Stephan: One in seven children in the United States has hunger issues. One in seven. Forty seven percent of the American population is over 65, and nearly 14% of them are in poverty. As Jackson, Louisiana proves America's infrastructure, much of it built nearly or over 100 years ago is coming apart. Jackson has been without potable water, or any water, for 16 days.
Yet we have spent trillions, that's TRILLIONS, of dollars on F-35s, a new fighter aircraft, a form of aircraft increasingly irrelevant to military strategy, and in any case the plane is a dud.
The reality, which few Americans can even conceptualize, is that we spend more on our defense budget than the next highest defense budgets of the next seven nations COMBINED. What could possibly justify that? Why corporate profits of course. American defense contractors are amongst the highest profit corporations in the world. We are a very sick fearful country.
F-35
Somehow the United States has managed to develop a fighter jet for all three services — the Air Force, Navy and Marines — that goes for $100 million apiece, ran up almost a half-trillion dollars in total development costs, will cost almost $2 trillion over the life of the plane, and yet it can’t be flown safely.
Top eight defense budgets by nation
How did this happen, you ask? Well, it’s a long, complicated story, but basically it involves taking something that’s supposed to do one thing and do it well, like take off from the ground and fly really fast, and adding stuff like being able to take off and land on an aircraft carrier or hover like a hummingbird.
That’s why they call it the “flying Swiss Army knife.” Have you ever tried to use one of the things? First of all, you can’t find the knife blade, hidden as it is among scissors and screwdrivers and can openers […]
Stephan, thank you so much for this article as well as your commentary. I always appreciate your commentary before the articles. My brother and I have gotten into discussions over the past 24 hours about the new Covid stimulus bill. He is very against the price tag and thinks his children will have to pay for it and that the American dollar will be devalued with inflation etc. He is a very good and generous person, and he also has A LOT of money. He does not always have the facts, about where government money is spent and neither do I. So I deeply appreciate your article at this moment. I passed it onto him and he is shocked. Most people, even well educated people, do not know where government spending goes or the reality of the financial disparities in this country. Thank you too, for all the statistics you provide.
Rev. Dean
on Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 4:25 pm
Hopefully, the rich will taxed enough to pay for our covid-virus relief and we will have a wealth tax put in place. I would also like to see military spending cut because of the very reasons this article points out.
Christine Bair
on Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 8:15 am
We will not survive as a nation run by fear. What we produce we use, or sell to others to use because they are afraid we might use ours; how moronic. It’s long past time to get past this immature level of thinking and acting and start acting like competent adults, behaving in ways that lead to cooperation, collaboration, and the common good–at every level. We could be the example others follow. Let’s do it!
Rev. Dean
on Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 4:27 pm
I totally agree with you Christine.
Albus Eddie
on Friday, March 5, 2021 at 8:46 am
Like many things with the US Government, when you have failures of this magnitude no one get fired.
Stephan, thank you so much for this article as well as your commentary. I always appreciate your commentary before the articles. My brother and I have gotten into discussions over the past 24 hours about the new Covid stimulus bill. He is very against the price tag and thinks his children will have to pay for it and that the American dollar will be devalued with inflation etc. He is a very good and generous person, and he also has A LOT of money. He does not always have the facts, about where government money is spent and neither do I. So I deeply appreciate your article at this moment. I passed it onto him and he is shocked. Most people, even well educated people, do not know where government spending goes or the reality of the financial disparities in this country. Thank you too, for all the statistics you provide.
Hopefully, the rich will taxed enough to pay for our covid-virus relief and we will have a wealth tax put in place. I would also like to see military spending cut because of the very reasons this article points out.
We will not survive as a nation run by fear. What we produce we use, or sell to others to use because they are afraid we might use ours; how moronic. It’s long past time to get past this immature level of thinking and acting and start acting like competent adults, behaving in ways that lead to cooperation, collaboration, and the common good–at every level. We could be the example others follow. Let’s do it!
I totally agree with you Christine.
Like many things with the US Government, when you have failures of this magnitude no one get fired.