Truthdig - Ear to the Ground - Senate Votes Down Military Boondoggle

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Senate Votes Down Military Boondoggle

U.S. Air Force / Master Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo

One politician’s jobs program is another’s “inexcusable waste of money.” Luckily for the taxpayer, that’s how Barack Obama feels about the F-22 strike fighter, a plane Congress has been pushing over the military’s objections. After Obama threatened a veto, the Senate voted not to fund the jet, which was designed to fight the Soviets.

Military industrialists need not worry. The U.S. still spends more money on its military than the rest of the world combined.

Bloomberg:

Obama said he is “grateful” to members of the Senate who voted to end production of the F-22. “At a time when we’re fighting two wars and facing a serious deficit, this would have been an inexcusable waste of money,” Obama said at the White House.

The overall measure authorizes $680.4 billion for spending by the Defense Department in fiscal 2010. The Senate plans to pass the legislation later this week. It must be reconciled with the House version passed June 25 that provides $369 million as a down-payment for 12 more fighters.

Lawmakers seeking to continue production of the fighter argued that ending it would cost thousands of jobs.

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TAGS: air force congress corruption f-22 house military military-industrial complex money obama pentagon politics senate war

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By PSmith, July 23 at 1:41 am #

OBAMA - TOTAL CAVE-IN

Increase in US Military budget - $39.3B (B as in Billion) - 8%, to $527B (B as in Billion)

Cut, in F-22 program - $1.75 B (B as in Billion).

Net _Increase_ in money-down-the-toilet - $37.55B (B as in Billion)

ER, ‘Donations to rich Neocons’ and their lapdogs in the Senate. Tell us again about ‘Dwight D. Obama’. Dwight D. Obama my @$$. Caving in to the Military-Industrial-Congressional complex at every opportunity, morelike.

And how about them HMO’s, the AMA and the Insurance companies and _NO_ single payer healthcare. We could have had this—A land of milk and honey where the crazy right wing is ‘Norwegian conservative guy’ @ 1.20. From Michael Moore’s Sicko—Now that hurts. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svSUCbClg8E

The Cave In is _Total_.

Figures - http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/02/03/kagan/

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By Folktruther, July 22 at 10:02 pm #

I find suspicious that there is no comparison by truthdig with the amount of the present budget compared to last year’s budget. I would bet that indicates that it has increases.

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By Northrups Terrorism, July 22 at 12:59 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

This is a drop in the bucket, billions more are pilfered on other pointless defense stupidities. Not sure why this made the news, this incredibly expensive plane should have died in 1990. It’s unbelievable people weren’t peeing themselves with laughter as Obama said “inexcusable waste of money” .
They burned through another stack of bills in Iraq and Afghanistan yesterday, but that’s all an “excusable waste.”

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By ckasnick, July 21 at 10:58 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

As cool of and airplane the F-22 is ,it cant overcome todays electronic environment in the battle field. In plain words THE PLANE CAN NOT FLY IN COMBAT.

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By skulz fontaine, July 21 at 9:52 pm #

Well, what in the hell is the war machine going to do now?

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