Repubs: bombs good, food stamps bad

T

tekkychick

New member
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/07/10/house-votes-to-uphold-increased-spending-on-unneeded-and-unwanted-nuclear-bombs/

The Republican-led House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected a measure to roll back spending on B61 nuclear bombs deployed and stored in Europe.

Democratic Reps. Jared Polis (CO) and Mike Quigley (IL) proposed an amendment to a water and energy program funding bill that would cut $23.7 million for the B61 nuclear bomb not requested by the Department of Energy. They questioned why the program received more money than it requested for weapons that may be useless.

“At a time when we are slashing funds for disease research at the NIH, failing to fund our crumbling infrastructure, and under investing in our children’s education, we are increasing funding to a keep hundreds of nuclear bombs in operation that we will never use,” Quigley said on the House floor. “The Cold War is over.”

The DOE requested about $537 million for the B61 Life Extension Programs, but the GOP-led House Appropriations Committee provided $23.7 million more than the department asked for. In a report, the committee explained the nuclear program had its funding boosted because it had a “troubling history of insufficiently planning for its ongoing production requirements.”

Polis noted that the Air Force had recently doubted the effectiveness of the B61 nuclear bomb. A former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the bomb was virtually useless, Polis explained. In addition, some European allies no longer wanted the bomb deployed in their country.
Click to expand...
 
Just another example of authority's day-to-day. I particularly like how Zizek explains it: He calls this kind of irrational policy making "the physical form of ideology".
 
Well hell, that's like the M1A1/A2 Abrams tanks....in addition to the ones already deployed, we have something like 6,000 of them mothballed. The DOD says "Hey...we got enough of the damned things"...but guess what? Production hasn't stopped.

Gotta keep those contractors flush with money while everyone else is trying how to make ends meet. And yes, I know that they employ American workers. Time for those companies to get off the Government tit though....start competing in the real world....start building solar panels and windmills. At the cost of $4.35M/tank? I'd much rather see it spent in that way...or R&D to make solar and wind more efficient.....or how about upgrading our electrical grid so we don't waste 60% of the electricity generated?
 
Steelplate said:
Well hell, that's like the M1A1/A2 Abrams tanks....in addition to the ones already deployed, we have something like 6,000 of them mothballed. The DOD says "Hey...we got enough of the damned things"...but guess what? Production hasn't stopped.

Gotta keep those contractors flush with money while everyone else is trying how to make ends meet. And yes, I know that they employ American workers. Time for those companies to get off the Government tit though....start competing in the real world....start building solar panels and windmills. At the cost of $4.35M/tank? I'd much rather see it spent in that way...or R&D to make solar and wind more efficient.....or how about upgrading our electrical grid so we don't waste 60% of the electricity generated?
Click to expand...

Agree. Should be a way to repurpose the money so we still have jobs, but we're making something that's actually wanted and needed.
 
Boris The Animal said:
solar? Please. More expensive boondoggles for the Environweenies.
Click to expand...

Another illustration of how markets are failing to deal with energy. The industry is going somewhere, though arguably at too slow a pace. So whiter you're a socialist, a liberal, a conservative, or a "crypto-Nazi", you should recognize that something has to change.
 
Boris The Animal said:
solar? Please. More expensive boondoggles for the Environweenies.
Click to expand...

M1 tanks....more expensive boondoggles for the.military weenies...outdated nukes....much the same.


Idiots like you won't be happy till we've blown our opportunity to be the global leader in alternative energy...creating jobs and clean electricity.....but then again.....you'll just blame some Dem because we.missed the boat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top