I'm all for supporting the troops...though I don't have a magnetic ribbon on my SUV. And I enjoy playing golf. Even I have to wonder, though, why my (and your) tax dollars are being use to support the Defense Department's vast network of golf courses. I have no problem with DoD being in the war business; that after all its raison d'etre. Why DoD is in the golf business is beyond me. While our sons and daughters in Iraq and Afghanistan have often struggled to get the equipment they need in order to successfully complete their mission, generals, admirals, and CEOs play pasture pool on well-manicured carpets, some of which would do the PGA Tour proud. Semper Fi....
It would be tempting to blame this state of affairs on Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader © , but the reality is that the DoD golf empire predates even the world-class corruption and venality of this collection of neoConservative thugs. The late Sen. William Proxmire (D-WI) wondered in 1975 why DoD was in the golf business. Yes, Americans in the military certainly deserve the same access to recreation that civilians enjoy, and there are places where golf courses may be appropriate in the same way that tennis courts and softball diamonds are. When I lived in Cyprus, even the British Army had a course on their base at Akrotiri with sand greens. But a worldwide network of upwards of 200 courses?
I'm not saying that golf is not an acceptable outlet for American servicemen and women. What I am saying is that DoD should not be spending our tax dollars on a network of golf courses that do little to benefit soldiers in the field. If generals and admirals want to play golf, more power to them. That's why country clubs and munis exist, and I'm sure they'd love the business. Sen. Proxmire was right in 1975, and he's right today...DoD has no business wasting tax dollars on a vast network of golf courses that does little, if anything, to support soldiers in combat. Not when Americans fighting our wars struggle to get the equipment they need.
I don't know about you, but I have a philosophical problem with admirals and generals playing at taxpayer-funded country clubs while some American soldiers are on their third and fourth tours in Iraq. Who's supporting our troops now??
WE DESERVE BETTER. And Lord knows are men and women fighting our wars certainly do.
