Americans will spend approximately $1 billion on fireworks this year.
That's based on projections by the American Pyrotechnics Association, which estimates $945 million was spent in 2018.
A billion.
If you ask me, that's a colossal waste of money. For me, fireworks should be enjoyed from 9-10 p.m. on the 4th of July. That's it. Not two weeks before, not weeks after.
Of course, that's not how people celebrate Independence Day. They fire off rockets into the night at all hours in the weeks leading up the 4th. I'm sure it's out of a sense of patriotism that they wake their neighbors and terrify pets.
Think about what a billion dollars could do for this country. I'd love to see it used toward battling homelessness, the opioid crisis, etc.
But, no, we use that outlandish amount of money to lob ear-deafening objects into the sky in some misguided attempt to prove how much we love our country.
Municipalities which are cash strapped annually spend tens of thousands of dollar to entertain their citizens. In large cities, obviously, the bill runs into the hundreds of thousands or even millions.
What a waste.
There has to be a better way to celebrate our nation's independence than to set dollar bills almost literally on fire. In the meantime, I'll be the guy cussing out the teen-aged kid in the neighborhood who thinks the 4th of June is the 4th of July.
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