Americans Have Spent Enough Money On A Broken Plane To Buy Every Homeless Person A Mansion

[Ichingcarpenter]

Just days before its international debut at an airshow in the United Kingdom, the entire fleet of the Pentagon’s next generation fighter plane — known as the F-35 II Lightning, or the Joint Strike Fighter — has been grounded, highlighting just what a boondoggle the project has been. With the vast amounts spent so far on the aircraft, the United States could have worked wonders, including providing every homeless person in the U.S. a $600,000 home.



It’s hard to argue against the need to modernize aircraft used to defend the country and counter enemies overseas, especially if you’re a politician. But the Joint Strike Fighter program has been a mess almost since its inception, with massive cost overruns leading to its current acquisition price-tag of $398.6 billion — an increase of $7.4 billion since last year. That breaks down to costing about $49 billion per year since work began in 2006 and the project is seven years behind schedule. Over its life-cycle, estimated at about 55 years, operating and maintaining the F-35 fleet will cost the U.S. a little over $1 trillion. By contrast, the entirety of the Manhattan Project — which created the nuclear bomb from scratch — cost about $55 billion in today’s dollars.

http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/07/09/3458101/f35-boondoggle-fail/

[msongs]

1. it's mission to raid the US treasury has been spectacularly successful nt

[merrily]

9. That's the beauty of working with other people's money.

[redqueen]

19. Yep. nt

[RobertEarl]

2. The beauty of it is

No one can be held accountable. What a system.

Anyway, to lie to you, I will say I am happy to trade my mansion for something like this. Why? Because when I die my mansion could actually house some immigrants. Instead, this plane can be used to make sure immigrants stay way long after I am dead.

[conservaphobe]

3. That is some overwhelming... um, can't think of a good word.

[Initech]

44. "Bullshit" is the word that comes to mind.

We seriously have no money to spend on fixing our infrastructure (which very badly needs to be done) but we have plenty of money to spend on unnecessary toys for the military industrial complex to play with. If that's not the definition of bullshit I don't know what is.

[uriel1972]

4. Yah well the Australian Government...

...Thinks it's so good they just laid down another 12 Billion, yes Billion dollars on them. Funny thing is they are cutting pensions etc. and telling us we all have to share the pain, because times are sooooo hard.

[merrily]

8. There's always money for war, er, defense.

[progressoid]

5. USA! USA! USA!

[littlemissmartypants]

6. Thank you. nt

[merrily]

7. And many, in government and out, are perfectly fine with that fact.

Good post. Thanks.

[Sherman A1]

10. Precisely

It is hard to argue against the need to modernize except when there is no need to modernize. F15, F16 and FA18's can all be upgraded, airframes & engines replaced and serve us very well for years to come. Certainly many are worn out, but they can be replaced with far lower development costs. A10's are singularly superb at what they do, but as I understand are being phased out.

The question comes, before we decide upon an aircraft, we have to decide upon who we are going to need to fight and frankly I don't believe that anyone can best our current generation of aircraft.

[hootinholler]

38. About the A10

[Sherman A1]

40. The A10 is a superb

aircraft that may need a few tweaks here and there, but should be serving this country in the role for which it was designed for years to come. There is no need to phase it out or replace it, beyond replacing worn out airframes.

[Ichingcarpenter]

11. Obama asks for an additional $65 billion for DOD

That total includes new requests to support European security over the short term and a new counter-terrorism fund that Obama says is necessary to help combat terrorists across the Middle East and Africa.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/barack-obama-afghanistan-war-108364.html#ixzz373MwcFFd

America's $1 Trillion National Security Budget

http://www.pogo.org/our-work/straus-military-reform-project/defense-budget/2014/americas-one-trillion-national-security-budget.html

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2015/assets/28_1.pdf

[Scuba]

12. If we can't afford to educate our children, to heal our sick or care for our elderly ...

... just what is it the defense budget is defending?

[xchrom]

14. +1

[Amonester]

18. The 0.0001%'s Capital.

And it's obligatory GRowth(TM).

[marmar]

33. excellent

[IronLionZion]

48. If our people are healthy, educated, and confident

they are harder to control. Its easier to keep them sick, ignorant, and fearful, then they'll believe it when you blame someone else for ruining their lives.

[xchrom]

13. du rec.

