Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 12 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds   

America Being Driven Over the Fiscal Cliff by the Monumental Cost of the Military

By       (Page 1 of 3 pages)   7 comments
Message Michael Payne

 

As the various actors in Washington's latest theatrical presentation of "The Fiscal Cliff", once again take their places on stage, the majority of the American people have this feeling that they have seen this play before; in fact, more times than they would have liked. This is a play that has the same fabricated plot, the same old actors, all leading, without a doubt, to the same contrived ending.

 

While there is a great need for this government to enact legislation that would substantially increase the tax on the wealthiest of Americans to avoid going over the cliff, this article will concentrate on the one option that I believe holds, by far, the greatest potential for reductions in government spending. It is the staggering, completely out of control spending on the military and security that so far has been declared off-limits.

 

Does this country need a powerful military to safeguard the security of the American people and defend it against potential attacks by rogue nations? Absolutely, without a question, we must always maintain a powerful military. America, in my opinion, also has a responsibility to be a leader in maintaining peace and stability in the world but that does not call for it to continue to dominate it. It's time for this government to stop acting like the policeman of the world with an expanding empire whose massive costs can no longer be sustained.

 

There are very competent, knowledgeable individuals within the military establishment that agree with this premise and have presented concrete recommendations for making changes that will maintain the military's strength but that will not lead America into financial collapse. It's time for President Obama to listen to these voices of knowledge, experience, logic and reason.

 

Mr. Obama would do well to read this article, "Generals: Get real and cut Pentagon spending" presented by two highly respected retired generals, Robert Gard and John Johns. It's among the very best I have ever read. Here is an excerpt from that article:   "Today, the use of manned aircraft is more and more limited. Our leaders must have a serious debate about priorities: America needs political resolve to kill unnecessary and expensive projects."

 

Here is a great example of what these generals are talking about. The development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, now in its twelve year, has been budgeted at $396 billion, including research and development. The plan is to build 2,443 by the late 2030s. The military is also desperately trying to figure out how to reduce the long-term costs of operating the planes going into the future, now projected at $1.1 trillion; to spend that monumental amount of taxpayer dollars on just one weapon in the massive U.S. military arsenal is a perfect illustration of how out of control this nation's military machine is.

 

And here's yet another example of a tremendous waste of taxpayer dollars. The F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet is the single most expensive fighter jet in history at a total acquisition cost of an estimated $79 billion for 187 planes, meaning each plane costs approximately $420 million.

 

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Well Said 2   Must Read 1   Supported 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Michael Payne Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact EditorContact Editor
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Orwell's "1984" becoming a reality in modern-day America

Heed the Warning Signs; America is Edging Ever Closer to a Societal Implosion

Ethics and Morals in America; an Endangered Species

How Do You Spell Sociopath? G-O-P

The Beginning of the End for the U.S. Dollar as the World Reserve Currency

A U.S. President Defies Congress, the Constitution and the Will of the People; Will Impeachment Follow?

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend