Some defense cuts warranted
There is a lot of news about the sequester and the loss of jobs. One estimate is that there will be a loss of 200,000 in the defense industry. I don’t like to see anyone lose their job, but I wonder if we really need all the following projects as listed in the Time magazine Feb. 25 issue. The projects list includes: 2,450 F-35 jets for $400 billion (they were recently grounded); three aircraft carriers at $42 billion; 30 Virginia-class attack submarines for $94 billion; and 459 V-22 tilt-rotor airplanes at $53 billion.
Why not take the $162 million that one F-35 jet costs and put that money into rebuilding our bridges, schools and roads? Rehire the workers losing their defense jobs to do the work. Or how about 100 fewer F-35 jets, 10 fewer submarines, one less aircraft carrier, and 100 fewer V-22s?
Think what could be done with $320 billion in rebuilding our country. We could surely spare some defense expenditures without endangering our country’s security.
Don Carlton
Spokane