Why we can't have nice things

This country has plenty of money. We are just not willing to use it for the proper things a civilized society needs. With a Congress that refuses to make corporations and the wealthy among us pay their fair share, we still seem to have plenty of money for unnecessary shit like this.

he Pentagon is poised to spend billions to build a new stealth bomber, a top secret project that could bring hundreds of jobs to the wind-swept desert communities in Los Angeles County's northern reaches.

Two teams of defense contractors are now battling to win what would be one of the most expensive contracts in Pentagon history. As the lobbying intensifies, the coming decision to pick a winner as soon as this spring has set off a debate over whether the new warplane is crucial to national security or a colossal budget-busting waste.

"You're talking about a $2-billion airplane by the time they build it," said Thomas Christie, who worked as a top analyst inside the Pentagon for more than three decades before retiring. "It's a disaster waiting to happen."

But Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said last month, "I think the Long-Range Strike Bomber is absolutely essential to keep our deterrent edge."...

The decision is in the hands of the Air Force, which says it needs a heavy-payload-carrying bomber that is so stealthy it can evade the most sophisticated enemy radar.

Air Force officials have said the warplane would eventually be outfitted to carry nuclear weapons. They also want it to one day be capable of flying as a drone.

Other details are a closely guarded secret.

To stem criticism of the program's cost, military officials have vowed to limit the bomber's price to $550 million each. The Pentagon included $1.2 billion for the bomber in the public portion of this year's budget. The Air Force plans to award the contract for as many as 100 of the new planes as soon as late spring.

An Air Force spokesman and executives from the companies said they could say little because the bomber is part of the Pentagon's classified "black budget."

The $550M number is a pure joke. By the time the Air Farce & Congress get through with it, it will do a thousand things very poorly and cost at least the $2B suggested by Thomas Christie. Smart money says he one will require another $1B just to get off the ground. But there will never be a lack of money to pay for a plane that will serve no need in the current world. Just slash some more social safety net ot better yet, loot the Social Security Funds. Can't let little things like people get in the way of massive M-I-C profits.