What would he say? (cost, the best, speech, American)
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On the CNN website today is an article about a $100 milllion monument honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to be erected in Washington D.C. While the concept of such a memorial is just fine with me, the expenditure of $100 million dollars is not. I can't help but think that Dr. King would think that spending such a large amount of money just to commemorate his life was ridiculous. Why not a $1 million dollar monument and then spend the other $99 million on funding scholarships or building homes or making grants to start-up businesses in the African American communities - or all of the above. Building such an elaborate and expensive monument will not do anything to improve the day-to-day lives of the people Dr. King gave his life for and I think he would be very saddened by such wastefulness.
..."Backers have raised more than $65 million, according to The Associated Press. Most of the funding has come from corporate donors including Tommy Hilfiger and General Motors..."
Do I think $100 million is wasteful? Yes. I'm with you there. But, do I still think it is a bad idea? No. First, It is donated money (at least most, they say. I don't know the details). Second, I too would like to see more money given to scholarships, etc... but I think it far easier to raise money, especially from corporate donors, for this high-profile monument than for personal scholarships. Third, I think the impact of the memorial on our society has a lot of potential to make the minority cause more important. What I mean is, It may influence people to do more as far as donating for scholarships, programs, etc in the future.
But I still think it's wasteful. I hope they don't plan on spending too much tax payer dollars on this, too... although i'd much rather they spend it on this memorial than the stupid war, but that is another thread...
I understand your point Redrover, but, the money is donated for the specific purpose of building an appropriate memorial that will fit among the monuments and memorials along the Mall in Washington. I think when one man has been pivotal to human rights and challenging oppression in both laws and society that has utterly changed the landscape of America and emancipated 10% of the American population, that man deserves special recognition. A monument that recognizes his achievement must be able to be grand enough to underscore the importance of it, as well as last hundreds of years so that succeeding generations of Americans can get a sense of the sea-change he inspired. He did more than champion civil rights, he showed how an American fighting peacefully and non-violently for right is the epitomy of a patriotic American who loved liberty and justice and modeled our ideals as a nation. Sure $100,000,000 is a lot of money, but... the value to 300,000,000 million Americans in acknowledging his contribution and then for future generations is incalculable. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of those rare men who come once or twice a century. His impact has changed us for the best. I have no problem with the cost (donated) or the grandeur of the monument planned.
..."Backers have raised more than $65 million, according to The Associated Press. Most of the funding has come from corporate donors including Tommy Hilfiger and General Motors..."
Do I think $100 million is wasteful? Yes. I'm with you there. But, do I still think it is a bad idea? No. First, It is donated money (at least most, they say. I don't know the details). Second, I too would like to see more money given to scholarships, etc... but I think it far easier to raise money, especially from corporate donors, for this high-profile monument than for personal scholarships. Third, I think the impact of the memorial on our society has a lot of potential to make the minority cause more important. What I mean is, It may influence people to do more as far as donating for scholarships, programs, etc in the future.
But I still think it's wasteful. I hope they don't plan on spending too much tax payer dollars on this, too... although i'd much rather they spend it on this memorial than the stupid war, but that is another thread...
The federal government is picking up 10 million of the cost.
well i know nothing about government budgets! maybe 10 million is a lot of tax payer dollars... i dont know... but i still think its worth it and there are way worse things the government is spending our money on. i'm glad we're getting the memorial!
I understand your point Redrover, but, the money is donated for the specific purpose of building an appropriate memorial that will fit among the monuments and memorials along the Mall in Washington.
I think when one man has been pivotal to human rights and challenging oppression in both laws and society that has utterly changed the landscape of America and emancipated 10% of the American population, that man deserves special recognition.
A monument that recognizes his achievement must be able to be grand enough to underscore the importance of it, as well as last hundreds of years so that succeeding generations of Americans can get a sense of the sea-change he inspired.
He did more than champion civil rights, he showed how an American fighting peacefully and non-violently for right is the epitomy of a patriotic American who loved liberty and justice and modeled our ideals as a nation.
Sure $100,000,000 is a lot of money, but... the value to 300,000,000 million Americans in acknowledging his contribution and then for future generations is incalculable. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of those rare men who come once or twice a century. His impact has changed us for the best. I have no problem with the cost (donated) or the grandeur of the monument planned.
Brilliant.Just brilliant, compelling and beautifully written, MOMARK!
I also see credence to REDROVER's point, but I remember watching MLK on t.v. in the 1960's, and still get the chills when I hear the "I Have A Dream" speech. He was a peaceful visionary who truly deserves to be honored. This world needs more like him.
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