We worry about small things our taxes pay but big things sometimes go unnoticed
By Jim Kempton
Comic Larry the Cable Guy recently asked a hilarious question: “Does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington but they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country? Maybe we should give each of them a cow.”
After I stopped laughing I thought of a second question: For decades we have been paying the CIA $60 billion a year—why are we still looking for the terrorists?
Congress’ answer? Order 60 more fighter jets at a price tag of $178 billion. It is important to note that we have more planes than the rest of the world combined and that one fighter has been shot down in the last 40 years.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor just introduced a bill in Congress to get rid of $40 million in food stamps, to help balance the budget. Heck, if they just cut back to 40 new planes we could all get food stamps for a decade. We spent $3 trillion on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And we still think our debt problems come from undocumented immigrants and welfare moms. It’s not that I think welfare cheating and sneaking across the border are OK. I just think we need to tackle the 800-pound out-of-control gorilla in the room.
It is not about the issues of spending that I disagree with. It’s the priorities. If we want real spending control we need to realize what we spend our money for. These wars brought us an $800 billion dollar deficit. And for perspective, one nuclear sub costs more than all the welfare cheats since the beginning of time. Meanwhile the heroic soldiers doing our forgotten dirty work can’t even get paid because our politicos shut town the government. And even when they do get paid, that $800 billion the military industrial complex spent sure ain’t going to them.
Congress is all in a dither over waste; meanwhile losing $25 billion in economic losses because of their shut down. Think there‘s any waste or cheating on military spending by the huge conglomerates that provide defense contracts? If you don’t, I’ve got a great real estate deal to sell you in Baghdad. It’s right next to the weapons of mass destruction we spent 12 years and $3 trillion looking for.
“The military industrial complex is the biggest welfare system the world has ever known. We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”
Just ask Dwight Eisenhower. He said it.
Jim Kempton holds our talented, resourceful, courageous military personnel in the highest regard. He wishes Congress would listen when pointing out that Congress’ pork is frequently unneeded to do the superb job our armed forces perform.
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