War and Economy

While the previous political cartoons that I would upload show images that I agree with; I decided that to only be far and unbias I would upload a political cartoon that I do not necessarily agree with completely.

The economy and war are NOT partners and should not go hand in hand. We should not try and stimulate or economy because of the wars. Yes, the world war II got us out of the great depression, but it also got us involved with tons of destruction throughout the entire world.

I strongly believe that these wars are NOT worth the potential money that we can receive. Yes, in the past wars have been an economic stimulator; however, not this time.

The money is NOT worth the destruction.

Water-Testing

Our nation CANNOT simply continue to just "test the waters" while we have soldiers overseas dying EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I completely understand that we cannot simply pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan and act like everything is all fine and dandy; but I do realize that something needs to be done, and that something needs to be done quickly.

Throughout Barack Obama’s entire campaign, he was an advocate for change. He believed that our nation needed to undergo and experience a tremendous amount of change. While his message allowed him to receive the vote and become the first African-American president, while this is a major accomplishment, what we need to remember is what he promised throughout his entire campaign.

Well, Obama….WE…..NEED….CHANGE! I understand that it is not going to occur overnight and I would be a hypocrite if I were to be upset that he is focusing on health care because my main focus is that our citizens should come first; however, we cannot ignore this issue forever. Something needs to be done and that something should be done quickly before something tragic happens.

Wars and Divorce Rates

Wars typically lead to a “divorce” between nations; however, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the cause of a majority of divorces within our nation. Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have begun, there have been an estimated 10,200 failed marriages in active duty army, and 3,077 failed marriages in the marines. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/dec/04/military-divorce-rates-up-as-conflicts-test-famili/

Military divorce rates have undoubtedly risen sharply since the wars begun in 2001. While this is just the number for those who are currently active in the military, many feel that these rates are inaccurate because they do not include the recent veterans whose divorce occurred shortly after they were inactive from the military.

Not just with military families, but in general, divorce is an extremely nasty task that affects children in an extremely detrimental way. They become forced to make huge decisions, such as who to live with, which ultimately damages ties with the other parent. The child begins to lack a sense of belonging and becomes extremely confused. http://www.public.iastate.edu/~rhetoric/105H16/cova/jlscova.html

Also with divorce, children become highly at risk for psychological issues. There are also statistics that say children who live in a divorced household are less likely to be as healthy. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hidden-effects-divorce-children.html All of these statistics are present at the link above.

There are so many ways that this, in my opinion, unnecessary war is affecting our military families. The cycle is we have a war, the war creates division within a household, divorce occurs, and then the children are ultimately left out to dry.

As I say so many times before, is the money really worth it? I definitely do not think so.

Positives? What!?!

When examining my previous analysis post, I was extremely disappointed with the lack of positives that I was able to conclude strictly from evidence found on the internet; so, I decided to take my research to the next level and actually visit some military families in Fort Bragg, North Carolina and get their opinion on the situation.

While a majority of the answers I received from military families were economic related, the stability of the job and the extra money received with their spouses are deployed, there was one positive attribute that was mentioned that is actually really rewarded due to the deployment of their military spouses.

For a majority of military wives when their husbands are deployed, they must become the mother and the father for their children. They take on the tasks that most husbands complete such as, changing the oil, cutting the grass, painting, pumping gas, and other jobs that most males are instructed to complete. However, military spouses feel a sense of achievement knowing that they can survive on their own.

Also, military spouses say that, for those who are really dedicated to their relationship with their military spouse, it makes their relationship even stronger. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” and for the military spouses that I talked with, this was their favorite slogan.

While I am still firmly standing on the side that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are detrimental to military families; however, there are some positives for the spouses left back at home because of the sense of self-worth that arises due to their spouse’s absence. Despite this, I am still not convinced that this is enough to keep us in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Analysis Post

“I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Can’t we all just get along? Well, if the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are an answer to this question, it would be a big, fat, no! While the initial reason for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan seemed to be very plausible and would do “good” for our country; however, the long term effects, or the “evil”, as Mahatma Gandhi stated, are permanent. These evils are present in our nation, especially within our military families and communities. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, in my opinion, are extremely detrimental to these military families and communities; however, there are a substantial amount of people who beg to disagree with my assertion.

