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EDITOR:
Mr. Daley, you’ve managed to throw that Red Herring out there about how unjust cutting pay for active military is, then in the same breath disparage American corporations and industry who invent, produce and supply the same troops with new technology and superior weapons they need and must have to protect this very nation in an ever increasing hostile planet.
“Beware of the military industrial complex,” so often quoted by agenda-driven socialists, yet they can’t explain where we would be without it. Eisenhower rode the coat tails of that “complex” all the way to Berlin in 1945 saving the Brits, the Russians and the entire western (and eastern) hemispheres from despots and enslavement. The P-51 mustang, the best air superiority fighter of WWII was designed and built by North American Corp. The B-17 “flying fortress” built by Boeing carried the war all the way to the doorstep of the third Reich. Fairchild, Ford, General Motors, Packard, Curtiss Wright, Chance Vought, Consolidated, Bell, Republic, Grumman, Goodyear, Lockheed, etc, members all of the very complex you and I owe our freedoms to.
Today we have General Electric, still improving on the quietest, most powerful nuclear sub propulsion systems in the world, and General Atomics still inventing ever more optically endowed predators. Lockheed Martin is inventing super stealthy aircraft and UAVs like the VTOL F-35 air superiority fighter and the ‘invisible’ Sentinel … and many others. The biggest problem is they need more money not less, as stated by DOD chief Mr. Leon Panetta, but refuted by our commander in chief.
“Who could doubt that there’s every bit as much waste and fraud [Medicare] connected to defense and the military/industrial complex Eisenhower warned us about so long ago…” Really? Show some respect Mr. Daley. Who’s leaning left now? Our military and its “complex” is about the last bastion of productivity and good left in this country, about the only thing we can take pride in anymore, unless you want to include the rising complex of head shops, thrift stores, tattoo parlors, pharmacies and liquor stores.
You are concerned with cutting spending like many of us? Why not start with all the foreign and domestic advertising and gifting of free food, housing, college tuition, medical care, job training and amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants? Or is that more important than our military? Is “gifting” more about buying votes? Wake up America.
ROD KERR
Placerville
Let’s start with the $2.3 billion in producing new tanks that the Army doesn’t need or want. Wonder if I can get a 10% finder’s fee for reporting this waste in the Department of Defense? Mr. Kerr?
James, those tanks are probably on their way to Cairo or Tel Aviv… as we speak. All Mil Spec equipment not on our “A” list is used to ‘encourage’ others to our way of thinking. The F-16′s we sold to Iran in 1988 don’t work unless they are continualy updated with US electronic software.
Why don’t we carry a little stick then may be our enemies will leave us alone LOL. If we don’t dominate the world in technology and superior weaponry we will be at the mercy of our enemy; this world is not a safe place to live and if we want to live, and be free we best make is so that no one will mess with us.
Martin, James is correct; the Army doesn’t want these tanks. They already have hundreds of them ready for mothballs. Maybe when these tanks are finished, they come complete with mothballs right from the factory? Another example of the MIC lobby hard at work fleecing the American taxpaying sheeple.
Seymour Hersh wrote a book called, “The Dark Side of Camelot,” within which he outlined how the contract for the TFX fighter went to General Dynamics. It seems GD lost the award but the SECDEF personally cancelled the competitive bidding and awarded the contract to GD. It seems that a retired FBI agent had a file on JFK which would have been embarrassing. That’s his story, not mine. In another parallel neither the USAF or Navy wanted the common-base plane, and to this day only one squadron was activated (now FB-111s, in England.) So guess who has the contract for the army tank?
Jeezuz Martin. Here’s the deal…You are a citizen of the empire. You are not free, you are drone. A moving cog of the military industrial complex. This country has been in a state of perpetual war since we colonized. Fear is a powerful motivator of blind patriotism. The world by and large is not a dangerous place to live. Look up violent crime statistics. We score pretty high in that category! I have had the opportunity to live overseas for extended periods, you got to see the US for what it is from a different perspective.
Chrispy! “you got to see the US for what it was from a different perspective” Just what was that perspective of the US while you were lounging in your protected little spa? I think you’re probably one of those sheltered souls that live in a state of “fine and dandy” that can’t think past that little silver spoon hanging out of your mouth. I think the world can be as dangerous as we allow it to be and ignoring it won’t make it any better.
Rod, don’t worry about the F16s sent to Iran. Even if they had every new update, which they don’t, they don’t have pilots capable of REALLY flying them in combat . . that is why they all came with rear view mirrors . . . so their pilots could see the enemy! Do you know how an Iranian f16 pilot knows he made a “gear up landing”? . . It takes full power to taxi! If Iranian pilots got into air battles with our guys it would be over before the Iranians could say holy sh**.
