Mike Malloy

[DennyO]

This F35 program has garnered more attention here in Canada, where our share is about $28 billion, than it has in the U.S., where, get this - the overall program cost for this plane, to take the place of the F18, is in order of $1 trillion.

There has been minimal media coverage, more in the intellectual press, like Atlantic magazine, than in the regular press or the TV news channels. Though this article came out over one year ago. See http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/03/the-f-35-a-weapon-that-costs-more-than-australia/72454/.

Folks, what is happening is that over a 25 year span of time, the public will pay out $1 trillion, that is about $3,000 for each man, woman and child. The most expensive military program ever. And, even that is a "maybe". Some unresolved issues may push it up even higher. And for what? Would this fighter craft have made one iota of difference over the past 40 years if the air force had possessed it? In an era of terrorism and drone attacks, this program seems like a throwback to a past cold war era. And, every dollar it costs is one less dollar to provide things like education and other social needs. So, when you see teachers being laid off and class sizes of 45 and up in California, dollars matter.

Where is either party to scrutinize this? Republicans claim to stand for economic common sense, and Democrats stand for the little guy. The same people that claim to stand up for the U.S. Constitution, which clearly gives government spending scrutiny power to Congress, seem to be asleep at the switch. Republicans say they are the ones to spend money prudently and Democrats say they support the little guy. Well, they say they do, but actions seem to be another story. Maybe the reality is both parties put the interest of outfits like Lockheed Martin on a higher plane. (Pun intended.)

What we are buying is largely yesterday's answer to today's defense imperatives. They say the Austro-Hungarian army went into World War I with a great cavalry.

What happened in Canada is that the auditor-general discovered that our quasi fascist conservative government told parliament and the people that Canada's purchase of 65 of these would cost $8 billion, whereas they knew quite well that the overall cost would be much more, closer to $25 billion, and that there were still many loose ends technically that could push the cost even higher. For instance it lacks the ideal fuel range for Arctic sorties and also has inferior navigation and communication abilities compared to the present CF-18.

[maddog2112]

You'll never hear a rethuglicon complain about this waste. They love war and the killing of innocent people, unless it's still in fetus stage! We have the most awsome military and the best fighter jets in the world, by far. But for what? What other country can have a good old fashioned dogfight with one of our fighters? Were supposed to be the home of the free and the land of the brave. To me it looks like we are a bunch of cowards who are afraid of our own shadows! Were ok as longs as we can kick the crap out of other people, especially if they still live in caves and or the stone ages. Where's the courage in that? This is actually a prime example of how we have let the military industrial complex and their PRIVATE corporations run our country and absorb all of our tax receipts, and what we can't afford goes on the countries national debt credit card! We as a people are so stupid, we have fallen for this charade! This same corporate military controls our politicians with all of their contributions to campaigns. How sad is that? Thank you extreme court for citizens united, you right wing corporate pigs!
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Faux news and AM talk radio fascists get paid millions to blame all of the countries ills on minorities and poor people while hiding their corporate fascist funders crimes!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

Don't you know this is for the upcoming war with aliens?
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He's baaaack.....

http://kucinich.us/

[DennyO]

If you were to take a guess, what share of the U.S. population is even aware of this massively expensive military program? But, we all seem to know so well by now that the big spending evil in today's economy is pensions for the public service.

Has there been another era in which so many of us are blissfully unaware of the real cash flows of the government? All the while over the past two years that so much yakking has gone on, in the news and in Congress, about balancing the budget, to see things this big passing under the radar tells me that the media and the Congress is in cahoots with military-industrial complex that Eisenhower warned us about over fifty year ago.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

[Ninten12]