It seems that they’ve found a way to get the WTC memorial closer to a $500 million cap, according to the New York Times. Honestly, this makes me sick.

Yes, 9/11 was a tragedy. Yes, we should remember the dead, and especially the brave people who sacrificed their lives saving others’. But is flushing $500 million down the drain on two huge waterfall pits the best way to do that? Why not erect a simple monument (like the Vietnam Memorial) with their names and the story ingraved in it, put in in a grassy square, and call it good. Then, send the other $499 million to feeding some starving refugees in Africa, or to hurricane relief, or earthquake relief, or tsunami relief, or whatever else is the disaster of the month. Honestly, there is no shortage of truly noble purposes in the world that could really use a couple hundred million dollars of support, and we’ve got people whining that their deceased relatives’ names are going to be inscribed above ground instead of below.

America, wake up. Quit thinking about your own pity party, and help someone else who is alive and in need. And quit wasting money like it’s going out of style.