While the federal and state governments continue to cut programs for education, scientific research, and the environment, the Pentagon continues to spend wildly on items and them toss them out. We recently saw how they prefer to deliver bags of money to Karzai, buy Russian aircraft that Afghans can’t fly or maintain, or build huge buildings to be then torn down unused. Of course, no one is ever fired for constructing massive buildings that no one wants only to tear them down. After all, these are contracts going to powerful companies with friends in the government. Now, we buying huge planes at $50 million a pop only to roll them directly from the factories into mothballs because no one wants them. To make this even more incomprehensible, we are not even making the cargo planes. Like the Russian helicopters that the Afghans cannot fly, we are buying the cargo planes from Italy . . . and we are continuing to order more as we struggle to find places to dump them.
The dozen Italian-built C-27J Spartans have been shipped to an Air Force facility in Arizona dubbed “the boneyard.” We are ordering five more, which are expected to be immediately sent with the others into mothballs. The Air Force has spent $567 million on 21 of the planes which will join some 4,400 other aircraft and 13 aerospace vehicles at the boneyard — more than $35 billion of unused airplanes.
Why order planes to be immediately mothballed? Ohio’s senators, Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Rob Portman wanted them to give a mission for Mansfield Air National Guard Base and to save 800 jobs. So we will spend $567 million to save 800 jobs. Wouldn’t it have been easier to give half a million to each of their constituents and save the rest of the money?
Of course, with citizens rising up against the latest effort of the Administration and Congress to intervene in another war, we could have a pile up of unused weapons . . . until we find a use for them.
quick, send a message to Obama about this, he is on the 7th green in Palm Springs, CA
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“Little boxes on a hilltop, little boxes made of ticky tack, little boxes on a hilltop and they all look just the same.”
Bush left office last decade. He is not being supported by ANYONE here. Why do you feel so compelled to keep bringing him up? We’re talking about Obama and his love affair w/ drones. Bush is history, Obama is present, and still in love w/ that joystick. And, doing something 5 times more is not “the exact same thing.” It is the same thing, X 5. The dictator you brought up, who took people behind the shed, died 40-50 years ago.
I have been a harsh critic of this President, more so than I was of George Bush. As someone who enthusiastically campaigned for Mr. Obama, I have felt an obligation to decry his record on human rights. Unlike people who had no problem with Mr. Bush for doing the exact same thing, that would make me not a hypocrite. And, for the record, Ms. Clinton is not my first choice to succeed Mr. Obama.
SWM, As you know, was never a fan of Bush or his tactics. I did favor capture and interrogation, but as we have discussed @ length, not torture, just legit interrogation to obtain intelligence. The obsession w/ drones by Obama is more than a bit troubling. I think he sees it as antiseptic, no Americans get their hands dirty, as it were. I can talk w/ you w/o having to deal w/ the baggage so many have here. With too many, they don’t see that Obama is not the guy so many of US[I donated money to him in 2008] thought he was. And, in the drone area, which was our limited discussion, Obama is ~5 times worse. Hope all is well w/ you. I miss your being here regularly but there’s not an ounce of guilt trip in me. We all have responsibilities and priorities. Haven’t seen Gravity but that’s next on our list.
Nick, That may be true but Bush has Obama beat to hell with killings from heavy bombers and tanks.
Juliet, Your dictator has killed almost 5 times as many people w/ drones compared to Bush. He has a love affair w/ them.
Kinda like a hellfire missile from a drone.
@ Linda Hendrix: I don’t remember seeing your name on this blog; could be because I don’t check it out on a daily basis. I just don’t get why you think you can make a statement, without any proof whatsoever, that Pres. Obama is a dictator.
Real dictators take their enemies behind a barn and shoot them in the face.
Juliet N wrote: “Real dictators take their enemies behind a barn and shoot them in the face.”
That’s the way they use to do it. In modern times, dictators establish electronic surveillance and use remote controlled drones.
You mean like George Bush did with The Patriot Act?
Juliet N wrote: “You mean like George Bush did with The Patriot Act?”
Yup. Now you’re getting the picture. I’m starting to like you.
Els DL wrote: “I just don’t get why you think you can make a statement, without any proof whatsoever, that Pres. Obama is a dictator.”
Some statements are pretty much self evident.
Bill and Hillary Clinton tried to pass a Health Care reform law in 1993. I remember his efforts well because I received an invitation from ABC News to represent the homeless of Tampa Florida when Bill Clinton came to Tampa for a Nightline Town Hall Meeting about Health Care. I personally spoke with Bill Clinton. He is one of the most charismatic and personable people I have ever met. The thing about Bill Clinton is that he worked with people. He did not try to force his bill through. He pitched it, and, unlike Obama, he attempted to have it be fit in with a budget. He attempted to pass universal health care bill along with a budget to pay for it. That is responsible leadership. Unfortunately, he did not succeed in getting the votes he needed, but at least he approached it from a democratic way rather than as a tyrant.
In contrast, President Obama weaseled his bill through in the dead of night. The Senate voted on Christmas Eve. Without anyone having read the bill. And no Republican voted for it. And he claimed no funding was needed for it, and that health care costs for EVERYBODY would go down. He did not present a budget. He gave only his word that it would not cost anything and it would save us money.
The Supreme Court found part of the law unconstitutional. Since then, at least 17 revisions have been made to the law. When Congress staff discovered how much they would have to pay for it, they complained, so Obama provided subsidies for them. Some of our Congressmen in the House of Representatives are not so sure this is such a good law. President Obama refuses to negotiate with them until they first rubber stamp funding for the law. Yeah, I can see how Linda Hendrix thinks President Obama is ruling us like a dictator.