The Positive Effects of the Wars in I&A on Military Families

The biggest positive effect that comes about from these wars is the fact that it provides a stable paycheck for military families because of the military’s need for soldiers. Every single day, a huge number of citizens join the military on active duty. A majority join because this is the only option that will provide their family with stability within our nation’s recent economic shift. http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=7063332 This link displays a video about the military recruitment and highlights a single mother in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, whose only option for a job in this crazy economic time is to join the military.

The effect that these wars have on the economy is the major positive for military communities and families. While these wars can be extremely costly, with almost one trillion dollars having been spent thus far, other statistic show that these wars are actually helping our nation’s economy. http://www.cfr.org/publication/15404/# This link shows both the positive and negative effects of the wars on the economy, but emphasizes the concept that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will ultimately improve our nation’s economic situation in the long run.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan provide our nation, especially military families and communities with a sense of security due to the stability that the military provides; there are still a significant amount of negative effects that have arisen due to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Negative Effects of the Wars in I&A on Military Families

When evaluating the effects that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have on military families and communities, the cons definitely begin to outweigh the pros on the list. Research shows that this war is extremely detrimental to military families by affecting the spouses, children, and the soldiers mentally and physically. Within a military community, these negative effects are seen practically everyday due to the rise of murder rates, the losing of loved ones overseas, and witnessing a change in mental state within military families.

One of the most highly publicized events occurred almost a year and a half ago after a pregnant soldier, Megan Touma, was found dead in a hotel room in Fayetteville, North Carolina, after her involvement with another military man. The entire military community was in distress, especially after the possibility that the soldier’s murder was deemed to be a copycat to the Zodiac Serial Killer. The link below provides the full story of the tragic death of Megan Touma, the pregnant soldier found dead in a hotel room. http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/24/pregnant.soldier.dead/index.html

Yet another instance where military interaction has turned deadly within military communities occurred when a soldier, who just returned from overseas recently, and another companion plotted to kill his wife by stabbing her several times during a walk around the neighborhood at night. These events happened within a few months of one another, and tragic events like this, and the Touma murder, have become common within military communities. This is a link to the news article about this tragic event within Fayetteville, North Carolina. Within in a military community, it is extremely easy for situations to turn deadly. http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3678679/#

With disaster such as the two previous occurring within our nation, the New York Times began to do research to show just how deadly situations can get when strains on military families begin to occur. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/us/15vets.html

While not every negative effect from the war has to deal with death, there are still many negative effects for military families due to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Domestic abuse becomes one of the highest crimes on military bases during wartimes. http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=6439842 This is a link to a news story about domestic abuse within military communities.

While soldiers may seem to be “evil” because of all of the destruction that has been caused within military communities, they also struggle with many issues, especially issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Also, there is a long term physiological effect from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. http://www.killology.com/art_psych_combat.htm

http://www.killology.com/art_psych_casualties.htm Psychiatric casualties come about from the war, and lead to many detrimental issues for military spouses and children. The deployment of parents put children up for high risk psychological problems. http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/02/military.kids.stress/index.html


http://blogs.babiesonline.com/current-events/military-family-psychological-effects-on-the-children/#

http://www.psychiatricannalsonline.com/view.asp?rID=37164

The two links above coincide with the argument that military deployment can affect a child psychologically. One is an online journal and the other is a blog.

One of the biggest debates about the wars, as previously stated, is the economic situation. While yes, the war does stimulate military families, but when you take away the soldiers from the communities, business begins to go downhill. http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=6731808 This is a link to a news story about the economic issues within a military community and also touches on the effects of deployment on children.

Support for Military Families and Communities

There are many organizations that are designed for military families and communities that are against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Two of the most prominent organizations are “Military Families Speak Out” http://www.mfso.org/ and “Families against the wars” http://militaryfamiliesagainstendlesswar.com/. These organizations are dedicated to military families and to bringing our troops home.

While these organizations are dedicated to bringing the troops back from overseas, there are those, such as First Lady Michelle Obama, who are dedicated to helping military families. http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=6707084 This link leads to her first visit to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Yet another way that support for military families and communities has arisen is from blog entries of military spouses. These entries often express how much they miss their soldier, the worry they feel having their soldier overseas, witnessing their child growing up without one of their parents, and other issues. A few examples of military blogs are as followed:

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/348/military_families_against_the_war/

http://mylifeasamilitaryspouse.blogspot.com/

http://amilitaryfamilyblog.blogspot.com/

A lot of support from other military families really begins to become apparent during initial times of deployment and withdrawal. The two links below show both scenarios within Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=6708931
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=6892109

What Should We Do?

