It’s time for President Obama to start thinking about the men and women fighting for our freedom and the overall well being of our country. He needs to refrain from sending 17,000 additional soldiers and Marines into Afghanistan. Certainly, al Quaeda is causing death and destruction to the innocent and something desperately needs to be done, but are U.S. and Afghani manpower and war the best resolution?

It would be keen for Obama to keep in mind that when military officials demand an increase in soldier activity, thousands of human beings will be sent over to fight. Many of these people may have already fought in another war, given up their lives at home, spent innumerable months away from their families, and are willing to take a bullet for anyone. When I say anyone, I’m including Americans who disdain soldiers and have the perseverance to protest at their funerals.

Some soldiers disagree with many Americans’ constant need to portray themselves as the good guys or as the heroes, yet they fight on anyways.

Our ego is not an excuse to engage in a quandary. America has too many times gotten involved in wars circulating around other countries problems. America becomes too intertwined in conflict and when we get out, all of us must carry the heavy burden of civilian and soldier deaths. Even if we do not know these individuals, we are still responsible for the fate of their lives because we live in a country that allowed unnecessary death to ensue.

Those who oppose that last paragraph would say that war brings anguish, and that freedom comes with a price. The U.S. is certainly trying to prevent any further horrific incidents like 9/11 from ever occurring again, but is sending more troops all that productive? And what about the future? Are there any exit strategies for Afghanistan or will troops be sitting ducks for the next eight years like they have been in Iraq?

Obama must not only think about the future of Afghanistan: he must preserve the interest of his own image, the American people, and America’s treasury–or whatever is left of it.

The Afghanistan war will cost more than $1 trillion and this year and $45.5 billion has been spent for war-related actions in Iraq. These are large figures and if war prevails they may grow with each year. Even if we have the resources to fund the war, maybe such funds should be spent elsewhere.

According to CNN, more than $11 trillion has been spent in stimulus packages and Americans must repay the inherited debt left by former presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton. We are also in the midst of a recession, which has caused the gap between the upper and the working class to widen, and has left millions hungry. If Obama turns to tax payers as a form of funding, I can foresee some resistance.

Obama has negativity at each end of the spectrum. If he chooses to send more troops into Afghanistan he runs the risk of losing even more Democratic supporters and populists who have already begun hopping off his bandwagon. However, if he chooses the latter, the right wing will certainly slam him with quips like “anti-American.” Even worse, his chances of gaining or holding on to republican backing will be lost in void.

Obama has a very difficult decision to make but he must consider the lives at risk, the future of Afghanistan, and the effects of the war on the U.S. when he decides whether or not to send more troops into Afghanistan.