Just a rant…
Ok, so this is a rant about military and free stuff, so if you’re gonna get offended, stop reading now.
Ok, so if you’ve chose to read on, here we go.
A local race track in my area offers FREE ADMISSION to Active Duty members of the military that come to the track in uniform. Does this seem like a big deal? No, but at the same time it is.
The thing I have a huge problem with in this country right now is the amount of people that are signing up, joining the military and when they get out/come home, expect free shit. I’m sorry, but I think that nobody ever deserves anything for free. When you sign up for the military, you sign up fully knowing what can and may happen to you. Just because you are active military doesn’t make you any different, you’ve made a choice to add military as part of your life.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m super supportive of our men and women who serve and I am proud of what they do for our country.
This race track charges $15 admission to get in on a weekly basis. The track runs from April to September. I’m not going to support a track where an active duty, dressed, military member can walk in for free for the whole season, while I’m spending my hard earned money to get in. Sure, have a discount for them, seniors and students. That’s fair to me, but not letting them in for free EVERY WEEK.
I have members of my family and of close friends that our grandparents were in the armed forces and not a damn thing was ever GIVEN to them just because they signed the line or were drafted into service.
I understand that on Memorial Day, July 4th and Veterans Day we pay honor to the armed forces and there are places that do things then for these people (applebees for one does a free meal with proof, etc) and that’s fine.
I feel sorry for our military members who go away and come home, who are level headed and just resume their lives. Why? Because they are being overshadowed by others who serve and come home and make a big stink thinking that they deserve to be given everything for free now. As I said before… YOU SIGNED THE DOTTED LINE!!! You know the risks and rewards. There’s nothing in the contract that you sign that when you come back that you can walk to any sporting event and get treated like royalty, go to a car dealership and get a super discount where I’ll have to pay more to cover the dealers ass, etc…
I work my ass off for the things that I have. No business is willing to give me anything for free just because I am who I am. No uniform or reason should ever change things to cause stuff to be for free. Sure, a discount is fine, but damn, there are TOO MANY empathetic people and businesses who are afraid of being called unpatriotic if they don’t do “something” for a member of the military. Guess what? It’s ok. If you own your own business and don’t want to give any discounts to anyone regardless of age, military, etc, that’s fine. You are supporting everything with all the TAXES that you pay. If you want to donate something, do it fairly. Don’t do it just because you feel “pressured” due to a uniformed person looking at you. Remember, this person can be a neighbor, friend, co-worker, etc. who is NO DIFFERENT than you.
As long as people are going to be SIGNING THE DOTTED LINE to put themselves into the service, they are signing a working contract, just like any job you sign up for.
If anyone thinks they are deserving of free things for serving, they are wrong. I don’t agree with it and it sickens me to see it happen everyday.
I, myself, am a struggling lower middle class male in our society. I don’t get anything for free and I’m at my breaking point with seeing people who are equal to me come home from serving and get new cars, homes, etc handed to them because they “signed the dotted line”.
As I said earlier, to those military members who go, serve, and just go on about their lives, thank you for what you do. I think you need to find your “friends” who are abusing the businesses of this country and let them know that it’s wrong. Once again, it is not considered unpatriotic to not give away things to active or non-active military. You pay the taxes with your business that pays for everything they get as far as military pay, that should be enough.
Are there charitable cases with some members of our wounded military? Yes, but even that is questionable because again, THEY SIGNED THE DOTTED LINE. They know what was capable of happening when they enlisted.
If anyone care to dispute this, go ahead, but this is my opinion that I am entitled to. I’m proud to be American and I’m proud of our servicemen and women, but I’m not proud of what has happened to American’s that think they can get things for free because of a uniform. It’s a disgrace.