After analyzing each side intensely, it seems to be that there are definitely more negative impacts that these wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have on military families and communities. If we realize all of these negative impacts, then why are we still overseas? We are fighting overseas, but the true issues are going on back on the home front.

Health Care Cost v. War Cost

When I ran across this political cartoon when doing research for my blog, I found this comparison to be rather hilarious, but extremely informative. President Obama is receiving so many issues from how much we would spend for the health care reform. However, we are spending, as the political cartoon states, almost three times of the cost that it would be to provide this health care reform in order to pay for this "unnecessary war."

My main focus with this particular post is to show where our country's focus is currently staying. I always thought that it was important to put a country's citizens first; however, our nation is putting others before helping our own citizens. Yes, I understand we are an imperialistic country and are suppose to be the World Police; however, we need to focus on those who are actually living in the United States first. Those are the people who should be our priority and President Obama is trying to make that happen.
While my blogs focuses primarily on military families, I would be ignorant in not trying to provide insight on how this war is affecting regular American citizens as well. Obama is just trying to put the focus back on the American citizens, the way our nation should be.

I am not saying that we should just forget about the Iraqis and ignore their needs. I am saying that we need to make our citizens priority.

I Thought We Graduated From High School!

As most of our nation realizes, the economic situation in our country is absolutely atrocious. Our government is scrambling to figure out methods in how to get our economy out of such a pitfall, and build it back up to the stable power it previously entailed. While I may not have a degree in economics and may just only be a student, I do know one full proof method that could potentially get our nation out of such debt. END THE WARS IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ! While in previous blogs, I have emphasized how this war has negatively affected our military families and communities, but it also affects our entire nation.

Let's compare our wonderful nation to a female teenage high-schooler. It is that time to go back to school again, and what all teenagers look forward to is “back-to-school” shopping! Our female teenager, America, is an older sibling and has two little sisters who she has to shop for, too. Well, America gets all of her supplies for school, paper, pencils, notebooks, and now its time for her to look out for her little sisters, however, her friend, let's call her Francesca, is with her and really wants a new pair of shoes. Francesca doesn't have the money to buy shoes, and America really wants Francesca to be her friend, so America spends the money that she needed to use for her little sisters on a pair of shoes for Francesca.

So, how does this have ANYTHING to do with the current economic situation in our country?!? Well, our nation has almost spent $1,000,000,000,000 on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Now that is A LOT of zeroes!) Yes, we as a nation have a priority to protect our nation and to put our country's needs first, however, when we begin to fight "pointless" wars and spend this much money on a war that is worthless, then that is when our nation begins to act like our irrational teenage female spending money on worthless items, just so she will be well-liked. Just like America did in the previous scenario, we spent money on something that we don't necessarily need, when we could have invested that money into something more important. America should have invested that money in taking care of her siblings; instead, she spent it on something useless. Our nation is at fault for doing the same exact thing, by spending money on a pointless war when we have our own citizens struggling for economic support.

The amount of money that we are spending in Iraq and Afghanistan increases every single second. Please click on this particular link to see just how rapidly we are throwing away our money. http://costofwar.com/ It is extremely eye-opening.

In North Carolina alone, taxpayers have spent $24.6 billion total for the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan since 2001. For the same amount of money, the following could be provided within our state:

5,259,652 People with Health Care for One Year OR19,483,457 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year OR628,708 Public Safety Officers for One year OR460,551 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR4,879,573 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR4,590,447 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5350 OR232,429 Affordable Housing Units OR11,712,390 Children with Health Care for One Year OR3,332,731 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR509,256 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR375,806 Port Container Inspectors for One year

http://www.nationalpriorities.org/tradeoffs?location_type=1&state=37&program=577&submit_tradeoffs=from_costofwar&tradeoff_item_item=999

What our nation needs to do is make our citizen's well-being priority and focus on the domestic issues first. Our nation should not have the mentality of a teenager high school girl, however, some of the ideas they have are similar. I know our country want's to be popular, but I thought we left that need for popularity back in high schoool.