Fireworks are beautiful and we all enjoy appreciating them. But let’s stop and think about the price that we_______for just a few minutes of_______

To begin with, the amount of money we spend on fireworks is_______ The excitement is gone_______ Let’s face it, what we really are doing is burning_______ Yet, year after year, thousands of cities and towns spend our tax dollars on fireworks displays. Those tax dollars would be put to much better_______feeding our hungry and housing our homeless.

Second, there is the matter of_______ Fireworks contain chemicals that are harmful to people and animals. Over the years, these chemicals will_______the air we breathe and the water we drink.

Third, let’s_______the trash left behind after a fireworks display. What a__________! One would probably expect that those who__________the fireworks would have the politeness to__________the trash afterwards__________, they don’t. The mess they leave behind__________the kind of attitude many Americans have toward our__________

Fourth, fireworks are__________ Some fireworks can damage your hearing, especially the fireworks used in public displays that give off a big BANG. Losing your__________is too high a price to pay.

__________ all the safety warnings, we still see injuries and deaths as a result of fireworks. Approximately 10,000 Americans are injured every year by fireworks.

In my view, all consumer fireworks should be__________ Public fireworks displays should be kept to a minimum and should be paid for through volunteer funding, not tax dollars. Finally, those people in__________of fireworks displays should be responsible for cleaning up the mess they make.