Posted on 06/19/2013 5:29:30 AM PDT by SkyPilot
Imagine an enemy that could neutralize 13 U.S. Air Force squadrons.
What force could pull off such a feat? Not China, not Russia, certainly not al-Qaeda or the Taliban.
Only the U.S. House of Representatives, and its weapon is sequestration.
The problem traces back to 2011, when lawmakers approved a plan for across-the-board budget cuts that would kick in if a special panel couldn't reach compromises during a debt limit showdown. The cuts were intended to be so unacceptable they would force members of Congress to do their jobs, make tough choices, and work with one another.
In other words, sequestration was designed to be harmful and stupid.
But harmful and stupid turned out to be the best Congress could do. Now that sequestration has become the law of the land, we hear different descriptions of its effects. Depending on the day of the week, some congressional leaders now tell us sequestration is a good thing, or that it makes only a minimal difference.
As an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who recently retired from the Air National Guard, let me tell you about some of these "minimal" differences — just in my own branch of the military.
• 13 Air Force combat squadrons were grounded in April. If I were, say, a Syrian dictator worried about the U.S. imposing a no-fly zone, I would find this encouraging.
• The Air Force has canceled the next class at the Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. An Iranian or Syrian fighter pilot would hardly stand a chance in a dogfight with a graduate of the Weapons School. Potential enemy pilots must see the suspension of the Air Force's "Top Gun" school as great news.
(Excerpt) Read more at realcleardefense.com ...
Obama could care less.
Worse, the Republicans could care less.
All I can surmise is that this devastation to our military must be of Satan's handiwork, because I have never, ever witnessed such incredible incompetence and willful irresponsiblity from our DC "leaders" vis a vis our national security as we have today.
While we trash our military, we spend money hand over fist for Social Security Disability (11,000,000 now on the rolls), Food Stamps (one in five American households), TANF welfare (nothing "temporary" about it), and the like.
We will pay a terrible price for this. Mark my words.
Yet there is still plenty of money for the Obamas to take a 100 million dollar vacation.
Sequestration was SUGGESTED
by the undocumented Moslem Indonesian.
So is it really a surprise he sits with al Qaeda.
Time for the Secretary of the Air Force, and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, to own up to their failure and resign.
Let’s GET REAL here. THE USA spends more on defense THAN THE REST FO THE WORLD ..COMBINED. I am sure there is 40% fat in the Defense budget to begin with.
Future wars will be won or lost by who can jam the computer systems of the enemy. Drones will fly most missions, with controllers hundreds of miles away. There will be far fewer warm bodies involved....except for the civilians who are at the mercy of merciless machines. War will still be hell for them.
We live in a captured state.
If we do not take back our government from new world order / financial oligarchy, and end their influence, then our government is a police state, corrupt, targeting American citizens for slavery to endless immorality, debt, sin, corruption and tyranny.
Rotten from within.
What?
Did ya think that our Mullah POTUS was EVER going to support the Air Force (OR Army. OR Navy. OR Marine Corps. OR Coast Guard. OR Border Patrol..........)??
HUH?
What have you been smoking, anyway??
Since when has thishere “sequester” had anything to do with it?
Hard to feel sorry for the Air Force when the estimated cost of the F-35 over it’s life is $1 Trillion dollars. Way, way too much fat that needs to be trimmed. Unfortunately, it looks like the AF is playing the same game politicians all over play which is to keep funding stuff they don’t need while cutting the things important to the tax payers so that the tax payers will agitate for more spending.
And how long is the “life” of the F35 anyway? How many airframes are the F35 designed to replace.
Quoting newspaper talking points doesn’t make your argument.
“And how long is the “life” of the F35 anyway? How many airframes are the F35 designed to replace.”
How long do you think Lockheed can go before they need to start up the next generation of fighters to replace the F-35? How long did the F-22 last?
But we will still spend millions on teaching African males how to wash their genitals.
The money is there, it’s just that the government wants to spend it on getting their nails done, the latest cell phone, and lotto tickets, rather than the rent and groceries.
How many weapons and weapon systems are funded by both houses of Congress that DOD says it does not want or need because the contracts are scattered over so many states? When Congress stops funding projects that the military neither wants nor needs, there will be money available for necessary weapon modernization.
100% correct.... sequestration is a joke to begin with... the budget was scheduled to expand by 8% and was cut back to 6% ..... we’re talking about 2% of a multitrillion dollar budget.... CHUMP CHANGE...
What is more important, which NOBODY is talking about (in the GOP or the Democrats) is that China is rapidly gaining on America military-wise, while we send American jobs there.
STOP IT.
Bring back American jobs to America.
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