I attended the heartfelt Veterans Day ceremony at the American Legion and came away thinking a lot about sacrifice. We honor the sacrifices made by military men and women and their families because that’s what a moral nation does.

Its citizens, however, should demand that their government justify that sacrifice. Concerning our wars in Vietnam and Iraq, I feel our government failed miserably to do that — and caused irreparable harm and damage. Ironically, the recent Republican presidents, Bush and Trump, used their connections and wealth to avoid military service, while John Kerry, a decorated war hero, was vilified as a presidential candidate because of his anti-war views.

Despite President Eisenhower’s warning, the United States has become a heavily militarized, warrior country. Our defense spending now totals more than most of our allies and adversaries combined (Russia, China, France, England, India, Japan, Saudi Arabia), ratcheted up by the fear tactics of Republicans.

Economically, Republicans demand the average American to sacrifice basic needs so the wealthiest of individuals and corporations can enjoy huge tax cuts — which, they are not paying for themselves, creating even more debt and more borrowing and more sacrifice.

It’s unjustifiable when the homeless have no homes, the indigent have no health care, our infrastructure is becoming Third World, higher education is expensive and inaccessible to many. We’re unprepared for the record devastations of now-annual climate change disasters and refuse to do anything sensible about preventing them.

But the Democratic mid-term wave in the House offers us hope — that a diverse, energetic, citizen-minded body will sacrifice the Pentagon’s budget and the wealth at the top to justify a fairer, more moral and sustainable life for the majority of Americans.

JOHN DELANEY

Port Townsend