[Mr Dixon]

15. IMO

It still amazes me that people still think the Homeless, children and middle class should be a top priority. When in history has this ever been the case? The DOD budget is high because of Fear Mongering and the fat cat lining their pockets Pretty simple IMO.

[Gumboot]

16. There's still no adult supervision at the Pentagon.

Nor will there ever be.

The way so many of these 'defense' projects are handled is an absolute disgrace. Any private business operating like this would be out of business. But when there's an endless tsunami of taxpayer dollars greasing the wheels, efficiency and accountability go straight out o' the window.

I'd send in Alan Grayson and an auditing team ASAP.

[tjl148]

46. Maybe because there is no adult supervision in Washington. n/t

[locks]

17. Another irony

much of this military equipment we've been so proud of is now being used against our and our allies' forces and civilians (when they work).

[progressoid]

20. Or a 100,000 home and a half million in the bank.

[A HERETIC I AM]

21. Co-Designer of the famous F-16 explains why the F-35 is a failure and a dumb idea (10 min vid)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025128130

[IDemo]

26. This is worth the watch

He pretty well deflates the lead balloon that is the F-35.

[blkmusclmachine]

22. "Priorities."

[Bohemianwriter]

23. Good thing...

The cronies know their PRIORITIES.

Weapons and planes that doesn't work: fine!

A home to a homeless veteran: Socialist handout against the "American Values"....

[SomethingFishy]

24. Ever read Greg Palast's "Armed Madhouse"?

He's got a whole book of dumb shit we spent billions on that never worked...

The story that stuck out for me was when the war in Iraq started, there was some concern in the Navy about "desert warfare". Not wanting to be left out of the "fun" the Navy spent some 10's of millions of dollars trying to figure out how to fire Marines out of torpedo tubes, you know so the Navy could be "involved".

This kind of shit really irks me. This is where my money is going? Right, guys are dying waiting to get an appointment to the VA but we have a shitload of Jets that can't fly! And Hundreds of tanks that the army didn't even want!

Something needs to change.

[Jenoch]

25. Why would the government buy

every homeless person a $600,000 home? It would make much more sense to buy them affirdqble homes, get them healthcare, and job opportunities.

[IDemo]

29. I think the intent of the headline was to make a point about the exorbitant waste

I like to think that if saner people were in charge, the things you suggest would be taken care of.

[Jenoch]

37. I get annoyed by

comparisons such as this one.I hate the most the old "if you took _________ and put them end to end they would ________."

[Agschmid]

27. Kick.

Sorry didn't see this I'll delete my duplicate.

[dhill926]

28. now THIS….

is a real scandal.

[Blue Owl]

30. Excellent, practical perspective...

[randys1]

31. Since we are not suppose to have a standing Army, i have the solution

shut down the army, completely other than skeletal crews to maintain existing equipment, same thing for air force

maintain minimal Marines and Navy...never going to use them anyway assuming we never elect another idiot repub president

Now, the billions we dont spend on that, and the jobs lost, all are made up spending money on infrastructure

[Turbineguy]

32. It's part of a cunning plan actually

If we destroy ourselves it saves others the trouble of attacking us.

[theHandpuppet]

34. On the small group I host for Appalachia...

It was big news when the SOAR project received a grant of 1 millions dollars to help the underserved and underemployed people of Eastern Kentucky. I followed up with a post wondering about how many people could be helped at the price of just one fighter jet.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1272326

My god, this country has some really screwed up priorities. Sick, sick, sick in the pit of my stomach.

[tomm2thumbs]

35. ah...

but dontcha know the only way to truly, really ENJOY living in a mansion is to have earned it yourself !!! Such as by inheriting it from rich relatives, or from sending income overseas so it can't be taxed, or by screwing fellow Americans with cheap or dangerous products to reap a huge profit. Now THAT is the only way to earn and enjoy a mansion. By EARNING it the right way.

<chortle>

[marions ghost]

36. have to agree

unfortunately.

[woo me with science]

39. K&R. Thank you.

[Overseas]

41. Sad K&R.

[grahamhgreen]

42. Kick for perfect framing:)

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

43. The DOD is the most overfed Sacred Cow in history.

[woo me with science]

45. kick

[IronLionZion]

47. Freedom isn't free

Food, shelter, medicine, and education don't help much when you're dead, does it?



There's always money to kill people even if it means trillions in debt, but never enough to help people even if it will boost our economy through consumer demand.