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The F-35 Shows Why the Pentagon Deserves a Smaller Budget

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What would you rather have. economic computer warefare, which won't affect many peoples lives. or have bombs dropped on your head? Another wack job trying to legitimize cutting defese, so the have nots get more free stuff.. sorry sucka, i dont drink that kool aid

zap of AK 11:13PM May 10, 2012

Let's return to the days of Eisenhower and Kennedy when DoD accounted for 50% of the budget and entitlement spending was little more than a blip on the RADAR.

A.A. Cunningham of CA 10:25PM May 10, 2012

I am a liberal and the poster and Rick got the nail in the head. respect mr Vincent Larurence comments but one of the points in the article is that we are living in another era. United states is a great country but such a great success warrants great responsibility (where did i heard this before??? :).
Bathtubs in the sky full of weapons are not the answer for the future.
""""
2,866 jets costing a total of $233 billion, according to the Government Accountability Office. The latest plan cuts production to 2,457 jets, yet the cost has risen to $397 billion
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The way the military and the government do business is way out of control. There as much curruption in the public sector and defense than in Wall Street.
It is amazing to me that indeed the military is running this country but the media does not speak about this at least with the same focus as other mundane events, such as what underwear color is Howard Spears using today.

John of MD 8:47PM May 10, 2012

I'm a conservative Republican, and I have to agree with the far left on this one: the military-industrial complex runs this country. What wasn't said in this article is that congressmen from BOTH sides of the aisle force the Pentagon to accept weapons they don't even want because a factory is in their district.
Each year, that alone amounts to billions of dollars in waste. The main stream media does a horrible job of pointing out such cases. There should be a WALL of SHAME on papers' web sites showing the congressman's picture and a blurb about what he did and the millions of taxpayer money he forced us to waste.
What the left does NOT get is that government like any other monopoly does everything to protect its turf. We see it in Homeland Security not wanting to allow local airports to privatize security, even though on paper they have the right to do so, to the military not willing to give up almost any weapons system and when they do, some congressman comes out to keep them from doing so.
We spend more than the next twenty countries COMBINED on the military. That one sentence should be broadcast across America. As one general said, America's troops are ready and eager to defend this country, but they do NOT want to be used as political pawns. That strategy loses us friends and weakens our ability to defend ourselves.
Now, I wonder how many who read this would vote AGAINST a congressman who bragged about saving jobs at a site that produces unwanted weapons? Yet that's precisely what it will take to defeat a failed system that BOTH parties either overtly or covertly support. Billions for DEFENSE, yes. But not one penny to maintain our role as Policemen of the World.

rick of VA 7:00PM May 10, 2012

Mr Newman, when you need protection call the girl scouts, unless you want to cut their budget.
I take it you have never been in combat.
One has to be exceptional to go into war in a foreign
land and be there with an semi-automatic against
a fully automatic AK 47, I did that for a year in
Vietnam.
Remember the Military does not ask where to go,
to every outhouse around the world,
they are sent there by the POTUS, with or without the blessing of Congress.

Vincent Lawrence of MN 6:16PM May 10, 2012

Funny, Pubs want to save money, but not on their sacred cows. Military spending not only protects us, but it also could be called, gulp, stimulus spending (job creation) and we all know how much the Pubs hate stimulus spending, unless of course it benefits their state or their district. This whole thing needs reform, but nobody is talking about that. Shame. Let the Congress tell the Pentagon how much money they will get and let the Pentagon determine how it wants to spend it. Congressional leaders cannot be trusted to spend our Pentagon dollars wisely.

bing of AL 6:03PM May 10, 2012