NYT: $1.75 Billion Boondoggle (a FAIR criticism of Senator Kerry among others)

[beachmom]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/opinion/16thu2.html?_r=1

Editorial

$1.75 Billion Boondoggle

Published: July 15, 2009

An unlikely alliance of senators — led by Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and including Edward Kennedy and John Kerry of Massachusetts and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut — is backing an indefensible defense budget boondoggle: the wasting of $1.75 billion on seven additional F-22 fighter jets that the Pentagon says it neither wants nor needs.

The plane, the most expensive jet fighter ever built, was designed for cold war aerial combat. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has repeatedly argued that the Pentagon needs to phase out such high-cost, outdated programs so it can buy the kinds of weapons that American troops desperately need to complete their mission in Iraq and defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

The F-22 has not been used in either war. Buying more would only make it harder for the Air Force to shift money into aircraft like unmanned intelligence drones and the more adaptable, cheaper-to-fly F-35 fighter, which is set to begin production in 2012.

The F-22’s main contractor, Lockheed Martin, and its multiple subcontracting suppliers, have spread its 25,000 jobs across 44 states. And a majority of the members of the Armed Services Committee proved unable to resist that lure. Senator Chambliss, whose state is home to Lockheed Martin’s primary manufacturing plant for the F-22, sponsored the committee amendment adding the seven planes, which was approved by a 13-to-11 vote. Senator Kerry, who is not on the committee, has since said that he also supports the purchase.

This is John Kerry at his worst: a total pork meister completely at odds with what he supports in foreign policy for Afghanistan. And in the company of Saxby Chambliss, no less! Ugh.

[TayTay]

1. The F-22 is a waste

The system does not work and the Pentagon does not want it. Curiously, the same BAE Systems workplace that does F-22 work also does F-35 work, so the jobs argument is there, but it's not a complete wipeout of jobs if the F-22 goes. They can transfer people to the other system that the Pentagon does want. And besides, the Pentagon plans on putting money into cyber warefare defense, which means big money for universities like MIT that specialize in that.

As an aside, I do understand House Reps and Senators going to the mat for every job. This is not hackery, it is what they are supposed to do. The tension inherent in the job is between taking care of people in your state/district and taking care of national interests. That sometimes means decisions on one side, sometimes decisions on the other. This is not a clear cut as saying someone is a hack. It is a function of the job of US Senator to secure jobs for the home folks. We don't like to acknowledge this because it somehow seems low and dirty, but it's not. It is a legitimate thing to try and secure honorable and deserved contracts in your state.

As a practical matter, Jack Murtha is the real problem here. I wonder what Obama did to really piss him off. This F-22 thing is really intense for Murtha.

BTW, there was an article in the http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/07/12/democrats_obama_disagree_on_f_22_spending/?page=2">Boston Globe this past Sunday that explicitly said that Sens. Kennedy and Kerry were backing the delivery of the F-22's.

And Kennedy, perhaps the president’s biggest ally on Capitol Hill, has been a longtime advocate of the fighter plane. Late last month he used his vote on the Senate Armed Services Committee to support the F-22 funding. He also voted to finance other projects that have an economic impact in the Bay State but that the Pentagon says it doesn’t need.

He hopes that someday the Massachusetts Air National Guard will be able to replace their F-15 jets with the F-22, his office said in a statement.

But in a letter in support of continuing the program sent to then-President-elect Obama in January, Kennedy and dozens of other senators cited the economic impact of terminating the program, including more than 1,000 suppliers nationwide and at least 25,000 jobs. The project’s prime contractor is Lockheed Martin.

Meanwhile, Kerry, who also signed the January letter, this week reiterated his support for building more of the multibillion-dollar fighter jets even amid new reports that the aircraft may be experiencing technical problems.

Ah, there is no way the Massachusetts National Guard is going to come up with $375 million for an F-22 or even $175 million if the costs decline, something that would be a near miracle in the history of this plane's development. Besides, MA National Guard, like the Guard of other states that had to ship equipment to Iraq, has other, more pressing equipment replacement needs than fighter planes like this.

[karynnj]

2. Like you, I am disappointed that he has taken this position

It is hard to believe that he can't graft something finding other valuable projects that could be funded with that money that could generate the same number of jobs in MA. I hope his MA constituents, who disagree are calling him on this.

It really does not seem there is any need for this.

[karynnj]

3. Kerry did the right thing and voted "NO"

http://thehill.com/business--lobby/obama-gates-win-on-f-22-fighter-jet-vote-2009-07-21.html

I am so glad that he did. This was a vote that really seems more consistent with who he is than Kerry being a pork meister.