Food charges show disregard for injured
by Sandy Stamper, Reporter

   Since when is a lunch charge more important than a person’s life?
   That question is on many minds after the government announced plans to charge wounded soldiers for food when they are in the hospital.
   Apparently, the government can’t swallow a maximum of $10 a day for food when these people put their lives on the line.
   Nobody asked these soldiers to serve our country, risk death and be away from their families for months on end. These servicemen and women do so willingly.
   Could it be Uncle Sam doesn’t want you; he just wants your money?
   The whole idea appears to be a way to get much needed financing for the war in Iraq.
   But how will a few dollars put a dent in the cost of the war as a whole?
   Another possible reason I have been pondering is that the government is unsure if the war was absolutely necessary.
   Some say the government should charge for food consumed by wounded soldiers because instead of having a set three meals a day with no variation, the soldiers can pick whatever they want for their breakfast, lunch and dinner.
   If I were putting my life on the line for my country, I would think I deserved to have whatever I wanted within reason without worrying about being charged for it.
   The government doesn’t charge for everything the soldiers use. Unlike at local public and private hospitals, medication, sheets, pillows, television and a private room are free. So it seems food would be as well.
   President Bush should not have permitted the charges.
   With the presidential elections coming up next year, President Bush should be thinking about the people’s opinion if he wants to be reelected.
   People already doubt his judgment in invading Iraq, for we still haven’t found the much-sought-after “weapons of mass destruction.”
   I am not saying the war in Iraq was completely unnecessary, but the administration should have been sure such weapons existed before we invaded and risked the lives of out military.
   What are they going do next? Ask the families of those killed in action for money to fund the war that cost their son’s or daughter’s life?
   Maybe the president should think of another way to get the money he needs.