The Honorable Members Of Congress - Or How Not To Support Our Troops

It has always been thought "proper" to address members of Congress with the title "Honorable".  The picture above represents a bipartisan meeting among some Honorable Senators on the Defense Appropriations Committee as they discuss "earmarking" $2.6 billion of the defense budget for pet projects.  This means that members of the committee get to set aside a few bucks for projects in their district, even though the military did not request them.  So, when the military says "we need new flak jackets", these military experts in the Senate say "no you don't.  You need this new destroyer that just coincidentally is built in my state."  Then, the Senator who set that money aside gets to go home and say "ain't I just grand" to the voters before the next election.  Not to mention the lobbyist money and union support something like this generates.

Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, another soldier or Marine dies because he didn't have the best protection.

Here's just a few of the things that the money is being spent on:

1. The Senator Edward M. Kennedy Institute, the purpose of which is to highlight the Senator's many achievements, including his support of our troops while he served on this committee.  Yeah, that's the ticket!  He supported our troops!  You bet!  I fact, I remember how much he supported our troops in Iraq by constantly blasting the war, claiming it was lost, trashing the President and pretty much siding with our beloved "peace activists".  No aid and comfort given to the enemy there.  No sir!  Just an honest difference of opinion.  Maybe we could dedicate a small corner of the "institute" to Mary Jo Kopechne.
2. $20 million to repair National Guard Humvees in Maine.  The military didn't need this, but the constituents of Senators Snowe and Collins needed the 175 jobs.  So that's one of the ways the Democrats bought Snowe's socialized medicine vote!
3. $25 million for a WWII museum in New Orleans.  Now personally, I think this is a great idea, but did we need to raid the defense budget to do it?  Somehow, if we could poll all of the living and dead WWII vets, I think that they would overwhelmingly forgo a museum for themselves in favor of supporting our troops in a current war.  But, Democrat Senator Landrieu and Republican Senator Vitter worked together to bring home the bacon for their constituents.  Now that's the true meaning of "bipartisan teamwork"!  No matter what it takes, even if it means making a little less ammo, bring home the pork!

Pigs on both sides of the trough got their snouts filled at the expense of our troops, with Democrat Senator Inouye getting $206 million and Republican Sen. Cochran getting $216 million.  Meanwhile, our pilots are getting inadequate training, tank crews are undertrained and the ammo budget has been cut.  You may also remember that the F22 Raptor (the finest fighter aircraft ever built) got cut a few months back because it was "too expensive."  But, the $4.2 billion for cargo planes and a destroyer that the military doesn't need were not at all extravagant,  at least not when you consider the political benefit to the Senators who brought that bacon home.

Years ago, there was a book titled The Best and the Brightest (which, of course, I didn't agree with.)  If you ever had any doubts that the worst and the dumbest are now in charge of our country, this article should put to rest any uncertainty:

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/15/troop-funds-diverted-to-pet-projects/