Have I Got a #VeteransDay Bargain For You

Veterans Day for too many has become a day off from work and an opportunity to get a great bargain on a car or retail purchase instead of a day to honor the men and women who fought and continue to fight valiantly to protect our freedom.

Parade routes - as few and far between as them might be - have become shorter due to municipal budget constraints and attendance is abysmal.

What type of reflection is it on our society that more people can be found watching #DancingWithTheStars than lining up along a parade route to say thank you to our veterans?

How does it look to other countries that more people can be found clicking "like" on Facebook than making their way to the ballot booth to cast their vote in a free and open election for any position?

Freedom is the greatest right that an American citizen has, yet it is often taken for granted as something that will always be available without effort.

That concept might be the single most dangerous thought in the heads of Americans today.

I recently had an opportunity to participate in a discussion with someone who told me that we spend too much money on the military.  This person felt that we should cut that budget expense and instead fund more social programs.  My response was that if there was only $20 left in the US Treasury, that $20 should be spent on the military.

I could see the shock on my friend's face as my words settled on his brain so I went on to explain, "Social Security, No Child Left Behind, Foreign Aide are all wonderful things when you have a free and magnanimous country.  But when you have many enemies all lined up against a country because they are threatened by democracy and the freedoms that come with it, the only way to protect those freedoms is by having a strong military and that military isn't free.

It took a while for my friend to understand what I was saying, but soon enough he came around to my way of thinking.  I then shared with him some crazy statistics about warriors returning home wounded and without jobs.  I told him that my stomach churns every time I hear about a veteran who is being denied quality healthcare or aide after s/he put their lives on the line for our freedom.  That is why I am supporting the Wounded Warrior Project and am asking people to donate $20 through this special link  Alexfiglioliajr20kforveteransday For every dollar donated between now and December 11th, I will match it dollar for dollar.

Think about it - we get to save hundreds of dollars on purchases of cars, furniture, clothing and other retail items during these big "Veterans Day Sales Blow Outs" why not take a $20 from those savings and turn it into $40 by donating to the #WoundedWarriorProject today?

You can also donate on my website www.alexfiglioliajr.com