American pilots have combat experience. Their kill rate would be 101%.
Plus, with state of the art electronics, Iranian aircraft would be identified at take off, fixed, and killed at great distance. It wouldn’t be much of a dog fight.
So many inaccuracies so little time. Our military industrial complex is bloated and needs to be adjusted to the current Geo-Political climate. We have become the “Worlds Police”, to the benefit of many competing countries, with the cost laid on the shoulders of the US Tax payer. The Iranians never received the F-16. That was blocked and many of those planes were sold to Israel. How ever Iran was the only country sold the F-14. We didn’t sell them the electronics or the maintenance capabilities and the planes were grounded for the first Iran/Iraq war. But with Iran’s reverse engineering capabilities their F-14′s are still in use today. If you are a fiscal conservative and believe that a bureaucratic government complex is never cost effective and is always bloated as I do then you would agree that institution would be the best place to be the Alpha site experiment as how best to curb an out of control government.
STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS: “Barack Obama’s Warfare State” – HERE – Unfortunately, politicians on both sides of the aisle seem to believe that spending reflects an accurate measure of military effectiveness, whereas Americans intuitively understand that strength is not a function of how much we spend. … Commentators praised Obama for waxing eloquent on everything from combating climate change and reducing gun violence to creating jobs and raising the minimum wage. What they neglected was the warfare state — the elephant in the room.
Hey guys… On March 1, 2013…. The SAME day the Defense Department is cut…….Congressman Tom McClintock will get a 9% raise….. that makes his salary $189,660 a year — $1,493.39 a day for the 127 days he works…..(McClintock started at $150,000, 4-years ago. He says it’s not his fault. EDH Town hall Meeting in Oct 20010)….. New Cong. Ami Bera asked House leaders to stop this raise….. He was Run off…. Think about it…. Who are they representing?
Ah Dink-You are aware that the House overturned the raise on Friday with 40 Democrats joining the Republicans. They did exempt the military. Also, that is why Pelosi’s dignity has been besmirched. Try to keep up.
Yes, you are right….about the “Delay” but the “delay” was only until March 1, 2013….. That’s why Ami Bera was asking for another delay and Pelosi (I’m no fan) told the reporters at the press conference this week… So don’t worry…. Tom McClintock will get $1493 a day….. Instead of his usual $1370 a day…..(for 127 days work)
When Pelosi was the Speaker of the house, she had a lower approval rating than gonorrhea.
Ddink-From the S.F. Gate, 2/15/2013—-— The House voted Friday to extend a pay freeze for federal workers, already in effect for more than two years, for another nine months.
Republicans, who largely backed the measure, said it would save $11 billion in the long run and that economically secure public servants could go a little longer without a raise.——-EEGADS, did the Administration change the months of the calendar now?
Paddy, do I the sound of . . . clapping?
. . . hear . . .
If the Congressional pay figure Dink gives (coming in at a cool $ .5 mil pa) is correct, then I’ll agree it’s a tidy sum. But, Dink, does McClintock’s pay differ from that of other Reps?
post test
trouble with posting a link – - Tom McClintock – 174K
Dink: How do you arrive at $1493 a day? See pg. 14 HERE (Congressional Salaries and Allowances – 2013).
Dink-If McClintock will be getting raise, won’t Boxer and Feinstein also be getting a raise? If so, how much of the public treasure will they be getting? Thanks.
LINK – Salaries and Benefits of US Congress Members – (link test)
Ah Phil, I wanted Dink to give us the amount of increase our Democrat representatives would be receiving. I think I still do. But thanks for the link;interesting reading.
My bad, Dee. Sorry for butting in. DINK – Answer Dee’s question.
Dee, you ask the obvious — of course, all Representatives get the same pay. Perhaps Dink was saying that McClintock’s pay is ill spent because he represents the Tea Party first (he knows where the votes are in El Dorado County),
Republicans second, and Independents and Democrats not at all. Without question, Carpetbagger Tom knows how to stay in office.
Longhofer-Let Dink speak for himself. As far as a waste of money, the salaries of Boxer and Feinstein are definitely wasted for the average Californian. They do not represent Republicans,conservatives, and independents.Boxer and Feinstein represent crony capitalism, massive regulations, loss of individual freedoms and their very wealthy husbands.
The house is only in session 127 days this year…… Annual salary $174,000…… divide the # days worked by the $$ paid..= $1370/day…… ($1493 with 9% RAISE on March 1)…. the Bill passed on 2/15 was for Federal Employees — Separate from our Hard-working-Welfare-Kings/Queens — called CONGRESS…..
DINK THINK - Constituent interaction is not work. . . OK . . . whatever