State's soldiers should have their day
Blogger's note: The following is an opinion article I found on the Starkville Daily News website that was written by Dirk Waldrop, a columnist for The Bolivar Commercial in Cleveland.
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The Mississippi House has passed a resolution designating April 29 each year as Dale Earnhardt Day in the state.
The NASCAR star, also known as The Intimidator was killed in a crash at the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18, 2001. The resolution states that Earnhardt “... created a legacy in Mississippi by amassing so many wins.” It further decrees that Earnhardt changed the sport of racing, bridging the past, present, and future generations of fans by upholding the finest NASCAR traditions while remaining a cutting-edge competitor throughout the entirety of his career.
In Mississippi, the unemployment rate is 8.4 percent. The median income is $33,659. Eighteen point nine percent of the population lives below the poverty threshold of $19,484 per year.
Dale Earnhardt earned $42 million over his 27 year career. In 1975, his first year of racing he earned $2,425. In 2001, he earned $296,833. The only reason for his paltry earnings that year was because he was killed 49 days into the year. In 2000, he made $4.9 million. So over the course of 27 years of driving a car in circles, he averaged $1.5 million per year just for driving a car really fast and only turning the car to the left.
The average Mississippian would have to work for 46 years to make what Dale Earnhardt made in just one year.
Did Mr. Earnhardt ever spend any of his money in Mississippi? Maybe so. Did he ever do anything to improve the lot of Mississippians with his money? Nope. Did he ever race in Mississippi? Nope.
So why is it that my (our) representatives are spending my (our) time (and money) coming up with a resolution honoring a guy that drives a car for a living?
Why not honor the hard working professional truck drivers of this state with a paid day off? Some of these men and women are away from home for weeks at a time and get no recognition other than the satisfaction of a job well done and the knowledge that without them, the American economy would be crippled. Dale Earnhardt got a million dollars for driving 500 miles, or $2,000 per mile. Truckers get 35 cents per mile, or $175, if they drive the same distance.
It makes me ill that my state government would spend the time and taxpayer money on such frivolous matters. While your hard working government is busy passing useless resolutions, voting raises for themselves, and then giving each other high fives and eating hot meals on your dime, American soldiers are dying in a faraway land. More specifically, Mississippi's sons have died in a faraway land.
Can any member of the House or Senate even name any of Mississippi's soldiers who died in Iraq? One Mississippi soldier, Sergeant Robert S. Pugh, was awarded the Silver Star for his heroic deeds in Iraq. Sgt. Pugh was a combat medic with the 1-155th Infantry Battalion of the 155th Brigade Combat Team. When a roadside bomb detonated near his dismounted patrol, Pugh was severely wounded. Instead of looking out for himself, he directed his fellow soldiers to tend to another soldier who had a piece of shrapnel sticking out of his guts. Pugh's heroic actions saved his comrade but cost him his life. His posthumous Silver Star is this country's third highest honor for military heroism.
When is Robert Shane Pugh Day in Mississippi?
Earnhardt had been driving for 27 years. In NASCAR, the track curves to the left. So all he had to do when he went to work was press down firmly on the gas pedal, hold the steering wheel to the left a bit, and cruise on to victory and a million dollar paycheck.
Pugh, on the other hand, had to keep his head on a swivel each day when he went to work. He donned thousands of dollars worth of the most advanced protective equipment his government could offer, he endured years of harsh training and drilling, and honed and developed his skills to give himself the best chance of survival in a brutally harsh environment. In a year, Pugh would earn somewhere in the neighborhood of $35,000. On a cold, cloudy day in March, Pugh's name was added to the long, unbroken line of patriots who have dared to serve and die.
Robert Shane Pugh was a soldier. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Opinion:
While Earnhardt was certainly a tremendous racer and a great asset to the sport of NASCAR, and while NASCAR is considered to be a beloved sport to many Mississippians, It is not the job of our Mississippi State Legislature to be handing out awards for NASCAR. While no price tag accompanied the resolution, the members of the State Legislature wasted valuable time in which to deal with the state's numerous problems and challenges in relation to Katrina, education, job growth, job development, infrastructure, agriculture, etc. Time that the Legislature must desperately need since they continually end up in special session year after year, driving up the cost of the Legislature to the Mississippi taxpayer in terms of extra pay and operating costs.
