Three billion dollars of government waste should get you good and riled. Well, that is the projected cost of a backup engine for the new F-35 Fighter that nobody in the military wants!

The numbers these days are fairly scary. As a nation, we owe over thirteen trillion in debt. That’s just the declared federal debt. Through in other liabilities like Medicare, Social Security and the Prescription Pill Plan and the number is closer to $80 trillion dollars. Given this, you would think politicians would be a bit embarrassed about government waste. No, not a bit. 

The military is trying to save money on its fighter program by developing a single fighter for each of the military branches. The fighter of choice is the F-35. It is powered with Pratt & Whitney engines. Pratt & Whitney has a long history of making quality fighter jet engines and there is no suggestion they will in this case. 

Despite this, there is a movement in Congress to pass a provision for the building of second engines, better known as backups. These engines would be built by General Electric and Rolls Royce. The total cost of building these engines that may never be used would be $3 billion. Think about that for a moment - three billion dollars for an engine that will most likely never be used. 

At this point, you might be thinking the military is out of control when it comes to spending. Well, here is the real irony of the situation. The military doesn’t want the second engine. The Department of Defense doesn’t want it either. President Obama? No, he is against it as well. Given this, who exactly is in favor of spending $3 billion on an unneeded backup engine? The Representatives and Senators in the states that have factories that would get the work the driving forces along with lobbyist from General Electric. 

We like to point to other countries as being corrupt. While politicians in those countries take bribes for personal gain, how is what is happening in this instance any different? The representatives and senators are “bringing home the bacon” for their districts. It is pathetic and enough to really make you fear for the future of this country.