http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/23/frank-f22-monopoly/
Barney Frank: GOP Thinks $2 Billion F-22 Project Is Funded By Monopoly Money
By Ali Frick on Jun 23rd, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Last week, over the objections of Defense
Secretary Robert Gates and the Obama administration, the House Armed
Services Committee restored funding for the basically useless F-22
fighter jet, in the process stripping funding for nuclear waste cleanup
efforts. Last night, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) filed an amendment to
restore the waste cleanup funds and eliminate the money for the F-22.
The move came after months of Republicans issuing dire warnings about
the consequences of suspending the F-22 program: Frank Gaffney, for
example, declared it would lead to "diminished military capability,
emboldening enemies, and alienating our friends."
On a press call hosted by the Center for American Progress Action Fund
this afternoon, Frank pointed out Republicans' hypocrisy in railing
against the deficit while simultaneously funding a $2 billion air force
jet that has never once flown a mission in Afghanistan or Iraq....
Frank also dismissed concerns that eliminating the F-22 will cost jobs:
These arguments will come from the very people who denied that the
economic recovery plan created any jobs. We have a very odd economic
philosophy in Washington: It's called weaponized Keynesianism. It is
the view that the government does not create jobs when it funds the
building of bridges or important research or retrains workers, but
when it builds airplanes that are never going to be used in combat,
that is of course economic salvation.
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Michael