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What's
so scary about the federal budget? It's a budget,
after all -- numbers and columns and codes. But the bottom line -- what
it all translates to at the end of the day -- is a giant military
machine. And what good is a military machine unless you have
a war?
There
are many things wrong with a war machine -- any war machine.
But this one happens to be about more than weapons. It's about profit.
It's heavily invested in things that were intended to keep us safe from
the threat posed by the Soviet Union. Communists. Remember them? We're
still researching, building, and buying weapons systems meant to fight
an enemy that no longer exists.
And now?
Not only is that threat long gone; but our enemies in this day
and age do NOT fight the same way. We are trying to create
a War on Terror, and use those old weapons to fight it; and we are bound
to lose. We need a whole new look at defense, at security, and at modern
"warfare."
So,
as we prepare our bowls of candy and pumpkin faces, we invite you to take
a moment and think about what's really scary today. And to vote
for what you think is the most scary/kooky thing in the federal budget.
Vote
here. (And enter to win a lovely paper peace crane!)
 |
Also:
This is the end! Peace Primary ends on October 31, 2007.
Please vote for us today! Thanks!
September 1 - October 31, 2007 | PeacePrimary.org |
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More
information here. |
F/A-22
Raptor Aircraft
"Winner of the prize for single most irrelevant weapons program."
--Foreign Policy in Focus / Center for Defense Information Report
Program cost: $72 billion
President's request for FY08: $3.74 billion for
20 aircraft
It was designed to combat advanced aircraft from the former Soviet
Union -- which were never built.
The Air Force currently plans to buy at least 276 Raptors. |
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Time
magazine cover story on the Osprey,
"A
Flying Shame" |
V-22
Osprey
"A classic example of how large weapons systems have been built
in the U.S. since Dwight Eisenhower warned in 1961 of the 'unwarranted
influence' of 'the military-industrial complex.' The Osprey has
taken years to design, build, test and bring to the field. All that
time meant plenty of money for its prime contractors, Bell Helicopter
and the Boeing Co." (Time
magazine)
Program cost: $12 billion
President's request for FY08: $2.32 billion for
21 Navy and 5 Air Force aircraft
It's been plagued by fatal crashes as well as concerns about performance,
reliability and maintenance costs.
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|
More
information here. |
Missile
Defense
Missile defense receives more funding than any other weapons system
in the annual Pentagon budget. Yet it fails all tests and offers
few benefits.
Program Cost: At least $100 billion has been spent
on missile defense since 1983.
Dr. Philip E. Coyle (Center for Defense Information) estimates the
U.S. taxpayers could spend over a trillion dollars
on missile defense.
FY08 request: almost $11 billion
The system would provide no defense against the most likely sources
of future attacks (such as low-flying cruise missiles or car bombs).
It’s like locking one car door. |
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More
information here.
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SSN-774
Virginia-class Submarine
Program cost: $94 billion
President’s request for FY08: $2.65 billion
for one vessel
Intended to combat future submarines that the former Soviet Union
will never build.
The planned 55-boat fleet can be maintained by halting the practice
of retiring highly capable Los Angeles-class submarines early, basing
submarines closer to their areas of operation, and buying fewer
Virginia-class submarines. |
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More
information here. |
DDX
Destroyer
Cost for research, development, testing and evaluation: $10.4
billion
President’s request for FY08: $2.8 billion
The program is aimed at producing a large, high-end ship, more for
open-ocean warfare against a superpower than support of operations
ashore in crowded, dangerous, close-in coastal areas.
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More
information here. |
C-130J
Transport Aircraft
"An overpriced boondoggle unworthy of its predecessor’s
Herculean reputation for reliable heavy-lifting operations. The
(DOD) used questionable contracting rules, ignored standard price
controls, and paid top
dollar for a defective aircraft that the military cannot use."
--Taxpayers for Common Sense
President’s request for FY08: $268.1 million
for 4 Marine Corps KC-130J aircraft, and $799.7 million
for 9 C-130J Air Force aircraft
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Reliable
Replacement Warhead |
Reliable
Replacement Warhead (New nuclear weapons)
Evidence indicates that the existing U.S. stockpile of nearly
10,000 nuclear warheads is reliable and will remain so
for decades. The Secretaries of Energy and Defense have certified,
each year since 1997, that all warhead types in the U.S. nuclear
stockpile are safe, secure and reliable.
President’s request for FY08: $118.8 million
Complex 2030: The New Nuclear Weapons Complex (PDF) |
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Happy
Halloween from all of us at WAND!
Don't let the kids look at this. They may
find it too disturbing.
Vote
here. (And enter to win a lovely paper peace crane!) |
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