No one left behind--unless it's too inconvenient

The military has a saying, “No one left behind.” This has served our nation well. However, there is a large governing body in our country that only selectively applies this in civilian life, for the most part hiding behind the words, “for the greater good.” When Reagan took office he abandoned the “War on Poverty,” saying that poverty had won. One of the few programs that survived was the Appalachian Regional Committee (ARC). Among its achievements was the construction of a parkway from the interstate to deep into the mountains of eastern Kentucky, opening up possibilities for the impoverished. Now, under the new proposed budget, ARC will be demolished. It didn’t meet the test. I’m just glad it wasn’t a soldier.