Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Post 2 Newspaper Article

Nebraska Distributes $7 Million in Homeland Security
By The Associated Press

‘More than 7 million federal dollars will be distributed in Nebraska as part of the Homeland Security grant program.It’s much less than last year, when the state got more than 21 million dollars.Much of the money will be used to help build a statewide communications system so emergency personnel and law enforcement can talk to each other across the state.
The grant money is meant to help state and local agencies better prepare for a terrorist attack. The money falls into two categories — overall state funding and special accounts for certain urban areas.The state decides how the grant money is disbursed after federal Homeland Security officials determine how much money Nebraska receives.’- Lincoln Journal Star

This article struck me in many ways. I was first taken back by the fact the Nebraska was to be given so much money for Homeland Security. So I thought.
To anyone else the sound of 7 million dollars is a lot right? Not in today’s society. We as Americans have heard about so many large figures due to our nation’s wealth. In the billions at times, yet no matter how much we hear and think that are minds can grasp the concept of that much money we can’t. What could someone do with 7 million? They could turn their lives around and still have money left over to not have to work the rest of their lives. According to the Journal Star, who or where they get their opinions from is unknown; 7 million is a puny and almost worthless amount as it struck me compared to the 21 million the state received last year.
Think about people that have the misfortune of living in poverty. Whether it be in third world countries around the world or even right here in the United States. It frustrates me how greedy and spoiled such a great country like the United States has the possibility of being. We have become so blinded, as a population, to the reality of what’s going on around us. Whether it’s 7 or 21 million, it came off to me, like it wasn’t good enough. It really troubles me how we are so unsatisfied with 7 million dollars to our state where some people, in our very own country, are happy just to be warm, have clothes on their backs, and have somewhere to stay at night. And what was the money spent for? It was spent on Homeland Security against terrorist attacks, which brings me to my next point.
The world has become so dependent on defending itself against terrorist’s and everything they stand for and I personally advocate all that money being spent on defending our country, although the real question should be what are we protecting ourselves from? Aren’t there plenty of “terrorists” in our own country?
Our country puts out so much money for the military, but some people argue there are other problems to be dealt with. This is true but you must have priorities. Some say the homeless number is too great, the unemployed population is escalating to fast. Fact of the matter is you have to deal with the biggest situation first. Some may ask, well, what is the biggest situation? It’s difficult to put your finger on anyone problem that must be taken care of. Some of the many problems could be crime, unemployment, scandals, homelessness, the War, our Economy. I guess my main point is before making a hasty opinion about the topics at hand, what would you do with the dispersion considering the facts?