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 $900 million if we tried to build something like it today.
For perspective, consider that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have cost, to date, $
5,600
billion. [source] Those wars cost the Americans
6,000
Hoover Dams. Maybe Americans could simply build
6,000
Hoover Dams (
120
in every US state) and then blow them all to bits; Americans 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 17 years of war, to have built
those 6,000
Hoover Dams. Just sayin', Millennial. It'll soon be YOUR choice!
