why nineteen

  I grow increasingly annoyed and angered by all the advertisements on television concerning disabled veterans. The Wounded Warrior Project, HelpDav, and a host of others. All tell the sad reality of war and combat. The loss of life and limbs. The disabling injuries received, and the mental scars left. Each one of these organizations imploring me to send just 19 dollars a month, that's less than 35 cents a day, to help these heroes! There is the disclaimer attached, not associated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

 What angers me about that? Well currently Biden wants to send an additional 325,000,0000 dollars to aid Ukraine. That's three hundred and twenty-five million dollars! That's the same as saying 19 dollars a month for 17,105,263 months! Yes, seventeen million one hundred and five thousand two hundred and sixty-three months! Same as saying for the next one million four hundred and twenty-five thousand four hundred and thirty-eight and one half years! How about we donate that to one of those organizations! Yeah, that's what get me riled up! Better still how having the Veterans administration providing all the services our troops need! I think it is bullshit that I have to be asked to donate! The SPCA runs their ads for adopting stray animals and they want 19 dollars a month too! Same price tag! WTH is up with that?

 It is something I have noticed this figure of 19 dollars a month. St Jude's, 19 a month, The march of Dimes, 19 a month, and the list goes on. Why 19? What's the deal with two hundred and twenty-eight dollars a year? Even public television has a plan for that. I figure there has to some tax advantage involved. All of the organizations asking for that 19 dollars are non-profits. 

 That doesn't mean those administering the programs aren't getting paid though. Now I'm not implying any of those folks have anything but the purest of intentions, nothing funny going on there, I'm not saying that. The CEO of Wounded Warriors does gets paid 385,705 thousand yearly. That's thirty-two thousand one hundred and forty-two dollars a month. Thing is there shouldn't even be a need for that job. Our government, our tax dollars should be funding all of that! Instead, we are busying funding a war so more people will get injured and killed! Then I'll be asked to donate to help those casualties of war! Billions of dollars! And I'm being asked to donate 19 a month! And trying to determine exactly what "program expenses" are is quite the daunting task. How much of the money actually goes to that? There is no clear answer. 

 I don't know it all just seems ridiculous to me. The veterans administration should be providing all the services those veterans need. I hear about the United States borrowing money, so we don't default on existing loans. Then we send billions of dollars to foreign countries. I turn on the television and I'm being asked to donate, only 19 dollars a month to help our heroes! Why should that even be a question? I pay my taxes and I want that money used in the best possible way. One of those is taking care of our veterans! No money for anyone else until our Veterans have been taken care of! Not one dime, not 19 dollars a month, not 19 dollars a year! If we can fund a war for Ukraine and a half dozen other nations we can fully fund and take care of our veterans! I'll donate my 19 dollars a month to St. Jude's research hospital, in business since 1962 and never had a scandal.