1. United States
2. Ind.
3. Letter

I am aware of current talks and discussions about an upcoming military parade this June in Washington DC. While I believe the members of our military, their service, dedication, and sacrifice is worth celebrating and commemorating, I am concerned of the scope and intent of the ongoing discussion. Celebrating our service members is important. Having a parade with tanks, rockets, helicopters and other instruments of war driving through our streets, is unnecessary and frankly irresponsible. This evokes images from Russia, North Korea, and China, where dictators revel in self-importance, not celebrating the individuals who have made the sacrifices. The United States should never drop to depths of imagery of dictators, as that is complete opposite of the spirit of our country. This is before speaking about the unruly cost of an event of this scale or the fact that President Trump wants it to be on his birthday. I have read this parade may cost upwards of 100 million dollars, or more. As budgets get trimmed, and departments thinned (or eliminated altogether), this seems like a fiscally irresponsible cost, and counter to saving money. To take it another step, it shows the government cares more about spending on appearances than actually making this better for everyday citizens. As these discussions continue, I hope you take this concern into consideration, and vote and talk against this large of an event. As a citizen concerned about the direction of our country, and your constituent, your choices, votes, and impacts are important to me. I know you say citizens’ concerns are important to you, so I look forward to your response, not just to this message but to this event as well the entire direction of our country. Thank you