"On what planet is a `4% spending increase' a 'huge cut'?" -- Jon Stewart
For some reason, they split the piece up into two:
If you have not paid much attention to how Congress deals with military spending, you really should watch it this time. Of all the concerns reflected in the DoD budget that any Congress in recent memory has passed, what the armed forces really need in order to do their job is very far down the list. If a very powerful Congressman or Senator had a factory in his state that produced the Curtiss Jenney, the Air Force would still be flying them.
But if we were still making Jenneys, we'd have a lot more pilots flying planes than desks. Plus, on a cost-per-plane level, I'm sure the parts and maintenance would be a heck of a lot lower than the F-22. What's not to like? :)
ReplyDeleteTrue, Marc. You don't go as fast, so it's probably a lot safer.
ReplyDeleteThe Pentagon budget has become absurd. We spend almost twice our GDP relative to our allies, and they have most of the other large militaries in the world.
It seems unlikely that it will be cut during wartime, but it should be soon. It's by far the largest bit of discretionary spending.