people who have served there have made with lost lives and maimed bodies.

I am referring to the sacrifice that you and I have to make because of this war. When I was younger my grandmother had a beautiful antique desk in the living room. In it were ration cards from WW II. Some were for sugar others were for butter, etc. I know gasoline was rationed as were other things.

I was watching some kids in the mall the other day and they didn't even seem aware that we were in the midst of an expensive war. This war has not slowed our travel down. Sure we pay a little more for gas but I have not curtailed my driving because of higher gas prices. Have you? I can still purchase all of the things I need at the grocery store in whatever quantity I desire. Can't you?

Wayne mentioned that he was reading that most households today require two incomes to keep them going. I pointed out that one of the reasons for the necessity is that most of these households have dishwashers, washing machines, High Definition TV's (sometimes more than one) and at least two cars. Of course it takes two incomes to pay for this. One advantage of women working is that they can feel like an equal partner in the home. No longer do they have to feel dependent on some man to support them.

But back to the idea of sacrifice. The question I have is would the American people be better off if they were making some sacrifices for this war? Would it be better to pay for some of it now rather than putting the cost of it off on our children or our children's children? America has the potential to be the greatest nation in the world but not if we continue on the path I keep hearing about - More war. This time with Iran. We must rein our "leaders" in and let them know that we are unhappy with this new path and we must make sacrifices while we conclude this foray into the Middle East. It is time.