We are now entering the second month of Donald Trump’s fraught war of choice and we still have no better idea why we have entered it than when we started. In his meandering speech to the American public April 1, he ping-ponged through a menu of contradictory goals, from “we have already won” to “we must press on,” from negotiation to bombing Iran into the Stone Age.

And what have we accomplished at phenomenal cost in lives, treasure and armaments? Not regime change. Personnel change maybe. Price change in fuels? Certainly, but in the wrong direction as the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, thanks to us. Nuclear safety? Has “the bomb” been obliterated, or is it just around the corner?

Who is winning? Netanyahu seems to be meeting his goals. Russia is doing fine, with increased oil revenue and arms being diverted from Ukraine. Our military industrial complex is doing better than ever before. But wait, there’s more! 

Trump requested a 10% cut in non-defense, discretionary spending for the 2027 fiscal year and an increase to defense spending by $500 billion. Apparently, we can no longer afford frills like Medicare or day care — we have wars to fight.

It is time to say: enough blank-check war spending. If Mr. Trump wants to turn America into the new Sparta, with endless wars, he should have the gumption to ask us to pay for it with increased taxes. That’s what we used to do. 

Greg Rossel
Troy