Protecting our country’s future is important too

The fight against COVID-19 is termed a “war” and rightfully so. We must all do our part to contain the spread of the illness and especially the number of deaths. However, there is a notable difference from other wars, such as World War II. The 75th anniversary of VE Day reminds us of the difference.

We lamented the over hundreds of thousands of deaths of U. S. soldiers then, but they fought valiantly to defend democracy and the future of our country. Young, healthy soldiers never returned to their families, wives and children. Yet they were supported by the in-country, wartime efforts of thousands.

Obviously, there were dissenting opinions about our role, but there was a determination that our country’s future was most important.

In today’s war, the future is being sacrificed by government shutdowns and debt-wrecked spending. The justification for this is we must protect the vulnerable. What is most important to me is we keep our economy functioning along with our schools, sports and restaurants.

I am a member of the very elderly, vulnerable that may be affected. I realize, however, that I now have very little to contribute to our country’s future. I expect every effort to be made to find a vaccine and treatment for COVID-19. But I don’t expect the damage to education and entrepreneurial business spirit and fiscally irresponsible debt to be our legacy.

Jim Scherer, Denver