Focus on REAL issues.
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The Mississippi House has passed a resolution designating April 29 each year as Dale Earnhardt Day in the state.
The NASCAR star, also known as The Intimidator was killed in a crash at the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18, 2001. The resolution states that Earnhardt “... created a legacy in Mississippi by amassing so many wins.” It further decrees that Earnhardt changed the sport of racing, bridging the past, present, and future generations of fans by upholding the finest NASCAR traditions while remaining a cutting-edge competitor throughout the entirety of his career.
In Mississippi, the unemployment rate is 8.4 percent. The median income is $33,659. Eighteen point nine percent of the population lives below the poverty threshold of $19,484 per year.
Dale Earnhardt earned $42 million over his 27 year career. In 1975, his first year of racing he earned $2,425. In 2001, he earned $296,833. The only reason for his paltry earnings that year was because he was killed 49 days into the year. In 2000, he made $4.9 million. So over the course of 27 years of driving a car in circles, he averaged $1.5 million per year just for driving a car really fast and only turning the car to the left.
The average Mississippian would have to work for 46 years to make what Dale Earnhardt made in just one year.
Did Mr. Earnhardt ever spend any of his money in Mississippi? Maybe so. Did he ever do anything to improve the lot of Mississippians with his money? Nope. Did he ever race in Mississippi? Nope.
So why is it that my (our) representatives are spending my (our) time (and money) coming up with a resolution honoring a guy that drives a car for a living?
Why not honor the hard working professional truck drivers of this state with a paid day off? Some of these men and women are away from home for weeks at a time and get no recognition other than the satisfaction of a job well done and the knowledge that without them, the American economy would be crippled. Dale Earnhardt got a million dollars for driving 500 miles, or $2,000 per mile. Truckers get 35 cents per mile, or $175, if they drive the same distance.
It makes me ill that my state government would spend the time and taxpayer money on such frivolous matters. While your hard working government is busy passing useless resolutions, voting raises for themselves, and then giving each other high fives and eating hot meals on your dime, American soldiers are dying in a faraway land. More specifically, Mississippi's sons have died in a faraway land.
Can any member of the House or Senate even name any of Mississippi's soldiers who died in Iraq? One Mississippi soldier, Sergeant Robert S. Pugh, was awarded the Silver Star for his heroic deeds in Iraq. Sgt. Pugh was a combat medic with the 1-155th Infantry Battalion of the 155th Brigade Combat Team. When a roadside bomb detonated near his dismounted patrol, Pugh was severely wounded. Instead of looking out for himself, he directed his fellow soldiers to tend to another soldier who had a piece of shrapnel sticking out of his guts. Pugh's heroic actions saved his comrade but cost him his life. His posthumous Silver Star is this country's third highest honor for military heroism.
When is Robert Shane Pugh Day in Mississippi?
Earnhardt had been driving for 27 years. In NASCAR, the track curves to the left. So all he had to do when he went to work was press down firmly on the gas pedal, hold the steering wheel to the left a bit, and cruise on to victory and a million dollar paycheck.
Pugh, on the other hand, had to keep his head on a swivel each day when he went to work. He donned thousands of dollars worth of the most advanced protective equipment his government could offer, he endured years of harsh training and drilling, and honed and developed his skills to give himself the best chance of survival in a brutally harsh environment. In a year, Pugh would earn somewhere in the neighborhood of $35,000. On a cold, cloudy day in March, Pugh's name was added to the long, unbroken line of patriots who have dared to serve and die.
Robert Shane Pugh was a soldier. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Opinion:
While Earnhardt was certainly a tremendous racer and a great asset to the sport of NASCAR, and while NASCAR is considered to be a beloved sport to many Mississippians, It is not the job of our Mississippi State Legislature to be handing out awards for NASCAR. While no price tag accompanied the resolution, the members of the State Legislature wasted valuable time in which to deal with the state's numerous problems and challenges in relation to Katrina, education, job growth, job development, infrastructure, agriculture, etc. Time that the Legislature must desperately need since they continually end up in special session year after year, driving up the cost of the Legislature to the Mississippi taxpayer in terms of extra pay and operating costs.
Focus on REAL issues.
posted by mrholmes | 7:14 AM
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