Have I said how much I HATE the leadership in DC these days...what a bunch of lilly livered men and women who have not only FORGOTTEN what their Oath of Office says but have turned their back on our security.
God forgive me, and I will pray about it, but I hate what they are doing to our country. I do. It is so very, very wrong.
“but ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh my, there is MONEY for CLUNKERS!”
And... there’s money to pay for “power chairs” for lardasses.
Perhaps aerial warfare is moving toward unmanned aircraft and guided bombs. Perhaps the 70’s and 80’s vintage airframes are still close to state-of-the art for airframes and it is a smart move to just outfit them with new electronics and weapons. Our airframes might be old but the airframes+electronics are the best on the planet (I think).
What are fighter aircraft used for? Destroying targets on the ground and destroying other aircraft. How badly do we need fighters with more speed or more range or more ammo capacity? I don’t know.
Let’s suppose we could take ten billion dollars and develop a new plane and build ten of them, or take that same ten billion dollars and build 100 of an existing aircraft with the latest weaponry. Which is best?
Then there’s the matter of spare parts and trained personnel. That infrastructure is in place for the existing aircraft. Recall that a major cost saver and simplifier of life for Southwest Airlines is that they use only one aircraft.
And think about non-aircraft things that the money to develop a new fighter could be used for. Perhaps a laser aircraft and missile defense system. Perhaps something for our ground forces for use in guerrilla warfare.
You obviously don’t understand the need to “community organize” the military. ACORN will defend us— against those who still believe in the Constitution.
But, but, California had a program for clunkers years ago and look how well they’re doing. Read Tom McClintock’s piece that was posted a while ago.