This Sunday marks the tenth anniversary of the terrorist strikes of September 11, 2001.  Most memories of the event will be instanced by genuinely deep feeling—the sadness for lives lost in those attacks and in the later wars will be mixed with wistful pride for the unity we all felt after the attacks.  It is most unfortunate that the strength of that unity was matched only by its brevity and price.

The time since 9/11 has been difficult, and I believe most Americans view our fight in Iraq, Afghanistan and in many other places as grim necessities, executed imperfectly at a high cost with benefits that mostly accrue to citizens of other countries.  This is much like the World Wars and struggles of the Cold War.  A small group of citizens objects to our participation in these wars. I have little patience for this hodgepodge of libertarians, quasi-pacifist leftists and Quakers, but then I have seen Saddam Hussein’s fascist regime up close and personal.  A little experience with these matters matures one’s outlook greatly and I am glad he is gone. 

On this anniversary of 9/11, I think we would do well to acknowledge that in the years since we have relinquished too little of ourselves.  The lack of general sacrifice lies in contrast to the deep sacrifice of a few families since 9/11.  I think we are worse off for not having been asked to give more.  Having only a few of our citizens bear the direct burden of war is a luxury of the modern age.  Many of these men and women have been at war longer than any generation before. While there has been no shortage of gratitude to our warriors, it is not in too little recognition of their sacrifice in which we have erred—it is that the rest of us gave too little.  In wars that cost some $1.2 trillion and will continue to burden our treasury for a half century, we failed to tighten our belts and face the challenge together.

It is no doubt easy to say in retrospect, but the length of the wars should have necessitated a more general sacrifice.  Beginning in 2003, Congress should have begun shrinking, not growing the federal budget.  At the same time we could have imposed a modest tax to pay for the war.  The entire current cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could have been paid for through a supplementary tax that was equivalent to one fancy cup of coffee each day for the wealthiest half of all households.  Of course, that would have missed the point—what we needed then (as now) is not easy sacrifice, but shared sacrifice in which all of us could really participate. 

I believe our leaders of the last decade will be remembered not for demanding too much from a few, but from asking too little of the rest of us.  That may be a useful lesson as we struggle to rescue our fiscal health from the costs of war and miscalculations of peace.