(03-04-2019, 02:50 PM)MalabarJag Wrote: [quote pid='1196590' dateline='1551718607']
There are so many ways in which the US government wastes taxpayer dollars that making such a list is a waste of message board space. 

The $46M wasted on making pennies (I agree that it's a waste) is insignificant compared the F-35 program. We've spent hundred of billions of dollars for a fighter jet that still isn't working while the US cancelled production on by far the best fighter jet ever made (the F-22). In perspective that's about 10,000 years worth of the waste in making pennies.

I think a lot of the defense spending is to keep the wheels spinning. Not like you can close it down, and then open it back up only when you need it. If you don't keep pushing the envelope (even failing), you are going to lose your edge in the arms sales race.
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That's true, but the F-35 is not most defense spending.
Whoever suggested that going forward all service branches should be using the same airframe should have been laughed out of the room 30 years ago.
The complaint was that buying up new F-15, F-16, and F/A-18s to keep the lines going in case of war was a lot of money that could be better invested in a single "joint" strike fighter. Interesting theory but it's been obvious for a long time that there will be no savings at all and a significant backwards step in capabilities.

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