America's Hoover Dam was dedicated in a formal ceremony on September
30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Eighty years ago.
Hoover Dam, which forms Lake Mead, once one of the US's largest water reservoirs, was constructed over a five-year period (1931–1936) during the Great Depression. The total cost of the dam was $49 million dollars when it was built, which would translate to $700 million if we tried to build something like it today.
For perspective, consider that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have cost, to date, $1,641 billion. Those wars cost the Americans 2,345 Hoover Dams.
Hey ... maybe they could simply build 2,345 Hoover Dams (47 in every US state) and then blow them all to bits; they seem to like doing that with their wealth.
Lots of things come to my mind, though, when I think of what Americans could do with that money. I wonder why it never occurs to some Americans that they're simply flushing their treasure down the crapper.
My mother used to say, whenever I would spend my entire allowance on bottle rockets and firecrackers, "Son, you're just burning up your money." Yeh, point conceded, but how I loved to watch it burn! I guess some people just like a lot of noise and pretty sparks, huh? :-)
The wars were wars of choice; no one forced Americans into them; Americans chose war over what they could have had instead. It was a bad choice, an unwise choice, but it was also a choice they made with their eyes wide open. My dad always used to tell me: "if you want to know what a man's priorities are, watch how he spends his money." People always find a way to afford the things they really want most. Always.
Americans chose war. Americans want war. Lots of it. By their actions; they demonstrate that.
Not gonna criticize Americans. We all know they're God's chosen people! I'm not questioning that.
But I do think Americans would be far better off, after 14 years of war, to have built 2,345 Hoover Dams. Just sayin ...
___
Hoover Dam, which forms Lake Mead, once one of the US's largest water reservoirs, was constructed over a five-year period (1931–1936) during the Great Depression. The total cost of the dam was $49 million dollars when it was built, which would translate to $700 million if we tried to build something like it today.
For perspective, consider that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have cost, to date, $1,641 billion. Those wars cost the Americans 2,345 Hoover Dams.
Hey ... maybe they could simply build 2,345 Hoover Dams (47 in every US state) and then blow them all to bits; they seem to like doing that with their wealth.
Lots of things come to my mind, though, when I think of what Americans could do with that money. I wonder why it never occurs to some Americans that they're simply flushing their treasure down the crapper.
My mother used to say, whenever I would spend my entire allowance on bottle rockets and firecrackers, "Son, you're just burning up your money." Yeh, point conceded, but how I loved to watch it burn! I guess some people just like a lot of noise and pretty sparks, huh? :-)
The wars were wars of choice; no one forced Americans into them; Americans chose war over what they could have had instead. It was a bad choice, an unwise choice, but it was also a choice they made with their eyes wide open. My dad always used to tell me: "if you want to know what a man's priorities are, watch how he spends his money." People always find a way to afford the things they really want most. Always.
Americans chose war. Americans want war. Lots of it. By their actions; they demonstrate that.
Not gonna criticize Americans. We all know they're God's chosen people! I'm not questioning that.
But I do think Americans would be far better off, after 14 years of war, to have built 2,345 Hoover Dams. Just sayin ...
___
Charles Aulds
September 30 2015
September 30 2015
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