Big spenders
Posted: August 31, 2009 at 4:43 a.m.
RALEIGH, N.C. — : Pentagon waste, from big-ticket toilet seats to multibillion-dollar gear that may be out of date by the time it's built, has long been accepted simply as the consequence of doing business in Washington.
Powerful members of Congress like to steer billions of dollars of business to companies in their districts or states with large defense contracts. Entire communities exist to support nearby military bases.
It's true that North Carolina, home to several major military installations, gets a share of that Pentagon budget. But the focus here is on people, thousands of whom have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years, too manyof whom have lost their lives there. :
Obama certainly didn't intend, in his remarks in Phoenix, to suggest that America shouldn't press ahead with developing effective weapons and vehicles using new technology. Keeping up to date and remaining well-armed is a deterrent to those who would do America harm. Investment in such is not at issue. What is subject to debate, and should be, is the waste of billions of dollars because of high-pressure lobbying for contracts and questionable programs that don't really speak to strategic or human needs. : - The News and Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Opinion, Pages 5 on 08/31/2009
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